Budgeting in America

To the Editor:

In 1943 I was 10 years old when the great-depression period of recovery was underway. The U.S. Constitution was a mature and revered document with 21 amendments. World War II was on the mind of all Americans and rationing for gasoline and food goods was a national reality.

My dad earned a fair wage working at the Boston Navy Yard as a Shipfitter, building warships. Labor Unions were more useful. Hiring women to do many of the jobs that our men in the armed services had previously performed supplemented the American workforce.

My mom managed the household and the budget. Purchasing War Bonds ranked high in the budgeting process. She used a Budget Book, which had separate folders for each item: groceries, electric, heat, rent, life insurance, education, healthcare, gifts, and War Bonds.

Weekly, Mom would distribute our family earnings (after taxes) into the various folders. Monthly, she would pay the bills out of those folders. Cash payments were the norm and all bills had to be paid on time. Creditors expected timely payments. One could say that we had a "balanced budget" requirement.

What happened to common sense and the time-tested need to work efficiently for income and budget the income and expenses within all able-bodied families.

Voters in America must expect our citizens to act upon work opportunities for income, to care for the truly needy, expect fewer questionable entitlements and ensure balanced budgets at home and in government.

Len Greaney

Rumford Center