If you think I am mistaken, please look around you and determine if what I say is a fallacy or perhaps hints at the truths we have failed to see.  Take for instance the school system. Established during the industrial revolution, the school system was started so that industry titans of the day would have a competent work force that could read directions, follow directions, and help to produce goods for the company.  Children were taught to obey, read, do simple math, and stay on task.  For those who have children, do they actually tend to obey and stay on task regularly?  Probably not, but we wanted to engineer a good work force, so we created a government-run institution to do this for us.  Schooling hasn’t changed much since the dawn of the system over 100 years ago, but I’ll be damned if the world around us hasn’t.

It should be noted that the purpose of government is to take care of the items that are of public interest (public goods) that the private sector would otherwise not be interested in handling.  Such is the case for our national highway system and defense.  I think we all agree that our defense system has played an integral part in who we are today.  Did you know, however, that the national highway system came to be under President Eisenhower who told us to create an infrastructure so that we could readily transport military weaponry and personnel across the country with ease?  That is the basis for our infrastructure today- the war department.  i have no problems or qualms with the reasons for our highway system, just the way we go about fixing it.  I’m sure most of you know that governing authorities who take on bids to fixing or improving roads and bridges generally take the lowest bid from a contractor.  Then, when the contractor gets the job, he somehow comes up with “unexpected and additional costs” that put the final bill way over the sums of even the highest bidders at the outset.  Guess what, these construction companies know what they’re doing, and they are generally in the pockets of our politicians long before the bidding process even starts.  It’s no wonder the government takes so damn long to fix anything- they pay by the hour and seem to have unlimited funds to do so.

Back on topic…My main point is that our government is no longer run “by the people or for the people.”  Would you actually sanction a system of education that teaches your child how to be average instead of excel in life?  Would you be willing to foot the bill for a road that wasn’t needed just because it “might help spur on the local economy”?  Would you want to help pay for a weapon whose basic function is to destroy all life within 50 miles just to “scare off” anyone who may or may not be interested in attacking us?  Would you send soldiers to die for a cause that you didn’t understand fully?  Would you vote for a politician to keep his/her salary for life even though yours is never guaranteed from one day to the next?  Would you be willing to allow a drug to be injected into your child without knowing what its purpose was or what ailment it is helping to prevent?

My guess is that you would say “NO” to most, if not all of those things.  However, we go along with these issues on a daily basis.  Children are immunized against STDs…at birth! Roads are built with money we don’t have because we want to “get the economy moving” again.  Doomsday weapons are built in an effort to scare off would be attackers to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars every year.  We go along with this, not because of choice, but because of the lack of our own personal education, and the craftiness of those in charge.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t think the politicians are actually in charge.  Most people know that politicians spend millions getting into office, only to be awarded substantial, shall we say, kickbacks when they work with their constituents.  Make no mistake though, folks, we are not really their constituents.  The real constituents are the major money players in the game.  The people who pay for those billion dollar campaigns and tell the politician which way they want the vote to go.  The media moguls who dictate what we will watch, hear, and then regurgitate as if they are our own words- those are the people who are in charge.  Don’t believe me?  Watch Fox News for a week and then tell me you don’t think every Democrat is a force for evil?  Listen to Rachel Maddow for a while and then tell me that you don’t think the Republicans are all blasphemous idiots!  You see, we, as a nation, are too damn dumb to understand what is going on, so we tune into our favorite news show and let them tell us what to think, instead of looking at the facts.

I started this piece talking about the governing documents for our country and the education system for a reason.  How many of you can actually tell me how the Bill of Rights and Articles of the Constitution differ? Not many I’d guess. I’m not trying to make you feel dumb, but rather pointing out that we aren’t actually informed or educated enough to understand how the system works, and how it should work.

I will leave you with one comment and a question that hopefully will give you pause and believe that I might be onto something here.  Were you aware that the top 5% of income earners (>$160k per year) pay nearly 60% of the federal income taxes for our country, and the bottom 50% pay none?  If I had two acquaintances who both wanted favors from me, and one had money and the other had none, whose favor do you think I would do first? This is how our government works, and this is why our special interest groups are so powerful.

Now ask yourself this: when was the last time you heard of a government program (school, workshop, etc.) that actually taught you how to become a top 5% earner so that you could help influence our government’s direction?

I have yet to see one.

First, we have the problem of politicking vs. governing.  Most would say that they are one in the same, but I see them as being complementary of each other, though not identical.  Politicking, in my view, is the act of appearing to foster the will of the people in order to garner as many votes as are needed to stay in power.  Governing, by contrast, is actually doing what is right for the people, whether they like it or not.  These aren’t two distinctly different views, though the two ruling parties would have us think so.

In fact, the Republicans and Democrats are so diametrically opposed on so many items that you would thing that they came from different countries altogether, if not different planets! The truth is that there are about 10% of people on each polar opposite, and about 80% of us sit in the middle of the spectrum.  However, since we have politically controlled media and pundits that try to force their asinine opinions upon us that we have this idea that one side must be right, and the other wrong.  Here of course, our family history and people we run around with have the greatest impact.  If our grand father, father, and mother are all Republican, then we tend to feel that this party is right, and the Democrats are the evil-doers of our nation that caused every problem we’re in today.  If you were raised in a predominantly Democratic household, your views are the opposite.

However, I have a different perspective on why we feel and act the way we do, and this may be very controversial given today’s global economic circumstances. My opinion is that we are no longer, nor have been for quite some time, a true democracy.  Nor are we a true republic either.  We do have many characteristics of a democratic republic whereby we elect representatives who we hope will act in our best interest and vote on matters like we hope they will.  The problem is, going back to my original point, that politicians will vote primarily along their party lines in all instances and this isn’t always what the people need.

Let’s take entitlement programs for example.  Programs such as welfare, medicare, medicaid, social security, etc.  The reason they are called entitlement programs is because people feel they are entitled to these programs whether they worked for them or not.  Republicans are against them in many instances, and Dems are always for them.  Unfortunately, we have a major fundamental problem with how the programs are administered and managed.  If these programs were privately run, they would have all gone bankrupt long ago because they are so inefficient.

This brings me to my second point about how we could adjust the government and force people to start thinking long term and benefit our society more.  Since entitlement spending is by far our biggest problem, let’s start here.  Social Security is the “sacred cow” for many boomers, and no one wants it messed with.  However, did  you know that only half of all social security spending is going toward elderly retired individuals?  That’s right!  That means the rest is going to people who can’t or won’t work.  How do we fix this issue?  In my opinion it is simple, we ask this question: are people who are receiving entitlement payouts contributing to society in some fashion?

What does that mean?  Well, for those who worked all their life and paid into the Social Security fund, they did contribute to society for several years by working and paying taxes etc.  Those who are receiving benefits now, are they able to work at all?  Or are they just sitting around the house double dipping into social security and welfare?  Are they getting medicaid to pay for everything and government assistance so that they don’t need to work?  If so, why?  We need to stop ‘entitling’ those who are using the system and get them out there to contribute to society.

Believe it or not, there are thousands of programs out there that receive government assistance who also need people to work for them.  The Peace Corps, Red Cross, and other humanitarian organizations come to mind.  Why not force these people to contribute at least some time and effort to helping these programs out that do good for our country?  We do that by acting like a true employer would: if you show up and help out, you continue to receive your benefits.  If you fail to show up, or receive bad reviews from your superiors, you don’t.

I know that sounds harsh, but for those of us who are gainfully employed and do this every day, does it really sound that bad?  For the disabled who physically or mentally cannot work, we have programs for them as well.  But the non-working poor who refuse to try because life is too hard, I have one thing to say: Quit sucking off the government’s tit and try being useful for once!

How would this play out?  Well, believe it or not, it’s what is keeping Germany at record low unemployment rates right now.  I’m not joking- they removed so many of the entitlement programs that it actually forced people to get a life and become productive citizens again.  The German citizens don’t like it of course, but who cares?!? If I were getting a 50% salary for doing nothing for years and then had to go back to work for that same salary, I wouldn’t like it either.  But guess what, your employed neighbor who’s been working her ass off to support her two young children on her own, she is happy that this lazy SOB is back at work.  It may not be what we like, but it’s what we need.

So, in a nutshell, I’m not saying we need to stop all entitlement spending, we just need better ways to manage the programs, and encourage some much needed productivity from those who receive it.  We’ll talk about taxes and government structure next time, but for now, let’s just get people back to work in some fashion so they can become productive members of society again! It’s painful and it sucks for a lot of people, but it would make the country as a whole better.  Screw what people say they want, give them what they need!

(photograph reprinted with the permission of www.thenutgraph.com)

As you might have guessed by my previously cynical posts, this isn’t going to be a piece on how tragic that day was, nor how great our country was to come together thereafter.  Those are both truths that are being told time and again.  What I want to focus on is, what have we as Americans, as individuals, as a country, and as a global society, what have we accomplished in those ten years.

The first couple of years after the attacks, the world mourned for the United States and the victims of 9/11, as we all did.  We were labeled courageous, patriotic, heroic, driven, and unwavering.  These we all were as we searched out Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden in the first few years of the millennium.

But what then?  Then we used our “go get ‘em” attitude to seek out Iraqi insurgents and WMDs, most of which never existed or we never found.  The world started wondering if we had gone rogue, and as a US Navy sailor at that time, I wondered the same.  We were chasing phantom threats, and spending all of our taxpayers’ money (and borrowed money) doing it.  We blasted through all of our allies’ good will too, which wasn’t cheap either.

The other thing we did was inappropriately label Muslims as ‘extremists’ and ‘terrorists’.  Luckily, we didn’t go to the extremes of 1941-42 when all Japanese-Americans were thrown into internment camps, but we did unfairly demonize the Islamic religion.  Luckily for us, Muslim-Americans were not going to wage an all out war on the US and heed the call to arms that Bin Laden wanted.  Otherwise, we would be a markedly different country today.

Not only did we demonize Muslims, but we tore the veil of civil and human rights to shreds and stomped all over any freedoms that most Americans have.  That continues to this day, and all in the name of “safety and protection” of the American people.  I don’t think creating a new multi-billion dollar department of homeland security and transportation security administration has really made people feel much safer.  It’s all an illusion, and it’s time to stop letting our so-called fears of terrorism to overrule our freedoms as Americans.  You want security at an airport?  Give a Marine a fully automatic M16 and put one of them at every checkpoint.  That will be a much better deterrent than the fat-assed job security seeking morons that think that every bottle of baby formula is a damn bomb!

The other thing we did post-9/11 was destroy our entire economy.  We wanted people to keep spending money after the towers fell, so we dropped interest rates to the lowest they’ve ever been, just so people could get cheap money.  Well, we’re idiots with money, and look where that brought us!  We brought the entire civilized world to the brink of disaster, and it still could happen no doubt, all because we forgot what happened to Gordon Gecko after he stated “Greed is good!”

The other sad truth about post 9/11 America is that we have basically handed over the defense department to the likes of billion dollar companies that create war machines.  We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades on bombs, jets, guns, and the highest and most technologically advanced weapons ever seen just to send our troops into areas where road side bombs that are 30 years old are still killing our men and women daily.  If history has told us anything at all, we need to stop spending so much money on R&D for defense contracts, just so that those weapons can be sold to foreign countries, only to have those same countries turn around and fight the US years down the road (Iran, Iraq, Russia, etc.).

Now, I’m not entirely bitter about everything that our moronic government has done since 9/11. We did kill Osama Bin Laden (the way we should have done it initially by the way), we took down Saddam Hussein (so Baby Bush could get patted on the head by Daddy Bush), and we reminded the world not to fuck with us because we will cram an MK48 Missile up your ass if you do!

I am bitter, however, that we alienated our allies, refused the warnings of the UN, decided that spending money to spur growth was more important than fixing fundamental issues at home, made Americans feel uncomfortable in their own homes, and tripled our national debt in less than a decade! It’s time to pull in the reins, rethink our long term strategies, and stop acting like we’re doing all this in the name of freedom and the American People.  Stop lying to me and telling me that you’re staring at my junk in an x-ray machine for my safety! If anyone believes that load of crap, then the terrorist have won, our government is becoming as close to a fascist-dictatorship as it can without outright claiming so, and our populace is getting as dumb as it possibly could.

Don’t let the “Remember 9/11″ call turn into a “Let go of all you hold dear so that the government can ‘protect’ you” mantra!

Well, let me ask you this: how often do you buy American made products from American-only businesses?  My guess is that it is very unlikely.  The reason for this is because we, as Americans, ain’t cheap! We cost a helluva lot more than the rest of the world, and that is because we’ve had this mentality that we are, and always will be, number one in the global economy.  Not true.

Let me try to sum up how we got to be so expensive.

During the industrial revolution, pioneers in our country made a killing by getting people off farms and into factories.  We built railroads, siphoned oil out of the Earth, began mass-producing products on assembly lines, and used the cheapest labor we possibly could.  We had sweat shops by today’s standards, and young kids were in that mix.  Abhorred?  Well, no one ever said our country was always the gem it is today.

Then we grew a conscience.  Good for us, bad for business.  What that meant was unions began sprouting up and people began organizing themselves against the big bad companies.  People like Jimmy Hoffa showed everyone how to “stick it to the man!”  This was good for working conditions.  It introduced the eight hour day, the five day work week, and gave people vacation.  It also began this thing called a pension and retirement.  Prior to unionization, most people worked until they died, or the younger generations began supporting their folks as they became feeble and ill.

Because of the growth of our unions, and then the demand for American materials, we began getting more money.  We started getting greedy and people started wanting more and more out of their lives.  To do this, they needed more money, and banks and institutions started lending away.  We also had a major world war that devastated the rest of the world, but left American factories running at 150%.  We got greedier and thought we were the best there was because we helped the rest of the world rebound.  We had little to no competition, and it went to our heads.  People wanted more money and better working conditions because companies could afford it and we didn’t have to worry about Japan, China, or any European country taking the top tier from us.

Then the rest of the world recouped and started gaining ground on us.  Meanwhile, our complacent country failed to take notice, and we continued doing things the way they’ve always been done.  Wages went up, benefits got better, and our products and output staid the same (I remember a 1984 Dodge Diplomat car that I worked on in high school…ever seen one or even heard of it?  I’m guessing not).  Our cars got bigger and less efficient, our homes did too, and our lifestyles more lavish.  All the while, other countries were learning to do more with less.

Eventually we got caught with our pants down.  Other countries were more efficient, didn’t have labor issues like we have here, didn’t offer full life benefits, and basically out-paced American businesses in every way.  But dammit, we were America, so we were going to be better no matter what.  Enter the financial reforms that got us to where we are today, and you can see how America fell apart.

Unfortunately, people still think they deserve all these benefits, great wages, retirement, and a government to help them live when they can’t work anymore.  It ain’t gonna happen folks.  Stop complaining about companies with record profits when you are unemployed.  They’re making their money without you, so what need do they have to hire?  If you had an unlimited supply of gasoline in your back yard, would you ever go to the gas station to fill up and ask for more? Probably not.  That’s what is going on here.  The businesses that floundered for so long are finally figuring it out, so they don’t need as many people anymore.  It’s a sad story, but it’s true.

My best advice is to learn a new trade, get unstuck from your old ways, and reinvent yourself.  Learn new things, educate yourself, and start enjoying life instead of complaining about it.  You should also begin to look at what is really important to you, and get rid of the excess waste.  Trim down and become a less expensive person if that’s what it takes.

After all, that’s what the businesses did to you.

(PS- it helps to actually show up prepared to work and interview if you’re doing that.  Research how not to be an idiot during an interview.)

(PPS- Sorry, I’ve been interviewing people lately, and I’m surprised how unprepared and unprofessional people can be.  One guy didn’t even show up!!!)

I was coming home on an evening flight the other day, and this guy seated at the very front of the coach cabin was complaining that there was no overhead space for his back pack.  The way he complained about it was what killed me.  He turned to the flight attendant and said, “Well, normally you guys leave the bulkhead row some overhead space for our bags, but I guess not on this flight! That’s okay, I’ll just put the bag where my feet should go and put my legs in the aisle and hope no one trips over me!”

What an ass!  Of course the flight attendant rolled her eyes and tried to be polite, but she did notice me shaking my head.  That and a warm smile to her scored me a couple of drinks, but I still felt bad for her.  This jerk then decided that he needed to be the first off the plane to stand and wait around for his bags at the baggage claim, so he weaseled his way past people while the rest of us were trying to get our bags.

“Slow the hell down asshole!  You’re not going anywhere the rest of us aren’t, and you won’t get your bags any faster that way!”  Well, that’s what I wanted to say anyway.

Then you have your typical complaints about:

• Traffic jams- don’t like ‘em, move!
• Price of things- everything’s getting more expensive.  Get over it, or move to Venezuela!
• Technology- yeah, it’s great, and it has flaws.  Sorry fan boys, but even your idol Jobs isn’t perfect. Just imagine how you’d play Angry Birds even 10 years ago, iPhone.  You have more technology in the palm of your hand than the guys who went to the moon…shut up already!
• Climate change- yes, it’s real, yes, it sucks, and yes, we’re screwed.  Now, stop complaining about the weather (everyone has for thousands of years I’d guess), and try to make an impact. (Go to Earth911 for simple steps to make small changes in your life).
• Money- it’s your own damn fault, not the government’s, not your boss’s, not your kids, and certainly not your parents’, so get over it.  If you don’t like it, fix it! Although I’m not a huge fan of people like Suze Orman or other TV personalities, they can give it to you straight. Get informed, and stop crying about money and learn how to use it properly (try Marketplace for the basics).
• Politics- they’re all idiots who forgot they were “public” servants.  None of them can see beyond the next election, so don’t be surprised when they screw the pooch again. Just realize that as bad as it seems here, it is way worse in other countries.
• Your Job! You don’t like it? Get the hell out and get on with life! Life’s too damn short to be spending all your time hating it!
• Your situation in general- if none of these strikes a chord with you, then I’d guess that you just bitch to bitch.  Find something worth doing in your life, and start enjoying your life again.

Now, I do have to admit, my entire blog is basically me bitching about what else is going on in the world, so don’t think I don’t realize that.  However, my purpose in writing in this style is to get things off my chest, strike up a few arguments, and maybe even change a few minds.  Don’t think I don’t complain and think I’m holier than thou.  It’s not true.  I just use this as an outlet and then put on a happy face for the rest of the world to see.

When I was in the Navy, we complained all the time, about the job, our lives, the people, the politics, etc. etc.  One thing that many of us said though, was that when we finally did break free, we were going to do things in life that made us happy and enjoy our lives.  When you go from a dictatorship and authoritarian lifestyle to one with a substantial amount of freedom, you can’t help but enjoy life more.  I still live that mindset to this day; things can always be worse, and for someone else in the world, it already is.

As cliché as it may seem, life is beautiful, and if complaining makes you happy, so be it! Just keep it out of my life.

My life is great…now only if everyone else would stop complaining about theirs!

Cheers!

Jeff Barnes

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.

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

“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

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.

Ok, now that we have covered that, I want to let you know about a project that I am working on with a business partner. This project is a new business that I am working on that will eventually allow me to refocus efforts back on starting up a national childhood wellness institute. However, that takes a large amount of capital and time, both of which I don’t want to commit to these days. So, in the mean time, I’m forming a business with my friend and partner, Randy Eastwood of Eastwood Residential in Kenmore, Washington.

The focus of this business will be to raise funds for investments in real estate projects and properties.  We plan to offer decent returns to investors, inclusive of profit sharing possibilities, in order to purchase large properties and even to help other real estate investors to purchase and repair their own properties. 

I, Jeff Barnes, know that this is going to be a great opportunity for those who work with and for me in this new endeavor.  I am still working on the childhood health issues, and really do intend to pursue that route further.  However, for the time being, I cannot commit the time and resources necessary to make both ventures successful. 

If you still wish to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you can find the links on the right side of this page.  In addition, I can be reached on LinkedIn at Jeff Barnes.  If you only wish to view information about the fight against childhood obesity, please go to http://www.stop-childhood-obesity.com to follow our progress there, or follow us on Facebook. 

Cheers!!