Government Spending and its Consequences

by

This U.S. Citizen

Why is government spending and a large deficit so
bad for America? I think many people hear these words
and this question but may not really understand the
implication of high spending and bloated deficit
spending. I will admit I did not really understand it until
a few years ago but that came with paying close
attention to what the government is doing and by
reading. We continuously hear our reps talk about the
deficit and how the deficit is bad and people will agree
but, when you ask them why, rarely can you get a
consistent answer. Well if I could I would like to use this
opportunity to try to clarify what happens when the
government spends money.

For one thing, when the government spends money
it must first take money from somewhere. The
government does not have any money to spend. When
they spend money, they must take it from us, the citizens
or they must borrow it. They take our money by taxing
us. Just see the withholdings on your most recent
paycheck stub for proof. The government takes our
money and spends it on things they believe are necessary
and more important to the point it takes our money
before we ever see it, thus preventing our use of it. Just a
quick question: can you imagine how mad people would
be if they really understood how large their tax bill was
by having to actually write a check for the entire amount
every April? Instead the government has changed the
frame of mind of paying our taxes into looking forward
to getting a refund because they took too much of your
money from you. They used your money and paid you
no interest for borrowing it. The government likes no
cost loans and they take them from us every year and yet
we do nothing about it. I discuss a solution to this
tax issue in my book.

Now regarding government spending, when the
government spends our money they inhibit our ability to
utilize that money for the uses we desire. No
consideration is ever given on the real cost of taxes when
it come to reducing economic activity stimulated by the
free individual and the use of his money as he sees fit.
The focus is always geared toward an immediate need
usually in some area which stimulates emotions in
people. When decisions are based on emotions instead of
facts, potential consequences, and the likelihood of
mistakes increase. Need proof? Look at all the programs
created by government and tell me one which is run
efficiently and effectively after an honest assessment and
then tell me would they be worth repeating. I cannot
think of any. The reality is those in government spend
our money in such inefficient and wasteful ways because
they are not held accountable for mistakes. It is very
easy and I am sure quite intoxicating to be elected to
spend other peoples’ money and receive a paycheck for
doing it as well. Don’t you think?
The spending of Americans’ money has now been so
intoxicating to our government officials it is now
reached a point where our standard of living is about to
begin declining if it hasn’t already. Our taxes are
increasing to cover government’s needs and our ability
to borrow money from other countries is diminishing.
 

Countries such as China have now in 2010 started
reducing the amount of US debt it holds because it is
worried about their investments. They are worried our
financial system could have more and even greater
problems in the future thereby putting their holdings at
risk. Understanding risk as a financial person myself, I
would be worried about my money too, and I am.
The Federal Reserve has created so much money
now and inflated the dollar to the point other countries
feel it is too risky to hold the dollar and in 2009, new
reserve currencies were beginning to be discussed. This
also causes these countries to not be interested in buying
our bonds (i.e. loaning us money) because they know
they will be repaid with dollars which are less valuable
in the future. To pay the interest alone on our federal
debt is costing us billions every single year. This is
money which is buying us nothing but time while
worsening economic activity is impeding our very
ability to earn more money and thereby pay more taxes.
It is a spiraling effect.

Eventually we will have to pay back the principal of
the money we have borrowed. Where are we ever going
to get that kind of money? To use an analogy most
people understand, the U.S. is now much like a person
who has maxed out their credit cards and cannot even
afford to pay the minimum payment. Every day the debt
load gets higher and higher and none of our money goes
toward trying to lower our debt load by paying on the
principal. Lowering the debt and government spending
will keep our creditors happy and prove to them we are
financially responsible and not close to bankruptcy. The
creditors of the United States are not happy with us right
now.

You see, if others believe we can not pay our debt
back, they will attempt to do the prudent thing we would
all do and cut their losses. This means any dollars they
currently hold, they will try to get rid of by purchasing
goods, commodities, food, as well as other currencies
used throughout the world. They will try to get rid of
their dollars because they fear they will become of lesser
value or worthless very soon. This flooding of the
market with dollars to purchase everything in sight will
cause extreme demand and additional fear in others who
hold U.S. dollars. What this leads to eventually and very
quickly is the skyrocketing of prices of everything priced
in dollars. This avalanche is caused because as people
want to get rid of their dollars, less people want to take
dollars due to the high risk of a U.S. bankruptcy. So in
order for someone to take dollars for goods, they will
demand more dollars to hedge their risk of now holding
the declining U.S. dollar.

This is the dreaded hyperinflation scenario which
can be caused by government overspending, borrowing,
an out of control federal deficit, and excessive taxes. In
essence, the money and savings you may have saved
your entire life could be made essentially worthless and
you can do nothing about it. This is the ultimate price
and it will be paid by you and me, the citizens of the
United States if we do not start getting control of our
government. Is this a good enough reason to start paying
attention to what is going on in Washington and what
our government is doing to us with their extremely
excessive spending?

Something else really bothers me about how our
government goes about spending the money it takes
from us. Now there are legitimate needs for government
where funds are necessary such as in the defense of the
nation and the people against its enemies but I am not
talking about that particular issue. It is a fact that
government sees fit to attempt to socially engineer our
behavior through its programs and to influence how we
live by punishment and reward. They attempt to steer us
into taking actions that benefit them and their power.
This is done for example by giving tax incentives to buy
certain cars, car they want us to drive. What right do
they have to punish me into driving the car they want? It
is not authorized by the commerce clause or the welfare
clause as we have already discussed.
Another problem for which we are stuck with the
bill is when the government creates its programs for our
benefit using our tax dollars. They many times create
them to last forever and also build in automatic increases
in funding which will add more to the program every
year, growing additional government without actually
making new laws. For example and this may get a little
numbers heavy, but such is my nature and may be
another silly example but it does make a good point.
 

Let us say a law is written to spend $100 per year on
widgets (a fictional government need). Feel free to add as many
zeros on to that $100 as you like, the government seems
to and again bear with me here with a silly example but
remember we are talking about government spending
here. So, in the creation of the law it is determined there
will always be a need for this program and it will need
funding forever. It is also determined because the
population is expected to grow every year and inflation
must of course be considered, the funding for the widget
program’s funding must increase by 3%
per year for five years then by 7% every year after.
Wow, on a side note, this is a pretty good deal for those
widget makers and those who study widgets. They will
be happy to support their representative with money and
votes for this measure and also unlikely to vote for him
if he does not. Although it was not my intention here to
show how elections are influenced, I think this makes it
quite clear.

Once a program like this is in place, anyone saying
spending in this area should be cut will be accused of not
caring about the poor widget employee who will lose
their job in that congressional district, especially that
district’s congressman. Part of this point is programs
continue for reasons which go way beyond those for
which they were originally established.

Now to return to my point regarding spending or
spending cuts once a program is in place. To you and I,
when we cut spending in our households, it means quite
simply; we spend less money than we did before,
correct? If we are spending $100 per month on eating
out and our spending goes to $75 per month, this is a
reduction in spending in our eating out budget. Well, the
government does not work that way. In many cases, a so
called cut in spending is merely a reduction, usually
temporary, in the automatic yearly increase which is
built in when the program was created. Let us go back to
the widget example and it is now ten years since the
program went into effect. Due to the automatic increase
of 3% for five years and 7% thereafter, we are now
spending $162.59 in year ten on the program. Please
note, a financial calculator is helpful here! So a program
sold to the public by politicians which cost the U.S.
citizens $100 at inception is now costing us $162.59 this
year thanks to built in automatic increases. That is ten
years into the program and the automatic increase is now
7% per year so we can expect to spend $173.98 next
year in year eleven. Just a quick question, is it any
wonder the federal budget is so large when they use this
kind of math?

Okay, so hypothetically let’s assume the government
decides it needs to cut some spending, so how do they do
it? Well, in many cases they simply cut the automatic
increase. Rarely if ever do they reassess and/or eliminate
unnecessary programs completely. So in this case they
reduce the automatic increase from 7% to say 6.45% so
instead of spending $173.98 next year, they spend a
mere $173.08. Remember last year in year ten of this
example, $162.59 was spent and next year $173.08 will
now be spent thanks to the money saving cut in
spending. So technically, the government will spend less
than was originally expected but in reality, they still
spent much more than last year. And now you know how
a politician can say he voted for spending cuts but in
reality still without much notice, voted to spend more on
the program in the following year. This is nothing more
than taking advantage of built in wiggle room created by
politicians so they can have their cake and eat it too.
They can tout a spending cut to the voting public but still
increase funding to the widget maker or fellow crony so as to continue their support for his reelection as well.
 

If you and I cut spending in our personal households
this way, we would be bankrupt. I guess it is somehow
okay to work math this way when you are spending
other peoples’ money, our money, the money which
belongs to the U.S. Citizens who actually earn it.

This U.S. Citizen

The American Way

by

This U.S. Citizen

A problem lies in that there will always exist an inability
or unwillingness of many citizens and immigrants to
understand, practice, and pass on the ideals and values
which make America great while at the same time
expecting to benefit forever from these ideals. If the
values and ideals are not continued, the greatness they
expect to enjoy is dead. To use a car engine metaphor
again, if you ride in a car but do not believe or
understand the concept a car needs an engine in order to
move, you will not go anywhere no matter how much
you hope. By not continuing the ideals inherent in the
founding of the United States of America, we are
allowing sugar to be poured in our gas tank of ideals and
then wondering why there is no movement!

What sense does it make to incorporate the cultures,
customs, and beliefs of the rest of the world into our
nation and expect it to continue to prosper? People came
to America because it was different from the rest of the
world. These differences are the American Way! These
differences are what make the United States great and
what has created the most free and successful society to
have ever existed in the history of human beings. The
United States of America is not great despite these
ideals, but because of them and today these American
ideals are considered second rate values when compared
to those of the rest of the world. The American Way is
the culture of the United States and is a more important
culture to preserve than any other to have existed in the
past. Many people just do not realize it because they
have always benefited and have been immersed in it.
They simply cannot conceive or imagine it disappearing.
This belief allows them to ignore signs of decline or
reversion to ways not conducive to success in America.
They have never tasted personally real hardship as is
known in other parts of the world or in the past. People
leave other terrible parts of the world and come here for
a reason. They come here for the freedom to do what
they want and to be left alone. Why then do we allow the
politically correct accommodation of un-American
cultures and beliefs to permeate and place The American
Way on the back burner?

In order for the United States of America to survive
with its original ideals we must all face one fact: Just
showing up is not enough! We as citizens must make a
focused and deliberate effort to take care of this country
and not hope someone else will do it. We are that
someone. If we all rely on someone else to pull our
weight because we have other things to do, we will
continue on the path to the inevitable decay of the fabric
of The American Way. Doesn’t anyone remember nor
have respect for Truth, Justice, and The American Way?
In the last Superman movie which came out a few years
ago The American Way was conveniently left out of
what Superman fights for. I took this as a direct insult
from Hollywood and cannot consider forgiveness for
this attempt to damage an image of American culture.
We citizens must stop putting our nation at the
bottom of our to-do list to get to later but instead make it
a conscious and daily cause of preserving The American
Way. If American exceptionalism decays we will not
have to worry much about those other things on our list
because none of it will matter. All will have been
destroyed or confiscated for the greater good or to spread
around so everyone can have a portion even when they
did not earn it. All in the name of fairness when no one
ever asks or answers the question: Fairness according to
whom?

The bottom line is human nature makes us
complacent. We are all guilty in some way shape or
form. What we have to do differently from now on is
realize when we are complacent and put a stop to it. We
must forever instill conscious of complacency and be
more aware when we must take action and cross an
ocean from time to time to renew The American Way
and forever protect it.
I mentioned before some people just do not realize
how good they have it here in the United States. They do
not know or understand just how lucky they are to be in
the freest country in the world. America is not free from
problems or perfect but I would not trade my citizenship
for anything. I hear people asking what is going on in
this country or what is happening to America when they
talk about certain issues. Well I thought about it and the
way I solve problems is first I consciously think whether
the negative issue at hand is simply a symptom or is it
indeed the underlying cause. If it is a symptom, I move
on. Part of the problem today is based on the fact people
or politicians try too hard to merely remedy symptoms
instead of finding the cause behind the symptom. People
focus on symptoms because there usually can be a quick
fix which will make things better long enough to forget
the issue. I also believe this to be one of the major faults
in government today. A quick fix can easily be touted at
election time as a good decision but is only discovered
later, the problem still persists. The politician has to
hope we the people forget by the next election year. Sad
thing is, we usually do. Don’t we?

We allow politicians to fix symptoms because to
address a real cause would be too hard for them and for
us and would most likely require a transition taking us
out of our comfort zone, maybe permanently. How
scary, for any politician! If our politicians do not have
the character and the courage to address and solve big
issues because they fear the fallout, then we need new
politicians. It is that simple. We need people who will
solve problems today before they escalate over time into
issues which can permanently damage our nation,
freedoms, and The American Way. Better to climb a
small hill now than have to conquer a mountain down
the road is a strategy I would gladly follow.

This U.S. Citizen
 

The 'Utter' Simplicity and Beauty of Capitalism and Job Creation...

Why is it that Capitalism seems to be getting a bad rap these days?

I cannot understand why but I have come to believe
many simply do not understand what true capitalism is, how
it works, and why its beauty lies in its relative simplicity.

It is my understanding the capitalist system is
the only way to increase our standard of living and has
done so since the founding of this nation. Where else in
the world are the poorest people able to afford cars, the
latest cell phones, flat screen television sets, cheap food,
hundred dollar sneakers, etc.? It is due directly to the
results of Capitalism.
Capitalism simply promotes free trade between
parties. One party or entity creates a product to sell and
sets a price. Another person, party or entity may need the
product and is willing to pay a certain price. If the price
is agreeable, the trade occurs and both parties are happy
and move on. If the seller sells the product for more than
it cost to produce the product, that is the profit. The
profit is where the capital in Capitalism is formed. If he
cannot sell the product for more than it cost to produce
it, he is out of business or needs to improve his ability to
produce the product at a lower cost. It is as simple as
that.

This capital created from the profit is then used to
improve the business by researching improvements
making the product better and more attractive to buyers
creating more sales of the product. This expands the
operation which leads to more jobs for more people.
This still is a good thing is it not? Is this the evil of
Capitalism? Also the capital or profit allows the product
through research or streamlining to be made cheaper and
thereby sold for a cheaper price. This makes it more
affordable to a greater number of people which improves
standard of living. It gives a person’s income the ability
to purchase more goods which may have in the past been
luxury items, for example, the flat screen televisions of
today. Remember when flat screen televisions first
appeared at costs to a buyer of tens of thousands of
dollars and now can be purchased for hundreds of
dollars? Is this the evil of Capitalism or consumerism?
Why is being free to buy or consume what you want bad
and who and why the hell does someone else get to decide 
what is bad for me?

I also hear Capitalism is bad because it hurts
workers. I did mention above how it creates jobs but let
me hit on one other critique of Capitalism. I will admit
in my previous example, the streamlining I mentioned
does sometimes mean streamlining the production of the
product which leads to the elimination of jobs. This is
not a fault of Capitalism. It is a NORMAL part of it which is not
understood and is thought of as unfair, especially when it
is your job which is cut. When that job is cut however, it
frees up more capital which can then be used for the
aforementioned reasons or to create an entirely new
product. The new product will require new and different
skills to produce it. A new factory may be needed to
manufacture the product and a new sales force must be
created to market the product. This is what is known as
the creative destruction part of Capitalism. It is not evil
but necessary for companies and our country to grow
and support a growing population.
It does however present a problem for those who
resist the changing job requirements needed to grow in a
capitalistic society. This is the problem I see as inherent
in the company and union relationship. The companies
need a work force that can change with the needs of the
company to compete and thrive. Unions it seems to me
are determined to resist transitions and want to focus on
maintaining current positions and status and always attempting
to get more for doing less. Catering to a
competing interest within your organization is not a
productive use of resources.
Some seem to believe Capitalism exploits the poor
through low wages for workers. This is not true and is
used to attack the system shouting exploitation as the
problem. If one understands the Capitalist system, it is
understood that wages for labor should be set by the
market where employers have a job and a wage for a job.
The wage is determined by the cost to produce the
product. If the wage is too high and the product cannot
be sold at a price which allows the company to cover
expenses and a reasonable profit, it will not or should
not be produced at all. To do otherwise is a destruction
of capital which eventually leads to a decline of our
standard of living.

When a government mandated minimum wage is
thrown into the mix, this in some cases eliminates the
company’s ability to produce the good and sell it at a
reasonable price and thereby eliminating the need for an
additional employee. This is why having a minimum
wage or increasing the minimum wage can hurt business
but it also hurts the worker more by possibly eliminating
his very job completely. Instead of earning a market
wage agreed to by him and the company, he receives no
wages at all due to the government mandated minimum
wage. This then leads to the person with no job available
to then fall back on government assistance which will
basically pay him less than he would have received at
the job the government had a direct hand in eliminating
due to the minimum wage. Instead of his money coming
from the company where his work is needed, his money
comes from the U.S. Citizens at the so called
benevolence of the federal government. What sense does
this make? Now tell me, is this the evil of Capitalism?
No, it is the evil of government intervention in private
affairs.
 
Just to mention one more thing regarding
government intervention into business, we cannot forget
about the corporate tax. This tax is levied on business
profits which again takes potential capital away from
business preventing its use for capitalistic purposes in
lieu of governmental and state purposes and programs. It
handicaps Capitalism. It lowers the standard of living.
The corporate tax is a punishing
tax not on the corporations but on the people and the
U.S. economy. A higher corporate tax on businesses
means the business has to keep prices higher than
necessary to pay the taxes and stay in business. So where
does the company get the money to pay taxes? They get
it from us, the people. We buy products at inflated prices
with our money left over after our federal withholding is
deducted from our paychecks. Corporations pay taxes
with the money they get from our purchase of their
product or service. So who does it sound like to you that
really pays taxes in this country? You and me, that’s
who. Corporations do not pay taxes; they in essence
collect additional taxes from us, the citizens, and pass it
on to the government. This is nothing more than double
taxation of the people and a direct reduction of our standard
of living.
 
Profits or capital is the fuel for the engine of
Capitalism. If the fuel is taken away or reduced, which is
what the corporate tax does, it directly hinders the
capitalist system. It kills jobs and hurts the livelihoods of
citizens. The engine will not run without fuel, i.e. the
capital that comes from profits or investments by people.
Finally, one last thing which needs to be said about
the corporate tax and how it and the minimum wage are
a danger to the United States economy and jobs: These
two government mandates on business are two of the
prime reasons companies outsource their jobs to foreign
countries. They are two of the reasons why America
does not have a manufacturing base any longer. These
additional costs placed on business by politicians keep
prices high and take jobs from Americans by forcing
business to find ways to stay operating and competitive.
My question is when companies are looked at as un-
American because they take their jobs overseas, why are
these factors so easily brushed aside? Why is blame not
placed on the political policy and those who support it
which causes the company’s action instead of the
desperate action by the company to merely try to stay in
business? This is attacking a symptom, not a cause and
is an easy tactic used by politicians to attack business,
big or small. Seems to be a reasonable thing to ponder
when we are talking about the evils of Capitalism,
doesn’t it?

What is the role of the average U.S. Citizen in
Capitalism? We the People can also be a source of
needed capital in our free capitalistic system by
investing our savings for a reasonable rate of return. We
have just gone through a time in U.S. history where the
saving rate was negative. This meant we spent more than
we made. This is not good for governments, not good for
us, and not good for an economy based on capitalism.
When we save part of our income instead of spending it
we will encourage the economy to prosper based on
saving instead of spending. When we spend, we do
create more demand for products and services but many
times this is done through the use of carrying excessive
debt. So not only did we spend everything we made but
we have to pay interest on the debt as well. Good for
bankers, go figure, but not for us or our nation.
The better and more sound way to encourage
economic activity is through saving more. It may be
slower but I believe we will be better off in the long run.
When we invest our excess dollars by either putting it in
a saving account, or buying a CD or bond, we are
allowing others, both individuals and companies to
utilize our capital in exchange for a return on our money.
We can choose high risk or low for our money. Then our
capital is used in the economy to again create new
products and operations, open new plants or facilities,
build more schools, etc., and what goes with these things?
Jobs come from these actions. It is a wonderful thing if we
would just allow it to happen and get government out of
our way. These actions all create more jobs and more
permanent jobs while increasing our standard of living
through the use of available capital, i.e. money. Now I
ask again, is this the evil of Capitalism?
 

I often hear or read regarding Capitalism that there
are those who get rich off an unsuspecting public due to
companies or people cheating in the Capitalist system.
This may be true in a small number of cases but in the
big picture it is not. There will always be cheaters, there
always have and always will be. Nothing can prevent
someone from trying to get something for free and cheat
or scam others to do it. When caught, those companies
or people such as Bernie Madoff should be hammered
without mercy accordingly based on their crimes.
Some say Capitalism favors the rich and only the
rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I disagree
completely. I think Capitalism favors the exceptional,
the do-er. It favors those with the drive to succeed and
produce things others want. I will admit, for those who
remain fence sitters and refuse to better themselves
through education, working harder, being more
productive and always trying to make things better, a
capitalistic system will be difficult for them. The
capitalist system is fitting for an ambitious and self-reliant
society. It rewards those who use exceptional
traits. 

Does Capitalism favor the rich? No, it favors the
innovative and those who can move forward despite the
odds. Those who can as Norman Schwarzkopf said at a
lecture I attended, “When in charge, Take charge.” This
quote has really stuck with me over the years. If you are
this type of person I believe you are likely to become as
rich as you desire to be. Now rich is a subjective term
depending on the individual and their definition of rich.
To me, rich means earning enough money to have a
decent home, take care of my family, and have some fun
now and then. That’s it for me. Is that selfish? Do I not
have the right to pursue happiness in this fashion without
someone else deciding what is best for me or whether
my definition of rich is unfair to them or someone else?
 
Capitalism forces you to take chances and
continuously improve; you cannot get comfortable for
too long, else you fail. Perhaps this is why so many
dislike the capitalist system. Capitalism is based on
results instead of good intentions. You can have all the
good intentions in the world but a good intention has
never accomplished a single thing without a decision and
the drive to take action and see what happens knowing
the potential for consequences or mistakes. I have heard
people say successful people are just lucky. That is
probably true on rare occasions but I think it to be the
exception rather than the rule. I see this kind of
statement as a way for fence sitters to attempt to
discredit all the work it took for the successful person to
get where they are. It is a way to allow the fence sitter to
simply stay where they are, in permanent stagnation.

The bottom line is, capitalism has consequences and requires accountability for actions. It rewards for correct decisions and punishes wrong ones. This means there will be less bad decisions and more correct ones because the incentive favors the correct actions which is how you overall make things better as a society. You pay an economic price for being a slacker, for being a fence sitter, for waiting on consensus, for inaction, for making excuses vs doing the things that create positive results. The fence sitter, the ones always concerned about political correctness, the ones putting their finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing before taking a stand just cannot handle this specific aspect of capitalism; and that my fellow citizens, is the truth...

Signed,
This U.S. Citizen

********** 

Exceptional People - We The People

by

This U.S. Citizen

I have become a student of human nature, the

understanding of people’s personalities, and their

character. I have been awakened in the past five years by

maturity, age, reading, and observing people. Reading

has made me aware, aware of history and of the people

who shaped it. In books I have read there is the

continuous question of what shapes people. Is it nature

or nurture? Are people shaped by what they are born

with i.e. the natural talent they possess? I think some

people are born with natural talent for music, art, as well

as math or science for example and this usually leads

them into their lifetime profession or at least it should in

my opinion. This is not to say anyone without a natural

talent for these things cannot learn them, not at all but

they may never be great at them. -I heard or read that

from someone but I cannot remember who so I am

privileged to repeat their words, whomever they belong

to.-

On the other hand many believe people are products

of their environment and its influences on them as they

grow and mature. I really believe all people are talented

at something and a lifetime of experiences is what leads

to who we are as a person. It is of my opinion that

natural talent plays a larger role but a person’s

environment forces the direction of what people do with

their talent. In some cases the stars seem to align and it

is easy to succeed. Having natural talents as well as

being born into a family with connections or resources to

aid those greases the wheels so to speak. This takes

place when the talents are obvious and one understands

their abilities and can benefit from the environment they

were born into. However a person born into a situation

with vast resources but with little or no recognizable

talent may be doomed to the life of the spoiled rich kid.

Unfortunately for many of us, I think these are the

people who gravitate toward politics and to all of our

detriment in their effort to prove themselves to someone,

anyone, usually themselves. To prove themselves worthy

they must meddle in other people’s lives because they

truly believe they know better.

One of my talents I believe I possess - and I am sure

I am offending someone when I say I think I have a

talent – is that I believe I can easily figure out people’s

motives and what people are thinking by the actions they

take, things they say and how they say them. It is not

rocket science and maybe it is not a talent at all but I also

fairly quickly determine personality types of new people

I meet. Just a quick note, when you match other people’s

personality type it makes getting along with them much

easier. I would call myself a student of people. This

probably sounds boring to most but this is something I

think about quite often.

I want and like to know what drives people to do

what they do and why this is interesting in the context of

this passage is that I wonder what were people thinking

when they came to America so long ago? What type of

people were they? What were they like? What

personalities may have dominated the people who came

to America? What talents did they possess? Think about

the mindset of those who came to America hundreds of

years ago and even today. Words which come to mind to

describe these people include: motivated, head-strong,

determined, not easily distracted, goal-oriented, focused,

serious, risk taker, and optimistic. These are positive

character traits in my opinion.

What drove these people to make such risky

decisions such as crossing oceans to reach an unknown

and potentially dangerous new world? Is this kind of

drive something everyone possesses? I am willing to

step out on a limb here and say no, I do not believe so. If

there is one thing I have learned in my short thirty-nine

years and really only over the past five is that people act

and think very differently. There are many different

types of people with very different personality traits such

as: outgoing, loud, quiet, introverted, friendly, coarse,

smart, not so smart, happy, sad, helpful to others,

uncaring of others, distant, depressed, anxious, strong-willed, stubborn, talkative, of very few words, analytical,

driven, hard-nosed, flighty, focused, unfocused, highly

dependent on others, independent minded, self-reliant,

good listeners, bad listeners, dependable, undependable,

trustworthy, shallow, selfish, unselfish, risk takers, risk

averse, talkers, do-ers, direct, decisive, indecisive,

humble, snobby, rude, open, expressive, dedicated, etc.

I believe people and minds which think alike will

automatically come together mainly because they are

interested in the same things. It’s the old birds of a

feather flock together adage. Although there is the other

adage which says opposites attract but I think this to be

the exception and not the rule. For example I am very

direct, a person of few words in conversation who does

not beat around the bush. I absolutely abhor speaking

with someone who does not ever get to a point and many

times do not even have one. I find those people annoying

and I bet they find me just as annoying at my lack of

interest in participating in their chit chat sessions.

Now my point; does it not make sense the majority

of those who came to and founded America and the

United States were people cut from the same cloth and

most likely had traits such as: risk taking, outgoing,

strong-willed, analytical, driven, focused, independent,

decisive, dedicated, serious, and most importantly self-reliant?

These people were in fact, do-ers. They were

essentially people who were not afraid to make

decisions, were able to deal with adversity, and got

things done. Those who were not do-ers and did not

possess these traits were left behind in the old world.

The people who came to America had talent but had

little or no resources in order to use their talents. They

came here because they were driven by a want for a

better life for themselves and their families. They were

willing to take chances and risk everything including

what little money or possessions they owned, and their

very lives as well. They came to escape tyranny, to have

religious freedom, and to seek a life where they were

their own decision maker. People who came were

decision makers who took action and got things done.

They did not wait for someone else to decide for them.

They were not part of the wait and see crowd or what

some call fence sitters. Those people waited for others to

act and to see the outcomes before they did anything.

These fence sitters were left behind by those willing to

go into the unknown. People came to America because

they were curious and had the mentality of those who

were the original explorers. They were people who

believed there must be a better life than the one they

were currently living and were willing to seek it out.

I would venture to call those first people who came

to America; exceptional, ergo American Exceptionalism.

These people are high achievers and are those who go

the extra mile, not satisfied with something which may

be good enough, but that strive for the highest

possibility, sometimes failing along the way. The

unfortunate fallout that stems from the success of

America is eventually those without exceptional talents

begin to come as well to benefit from what is here. They

want the benefit but they still do not possess the drive to

earn it, thus dependency begins to grow and

exceptionalism overall, begins to decay.

Those who came, the majority were not privileged

people but an over-abundance of exceptional and driven

people was the majority. If they were privileged, they

likely stayed where they were because they were

comfortable. Opportunities in America pulled a great

amount of the cream of the crop (from an internal

personal drive standpoint) away from Europe and its

socialist and tyrannical ways.

Unknown opportunities pulled these people away

from the rest of the world and these were the people who

passed on the values and traits which contributed to

making America exceptional. Here is a critical opinion

of mine: I do believe exceptional and talented people and

those without such talents are not always born of the

same or vice versa and no one can control whether their

offspring will be talented or have the internal drive to

improve themselves to succeed. Especially having

grown up in a free American society and somewhat

comfortable compared to where their ancestors came

from. These are now American born fence sitters who

may now be creating a new majority of stagnant thinking

and basically comfortable people.

They are comfortable in that they are not driven to

make a better life for themselves. Especially not driven

or motivated enough to cross oceans to an unknown and

unpredictable life. It seems so many people are satisfied

with their life today as long as they have the latest cell

phone and the television comes on when they hit the

remote. Is this not equivalent to the fence sitters of three

or four hundred years ago who were satisfied as long as

they had a loaf of bread and no one shooting at them?

America was a melting pot, but a melting pot of

people who were the most driven and unsatisfied people

of Europe and the rest of the world. Never has there been

such a large aggregate of like minded, success driven

people as those who first came to America. Finally free

from oversight and decisions of others on their very

lives. They wanted to be free to act, free to move on and

leave those behind who could not make decisions or

slowed them down. These people had a take no

prisoners attitude and I think there is nothing wrong

with that. They did not want to work for another or slave

for another person’s gain but were people who believed

one must pull their own weight and had no use for those

who would not.

These were people with a need to get more out of

life, who had talent and drive and little resources but

were willing to jump at the opportunity to immediately

leave everything behind and leap into the unknown. This

is the American Spirit. The ability to make a decision

and go for it while willing to risk failure at the same

time. They were tired of being told what to do by others

they did not know or care about. I firmly believe

America was built by those with the talent and drive to

succeed but had little resources or connections to aid

them. Freedom is what allowed them to succeed,

Freedom. The incremental erosion of this freedom is

what is now hurting this country.

These people who came to America across an ocean

were now isolated from people who did not think like

them, the fence sitters. Do you think this would lead to a

new society of people basically mirroring where they

came from? Doubtful. What would be the likely

outcome of an isolated group like this? What type of

country or nation could it lead to? What would it look

like in the future and most important, could it last? It

lead to the founding of the United States of America.

Whether it could last is yet to be known.

What would happen if this original, temporarily

isolated society of high achievement began to be diluted

from within, decreasing the number of do-ers compared

to fence sitters over time? If high-achievement and

exceptionalism is no longer the mindset of the majority

of Americans, what kind of leaders will we put in charge

of our governance? What kind of society will result from

this?

There are and will always be those people who will

always find things wrong with anything. These people

are the fence sitters of today. Those not willing to take a

chance but will damn sure let you know how they think

you did wrong after the fact. These are the people to stay

away from. They are afraid to act and will criticize you

because you make them look bad. They look bad

because if you are found to have made the right decision,

it shows their lack of courage and puts it on display for

all to see. They simply cannot handle it. They will find

faults no matter how right you were. If you are wrong

they will let you know they told you so, determined to

make you understand how they were right all along not

to act. The mentality of these types of people is

detrimental to America and is the same mentality as

those comfortable enough not to take the journey to the

new world. Our ancestors were smart enough to leave

them behind hundreds of years ago. We must leave them

behind in our everyday lives today for they will do

nothing but hinder us and our nation.

The unwillingness to take the available information

and move forward versus doing nothing to avoid

potential consequences and sometimes even scorn from

others is stagnating to us. Why have so many of us lost

the American spirit of adventure to see what happens

when we take that difficult next step, to put ourselves

out there, and to take a chance? Where would we be now

if the Founding Fathers had decided since solving the

slavery problem at that time was impossible and they

should not bother with creating a new nation based on

freedom? Yes, a new nation based on life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness, but where certain people were

excluded is contradicting to me of course but they knew

there had to be a starting point. They were willing to try

a grand experiment. I am glad I am here now enjoying

what America has become since the experiment began

but am now very worried about the next step in our

nation’s future.

The founding of America was the first time in

history where a majority of people who were high

achievers, self-motivated, had high moral standards, and

where self-reliant people had come together in very large

numbers. This is part of the American culture of the

United States of America. These unusually large

numbers are now I fear, reverting back to the average of

the rest of the world. This average has always been and

is the norm in most other countries. We are at a

crossroads looking at a situation which has never really

occurred to this extent. America has been a high

achieving culture and I think this culture is fading due to

the natural progression of time. What we do at this

crossroads is critical and I do not think there is a path

back unless some drastic changes are made. Can you

imagine a country as great as ours going from what we

are today; in the upper part of productivity and success

scale and standard of living to merely a country that is

average? I don’t know about you but I like being freer

than every other country in the world. I like living in a

country with a very high standard of living with

numerous opportunities to succeed. I like my rights

being protected by a strong Constitution and Bill of

Rights. My fear however is if we do not face the fact this

relatively simple argument might be part of the reason

for decline in overall drive and determination, we could

be doomed.

No society has gone from such a high – productivity

wise - to where we may be heading fairly shortly. What

does it look like? I hate to imagine but I know it will not

be what we know as freedom today. We may still be a

free society, but I fear it will be a society where we are

free to do as we are told. Free to live where you are told,

free to earn how much is decided you need. Wait, is pay

not being now dictated, I mean regulated by government

officials now in certain types of businesses? I think we

do have a pay czar do we not? Isn’t this what the

administration calls the person who makes sure pay is

not too excessive for some CEOs? I have a question;

excessive compared to whom? Why do they get to

decide what is excessive? What is their definition of

excessive based on? If this can be done to the big boys

on Wall Street, don’t you believe they would not think

twice about doing it to us if and when they deem it

necessary for the sake of our nation’s interest?

So my conclusion here would be that some people

are inherently more driven than others. Some are just

willing to do more to get what they want and their

personality traits and natural abilities influence their

actions. I guess it is unfortunate everyone is not born

with this kind of drive but is it anymore surprising

everyone is not born with the ability to throw a one

hundred mph fastball or compose music like Mozart?

Why is it if you are a highly talented athlete or movie

star and get paid millions of dollars, the pay czar does

not show up on your doorstep but if you run a business

you are held to different standards, government forced

obligations, and where fairness and equality of pay

suddenly apply? It is not my fault I cannot act or do not

have a cannon for an arm so where is my cut of those

people’s earnings to make it fair to me? If it is a stupid

argument looking at it one way, why is it not just as

stupid from the opposite view? When government

inhibits business through over regulation it kills jobs;

jobs which would have existed as opportunities for

citizens to earn a living, take care and raise a family.

This is a travesty of our freedom created solely by

governments so called infinite wisdom.

It turns out the people born with the natural talent

and abilities to succeed and manage a business are the

ones who make most of the money. I think this to be the

same as the most talented athlete or the highest grossing

movie star getting paid the most to do what they do best.

What is the difference here? People are born with very

different personalities, strengths, talents, and abilities.

Some people are just better at some things than others. I

believe America started with a population of do-ers and

now, this is fading. If you are a do-er, you know it and

you are most likely confident with your abilities to make

things happen. You will not need me or anyone else to

tell you so. If you are not a do-er but a fence sitter, it

doesn’t really matter because unfortunately, I doubt you

are reading this passage.

Some might think my conclusions are a negative

against America or some Americans. I see it as a

problem which needs to be addressed because if it is not,

the potential damage which could ensue on our country

would be a tragedy. Many may be dismissive of my

conclusions because I do not really have scientific or

measurable data on which to base my conclusions but

how would measuring this ever be possible? One simply

must be able to see the big picture of what is happening

today by applying simple reasoning to draw conclusions

and although you may not believe or agree with me, I do

not think you could say I have not made a logical

argument.

Is what I assert as the reason behind the slow decay

of our society really so far fetched? I think some may

outright deny it because what it does is make each

person take a serious look at themselves and decide if

they are a do-er, and therefore more inclined to be

successful in life or not, or go on with their life being a

fence sitter.

Successful people make things happen. Unsuccessful

people wait for things to happen. Risk takers and

pioneers get the reward but also face initial failures

which come with dealing with the unknown. These

failures are necessary to find solutions to problems and

should not be looked down upon and second guessed by

those not willing to take the risk. It does not take a

genius to Monday morning quarterback. The difference

in real successful people and those who never quite

make it is the latter stop when they fail or hit opposition.

The truly successful march through adversity and keep

going using the experience gained from failure to better

themselves and their strategy. When you stop at adversity 
you have convinced yourself you have reached your limit 
and it is not useful to try again. 

Exceptionally successful people never accept such a premise!


This U.S. Citizen