Whittling With A Chainsaw
By Mike Bibb

Image result for chainsaw cartoon images

Like the old Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick many years ago, President Trump — and his buddy Elon Musk — have used a similar analogy to whittle down the costs and size of the federal government.

Needless to say, even with a $36 trillion debt, the duo is meeting resistance virtually every step of the way.

Billions and trillions of taxpayer dollars are hard to give up, especially when the addiction has gone on for decades, involving Democrat and Republican administrations.

However, during the Biden Administration spending became totally out of control and indebtedness reached a point that if something wasn't done soon to restrain the insanity, the financial degradation of the country seemed a very likely possibility.

Ridiculous COVID blunderings, closing of churches and schools, working-from-home, rising inflation and the three-year involvement in the Ukraine-Russia War significantly impacted our economy to such an extent that we still haven't fully recovered. Everywhere you look — from fast food joints to the backs of 18-wheeler trailers traveling the Interstate Highways — you'll see "Help Wanted" signs.

With the nation slipping a couple of trillion dollars a year deeper into the abyss, and the interest on this debt now one of the largest expenditures in the annual budget, it will not be long until government departments will be compelled to reduce their budgets in order to pay the interest.

The tail is now wagging the dog — and the dog seems completely helpless to stop it.

Unless drastic measures are taken.

Hence, the chainsaw parody.

A few news organizations covered the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., Feb. 19-22. A yearly gathering of non-liberal oriented groups and individuals since 1974.

One of the featured speakers was Elon Musk, often referred to as "The world's richest man." He's recently hooked-up with President Trump in taking on the task of removing excess fat from an overly bloated federal bureaucracy.

Ironically, it's a couple of super-wealthy guys who are trying to lessen the government's financial imposition upon the rest of us. As if our few hundred dollars are as important as their billions.

Argentine President Javier Milei presented Musk with a brand-new chainsaw as a symbol of the tool necessary to take on such a large operation. Obviously, an ordinary doctor's scalpel was insufficient.

Hoisting the saw, Musk boldly announced to the crowd "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy."

The image was crystal clear — bureau and agency directors had better begin downsizing the costs and size of their departments, or "Dr." Musk will.

It's uncertain if he will use an anesthetic prior to surgery.

Interviewed on stage by Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, Musk remarked "People ask me, what's the most surprising thing that you've encountered when you go to D.C.? And I said, well, the most surprising thing is the scale of the expenditures and actually how easy it is to cut, just when you add caring and competence, where it was absent before, you can actually save billions of dollars, sometimes in an hour. Like, it's wild."

Save billions of dollars in an hour? — which is about how long it takes the government to spend it.

Of course, reducing the size of government has produced the expected weeping, wailing and cries of "The sky is falling!" or "It's a Constitutional crisis!" or "Trump is going to wreck everything!" talking head experts constantly warn us. On and on and on . . .

Relax, if you go outside, you'll probably discover the sky is just as blue as yesterday, the week before, the month before and the year before. It will still be blue when the government is smaller and less expensive.

It may not, however, seem as blue if the government defaults on its financial obligations. The bills have to be paid — just like you have to pay yours.

1st Rule of Economics: Don't buy anything until you can afford it. Simple as that, whether you live in Grant County, New Mexico or Washington, D.C., where the nincompoops are recklessly funneling your money into every bogus swindle they can find, or create!

Then on April 15th, they demand you "Pay your fair share" to keep the scams going.

There's only so many greenbacks to go around, even when the government is borrowing and printing them by the trainload!