Here’s a news flash! According to AOL Money & Finance, consumers ratcheted back their spending by the largest amount in 28 years and tougher times are still ahead. Clobbered by pink slips, shrinking nest eggs and falling home values, consumers are holding on even tighter to their wallets while party members argue about which political candidate has what it takes to lead us out of this meltdown. Personally, I am not sure any one really knows the solution to this problem because I think we are in familiar but uncharted waters and it will take a series of trial and error attempts to figure out what is going to work. For most of us, we will have to continue to watch our spending and wait it out. How can we benefit from these tough times? For one thing, we can make a list of those things that are most important in our lives and post it where we can see it every day; an overt reminder that there is more to life than money. Another thing that we can do is find more creative and less expensive ways to spend time with family and friends. The joy is in the company we keep, not the events we attend. Remember pot luck dinners and card/board game nights? Just because the economy is dismal, does not mean that our lives have to be too. When faced with the clouds on the horizon, seek the silver linings and who knows, these just might turn into the “good old days” that everyone talks about. Please help make it easier to get through these difficult times and share your ideas or reminiscences of simple but significant memories.
We are just one week away from electing a new president. It could be John McCain or it could be Barack Obama. No matter who wins, there will be people who are going to be angry or worried. These are difficult times and our next leader is going to need the support of all Americans if we are to survive this largest ordeal and come out on top. according to the Seattle Times. our next president will be facing a plethora of problems, among which are the pressing issues of global warming, energy addiction and a tanked economy. According to Yahoo News! many people will be loosing jobs and the housing market hasn’t hit bottom yet and probably won’t for at least two more years. Who really knows what will happen in the financial market? I hope that once this election is over, we set aside our differences and work together to focus on what needs to be done. After all, we the people, came from immigrant stock and we know how to roll up our sleeves and get the dirty work done. And that’s what this country needs right now - people who are going to work to get us back on track. That means farmers and business people, mothers and educators, laborers and scientists, engineers and techies, and all others; we all need to set aside our differences and think of the common good. What are you going to do to help turn this country around?
It’s about time someone on commercial TV addressed some of the real issues going on in Washington. I am referring to the John Stossel’s 20/20 report Friday, October 27th. I believe that Americans are basically good. When given the choice, we would rather see all people enjoy prosperity, live harmoniously in a safe and clean environmentand have equal opportunities. However, politicians (first with the visions of serving the public good and then after serious indoctrination, with the illusions of grandeur and power) corrupt the American dream. It never ceases to amaze me that an idea that starts with the best of intentions, once touched by special interest groups and seasoned politicians, turns into a huge expense for the American taxpayers and does little to solve the original problem it was designed to fix. How does this happen? Does the political arena attract only the genetically corrupt? Have Americans stopped being the watchdogs of the government? Or, is there something else amiss here? Read more »
I just read There is a Silver Lining on the Newsweek website and it has some interesting insight. To paraphrase, this article says that amid all the difficulties and hardships we are about to undergo, there is one silver lining. This crisis has - dramatically, vengefully - forced the United States to confront the bad habits it has developed over the past few decades. If we can kick those habits, today’s pain will translate into gains in the long run. We, not only as a nation, but also as individuals have depended upon easy money to support our spending frenzy. I realize that I too, am part of the problem. I have purchased things on a whim that I did not need, spending money unwisely instead of saving for a rainy day. Sitting idle in my closet are new shoes that have never been worn, sweaters that still have the sales tag attached and dresses that I will never wear. In my bathroom are a variety of hair products that have been used once or twice and then shoved under the sink and beauty products that promised miracles but didn’t deliver. I have enough blankets and towels to outfit a mansion but I only have one bedroom and one bathroom. There are so many things that I spend money on needlessly without thinking. Maybe this is my wake-up call. Read more »
One of my favorite Saturday morning things is to drink a cup of tea while I watch the birds visit my bird feeder. Blue Jays, Nuthatches and Titmouse commonly fly in, but my favorite visitors are the Chickadees. They are so polite and respectful of each other’s space. They take turns flying into the feeder one at a time, select a seed and fly back to their perch in the trees. They patiently wait their turn as they work through their rotation and then they begin again until all have had their fill. There is not pushing and shoving, no vying for superiority, no squabbling over who is going to get the better seed. They all seem to instinctively know, young and old, that they when they finally leave my backyard, everyone will fly away sated and in harmony with the others. How do they know how to do this? There is no sign up at my bird feeder that says , ONE AT A TIME, no sign that says NO PUSHING, and no sign that says DON’T BE GREEDY - TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. And yet they seem to instinctively understand that with respect and order, life is good. They live in the moment and pay for my simple kindness with a little song. If little birds know how to live in harmony, why don’t we? Why do we need to have rules and wars and greed? Why do we feel the need to put others down so that we can feel superior? Why is it so important to have more than your neighbor? I think it is time to take a lesson from nature. Wouldn’t it be great to feel like singing all day long?
On AC360, Suze Orman (Suze Orman on your fears) said that fear and panic was counter-productive when it came to the current market situation. It’s not fear and panic that I feel. Almost all of my working life, I have been investing with the idea of retiring at 62 (2 years from now). Then George Bush took office, the Republicans were in charge of Congress and I saw very slow growth in my investments and I said, “No problem, I can work until I am 65. After all, I like my job and it keeps me on my toes.” Now, I see myself working until I am 70+ and the idea makes me furious. I feel violated by the financial corporation’s irresponsibility. This is the same violation as I thing I would feel if someone broke into my house and stole 30% of everything I own. It’s not that I won’t survive. I’m not afraid of that. After all, I have my health and as I said, I have a great job. It’s just that the decisions about my future are no longer mine to make. Like most victims, I feel this need to be vindicated and I don’t believe this will happen any time soon. What about it? Do you see any of these executives being prosecuted or held accountable in anyway? I know that some of them will lose their jobs, but thanks to their golden parachutes, I doubt if they will be put out on the streets. More likely, they will take extended vacations on tropical islands and wait out the storm.
The stock market is headed South. Congress has voted to prop up corporate America at the expense of the tax payers. Home values are on the decline and continue to plummet. And now, mutual funds are warning investors not to expect much of a return on their investments. I don’t know about you, but my nest egg has turned into a scrambled egg. It’s value has dropped by over 20% in the past few weeks and continues to decrease with every breath I take. My financial adviser who oversees my retirement account says, “Don’t worry, it will turn around,” but I’m not feeling his confidence. I watch the Nightly Business Report and know that quickly slipping from view are my retirement visions of travel and pampering and enjoying a comfortable, peaceful second half of life. Hmmm! What are the options out there to salvage this? Not just for me, but for all the others too, who have conscientiously put money aside every payday in anticipation of the big R-day. Can we count on the government to give us a handout like they did corporate America? If it comes in the form of tax relief, I doubt it will be enough to replace our current losses and it probably won’t take into account that we have to pay back $700 billion first. Will I live long enough to get my money back? I just don’t see the government solving this problem soon; the market is going to have to run it’s course before it will recover and that is going to take time (years). Read more »
I have spent many Sunday mornings sitting in front of my computer searching for Baby Boomers who blog. Sure, there is the Eons website to consider, and Get Rich without Working websites, but I am looking for 60+ people who have embraced the power of the Internet and created their own pages. As I have struggled to put forth this masterpiece (it is to me), I have realized that what comes so easily for children of the 21st century has been a difficult journey for me and now I wonder how many others who are my age deal with the challenges of blogging. I have recognized that my language is not the techno-centric English of this generation, but instead, the archaic language of black and white TV shows and rock and roll music. Yet, I am a ’60s flower-child who believes that growing old doesn’t have to boring and to stay in touch with the universe means that we have to adopt or adapt the most current modes of communication. After all, when Ma Bell put telephone lines into our small rural community, my mother didn’t hesitate. She was among the first to request a home phone - even if it meant sharing a party line with our gossipy neighbor. Am I alone in these uncharted senior citizen waters or are there others out there that feel the need to take ownership of the Internet? Has anyone put Creating a Blog on their Bucket List? While I am still trying to figure out what role I want this to play in my life, I feel this strong need to get prepared.
In the past, I have spent many enjoyable evening hours reading and replying to other bloggers. However, since I recently decided to create my own blog, I find myself now spending those hours reading about blog development and clicking through my dashboard trying to figure out how to transpose what I have just read about into my own setup. It’s a lot like repairing a car by reading a manual in a foreign language and then using a dictionary to translate it into a second language (neither of which I feel well-versed in); however, I do find the challenge invigorating. If learning something new keeps one young, I must be about twelve now. If there is an easier way to shorten the learning curve, I have not discovered it yet, nor have I found a dictionary that really explains blog jargon in layman’s terms. Maybe that will be my next adventure after I master the art of blogging.