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May 1, 2008
 I read a great post today by Daniel Levis on Clayton Makepeace's Total Package site: It's My Birthday,
And I'm Mad As Hell ....
In this article Daniel rants about the state of things in Canada, the USA, as well as other areas of the developed world. He weaves in some good marketing observations and advice towards the end of the article. I say it's a must read.
I agree with his take on the state of things. We're in trouble. The mortgage crisis and the fuel price crisis have exposed the weaknesses in our economy to a lot of people who didn't see it before.
911:
Take a look back to 911 and the economic problems that were created and reverberated by that tragedy. Besides the horrible death and destruction, there were business and personal monetary losses felt by countless people not directly related to the tragedy. When 911 occurred, I was working at an Internet company that was seeking another round of investment and the new investor was scheduled to fly in that day. Obviously he never arrived, and his interest in investing never resurfaced. This was not an isolated case: I'm sure the same scenario happened to thousands.
The Perfect Economic Storm:
Perhaps 911 triggered some of the economic problems we're facing now, I don't know, but I do know that way too many people, and companies, are a gnats butt away from going belly up. We're living with an economic grenade in our pocket and the pin's been pulled. All it would take, in our current state, is another terrorist event like 911 to create the "Perfect Economic Storm". I pray it never happens. Sadly, we may even get there without it.
I often quote song lyrics on this blog (because I'm a songwriter myself) and one of my favorite singer / songwriters was the late Dan Fogelberg. Here's a song of his, from his "Windows and Walls" album (1984) titled "Gone too Far" that summarizes some of my feelings.
Gone too Far by Dan Fogelberg
World spinning out of control,
The odds diminish with every die we roll.
But we are still in the game,
If we should lose there's only us to blame.
Or have we gone too far,
Am I just wishing on a dying star?
Oh tell me, have we gone too far.
Look 'round you - what do you see,
Six billion people where there's room for three.
And so many mouths go unfed,
Oh Father give us all our daily bread.
Or have we gone too far,
Are we just wishing on a dying star?
Oh tell me, have we gone too far.
Each year we find newer ways,
To turn this planet into empty space.
So close now to zero ground,
We've got to find a way to turn it 'round.
Or have we gone too far,
Are we just living on a dying star?
Oh tell me, have we gone too far.
Or have we gone too far,
Are we just wishing on a dying star?
Oh tell me, have we gone too far.
What about Our Leaders?
To some extent, it doesn't matter who we elect: if the average person does not take more responsibility we're going to keep heading down the same dead-end street. If enough people make their wishes known, the elected officials will respond. When's the last time you wrote or emailed your elected officials and stated your position on an issue? Emailing, faxing, and calling are a lot easier than taking a bullet, having your legs blown off, or dying - all things that gave us the freedoms we take for granted.
We Don't "Deserve" Anything:
One of the things that burns me up the most, and Daniel touched on this in his article, is the current attitude of a large portion of the population that feel they deserve something. The only thing we deserve is the opportunity to achieve something by learning, working, and persevering.
Like a Rat in a Cage...
Unfortunately there are huge numbers of people caught in the middle. They're working hard and killing themselves like a hamster on a wire wheel in a wire cage: running and running and running and getting absolutely nowhere. We're trapped by the American Dream: get a job, get a car loan, get a mortgage, have a few kids somewhere in the sequence. Bam! The wire door slams shut and you're stuck. It's almost impossible to come out ahead. It takes incredible determination and hard work to break out of the cycle.
What's the Forecast? PAIN.
I say the storm is coming and we'd better prepare. If I'm wrong then great, we'll be fat and happy. If I'm right, those that prepare will still be fat and happy!
How do we prepare?
On the personal side by breaking the cycle as fast as possible. By creating income streams that are not dependent on your job. By reducing your debt. In short, by creating personal wealth. Like a drug addict, our society has become addicted to the quick fix. This is not a quick fix and unless you're prepared, it IS going to hurt.
One more thing, Do we actually MAKE anything in this country anymore?
What about businesses? Businesses constantly flush our future down the toilet to make the numbers look good today, or for this quarter, or for this year. They move production to Mexico, or India, or wherever and layoff, layoff, layoff to make the numbers look great. Do we actually MAKE anything in this country anymore? Until businesses stop treating profit like a football game it will never change. A football game is a contest with four quarters and when the clock runs out, the team with the most points wins the game. Life is not like that. The clock keeps ticking. When this quarter or this year is over, we still need to make a profit. That will not happen if we've raped the environment, screwed all the workers, disillusioned the customers, and gutted the factory to make a profit today. Wake up people, the clock's still TICKING!
Until next time,
Fred
About the Author
Fred Black is an experienced online business operator, programmer, web site developer, father, husband, musician, and songwriter. Visit his Internet Business Blog at: http://www.pqInternet.com.
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