Who is to Blame for the Economic Situation-WE ALL ARE

I know by the mere title of this post many are going to say this is NOT true. Not to mention many will say it is the stupid Government that got us in this situation... But, for a moment, open your mind, and consider a few points. By the way, today, one has to really listen to the few truths on the news media and not be blinded by the False, Half/Truths that we are bombarded with daily. These are indeed tough economic times and I know we are all Fearful and Angry.. But .....

"Fear and Anger Clouds Judgment."

However, for those who have lived "within their means" and also those who have been "creative" in making it through these Years, thanks for doing this. And yes I do know this hasn't been easy...And more than likely, there is no need to read the rest of this post, since you indeed know what a sacrifice it takes.

Although I am not an economist, here is one basic principle I learned in my Basic Economics class. A healthy economy is base on:

"Supply and Demand"

So then he asks, has our economy been based on "Supply and Demand"? Just the other day I happened to hear a minute blip on the news that the Cost of Living was at 120%. That figure is today, right now. But if one truly believes in supply and demand it should be no greater that 100%?? Then I heard another minute blip. Germany is actually recovering, economically, at a noteworthy rate. One may ask, how can this be?? As noted in this news item, the families primarily Did Not spend more money than they made; actually saved some for that "Rainy Day"; and kept their industries, they  where noted for in their country... And even the companies kept on employees, many at reduced time, to get through the economic hardships.

So back to Our Great Country and truthfully ask yourself "Did We as individuals do some of the things the German Families did? Did our Big Business make every effort to keep Industry in our Nation? If you answer Yes to this, then you are in Denial or have been influenced by the...

"Propaganda of Big Business"

What in heavens is the "Propaganda of Big Business'. Simply put, we as an individual and family, over many, many years have been subtly convinced that "Success in Life = How Much Stuff we have" . If I am wrong you can slap me silly. But think back in time for a moment. How did you feel if you didn't have that New Home or New Car. Better yet, how did you feel if you didn't get a raise? Oh yeah, you needed a raise so you could afford that New Home and New Car. But then, banks came to our rescue and offered .....

"The Famous Plastic Credit Card"

Thank heaven we said, we can use this card to get all this great stuff... And thank heaven, at least, with the "Introductory Offer" for a limited time, we don't even have to pay interest!!! So now I can even get More Stuff. And I know I can keep these new charges in my budget since the minimum payment is so reasonable. But unfortunately, so many forgot that the minimum payment would take them past the "Introductory" period. Then the reality set in, we were faced with paying interest. Not only that, we forgot to read the "Fine Print" and this interest was variable.

Here is an actual experience I would like to throw in. I recently paid of one of my credit cards, not to mention, I have Always paid more than the minimum. So I wrote a letter to this particular credit card company, expressing what I have been doing. In addition I said, I am not interested in the bonus programs you have, all I am requesting is that, and based on my faithfulness of being a smart consumer, to lower my interest rate on this card. Their response>> They "Closed" my account. Hey, I did not ask them to do this. And now to add insult to injury, I keep getting "Junk Mail" stating I can get a credit card with a 0% introductory rate and I can even transfer some of my other balances over to this new card. I did transfer part of my card balances previously, and it was unbelievable the "Hidden Charges" that came with this.

So I guess what I am saying, bottom line, Credit Card Companies are Not consumer friendly, all they have every wanted is to make sure they maintain a "Profit Margin" on continuously finding New and Unsuspecting costumers who don't read the fine print.

BTW, how many of you are aware of the New Credit Card Reform???? I bet many of you don't realize there was even one. The Reform wasn't a 100% in getting all that was needed to Protect the Consumer, but it was indeed a Positive Reform.

Here is another example of how, as a Nation, did not follow the basic rule of "Supply and Demand". Remember the dream for an individual/family to get that New Home to be Successful??? Logically, the most prudent financial decision is to get a Home Loan at the Lowest Fixed Rate. Why do I say this? By getting a Fixed Rate, at least one knows this expense will not change over time.. And through our creativity to maintain our budget, we can stabilize this particular expense.

But through the creativity of Big Business, they came up with the wonderful solution of getting many into homes with a Low Rate Variable Interest Rate and the initial Lowest of the low the...

"Interest ONLY Mortgage Loan"

Yeah, the unsuspecting, new home owner says, I can handle this "Introductory" amount.. And when the time comes, more than likely I will either get my raise or have a new job that pays more. And of course, the Broker assures them that this will more than likely be true for the New Home Buyer.

And as one of my "Life Experiences", I too was caught up looking for a Larger Home. I used the internet to put out the word that I was looking for a affordable loan to purchase another home. I was approached by a Broker who did his sales pitch on how I could afford to get into a home with an Introductory "Interest Only Loan" The figures looked Great. But then, me being a curious sort, to know "ALL" the story, I asked him to give me figures on what the payments would look like after the 3 years were up on the Interest ONLY Mortgage Loan. Once I saw these figures, I said whoa, this is NOT going to work. I immediately told him NO. And wouldn't you know it, he tried to make me feel bad, since I didn't accept his loan proposal. Again, bottom line, I am, as everyone is, the Consumer, and WE and WE alone make the payments.

These are just a few examples. But I urge everyone to think about these and look for others. Today there is a battle between..

"Our Families and Big Business"

I ask everyone to consider the fact>> Are we going to continue to be Slaves to Big Business??? Or are we going to Truly Protect Our Families?? We are the Consumer and we Pay for everything. Yes these are severe Economic Times. But one must remember, it took years to get to where we are Today. How long it is going to take to turn things around and become a Nation of "Supply and Demand", I certainly don't know.

But unfortunately as long as

"More Money = Greed"

things in favor of our Families will not change. Need I remind everyone of "Enron" or the Inflated prices of our Homes. Both of which are examples of Big Business and/or the Stock Market taking advantage of the Dreams of Millions???

But I do know we, as an individual, family, etc have to be Creative and Strengthen Our Families in these times. I beg that we take a stand and quit blaming others. Simply put...

"We are Advocates for Ourselves and with this Comes Responsibility"

In conclusion, here is a statement created by a very active Advocate in the State of Washington. One may think it is not related our current National Situation, but I encourage one to read and hopefully believe it and make it part of your daily beliefs. And remember

"Families are the Most Important Resource we have in Our Nation"

So Please consider this statement:

“We are joining forces with all persons affected by Parens Patriae to include parents, extended family, foster parents and father's and mother's rights groups. While this is a difficult endeavor due to various divisions, the focus will be on challenging the system with the unified goals and commonalities that each is suffering under in family courts and through CPS.”
(See Definition: Parens Patriae)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May you find strength in your Higher Power,  

GranPa Chuck
Any Links that Don't Work; or if you
want to add information, Please Contact
Website Powered by GPC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Did You Know Series?" Subscribe Today

Thinking of going pro se?