Hello to all my Frugal Friends!
I've always enjoyed words. Even when I was in school I was fascinated by the origin of various words. I still remember when I learned about the Oxford English Dictionary. If you're not familiar with it, it traces today's words through history to other languages. Almost like the ancestry of a word. Their website is pricey ($295 per year), but you may find the print edition in your library.
My love of language causes me to listen to new phrases and think about what they mean. I heard an interesting one the other day. Seems that the White House is saying that their budget proposal is in "primary balance." By that they mean that what we're spending is balanced with our income - if we ignore the interest on the money that we've already borrowed. BTW that interest will cost us $207 billion this year alone!
My guess is that many of you would like to work under a "primary balance" budget. No more mortgage or car payments. Forget about paying off those credit card balances. Just ignore all the money that you've already borrowed.
You get the point. It's an absurd way to look at a budget. Ignoring past debts and the interest that you owe on loans isn't allowed in the real world. Even in the sometimes pretend world of government finances.
So if you hear any of our elected representatives saying that they're proposing a budget that's in "primary balance" call them on it. Tell them that you live in the real world and won't buy their fancy words. You understand that they're really proposing a budget that does NOT balance. And, that it's time for them to quit spending money that you and your children cannot afford to pay.
Keep on Stretching those Dollars!
Gary
