Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sick and Sniffly

Last Night I stayed home because I was sick. Sick with the autumn flu that’s making its rounds through Toronto.

Like a good sick person, I tucked myself into bed, and flexed my remote control muscles.

I soon realized someone else is pretty darn sick too.

The economy…..oh not just the US economy, nope all it’s many relatives too.

All day the TV was flooded with dire diagnosis about its health. Sometime later a big halla balloo was made over the non passage of the rescue bill by the US Congress.

One republican (who I cannot remember, bear in mind my head was foggy with Nyquil) interestingly said on CNN, that the rescue plan was an attack on the very tenants of capitalism. Turns out capitalism isn’t to blame, it’s the inherent greed of people.

Excuseee? Isn’t that one in the same?

Doesn’t dear ole Capitalism take its cue from greedy people, who always want more, bigger, better, and more? Isn’t that what forces otherwise sane people to buy a new car every two years, take on lavish mortgages to live in houses with at least one room they never visit?, buy labeled clothes every month and happily put it on their credit cards?

The funny or rather scary part is, when I looked around my life as I walked into work today, I still saw people shopping, buying their $10 latte and biscotti, coming in with their new coats, with not a care in the world.

It seems to me, that my generation doesn’t really know how to be fiscally responsible. They don’t know how to panic about what’s happening. So they keep doing what they do best, spending money.

Which makes all these crack pot schemes like the one Bush carved up last summer, which gave all Americans $600 to spend, sound credible.

14 comments:

Dee said...

I agree that it is an attack on capitalism--privately owned means of profit
and if a bank/company goes bankrupt, well, they should close
It's not my fault they lent money to people who obviously couldn't pay it back
maybe now they'll stop throwing credit cards at jobless teenagers who can barely manage their allowance

Dee said...

oh, ya
feel better soon
maybe you been working too hard

Anonymous said...

u summarized the "health" of the economy perfectly!! GREED is the cause of all of this- and it is shocking how ignorant most ppl r to the whats happening.. more thoughts on this when we converse next =) xox

S

ruthibel said...

*sigh* the ailing economy of the US... So glad I'm not American! Too bad it affects us all...

Abeni said...

You right about the fiscal sense of our generation. We get tricked into believing we have to have everything even when we cannot afford it

Anonymous said...

Makes me wonder why I didn't go waste my money... I'm going to be eating dirt with the rest of the US in no time, and I partook in none of that fun spending to get us there.

I'll be paying some idiots mistake until I'm 96. blech

Anonymous said...

i'm sick, too! sore throat, runny nose, clogged sinuses sickly... it's some bad news...

feel better!

SimplEnigma said...

The reason we are where we are today is because of confidence and trust. Money has value because people have confidence that when they give that piece of paper it will be worth it.

I'm all for people still buying their $10 lattes and $500 boots and everything else. Consumer confidence and spending is the only thing that will jumpstart this economy. If everyone stops spending, more people will be out of a job and the economy will only get worse.

Panic is not the answer. This is situation has been caused by panic. Turn off the TV and go back to your life. Like the 12 other bear markets before this, the markets will recover. It'll just take a longer time.

Feel better.

Anonymous said...

Well said.

Unknown said...

Hope you get better soon.

I agree the root of this dire financial situation is partially due to the greed of these corporate company and the woeful spending of their executives. But it seems some people are still trying to live their normal lives, maybe a global panic will only make the inevitable crash come faster.

Anonymous said...

Well said, S. E.

Christie said...

However thankful I was for that $600, I wish they would have kept it now. I have no idea what I spent it on. All I know is that it was gone before I got the check in my hands.

P.S. I'm moving in with you in McCain takes office. 4 years of him and that hooker of a VP would be too much for me to handle. Don't worry, I'll cook for you.

Anonymous said...

You got that right!

Feel better soon hon.

Marika said...

Firstly...hope you're feeling better!

Secondly...I know exactly what you mean. At work, we have this whole slew of kids who show up, stay 6 months and then go because they know they can get more money at the next place. It's going to be a hell of a shock to them when they realise they have to stay at a job for longer than half a year, because there might not be anything else to go to.