During my talk radio days, I often pontificated about how we need to cut the size of government and get spending under control. I would ask callers to call in and tell me where they would cut. But there was one caveat. They could only cut a program where they received a benefit. In other words, they couldn’t say cut food stamps unless they were on food stamps, or farm subsidies unless they were a farmer.

Most people couldn’t do it.

It was easy for me to do since there was nothing that I was getting from the government that everyone else wasn’t getting. So, if I said cut the funding for roads or the military, it had a minimal effect on my day-to-day life.

I kept making the point that if we were ever going to get the budget under control, we all had to make sacrifices.

But I did those shows a long time ago. I’m older now. I’m on Social Security and Medicare. Plus, I have a brother in a nursing home on Medicaid. The proposed cuts in these programs do affect me personally now.

So now do I have to put my money where my mouth is and accept the cuts in programs I use?

While I’m concerned about what happens to my brother and the other residents at the nursing homes, I’m also worried about what happens to our country if we continue this deficit spending and adding on to our debt.

I’d be more willing to accept these budget cuts if I felt the pain was being shared more equally. The spending bill that Congress just passed has 2 trillion dollars in spending cuts, but there are 4.5 trillion dollars in tax cuts. Most of that to benefit the rich.

I’m no math wizard but how does that balance the budget?

Another proposal that’s being bounced around is to take the savings these firings are supposed to bring us and send a rebate check back to the taxpayers. Again, I fail to see how that helps get the budget under control if the savings aren’t being put towards the deficit or debt.

You undoubtedly have heard the expression “Taxation is Theft.” Perhaps you believe that yourself.

But what would you call a person who uses our roads, our schools, and military protection without paying for it? Isn’t that theft as well?

I understand that if we are going to prevent our country from eventually going bankrupt, we do need to make some sacrifices. I’m willing to do that if the sacrifices are more evenly shared.

Those who need to sacrifice include the rich, the super-rich, and the major corporations that turn in billions of dollars in profits every year.

I do believe we need to make cuts in entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. And I’m willing to accept cuts in services that benefit me, but I want to make sure that others are doing more with less as well.

These cuts shouldn’t only be on the backs of those that are less fortunate while the super-rich get to hang out at Mar-a-Lago and laugh all the way to the bank.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against wealthy people. While I’m comfortable, I wouldn’t mind having more. I’m certain it must be nice to have multiple homes and invite friends to vacation on their private islands and yachts. More power to them.

But I don’t believe that being rich absolves you from the responsibility of paying your fair share to the country that has given you so much.

Elon Musk is cutting the size of government by firing middle class workers while not touching the billions of dollars his companies make from the government every year.

Donald Trump wants mineral rights in Ukraine. Ukraine has vast resources of Lithium, the mineral used to make the batteries that Tesla uses. Are they negotiating a treaty on the backs of the suffering Ukrainian people so Musk can sell more cars?

We need to surgically cut the size of government. Every citizen needs to be willing to accept some personal pain, whether that means lower Medicaid benefits, or higher taxes, and one less private jet.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.