Today is the day that movie makers and the superstitious try not to think of anything bad or notice that all hell is breaking loose.
It is a day, like any other, yet like no other at the same time. People fear the number 13. More so when it falls on a Friday, as ossposed to a Monday the 13th which no one cares about. (I dislike mondays, personally)
But why is it so bad? Do bad things really happen today, just because of a number? Or is it a matter of social consciousness?
Well, perhaps it is a day of bad things. Recent news has President Obama heading over to Asia. He is going to focus on getting more export trade to Japan and China?
Excuse me for asking? But what exactly do we export to them? Does everyone in China go to a shopping mall and see stuff "made in America"? Not likely.
When was the last time you bought any electronic gear that was not made in Japan?
I am all for trade. Really. But how much of an impact is it really going to make here at home? Who gets the big trade deals? Are they all going to go to companies that are not hiring? Or are they going to end up in government contracts?
Free trade, market economics and capitalism are all needed. But again, how does it affect the average American worker or even better, the average American who is unemployeed.
Why not have Asian leaders coming to America to let them speak on how they are going to help American citizens. I know the US is the biggest player on the globe, but our leaders need to spend more time concentrating on the people here in our own backyards.
Instead of trying to see how much stuff we can export to China, let's take the time, money and efforts to create new jobs, new industries, and new money flow right here at home.
The US should have no shortage of smart people who could come up with new innovations in just about every field. I say we put more into helping those people facilitate bringing their new ideas and technologies to fruition.
Perhaps this is just the superstitiouspart of me getting all worked up. After all, it is friday the 13th.
So it would seem that the ability of people to state the completely obviously stupid does not have international boundaries.
People might sometimes think I am overly critical, but I have to be at times, and here is why.
We are in an economic slump. A drop in the economy means less money for consumers, less time on vacations, less time with kids due to working 3 jobs, and any number of other problems.
So when I read a story about a Japanese finance minister stating that the " US wants a strong dollar", why should I not throw my hands up in disgust?
It should be completely blatantly obvious to all that the stronger our dollar is, then more value it has, IE the more you can get for a buck. Supposedly.
While it might work that way when you are Forex trading currency, the average person is not going to notice is the dollar is up by 2 tenths of a cent or 3 tenths of a cent.
It always amazes me that the "financial elite", who spend years going to college, writting one dissertation after another, only to win a Nobel prize, cannot think down to a level that impacts the average person.
Here's the truth: People care about themselves first, then they care about their family, friends, neigbors, and any host of other people long before they consider "society as a whole".
This means that unless these economic leaders can find a way to put more money back into my pocket, it does not truly matter what they really do. They can be great writers, great orators, or even just nice people, but that being as it may, will not help those people who are broke to put food on their tables this winter.
It looks like the foreclosure numbers are starting to dwindle down recently. Onec again, a statement of the obvious. How many people who were foreclosed on last month went ahead and got foreclosed on this month too?
I beleive in the old adage, "What goes up, must come down". While I take it this originally applied to items toss intot he air, it speaks wonders to the real estate and foreclosure markets.
They went up, they came down. Crashing down, but still down. Eventually the markets will bottm out. It might take everyone in Amercia sleeping on the streets, but it will eventually stop. Then the only place it can go is back up again.
Once it gets back up, peaks out for a while, gets people back into the game, it will eventually fall back down.
These are called "cycles" for a reason. The stock market does it. The real estate market does it. People's blood pressure does it. It is quite common.
Markets fluctuate. By their very nature they rise and fall, sometimes much further or faster then we expect them to. But, yes indeed, we EXPECT markets to go from one extreme to another. They have been doing it forever, and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon.
On a good note, Fannie Mae has been helping people to "lease" back the homes that they have lost to foreclosure. While it may not prevent the foreclosure from happening, it may allow the owner to retain possession of the home and a way to continue making payments to protect their asset.
For all the Ford car and truck owners out there, you should be happy that you have "Driven a Ford lately".
It would seem that Ford Motors is the only major US car manufacturer to avoid filing for bankruptcy.
Ford must be doing something right. Perhaps other automakers could learn a few things.
It would also appear that recent numbers have put us back on the track to a sustainable economic recovery. This has been spurred on by a growth in industry and manufacturing orders, which include the above mentioned Ford Motors.
Industries are back to making items once again. The stockpiles have dwindled over the last few months as companies pushed hard and slashed prices to get sitting merchandise into the hands of consumers. Now they need to replenish those dwindling reserves in a effort to push forward into 2010.
Economies make the world go round. And it is a cycle. It is affected by the masses and it affects the masses as well. Keep spending if you can, save if you can, and keep an eye out for a good deal. If you have to spend money, why not do it carefully. It will take time, but the economy is starting to head back in the right direction.
Georgia is leading the country as one of the ardest hit areas with home foreclosures and bank failures. And people are pissed about it.
The problem is that people are pissed off at the wrong people. News coming out og atlanta is that people are getting mad at politicians for not "fixing" the "foreclosure mess".
Wake up and get real people. Take responsibility for your own mess.
Did the politicians force you to buy a big house that you could not afford?
Did the politician force you to sit around collecting unemployment when you lost your job?
Is the politician at fault that you sat around doing nothing after your benefits expired?
It the politician at fault because you defaulted on your loan?
Was it the politician who eventually foreclosed on yor home?
The answer to all of these is a resounding NO. Do not blame politicians for your mess. Do not get pissed at them that you baought a house, didn't sell it when you had the chance, didn't pay your bills, lost your job, or whatever it is that put you into this situation.
Stop blaming others for your mess and get out there and do something to fix your mess. There are tons of options available to help prevent a foreclosure from happening to you.
The only way your going to get all the way through the foreclosure process is if you choose to, either by choosing to or by inaction.
Foreclosure is a collection of your situations, circumstances and choices. If you lost your job, CHOOSE to go out and get another one. If you missed a payment, CHOOSE to go get more money somehow.
CHOOSE To sell your home.
CHOOSE to sell your extra toys for money to pay the mortgage.
CHOOSE to live below your means.
Choose to stop keeping up with the Jone's.
In other words, stop blaming other people for your problems and stop waiting for everyone else to fix your mess.
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