Sunday, November 9, 2008

Assuming the Best of the Worst

Finally, the Election Season is over and the Super Droll of Politics is behind us as the magical number of 270 placed Barak Obama as Commander-in-Chief, President of the United States! American citizens chose to bring back en vogue Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness! The election of an African-American proves this is still The Land of Opportunity! Pledge allegiance to the Grand Old Flag!

It’s time to go on with views on other news.

Unemployment, the big bad bear of Wall Street continues to claw and shred the economy with vengeance. There’ll be no hibernation this winter with the frigid chill of reality bringing with it a financial ice age and a snowy landslide of plummeting degrees. The spring back to a positive gain in employment figures may have to wait a number of months before workforces once again grow the economy in green pastures. Without refined regulations of financial institutions the bear may become grizzly.

Awash in debt, private, corporate and government, with job losses over 1.2 million thru October, there’s nary a glimmer of hope that the recession will ebb anytime soon. Some predictions cast doubt that “things”, as in “multiple factors”, will get worse before they get better; in all probability, a distant two years. Was that a whisper suggesting three?

Look forward to the blockbuster thriller, "2010: A Financial Odyssey", coming to your financial worries sooner than you think.

The first decade of The New Millennium has been pretty nasty; an economy that was good just a few years ago has, within a matter of months, brought us, and a super majority of every other country in the world, free market to its knees. It’s not us little guys who created this mess; it’s the Power of Corporate and Political demonizations, each with their own groups of special interests.

Of late, news releases have given us facts and figures damaging to the psyche of low and middle class workers/consumers. Right there, before our very eyes we glare at October numbers telling us that 240,00 non-farm payroll jobs fell by 240,000 which follow the 284,00 jobs in September (revised after initial numbers put it at 175,000) and another 127,00 in August. The past three months' job losses more than doubled the previous seven months' fingures.

Through the first ten months of 2008, 1.2 million jobs have been lost but it doesn’t tell the tale of the real tally that puts the number of unemployed at 10.1 million workers. In the past 12-month period 2.8 million jobs have gone away, some forever, many for a very long time.

Check out the U.S. Department of Labor facts and figures at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm.
I fudge not on what’s the scoop.

And yet, those who control the pocket books of all Americans, namely financial institutions, were given bailouts nearing $1-trillion. Some are hoarding these funds, thanks to the rushing sound of Congress giving in to their real constituents, hastily passing a bill that showed little faith that we, who desperately need our own bailouts, would filter moneys up the financial ladder to the unrepentant money mongers. Please, go figure; I'm too biased since I'm among the unappreciated contributors to the money flow.

At least some of us would just as soon allow the auto industry, in particular, and other business failings. Let them bankrupt, reorganize or become as one, if necessary, but let them not convince the Federal Government to slide billions upon billions of our dollars their way. However long it takes to right the economy, if America is still at the forefront of innovations, the youth of corporate auto executives leave the safety of the herd and bring their own visions of competition face-to-face with the leftovers of the Big Three. The free market is not fair to all. It’s survival of the fittest.

We, the people of lost jobs and dreams, were not at fault for what caused such economic despair and yet we’re left with the hard labor of bailing out this, that and every other failed the others of little foresight. Don’t they understand our buckets have holes in them? The next two generations are faced with paying off the over the top $10 trillion national debt; their unfair shares are over $80,000 per bread earner who, in turn, may have to supplement their diminishing meals with bread and water to sustain their poorer lives. Whole milk and whole wheat bread are healthier but the cost of staples have us stapled to proverbial wooden stakes.

I assume (instead of “ass-u-me”, it really says “ah!-sue-me”) the darker side view of days to come, primarily because it cushions my anticipated falls if worst really is the worst, and springs me back from the doomsday mood if the best is yet to come. Overall, it give me a positive mindset as I reassess my expenses and use common sense to keep me from excesses.

It needs to be everyone’s New Year’s Resolution. Put those written words on every page of the checkbook, always right there facing your determination and commitment. Simple words will work best. “SAVE”. “BILLS ONLY”. “REASSESS”. “ARE YOU SURE?”. “GUILTY?”.

Remember, if you don’t do it yourself, NOBODY WILL! NOBODY CAN!

Remember, too, however fortunate you are right now, others are not as well off; you’re reading this, whereby others may not have electricity.

Hopefully, it’ll be an easy fall with stubbed toes and bruised knees, with a recoil as with the strength and fortitude of a football player catching the touchdown pass and making a goal!

We have a new quarteback, a commander for changes to come. A winning season?

RAH! RAH! RAH! For Home Team America!

Touchdown?

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