The Numbers Just Don't Add Up

I have been listening to the health care debate taking place between politicians. Let me state first that I don't believe most politicians any more. Democrats, Republicans... most of them are the same to me these days. They are all after only two things... power and money, but putting that aside, the disturbing part of this debate to me is that none of the economic numbers add up.

My simple mind needs to work in smaller numbers. Last weekend I took the economic numbers and reduced them to smaller numbers in order for my small feeble mind to grasp them. What I found is alarming... the numbers do not add up!

Our country currently has an unemployment rate anywhere from 10% - 16% depending on which news website you read. The dollar continues to plummet, and the government continues to grow. How all of this is sustainable is beyond me. But, here is the really alarming number... the GNP of the United States is 0%, and that is a conservative number. Other sites speak of it being any where from 2.3% to - 5%, depending on the site you use.

The Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all the goods and services produced in an economy, plus the value of the goods and services imported, less the goods and services exported. Scroll through this list of charts and pay attention to the charts that deal with sales and income and those that deal with debt. Look closely at those of imports and those of exports, and look at those dealing with personal and household debt and then look at those dealing with the government. Then, ask yourself this question: do you want the government to become the largest part of your nation's economy?

The GNP is one of the more important indicators in our economy. Most economists believe that the higher the GNP the higher the standard of living. As we listen to the government, let us also pay attention to the economic indicators, especially the GNP, because the numbers will always paint a more accurate picture than most politicians. Let us strive to be an educated populous and not depend on others to do our thinking for us. Blessings!