Surely I’m not the last living human being whose parents drilled this into their heads…but when is the last time you heard a politician truthfully get down and dirty about NOT SPENDING? I wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in my mouth.  I grew up re-using Solo cups.  I still re-use Solo cups in my house.  If I don’t have it, I don’t spend it.

When I was younger and new to the independent contractor world, I failed to pay my estimated taxes…so I wound up with a $19,000 bill from the IRS.  Which I paid back on a payment plan…an error I haven’t repeated.  So why is it that our elected officials just keep digging a hole deeper and deeper into debt-debt they have no intention of ever erasing?

Here come the platform planks.

#1.  If North Carolina doesn’t have it, we will NOT spend it.  Does this mean cuts?  Probably.  I know it’s hard to swallow in an era that values entitlement spending….but there are times when belts must be tightened.  We have redundancies in our spending-those can be eliminated.  We have projects that should be re-bid to reflect the current economy-which should result in savings.  We have very hard decisions to make.  However, if we do not collectively stop the spending, we will collectively go bankrupt.  Buck up, people.  Pencil will go to paper and we will emerge from this recession stronger than ever.  Don’t say that it’s ‘unfair’ because there will be reviews across the board.  It’s not going to be easy and feelings will be hurt.  It’s time to save this great state. 

Are you with me?