PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon, as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

One of my favorite quotes was uttered by former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

She said: ‘The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

She’s right.

And many of those competing for the Democrat nomination for president express that aspiration exactly.

One is Bernie Sanders who expresses no hesitancy to spend other people’s money. But the leader could well be Elizabeth Warren.

Here is the way Wall Street Journal editorial writers put it this morning:

“If it’s Monday, it must be another giant spending proposal from one of the Democrat presidential candidates. This week, like most weeks, the winner is front-runner Elizabeth Warren, who called in a post for another $800 billion in federal spending on K-12 education.

“Her ‘plan’ — she loves that word — would quadruple current spending on Title I funds for schools with low-income students to $450 billion over 10 years. She also wants $200 billion more for students with disabilities, $100 billion in other grants, and $50 billion for school buildings. Remember when K-12 used to be largely a state and local responsibility? It won’t be with Ms. Warren.

“The Warren campaign said she will pay for this with her proposed wealth tax, which she claims will raise $2.75 trillion over 10 years. If you believe that, you probably don’t have a good tax lawyer or accountant. The senator nonetheless says this wealth windfall will finance her $1.07 trillion universal child-care plan, $610 billion for free college tuition, her plan to cancel $640 billion in student debt and now $800 billion for K-12 education. This will be the hardest working wealth tax in history.

“No word yet from the senator on how she will finance her Medicare for All plan, which would cost the mere pittance of $32 trillion over 10 years.”

Spending other people’s money?

Yes. That’s exactly what Warren wants to do as she appeals to voters who want more government spending and hand-outs.

Before you know it, she will run out money. Or, better put, you will run out of money to fund her grandiose government-centric schemes.

Or, the country will be bankrupt.

For me, I have had enough of Donald Trump and his violations of law, not to mention failing, in any respect, to do what is right as president as he favors his own aggrandizement over any benefit for the country.

But, the big-government schemes of Warren and others on the far left are no better.

We need a candidate from and for the center to make sure Margaret Thatcher’s quote doesn’t come true here.