So, the economy in the United States is taking a beating, to the point of becoming the most pressing social issue. People are losing their houses, banks are closing, and the government is taking a socialist approach while vehemently denouncing socialism in any shape or form in the presidential election arena. Whatever to THAT. Anyway...the cause of this economic crisis boils down to one thing, and it's one thing of which the US government and the American people are both guilty: overspending. We've all been buying stuff on credit. We want the big-screen TV, the 5-bedroom house, the range rover, the SkiDoo, the control over oil in the Middle East, all of it, now. And because credit is doled out left and right in this country, even encouraged by our market, we were all able to grab the whole ball of consumerist wax into our greedy clutches. We were living a buy now, pay later lifestyle. Looks like we're beginning to see the massive amount of interest we've accrued. We're, just now, starting to pay for our sedentary, gimme lifestyles, which we've been living for decades. And while we've been living it, our culture and our waistlines have gone bust. The silver lining to me of this economic crisis, then, is this: I think we're going to see the rise in diabetes slow down, more attention paid to finding alternative fuel and energy sources, and a bit more focus on what I think is most important to begin with, which is family. This economic crisis is going to force people out of gluttony and into circles of people gathering together using their collective resourcefulness to try and work this out. So America, here's hoping we've all learned the lesson on financial responsibility and its correlation to our culture and society. Let me know your two cents on this social issue. [More] [Less] |
