McOmber letter: Can’t afford it

The phrase “can’t afford it,” often used by liberal politicians and the mainstream media, can mean very different things to many different people. Defining “can’t afford it” is a bit like trying to define beauty, one really cannot because it is so highly subjective. It would, however, seem that being able to afford something necessarily requires one to prioritize their spending, putting highest priority “needs” first and tapering down to their lowest priority “wants.” So when some people have big screen TVs, cell phones with all the gadgets, tattoos, designer jeans, nose and lip rings, etc.; but “can’t afford” to pay for their health care or buy groceries to feed their kids, their priorities are quite obviously misplaced. And I’d bet a goodly number of them manage to have some budget money for fast food, cigarettes, beer, and yes, for some of them, drugs. As I’ve said in the past, few of us begrudge helping the truly needy, but when some people “can’t afford” health care and groceries, their spending priorities really need to be assessed and revised.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 3:46 PM with the headline "McOmber letter: Can’t afford it."