We often use the word, line as a way to separate things we want to remember. A starting point or the end. That way we can judge how far we have come or how much we gained. It is probably the way early man showed distance to other travelers. Simple, but understandable.

My story today is to challenge each of you to draw a line in the sand of your own life. A real point that is tangible to you as a starting point. That way when you come to a point four years from now, you can go back and judge what has happened in between.

We have just re-elected President Donald Trump to the White House. I am not here to judge how you voted. The country today prides itself that the election was honest, and straightforward and the results were the will of the people. Unlike the election four years ago that saw our country torn in two by accusations of election fraud.

Listening to President Trump and his plans for America, and seeing those he is surrounding himself with, I am sure they are going to change the directions of this country. That is the line in the sand where your life comes into play. The wing of conservatism in our country believes they have the answer by showing us the way to a new future. No… that is not true, they want to show us the way back to where America was Great. A future where each of us will have to make changes in our personal lives.

Project 2025 is a road map into a more conservative future for us all, and it will touch each of our lives in ways we do not yet know. Its goals are to bring America in line with the goals of physical and financial responsibility. Bring down the national debt. Bring health care into a manageable financial program. Make its goals a good business example for cost and services.

If you are a senior, your health care cost is withheld from a portion of your social security check each month. Under the conservative guidelines, that cost is separated out. For example, let’s say your Medicare cost is $164.90 a month. That cost goes up each year along with a cost-of-living raise. Both costs are controlled by the inflation numbers and the government assessment of cost. But under the plan you will receive that $164.90 from the government to purchase insurance. Then the next year the cost goes up from your provider to $185.75. The federal government says inflation adjusted for economic growth means we will send you $172.02.00 a month. Each year thereafter it may be the same story. 67 million citizens received social security each month. Multiply that number by $13.73 the government saved by changing how you pay. That’s almost a billion dollars a month, times twelve over a year. The government is slowly getting out of the old people’s insurance game. People want government out of their lives, it is a beginning.

Now, my challenge to each of you is to draw the line in the sand of your own daily lives. That way you will have a comparison in four years to see if America is truly on the path to being Great Again, and bringing you along. Write in your diary the cost of a gallon of milk, the cost of a gallon of gasoline, the cost of a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs. What is the average cost of electricity or natural gas? The cost of a Big Mac meal or a small cup of coffee from Starbucks. Add in anything that is a tangible number that you routinely pay and have seen increase. Now you will have to remember to add some inflation number. The annual inflation rate at the present time is 2.4. The Fed would like to get it to 2% and stabilize.

For seniors the growth of your 401K or retirement account means a lot. Track it over the next four years and see how much your financial number today is worth, and then in four years. No cheating by including any contributions you have made. If you do draw a line in the sand of your life, you will have an apples-to-apples comparison.

By creating your own line in the sand, in four years when a politician asks’, “are you better off than you were four years ago?” you will have your very own personal answer. Our new government strives to bring our country back to a point in the late fifties and early sixties, with increased public pride and moral guidelines. It has even been suggested that at some point, if you identify as a, “Liberal” you may wear a Blue ‘L’ on your coat. That way, all will know you were part of the liberal wing of Americans who led to the demise of America the Great, at least that is how I see it Through the Lens.