A House of Cards

Being conservative doesn't mean voting Republican, or opposing abortion, or attending church on Sunday. It is about mitigating risk, making prudent long term financial decisions, and accepting responsibility. We live in a supposedly "conservative" part of California although our local government is sinking millions into real estate development. That is the job of the free market, no matter how Huell and Zauher spin it. Our "conservative" leaders have made high quality and high visibility government facilities a priority, which is fine, except for the fact that our homeless and mentally ill can't get the help they need. We have great amenities such as the plunge, Big League Dreams, the Soccer Park, TB, and we have pension obligations that could end up bankrupting this city.

We have an opportunity to truly learn how to tighten our belts, not because times are tough right now, but because times will be good again. I guess it is human nature that during good times we create monthly obligations for ourselves because money is abundant, although those monthly obligations continue when money is sparse. Financing our current lifestyle at the expense of our future is a house of cards that will eventually fall. If you are the leader of your household, of your business, of a nonprofit, of a school board, of any government entity, now is the time to step up to the plate and make those difficult decisions. We will get through this and be better off in my opinion, by not relying on the government to bail us out, but by relying on ourselves, and by making prudent long term financial decisions. We need less government in our lives, including less local government acting like a developer.