Monthly Archives: February 2010

Is The Recession Behind Us?

February 26, 2010

If we are reading the newspapers and listening to some of the analysts on TV, we are reading and hearing people telling us that the economy is doing better. Just who do they think they are kidding? Certainly not the American people! The politicians in Washington think if we are told the economy is turning around, we will believe it. Well, all I can say is…

Get real! I don’t know about you, but I certainly am NOT fooled into believing that the economy is recovering, because it isn’t, yet. Unemployment is in double digits in the states, even if nationally it is 9.7%. The unemployment rate here in Wisconsin is 11%. People are very cautious, and they should be. President Obama tried to stimulate the economy by spending $787 Million we didn’t have to stimulate spending, bail out the auto industry, banks, and last but definitely not least, Mr. Bernanke and the Federal Reserve printed money to put a false bottom in the stock market last quarter.  Well, guess what? Stock prices are finally catching up with the padded market. People are finally realizing the impact that printed money had on the market.  Have we learned our lesson?

We (the American People) know exactly what has happened here and we have tightened our belts for the long haul. The fact of the matter is our legislators haven’t learned a thing. Our incumbents have turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to what has been going on. Our illustrious legislators told citizens of the Concorde Coalition that as long as we can keep printing money to keep our economy going, we will. Can you believe an answer like this? Our legislators don’t care that our country is going down the tubes here and they are the reason. Have any one of them had the “guts” to say “STOP IT?”  Do you think they would do it? Heavens no! They can’t agree, so they stopped talking!

We have to get off our complacent “butts” (please excuse the expression) and do something to stop the government from printing more money to solve our problems. The national debt is in the “Trillions.” Do you know what a “Trillion” is? I just know that a trillion dollars is 3 more zeros than a billion dollars. I’ve never seen that much money, have you? Our national debt has gone from billions to trillions with no end in sight unless we, the voters, stop the horrible spending. We also need to start creating jobs so people can go back to work.

I don’t think President Obama realized what he was getting into when he took office two years ago. He had the American people’s best interests at heart when he signed the Stimulus Bill. I’m sure he had no idea what was going to happen next. He probably thought he was going to have more say in how the country was run. Sorry Mr. President!  You are a figure head. Unfortunately, there is a House of Representatives and a Senate that have the real power over the country. Then, we have the Federal Reserve Board. What are they thinking, printing all this money? How are we going to fix this situation?

Let me recommend a few things and see what you think? Mr. Bernanke, we need to stop printing all this money. STOP PRINTING ALL THE MONEY! Let the economy and the market do what it can to correct itself. We need to pay off our debt. The American People are expected to pay off their debt, why shouldn’t the country take responsibility for its debt and stop expecting China to buy our debt. They have already quit!

Another recommendation is to get rid of the incumbents in Congress. Let’s vote all new Representatives and Senators into Congress and start fresh with legislators that have integrity and care about what happens to America. We need representatives that care about their constituents and want what’s best for the country as a whole. That is an excellent place to start, don’t you think?

Let’s see if we can get our country out of debt! Senators Gramm and Rudman tried it quite a few years ago. Somehow, their bill fell by the wayside. Our new battle cry should be, “Let’s Get Our Country Out of Debt!” The ball is in our court, so to speak. What I mean by that is, we need to let our legislators know that we are not going to tolerate all this spending. The bills need to be paid!

We need to get people back to work so families can get out of debt and we need to get our country to stop printing so much money and start living within our means. This all sounds so simple!

Did you know that most of the people getting new jobs in this difficult economy are being hired by small businesses? Absolutely! Did you also know that the IRS is taxing small businesses until it hurts? The IRS has hired a bunch of new agents to investigate small businesses to make sure the country is getting all the taxes that are due. Did you also know that 50% of the American people making less than $50,000 are not being taxed at all? The rest of the people are making up for it, small businesses included. How are we ever going to experience a recovery if the businesses that are providing new jobs are being audited and taxed even more. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, here.

We have the best country in the world no matter how many problems we are experiencing now. Let’s utilize our right to vote and get rid of all the representatives and senators that cannot stand up for what’s right. Let’s also put our support behind small businesses to decrease the unemployment rate. If our politicians can’t do what is right, let’s get them out of office. Let’s also make our government tighten its proverbial belt and stop spending. If we have to have a spending plan in our homes, so should our government.

Let me know if you agree or disagree. Comment. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you think.

By Diane | Posted in Business, Financial Independence, Get the Economy Back on Track, The Power of Education | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Coping With Change Part II

February 21, 2010

Yesterday, I started a story about two mice and two little people. The mice were Sniff and Scurry and the little people were Hem and Haw. When I left, Sniff and Scurry were off somewhere looking for more cheese, Hem was sitting at the table inside Cheese Station C waiting for cheese to reappear, and Haw was out in the maze looking for more cheese.

As we find Haw walking forward in the maze, we see that he has looked back towards the comfort of Cheese Station C.  He stopped and wrote this on the wall, “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” Haw kept going. As he walked, he realized that he should have started out sooner. Maybe he would have found cheese by now.

Haw kept going. He jogged as far as he could, but became weak from not eating. He found a few little pieces of cheese along the trail and ate them to keep up his strength. He was thinking about what had happened to him and decided that he would stay more alert from now on and would expect change to happen and look for it. Haw would trust his basic instincts to sense when change was going to occur and be ready to adapt to it. Stopping to rest, Haw wrote on the wall of the maze, “Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old.”

Haw continued on his way. Finally, he came upon a large station house. He hurriedly ran into the station. No cheese.  Haw wondered what Hem was doing, whether he was alright, or whether or not he had moved on.

Haw realized that he felt the best when he was moving. He wrote on the wall hoping Hem would read his sayings and follow along, “Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese.” Haw looked down a new passageway, realizing his fear. Then, he laughed at himself. He realized that his fear was making it worse. So, he did what he would do if he weren’t afraid. He started moving forward. To his surprise, Haw began to feel good.

Haw moved further into the maze. He wondered why he felt so good. Before long, he knew why he felt so good. He stopped to write on the wall of the maze again, “When You Stop Being Afraid, You Feel Good.” Haw realized that he had been held captive by his own fear. He started moving faster into the maze. As he moved, he started painting a picture of the cheese he wanted to find. He painted a picture of all his favorite cheeses, from Cheddar to Brie! He saw himself eating all the cheeses he especially liked. The more clearly he saw the image, the more real and believable it became. He knew he was going to find it.

Haw wrote on the wall of the maze, “Imagining Yourself Enjoying Your New Cheese Leads You To It.” Before long, Haw came upon another cheese station. As he neared the station, he found bits of cheese, which he picked up and ate. Haw entered the station and to his dismay, found no cheese. At this point, Haw decided to go back to Cheese Station C to see how his friend Hem was doing. He retraced his steps to go back to his friend. Along the way, he found a few pieces of cheese, which he picked up and put in his pocket. Finally, he made it back. He walked into the station to see his friend, Hem, sitting at the table where he had left him

Haw took the cheese out of his pocket and placed it in front of his friend. Hem looked up, thanked Haw for the cheese, and said, “No Haw, I know that if I wait here, I know the cheese will reappear.” Haw couldn’t believe his friend. Hem didn’t want to change. He wanted the cheese to reappear where he was sitting, not somewhere else.

Haw decided to go back into the maze. He put on his little running shoes and began to jog. After awhile, he stopped to rest. Before he started running again, he wrote on the wall, “The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese.” Now, Haw felt it was just a question of time before he found new cheese. He realized that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. Haw had been so afraid of never finding new cheese that he didn’t even want to start looking. However, since he started his journey, he found enough cheese in the corridors to keep him going. Now he just looked forward to finding it. Just looking ahead was so exciting.

Haw used to believe that Cheese should never be moved and that change wasn’t right. Now he realized that it was natural for change to continually occur, whether one expected it or not. Change could surprise him only if he didn’t expect it and wasn’t looking for it. When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he paused to write on the wall: “Old Beliefs Do Not Lead To New Cheese.”

Haw hadn’t found any substantial amounts of cheese yet; however, he thought about what he had learned. Haw realized that his new beliefs were encouraging new behaviors. He knew that when you change what you believe, you change what you do. Your actions depend on what you choose to believe. Haw wrote on the wall: “When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course.” He decided to travel deeper into the maze.

Haw just hoped he was heading in the right direction. He hoped Hem would read the Handwriting On the Wall and find his way. He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for a long time, “Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.” With this writing, Haw let go of his past, and was adapting to the present. He continued through the maze and before long it happened. Haw proceeded down a long corridor, rounded a corner, and found New Cheese at Cheese Station N.

He went inside and found his friends, Sniff and Scurry very round with lots of cheese in their bellies. Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head and Scurry waved his paw. When he had eaten his fill of New Cheese, he yelled “Hooray for Change.” Haw realized how far he had come since he had been with Hem in Cheese Station C. He learned some very valuable lessons. Haw hoped his friend Hem would read the writing on the wall and would come to Cheese Station N and sit with him at the table and eat cheese. He said a little prayer and hoped, as he had many times before, that maybe, at last, his friend was finally able to…

The Handwriting On The Wall

Change Happens–They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change — Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change — Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

Adapt To Change Quickly — The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change — Move With The Cheese

Enjoy Change! — Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again And Again — They Keep Moving The Cheese

This is a very cute, but poignant story. We mustn’t let change pass us by. We need to roll with the punches so to speak. Anticipating change and being ready for it keeps you from being surprised.

I hope you enjoyed the story.


By Diane | Posted in Educational Opportunity, Positive Effects of Change | Tagged , | Comment (1)

Coping With Change

February 20, 2010

Change! Change can sometimes be difficult to deal with, whether it is work related or personal. If we know a change is coming we can prepare for it. However, if change is thrust upon us without warning, we may have difficulty coping with it.

I would like to tell you a story. There are four characters in this story, two mice and two little people. The location is a maze. If you have read the book, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson M.D., the story will be all too familiar. I’m going to paraphrase the story because if I didn’t, I could write 50+ pages.

Let me preface the story by identifying the mice as Sniff and Scurry and the little people as Hem and Haw. The Maze is where Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw lived. Sniff started out in the maze first followed closely by Scurry. They were in pursuit of food, cheese. Hem and Haw put on their running shoes and started out behind their friends. Pretty soon, Sniff stumbled upon a building that housed vast amounts of cheese. Scurry came in the building identified as Cheese Station C, and they settled in to eat. After awhile, Hem and Haw arrived at the station and realized that there was enough cheese for the mice and them. Hem and Haw took off their running shoes, tied them together, placed them around their necks, and ate cheese until they were full. When both of the little people were finished eating, they put their running shoes on and went to their homes.

The next day, Hem and Haw decided to move their homes closer to Cheese Station C so they wouldn’t have to run so far for their food. After their homes were settled, Hem and Haw put on their running shoes and jogged to the station for cheese. The mice and the little people were very happy because their food source was plentiful and there were no worries.

However, one day, Hem and Haw came into Cheese Station C, took off their little running shoes, put them around their necks and began to eat cheese. Before they had put two bites into their mouths, the two little people realized that their friends Sniff and Scurry were gone. Hem wondered where the two mice were. Haw looked around for more cheese, because he had finished his last morsel. Much to his surprise and horror, the cheese that had been so plentiful was all gone. Hem was heartbroken. What had happened to all of the wonderful cheese? Gone! The cheese was all gone.

Both Hem and Haw looked all over the station, but couldn’t find anymore cheese. They sat down wondering what to do. After awhile, they put on their running shoes and went home for the night. The following day, before they left for the station, Haw wrote on the wall, “The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It.” After he finished writing, Haw drew a cheese around the words. Then, off to the cheese station they went to look for the cheese. They thought that cheese would reappear or someone would bring it to them if they went back. Nothing happened that day; so, they put their running shoes back on and went home.

The next day, Hem and Haw put on their little running shoes and went back to Cheese Station C. They looked all over the station and outside. Still, no cheese. Hem sat down at the table inside the station and decided to wait. Both he and Haw were becoming weak and tired from hunger. They waited all night at the station, hoping the cheese would appear, to no avail.

The next day, Haw decided to leave the station and look for more cheese. He asked Hem to come with him. Hem didn’t want to leave. He was upset and angry that the cheese was gone. How could the cheese be gone? Who took it? and Why didn’t it reappear at the station? Haw was hungry, too;! However, he wasn’t going to wait at the station any longer. He put on his little running shoes, said good-by to Hem, and went out into the maze.

The maze was a large and scary place, but Haw thought it necessary to go out and look for food. As he started out, he thought about why he hadn’t noticed that the supply of cheese was getting lower and lower. Why hadn’t he noticed the smell and the taste of the last pieces of cheese he had eaten? They were older and dryer than most of it. He thought about Hem and what he might be doing back at the station. Hem would be sitting at the table wondering, “Who moved my cheese?” Haw wondered, “Why didn’t I get up and move with the cheese sooner?”

As Haw moved further and further away from Cheese Station C, he became more anxious and wondered whether he really wanted to go into the maze at all. He drew a large piece of cheese on the wall and wrote inside of it, “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct.” He stood back and stared at the wall for a time. Haw knew that sometimes a little fear was good. A little fear can prompt one to act. Haw took a deep breath and looked to the right, to the part of the maze he had never been. He felt fear, but he decided to take a chance and go forward.

That’s the end of Part I of the story. Tomorrow, I will go on with the story and explain it a little for those readers who have never read the book. Please let me know what you think so far by sending a comment.

By Diane | Posted in Positive Effects of Change | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Entrepreneurial Education – Elective or Required?

February 17, 2010

If you’ve read the latest lagging economic indicators, especially the number of initial applications for unemployment  published in our newspapers lately; you’ve read that the overall unemployment rate is 9.7%. Frankly, I’m not sure what statistical method was used to compute these numbers. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is over 11%. I’m sure the rest of the States are sporting numbers just like ours. Unfortunately, this lagging economic indicator will likely continue well into the second quarter this year, if not longer.

How are we supposed to make it through difficulties like this? One answer involves a change in the way we look at ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I was raised to believe that “…if I did well in school, I would get a good job (as an employee) and retire with a pension.” Does this sound familiar? This is an antiquated thought process that needs to change NOW if we are to survive this continuing economic downturn and in the future. We need help! Help, that only successful entrepreneurs (people that have built multimillion dollar businesses from the ground up) can give us.

I’m sure you are reading this and scratching your head wondering what I’m talking about. Let me provide you with the  article precipitating this discussion taken from the Opinion page of USA Today online for February 9, 2010. There is a very poignant article written by popular educator and bestselling author Robert Kiyosaki relating to this topic. Please read it in its entirety and let me know what you think.

We need two school systems

Education in America could use a big dose of innovation. How about one public school system for employees, and another for entrepreneurs?

By Robert Kiyosaki

In the summer of 1932, presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised, “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.”

Today, it is time not for a “New Deal,” but a “New Mission.”

America’s schools need to take a page from the businesses that have been created by entrepreneurs over the past decades. Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page have all given us the road map, but the path toward entrepreneurship is often the road less traveled America’s schools.

The U.S. unemployment rate is currently 9.7% in what many call a “jobless recovery.” So what should we do? The problem and the solution can be found in America’s educational system and its current mantra: “Go to school and get good grades, so you can get a good high-paying job.” In simpler terms that means, “Go to school to become a good employee.” But there are too many employees, which is why we have an unemployment problem. Today, kids just out of school aren’t finding jobs. At the same time, many of their parents are going back to school for retraining. But they’re not finding jobs, either.

The idea of a high-paying job for life is truly an American dream — but no longer a reality. With low-priced labor and lower-priced, higher-performance technology, high-paying American jobs will be disappearing at greater speed as they move overseas.

Two-track system

America’s education system needs an injection of innovation — which is just what entrepreneurs do. We need two different public school programs: one for employees and one for entrepreneurs.

The way to train entrepreneurs is almost exactly the opposite of the methods used to train employees. Another common thread about Ford, Gates and Jobs is that they all dropped out of school. This is not to say education is not important, but training entrepreneurs is different from training people to be employees. It is much like the difference between traditional education and the military academy model.

Many of the lessons I drew upon to write my book, Rich Dad, come from the U.S. military academy system.

In 1965, I left a sleepy sugar plantation town of Hilo, Hawaii, and journeyed to Kings Point, N.Y., to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. With four years at the academy and six years as a Marine Corps pilot, including two trips to Vietnam, I gained many of the real-life skills and character traits I count on today as an entrepreneur.

Success in the military is a great bellwether signaling achievement in business. For example, the Israeli Defense Forces are a breeding ground for education and entrepreneurs, where many serve in units specializing in military technology. At the beginning of 2009, the 63 Israeli companies listed on the Nasdaq, many led by former IDF members, outnumbered those of any other foreign country, according to the book Start-up Nation by Dan Senor and Saul Singer. There are simple lessons here for America’s gridlocked education system.

If I were running America’s schools system, I would create the U.S. Business Academy for Entrepreneurs, modeled after our federal military academies. Admissions would be via congressional appointment along with nominations from community business leaders. The entrance exams would be rigorous; the curriculum would be very different from traditional colleges.

On first day at any of the five federal military academies, each student is required to memorize the academy’s mission. In the military, mission is more important than life. After leaving the Marine Corps and starting my own business, I found many executives with MBA degrees focused only on money. Money was their only mission. If they could cut expenses by firing employees, so be it. This was unconscionable at the academy and the Marine Corps. As military officers, our mission was to serve our country and bring our troops home alive. It was drummed into our souls that our mission was more important than our lives.

The mission of the U.S. Academy for Entrepreneurs would be to create sustainable, well-paying jobs for employees by aggressive growth of the business. Too many executives are trained to grow the business through mergers and acquisitions, using massive amounts of debt. Though this might make shareholders happy, in most cases it rips the soul out of the business, loading it with debt while putting the jobs of employees at risk.

Creating real jobs

If corporate executives cannot grow a business organically, they will often repurchase their shares to make it look as if the share price is going up — again to keep shareholders happy and the CEO employed. This is business manipulation, and not the true mission of a sustainable business. The lesson learned is, a loyal employee is not as important as money.

The U.S. Business Academy for Entrepreneurs would have only real entrepreneurs as teachers. I would ask that they work for only $1 a year (think of the great entrepreneurial CEOs who have turned around their businesses doing the same). You see, if they were real entrepreneurs, they would not need the money. They would teach for the same reason the students are there: the mission to create entrepreneurs who create sustainable jobs for the country.

Whether you agree with me or not, I hope it’s clear that we need to create more entrepreneurs — since only entrepreneurs can create real jobs.

We need to pledge ourselves to this New Mission: job creation by those who are true job creators.

Robert Kiyosaki is an educational entrepreneur, founder of the financial education-based Rich Dad Co. and author of best-sellers Conspiracy of the Rich and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Posted at 12:16 AM/ET, February 09, 2010 in Education – Forum, Forum commentary | Permalink
I happen to agree with Robert about what needs to be done. Please comment!
By Diane | Posted in Entrepreneurial Education is Necessary!, Get the Economy Back on Track | Tagged , | Comment (1)

You Have The Power Within You

February 15, 2010

As the title suggests, you have the power within you to create the life of your dreams. I’m sure you would like to know how I can say such a thing. This is not just my own opinion, but the opinion of others more credible than myself.  Let me go into a little more detail.

There are verses in the Bible that say that “God lives within each of us.” I believe it! Now I know all of you agnostics out there are thinking, “How can God live in each one of us? Prove it?” I cannot prove it to you physiologically, however, do you not have a conscience? Your conscience helps you decide when you are doing something wrong or right or in between. Something in your mind, your heart, or for the lack of a better term, your intuition talks to you, doesn’t it? It does me!

Have you ever pondered a question in your mind and when you least expected it, mostly at 2:00 am, the answer came to you? Many people think it is their imagination speaking to them. That’s fine! If you prefer to think of answers to life questions in the middle of the night as your creativity, go right ahead. I, for one, truly believe that God is talking to me. If you would rather think of it as the Universe that is talking to you, that’s is OK too.

Let me table the religious connotations for a bit. What I really want to talk about is the term “power.” If you believe in yourself enough and know exactly where you want to go and how you want to get there, you will be living your dreams in no time. Believe me when I tell you that if your thoughts are about positive things like “happiness, successful business and relationships, positive outcomes, positive happenings, etc.,” you will be happy, successful in business and love, and you will have positive outcomes coming out of your ears.

We need to come out of our cynicism, skepticism, negativism, and all around disbelief in the power of our spirit and realize that each of us is responsible for what happens in our lives. If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last few years, is that whenever there has been a negative outcome in a life situation, I allowed it to happen. I allowed myself to be a victim in a work situation that led to my medical disability retirement, and I allowed a local Milwaukee business to take advantage of my ignorance costing me thousands of dollars, to name a very few.

If you are being honest with yourself as you are reading this, you are thinking back to some of your negative outcomes and realizing some of the same things I have. We (you and I) have allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of because we didn’t have enough confidence in ourselves. You can have confidence in yourself and raise your self-esteem, but only if you want to.

Don’t be afraid to admit that your self confidence isn’t what it should be, or you could use more self-esteem. Once you do that, you can begin to help yourself. Help yourself! Those are the two operative words. Get on your computer and put the name “Dr Joe Vitale,” “Bob Procter,” “James Arthur Ray,” etc. in your Search box. There are many books out there to read and get your head around. Another wonderful source for you to research is Oprah Winfrey’s magazine online. There are articles written by Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Oz, and others that will help you look inside of yourself and make positive changes. That is what I did.

The first book I read was The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. The next books I found were by Dr. Joe Vitale i.e., The Attractor Factor, and others too many to name here. The information in these books help me to change the way I thought about myself. Obviously, no one can force you to make changes in your life, but yourself. I began to change my whole way of thinking with the help of positive thinkers like Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, and Dr. Joe Vitale. If I can do it, so can you.

I have the power within me to have self confidence, self-esteem, and a strong belief that I deserve all the good things that happen in my life. Every day I find myself starting to think a negative thought and I stop myself right away. That is what you have to do. Start thinking about what you want and start believing you deserve every good thing that happens to you, one day at a time. YOU DO HAVE THE POWER!

By Diane | Posted in Educational Opportunity, Limiting Beliefs, Positive Attitude & Thoughts, Self Help Information, The Power of Positive Thinking | Tagged , , , | Comment (1)

Even People With Bad Credit Can Get This Credit Card–But Will They Want It

February 13, 2010

After reading my email this morning, I signed out and found myself on “Yahoo’s” home page. As I perused the page, an article about a credit card with a “79.9%” interest rate caught my eye. Have you ever heard of a credit card with interest rates that high? Neither had I. Needless to say, I had to click on the article to find out what was going on, and who would be crazy enough to want this “awful” card.

Apparently, First Premier Bank is offering a credit card with the unbelievably outrageous interest rate of 79.9% APR with a credit limit of $300. Can you believe this? According to the article from Creditcards.com, this is legal as long as full disclosure is made in the Truth in Lending material provided to the customer.

Premier Bankcard of South Dakota is marketing this credit card to people with bad credit. Apparently, there are “…70 million people out there with bad credit, those with a FICO score of 640 or lower.” People with FICO scores of 640 or lower need a way to rebuild their credit, but is applying for a credit card with an interest rate this high the way to repair it?

Credit counselors are urging people to read the fine print on the information they receive from credit card offers. There are upfront fees, account setup fees, annual fees, one time program fees, and monthly service fees that are almost equal to the credit limit on some of these cards. If you add up all of these fees, chances are they could be equivalent to more than the interest rate and the credit limit.

In other words, be very careful with credit card offers. Even though the offer might look good on the surface, you might be signing for a card that will hurt your credit rating, rather than help it. The only way to deal with a bad credit score is to stop using your credit cards.

The only way to repair your credit is to gather your credit card statements together, write down each credit card balance and minimum payment. Get the credit cards out of your wallet and cut them up. Then, set up a payment plan for each credit card with minimum payments for each. Identify the credit card with the highest interest rate and increase the payment by $200, less if you can’t afford it, more if you are able. When that card is paid off, apply what you were paying on that card to a card with the next highest interest rate, and so on.

Another approach is to identify the credit card with the least balance. When you pay this credit card bill, increase the payment by $200, less if $200 is too much, or more if you are able. When this card is paid off, identify the next card with the lowest balance and apply the payment from the last card ($200 plus the minimum balance from that card) to the minimum balance of the next card.

Paying off the credit card with the least balance may be more gratifying than paying off the card with the highest interest rate. You may be able to celebrate faster if you choose to pay off the card with the lowest balance. Which ever way you choose, you should pat yourself on the back.

I, too, have credit card debt. My choice is to pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first. Even though this card will take me longer to pay off, I will feel liberated when the credit card statement shows a zero balance. Then, I can pay off the next highest interest rate card and add a payment of close to $500 to the next card. That will be a wonderfully sweet moment to see that much money going toward paying off the next card. Then I can take the $500 plus the payment of $485 of that card ($985) and apply it toward the next card. I get excited just thinking about paying off my cards. You just need the patience to put either one of these approaches into practice and paying off your cards.

Chances are, the rest of your credit cards will get paid off a lot faster as you apply the payments from already paid off credit cards to your remaining debt. When you get the last of your credit card debt paid off, you will feel as if a thousand pound weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You Can Do It! Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t! You just have to get started.

In order to accomplish this task, you have to discipline yourself. You have to realize that until you have the cash to pay for whatever you want, frivolous purchases will have to wait. This will be difficult to maintain (believe me I know exactly what you are thinking). In order to achieve the discipline you need to pay off all of your credit cards, you will have to “take one day at a time.” Don’t think too far ahead or you will decide that the task is too daunting and quit before you start.

Identify one approach to paying off your credit cards or the other and stick to it. Limit your expenditures to just the necessities, but treat yourself periodically to something that doesn’t cost too much money, i.e., renting a movie and making it a family night; getting a frozen pizza instead of cooking dinner; watching a high definition movie on your DVD player instead of going to the movies; etc. Be creative! Pretty soon you will change your spending habits for good.

You have the power within yourself to change bad spending habits into good ones. Don’t be afraid to tap into them with a little help from a friend, me. I can help anyone create a budget and a spending plan to decrease their bad debt. Why? Because I’ve had the help to do the same thing with my own credit card debt.

To make a long article short, don’t take advantage of crazy credit card deals with astronomical interest rates. This is not the way to change your bad credit score to a good one. You will be paying your hard earned money to a company and increasing its profits.

Have faith in your own ability to change a not so good habit into a good one. You can do what wealthy people do, and that is use your credit card instead of cash at the point of service, but pay the off the card in full every time you use it. Now that is how you effectively utilize a credit card. Don’t give your hard earned money to a company that only wants to make a profit. You make a profit! Let your money work for you, not the bank. That is how you become wealthy.

By Diane | Posted in Credit Cards, Educational Opportunity, Financial Independence, Self Help Information | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Lyme Disease Continued

February 12, 2010

As we learned yesterday, Lyme Disease is transmitted by the bite of a Deer tick. The Mayo Clinic Staff did a superb job explaining exactly what Lyme Disease is and what causes it. This education is very important to keep you from exposing yourself to this disease. Again, The Mayo Clinic Staff  should receive the credit for what is written here. Yesterday, I concluded with “When to Seek Medical Advice.” Today’s article begins with “Tests and Diagnosis.” So sit back, relax, and read on.

Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Lyme disease is frequently overdiagnosed. Its variable signs and symptoms are nonspecific and are often found in other conditions, such as viral infections, various joint disorders, muscle pain (fibromyalgia), chronic fatigue syndrome, and even depression. What’s more, the ticks that transmit Lyme disease also can spread other diseases at the same time.

If you don’t have the characteristic Lyme disease rash, your doctor may ask detailed questions about your medical history and do a physical exam. Lab tests to identify antibodies to the bacteria may be used to help confirm the diagnosis. These tests are most reliable a few weeks after an infection, after your body has time to develop antibodies. Even then, however, the tests aren’t entirely foolproof. They include:

  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The test used most often to detect Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. But because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it’s not used as the sole basis for diagnosis.
  • Western blot test. If the ELISA test is positive, another test — the Western blot — is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi.
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. It’s not effective at detecting infection of blood or urine. It’s used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms.

Complications

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause:

  • Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee
  • Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
  • Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
  • Heart rhythm irregularities
  • Memory loss
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Changes in mood or sleep habits

Treatments and drugs

Oral antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. These usually include doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for adults, younger children and pregnant or breast-feeding women. These drugs often clear the infection and prevent complications. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended, but some studies suggest that courses lasting 10 to 14 days are equally effective. In some cases, longer treatment has been linked to serious complications.

Intravenous antibiotics
If the disease has progressed, your doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days. This is effective in eliminating infection, although it may take some time to recover symptomatically. Intravenous antibiotics can cause various side effects, including a lower white blood cell count, gallstones and mild to severe diarrhea.

Avoid bismacine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers and health care providers to avoid bismacine, an injectable compound prescribed by some alternative medicine practitioners to treat Lyme disease. Bismacine, also known as chromacine, contains high levels of the metal bismuth. Although bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for stomach ulcers, it’s not approved for use in injectable form or as a treatment for Lyme disease. Bismacine can cause bismuth poisoning, which may lead to heart and kidney failure.

Prevention

You can decrease your risk of getting Lyme disease with some simple precautions:

  • Wear long pants and sleeves. When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. Try to stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and long grass. Keep your dog on a leash.
  • Use insect repellents. Apply an insect repellent with a 10 percent to 30 percent concentration of DEET to your skin and clothing. Choose the concentration based on the hours of protection you need — the higher the concentration of DEET, the longer you are protected. A 10 percent concentration protects you for about two hours. Keep in mind that chemical repellents can be toxic, and use only the amount needed for the time you’ll be outdoors. Don’t use DEET on the hands of young children or on infants younger than age 2 months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oil of lemon eucalyptus, a more natural product, offers the same protection as DEET when used in similar concentrations. Don’t use this product on children younger than 3 years.
  • Do your best to tick-proof your yard. Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
  • Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully. It’s helpful to shower as soon as you come indoors. Ticks often remain on your skin for hours before attaching themselves. Showering and using a washcloth may be enough to remove any unattached ticks.
  • Don’t assume you’re immune. Even if you’ve had Lyme disease before, you can get it again.
  • Remove a tick with tweezers. Gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Don’t squeeze or crush the tick, but pull carefully and steadily. Once you’ve removed the entire tick, dispose of it and apply antiseptic to the bite area.

So, there you have it! Information that can save you from getting a disease you definitely don’t need. Many people are suffering from this disease and don’t even know it. If you have any of the symptoms presented in yesterday’s article, please go see your medical provider.

As always, I thank the Mayo Clinic and its Staff for providing this information as an educational opportunity for everyone. If you need additional information on any disease, illness, or condition you might have, please go to their website at http://www.MayoClinic.com.

Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any questions or would like to provide personal information about this disease. I’m always happy to speak with you. I’m never too busy to respond to your questions or comments. See you soon.

By Diane | Posted in Educational Opportunity, Lyme Disease | Tagged , | Comments (5)

Lyme Disease – Can Cause Severe Repercussions

February 11, 2010

In the last month or so, I have met 4 individuals who have been previously diagnosed with Lyme Disease (including myself) and another young man whose body was invaded by some type of parasite (he stated he saw something burrow into the back of his lower leg). After meeting with other individuals who described various symptoms, I decided to check my favorite medical website to see just what the Clinic Staff have to say about this disease. So I don’t paraphrase anything out of context, I’m going to provide the entire article, word for word, and the bibliography so you can look up additional information if you wish.

Definition

The Mayo Clinic Staff

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that causes signs and symptoms ranging from rash, fever, chills and body aches to joint swelling, weakness and temporary paralysis. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks, which feed on the blood of animals and humans, can harbor the disease and spread it when feeding.

You’re more likely to get Lyme disease if you live or spend time in the grassy and heavily wooded areas where ticks carrying the disease breed. It’s important to take common-sense precautions in areas where Lyme disease is prevalent. If treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of the disease, you’ll most likely recover completely. However, some people have recurring or lingering symptoms long after the infection has cleared.

Note the last sentence in the Definition, “However, some people have recurring or lingering symptoms long after the infection has cleared.” If you know that you have been bitten by a tick, you can get immediate medical assistance. The people I came in contact with, including myself, were unaware of the tick bite. A couple of people received the antibiotic anyway. In my own situation, the antibiotic helped clear the immediate symptoms; however, I suffered with severe joint pain in all of my joints afterward. An Infectious Disease Specialist told me the joint inflammation was a result of Chlamydia Pneumonia (a disease I had never heard of until that time). Just a few weeks ago, I found out that after the first few weeks without antibiotic treatment, other infectious processes happen.

Symptoms

Lyme disease signs and symptoms vary widely because Lyme disease can affect various parts of the body. Not everyone with the disease will have all of the signs and symptoms. But in general, Lyme disease can cause:

  • Rash. A small, red bump may appear within a few days to a month, often at the site of the tick bite — often in your groin, belt area or behind your knee. It may be warm to the touch and mildly tender. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash that may be as small as your fingertip or as large as 12 inches (30 centimeters) across. It often resembles a bull’s-eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, affecting about 70 percent to 80 percent of infected people. If you’re allergic to tick saliva, redness may develop at the site of a tick bite. The redness usually fades within a week. This is not the same as erythema migrans, which tends to expand and get redder over time.
  • Flu-like symptoms. A fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
  • Migratory joint pain. If the infection is not treated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you’re infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
  • Neurological problems. In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits also can be symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease.
  • Less common signs and symptoms. Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.

Causes

In the United States, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried primarily by deer ticks. The ticks are brown and often no bigger than the head of the pin, which can make them nearly impossible to spot.

Ticks feed on blood, attaching to a host and feeding until they’re swollen to many times their normal size. During feeding, ticks that carry disease-producing bacteria can transmit the bacteria to a healthy host. Or they may pick up bacteria themselves if the host is infected. In areas where Lyme disease is common, as many as 50 percent of deer ticks may carry Borrelia burgdorferi.

Deer ticks typically feed on the blood of mice, small birds and deer, but they can also feed on the blood of humans, cats, dogs and horses. They live in low bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas, waiting for warmblooded animals to pass by. Deer ticks are most active in the summer.

To contract Lyme disease, you must be bitten by an infected deer tick. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. Before bacteria can be transmitted, a deer tick must take a blood meal and that can take more than 48 hours of feeding. Only ticks that are attached to your skin and are feeding can transmit the bacteria. An attached tick that has a swollen appearance may indicate that enough time has elapsed to transmit bacteria. Removing the tick as soon as possible may prevent infection.

Risk factors

Where you live or vacation can affect your chances of getting Lyme disease. So can your profession and the type of outdoor activities you enjoy. The most common risk factors for Lyme disease include:

  • Spending time in wooded or grassy areas. In the United States, deer ticks are most prevalent in the Northeast and Midwest regions and in northwestern states like Oregon and Washington. All have heavily wooded areas where deer ticks thrive. In these regions, children who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk. So are people with outdoor occupations and those who live where mice are common. Deer ticks feed on mice, which are a prime reservoir for Lyme disease bacteria.
  • Having exposed skin. Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you’re in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Don’t allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.
  • Not removing ticks promptly or properly. Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream only if the tick stays attached to your skin for 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is low.

When to seek medical advice

If you’ve been bitten by a tick and experience symptoms
Only a minority of deer tick bites lead to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. If you know you’ve been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early.

See your doctor even if symptoms disappear
It’s important to consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear because the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean the disease is gone. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body from several months to years after infection — causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks can also transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis, Colorado tick fever, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis.

Now that you have some of the most important information, I will conclude this article and continue on with Part II tomorrow. Tomorrow’s article will include: Complications, Tests and Diagnosis, Treatments & Drugs, and perhaps the most important of all-Prevention.

By Diane | Posted in Educational Opportunity, Lyme Disease | Tagged , | Comments (6)

Have you ever been bitten by a deer tick?

February 9, 2010

Have you ever been bitten by a deer tick? A deer tick is different than the ticks found on your dogs or cats. A deer tick is smaller and brown in color. I remember many years ago, when my youngest daughter was 3 years old (she is 36 years old now), she was bitten by a tick playing outside with our dog. A tick from a dog does not cause a disease, but a deer tick causes a disease called Lyme’s.

In January 1999, my late husband and I moved to Micanopy, a small farming community near Gainesville, Florida (the home of the University of Florida Gators). My horses loved the area because they were able to roam around 10 1/2 acres, 4 of which were woods. I rode both horses in the woods quite often, because it was shady and cooler in the heat of the spring and summer. In 2004, I was bit by a deer tick and got Lyme’s Disease.

The symptoms started like the flu with a severe sore throat, achy all over, and feeling really tired. I worked for a couple of weeks until I couldn’t work due to severe fatigue. My boss sent me to a doctor in the facility for an excuse to go home sick. My blood pressure was high, my legs were sore, I couldn’t lift my arms over my head, etc. When the doctor finished the examination, she decided I was suffering from fibromyalgia. She said I should take a week off and go back to work.

When the week was up, I felt like I couldn’t function at work; so, I went back to the hospital and asked the doctor for another week off. Hopefully, after another week, I would feel better. After the 2nd week and I still felt terrible, the doctor sent me to Employee Health. She didn’t want to give me anymore time off.  She wanted me to go back to work.

I went to Employee Health and explained my situation to the Nurse Practitioner. She listened intently to my story. When I was finished, she talked with the Employee Health Physician. The physician came in and examined me thoroughly. He recommended that my doctor in the Women’s Clinic send me to the Rheumatologist, Neurologist, and the Infectious Disease Specialist. He also recommended that I be given medication for pain and sent home.

I went back to my doctor. She reluctantly did some blood work, which showed that I was positive for Mononucleosis and Epstein-Barr. The doctor felt that my problem was fibromyalgia and refused to sign anymore work releases. Frustrated and upset, I went down to Employee Health and explained what had happened with the doctor. The Nurse Practitioner signed a work release for 2 weeks. At that time, I would be re-evaluated.

After seeing the Employee Health practitioner, I returned to my work place to let my supervisor know what had transpired. I was having trouble walking and keeping my balance. The Medical Director ordered a rolling walker so I could maneuver around my house without falling. The Medical Director was very worried about me. She couldn’t believe that the doctor in the Women’s Clinic was treating me for fibromyalgia. At that point, she recommended that I go outside the facility and find a doctor in the community.

My dearest friend recommended her family doctor. She and her husband had been going to this doctor for years and were very happy with his care. When I called this doctor, the only appointment available was in 3 weeks. I took the appointment gratefully.

Three weeks went by slowly, but finally it was the day of my appointment with the community physician. My late husband drove and came in with me to see the doctor. He wasn’t going to tolerate a doctor saying that I was suffering with fibromyalgia. After a few minutes, in walked a tall, slightly built older gentleman with white hair. As he examined me, he kept up the conversation with my husband. I explained the sequence of happenings and finished with my being in his office that day.

The doctor was sure I had Lyme’s Disease and prescribed 14 days of an antibiotic, Doxycycline. He sent requests for consultation to an Infectious Disease Specialist and a Rheumatologist and ordered a bunch of laboratory tests. The laboratory technician looked at the order written by the doctor.  She grabbed several tubes and a tourniquet and asked me to roll up my sleeve. Oh my gosh, 7 tubes of blood were drawn, the majority of which were sent to a special laboratory in California for analysis.

About a week and a half later, I started feeling better. After such a long time feeling terrible, I began to get some of my strength back. I was so happy and relieved that I would actually be going back to work. During the time I was being treated by the community physician, my supervisor put in paperwork to replace me. How could she? My impression was that she was trying to get rid of me. Well! I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I was still feeling weak and walking with the walker, but I was beginning to feel more like myself. The appointment with the Infectious Disease Specialist was very interesting to say the least. The doctor said the blood work showed I was suffering from an unusual pneumonia, chlamydia pneumonia. How could I get that disease, I asked her incredulously? She told me the disease was transmitted just like any other pneumonia. Someone had sneezed and I caught the disease like anyone would catch a cold. The doctor gave me another 7 day supply of Doxycycline and sent me home. One more week of sick time and my doctor would send me back to work.

The Employee Health Physician would have to agree that I could go back to work; otherwise, I would be out on the street, with no job. Fortunately, the Employee Health Physician was on my side and refused to put me out. He was very interested in the diagnosis of the Infectious Disease Specialist and wondered why this could not have been taken care of in house. Needless to say, I didn’t have an answer for him, but I was going to report the situation to the appropriate authorities in the facility.

The next physician I went to see was the Rheumatologist. This physician sent me through his laboratory doing every rheumatology-related blood test he could think of to do. They all came back negative. He then started treating the symptoms of pain and inflammation with Prednisone and Rheumatoid medications, which seemed to help. The only pain that wasn’t relieved by the Prednisone and the arthritis medicine was my back pain. By the time I was finished with the Rheumatologist, I had medicine for my joints and for the back pain.

Even now, the community physician believes I had Lyme’s Disease. The fact is, I found out not too long ago that if Lyme’s Disease is not diagnosed in the first few days after being bitten, the infection can migrate. That’s what must have happened to me. The joint pain I was feeling was a result of the Lyme’s Disease, not necessarily secondary to chlamydia pneumonia, as I was told.

Tomorrow, I will go to my favorite medical site, The Mayo Clinic, and report on what they have to say about Lyme’s  Disease. In the meantime, please let me know if you have ever had Lyme’s  Disease by leaving a comment on this article.

By Diane | Posted in Lyme Disease | Tagged , | Comment (1)

Stimulus vs Stimulate: How Do We Get The Economy Back on Track?

February 7, 2010

When President Obama took office, he signed a $787 Million Stimulus Bill to stimulate the economy out of recession and get money back to the people to spend. I truly believe the President meant well, but the Stimulus Package created a $12 Trillion dollar debt, which equates to $39,000 for every man, woman and child in America. Our country is in so much debt; however, nobody in Washington seems concerned about this. Just because they can, they started the printing presses at the Federal Reserve and just printed the dollars they needed.

These dollars were given to people in the forms of tax breaks, Cash for Klunkers, $8,000 for first time home buyers, etc., hoping to stimulate industries that needed it the most. The stock market benefited as well from the influx of  printed money. As a result, a bubble was “created” to change the “Bear” market so investors wouldn’t panic and get out of the market completely. Did you think the gains last year were for real? Heavens no! They were created.

When President Obama signed the Stimulus Package into law, I’m sure he didn’t create it by himself. I’m sure his advisers encouraged him. If he felt that this package was going to turn the economy around and keep unemployment below 8%, per Congressman Sensenbrenner’s Newsletter-November 2009 – January 2010. The President hoped to put Americans back to work and keep unemployment figures from going above 8%.  His heart was in the right place, but he was definitely misguided.

Congressman Sensenbrenner felt that if the President had continued to focus on the economy after he signed the Stimulus Package into law, perhaps things would not have gotten so out of hand. Instead of focusing on the crippled economy, President Obama turned his attention to health care reform and pushing cap- and -tax legislation that managed to spend $800 billion to reduce global temperatures minutely. The Congressman believes that America will suffer as a result of these misguided priorities.

To tell you the truth, I was unaware that President Obama had spent so much money trying to reduce global temperatures. As important as global warming is to the world, I think we need to focus on our severely ailing economy. There are so many people unemployed right now. We need to increase the manufacturing of goods and create new services to decrease unemployment. Putting millions of people back to work should be priority one right now.  The focus needs to be on the private sector. Everything else can be prioritized when the economy starts holding its own.

Right now, we have dug ourselves an enormous “debt” hole that will be difficult to climb out of. We need to take an enormous amount of money out of circulation to let the economy get back on its feet. Unfortunately, there are so many dollars out there, the Fed will have to start raising interest rates to start reeling in the extra dollars. What then? If taxes are raised, Congressman Sensenbrenner feels that the country will be thrown from the recession to a “depression.” That happened to President Herbert Hoover many years ago.

I’m not going to get into a political discussion here, but from Congressman Sensenbrenner’s point of view, the Democrats are stifling the economy with government programs. Political rhetoric doesn’t really get us anywhere, but it makes for interesting reading. We have gotten to the point where something has to be done about the high unemployment rate. If we can get people back to work, the economy may begin to straighten itself out.

People are so concerned about their futures, that they are being very careful with their money in the present. We can’t keep spending what money we do have to artificially stimulate the economy. Saving is more important right now than spending. As a result of people saving their money, apparently President Obama is talking about another stimulus package. We cannot afford another $787 billion stimulus package with the amount of debt we are in right now. The government needs to start taking responsibility for its actions.

A person would not be allowed to get into so much debt. Credit card companies are diligent when they wan their money. When they don’t get their money, a person feels it immediately in his or her credit score. The government is allowed to carry an enormous amount of debt. No one seems to care that the government is carrying $12 Trillion in debt. This is totally outrageous in my book. The government must stop this spending spree before the United States loses its economic status with the other countries in the World. We definitely don’t need that type of humiliation.

The President should not be allowed to spend billions of dollars without a plan to pay it back. If government debt instruments are lucrative investments, then we should all benefit by earning the interest payments. Actually foreign governments are investing in America’s debt. Investing in our government’s debt is one way to benefit in this recession; however, it is much more important for the government to become fiscally responsible and stop spending money we don’t have. No more money needs to be minted to create artificial bubbles of economic health, especially in the stock market.

I have to say that everything I’m telling you is documented as real and true. We have a long way to go before the economy is back on its own track. The economy has been so artificially stimulated, it will take us years to break even-if that is even possible, I don’t know. The government needs to start saving money instead of spending it as soon as it comes off the presses (so to speak). We need to cut back on our own personal spending to the point of buying only the necessities.

The people are doing the best they can to get by one day at a time by saving their hard earned money for emergencies. Everyone is cutting back, trying not to spend what they don’t have. The government should do the same thing. Our government needs to stop spending money it doesn’t have in order to become fiscally responsible. Until that happens, our economy will be chasing its proverbial tail.

I hope this article has elicited feelings in you. If you have any questions or concerns, please write them in the comments section. If I don’t know the answer to your questions, I will get answers from my colleagues at work. At any rate, please let me know what you think.

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By Diane | Posted in Get the Economy Back on Track | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)