Bob Meade: Before you vote ... think!

Much of the nation was somewhat perplexed by the Iowa Caucus results. One would think it wouldn’t be difficult to add up a relatively small number of votes and quickly share the tally with the rest of the country. Here, in our beautiful state, I’m sure all the votes will be counted and the results will be accurate and shared quickly. It’s up to each of us to get out and vote for the candidate of our choice.

Today’s vote is extremely important, as it will set the tone for all that follows in South Carolina and leading on up to Super Tuesday. In making your candidate selection, please take a few minutes to think about a few important issues.

It appears that each of the candidates is trying to buy your vote by offering you some free stuff ... Healthcare? Free! College education? Free! $ 1,000 per month for everyone who is 18 years of age or older? Free? Those are but of a few of the tempting offerings, but there’s more.

Now it’s time to think. Would you like to go on a Caribbean Cruise? How about a new station wagon? New clothes for the whole family? Wouldn’t all of those be great? Well, if you can’t afford them, what do you do? Do you sell your house to pay for them? Do you go hopelessly in debt to satisfy those wants? Do you have your children and grandchildren take loans that they will pay back when they enter the work force? No! You don’t do any of those things. You learn to make do as best you can with the resources you have.

Politicians don’t do that. They make promises and pass laws that will further bankrupt our country and the bill will be passed on to us and our future generations.

When thinking about your candidate selection, please spend some time considering the information that follows ... as nothing is for “free”.

The Government estimate is that by the end of 2020, our federal debt will reach $24,060,000,000,000; that’s trillions. That’s what we’re told the debt is, but that number does not include what are called “unfunded liabilities” — commitments made by the government to pay known future expenses for things like guaranteed government employee pension plans.

In a study done by Boston University economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff, the U.S. is currently facing $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities, and when you add that number to our $24 trillion debt, you get a grand total of $224 trillion of debt for our children and grandchildren. Of course, we are never going to pay back all of this debt. Please, let that sink in. As of now, our politicians have burdened us and our heirs with incredible amounts of debt and what they would like us to believe is that they offer a mountain of “free” stuff, without any consequential burden.

Medicare for all? That promise is outrageous. Medicare’s current unfunded liabilities are calculated to be $38.6 trillion dollars. Consider, if you will, that Medicare currently covers about 15% of our population and the politicians don’t have a clue as to the disaster that awaits if they add the other 85% of the population, plus the illegal aliens they also think should have free healthcare. And it’s not just the incalculable cost, it’s the fact that the system will be collapsed by the hordes of people entering the system.

Social Security is also in a financial death spiral and it has an unfunded debt of over $13.6 trillion. Our politicians want to add the “undocumented aliens” to share in that gravy boat also. Like Medicare, Social Security is another system that needs to be fixed, not expanded. It is in a crisis mode and growing.

Please note, there are not enough millionaires/billionaires, with enough money to be confiscated from them, to make them dirt poor and to pay off the debt. Politicians told us in the past that all would be well ... were they correct? No! They’re putting us on the road to Venezuela.

Choose your candidate carefully.