Who taught: CBS Evening News

on a shoestring (source: http://prettyorganizedpalace.blogspot.com/)

This is just my opinion. I think the CBS Evening News talks about politics more than the NBC Nightly News. These days, I can hear many stories about Republican Presidential Candidates, especially from the CBS Evening News. A few weeks ago, one of the reporters from the CBS Evening News interviewed Rick Santorum, one of the candidates. The reporter said, “You are running on a shoestring,” to Rick Santorum.

From the context, I could feel that this does not and cannot mean literally. However, had I not known the context, I would have been totally lost. What? He is running on a shoestring? Is he a circus man? He can run on a small tiny and narrow shoestring? What kind of man is he? That is ridiculous. Show me how to do it! I mean, can you? I doubt you can even stand on a shoestring for a split second.

Of course, it does not mean literally. It is deeper than literal. Shoestring is not just a string for your shoes. It also means a small sum of money. Now, it makes sense, right? As a candidate, he is running on a small amount of money because he was not able to raise enough funds.

For example, if you started your own business, you would need to run on a shoestring because you do not have enough seed money until you raise it from outside like angel investors. Recently, I am sure many of the households in the U.S. run on a shoestring due to the bad economy.

When I was a student, I was totally running on a shoestring. Look at the image that I attached here. Can’t you feel the expression really well, looking at it? Hope you have a really really long shoestring that can hold a lot of money. Then, running on a shoestring would not be that bad.

Nevertheless, we should all learn that a rich person is not one who has the most but is one who needs the least.