Are YOU Better Off Today Than Four Years Ago?

Soon the politicians will start asking us if we are personally better off today than we were four years ago.  It's a typical question posed on the electorate during a presidential campaign.  With a Democrat in the White House, the question is most likely to be posed by the GOP nominee (once one emerges from what's likely to be a long and bloody battle).

First of all, I've always considered this question to be at best moot and at worst insulting to the intelligence of the American voter.  If you want to ask whether or not THE COUNTRY is better off today than it was four years ago, that's a topic that we can have a reasoned and logical argument about.  But does it really matter if I personally am better off?  It doesn't, and here's why.

My personal well being has nothing to do with Washington, D.C.  It has everything to do with our own hard work (or lack thereof), our intelligence (or similar lack), and good old fashioned luck.

I can personally say that I am better off today than four years ago without reservation, and it matters not a bit whether Barack Obama or John McCain was my president.  What matters is that, together with my partner Rhonda, we have taken control of our lives like never before.  In 2008 we began a concerted effort to rid debt from our lives.  We have a long way to go, but we've already disposed of a good portion of it.  Our goal is to be completely debt-free (except our mortgage) by August 2014.  And I think we'll get there.

We are working toward our financial security using two methods that our leaders in Washington ought to be looking at...by increasing our income and reducing our spending.  We've made some sacrifices, but we can most closely credit our reduced spending by simply paying closer attention to it.  Money used to just fly out of our bank account without leaving any value to our lives.  Now that we know where our money is going, we control it better.  We also increased our income by working harder, making ourselves better employees and business owners, and eventually finding new careers.

Depending on which wingtip you occupy politically (far right or far left), you either espouse all spending cuts and no tax increases, or no spending cuts and all tax increases, to improve our country's fiscal situation.  GUESS WHAT...it's gonna take BOTH!