For months now we have all been hearing how the economy has tanked and that we are in the midst of a deep recession. The 24 hour news vultures, always on the hunt for something to "crisis" about, were given a gift this year with the housing crash and subsequent economic downturn. The media has capitalized on the news and along with doom and gloom politicians eager to portray themselves as heroes to their duped constituents, have accentuated the situation to an all out meltdown. Talking heads and opportunistic politicians aside, I choose to see the other side of the coin.
Of course the economy is deeply troubled right now. But the collective psyche of the country has a huge effect on where the economy goes from here. Now that we have a political change in Washington - one in which the media has a vested interest in having succeed - it will be interesting to see if the news changes and a more positive spin on events becomes the norm.
I'm a photographer, not an economist, but as a business owner in an industry that is affected by trickle down economies, I am still optimistic for the future. The fact is that while unemployment is sadly up, we still have 94% employment, far better than our near socialist neighbors across the Atlantic. Companies are still making products and selling services, and those companies still need to advertise to gain market share and sell their products. Greed, selfishness and corruption have caused this blip. Mismanaged companies need to fail and then re-emerge healthier. Greedy executives need to feel the humiliation of a soup line and be replaced by execs that know how to roll up their sleeves and think more about their company's health than their own portfolios.
I'm optimistic about the future of American industry and advertising. We need to continue to work hard, take our lumps, pick ourselves up again and find new ways to achieve our goals. I don't mean to be overly "pollyannic" about our situation, but personally, I've had enough doom and gloom from the pundits and politicians. If there's anything we should have learned through this it's that the so called "experts" don't know much more than we do. I believe that better than bailouts, rescue plans and ivy league advice is hard work, tenacity and common sense.
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16 comments:
This is the type of post I'd expect from an anti-evolutionist. If greed is the problem, then the solution is to eliminate it. You'll have as much luck eradicating greed as Jimmy Swaggart had eliminating lust. Greed is a human condition. It is the driving force behind a market economy. Without greed, none of us would sell labor beyond what is required to satisfy our needs. We'd all be dishwashers in Vail ... or bellhops in Maui. Some of us, I'm told, prefer to ride liquid water.
I see Scud is arguing with himself again. Just two posts ago he whined "...my gut tells me we're screwed." Now he cries about too much "doom and gloom". Classic wing nut.
Here comes Hope and Change, pucker-up America. After BO's $150 million dollar inauguration carnival, he's wasting no time launching his uber-liberal agenda. Close Gitmo, halt the military tribunals on terrorists, lift the ban on overseas abortion funding, etc., etc., etc. 62 million dopes elected this schmuck into office and now we will all pay the price for it.
I sure enjoy the positive effect he's had on the economy already. Wall Street sits there hoping for some words of wisdom from our new messiah, but alas, there are none. Platitudes and rhetoric won't fix anything and this empty suit, coupled with the worst congress in history, will spin their wheels, spend our money, and essentially be the greatest train wreck ever. Way to go America, you twits.
Yes We Can. No We Won't.
Please ignore the following examples of doom and gloom as posted by Anonymous (aka Scud):
1. "...now we will all pay the price for it."
2. "...and essentially be the greatest train wreck ever."
stay classy
Ooo, snappy comebacks by a pair of real class acts. Sadly, and as usual, you can't coherently argue against reality. BO blows huge and it's only just begun.
Padme was right:
"So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause."
Knuckleheads, one and all.
Leave it to 2 of my my favorite lefties to totally get it wrong. First, there's a difference between greed and ambition. But I wouldn't expect a leftist, Obama worshipper to understand such complex abstraction. I know a little bit about reaching out for the brass ring. The greed I'm referring to is fueled by corruption, selfishness and emptiness. If you want to understand what really went wrong with the economy, I suggest you make an appointment with your mentors, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Chuck Schummer. They won't give you an honest answer, but hey, how could they, they're Demoncrats; they don't know what that is.
Scud, once again you demonstrate the uncanny ability of the far right for ignoring the obvious. It would seem the lefties aren't the only ones having problems with complex abstraction.
Greed and ambition are not in many ways all that different. "Just as it's said "there's a fine line between love and hate" so it is with greed and ambition. Although ethical ambition is a good and necessary thing, far too many of the ambitious agree with Ivan Boesky when he said. "I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself".
That's why regulations will always be needed to control these folks.
I agree with Scudnonymous. In less than a week in office, Obama showed renewed obligation to rule of law when he ordered the closure of Gitmo. Military tribunals will be replaced with Federal court appearances. Federal prosecutors successfully achieved convictions against Richard Reed and Zacious Moussaoui yet some are afraid to them have a crack at the men in Gitmo. I say, "Bring 'em on." Obama demonstrated our commitment to women's basic rights, namely free speech and the right to decide whether or not they want to bear a child. I say "bravo." Obama's tenure has been brief but already he's exceeded Dorkus W. Doofus.
Anyway, back to the original point. Scud now claims our economic woes were caused not by greed but by empty, selfish and corrupt greed. This leads us to ask, "What should George W. Bush have done to mitigate the effects of this type of greed?"
Quotes for the week:
"Obama raises hand, lifts a nation."
-CNN
"Obama raises hand, millions vomit."
-JR
"Honey, come here quick! Don't you just love the Internets? I just learned what a 'derivative' is. This Google thing is so cool."
-Jeff
Oh, I forgot. Anyone who dislikes Obama like I do, needs to join us over here at the Hal Turner Show Blog.
http://halturnershow.blogspot.com/
Hal Turner??? Isn't he an FBI informant?
My, but these are rapturous times. The esteemed orators in the mass media breathlessly and endlessly pontificate on the sheer glory of having the first black man (well, half black anyway) in the oval office. Somehow, someway, for reasons that remain unclear, that fact supposedly changes everything for America. Meanwhile, back on Planet Reality, the U.S. economy continues its implosion, unabated and relentless. But wait; here comes Congress to the rescue, wielding a $900 billion dollar stimulus package, loaded with pork, with the full intention of sodomizing the taxpayers with this fiscal horror show. Of course, BO supporters are thrilled: this group always looks to the federal government to be their savior in good times and bad. You know, the same government that is already $11 trillion dollars in debt. And, the final price tag for the bail out will go much higher before all is said and done. It truly staggers the imagination. So unemployment keeps drifting up, the government keeps printing dollars like candy corn, the national debt is out of control, the markets are dying, and liberals everywhere are thanking their two deities Hope and Change, for delivering unto us this wonderful gift. Nationalizing major industries has always been every socialist's dream, be it commercial aviation, the auto industry, banks, whatever, so things are going well in that respect.
Back to our hero BO now. It seems his first two executive orders, funding overseas abortions and closing Gitmo, two ultra-liberal goals, are not being well received by the American public. In fact, most Americans, the intelligent ones anyway, oppose both orders. Not surprisingly, BO's approval rating is already sliding. Immediate slippage always occurs but BO's rating in early January was at 84%, it's now at 64%. Uh oh, how is his PR firm, also known as the mass media, going to handle this one? Could be dicey, the media have much at stake with BO, after working so long and hard to get him elected in the first place.
How are those staff selections going? Well, seems poor Tom Daschle is backing away from the Health and Human Services job. Besides being just another tax cheat, I've always felt he has been pretty much an idiot for most of his public career. Then there is Nancy Killefer, BO's pick for the new Chief Performance Officer who never even made it out of the starting gate due to "tax issues". Translation: "Honey? Did you forget to pay the payroll taxes on our hired help for the past year and half?" Oops. Never let it be said that BO's character judging abilities are somewhat lacking. This must be what Jeff was referring to when he wrote that BO is surrounding himself with "quality people". I could write volumes on Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House and distant ancestor to the Warthog, but it's late. I'll save that one for another day.
Enough said. My eternal thanks to the 62,000,000 Americans who voted this traveling circus into Washington. Well done, it's going to be an entertaining four years.
"Woe is me," I can only pine for what might have been. Had those 62,000,000 Americans cast their vote for another man like my beloved George W Bush.
Powerful argument there JR. It makes me want to Rush right out and join a political party whose agenda is being set by an obese, drug addled radio talk show host.
Thank you JR for that insightful overview of the Obama administration. Based on that summary it's clear he's already more palatable than his predecessor ... but so is pubic lice.
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