Growing up, I remember helping build and repair wooden things. The problem was that I was not the best hammerer. I would constantly miss or bend nails. Instead of tossing the nail to the side, I would have to hammer it out straight and try again. If we were repairing something and the nail was removed bent, I would have to do the same thing. This was a good example of not being wasteful. Reusing a nail may not have saved us millions of dollars, but it did help. It was something my father was taught. It was something I was taught.
Last night Amy and I went to the Dave Ramsey “Townhall for Hope” at a local church. It was an hour and a half of financial discussion and advice. Dave was able to express his thoughts on why our economy is currently in a recession.
His main point is that the spirit of fear has gripped our country. From Wall Street to Politicians to Media, fear is being pushed to ordinary citizens thus effecting everyone’s outlook on the situation. He pointed out the fact that we are no where close to living in a time similar to the Great Depression. We are also not as bad off as the recessions of 1972 and 1982. But because of the talking heads and the spend happy maniacs on Capital Hill, you would think we were about to crash and burn.
Another point he presented was that gold was not a solid investment. If our currency collapsed today, people would not all of the sudden start trading gold with each other. Instead, they would start bartering and trading goods and services. So think about that before you pick up the phone to order gold.
So don’t fear. It also would not hurt to ask your Congressmen and women to “Stop stimulating STUPID.”
If you do fear, Dave gave 3 points of advice:
1) Get Up and Take Action – “You are the cure, America. No one else is going to solve your problems for you—that’s your job! Find out how you can take control of your money, turn back the fear in your community, and hold your representatives accountable for the decisions they’re making on your behalf. ”
2) Stop Listening to Loser Talk – “We’re sick and tired of the “loser talk” that has permeated the media, the water cooler and the internet. Stop listening to the garbage, and start speaking a word of hope!”
3) Start Giving – “Learning how to give—whether it’s money, time or support—changes your whole mindset. Dave says it pretty clearly: “We can’t win if we can’t give.” If you want to win with money and change the nation, you’ve got to learn how to give again.”
(Thank God for copy and paste!)
I’m convinced that we are going to make it through this. In the end we will be smarter, stronger and more cautious.
If you are interested in watching the event, it will be rebroadcast.
Travis Clay