Economic Woes

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
Ronald Reagan, Inaugural Address

The next 2-3 weeks here are going to be stressful. There is something going on at dh's job that could be good or it could be bad. I don't want to post about it on my blog, but I will share details individually if anyone wants to know. I hate that the economy is like this; it is much better to be an employee in demand in a good economy rather than someone who has to be thankful to just have a job. I am going to try to focus on gratitude and pray everyday. The most important thing is to have a job right now. That, in itself, is a blessing right now.

Sometimes when I think about going back to work, it just seems so complicated. I can't imagine how much I could make right now if we had two kids in full-time child care and a school-age child needing after-school care. I would love some outside adult stimulation that would bring in some money, but it would be traumatic for me to have to put my girls in full-time child care at this point. I am not suggesting that I think dh will lose his job. But, if I had a job, it might feel like we had more options.

I wish I felt better about the stimulus package that was just passed. Of course I don't know for sure if it will turn the economy around at some point. But when I look at it as logically as possible, it is not a solution that makes sense to me in any way. Honestly, I think it is just an excuse for the Democrats to pass their spending agenda in a bad economy. I honestly used to think I was a Democrat, but I wasn't paying close enough attention back then to what was going on. I have always been a fiscal conservative and this is just hard for me to watch right now while the economy is collapsing.

I can think of so many very simple solutions that I wish Congress would have at least tried first, before committing our nation to such extreme and ridiculous debt. One of these potential solutions being the four percent mortgage for everyone. If everyone had a chance to refinance to a four percent mortgage, think of all the extra money everyone would have in their pockets on a regular and planned basis to stimulate the economy? Think of the number of people who would be motivated to buy a first-time home. Renters would benefit because rents would be able to go down as well. People in corrupt mortgages could refinance out of them to a great rate and keep their homes. This would prevent additional foreclosures, etc.

I mean, if you know you will save $100-$300 per month for the next thirty years, you can make some bigger money decisions, etc. You could actually do something to truly stimulate the economy. Although, I will be using my Obama money to stimulate the preschool industry next school year (employment pending); $100-$300 extra dollars in our pockets each month could really rock our world if every American had this in their pockets at the same time on a monthly basis! At the very least, I could stimulate the preschool industry times two and maybe even buy a new car.

The housing industry seems to be at the core of this mess and what better way to fix it than to take a simple approach that does not put our nation at greater risk (large debt and it's a gamble)? I wish I had more faith in our government. I am not meaning to bash government on my blog. But, I don't feel good about things in the hands of government. None of it makes sense to me. Some of the most complacent and ineffective people I have ever known worked in state government. We worked hand and hand in a public-private partnership and I assure you, these people were unmotivated and completely clueless ... and just a pain to work with because of that.

Part of me thinks I should seek a government job someday. That seems to be where you can collect so many sick days that people in those jobs would disappear for weeks on end, giving me absolutely no notice that they were leaving for months on end, right in the middle of important deadlines or very meaningful projects impacting children and families. But, I could not stomach working in a place that just encourages that level of complaceny. I take more pride in my work than I have seen those individuals ever do. I have seen so many taxpayer dollars wasted. It is like I can see too much and I wish it wasn't true what I see.

I pray I am wrong. I pray for better times for all.

Oh, btw, I figured out that the Barack Obama stimulus will help some people more than just the $32 per month. If you pay NO taxes at all, Barack Obama will have the IRS send you a much bigger check. Wow! I guess we will see how that stimulates the economy. I can already think of some people who will refrain from trying to better their own lives if given what truly is a handout. I mean, if they aren't paying any taxes at all; it is welfare. Not that welfare is bad, but I think people are better served when inspired to do better for themselves.