Based on faith…

As is common knowledge, the dollar is based on faith. To some degree, a healthy economy is also based on faith. You have to have faith that the economy is going to keep rolling, that it is not going to collapse. You have to believe that so you do not become part of the problem. How do you become part of the problem? You slow consumption, you stop buying as much as you once did. When you do that, you put people out of work. You add to the number of unemployed. It’s really that simple.

What I’ve been noticing is that every time the President tries to do something that would typically give people a bit more confidence, and possibly stimulate the economy, the conservative media and the republicans attempt to undermine it at every turn, and undermine him. As the President tries to instill confidence, they do just the opposite. Therefore, they share in the responsibility and state of the economy. As a matter of fact, if you are one of the unlucky people who are still unemployed, imo, you can lay most of that responsibility on the republicans. It would appear that they would rather make the President look bad than make the economy better.

Bush and Obama…

Like you, I remember when George W. Bush was the president. I supported ole George, especially in the beginning. I liked the fact that he was a confessing Christian and appeared to be a no-nonsense sort of a guy. He was strong in his resolve…whatever that resolve was. I appreciated that about him at the time. On the other hand, and in retrospect, he did some things that were questionable. Giving tax breaks to the rich (when you, your family, and many of your friends are rich) seems a bit self serving. Going against the majority of the world and the United Nations and invading Iraq, capturing and deposing its leader (Saddam (who happened to have a tiff with your dad)), and then allowing him to be hung, all under the presumption that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, is questionable. I’m not a fan of Saddam, mind you, but I’m also not a fan of invading countries under false pretenses, or in error. Oops. Imagine if some other country did that to us? What would our opinion of them be? Pointing to new housing starts to prove that you know what you are doing regarding running the country and the economy, when in reality so many new housing starts were due to a lack of proper regulations and therefore, the numbers were totally inflated and the entire housing market nothing more than a house of cards on the verge of collapse…gambling with the entire world’s economy….is questionable. Either George knew what was going on and was just hoping to make it through his term before it all fell apart…or something much worse….he didn’t know what the hell was going on. About the last thing I remember George doing was handing out rebates to every American and then giving 800 billion dollars to big business in hopes that it might fend off the next great depression before he got out of office.

Then along comes Obama. People are kind of sensitive to this word…but indeed, he did INHERIT a complete nightmare from our previous republican president. Obama did some fast work. You have to give him that. This guy was busy…he was moving....trying to prevent a world wide depression while addressing many other issues. I thought he exhibited great strength and resolve. I think he did what he felt he had to do to prevent a catastrophe. Yes, we are at 10% unemployment…or maybe more…but it could be 50% or more. If any of us have a job right now, I think there should be room for thankfulness. Obama ran on a platform of ‘change you can believe in’. He was elected by the people, and I find that he is trying to make changes that will make a real and lasting difference. He is really trying to fix some of the fundamental issues that brought the country to the brink of disaster. This means changes are needed. Many people hate change….especially if it touches their wallet. We were 10 trillion dollars in debt when Obama stepped into office. How do you fix that? You have to generate more income somehow. How would you do that? Sorry to say that realistically, taxes may need to be raised. This may upset some people...but under the circumstances, it appears to be the responsible thing to do. What do you suggest? The republicans always say that smaller government is the answer. What the republicans mean by smaller government is less regulations on business. I say….get a clue. Hello?!? That is what brought the economy to its knees folks! Yeah…let’s let the rich make the rules. They have to be held accountable my friends…because you can’t trust human nature. They have to be regulated. They have to meet a certain standard.

When it comes to increasing taxes…who can afford to pay more taxes? It sure isn’t the people barely making enough money to put food on their plates. Okay…so what do you do? Hey…maybe raise taxes on those making a quarter of a million bucks a year or more? How about we raise taxes on things that really aren’t essential…but would fall into the category of unnecessary/optional? That seems kind of sensible to me. Got any better ideas? Let’s hear them then.

I’m not even going to go into the whole health care debate except to say….what ideas do you have? How do you fix the problem of 30 million Americans…mostly hard working Americans, not able to afford to go to the doctor when they are sick? Something is wrong with this country if that’s the truth. Maybe it really is time for a change? Maybe you that hate the idea just need to think it through? What is more important to you…the loss of a few bucks in income, or the well being of those who can’t afford health care through no fault of their own? Try to remember that contrary to what some conservative radio talk show hosts espouse, we are not all created equal when it comes to abilities.

In conflict…

Is it me, or is it the country working against itself? You have this flawed two party system wherein currently the democrats, led by President Obama, are desperately trying to raise confidence levels and thereby hopefully stimulate an economy that appears on the brink of complete collapse. Then along comes the freedom of the press/speech wherein the media and the republicans undermine any gain in confidence that the public might have realized. Under normal circumstances, this would all seem just fine. But what about under dire circumstances where time is of the essence? My Christian Interpretation would be that it would appear that human nature could interfere with the necessity of a quick response.

Not to be an alarmist, but…

I suspect that throughout the ages, there have been many occasions wherein people considered that the times they were living in were Biblical.  As the world economy staggers and talk of doom and gloom increase, it would be a good time to take stock of our lives and our relationship with our Creator.  I don’t think doing so is ever a bad idea no matter what the underlying motivation.  In that spirit, I present to you the following scriptures:

Revelation 18:1 ¶  After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendour.
2  With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3  For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
4  Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5  for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
6  Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.
7  Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’
8  Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 ¶  "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10  Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’
11  "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no-one buys their cargoes any more—
12  cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;
13  cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.
14  "They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered.’
15  The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn
16  and cry out: "‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17  In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.
18  When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’
19  They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
20  Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’"
21  Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
22  The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.
23  The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24  In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."

Stimulating the economy…

I touched on a version of this issue many posts ago, but it comes to mind again.  I’m wondering if every time the President mentions the word catastrophe, he isn’t also accomplishing more than just motivating politicians to get off the pot.  Is the mere mention of the word ‘catastrophe’ also stimulating people to start buying things to help them survive in case of an economic collapse?  Wouldn’t that, in itself, temporarily stimulate the economy to some degree?  Of course, that kind of buying would not signify confidence…though I suppose it could be misrepresented or misunderstood as such.

House of cards

I find it interesting that one of the core issues at the heart of the credit crisis…ie relaxing the government regulations that would have determined if a person ‘qualified’ (had a reasonable chance of being able to pay it back) for a loan and instead giving loans to people who were really at high risk to default on the loans…is exactly what the government is doing to try to remedy the credit crisis. In other words, the government is, in essence, borrowing 700+ billion dollars that it can’t afford (wouldn’t qualify for) and is at high risk at never being able or willing to pay it back, and throwing it in the pot to try to restore confidence in the economy. Remember, our government was 9 trillion dollars in debt before the credit crisis. What kind of example is that? Does that build your confidence in our government? Sheesh.