Funding National Security

March 2, 2008

Categories: Q-and-A Club: Exploring Social and Political Issues

By Arlene Harder, MFT

TAX-AND-SPEND GAME CATEGORY TWO

NOTE: Read How Will the Election Change Our Taxes? and Rules of the Tax-and-Spend Game to understand what this blog is all about today.

You can see the same questions I raise today if you go to the Q-and-A Club page on National Security in the Support4Change website. There you will also be able to access all eleven categories of the game that I am presenting on this blog every-other-day. In other words, with the blog you can play the game one topic every other day for the next eighteen days. [That gives me a chance to go to Washington, DC, for the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium on the power of relationships and still have something fairly current on the blog.] However, on the Support4Change Q-and-A Club pages, you will find links to the all categories of the Tax-and-Spend Game if you want to finish all of them sooner.

Enjoy the Tax-and-Spend Game and Enter a Drawing

At the bottom of this page you will find a form that allows you to enter a drawing for a prize when you have completed at least one of the eleven categories of the Tax-and-Spend Game. You can thank my husband for this. You see, when I told him two days ago about the Tax-and-Spend Game I had just finished putting online, I hadn’t started giving him the list of programs and services the government provides for education before he asked me what the prize would be.

Until then, I had assumed that the satisfaction of simply completing the game would be sufficient. By the time you will have gone through more than 125 programs supported by your tax dollars, you will have, hopefully, a better idea of how many government programs are involved in almost every aspect of our lives. In addition, you will have considered whether you really want the government to give us (which includes both you and me) services for which our children and grandchildren will need to pay if we aren’t willing to fund them today.

To enter the drawing, fill out the form below. Each week I will give away my latest book, Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life. If you have any questions, either submit your comments to this blog or send me an email through the Contact Us form on Support4Change.

Share the Tax-and-Spend Game With Your Friends

Ever despair that our complaints about taxes will never get us anywhere? Consider what would happen IF:

Every single citizen in the United States were to really examine where our taxes are spent?

All of us were willing to do without something in order to save our children and grandchildren the burden of paying for the services we use today?

We had a discussion with other members of our families and communities about what it means to be a citizen of the “United” States, to responsibly take care of one another without demanding more commitment and money from others or less from ourselves?

Don’t you think it would be an interesting experience to talk about these topics with your friends and family? You can! Just print out this page and use it to explore these questions with others.

How do you want your taxes to be spent to assure national security?

Ever since 9/11, the United States government has created a number of programs that claim to increase our security. We may never know how effective they are. If we didn’t have a strong anti-terrorism program and another terrorist attack were to occur on our soil, or against U.S. and ally targets in other countries, there would be a firestorm of finger-pointing.

Many people believe that the only way we can prevent another terrorist attack is to expand our survelliance programs. Others believe there is a limit to what can be done and that personal liberties, and economic factors, are more important than trying to protect against any threat at all costs. They would put more emphasis on diplomacy and on strengthening own nation.

On the other hand, national security does not address itself only to terrorism. There is also the matter of other countries stealing state secrets and technological data. Just how much is “enough” to spend for security? On what program should your taxes be spent?

If you are aware of other national security programs funded by local, state, and/or national taxes that you believe should be included in this list, please let me know.

Defense against aggression and terrorism from other countries on our soil

Defense against terrorists who might strike our embassies and interests abroad

Secure borders, ports and waterways

Intelligence-gathering programs within the United States

Intelligence-gathering programs abroad

Strong Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard

Border protection at airports and other ports of entry

Chemical and biological defense programs

Protecting state secrets and technology from espionage

ENTER A DRAWING FOR “ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE”

NOTE #1: All fields are required.

NOTE #2: I will not share your name with anyone and I won’t put you on my newsletter list unless you subscribe yourself on the subscription form on Support4Change Newsletter or on the blog’s Welcome page. This is just information I need for this one drawing, but if you don’t give me your correct email address I won’t be able to contact you if you win.

NOTE #3: You can enter as often as you like, but each entry must be for a different Tax-and-Spend category.

Name:

Email Address:

Verify Email Address:

Name of the tax-and-spend category to which your answer below applies

What government services and programs you now use are you willing to give up in order to help balance the budget? Why?

May I share your answer on the Support4Change blog or website? I will not give your name or email address.
Yes No

Hope you enjoy the Tax-and-Spend Game and learn something in the process. I’d love to hear what you think about it. Add a comment to this page or use the Contact Us form on Support4Change to send me your comments or ask a question.

Posted on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 07:13PM by