Do you pay taxes? Yeah, me too, and I would like to see more of our dollars used to improve the quality of life for “our” citizens. I comprehend the need to maintain certain global alliances that serve the mutual best interests of the involved countries. Beyond that, the substantial financial aspect of it begins to get fuzzy.

Human rights groups demand aid for countries that are difficult to locate on a global map; religious groups send missionaries into oftentimes hostile villages of near extinct tribes; politicians want us to support programs unique to their voting districts; environmentalists attempt to hold geographical areas hostage because of alleged sightings of endangered species or findings of questionable ancient artifacts; our military is dispersed in countries that have been at war for years with limited interest or solutions for resolving their differences, or in places that offer no perceptible necessity for them; and the list could continue almost indefinitely. How did we become the predominant police department for the planet, and why do we so rarely see other countries pitching in or at least providing equivalent dollars in aid? It’s likely due to active involvement in caring for their people and problems.

I’m not cold hearted, and usually too sympathetic in the past. But I’ve run out of patience with our adamant concern and inability to effectively influence people/countries outside our borders. The Middle East is an excellent example of our incapability to appease the masses. They don’t like each other, haven’t for farther back than most of us can remember, and most likely won’t make peace during our lifetimes. Whenever we do something for one side, the other blames us, and vice versa. This is a perfect lose-lose scenario for all involved. Locally, we’re having difficulty resolving even the most basic problems such as aggressive center median vendors, adequate roads to support urban growth, long-term drinkable water and power supplies, increasing pollution, teen and gang crime, homelessness, unwed mothers, parentless babies, more effective education programs, social irresponsibility, rampant unemployment, etc.  What I see here is a very full plate of local problems that also spills into the state and federal government arena. Sorry, but as I wrote the above list nothing came to mind that didn’t affect American citizens. At this point you may have noticed a serious personal flaw; I’m extremely biased toward the United States and its citizens and I intend to strengthen my position as I traverse life’s path.

I believe it’s worth mentioning the number of notable people who give of themselves and their personal resources to improve things on the home front. Their efforts, initiatives, and supportive resources oftentimes go unnoticed.  They go about their positive actions without fanfare, which is apparently more comfortable for them and productive for those who gain the benefits. Conversely, there are also a large number of celebrities who demand camera time/recognition for their off shore humanitarian efforts that appear very personal in nature yet have essentially no impact on the quality of life for American citizens. I fully support anonymous charitable giving of effort, monetary donations, and tangible items, but those who seek/demand recognition for their efforts appear suspect with regard to the sincerity of their intentions. Do it or not, but don’t call the television stations for coverage of your outpouring of charitable giving that mostly makes you feel good.

I wonder what would happen if we focused the bulk of our attention and effort on resolving, or at least reducing, a significant percentage of each problem on the aforementioned list? We could support those initiatives much easier than we oppose numerous individual global activities that appear to do little to nothing for our own citizens.

There’s nothing inherently wrong in partnering with many nations around the world in a variety of worthwhile initiatives. However, maybe it is time to announce we’re turning in our “world police badges” and focusing our primary efforts on the problems of our country. As a taxpaying citizen, I can see some definite home front advantages.

Effective January 1, 2013 every real estate transaction will add another cost to the seller via a 3.8% tax on the selling price. As if selling a home these days wasn’t challenging enough, the feds have tacked on yet another seemingly incomprehensible charge to floundering homeowners attempting to financially unencumber themselves.

Here’s how it works; every $100,000 on a home sale will cost the seller an additional $3800 in tax, and this is part of the healthcare bill. Go ahead and fact check it, but it’s there, buried deeply in the new and improved healthcare plan.

I can’t wait to hear the rationale attempting to validate how real estate is remotely related to healthcare.

The latest White House claim insists that unemployment dropped to a three year low of 8.3 percent — the lowest it has been in nearly three years. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But not so fast; a rowing number of financial experts around the country are reporting that the figures have likely been manipulated using a creative accounting method that significantly decreased the number of Americans in the workforce. According to them, the actual unemployment rate is closer to 9 percent rather than the 8.3% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

It’s a relatively easy, clever ruse; the unemployment rate is determined by simply dividing the number of unemployed job-seekers by the total number in the labor force. By reducing the number of workers in the overall workforce, the administration can easily show actual unemployment dropping, but in reality the improvement has been questionable for months.

As a growing number of people drop out of the workforce because of a multitude of reasons, the BLS conveniently labels the unemployed person a “discouraged worker.”
Interestingly, the BLS immediately categorizes them as “marginally attached to the workforce,” whereby they or no longer considered to be part of the nation’s working population. Dumping them from the employment rolls ensures the unemployment rate will move lower thereby skewing the unemployment numbers during the past year.
This would account for the unprecedented record number of persons currently unemployed, estimated to be nearly 1.5 million.

The bottom line here is the job market remains bleak, and those searching for work continue an uphill battle due to the shrinking number of actual employers. Those that are hiring are doing so guardedly and are writing employment contracts for specified durations of time similar to the way people invest in CDs. Anyone who believes the unemployment bubble has reached maximum capacity and is actually declining had better take a peek beneath the surface to see the actual reality of the ongoing situation.