Yes, he did. But now what?

Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America.  And, I have to say that I'm pround of our contry for overcoming racial barriers.  But why couldn't we have elected a man more like David Palmer from "24"??

Our country needs change.  And I do believe that Obama will bring change.  But is it really the change we need?  We have an economic recession, a record deficit, overstretched military, a huge drug and gang problem, and numerous other problems in our country.

To combat the recession, Obama will offer tax cuts to 95% of Americans.  The wealthiest 5%, people who make more than $250, 000 per year, will pay the same or more.  Does the average American realize that the people who are wealthiest are the people who give the rest of us jobs??  No poor man ever created jobs for others.  If we punish people for making money here, they will simply send more jobs overseas where they don't have to pay the same taxes.  And taxing the oil companies will just make them pass the higher costs of operation on to the consumers.  We will all still pay in the end...

And the military...  Who diesn't want out of Iraq?  I would love to see our troops come home.  But the fact is that we started something over there and we need to see it through.  By removing our soldiers too soon, we will destabilize the fragile government the Iraqis have achieved, and we'll end up with another civil war over there.  We don't need another Viet-Nam.  Obama supports a responsible withdrawal of our troops; isn't that what was planned all along?  I think people have heard what they wanted to hear.  Yes, Obama will bring our troops home, but he'll bring them home when it's safe to do so, the same as the Republicans would have.

I just don't know.  I'm glad George Bush is done, but I'm worried about the future.  I worry that the American public listened more to how Obama said things than what he said.  He's a wonderful, charismatic public speaker, especially when compared to McCain's obvious discomfort when speaking to large groups.  I wish that I could be hopeful and optimistic, but I'm just not.  Even with McCain in office, I would have had reservations.  But now, with one of the most inexperienced, liberal politicians at the head of our country, with a Democratic majority in both the Senate and the House, I am very concerned about the future.

The financial "crisis"

In light of the bank collapses and general economic downturn, Shayne and I feel very fortunate.  We're grateful now that we decided what we could afford before we went to the bank.  Our mortgage payment, plus insurance, PMI, and taxes, is well below $800, which we can afford without difficulty even in the worst months.  We later found out that the banks would have approved us for nearly $100,000 more, which is well beyond our means.  Had we not done our homework and set limits ahead of time, we could be in the same mess as thousands of other people.  We've both sometimes wished for a bigger home or more property, but what we have is really all we need, even with plans to start a family.

It makes me mad that all taxpayers are going to have to bail out people who didn't do their homework or were misled by greedy lenders.  I know some people have lost their homes through job loss or other personal crises.  If I suddenly lost my job, however, I wouldn't expect the government to help me keep my home.  I understand that this bailout project is something of a necessary evil, since the problem is now so widespread that it could harm our economy so much more than it already has.  But $700 billion more national debt (I can't even fathom a number that high!!) isn't really an option either.  We're already operating at a record deficit.  Our country simply cannot fight a war, lower taxes, enlarge the federal government, and rescue the economy.  Something will have to give, and I have a feeling it will be ugly.

What angers me even more is that something like this never should have happened.  Businesses have a responsibility to consumers, the environment, and themselves.  What ever happened to ethics?  Responsible business practices?  When did we become a society that worships profit above all else?  Such practices are not sustainable, environmentally or socially, and we're seeing the repercussions.

In the news today: More doom and gloom

Yahoo News published an article today titled "Everything Seemingly is Spinning Out of Control". Poor word placement aside, the article puts into words what most of us are probably thinking, in one version or another: is the world coming apart at the seams? Although we've escaped the floods, droughts, tornadoes, and earthquakes here in northern Indiana, our gas prices are high and food prices are rising as well. Thankfully, hubby and I have good, stable jobs, but we're starting to feel the economic downturn. I haven't much altered my purchasing, but I've always been a cheapskate frugal, so we don't spend unnecessarily. Still, I worry what the future will hold and wonder what the changing economy will mean for us.

In many ways, I feel that the slowing economy is a good thing. Americans have long consumed too much. We take our plentiful food, water, and money for granted and generally waste these gifts. Most people seem to feel like if you can afford the biggest house/car/soda, than that is what's best. And our culture encourages it, through advertising, entertainment, examples of the rich and famous, and improper lending practices. I thank God that hubby and I were intelligent enough to decide what we wanted to pay each month for a mortgage and stick to it, even when the bank would have approved us for tens of thousands more.

The current "energy crisis" will help us to cut back on our extravagant usage of the world's resources. The "food shortage" will encourage people to plant gardens and become more aware of where their food comes from and its effect on the earth. The "housing market collapse" will help old homes become desirable again and remind people that newer isn't always best.

Perhaps the 21st centure will truly be about the "unraveling of some things long taken for granted," as the article claims. But is that such a bad thing??