More Ideas About Financial Fall Out And What's To Come

I tried to donate money to Obama's campaign today.

It's not over everyone! It's just beginning. So, to support the fact he is still reaching out to people, to get involved and take part, and encouraging us to match the money of the rich, corporate, and power hungry, with our collective contributions from the masses, I attempted to make my first financial donation.

I filled out the survey. Then I went through my bag for the credit card. Wasn't there, so I went all the way upstairs even though I was soooo tired and sitting already. Wrong card. So I went all the way back, to look for other card. Ooops. Then realized I had it registered with a different address and that's why it won't work.

So, I'll have to get around to it later.

I didn't get to see the 60 minutes show but I read clips from it, and I really liked what Obama had to say about restructuring and not just throwing money away.

I am so on the same page.

Go Obamas!

I actually felt more worried about the condition of the U.S.--more of a palpable fear for some reason, during the debates. I really felt it, but it could have been an intuitive feeling that things were going to get worse. This has happened to me before. A really bad gut feeling. I can't describe it. I had it happen about a half hour before we were all in our car collision where my friend died, in 1995 and I asked everyone to pray, and then I still couldn't shake the feeling.

Now, I feel differently. I almost think the U.S. accept a recession, and make the most of it. It sounds weird, but getting back to a real dollar, and scaling down is right. Not only that, why should we feel LESS secure now? We are MORE secure now, because some of the shit has come out of the closet. It's frightening, but it's not going to continue unchecked now. And honestly, if we couldn't learn from the Enron era and lessons, this should be another reminder that hits harder.

Things DO have to change, and I think we can have MORE confidence knowing this is an opportunity to make corrections.

Sometimes, the very best lessons, which end up being the most profitable in the end, are the very hard lessons. If we learn from our mistakes, we are better off in the long run.

The more things fall, which were never really standing to begin with and were just pie-in-the-sky, the safer we are.

It's not so bad. The worst part is when things look good on the surface and yet bad things are festering beneath. It will cost everyone, but if everyone is willing to scale back and accept things that are not as important (the larger house or bigger car, etc) and focuses instead on fixing things, we will start spending more just knowing our intrastructure is being corrected. We will spend more wisely, and we will have more stability.

I wrote down some ideas today on the subway:

--getting to real dollar will inspire confidence (idea we are not pie in the sky)
--knowing people are held accountable and that restructuring is happening inspires faith in the integrity
--cars out of businss...people should explore alternate forms of transportation anyway, eliminate need for oil
--recession...bring it back to real, fix it, and then consumer spending will increase actually and in faith and confidence
--money bail-outs need proper allocation--not to corps but other orgs
--people trying to scare us about depression unless corporate bail out are the same people who we allow to run government--the elite, the corp and the power rich. when the shoe is on the other foot, they let the people suffer.
--people with jobs in auto industry could be redirected to taking jobs for public transportion--instead of building railroads (new deal), we could be building up our subways and alternate forms of transportation, and for every assembly guy that's not making a new car, there's going to be an old car breaking down that needs a mechanic.


Those were all of my notes. But I also was thinking, we should examine the methods of Vladmir Putin. I'm not saying you have to agree with him about everything, but he pulled the country out of a major recession, which was far worse than what we've got. So maybe just take a look at some ideas.

I am of the opinion that we need LESS government as it currently stands, and more government BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE. WE are the government and we've been letting a few groups run, decide, and legislate too long.

I am for equality, and bringing back measures to regulate, however, we also have to be careful who is regulating. Everything needs a check and balance of powers. That's how we stay safe.

Also, I am for universal healthcare, but then, knowing what I've been through with state healthcare...how do we still protect privacy and who do you go to for a second opinion if all the docs are part of one big universal system? How do we protect privacy by putting everyone's medical info into a huge national database, that, if a hacker cracked it (and we've got lots of competent crackers and hackers), we'd be exposed. And, as in my case, what if some doctors don't like me and slander me in the record, which goes nationwide and I can never escape from it. How do we still get second opinions from a competitive or objective medical field? If a doctor screws up, do we sue the government for the "universal cover-up"?

So, lots of questions about how to integrate better equality for everyone, while still retaining privacy and autonomy.

One thing is clear--we can't have people going hungry and people are hungry even now, in the U.S. I don't want to hear corporate bosses complaining and asking for hand-outs until they are going directly over to the soup kitchens and to the people who are hungry, and making THEM an offer they can't refuse.

I want to see someone investing their time, money, and talent wisely, and part of that is demonstrated in the ability to give and make a contribution that costs something.

One of my favorite tips from a customer came recently, from a homeless man. He orders Coke. One day, I bought a pair of mittens from him. It was $3 for two pair and I gave him $3 for one pair. The next time I saw him, that man tipped me $2 for his $2.50 drink.

We give best when we don't expect anything in return. However, doing good should have rewards too. The problems have been that too many people in our system have been only interested in giving to those they expect to directly benefit from. People who they want to stay on good terms with, or who could increase their chances in life. We're scared to go after people who have more power, even if they're corrupt, because of what they might to us. But we shouldn't be scared--we will only win if we do the right thing, whether someone is watching or not.

So, "out" with the old, in with the new. If we have to see more bad news and more things falling apart, it's okay. It's not the beginning of the end, but a chance for a new beginning.

As for budgeting in hard times while things are corrected, come talk to me. I'll tell you how to get by rubbing two dimes together. Or, whats the name of those really frugal women who write books about how to stretch the dollar? They're out there. It can be fun, and an intellectual challenge to see what new ways you can make a dollar stretch. Look at all of this as an adventure.

I've had my share, and I will testify, there is no shame in being poor, or poor-er. The only shame would be to satisfy the demands of the rich and powerful because we are afraid letting them fail, or forcing them to be accountable, will create a backlash or backfire.

That's what they want us to think.

Look who's afraid and then figure out why they're saying what they're saying.

I don't remember anyone giving 700 billion dollar bail-outs to all the very poor, disabled, elderly who can't work, and welfare mothers, and I don't think it's ever been said that the mass has ever threatened the rich and corporate with a MAJOR GREAT DEPRESSION if the rich didn't give them hand-outs. No, the poor have had to walk picket and protest lines, and go on fucking STRIKE to make a point. We had to make someone FEEL the financial loss before some of them were at a bargaining point.

Let them feel the financial loss. It's their loss, not ours. We are stronger than the corporate giants. They need to know they are disposable, especially when they engage in fraud and crime.

I am the harsh mistress for now.

At first I was of the opinionn we need the bail outs. Now, I am very cautious about this, and instead, I'm thinking of alternatives, and how to protect against throwing money down the drain.