Originally Published in Flourishing May/June 2013
As many of you know, we are members of The Golden Circle, a group that provides support for a series of events performed by the South Kansas Symphony, led by Dr. Daniel Stevens. Daniel is doing a fantastic job, both with the South Kansas Symphony and with the Southwestern Youth Symphony. And, Daniel is himself a wonderful musician.
Anyway, at this season’s finale, Daniel presented me with a plaque which says simply, “Life Is Good”. Daniel said that he chose that message, because I’m always smiling. He couldn’t have paid me a higher compliment. Why do I mention this? Simply to establish my credentials as an optimist. And, yes, I am bragging. Optimism is a state of mind, and as such, it is not something you’re born with; it is something you work to develop. (Ask my children, I used to be grumpy.)
But, did you ever hear me say that we don’t have problems? No, you didn’t, and you have no idea of the troubles I’ve seen. Nor will you, because I don’t allow trouble to define me. Indeed, part of my job as your advisor is to help identify your troubles and aspirations, to put both into a rational perspective, and deal with them in a positive way.
So, the issue I hear about most frequently from clients is that our federal government continues to spend irresponsibly—as it has for most of my lifetime. But, now it’s worse than ever. As Ben Stein’s economist father, Herb, famously said, “If something can’t go on forever, it won’t.” But, life will go on; and here’s the key point—BETTER THAN BEFORE. That will be true, because it has always been true. That is my faith.
Still, according to the federal government’s own actuaries, unfunded liabilities for things like Social Security and Medicare and federal employee pensions now exceed $87 trillion. That doesn’t include the official $16.7 trillion national debt. The population is about 315 million people. Not counting the official $16.7 trillion national debt—and not allowing for cost-of-living adjustments—the average American owes over $275,000 for America’s unfunded liabilities. (I’m not counting PPACA (Obamacare), either, but that’s an issue for another day.)
Looking at this more optimistically, I realized that if I’m the average American, Uncle Sam owes me $275,000 in future benefits. So, here is my offer: The government says my life expectancy is another sixteen years. Pay me now, instead of later. I’ll even take a haircut. In lieu of all future benefits, pay me today with a $100,000 Treasury bond with a guaranteed rate of 5% (the long-term historical average) and maturing in sixteen years.
Over sixteen years, I’ll collect $80,000 in interest on which I’ll pay tax at the optimistic rate of 25%. The Feds will get back $20,000 in income tax payments, leaving a net cost of $160,000 ($100,000+80,000-20,000). If I don’t live sixteen years, my heirs can either sell the bond in the open market or hold it to maturity. And, let’s be fair about this: Give every American citizen the same haircut, with the face amount and the maturity of each person’s bond based on today’s life expectancies. I haven’t figured out how to treat people born tomorrow and the next day, but…
…I realize that the real solution needs to be a bit more sophisticated than my example here. Whether my proposal is adopted or not, you can be sure that something like it—a haircut for virtually everyone—will have to happen at some time, because as Ben Stein’s dad told Nixon, “If something can’t go on forever, it won’t”. And, that’s really a good thing, because…
…out of fiscal necessity, I’m convinced that America must and will find a way to return to its founding ideals of self-determination and family responsibility. The $trillions now committed to a very long list of wasteful entitlements—not to mention countless other stupidly expensive commitments—will be free to flow into privately funded miracle cures and “for profit” space stations; to name just two possibilities. But until then, don’t waste your mental energy on things you can’t control. Ignore the “news”, if that’s what you have to do, and force yourself to notice and appreciate the good things in your life. As my first self-help mentor, Earl Nightingale, always advised, “Begin each day with an attitude of gratitude”. It really is a wonderful world out there—and that’s why I’m always smiling! mh
Helping Families Flourish 