Worst financial crisis ever???

Category: Personal

Published: 10/22/2008 05:18 p.m.

I have always hated fear-mongering as long as I can remember. It is the most despicable form of marketing or advertising or "reporting". It makes people fear things that don't affect them at all. Whether its reporting on killer bees that never come, El Nino, global warming, the gas crisis, zero-population growth, The Bomb, or the crash of stocks and the coming economy, I don't think it helps to scare the crap out of people. All across the web and on TV, so called experts are explaining the horror of this weeks crisis. Stop. You are not informing or helping. You are guessing and scaring. In the words of Jon Stewart from his appearance on Crossfire, you are "hurting America". Let me explain how bad this financial crisis has been for me.

My paychecks are the same. My rent is the same. My daily slices of pepperoni are still $3.50. The flights to Houston are the same. The electronics I buy and the beers I drink are the same. What has changed? Gas has gone down, which I believe is a good thing. My stocks have gone down, and might stay down for a bit, but they will bounce back. Historically, over 5 years, the market always makes money. Actually, this makes right now a buyers market. It should make growing a company cheaper. It should be a reason to grow your staff, not fire people. And here is where the news steps in and screws everything up.

The news says we are in a recession and to watch your budget. So citizens (read: sheep) decide not to spend as much. But why? Their paychecks aren't being cut yet. Things aren't more expensive. These people who are pulling back on their spending are the ones CAUSING the recession. They spend less, and companies suffer, so they have to cut wages or jobs. And the same people who fear the recession and save are the ones getting their jobs cut. Kinda serves them right I guess.

So, in the face of a news-created recession, I am continuing to spend. I buy flights home. I am buying clothes and laptops. I am not afraid. I wish more people would see through all the crap on TV and realize that their life right now is the same as it was two months ago.

*if I did lose my job, I still wouldn't be scared. If you are good at something (like I am) then someone will pay you to do it, or you can pay yourself. If you aren't good at anything, start working on that instead of worrying...