The AMERICAN Way and the Economic "Crisis"
Joseph McHugh
March 15, 2009
Today we are faced with an economic situation thatīs trying the spirit of all of us. We, or someone we know, is out of work. Maybe we know friends who have hit rock bottom with despair.
Itīs painful.
But damn it weīre Americans!
This is not an article celebrating "the power of positive thinking" or a syrupy sermon on keeping your chin up in hard times. Itīs a reminder that we still live in a largely free country, and freedom means the possibility of achieving values. Freedom is not the only condition we need; thatīs true. But it is a powerful factor. As long as we are free to think and to act we can improve our lives and pursue our goals. Itīs the American way.
This is certainly true in the economic realm, where thinking is the root cause of wealth creation; we CAN come up with ideas to make money, be it in a new career, or starting a new business. The money doesnīt come easily or immediately, but now is the time to plan for the future. Now is the time to think.
But it is not only economic goals that affect the quality of our lives; there are other non-economic goals that we can pursue. And, thinking again is at the root of these values.
Do you have more time on your hands? Read. Educate yourself on a topic youīve been meaning to read up on for the longest time. Do that job around the house that youīve wanted to do for God knows how long. Visit that friend you havenīt seen in ages. Make a new friend.
One of the misconceptions that President Obama, his leadership, and the left in general, hold, is that they see money as the sole value animating political and moral life. Yes, I know this statement sounds ironic, considering that President Obama frequently deprecates money making in favor of "service." But have you ever noticed that money is all the left talks about: they rail against (alleged) income inequalities, how much "the rich" are making, and how tragic our lives are now because of this recession. (As if weīve never lived through a recession before. In the early eighties, the unemployment rate was higher. Does anyone even remember that period anymore?)
Indeed, President Obama has bent over backwards to talk about how terrible the economy is, and how itīs not looking very good for the future. Heīs transformed himself from candidate "hope and change" to "President doom and gloom," in the process scaring the hell out of the markets and millions of Americans too.
Yet, the distinctive American view is that we live in a world of hope and opportunity, where incidents of trouble are the exception not the rule, and are to be fought and triumphed over. The Obama view is that we live in a world of ongoing evil where a forceful government must constantly stand vigilant, ready to even out the evil odds.
It was the saddest of spectacles to see AMERICANS meeting with Obama publicly, crying about what they want him to give them. Thatīs not the American way.
In fact, recessions happen for good reason. They are corrections to bad economic decisions, misappropriations of money that happened before the recession. Like an alcoholic drying out, recessions help sober up the economy and get it back on the right track. We need not fear them. (The fact that Uncle Sam is the bartender for drunken economies is a different issue.)
The sorting out is painful, but if left to run its course, the recession will ultimately fix us. Thatīs why itīs lethal to put the bad money of the government into the good soul of the economy, because that only continues the drunk. A hair of the dog is the hair of the dog.
So, what we need to do as individuals and as a culture is to embrace this opportunity to pursue new and old values that will enhance our lives. And let the economy sort itself out.
Historically, Americans have never been a nation of hand wringers. We need not be that now.
Itīs painful.
But damn it weīre Americans!
This is not an article celebrating "the power of positive thinking" or a syrupy sermon on keeping your chin up in hard times. Itīs a reminder that we still live in a largely free country, and freedom means the possibility of achieving values. Freedom is not the only condition we need; thatīs true. But it is a powerful factor. As long as we are free to think and to act we can improve our lives and pursue our goals. Itīs the American way.
This is certainly true in the economic realm, where thinking is the root cause of wealth creation; we CAN come up with ideas to make money, be it in a new career, or starting a new business. The money doesnīt come easily or immediately, but now is the time to plan for the future. Now is the time to think.
But it is not only economic goals that affect the quality of our lives; there are other non-economic goals that we can pursue. And, thinking again is at the root of these values.
Do you have more time on your hands? Read. Educate yourself on a topic youīve been meaning to read up on for the longest time. Do that job around the house that youīve wanted to do for God knows how long. Visit that friend you havenīt seen in ages. Make a new friend.
One of the misconceptions that President Obama, his leadership, and the left in general, hold, is that they see money as the sole value animating political and moral life. Yes, I know this statement sounds ironic, considering that President Obama frequently deprecates money making in favor of "service." But have you ever noticed that money is all the left talks about: they rail against (alleged) income inequalities, how much "the rich" are making, and how tragic our lives are now because of this recession. (As if weīve never lived through a recession before. In the early eighties, the unemployment rate was higher. Does anyone even remember that period anymore?)
Indeed, President Obama has bent over backwards to talk about how terrible the economy is, and how itīs not looking very good for the future. Heīs transformed himself from candidate "hope and change" to "President doom and gloom," in the process scaring the hell out of the markets and millions of Americans too.
Yet, the distinctive American view is that we live in a world of hope and opportunity, where incidents of trouble are the exception not the rule, and are to be fought and triumphed over. The Obama view is that we live in a world of ongoing evil where a forceful government must constantly stand vigilant, ready to even out the evil odds.
It was the saddest of spectacles to see AMERICANS meeting with Obama publicly, crying about what they want him to give them. Thatīs not the American way.
In fact, recessions happen for good reason. They are corrections to bad economic decisions, misappropriations of money that happened before the recession. Like an alcoholic drying out, recessions help sober up the economy and get it back on the right track. We need not fear them. (The fact that Uncle Sam is the bartender for drunken economies is a different issue.)
The sorting out is painful, but if left to run its course, the recession will ultimately fix us. Thatīs why itīs lethal to put the bad money of the government into the good soul of the economy, because that only continues the drunk. A hair of the dog is the hair of the dog.
So, what we need to do as individuals and as a culture is to embrace this opportunity to pursue new and old values that will enhance our lives. And let the economy sort itself out.
Historically, Americans have never been a nation of hand wringers. We need not be that now.
Print
Email
