Poor Planning and Emergencies

Poor Planning and Emergencies
Kathi Macias

Having been raised by “old school” parents who believed that choices had consequences—and therefore let me reap them—I tended to raise my children the same way. To this day my youngest son, who is now in his mid-thirties, nods his head and grins when he starts to whine at me about something and I reply with, “Poor planning on your part…”
He knows the rest by heart because he heard it so many times during his growing-up years.
When he goofed off and didn’t finish his homework, then frantically begged me to help him so he could turn it in on time, I replied with, “Poor planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.”
When he frittered away his weekly allowance the same day he received it and then asked for more a few days later, I’d say, “Poor planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.”
When he failed to complete his agreed-upon chores and was therefore unable to go out with his friends at the end of the day, he knew better than to ask, for all he would get from me was, “Poor planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.”
You get the picture. And yes, by today’s standards, my unbending stance may have seemed overly strict. But did Chris learn from it? Absolutely. Not only does he understand that the paycheck he receives this Thursday has to last until next Thursday, but I’ve even heard him pass the “poor planning vs. emergency” advice on to his own children.
Here’s my problem: If a child can learn and benefit from this simple lesson, why can’t a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” do the same? I’m more than slightly disturbed by the fact that “we the people” are being pressured to respond to a so-called emergency that was created by the poor planning of people who are supposed to represent our wishes. It is obvious from every poll in the country that our wishes do not include forking over more of our hard-earned money to those who have already proven themselves to be inept at best, devious and self-serving at worst, and who now ask us to “trust them” yet again.
I feel betrayed. I feel robbed. I feel cheated. No matter how clean and neat the thugs may appear, they are cleaning our clock—and it’s wrong. Yes, we plan to fire many of them as soon as we are able, but how many more of our God-given liberties will they wrest from us in the meantime?
First and foremost I am praying for our nation, including its leaders and regardless of their party affiliation. But I am praying for “we the people” too, that even as we “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God,” we will also follow in the courageous and uncompromising footsteps of those who went before us and paid such a heavy price to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today.
If you, like me, consider yourself part of “we the people,” I hope you are praying with me for our great land. I hope too that you will stand with me and declare to those whose actions threaten our children’s future, “Poor planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part.”
It is time for the government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” to listen to the people’s voices, to move slowly and cautiously, and to commit only to those actions that will preserve our future as a nation. Our officials have taken an oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution of the United States; it is time we held their feet to the fire and insist they follow through!