Budget Day

and we are going to learn just how far the country has sunk into debt. We should be "in the black" or we would have been "in the black" if it had not been for the Covid19 event - or so we are told.

I have often wondered about this. It is usually seen as a "good thing" if a domestic household is not in debt. In saying this people usually ignore the fact that households are usually paying off a mortgage or paying rent - rent being a regularly recurring debt of sorts.

But is it the same if you are endeavouring to run a country? Probably not.

Today's "Budget" has been delayed because of Covid19 - a cause for some criticism in some circles. I suspect however that this is criticism for the sake of criticism rather than any real belief that it was not the appropriate thing to do. At the time the Budget should have been delivered nobody could have had any idea what the economic impact of the virus would be. It is something they still don't know but now they can work on what they have managed to learn. I don't envy those involved. The Treasurer looks worried - as well he might be. The Opposition is saying that the figures are more about financial mismanagement than the virus - but that's political speak. Word has it that they are "not saying too much".

And there was an interesting piece in this morning's paper about another set of financial figures - those of the Vatican. Mismanagement would be nothing new there. Corruption there too? Oh yes, entirely possible.  

I am also aware of investigations into various charitable organisations and the way in which corruption, mismanagement, fraud, theft and more have been concealed and revealed - mostly concealed.  The money wasted frightens me.

When we set up the scholarship fund in memory of a friend we talked about this. How could we set it up so that all the money went into the purpose and none of it into the process? It took some planning and it still takes some work but it has been done. We have given a fifth scholarship this year - to an orphan girl who already shows real aptitude for meticulous laboratory work. 

When we announced it Z...., who leads the group, was asked how we had managed it given the tight restrictions this year. He replied,

"We budgeted for this. Next year will be really hard but, if we are careful, we might be able to do it. It is something the girls work towards. We don't want to disappoint them. We all need to work towards it."

MsW has discovered the need to budget. She has had some ups and downs. Her father started her off slowly. She has made mistakes but she can now do the basic housekeeping. If she needs advice she will ask for it - sometimes me or her friend's mother but more often her father.  

And that is one of the things about budgets. They require work. I wonder how many people will think about that when the Treasurer addresses the nation today?