O.P.M. is an old acronym in financial circles referring to Other People's Money. Using borrowed funds or investment capital from external sources to finance operations, investments, or acquisitions, rather than using one's own money. It's a form of leverage that allows individuals or businesses to control assets or undertake ventures that might otherwise be unattainable. O.P.M. also allows people to fund businesses and other ventures and allows home buyers to borrow money to buy a home.

Taxes have been a huge subject of late:  governments (locally and federally), gather taxes from citizens to pay for all sorts of things: services, security, etc. Simplistically, what is the difference between a mortgage (OPM) and taxes? When you take out a mortgage borrowing from a bank, you have a legal and contractual obligation to pay the loan back, with interest, within a set period of time. And you also must have an asset (a house) to qualify for this loan. If you don't pay the loan back, the house exists as a form of security for the bank. Of course, taxes are essential to deliver a civilized, safe society and exist everywhere: I am not decrying taxes at all, but often taxes are collected unevenly and often spent unwisely with zero consequences or obligations.

How often do we hear politicians speak of policies and plans (handouts and/or tax breaks), to be funded 'by the government' but we hardly ever hear of any contractual obligations, with real consequences and security, to deliver on those promises? You can only use other people's money till there is no money left to use. Banks have strict regulations to prevent over lending. Different clients do indeed get different borrowing rates and programs, but there is no free money in the real world. When governments run out of our money they borrow too and those funds have to pay interest.

There is a vast difference between a loan and a gift. When we pay taxes we are loaning/sharing capital that is designed to deliver specific services. Real estate taxes must deliver quality education, safety, roads, parks, sanitation, etc, etc. That's akin to the interest being paid to a bank on an interest-only mortgage. The payback is a quality lifestyle for all. Too often taxes are raised to offset incomes that are too low to cover daily life, or used as gifts to a select few via tax breaks where we pay more so others can pay less and profit more. Yes, other people's money can deliver great things but it is also rife for abuse and fraud. It's so much easier for some to waste money when it's not yours. You and I are rarely afforded that luxury!