When Do I Start To Panic About the Economy?

New Discovery- check this video out-

I've been trying to write this now for a few days and obviously other things keep getting in the way. Everyone is up in arms about a few things this week: $700 Billion gov't "bailout," the Dow Jones falling 777 points in one day, etc. What most people fail to realize about the stock markets is that they will eventually go back up. Isn't that what has happened in the past? Can we learn from history this time? So, what should you do when they go down? Panic and sell everything? NO, that's when you lose money. When it's low, you should buy, right? So, buy if you can. If you can't, keep investing in your mutual fund, 401k, etc. and watch it over the long term. So the dow went down. Guess what? Oil went down 10 bux a barrel too. Oh no! My house isn't worth as much as it was last month! Well, neither is the one you're going to buy, so go buy it cheaper. By the time your house goes up, the other one will too and so will the interest rates and your monthly payment will end up being more. Now, I'm NOT telling you to go run up your credit cards. Be sensible and pay those off. But, who is slowing down the economy? Who will save the economy? This republic was founded "BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE." The president, no matter who he is, didn't cause your problems, nor will he solve your problems.

$700 Billion is a lotta dough, granted. I'd like to see (I've googled a few things and can't seem to find it) how much the US dishes out in foreign aid, welfare, illegal alien related problems (I just had to open that one, didn't I?), pork barrel spending, etc. in a year. I'm always amazed at the millions we throw at other countries to help them and I look at the problems that we have and wish we could solve them with some of those funds. Let me get to the point. It's a lotta money, but correct me if I'm wrong, this is essentially going into our economy to help keep it going. Otherwise, we could run the risk of other foreign banks and investors coming in and scooping up on our stuff, eh? Some British banks are having a bit of trouble of their own, but recently I believe 2 banks from across the pond have invested in more wealth here in the states. See that? 232 years old and we still have to ask Mom to come and help us out once in a while? Whose fault is it? All of ours. It's that American right/privilege of greed. Even if we feel like we aren't a part of it or have contributed to it, we've still allowed it to go on unchecked. Very few have screamed "STOP!" especially on black Friday. The national debt is now going to be so far out of control, you say? I had a professor once that had this to say about the national debt- "so what?" I'm no economic genius, but I have yet to hear someone come up with a real and logical way that the national debt really affects us? Again, maybe someone can enlighten us all. Maybe it waters down the value of the dollar and therefore the yen, euro, etc. is worth more?

Who died and left Matt Damon in charge?

I've resisted blogging at times, because if I really spoke my mind I knew I'd risk offending some. Today, I take that risk again.

It didn't start with Damon, or the Dixie Twits; nor was Barbara Striesand the first to blast their opinions about politicians. A few years ago the country singing trio, Dixie Chicks slammed President Bush while on tour in Europe. Some got upset, others became new fans of country music. Striesand has made no secret of her liberal viewpoints and backing of such candidates. For some reason we allow these folks that are paid "entertainers" to influence our thinking on many other subjects. I'm not quite sure of the psychology behind it, other than the possibility that American are just dumb sheep and will follow anything. Just because these folks have a microphone and a camera does not make them experts on anything. I suppose because they have money, we equate that with success. Since they 'must be successful' we equate that with some sort of wisdom, then we deduce that they must know more than we do- so we will follow what they say. Let's be smarter than that. Take a quick glance at Hollywood what and where that success has taken many of its victims. Dare I start to bring up how many rehab centers, jails and psychologists offices are flooded with all of these successful people? I'm not bringing that up to start trashing them. I say that to make a point- their fame and fortune aren't a result of some superhuman wisdom, nor does it produce a greater level of it. These folks have the same problems the rest of the world does, sometimes that fame and fortune just compounds those problems. They are not gods. Tina Fey makes her money by portraying some of these politicians and others recently. She's let the world know that she does not want to portray a certain person after the elections this year. If that ticket wins the election, I think Tina Fey should quit acting and go get a job at Starbucks if she's so adamant.

Would he be interchangeable with Mitt, Huck, Rudy, Ron or the ice cream man?

Could just *anyone* have given that speech that McCain gave last night? Could he and Giuliani have changed places and it had the same affect? How about Fred Thompson? Ron Paul possibly thinks he could have done a better job. Is it all in how the writer of the speech chooses his words? Is it fate/destiny/God's will? Is it quite conceivable that the local convenience store clerk could get up there and read a script from a teleprompter and do just as well. I'll say yes, just for the sake of a good argument. Some people could arguably get up and deliver an adequate disquisition. The problem comes into play when the person delivering the words does not have the goods to back it up. The issue isn't how he pronounces his words (although if I ever get to meet President Bush, love him to death, I'm going to have to squeeze his cheeks together and go- say it with me NUK-LEEEE-er, not *NUK-YA-LER*), the issue is integrity.  Now before you go thinking that I am completely naive, I know that there is not one man or woman that can deliver on every single statement that they make during these stumps.  Too many things get in the way, things change, reality sets in and other things demand more attention making those things take a back seat - yea, they become excess luggage.  Then I suppose the question becomes "What is the intent?"  I had a professor that used to say that people will do what they have done.  So, what have they done?  Here is a site that will show you what they have done on each issue...
Obama
Biden
McCain
Palin

Then there are things that are clear cut. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, took a risk and held a forum with these two men. He asked them the same questions and they had the opportunity to answer them as they wished without being debated or 'booed.' All three have taken some criticism for that evening, but I believe it was as it was and we are wiser as a result. If you missed it, I'll post them at the end. I love the answers to some of the questions. "What point is a baby entitled to human rights, in your view?" McCain: "At the moment of conception." No hesitation, no backing down, no wavering, no beating around the bush, no flip flopping. Obama: "mumble, mumble, mumble, that's above my pay grade, yada yada yada...:" WHAT? It's above your pay grade to have a view? Give me a break.

I'm sure everyone's ears perk up at different times during each speech, but, one statement stood out to me in each of the last two. In Palin's speech, she (the mother of a baby with Down Syndrome) said that if you are the parent of a child with a disability, you will have a friend in the White House. That struck a serious chord in me. Then last night, during McCain's speech, he said- "Sen. Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucrats. I want schools to answer to parents and students." Let me be clear about something, right now in Delaware the schools answer to virtually no one. There are NO educational lawyers in DE. When we've talked to lawyers outside of DE, they've been appalled at our story. They tell us this is an open and shut case. Then we tell them we are in Delaware and they say, "Oh, nobody wins in Delaware." The DOE is useless. It doesn't matter what situation is brought to them, they justify it somehow and stand by the school, not by the child. It seems that the educators have figured this out. We wondered why they seemed to laugh at every law that was put in front of them that they seemed to be ignoring. They know there are no education police. Well, let's put this back in the hands of "the people." I'm tired of getting the bureaucratic runaround.

I in no way am connected or endorse the maker or poster of these videos, but am thankful somebody put them on the net.

SarahCuda!

Governor Sarah Palin had a nickname as she played basketball in high school- "barracuda."  I think JoeBama is in trouble.  After watching tonight's RNC coverage of Palin's speech, I'm even more impressed than I thought I'd be.  Earlier today the news stations were saying that she would come out and speak about herself and let us get to know who she is.  They said she wasn't going to come out tonight and be an attack dog.  If that was just her letting us "get to know her," I feel sorry for Biden in the debates to come.  Joey's slick and he thinks he's cool and he knows it all, after all- he's a Delawarean.  That automatically makes him cocky.  If he doesn't go into this with more than his nice little smile and dorky haircut, she might just wipe the floor with him.  She seemed to hold up pretty well under all of the emotion and pressure of the evening, even when there was a slight teleprompter problem. I'm sure no one missed the line- "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? LIPSTICK!" Oh man, what a scream! About 3/4's of the way through her speech I was hoping someone was standing somewhere by a blackboard with a piece of chalk marking how many digs she got in on the rivals. She even made these digs with a big smile on her face. She's good. I don't know- Palin for Prez '12?