Our economic future is our vote

If American capitalism and American socialism and the something in-between has brought us to the coming economic downturn, maybe a depression, then there has to be a better way.

The better way is best determined by we voters and not our politicians. It is our elected politicians that got us into our present mess, albeit supported and encouraged by a more liberal intelligentsia, some with the most altruistic intents, as in trying to make most Americans homeowners also a stake holder in America. But most of these fellow Americans also set themselves up to be off the hook if they were wrong, or boo boo’d. Instead, we Americans would be left holding the bag for mistakes, so to speak, as in covering bad debt and bad policies, and suffering through economic downturns most of these elites could not imagine might happen on their watch, or because of their ideas they promoted and got passed by our politicians.

The present problems are just a culmination of decades long bad policies that cumulatively have added up here in America. First we generated vast wealth after WWII, then we used the Income Tax Amendment to tax it for redistribution of wealth and hopefully opportunity for the lesser off Americans, then we began borrowing when even the taxes would not cover the promises. Later the retributions with little accountability occurred, as when our Country covered the massive Savings and Loans losses with our tax money (some Americans made a lot of taxpayer money out of this mess). This has been followed by politicians’ policies, practices, and laws that have encouraged, and sometimes intimidated, those that have money to loan money to poor homeowner risks, albeit, again, often with the best of intents. Some to this has been abused in many ways, to include buying homes beyond ones means counting on the status quo of ever increasing home prices to hedge one’s bets. Perhaps some of us even know people who have homes beyond their means full of empty rooms because things like furniture are beyond their borrowing and income means.

As all collapses of schemes occur, something prompted it. And then it cascaded to the point of traditional long standing and well regarded banks maybe going under. This time things may be different in 2008. First is the status quo politicians’ complicity in all this that has led to the present state. Second may be the unwillingness for the taxpayers to “eat this debacle”, this time and in spite of the present promises on the law books. Third may be the unwillingness for the voters to accept any status quo politician’s solutions to the problems for which the politicians were complacent. Fourth and last, there has to be a better way, and some change is in order in our New American World.

Some changes in standards are obvious and called for. Citizen responsibility is a large part of our American future. This post focuses on economics, and most changes should be in the air, or hopefully more developed than that. And American citizens should only count on themselves, and their votes, to change things, mostly votes for those whom we elect to make the changes happen.

A key point is that many Americans who are more conservative economically in their habits and practices will now most likely be drawn down in the coming economic problems, and may resent those fellow Americans and the status quo politicians that made it happen. One can imagine calling it a friction between richness and happiness, since the two are not synonymous. For example, my happiness includes lowering my standard of living to include drinking local spring water and using a wood stove. Others probably have higher standards. But by golly, it is my standards I am in charge of, as in being in charge of my life, and helping my families and their kids financially, which I can. And most don’t expect their income taxes to go towards covering the mistakes of their fellow Americans, to include these Americans life style choices. The Savings and Loan debacle was enough. There has to be a better way.

So vote as a way to at least start to change the status quo. Nobody else will ever do it. The alternatives are pretty depressing.

There is one obvious good alternative. Migrate elsewhere, as in Belize or Costa Rica. Many have, and many more may be on the way. For this poster, stay at home and vote.