Obama: Will he be a hero or a zero?

I want to start this post with how much does the job market suck right now? I have a friend who has been searching and searching and searching for employment. Too many companies are learning how to down size and perform work more efficiently for less. Amazing how prior to the downturn of the economy many businesses were operating on more personnel and larger budgets.

At this point in time many companies have figured out how to gain more for less just like the American consumer has with personal finances. For my friend he was one of the numerous who have fallen victim to the belief that President Obama would be able to resurrect the world and unfortunately Obama has seemingly done the opposite. I realize the economy was failing under Bush but where are the significant increases under Obama?

Funny how the Obama supporters are still blaming Bush and saying give Obama more time, but what happens when Obama is still failing at the end of his four year term? Who will the Liberals blame the economy on then? Well the answer is simple, they will blame it on the Conservatives and Republicans just like how they are blaming this group now concerning Obama’s Health Care reform.

For my friend the job market has been slow and sadly enough I believe the entire American economy will not strive but barely survive at best under Obama. The mindset in which the American public handles their money has changed and so has the mindset of corporate America. Obama was supposed to be a hero but in the end will he be a zero as the job and economic markets continue to change in the great United States of America?

Most Millionaires DO live on a budget

I came across an article tonight posted on the Yahoo! Finance page entitled, “Now Even Millionaires Can See the Benefits of Budgeting” and was written by Paul Sullivan on Monday. The title took me back a little when I thought about how asinine this title is as an overwhelming census seems to be that millionaires can spend money like it’s going out of style and not worry about the repercussions of living on a budget.

From the research I have conducted in trying to live a debt-free lifestyle the one common factor I am finding out with millionaires is that these people are more money conscious than the working folk in society. Truthfully the millionaires living next door did not achieve this wealth by spending money in a fury and did so by watching their every penny.

The large majority of millionaires in our society did so over time and did not become a millionaire instantly and maintain their wealth. Sure there are people who were the beneficiaries of winning the lottery, inheritance, etc.,  but a lot of these people spent their money while not living on a budget. The thought process behind this title seems to be derived from the theory that those rich people can spend money whenever and on whatever they want. This is a myth that holds no validity in most cases.

The smartest and wisest thing Mr. Sullivan offered in his article is that “…a budget isn’t a bad idea.” How true this is and the goal of achieving financial securities in the future is exactly why I am budgeting now. Spending wildly is what got me into this mess and spending wisely will get me out. Folks, the millionaires in our society didn’t get rich over night and the smart ones will not go broke over night either.

Obama Living The No Tax Lie

After reading the news headlines tonight I do not feel so badly about my time away from maintaining the gazelle intensity focus. In fact I can honestly say that I can admit my faults and can find integrity in admitting where I did not follow through with my word. Now if only President Barack Obama could say the same thing.

Today was a busy day for the Sunday news reporting television programs as Obama became the first president to appear on five Sunday network shows in the same morning telecasts. The message was primarily the same with his rejection to the notion that a Health insurance mandate would translate into a tax increase but honestly I cannot see how he would pay for this any other way.

Obama, unfortunately, is still hanging on to the notion he has kept his campaign pledge of not raising taxes on families earning up to $250,000 and humorously the media has forgotten to take the president to task as well. April 1, 2009 was a big day in the lives of smokers throughout the United States as there was a federal excise tax on cigarettes that affected anyone who smokes. According to the taxpayers’ lobby Americans for Tax Reform, one in four smokers live below the poverty line and 55 percent of smokers can be defined as “working poor,” which means they make below $250,000 per year.

Obama’s pledge went up in smoke back in April, he needs to understand he cannot deny this and it’s truly time to admit what his health care plan will entail. Higher taxes will be paid by the common folk and the system will be abused as is evident with the current plan. The time is now for the Obama administration to step away from my wallet and the millions of other Americans who will be negatively impacted by making health insurance “fair”. If your company does not provide insurance benefits for you or the coverage is not as good as you would prefer you could always follow my method and pay for your own provider. I do not need the government to tell me (mandate) what I need or need not to do.

I Finally Woke Up

So it’s been awhile since I last posted on here and I’ve decided it is time for me to start blogging again concerning my desire to live a Gazelle Intense lifestyle.  The ironic thing about the finances is that when I started ignoring this web site truthfully I started ignoring my finances and I look back at what was my plan and I realize that I neglected what I should have been doing.

Well here I am and now I want to make a difference.   Instead of talking the talk I want to walk the walk and I plan on using this as my outlet.  Since the last time I posted here the emergency fund is gone that I once so proudly had and there have been adjustments in our household income.  I had always heard that a person would adjust either up or down based off their income and I can attest this is 100% true as I have received a couple of promotions in the past few months and the income started to grow.  Ironically as the income grew the monthly bills started growing as well, maybe I should clarify this a little more.  The monthly bills didn’t necessarily grow as much as what my monthly wastefulness did when it came to the income.

My wife has taken on a part-time job on top of her part-time job babysitting our nephews and nieces and I must say this makes me very guilt stricken.  If you go back and read further posts you will realize there was a time that I had a full-time and part-time job to help make the month meet ends.  Right now I am still trying to learn the nuts and bolts of my management position at work and my work schedule has been so unpredictable that having a part-time job would be next to impossible.  Anyway, here is to the start of my journey back to living a Gazelle Intensity lifestyle in becoming debt free.

Businesses Following Trend Of Consumers

 

Tonight’s post revolves around the thought process of people not wanting to make good on their debt.  The notion has become a socially acceptable norm that consumers can have accounts fall delinquent but apparently a new trend is taking place across our country.  This new trend involves businesses not paying their bills and is leading to an increase in third party collections.

 

Prior to the times we are in consumers have always been typically slow to pay their bills but now businesses are following the same trend.  My question is why are Americans failing to make good on their commitments?  I am just like anyone else who owes monthly bills but I do not turn on the news hear the latest economic fiascos and think to myself, “I don’t think I’m going to pay my bills.”  Yet I feel as if I am the outcast in society because I am concerned with paying my bills.

 

I’ve worked two jobs, I’ve cut back on costs where I can and I’ve honored the commitments to my creditors.  However people across the fruited plain are throwing in the towel refusing to step up to the plate to make good on their promises.  A wise person once told me that successful people have two things in common; they do whatever it takes, every time.  Now is the time for these dead beats to do just that, do whatever it takes every time on their bills.  Economic crisis solved.

America: Poor Are Rich Compared To Rest of World

 

The great United States of America has been the goal and passion of immigrants throughout the seven continents.  The thought process was and will always be if I can get to America the life of opportunity will exist.  Yet in reading the Internet news I stumbled across an article pertaining to young children feeling partially responsible for the economic woes we are currently facing.

 

The article gives a couple of examples of teenagers who are working to help their families make ends meet, but I am struggling to see the importance of the story.  The reason being is because even the poorest Americans are much richer than the majority of our world’s population.  Don’t believe me, just think about.

 

The majority of our citizens’ enjoy the luxuries at minimum of the following:

• Indoor plumbing
• Running water
• Multiple televisions/radios
• Heating (wood stove)/Air conditioning (window units)
• Automobiles

 

This is just a quick and very small list to compare our poor to the rest of the world, but the point is we have a lot to be thankful.  What is going on around us proves that we have lived in a society promoting living beyond our means.  What a shame these teenagers are making more money in one week working at McDonald’s than the same age teenager is making working harder and longer in a foreign country. 

 

The sad truth is too many Americans squander the money received on a regular basis and who do we have to blame?  Simple, there is no one else but us when it comes to the personal financial struggles of the average family.  Though I wonder what the reader’s thoughts are in regards to the triumphs and tribulations felt by all throughout the fruited plains of America.

Obama’s Pledge Up In Smoke

 

It has not even been 100 days in office and we are already seeing President Obama breaking pledges he had made in his historic race to the White House.  If you are unaware of what I am writing in regards to then the chances of you not being a smoker is pretty high as the largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama’s promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000. 

I can make a firm pledge…Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.  Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes…you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime…”— Barack Obama, Sept. 12, 2008, Dover, N.H.

According to reports Government and private research has found that smoking rates are higher among people of low income.  I have to wonder what the lower income smoking supporters of Obama are thinking right now.  The answer is they are thinking nothing because the media is not calling for the public persecutions of Obama enlarge part to the liberal media bias in our society. 

 

Unfortunately at this point in time I am feeling the costs associated with increasing the cost of cigarettes but who was not prepared for this?  The truth of the matter is Obama will continue to break the pledges he so passionately campaigned upon because he is a salesman, he told the American public what they wanted to hear and now due to the ignorance of the majority we will face the repercussions of that frightening decision.

 

Though I wonder how the low income smokers will cope as smoking is an addiction and when it comes to paying bills or buying a pack of cigarettes many people will set their priorities on the cancer sticks.  This is not an assumption this is a reality and for that we can proudly thank Obama for making the poor poorer.

Holding The Messiah Accountable

A recent poll (The Harris Poll ®, March 23, 2009), was conducted with the majority of Americans (53%) giving President Obama a negative rating with his performance on the economy.  The poll was of 2,355 U.S. adults surveyed online between March 9 and 16, 2009 by Harris Interactive ®.

 

Amazingly enough is the “hope” of younger Americans (aged 18-32) who gave Obama the highest marks with a positive rating of 54% followed by 47% of those aged 33-44, 45% of those aged 45-63 and 44% of the aged 64 and older.  How ironic is it that the older those polled are, the lower the rating it is for Obama?  Who says not to respect your elders?

 

Truth of the matter is there will not be significant changes in the economic state we are in and the changes Obama and his administration want to make will result in taxpayer’s feeling the pinch in their pockets.  I cannot help but chuckle to myself when hearing individuals who are in complete and utter shock in the fact their financial situation is still the same.  I know, I know, but Mr. Slinkard, it’s only been 60 plus days, give it time is probably what you’re thinking. 

 

I am tired of hearing Obama lying through his lips and telling people this is going to take time, this is something that will not cost nothing, for those who voted for Obama and were duped by him, let’s get two things straight, right now.  First, Obama’s well-articulated speeches oversimplified his ability to lead our country in this economic crisis.  Second, when Obama says that nothing is free, what he really means is this is going to cost the American public a butt load of money.  People blamed the Bush administration of using fear tactics to manipulate the American public, but where is the media, where is the groups speaking out on Obama that were speaking out on Bush?  Well, they’re kind of like Obama’s productive economic plan—MIA.

Next Economic Trend: Student Loan Forgiveness?

 

The economic hard times that we are facing are continuing to turn in a manner of greed.  Forget corporate CEO’s, forget bonuses, and forget companies with unpaid taxes receiving bailout money.  The latest greed of Americans is that of asking for student loan forgiveness.  Recently an article was published pertaining to a Facebook group called “Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy,” a group fed up with news reports about bank executives spending millions to redecorate their offices and receiving hefty bonuses.

 

The group is comprised of more than 138,500 members, many of whom are pressing their representatives in Congress for legislation that would forgive student loan debt.  According to FinAid.org, there were nearly $131 billion in outstanding private loans in 2008 and $544 billion in outstanding federal loans for fiscal year 2009. With these loans, the average debts of students graduating with loans rose from $18,796 in 2006 to $20,098 in 2007, according to the Project on Student Debt.

 

Do not get me wrong, I have a college degree and yes I am paying back student loans I required to obtain my degree.  But to think about asking for forgiveness because of the state of the economy, well to me, that is asinine.  I know that I took out a debt, I know that I received my moneys worth, I know that my degree helped me in landing the position that I have today.  The question is why would I not feel compelled to pay it back?  The answer is there is no reason.  This would be the same as you or me going down to the local bank, taking out a car loan, delaying payments on the car loan until the car is done for, and then asking the bank to forget we ever took out the money to buy the car. 

 

This is the society that we live in, a society of mongrels who want to use the system to get what they need, but then want to dump the problem (or in this case the debt) on to someone else.  Maybe here’s a solution to the problem at hand, if you do not want to repay the student loan, just maybe those individuals should be stripped of their degree.  Just make a few examples of people and when punishment is handing out, people then might reconsider making good on the promissory notes they have signed.  Call me cynical, but I’m just saying.

Desperate Times: Women From Jobless to Topless

Apparently the tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.  These women are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash with many having college degrees and previously held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.  Word is the job gives the women more control and flexibility than sitting in a cubicle added with the fact that more money is coming in to their bank accounts.

According to the article, dancers at the upscale clubs can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year, pure cash.  Now wait a minute here, what happened to the days when we had the Jane Fonda’s screaming about women’s rights in the office and the workplace.  Do not get me wrong, I would love to have $300K cash at the end of each year, but at what point in time does this become demeaning to those females partaking?  I was under the impression that leveling the playing field for females was to prevent females from being limited to degrading occupations such as those involved in the adult entertainment industry.  Maybe someone can help me out here, is our society moving forward or are we regressing because of the “state of the economy?”