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stop getting angry and look in the mirror

I’m as frustrated as the next person about our financial situation in America and I have no answers…I don’t like the bailout but I don’t like thinking about how many people will suffer in the “lower strata” of our socio-economic spectrum if there isn’t some sort of bailout.

What I will say is this: before you get too mad at the rich and powerful in America, remember, it’s ultimately “we the people” and our greed and consumption that has gotten us here. It’s the addictive siren call of the “American Dream” and the choices made by people seduced by it that has pushed all our problems into one moment in history.

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4 Comments

  1. Mark R — September 26, 2008 #

    so true these thoughts and so sad …
    Us Australians same thing ….. I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go.

  2. sonja — September 26, 2008 #

    On one hand … yes, I’ve been participating in the so-called American dream … buying on credit, etc. etc. for years.

    OTOH … I’ve been predicting this for years as well. Ever since the first Reagan administration, I’ve said no good would come of the economic policies we’ve undertaken … the Dow can only go up for so long. Every time the analysts come on and say doom filled things like “the Dow was down 300+ points today, that’s the largest drop in history.” Yet .. when it’s up over 12,000, what is that as a percentage? It’s not such a great drop and doesn’t mean as much …

    I wish I could figure out who has a horse in this race because something is not adding up right. This timing is a little too tidy for me. Bush is trying too hard to ram too much through at once. We all need to take a collective step back and let things settle out and see what happens.

  3. Mak — September 26, 2008 #

    I agree that everything is moving a bit too fast for my comfort level - and I’m still not convinced that we’re all going to suffer without a bailout as much as they are claiming.

  4. Mak — September 26, 2008 #

    oh and sonja, I think the “american dream” is far more than just buying on credit. it’s a national philosophy that extends deep into our policies as a nation.

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