The adage "too soon old, too late smart" certainly is true.
I cannot run as fast or as far as I once did. I can no longer twist my body into a pretzel, be productive with only two or three hours sleep or remember an appointment (or much of anything) without writing it down. I dare not ski, swim, mountain climb or horseback ride with abandon. I nod off after 11 p.m. (or sooner). Coffee is no longer a pick-me-up but a necessity. Exercise is not an option. It is essential.
There are, however, a few advantages to having been around more than five decades.
I now know that when a politician offers to give me something for free, I'd better hold on to my wallet.
I know that if you want to get out of debt, you have to stop spending.
I know that if you want to balance the budget, you have to operate within your means.
I know that the only way to cut the budget is to CUT THE BUDGET.
I know that, over the long haul, government can't create jobs, but it can create an environment that encourages economic growth by keeping taxes low and regulations to a minimum.
I now know that businesses don't pay taxes – they are passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
I know that when a president talks about economic justice, I am about to get robbed.
I know that the more you tax something, like productivity, the less you get of it. Conversely, the more you reward something – like unemployment, having children out of wedlock, illegal immigration, etc. – the more you get of it.
I know the best way to keep prices low and quality high is to encourage competition.
I know that when the government picks winners and losers, the taxpayers pay the bill and never get a share of the profits.
I know that when those in government talk about "making investments," they are talking about spending more tax dollars.
I know that welfare is no substitute for charity.
I know that when charities take government money, they lose their focus. They stop doing the really important work they were doing and start working toward what will get them the next government grant.
I now know that taxing the rich will never balance the federal budget because there are not enough "rich" people to make a difference. Obama's plan to raise taxes on the rich would run the government, with its current rate of spending, for only eight days.
I know that when you raise taxes on the rich, they cut back on luxury items and services, and those who are employed making and delivering those items and services lose their jobs.
I know you cannot lower the cost of health care by eliminating competition.
I know that when something is perceived as "free," use goes up.
I know that you cannot cut $700 billion from Medicare and have heath care for the nation's elderly remain the same.
I know that you cannot sustain programs that are going broke without reform.
I know that young people, who are excited about staying on their parents' health plan until they are 27 years old will have the rug pulled out from under them when they finally get a job and their health care cost is triple what it was before Obamacare because insurance companies can no longer use "age" as a consideration.
I also know that young people who are excited about having a youthful, hip president (who knows nothing about business) will be sadly disappointed if he is re-elected.
I know that as a mother and grandmother I have a responsibility to take care of the young. Therefore, I will not vote to re-elect the president, who has no plan to get this nation on a path to a balanced budget.
I will not vote for a candidate who believes the answer to our problems is to impose higher taxes on the job creators and redistribute wealth.
I will vote for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, good moral men with sound business backgrounds, who want to level the playing field, cut the size and scope of government and bring the salaries of government workers back in line with those in the private sector.
It is immoral to saddle our young people with a mountain of debt just to reward the politically well-connected and satisfy a few special-interest groups I will not do that to my children and grandchildren. They deserve better.