What can I do?
You know, I have days when I wonder that very same thing. I have days where I think it is hopeless. Then I get a good nights sleep and I am back at it! I am talking to anyone who will listen, and surprisingly….there are A LOT more people interested than I had thought. I have a couple thoughts about what everyone can do…
FIRST: Get informed! I know it is hard…but it is worth it. I have spent months getting an understanding of what is going on financially. I know that most people don’t have that kind of time, which is why I built this site. Yes, it will take a few hours to read and understand what I have written. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it. If you have the time…read the source documents. I have found that reading the CBO’s reports for myself is an eye-opening experience. In order to understand our financial situation the most important posts to read and understand are Social Security, Medicare, and Spending Visualization. There is good information in the other posts, but those 3 really give a nice overview of why we are in such tough shape.
SECOND:Â know your representatives! Read up on what they have to say! Check their voting records. There are a few links below to help you find out who they are.
Federal level:
State level: there are numerous search engines, this one worked for me. If anyone has a better one, please add a comment to this post.
Also, I have found great information about the members of Congress AND who is challenging them on Wikipedia! Just be sure to double check facts you find on WikiPedia. It can be edited by anyone so sometimes there is false information.
THIRD: This was hard for me, but I did find it useful. Try to watch 2-3 newscasts a week that carry the opinion of someone you KNOW you disagree with. Then, do some online research of your own, try to figure out what they are trying to spin! I found that by listening to the “other side”, I learned much of what “my side” wasn’t telling me. Believe me, both sides are incredible at spin. When you don’t like what you hear, go do the research yourself. After a couple weeks of this….I signed up for an RSS feed from the CBO.
FOURTH: Talk to people! Get other views. Feel free to post here, ask questions. I will do my best to research topics and reply. I think you will be amazed at how many of your neighbors are starting to get just as concerned as you are, and looking for sources of good information.
LASTLY: VOTE! I still believe that every vote counts. Look at Scott Brown! Many Massachusetts voters thought that would never happen. It was a whole lot of single votes cast against the tide.
Just for the record, let me say here again….There is no one administration to blame for this. We have been overspending and over-promising for decades! I want to be clear that although I have my opinions, this site is NOT about bashing the Democrats or the Republicans. This site is for information and intelligent discussions. My personal opinion is that Washington needs a cleaning house. When contemplating who to vote for, give some consideration to newcomers, not career politicians. I have been appalled by what some of these incumbents get away with. I personally think some fresh blood that doesn’t “owe” all those favors would be good for Washington.
Tags: action
April 14th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
I’d like to add another one: don’t sit around blaming, rather than thinking about solutions. As rightfully stated above, this is not a partisan issue. I see paralysis every day when someone points out something that needs fixing, and someone else says, for example, ‘Well Bush did it too!’ Possibly true, but not relevant, and blaming doesn’t help or solve anything. Let’s think about where to go from here, rather than wasting time casting blame on why we are here.
I’d also like to add some ‘what not to do’:
1) Don’t feel hopeless or give up. Even if things get really bad, they will stabilize someday. The challenge is to make it through those years, and we can all do it. You are stronger than you think.
2) Don’t act like Washington and start a wild spending spree, or continue one if you already did. Even if you think hyperinflation is coming to wipe out your debts, we cannot say how long it might take to come, and we could even see bouts of deflation first. Stabilizing your personal finances is extremely important right now.
3) Don’t buy a survival cabin in the woods somewhere. It won’t help you. You’re safer in your current home than anywhere else — especially if you know your neighbors. One of the most strangely wonderful things about dark times is that people are at their best when things are at their worst, and if things do get bad, you can bet you will come to be friendly with your neighbors if you aren’t already. 🙂
April 15th, 2010 at 5:22 am
Ed,
Those are all really good points. We really do need to start looking at real solutions. I am so frustrated with the blame game and politics being more important than real change. The good news is that the more you learn, the easier it is to see through the “spin”. I think more and more Americans are figuring it out.
Holly