The death of capitalism is really starting to irk me, and tonight Glenn Beck really set me straight. As a selfish youth I never really cared if the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the middle class went one way or the other. Then I had kids. Now I want to vomit when I notice we are selling out the next generation of Americans to prevent large companies from failing.
Seriously, where do I sign up for such special privileges? If you mis-manage a business, can't turn a profit, or produce a desirable product you are supposed to fail. The "invisible hand" of the "free market" is not supposed to be swayed by government intervention. With a federal budget deficit now expressed in trillions (as in $1,000,000,000,000.00) where are we getting all this money for GM, AIG, and the others. Do we really have to rely on the same knuckleheads who can't balance a budget to get us out of this mess?
In a way, we asked for it. Lehman Bros. financed most of the country's railroads in the 1800's. On the verge of boarding up the windows, they asked for a bailout. The welfare check never came in the mail and they became the largest bankruptcy in American history. Everyone freaks out and starts selling everything. MSNBC has reporters on Wall St. waiting for it to rain stockbrokers. The markets plummet, Suze Orman starts saying I told you so, and Congress starts the bread lines for ailing companies as if they had no choice. Someone had to call the bluff, and AIG is glad it wasn't them.
Meanwhile, the NY Yankees spent enough money on 3 free agents in the off season to buy 25% of General Motors stock. Obviously things aren't that bad. We just have to see if there is any ROI come October...
Anyways, many have criticized the bailouts as a new deal of socialism. I tend to agree, but instead of walking a certain party's line, or drinking Joy Behar's Kool-Aid I decided to come up with my own kind of socialism. I call it Suckitup-ism. Because that's what we should do - suck it up. Of course we should all suck it up together and that's where the socialism is tied in. Let's all collectively be a little more self-reliant. I'd rather grow my own vegetables and walk to work than make my children pay because some CEO slept through his MBA classes.
Let's not look to Sacramento and Washington to bail us out. Sacramento is going to send out I.O.U.'s and Washington has so far only sent out hope. I already have plenty of politicians to "represent" me and make decisions on my behalf. Instead of waiting for them to come through let's all look within and to each other for help, encouragement, and hope. After all, the cell is the building block of the body and it's Americans that make America. I can't stop the tail from wagging the dog, but maybe Suckitup-ism will keep the dog from pulling its hair out.
Are you anxious about the current state of affairs? Do things seem to be going totally wrong? Are you in a funk that you can't get out of? Have you been convinced that the world will end in 2012?
