COINING PHRASES

Plato once said that 
"rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men." 

I'm thinking that this is especially true of our government and the American voter. It is as if we are trying to force programs into onomatopoeic status...naming programs in order to shape their definition in the mind of voters.

Take for example the way we describe Social Security as an"entitlement." Clearly it's not...just look at your pay stub...this is merely a fund you pay to with the promise that when you reach your retirement years,money...your money, will be laying in wait in order to support you when you stop working. Unfortunately, politicians see this as an "entitlement"....meaning they feel entitled to change the qualifying age and benefits as they see fit. This is my money...I give you this money with the knowledge...the agreement that it will be held for me when I need it most. Entitlement? More like an earned retirement fund.

One more example, the use of the phrase "government spending"....it should be called "Congressional investments." They take our money and invest it for us...our nation, for the public good. Wasting money on pork barrel projects and ridiculous programs is spending.  Taking our money and repairing the infrastructure, or educating our children...these are investments....we expect to benefit from the expenditure.....with an anticipated return on the investment which can be quantified. We need to mandate a section on the end of each  proposed congressional spending bill specifically stating the expected return on the investment. Maybe this rhetoric would "rules the minds of men" and get them to think each time they consider spending our money.....what's in it for us?"

And that's my world...the World According to Kimba. Thanks for reading.