I'm sick to death of all this talk about "both sides" in the federal budget debate needing to "come together."

We should get something straight. In every issue, there is a right side and a wrong side. (That is, assuming there's any real difference between the two sides.) The right side has nothing to gain by "coming together" with the wrong side.

In the current budget battles, former and (she hopes) future Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spoke of going for a "higher ground, not a middle ground." She's referring to calls by the Republican leaders and others for an elusive middle ground.

You know you're in trouble when the bad guys understand the principles at stake better than the supposed good guys. Nancy Pelosi gets it. She understands that the right thing and the practical thing to do are one and the same. Most of her liberal colleagues even say, "Well, spending more for government programs is the right thing -- it's just not necessarily practical." But Pelosi sees the two as compatible. 

If you asked me what the biggest mistake people make is, I'd answer as follows: The biggest mistake people make is trying to control, or expecting to control, others.

Nobody expects to be able to control the weather. Nobody expects to control businesses, even though by "voting" with your dollars you have more control than you think. Nobody expects to control government or politicians, although by asserting yourself and learning to accept personal responsibility, you can cause the power of politicians to evaporate.

But people do expect to be able to control other people. First and foremost, they expect to control their spouses and/or children. Secondly, they expect to control family or friends. Third, they expect to control people in general -- that is, "society."

Fox News reports: "Government has a responsibility to make the U.S. the best place in the world to do business, but companies have a responsibility to invest in the nation's future by keeping jobs here, hiring American workers and paying decent wages, President Obama says."

Oh, really?

Let me ask you this question. Is it your job, personally, to go to work for the sake of the country -- or for your own personal and financial profit? Be honest now. If you give the honest answer, then here's the next question: By what right do you reserve the right to live for yourself to yourself -- but not to business owners?