There’s
an old law of physics…
“To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction”
It’s
known as Newton’s Third Law, and an important part of his Laws
of Motion.
Now
I’m not here to go deeply into a physics lesson with you, but
I think this is the most simple and direct way to explain the
mess the United States is facing. Because… go read it again… it
seems to me we have a huge group of people that don’t understand
fundamental realities.
And
while we can get caught up in definitions… trying to determine
what’s an action or a reaction or equal or opposite… the simplicity
of the statement shouldn’t be overlooked.
Back
in 1997 Terry and I brought the boys to Disney World. It was the
first long vacation for the three of them… first trip on a plane,
first extended stay in a hotel, and you get the idea.
Justin
was 7 at the time. And for the trip, he had been given a preset
amount of money to spend. Some of it came from grandparents and
his father and others wishing him well on the trip. Some of it
came from terry and I. Some of it came from what he had decided
he wanted to bring from his savings. The big thing to understand…
he had his own spending money.
Well…
I suppose I don’t need to tell you that when you bring a 7-year-old
to Disney World and Universal Studios and the beach and… you get
it, central Florida… his discretionary funds are at risk on day
one.
About
two-thirds of the way through the trip, he was done. I suppose
you could join us in being surprised he last that long. But for
us… well…
As
we left one morning for the Disney-MGM Studios, Justin was sitting
in the car, smiling, and fully understanding his financial situation.
It lasted until we visited the Muppets. Folks that love Disney
and the old major theme parks understand the concept of rides
and attractions exiting through a themed gift shop. Muppet*Vision
3D is no exception. I can still picture Justin’s face when he
saw it.
(I
should point out that back then, Justin’s favorite character was
Eeyore. Back to the story…)
We
were walking around in the store. Honestly nothing more than meandering
and poking around. I can’t recall if we were purchasing anything
in particular, but Justin was by my side when he literally froze
in his tracks… jaw-dropped… eyes wide open… and I’m pretty sure
he had completely stopped breathing.
In
front of him was a display of baseball caps… and the… most… amazing…
Eeyore… hat… ever!
I’m
pretty certain I haven’t fully collected on all of the car washers
and lawn mows and future chores promised at that moment. And I
fully recall violating the “this one last thing” agreement we
had a few days later on that vacation. But what could I do? The
scenario was simply adorable and amazing and memorable… a true
cherished Disney memory for us… and $10 wasn’t going to break
me. I bought it.
I’m
sharing that story with you because there is a funny lesson in
it. Occasionally, you may find yourself in a difficult position,
with the good fortune of having someone to bail you out. In 1997,
Justin had Terry and I. It worked.
But
the reality of the world is that in a neat and tidy philosophy,
you only get to spend a dollar once. If you have twenty dollars
in your wallet… and reach in once or twice or twenty times to
spend the contents of that wallet… your action (spending money)
will eventually be met by a reaction (running out of money). The
twenty dollars doesn’t magically replenish itself wen you put
your wallet away.
(Unless
you’re in Vegas. But it happens there even more rarely than finding
someone to bail you out does. And the legendary Vegas adventure
of 2004 is a completely different story.)
Pension
reform in Rhode Island. (Your magic search words for more on this
are “Rhode Island pension reform Chafee 2011”… enjoy.) Parks filling
up across the country. (Use “occupy wall street protests” as a
good start, and toss in “Oakland” for some variety.) The election
cycle beginning with news and notes and debates and primaries
and mudslinging and factchecking.
We’re
in for a beauty in 2012.
And
yet, I can’t help but be fascinated… like a 7-year old looking
at an Eeyore hat.
And
I can’t help but wonder… how many dollars do they think we have
in our wallets to sacrifice?
“To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction”
I’m
just waiting for the magical realization that there’s nothing
left. Because until that realization comes… well… we’re left with
miracles like, well…
The
great state of Maine. And a little over a year ago, this
article. The miracle? Someone in Maine thinking
Rhode Island had the answer:
“An
analysis of the new Rhode Island plan by the state found that
60 percent of resident taxpayers will see a tax decrease, averaging
about $226. About 21 percent would see no change, and about
19 percent will see an increase, on average about $654 each.”
Now,
I admit to not having the facts about how the specific law cited
worked out for Rhode Island and its citizens. However, I do invite
you to call any Rhode Island taxpayer and ask them how things
have been going since June 17, 2010.
Yes
indeed… a beauty of an election year in 2012.