Mama, aren't you going to get your change back?

When my oldest child was about three years old, we were at Church and I placed a $20.00 bill in the offering plate. Brooks was just old enough that he could talk clearly, but he was young enough to stand up on the pew of the church while everyone was sitting down.

As I put the money in the offering plate, Brooks asked in his loudest voice “Mama, aren’t you going to get your change back?”

Thirty years ago $20 was a lot of money in my budget. Until about five years ago, I always stayed on a tight budget. My entire grocery (and miscellaneous spending) budget was $60 a week. When I used a $20 bill I usually got change back. Brooks had watched me break the $20 bills and make sure that I received the correct change.

Once again, $20 has become a substantial amount of money in many household budgets. I went to the grocery story today and spent almost $60 on groceries. Instead of a buggy full of groceries, I bought about ten items. It is enough to take care of my needs this week since I eat simply and don’t have to worry about feeding a family.

The American people are facing an economy that is still in free fall. We are all counting our money a little closer and we are not giving as generously to charities and to our churches. We are becoming more like the people in poor countries and we work for our daily needs. While this helps develop character and trust in Divine Providence, it is depressing to face the day to day struggle.

As we approach the November mid-term election, we need to make sure that the people we elect understand that the economy is our number one concern. There needs to be a bi-partisan effort to improve the climate for small business growth and for capital investment. While President Obama spoke about addressing these issues, he and Congress have gone on vacation and left the issue on the table.

Since it is so near the end of this Congressional term, the attention in Congress seems to be focused on getting re-elected instead of fixing the problems that are causing the economy to continue to go sour. I wish I could get my change back from what I’ve spent on their salaries and benefits. Maybe, I could afford to spend more money.