as august rolls around with the promise of cool breezes and the excitement of the approaching autumn, my thoughts turn instinctively to christmas or i might more properly call it, the upcoming gift exchange season. my family celebrates the traditional amercian holiday and each year we try to do something different.this year we are having a “green christmas”. we all talked about it; my husband, my 23 and 12 year old daughters, and my 5 year old son. also included is my best friend and her daughter, who is also a great friend. i was actually shocked that everyone liked the idea, but i am thrilled. i think it will put more meaning into the celebration for us as well as helping to recycle, reuse and renew; thus doing a bit to save the environment (and perhaps put a tiny dent in this consumerism run a muck) while being prudent with our funds during this global recession. what we are going to do is to give each person something that we ourselves have owned and enjoyed, bought at a vintage or recycling center, is organic and fair trade certified, or made with our own hands. it might sound horrid to some but we love the idea and the thought that is going to have to go into it. of course, santa will be bringing the young ones bright and shiny new toys but within our immediate family, the wheels are already turning as to what gift we can choose for each person. personally, i have never given gift selection as much thought as i have this year and i try to be thoughtful each year. we haven’t ran it past my oldest son and daughter-in-law and have no idea what they would think so for now, it’s just the ones of us in country. all of those living abroad or in our extended family will get new shiny things unless they choose to opt in as well. funny thing is, of all the things i’ve selected or purchased so far, i am more pleased than i have ever been with the gift and i think the receiver will be too. i am actually finding myself being able to give better quality gifts this way if that makes any sense. and guess what? i’m almost finished except for five people, three of which will recieve a new gift unless they opt to join in. we’re all so excited this year… even my 5 year old and i thought he’d never go for it. wow, kids are amazing. and the best part… it’s more personal, requires more thought and is helping the earth and eachother’s budgets at the same time. maybe i’ll just decorate in green this year or perhaps we’ll do a vintage tree. whatever we do, i have a feeling this christmas is going to be one of the best ever. ❤
i hear so many people saying things like “this life is hard, but it will be worth it when i get to heaven”, or perhaps “i’m saving up so i can have a good retirement” and to be honest, i am a bit saddened by it! to me, these people are wasting their lives on something they believe to be there for them in the future. i am not knocking religion or being financially prudent, but what happened to pleasure, to enjoyment? it seems as if so many people simply disassociate themselves from the here and now to focus on the then and later, when, as recent occurances such as the rapid fall of the stock market [and many investments to boot] just stand to show how shaky these future rewards really are. the religious zealot may say he has faith, but can he really know? the struggling investor may say he has put his money in secure funds, but are they really safe? to me, the principles these people are working from are one and the same. placing trust [or faith] in something that cannot be absolutely counted on. what can be counted on? this moment, this second, this breath. don’t put your life on hold just so you can dream of living a full life, enjoying pleasure, and experiencing all the wonders of this world [or the next] later. it almost seems as if some people have an aversion to being happy; like they think something is wrong with it. where did this come from? why would we, as beings capable of living and loving our lives, ever be convinced to forsake that in pursuit of some vague “let’s wait and see” promise? this is just one of those things that i don’t understand and like i said, earlier, am a bit saddened by. i’ve never been one to buy the old “protestant work ethic” or the “streets of gold” visions, but …. that is not why i felt compelled to blog about this. what precipitated this blog was the never-ending stream of whiners, complainers, and self-imposed martyrs that walk around long-faced, scowling at the public and making the sky just a little bit cloudier for those of us who are taking in and living this life carpe’ diem [seize the moment]. so friend, next time you put your good works, or your money away for the future, don’t forget to invest a good part of it in the present. we all need it… and i’m guessing you just might like it – if you can get past all the conditioning and let yourself.
so, in plain english, what i am understanding is that the bush administration wants to bail out the banks and corporations that have gotten themselves in trouble by granting bad loans. supposedly, they will “buy” up all the unwanted foreclosures, collection accounts, and the like from these organizations, and that will free up money for the banks to then loan to thier customers, being that such loans have practically been frozen. the idea, as i understand it, is that the benefits will “trickle” down to the regular american by allowing them to then take out more loanns [ which are not guaranteed anymore than the first round of loans that got the banks in trouble in the first place], especially given the current status of the economy. the government’s answer seems to be to give money to the banks and corporations, billing the common taxpayer for this gift, and in turn, allow the taxpayer to borrow once again. basically – a plan to give to the rich and tax the poor to middle income while encouraging them to get themselves in more debt. am i missing something?
today, on several cable news shows, there were reports of millions of dollars being paid in severance to outgoing bank and corporation ceo’s. so… these organizations have the money, evidently, to pay exorbitant amounts of money to get rid of someone they feel has led the bank or corporation down the hole, yet, they don’t have money keep themselves afloat? hello!
ok, i am definitely oversimplifying this, but maybe if they would take responsibility for their own loans, as americans up until now have had to do, then the chips would fall where they should, and those banks and/or corporations that acted responsibly with good practices will survive, grow, and even prosper. sort of a natural selection of corporate america if you will. think about it. what happens when we rescue children, adults, or even criminals from the consequences of their bad behavior?. they never learn. they are prone to repeat the offense. nothing ever changes. perhaps we should apply this same principle to corporate america.
the criticism of this is that the american economy will suffer. by economy, do they mean the wealthy? well, the wealthy can afford to suffer a little bit. it’s the people who don’t have food who can’t.
and that’s my two cents worth, which, i am told, is worth about .0443 of a cent in today’s global market.
[with a z] ... 
thoughts on the proposed bailout
6 Comments
am i missing something?
so, in plain english, what i am understanding is that the bush administration wants to bail out the banks and corporations that have gotten themselves in trouble by granting bad loans. supposedly, they will “buy” up all the unwanted foreclosures, collection accounts, and the like from these organizations, and that will free up money for the banks to then loan to thier customers, being that such loans have practically been frozen. the idea, as i understand it, is that the benefits will “trickle” down to the regular american by allowing them to then take out more loanns [ which are not guaranteed anymore than the first round of loans that got the banks in trouble in the first place], especially given the current status of the economy. the government’s answer seems to be to give money to the banks and corporations, billing the common taxpayer for this gift, and in turn, allow the taxpayer to borrow once again. basically – a plan to give to the rich and tax the poor to middle income while encouraging them to get themselves in more debt. am i missing something?
today, on several cable news shows, there were reports of millions of dollars being paid in severance to outgoing bank and corporation ceo’s. so… these organizations have the money, evidently, to pay exorbitant amounts of money to get rid of someone they feel has led the bank or corporation down the hole, yet, they don’t have money keep themselves afloat? hello!
ok, i am definitely oversimplifying this, but maybe if they would take responsibility for their own loans, as americans up until now have had to do, then the chips would fall where they should, and those banks and/or corporations that acted responsibly with good practices will survive, grow, and even prosper. sort of a natural selection of corporate america if you will. think about it. what happens when we rescue children, adults, or even criminals from the consequences of their bad behavior?. they never learn. they are prone to repeat the offense. nothing ever changes. perhaps we should apply this same principle to corporate america.
the criticism of this is that the american economy will suffer. by economy, do they mean the wealthy? well, the wealthy can afford to suffer a little bit. it’s the people who don’t have food who can’t.
and that’s my two cents worth, which, i am told, is worth about .0443 of a cent in today’s global market.
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