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Archive for Politics

In Support of Mediocrity

Jeff / July 29, 2011 / One comment
Bluff

Well America, I have to say, I’m disappointed again…in our political leaders, our business leaders, our voters, and yes, even myself.  You see, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is about our country that made us so great for so long, and why that shining exuberance has faded into a dull luster over the past couple of decades.  I’m not sure that I know the answer, but I have a pretty good idea of what it might be: THE WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE.

If you go back and look at the history of our country, all the way back to Columbus’ accidental finding of the “New World”, all the way up through Regan’s administration and the space program, we see a level of commitment and vision that we rarely see anymore in today’s society.  Sure, Barack Obama’s speeches prior to his election were moving and elicited a sense of euphoria perhaps not felt since Kennedy, but what have we received since then other than rhetoric and failed negotiations?

When Columbus and his men sailed to the new world over 500 years ago, they took a risk beyond imagination that proved fatal for many, but created one of the greatest empires (and I use that term lightly) since the Roman days (by the way, do you actually know where Columbus landed? It wasn’t Plymouth…).  Since then our founding fathers stood up in peril of persecution and execution to fight for a belief that we deserve better, and that risk was not without consequence.  Our country fought a bloody civil war just to ensure the sanctity of our union; we mass-manufactured the automobile; we started the manned-flight era; we continued to open our hearts and minds and bring freedoms to every person in our nation; we built some of the greatest military weapons and equipment the world has ever seen; we went to the moon; we harnessed nuclear energy; we let a ‘Texan’ become a leader (joking…)!  All of these accomplishments took a level of courage, imagination, and fortitude that we call the “American Spirit”.  And now, we settle for playing Angry Birds and letting our so-called leaders bring our country to the edge of disaster…AGAIN!

I really don’t know who is to blame for this new level of mediocre thinking, but I’m sure the fingers will get pointed at everyone by everyone.  I do know this though:

  • Our schools allow kids to pass to the next grade no matter how dumb they are.
  • Our businesses are perfectly content with lying and cheating to gain profits.
  • Our athletes don’t mind juicing up and hopping from team to team for better salaries (what ever happened to loyalty?).
  • The parents of our country aren’t allowed, or even willing, to discipline their children and teach them right from wrong.
  • Everyone continues to ask for handouts (social security, Medicaid, medicare, unemployment, welfare, etc. etc.)- I know some are warranted, but not all to the level they are provided.
  • Our media continues to influence the hearts and minds of people because we’re too dumb and lazy to think for ourselves.
  • Politicians are more worried about the next election than the next generation of Americans (I mean seriously, why are they already campaigning for 2012?!?).
  • As Americans we continue to vote for the same incumbents time and again, even though they fail to deliver (quite possibly because our corporate-owned and politically maligned media companies tell us too…see above).

Why are we okay with this!?! Why do we let lawyers reign in our risk-taking nature? Why are we willing to settle for “good is good enough” when excellence and being number one was our forte?  I know that our “American Spirit” is being crushed within each and every one of us, and I for one am worried about the outcome for our country.

Go out and take a risk, do something crazy, and remember that we didn’t become the world’s greatest country by sitting back and taking it easy!

Or, just continue to be like most Americans, and continue to settle for mediocrity.

Category: Business, Featured, Government, Lifestyle, Politics / Tags: , , ,

Preparing for Financial Turmoil

Jeff / July 21, 2011 / 2 comments
Are you ready?

In my last post I spoke about how we got into the financial, economic, and political turmoil that we are currently experiencing.  It’s a multi-faceted problem that has been widely under-played in my opinion.  Sure, we hear politicians bemoaning the debt ceiling and pointing fingers at each other constantly, but what about the future of our country?  Has anyone really stood up and taken notice of where our country is headed?  I know a few have, but they aren’t mainstream enough to get coverage. 

Besides, just like we want to believe in the “American Dream” so too do we want to believe in super hero saviors and quick fixes.  When’s the last time you saw a blockbuster hit about a non-super person saving the day?  There probably aren’t many, but I can think of several off the top of my head where a “super” hero saves us (Spider Man, Green Lantern, Superman of course, etc.).  We, as Americans, like to believe that super-humans will come and save the day.  It just doesn’t happen like that.  Turning a bad situation around takes time, effort, and planning…none of which do we see much of in our political ecosystem.

So, more than likely the economy will continue down its steep spiral until our country needs to be bailed out, just like Greece and Italy.  It will be a sad and terrible day, when that happens.  So, how do you prepare for these times ahead?  Well, here’s a real quick list of things to start working on today:

  • Stop using credit cards for everything!
    If you are going to use a credit card, don’t spend more than you earn, and pay off the entire balance every month. This will prevent you from having to pay for exorbitant interest charges.
  • Pay down all consumer debt as fast as you can.
    This means you need to stop spending money on the extras in life that you really don’t need.  Sure, you can have fun on occasion, but you need to get your financial house in order before you can enjoy the extras in life.  Besides, it is much more fun when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor and not worry about whether you can afford it or not.
  • If you can, refinance your home to the lowest possible, fixed interest rate, WITHOUT INCREASING YOUR TOTAL AMOUNT BORROWED!
    This is key. If you intend to refinance to take out more money, pause and look around.  How do you think so many people got to where they are with their home situation?  Many refinanced when rates were good, took out more than they needed, spent that money carelessly, and had an adjustable rate mortgage that they really couldn’t afford.  This is going to continue biting us in the butt until at least 2013.
  • Begin taking course on finance and investing.
    Many universities offer “extension” classes that are the equivalent of a college course, but are not geared toward any degree.  These are extremely helpful and relatively inexpensive compared to a whole degree program.   You can also start learning a lot by just using Investopedia.  This is the Wikipedia for investing- learn to love it!
  • Sleep on it.
    Not your money, but your purchase decisions.  We’ve all made bad choices in the past with money, and it is generally because of impulse buys.  If you really go back and analyze whether or not you need the next big purchase in your life or not, you can feel much better about making that decision. Do you really need that new car? Is a 5 star resort really necessary for the kids, or will a cheaper version get you through just fine? Now don’t skimp in areas where you need to spend…that’s next.
  • Insure Yourself!
    The worst mistake people can make is to not have the necessary insurances to keep them protected. The various insurances you should have, at a minimum are:

    • Auto
      Liability at a minimum, but also comprehensive if you can afford it. A $100 deductible can be rather cheap when compared with a $3000 repair due to some thief trying to get your iPod.
    • Home or Renter
      Get the minimum to replace everything in your house, and the cost of rebuilding, and then try to get an umbrella policy to cover the extras (jewelry, collections, etc.).
    • Life
      Term life insurance can be cheap, and it will save your family’s life if you lose yours. Just remember, this insurance isn’t for you, it’s for your loved ones so that you can rest easy if you pass.
    • Health
      Sure, the government has programs for the elderly and poor, but the other coverage for the social health care system aren’t extensive and aren’t fully enforced yet.  Try to find something that covers the basics- ER visit, physician checkups, etc.
  • Start learning again!
    Just like taking courses on finance and investing will help your overall financial intelligence, reading the news, staying up on the debates, and learning about the rest of the world will help you in all endeavors in your life.  The world has changed and there’s no more excuse for short-sighted, narrow minded behavior. Don’t expect that anyone will come in and save you from yourself or circumstances, and you won’t be disappointed.

Napoleon was quoted as saying “Circumstance! What circumstance?! I make the circumstances!” If you fail to plan now, you will be in a lot of trouble when the next wave of the financial crises hits. Europe is starting to fall apart, and we are not any better, so stop thinking that we are.  The world is in for a rough decade or two to come, and no one is going to be looking out for you but yourself.

Fortune favors the prepared, so it’s time for you to get prepared.

 

Jeff Barnes

 

Category: Featured, Finance, Politics /

The American Dream…or Just a Dreamer?

Jeff / July 16, 2011 / One comment
American Dream

With everything that is going on in the world today, it is hard to believe that there is still such a thing as the “American Dream”.  The term American Dream comes from an idea that is spawned from our Declaration of Independence, which states

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 You see, the American Dream is founded on the idea that everyone has a fair shake in our country and that the political system gives as much power to the average citizen as it does to the politicians.  Unfortunately, my friends, we have strayed so far from this idea that it is more like a day dream than Martin Luther King Jr’s dream.

You might be asking yourself, or friends, “How did we get here?” (and when I say here, I mean the dire situation of our economy and the political turmoil we are in). Well, the answer is extremely complex, but here’s the (sort of) quick and dirty:

  • The Federal Reserve System was created in 1913, giving the richest and wealthiest people of our country control of our monetary policy.
  • The Glass-Steagall Act was implemented in 1932/33 to form the FDIC, and limit banks’ powers and separate them into two types: Commercial and Investment Banks.
  • The US went off the gold standard a second time in 1971, thus turning our money into debt, no longer backed by anything.
  • The Fed was given greater control in 1980 by the repeal of a portion of the Glass-Steagall Act and allowed banks to merge, and removed any minimum limits previously imposed on savings accounts (you know that .5% savings rate you get now…thank you Fed!).
  • Another major portion of the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed in 1999, thus allowing a commercial bank and investment bank to be the same thing. Banks began selling and buying Mortgage Backed Securities and inflating their balance sheets further.
  • September 11, 2011 sent the US into a terrified uproar aimed at vengeance and we have spent over $1.2 Trillion so far fighting these wars.
  • Tax cuts and government spending resulted in a three-fold increase in US debt since 2000…we now owe over $14.5 Trillion to Investors (which includes several other countries). This is tantamount to each citizen (babies included) owing nearly $47,000 to investors!!!!
  • We have failed to make people smarter by adapting with the world around us (my own personal opinion).
  • Banks increased their reserve ratios several fold over the past 40 years, allowing for much more currency supply throughout the world.
  • The easy access to money meant people only needed to be able to fog a mirror to get a loan.  This meant money was cheap, and people could buy everything easily, including houses. House prices shot up as a result of the excessive demand.
  • Then the loans came due, and people couldn’t pay, so the market deflated rapidly.
  • The Fed and Government injected nearly another $2 Trillion into the economy after the collapse of several banks who bought and sold those mortgage backed securities mentioned earlier.
  • The national debt’s interest is so high that we are paying nearly $4 Billion a day for interest only, so we need to keep borrowing to pay off the interest.
  • And since politicians are so short-sighted, none of them can agree on a long term solution to save our economy.
  • China will continue to grow for several years to come, and the US will probably fail to adapt to the changing global landscape fast enough, so we will lose our place as the power house economy of the world.
  • The dollar will continue to deflate, and everything will be much more expensive, but jobs won’t necessarily pay any higher wages.
  • And the cycle will perpetuate unless we, collectively, demand better performance from our leaders.

Okay, so that wasn’t quick at all, but it gives you the basics of what is going on.  I fear for our country because people are not aware of what is going on, nor do they care as long as the government will step in and help out.  Watch a video about the problem here: http://youtu.be/ZPWH5TlbloU

But what happens when they can’t?

Next time we’ll talk about how to prepare you for the coming tragedies…

Regards,
Jeff Barnes

 

Category: Business, Featured, Politics / Tags: , , , , ,

Happy Birthday America?

Jeff / July 4, 2011 / No comments
Constitution

As a United States Navy veteran, I am proud of my country and love being an American every day.  Today we celebrated the 235th birthday of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which severed our country’s ties with Britain for good.  It must have taken an amazing amount of courage, perseverance, motivation, and tenacity to pull of such a feat, and for that I am eternally grateful.

However, I wonder if what we have in America today is what the founding fathers had envisioned when signing that act of war?  Today our nation’s debt is higher than it has ever been, our currency is as worthless as it has ever been, the two political parties are as opposed as ever, the leaders of our nation lack the ability to rally Americans together to agree on anything, we are nearly the fattest country in the world, we’ve been in one of the worst recessions in seven decades, unemployment is as high as ever, and yet our government would have us believe that everything is okay, our economy is recovering, and the United States of America is still the most powerful country in the world.

Whereas I don’t dispute that our nation’s military is the strongest, nor our citizens some of the kindest, I do dispute that our government has any idea what it’s actually doing.  Our country was formed on the basis of freedom from oppression of any kind, namely taxes, religion, and the entire monarchy.  However, our government has, unwittingly or not, conspired against most Americans and put our country in such a terrible predicament that people wonder if we are the next Greece!  I am sad to say that I don’t think these critics are far off.

Two hundred and thirty five years ago, the leaders of our land banned together to fight tyranny and oppression in hopes that we might someday have a free society whereby the people govern themselves through leaders of our choosing.  Well, they did an amazing job of getting us here, and in the past 30-50 years, we’ve done a great job of blaspheming against that idea.  Our banking system has nearly brought the global economy to its knees because we have relinquished our rights as citizens to have a say in the politics of our nation.  Instead, we listen to rhetoric on the radios and television, hand over our hard earned money to the government, and vote on the issues that our so-called “chosen leaders” ask us to.  However, these leaders are nothing more than cogs in the wheel themselves.  The lobbyists do a great job of buying their way into the minds of our politicians, who then spin it over to us as if it was their idea.

It’s time to start thinking for ourselves, America.  It’s time to start making the difficult decisions that we’ve been putting off for so long.  It’s time to cut the pork barrel programs, close the tax loopholes, bring our troops home, reduce our spending, encourage innovation, and just stop fighting amongst ourselves.  Because before we know it, the rest of the world will own us, and we will be at the mercy of another dictatorship without even knowing it happened.

Or, perhaps, we are already there…? So, Happy Birthday America? I’m not so sure.

Category: Business, Featured, Politics /

It’s Time to Spin This Off Folks!

Jeff / May 6, 2011 / No comments

Well everyone, I really want to thank you for following me and reading my (infrequent) posts about childhood obesity and health in general. However, I have to let you know that I need to change the subject of my blog/website…I need to be more vocal about my opinions of the goings on of this world! As such, I’d like to give you all an opportunity to review my other site at www.stop-childhood-obesity.com for information and details about childhood obesity and health and fitness information.

This website is going to be more focused on the (somewhat) uncensored thoughts of me, Jeff Barnes, crude and distasteful as they may be. I’m going to be hones here and let you know that I may offend people when I write about the world as I see it. I may have opinions that just disgust you one day and delight you the next, but I hope that you understand these are only my opinions and not the thoughts or viewpoints of the internet in general! My whole goal here is to speak my mind, and even if no one ever reads the posts or hears my voice, I just need to get a few things off my chest.

I’m going to start with something that is bugging the hell out of me today…a lawyer’s take on Osama bin Laden’s death. Who, in his or her right mind is willing to question the way by which the world’s top terrorist was killed!?! I would like to quote Barbara Walters when she said “I don’t care if he was sleeping with two puppies! Shoot him, but not the puppies!” I don’t care if he was raising his hands in surrender, running away, or on bended knee, the guy deserved what he got! In the words of Mark Twain (Sam Clemens to those of you who read) “I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” I’m glad he’s dead and we can allocate our resources elsewhere. I don’t care how he was killed, I’m just glad it’s over!

Category: Politics / Tags: , ,
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