Reduce spending across the board

Sometimes I think we just don't get it. The state and nation's economies are in a tailspin yet when there is talk of reducing spending, no one wants to take a hit of any size, at any time to those precious programs they hold sacred.

President Obama will this week deliver the State of the Union address and he'll call for spending restraint. But there will be little substance and ample rhetoric.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon did just that this past week with his annual State of the State address. He said all of the right words but put forth nothing to match the financial realities.

I must say I am somewhat disappointed in the GOP proposal this week in Washington that called for $2.5 trillion in reduced spending over the next 10 years. Nowhere in their proposal was there any discussion on entitlement cuts. And the stark reality is that without entitlement cuts, our financial outlook will remain dismal far into the future.

And when that fateful day comes and we no longer have a choice, those cuts are inevitable.

But we - the American public or Missouri residents for that matter - aren't willing to face the reality that many of those cuts will come from programs we deem necessary. We have a shared sacrifice facing us but, like children, no one wants to share.

Maybe our path is so broken, it is beyond repair. That is a possibility we must also face. Maybe we've grown lazy and dependent on the government to provide so many of our needs that we are now unable to step back and take a realistic examination of the financial landscape.

If we have indeed reached that sad point, then the future prospects aren't encouraging to say the least.

Here's the bottom line. Whether the national or state level, we all have to accept the reality that our government is spending far too much money. You can argue if that money is being prudently spent. But in the end, all aspects of government spending with your tax dollars must be examined and in most cases reduced.

The time is here in Missouri and in this great nation to quit talking and start acting. And as voters, we must support those elected officials who will do the dirty work to assure our children's future.