Sound advice, indeed!

I was visiting a blog this morning that I check regularly these days, and read this post: http://imataxpayertoo.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/sound-advice/
I commented about it, asking what has happened to personal initiative? Hard work? Determination?
By that, what I was getting at is that we have become a nation, maybe even a globe, that gives to those who won't do for themselves. I'm not referring to those who need help because THEY ARE UNABLE to do for themselves, but those who WON'T do for themselves. Most of us have to work hard to achieve things like earning a living, getting an education, getting ahead in the world. Very few of us succeed without a great deal of effort.
What I am seeing, and have seen for some time, is that a large segment of our population INSIST that those who have worked hard to succeed need to pay those who haven't worked hard, and to me that is fundamentally wrong! It's like rewarding a child for bad behavior. Oh, I forgot... we are no longer allowed to do that either!
And then there was this statment:
"You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn."

This is such a simple concept, and yet we are looking at a globe where the masses are panicking because our banking industry and our auto industry are collapsing due to massive overspending, and in the case of the auto industry, the unions are adamantly refusing to accept wage reductions in order to help in preventing the demise of the very industry that hires their members. True, just reducing wages of the workers isn't going to save the industry. The powers that be, the auto execs, will need to work very hard to restructure the industry if it is to survive. This is a case where the patient is seriously ill, and we don't need Dr. House to diagnose the ailment! Greed, incompetence, no clear plan for competing with companies based in other countries where the unions don't have a stranglehold on them...
I feel badly for the employees of these behemoths... they are just trying to make a living, feed their families, just like most of us. To have not only the company you work for, but the entire industry jeopardized in this way is a travesty. The dilemma here is whether a 'bailout' from Congress or the White House will serve to cure what ails the industry. Will it change their way of thinking? Will it help them to prevent the same thing from happening again? Or will it just postpone disaster? I have my opinion about the matter.... what's yours?

Words worth considering

Someone sent me a power point presentation today with words of wisdom, along with some beautiful pictures. One quote really caught my attention: "Open your arms to change but don't give up your values". That is so timely, what with all the rhetoric about 'Change' these days. We live in a world of change... often we need to make changes in our outlook or ideas to adapt to the external changes that swirl about us. But I couldn't agree more that it is vital that we hold on to our values, and find ways to cope with the things we can't change within the framework of our values.
I have written in previous posts about the values I hold dear. I am struggling with conflicting feelings about the government bailing out our financial institutions, the auto industry, etc., in an effort to stablize the global economy. First off, I think the time for government action is way overdue, but should have come in the form of basic legislation to prevent lenders from practices that are fiscally unsound. It makes no sense whatever to approve a loan to a borrower who does not have good credit. It is not only unhealthy for the lending institution, but it is insanity to put borrowers in a position where they will most likely default on the loan. I also think the borrowing public needs to take some responsibility for entering into risky loans. Living within our means is far better than taking out a loan with the hope that we will be able to repay it!
I am also trying to understand how the auto industry and their unions thought they could survive while driving the price of new vehicles so high that the average buyer could not even consider purchasing a new car these days! I'm driving around in a 13 year old vehicle for a good reason... there is no way I can see myself clear to put 20-30k into a vehicle! Not now, or anytime in my future. Therefore, I will continue to drive this vehicle until it dies, then will look for a used car to continue my journey.
Rather than seque into a rant about unions or minimum wage, suffice it to say that in my humble opinion, we as a nation need to divest ourselves of any unnecessary expenditures, tighten our belts, and learn to live with less while the globe reels from this certain resession... my hope is that once we have gotten through this era, that we learn something from it... quit putting ourselves in fiscal danger in order to 'own' things we really don't need... put some of our income aside to cover emergencies, and think real hard about how much we can afford to go in debt. Meanwhile, I can only hope and pray that those in the position of leading our country will rethink their values and act in a responsible and prudent manner as they go about the business of running our country. Mom always used to tell me I should learn from my mistakes so I don't have to keep repeating them... I sincerely hope our leaders follow that suggestion and stop practicing same s__t, different day!