Dakota Beacon

Every family has at least one… a family member that just can’t seem to “stay above water”. The relative that shows up only when in need of a co-signer or a handout. This despite a long and troubled record of irresponsibility, false promises, unfulfilled obligations, legal and medical problems, un-repaid personal loans, and a demonstrated propensity for outright theft.

The dictionary defines prodigal as follows: Recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish; a person given to luxury or extravagance; a spendthrift; to squander.

My uncle most recently came to me with a compelling story…he had given $20 of his last paycheck from a thrift store to a man with an “out of work” sign sitting at the intersection of I-94 and Highway 83. The stranger had taken the money and bought a round of drinks for all of his alcoholic buddies at the bar nearest that intersection. My uncle then gave another $20 to a young lady standing outside a local department store with a sign “Car broke down – help me get home to Montana”. After he gave her the twenty dollars, he watched her walk two hundred feet, giving the bill to a man sitting in an idling automobile, and return to her solicitation corner to collect more money.

A few years back, my uncle came to me with an idea to start a loan shark business. He wanted to provide some of his indigent buddies with cash to start businesses they had talked to him about starting up. His line of reasoning was that the money would be paid back with interest after each business was profitable, creating a pool of money from which to fund further such ventures. Of course, we could have guessed what really happened… the money that was to be spent on new businesses startups (inventory, rent, payroll, etc.) was spent to buy new pickup trucks, lavish organizational dinners, a trip to Jamaica with friends and other “marketing activities” that were of dubious value to the goal of a successful, independent small business. The $500 that each of us 40 relatives gave my uncle ($20,000) was gone in six months. Lesson learned!

Following that episode, I didn’t think there was anything that my uncle could come to me for that would convince me to give him my hard earned money. I was wrong! He arrived at my home one sunny afternoon with a neck brace, a knee brace, and a huge bruise on his forehead, stating that he had been involved in a bad traffic accident. He asked if there was any way that I could add him to my health insurance policy since he had never taken out any health insurance during his adult life. I explained that my insurance could only cover my immediate family. He left abruptly, muttering “nobody cares”.

I haven’t had any contact with my uncle for six months now, but I’m sure he will soon come marching into my life with another scheme very soon. It is Christmas time…the time when scammers like my uncle bring in their biggest “hauls” from unsuspecting and caring people that have a certain amount of guilt in being successful in their own lives.

My uncle’s intentions are honorable…but his judgment has never been very good.

Summary

My fictitious uncle is a metaphor for the uncle we are all familiar with, Uncle Sam. After reading about my uncle, compare recent activities of ‘Uncle Sam” that mirror my clueless uncle’s schemes. Then ask yourself if we can continue to sit in our living rooms and watch football, dancing with the stars, and English sit-coms, knowing that our federal government is spending our taxpayer dollars in a manner very similar to my fictitious uncle, with sincerely good intentions and largely negative outcomes.

Everyone loves their “prodigal uncle” and we all love our country…but how far are we going to let our “uncles” go towards the ruination of this great nation? We all need to get involved… now…become active…join and support (with a check) North Dakota based conservative organizations (NDTA, NDPC, C4RG, Dakota Beacon, etc.) that bring the fraud, legal theft, and deception that is present in all levels of government to the forefront.

Watch for legislative alerts (Liberty Alerts) and drive to Bismarck to testify at the upcoming legislative session. We need YOU and YOUR SUPPORT more now than we ever did…the next two years are crucial to the preservation of our democratic republic! Many of us will be available to help you to testify effectively during the legislative session that begins January 4^th, 2011; just work through one or all of the conservative organizations that are joining the struggle for efficient, effective, and limited government on your behalf!

November 2012 is coming!