Are you smarter than a 9th grader?

Who Spends Your Money Better—You or the Government?Imagine your school gives every student $100 a month for lunch. But here’s the rule: If you don’t spend it all, you’ll only get $80 next month.
What happens? Students start buying extra snacks, loading up on pizza, grabbing energy drinks—not because they need them, but because if they don’t spend it, they’ll lose it.
Now, imagine the school borrows money to give students even bigger lunch budgets next year. But who’s paying for that debt? You are—after you graduate.
That’s exactly how the federal government works. It doesn’t budget like you or your family. It’s rewarded for spending more, not spending smart.
The Incentive Problem: Why Government Always OverspendsA business or family has to live within its means. Waste money, and you run out. The government? It never runs out—because it takes from taxpayers and borrows from the future.
Think about it:

• If a business fails, it shuts down.
• If a government program fails, it gets more funding.

It’s like if your school tried to fix an empty club by doubling its budget instead of shutting it down. If that sounds ridiculous, welcome to federal spending.
Government agencies don’t ask, "Is this working?" They ask, "How do we get a bigger budget?"
Here’s how they do it:

1. Spend every cent – If they don’t, they get less money next year.
2. Create new programs – Even if they aren’t needed, they justify bigger budgets.
3. Never shut anything down – Once a program exists, it’s almost impossible to kill.

They’re not spending wisely—they’re spending to keep the money flowing.
Who Should Spend the Money?Look, some things should be handled at the federal level:
✅ National defense – The military, borders, and keeping the country safe.
✅ Foreign relations – Dealing with other nations.
✅ Interstate infrastructure – Highways, air traffic, national parks.
But most government spending? It shouldn’t be federal.
Think about it:
🚫 Do you want someone in Washington deciding how your local schools run?
🚫 Should a bureaucrat thousands of miles away control your healthcare?
🚫 Why should a farmer in Nebraska pay for subway systems in New York?
The further government is from the people, the less accountable it is.
If spending happens locally, people see the results. If a local school wastes money, parents can demand changes. If Washington wastes money? Nothing happens.
What Happens When No One Says "Stop"?Since government doesn’t face real consequences for failure, it keeps borrowing—$37 TRILLION in debt and climbing.
Why does this matter to you?
💰 Higher taxes – More of your paycheck goes to government instead of your life.
📉 Fewer jobs – Debt and high taxes slow the economy.
📈 Higher prices – The government prints more money, making everything cost more.
This isn’t just numbers—it’s your future. That massive debt? You and your generation are going to be stuck paying for it.
It’s like your older brother throwing a wild party, racking up a massive credit card bill, and sticking you with the payments.
How Do We Fix This?The problem isn’t just that government is big. The problem is that it’s incentivized to waste money.
Instead of federal control, ask:

• Could a private company do this job better and cheaper?
• Could local or state governments handle it instead?
• If this program had to survive on its own, would it?

If the answer is yes, the federal government shouldn’t be involved.
Final ThoughtWashington spends $6 TRILLION a year—not because it has to, but because it’s incentivized to keep growing, no matter the cost.
If we don’t demand smarter spending, we’re not just stuck paying the bill—we’re handing over our future freedom to a government that never stops taking.