You can’t control government spending. So control yourself.

As seen in The Oakland Press

March 1st, 2026

You can’t control government spending.

So control yourself.

by Ken Morris

We are now fewer than two months away from the tax filing deadline. Thanks to the large standard deduction which lets them utilize the IRS short form, most taxpayers have a relatively easy time preparing their returns. And virtually every one of them feels that they’re paying way too much.

At the other extreme, I doubt that there’s a government agency, whether local, state or federal, that doesn’t wish they had more money to spend. So, while the people are feeling a financial drought, it seems the government agencies have an unquenchable thirst for money.

Looking ahead, I see some troubling signs for both household and national finances as they relate to taxes.

Without question, the American consumer has shown remarkable resilience. In recent years, the consumer has had to stand up to a recession, a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and some unusually high inflation. Far too many households are either struggling with their finances or simply just don’t know how to manage them.

I say this because, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, credit card debt grew by $44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 and currently stands at a record $1.28 billion. In addition, Americans now owe in excess of $13 trillion on mortgages and more than $1.6 trillion on car notes. You can dissect these numbers in several ways, but the bottom line is that households are borrowing a lot of money.

Shifting focus to Uncle Sam, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its ten year projections. In no uncertain terms our nation’s financial managers have a big spending problem. They continue to spend more than they collect on tax revenues. Much, much more.

Uncle Sam is spending excessively increasing amounts of money in three areas. Medicare, Social Security, and the interest on our staggering $38 trillion national debt. Also rising at an alarming rate.

The CBO also noted that the Federal Reserve’s target inflation rate of 2 percent likely won’t be reached until 2030. A spokesperson did suggest that policy adjustments could make it sooner.

You can’t control government spending; only your own. So, it’s crucial not to let your personal debt spiral out of control. It’s far too easy to get into financial difficulty these days. You don’t even need to pull a credit card or cash out of your wallet. All you have to do is take out your phone, open your digital wallet and wave it near a card reader. You don’t ever see paper or plastic. And there’s no evidence at all that you’ve spent a penny. Until later.

Many vehicle ads don’t mention total cost, just the monthly payment. Sadly, too many customers are buying beyond their means, even as auto delinquencies tick upward.

You can monitor and manage your own finances, but there is little or nothing citizens can do to get government spending under control. It’s much easier for politicians to increase spending rather than even try to tighten their belts. And our national debt is so immense, Uncle Sam cannot tax its way out of debt. Households already feel overtaxed. All you can do is spend judiciously, save and invest, and hope that our elected officials become better stewards of your tax dollars.