self-reliance and the economic stimulus check

I was reading a talk by Boyd K. Packer on self-reliance and found myself getting upset by how many people I know that choose to "take advantage" of the system of government we have and choose not to be self-reliant. Here is a quote which I share to provide a context for discussion: "The welfare handbook instructs, “(We must) earnestly teach and urge members to be self-sustaining to the fullest extent of their power. No Latter-day Saint will … voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support. So long as he can, under the inspiration of the Almighty and with his own labors, he will supply himself with the necessities of life.” (1952, p. 2.)
We have succeeded fairly well in establishing in the minds of Latter-day Saints that they should take care of their own material needs and then contribute to the welfare of those who cannot provide the necessities of life. If a member is unable to sustain himself, then he is to call upon his own family, and then upon the Church, in that order, and not upon the government at all."

I have not called upon the government for help but in May I will be receiving what the federal government has called "an economic stimulus" check in the mail. I think I may even receive close to $2000. For what, I ask? I don't pay taxes. I actually get paid a nice sum of money to have the children I have and for Hayden to have the job he has. Granted, he does pay into social security and medicaid....but that is another issue....we don't pay income tax. So, what should I do with this money? What is the moral or ethical thing for me to do with the money? Should I spend it because it is free money and after all it will help the economy, right? Should I give it to someone else like my brother-in-law who won't see a check because he is a dirty capitalist and has been really successful in his business ventures? Should I do something good with it like buy more food storage...because that is something 'worthy' to spend it on? I am really asking anyone reading this right now to post a comment and let me know what their thoughts are on this.
So my next question is do we even know where the money the government is sending is coming from? Not from any surplus, that's for sure. The money that is being distributed is hot off the presses and came from THIN AIR! So hurray for the government for giving us money to quickly go out and spend...but wait....how come milk is so expensive these days? ...and how come my paycheck doesn't seem to buy as much anymore?
As the government prints more money, the dollars we already have are worth LESS than they were before. It's an invisible tax equally distributed on everyone with a dollar. That's because the dollar is backed by NOTHING but confidence that it's actually worth something. The dollar today is worth about 4 cents in 1913 money (before the Fed came in to save us all). That's some kind of inflation rate, wouldn't you say?
Look at it this way...if you have a ton of debt, the value of that debt is actually going down. However, if you've got anything in savings, well you're losing your shorts...sorry.
So, if you're really fast I bet you can spend that government check before the prices go up. But ya really gotta be quick about it!
All this thinking and questioning has caused me undue stress and so screw it....I am taking the money and going on vacation....anyone want to join me?

Why I became a blogger..

I always used think that blogging was sort of useless and I never considered there to be any value in "blogging" and thought it to be a waste of time... UNTIL I remembered the principle that exchange creates wealth. I believe that through the exchange of thoughts, we truly become wealthy with knowledge and wisdom.

There is a great passage which can be found in a book written by a man I consider to be a great friend and mentor. It begins, "Deep within the souls of all men stirs one eternal question. How each of us individually answers this question determines everything. It is in fact the question of life. It is not complex, sophisticated, or difficult to understand; yet, it is not often discovered by the conscious mind. In its most abbreviated form, the question of life is simply 'Will I choose to be free?' For millenia before the foundations of the world and continuing still today, the battle for the 'Eternal Cause of Liberty' has been waging between those who answer this one question in the affirmative and those who do not. The power of a man's mind allows him to penetrate the obscurity of ignorance and question the state of the world in which he finds himself. Darkness, doubt, fear, and despair-though the common experience for billions who have lived and are now living on the earth- are not the necessary or natural conditions of man. These are instead the result of choice, and the result of man's choice either tends toward devastating slumber or awakening greatness-toward captivity and death or liberty and life."
"Each of us chooses the perspective with which we approach the struggle for liberty and freedom. Those who choose to do so from a paradigm of scarcity become like 'starving dogs fighting over meatless bones' while those who choose the paradigm of abundance throw off the victim language and the helpless thoughts of the prisoner and begin seeing the end from the beginning. Those who see in abundance know that life is more than the false constructs and fake allurments of dialectical materialism. Those who choose to see in abundance throw off the habit of living constantly with a 'fear of loss' and instead make a deliberate and concentrated effort to develop a faith in true principles."
I believe I am a woman with the ability to live a life worth loving, to live a life of principle full of abundance and prosperity. There is no justification for living a life of quiet desperation. I write the story of my life each day through action and deed, and I choose to be a hero and not a victim in the story I write each day. I have decided to begin each day with this proclamation...I am the woman who loves her life!
"

A true American...

There is a talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson entitled, 'The American Heritage-A Plan of God'. In this talk, I found some great words of wisdom and a call to action, coming from who I believe to be a prophet of God. In this talk President Benson states, "No true Latter-day Saint and no true American can be a socialist or communist or support programs leading in that direction." This quote was pretty significant for me because I not only consider myself a true Latter-day saint but I also consider myself a true American. I love my country and from travels to impoverished cities like Tijuana Mexico at a young age, have a sincere appreciation for the freedoms and abundance I have been blessed with. Isn't that what a true American is? I am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy, I support the troops, I vote, I don't break the law and I pay my taxes. So am I a true American? Do I support socialism or programs leading in that direction? Do I even know what Socialism is? The answer to that question was found in the same talk. Socialism "is simply governmental ownership and management of the essential means for the production and distribution of goods." So what does that mean for me and what should I do to ensure that I am not supporting this philosphy? What can I do to make sure I am being a true American and a true Latter-day saint? Again, my questions were answered in this talk. Pres. Benson states, "first, we should become informed about communism, about socialism, and about Americanism...we should know enough about American free enterprise to be able to defend it. We should know what makes it possible for six percent of humanity-living under our free economy-to produce about one-half of the earth's developed wealth each year. We should know why paternalism (which means: a system under which an authority undertakes to supply needs or regulate conduct of those under its control in matters affecting them as individuals as well as in their relations to authority and to each other), collectivism (Ayn Rand did a great job of explaining this philosophy but this means: a political or economic theory advocating collective control especially over production and distribution), or unnecessary federal supervision will hold our standard of living down and reduce productivity just as it has in every other country where it has been tried. We should also know why communist leaders consider socialism the highroad to communism." He then goes on to say, "we should resist the influence and policies of the socialistic communist conspiracy wherever they are found- in schools, in churches, in government, in unions, in business, in agriculture. We should help those who have been deceived or who are misinformed to find the truth. And here is the call to action: "Unless each person who knows the truth will 'stand up and speak up' it is difficult for the deceived or confused citizen to find his way back. We should use our "influence in the community to resist the erosion which is taking place in our political and economic life...use the political party of his choice to express his evaluation of important issues. He should see that his party is working to preserve freedom, not destroy it. He should join the responsible local groups interested in promoting freedom and free competitive enterprise, in studying political issues, appraising the voting records and proposed programs, and writing to members of congress, promoting good men (and women, I might add) in public office, and scrutinizing local, state, and federal agencies to see that the will of the people is being carried out." I now have a clear idea of what it is I can do and may I also suggest what we all have a great opportunity to do. The local neighborhood caucuses are coming up at the end of this month, March 25th and I have decided that I am going to run to be a state and county delegate in my precinct. I know this is one way that I can get involved at the grassroots level of government and one very important way my voice will be able to "speak up" against socialistic policies. I am amazed at how much the Lord loves me and grateful that he has given me the opportunity to live in this great nation. I now have a responsibility and a calling to act upon the things that I know to be true. I want to be a true American....what about you?