At the time of this writing (November, 2008), our country is in a downward economic spiral. Our government has promised and beginning to distribute a $700B bailout to the financial and insurance industries. Now more members of Congress are proposing to shell out even more of the taxpayer’s precious dollars for a bailout of the American automobile industry. Everyone is wondering when bleeding is going to end and when the recovery and slow upward spiral will begin.
It is times like this that you have to wonder: what started it all? And why should the American public shell out so much money for something they didn’t create in the first place?
We’re all responsible for the mess in a lot of little ways; however, that should not stop us from focusing some attention and expressing our displeasure at the few who are responsible for the mess in a few BIG ways.
Disclaimer: I realize that our economy depends on business. I also understand that various industries in our country are interconnected. So, at this sad time in our history, we do have to bail out big business so we don’t plunge into economic chaos. I understand all that—it’s disgusting that it’s come to that, but I understand.
However, these unimaginable and monumental bailouts are just treating the resulting symptoms. What we really need to do is to find and heal the disease itself. So, I’m addressing the root of the problem:
- Greed
- Selfishness
- Laziness
That’s our problem: our attitude. Our difficulties, which have cascaded to the rest of the world, were not brought on primarily by some technical financial details. The economics being discussed are secondary to the root of the problem. If corporate America and the American consumers had different attitudes, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
We have let our country, which was founded on the broken backs of countless, hard-working people—folks who knew the meaning of the word “work,” whether they were born here and emigrated from abroad. What was the American Dream? It was to work your way to a successful life—not to cheat, lie, deceive, or manipulate people to your advantage—nor to whine, whimper, and demand you get everything you think you deserve without really working for it, simply because you think you’re “entitled.”
Oh, and by the way: I won’t have every little fact correct. If you’re going to nit-pick the details, you’re not interested in (or trying to avoid) the overall point I’m trying to make. These thoughts and observations are simply written from my perspective, off the top of my head.
The next few articles I write will focus on the auto industry, corporate executives and attitudes, and America’s attitude in general.
© 2008 by J. C. Callahan
