Americans have a problem with credit card debt. Cards make spending easy. Electric devices such as cell phones and digital watches allow users to purchase and defer payment. Credit card debt is a significant factor in the financial woes of many US citizens. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Americans collectively hold a record $1.21 trillion in credit card debt, with balances jumping $45 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. Almost half of American credit card holders carry a balance from month to month. Debt by generation is highest among members of Generation X (people 44 to 59 years old).

One member of Generation X's credit card use is a chilling example of credit card overuse.

Since 53-year-old Kristi Noem resigned as governor of South Dakota, public records requests have revealed that during her time as governor, the state paid more than $640,000 in credit card bills racked up by her. More than $150,000 was paid by the state for expenses unrelated to state business, such as personal and political trips to Florida to visit Donald Trump. On some of her visits, she charged as much as $600 per night for additional security when staying in hotels. On one trip to Washington DC, she charged $13,418.10 at the Westin DC hotel. During her final year as governor, she charged nearly $30,000 monthly on a state-issued First Premier Bank credit card. Even members of her political party are upset at the spending.

Over the years, I have referred many individuals with financial problems to Consumer Credit Counseling. The service often succeeds in negotiating lower interest rates and developing strategies for people to get out from under crushing debt. One of those strategies involves returning or selling expensive items to reduce debt. Reflecting on how Consumer Credit Counseling works, I have a suggestion for the former governor.

Now that you are in a position where your security details are expensive for American taxpayers, and since you are part of a government with an official Department of Government Efficiency, why not decrease risks to lower security costs? Her is a suggestion. When visiting prisons in foreign countries, it probably isn’t necessary for you to sport a $50,000 watch on your wrist. If those prisoners are as dangerous as you claim, there is no need to take the risk; a cheap watch will tell you the time. After all, some of the people forcibly deported to that prison were guilty of having been born in Venezuela and having tattoos. You can see them, with shaved heads and no shirts behind bars in the press photos of your visit.

According to the watch journalist Brynn Wallner, your Daytona is among the most sought-after Rolexes. Buyers typically have to sit on a yearlong waitlist to buy it from an official dealer, which means you made the order before the election of Donald Trump when you were still governor of South Dakota. It might be a good idea for the South Dakota Attorney General to check your credit card bills to ensure that the watch doesn’t belong to the state instead of you.

According to Ms. Wallner, “If you’re buying it (a Rolex Daytona), you’re flaunting the fact that you can even get one, and you probably pay a little more for it than you had to. It’s a flex piece. It’s a signifier of wealth. It’s not subtle at all.”

Then again, subtle has never been your long suit, Kristi. It appears efficiency isn’t a long suit, either.

Of course, Fox News declared the observations about the watch “Fake News.” However, the credit card bills and the Rolex are not fakes.

In other government news, we talked over the fence with our neighbors yesterday. They work for an import/export business. We asked how it was going for them at work, and they rolled their eyes and said their workload had doubled in the last two months. “No one can figure out what is going on.” They reported calling the official government customs inspection service for instructions on applying tariffs and received the answer, “I can’t tell you what the charge will be.” When asked, “Why not?” they answered, “Because we don’t know how to figure charges. The rules are not complete.” They then asked what to do since shippers are eager to schedule work. The answer was to make a guess. “If the amount is incorrect, you will be assessed for the difference and a fine for not complying.” When they asked how to avoid fines by complying with the law again, they were told that the customs officials couldn’t tell them how because they did not know.

I’m trying to figure out how that is more efficient, but I’m not a government employee, and there is much that I don’t understand. On the other hand, a lack of understanding seems to be part of working for the customs inspection service. I might fit right in.

Meanwhile, we have noticed that mail delivery in our neighborhood has been delayed several days recently. The Post Office can’t hire the necessary employees to fill all available positions. It doesn’t seem all that complex to me. If you have been paying attention to what has happened to federal government employees in the past couple of months, you might get the impression that the government might be one employer to avoid. Knowing you can be laid off on short notice for no reason doesn’t help with job stability or the ability to trust your employer. Knowing that the Post Office is hiring might not be enough to get people to apply for jobs, given the shortage of laborers in other businesses. The government isn’t the only entity seeking employees. Import/export businesses are working a lot of overtime these days. They could use a few more employees, and their work won’t disappear in the next four years.

Rolex watches are manufactured in Switzerland, and they must be imported. What is the tariff on a Rolex Daytona?