Be Wise and Show Restraint

King Solomon tells us within the first few verses in chapter 23 of Proverbs that the delicacies of riches, though seducing, are deceptive. He warns us to beware. A mere glance and very quickly; they are gone, as if they sprouted wings like an eagle and swiftly soared to the heights of the sky. In other words, riches invite us to enjoy its pleasures and seduce us to believe that if we had enough of it; we would be happy and secure.

These times are proof of how fleeting riches are. I know many who were hard working and good stewards of the wealth they had acquired; investing wisely and saving for their retirement as sound counsel would have encouraged. Yet now, it's half its worth and in many cases, gone completely. And it didn't matter how many millions a person may have once had. There is no security or lasting pleasure in riches.

I, like anyone else, desire to retain my holdings in these precarious times. But I appreciate the King's advice: 'Don't won't wear yourself out to get rich; but have the wisdom to show restraint'. Pursuit of riches provides a fleeting security that has no lasting posterity. The wealthiest among us are a good example of this principle as they lose, in some cases, billions.

What we're undergoing today in our harsh economic times is more than diminishing wealth. A spirit of greed and quest for power infected a bunch of folks who were strongly influential. That influence permeated all aspects of our national cultural existence, defiling it with far reaching latitude.
We're in so deep; I suggest we'll all be faced with some pretty hard decisions in the days ahead - maybe years.

The scary part for me is that I have NO confidence in Uncle Sam. And folks - we shouldn't. Remember: 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Government is a detached, cold and inept entity. To expect it to solve our problems is ludicrous - especially in the area of messing with the economy. I propose that the recent mandates from our assertive Congress sets us up for deep failure whilst giving up our constitutional rights. Rights for which were bought with the blood of soldiers from every generation throughout our history. I suggest that our forefathers would be rolling in their grave to see this day from whence we came. From a mere skeleton of governmental framework that they had constructed in the Constitution; (knowing government wasn't the answer) to huge Federal involvement that has made that skeleton obese. They understood that less interference from the Feds enlisted entrepreneurs of invention. And that formula made us one of the most globally prosperous and powerful nations in all of history. On a scale of no government, escalating to total government; both Democrats and Republicans are far left of center. We've caved...and all because of fear, hunger for more and perhaps sheer ignorance (or we've bought a lot of lies).

In the words of Bill Cosby, "Come on people!" Use some restraint and exercise some resourceful initiative instead of looking to a fat uncle for help. I can assure you, he won't be singing our song!