I had a friend who was blindsided by a divorce. His response to this traumatic event was to take comfort in the chair, the television, and an un-ending supply of ice cream, and apparently, tax evasion. When he finally wandered out of this stupor he found that he was fat, blind, and had accrued a mind-boggling amount of debt to the IRS. A meeting was arranged where he thought he might receive understanding and perhaps some relief. What the IRS understood was that he needed a budget, and they were happy to provide it to him. It was the sort of comprehensive budget that took into consideration not just the brand of toilet paper but the number of squares truly necessary. The meeting almost sent him back to the chair, but instead, through a dramatic lifestyle change and years!, he finally prevailed and satisfied his tax debt. The positives that came with this achievement are obvious and too numerous to mention.
This story is similar to what the nation has been going through for a number of years now. We’ve been blindsided by our representatives behavior, which is simultaneously audacious and transparent. They simply don’t care about us, and find throwing this fact into our faces gratifying. Our response to this, which is well understood, is to attack one another, sometimes violently, or take to the chair, the TV and the ice-cream, avoid and ignore to our own detriment. One way or another there is going to be a lifestyle change, and I suggest that it be on our terms.