Rich's Random Thoughts

Rich's Random Thoughts

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
April 11, 2008

*GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEMS! The Pennsylvania Primary is a week and a half away and it seems like the candidates are trying to brainwash us into thinking that good old Uncle Sam is just going to swoop in and take care of all of our problems. I think it’s time for a wake up call. The only thing the government can, and should, do is get out of the way and let people make their own choices, their own decisions.

On my ISP last week, there was a survey that stated that 81 percent of the country feels we are heading, if not going, in the wrong direction. Okay, I can see that we have issues we need to deal with. The Iraq war is extremely unpopular, but we need to allow our people in uniform to complete the job they were sent over there to do. I touched on this a few weeks ago and, despite many opinions to the contrary, we must not allow those who have given their lives in this war to have died in vain.

The economy is showing signs of a recession, unless it is already in a recession, and it may very well be headed in that direction. The price of everything has gone up because of the skyrocketing gas prices. If you haven’t already noticed, the costs of everyday products have gone up, so it might be prudent to clip coupons, both in your newspapers (if you get one) and online, if you have access. Every little bit helps. Yes, the economy is taking a beating, but we are blaming the wrong individual. Whether you realize it or not, the president does not have much control over the economy. The president can ask for tax cuts, and those surely help. Two thirds of the economy is predicated on consumer spending. If we aren’t spending money, the economy suffers. Right now, we aren’t spending money because it is going for gas and food. Until, and unless, those two items change for the better, we are going to be in the tank for a while.

Granted, the housing markets and the credit crunch have also hurt the economy. People are trying to cope by any means necessary. I feel your pain because I am in the same boat all of you are. We all wish that the economy would stabilize and stay that way, but that isn’t how the world works. We do not live in a utopian society. The economy ebbs and flows. There are some markets (automobiles, for instance) that are hurting because nobody is buying. Along those lines, it is a buyer’s market. Many auto dealers are offering 0% financing to get people in the doors.

These candidates are crying wolf because they feel that they can solve all of our problems once elected. Voters, please be careful what you hear and what you believe. Yes, industries have since left this area and many are not coming back. We have to adapt to a changing society or we will wither away along with the jobs that have been lost. That’s another thing – let’s not call these jobs anymore. Regardless of what you do in life for a living, call it a career. A job is something you do to make money. A career is what defines you and who and what you are.

The acronym for jobs is Just Over Broke. I know many of us feel that way, but we have to think better than that. What can we do that offers us a comfortable lifestyle and is not a job? The days of trying to make a living doing just one thing are over. We have to be multi-faceted to compete in this global economy.

This recession may not last as long as some people may think. We have to think outside the box and do things differently than we have done them in the past. That is the M.O. for living in the 21st century and beyond. I know this is not easy, but anything worth having is never easy. This is the United States of America and we are the strongest people on the face of this earth. Those around the world still look at us as the beacon of hope and light. We are still the land of opportunity as long as the government does not get in the way of our hopes and dreams.

We can start by cleaning up this state. Pennsylvania has one of the worst business climates in the country and has the largest full time legislature (second largest, perhaps, but that is immaterial at this point). Taxes in this state are killing us. But our governor seems to think that everything is just peachy and we are doing very well. Maybe he needs to take a few steps back and see what is really going on. Look at Pittsburgh. The population has been shrinking for years. High taxes and limited career opportunities for our young people to stay has been part of the problem. Now, the city and Allegheny County are looking, again, to merge services. What will that solve? Several companies that called Pittsburgh home for years have been gone for a long time. Do we need a government study to figure out why?

Our editor has been fighting government corruption for years. We need to get the wool out of our eyes and see what is going on in our area; locally, statewide, and nationally. Listening to a bunch of speeches is nice if you need a pick me up, but what do they really solve? America has problems and it will always have problems. Solve one thing and two more pop up. But we still live in the greatest country in the world and I feel too many of us lose sight of that. When it comes right down to it, we control the economy. We can vote with our wallets, purses, and our feet. Every business competes for our attention and our money. The government cannot do that. We can. While this is not prudent, I wonder what would happen if we shut this country down for a week? No gas is consumed, no products are bought. I wonder what would happen to prices then? Remember that on April 22.
One final note – I am glad I do not have to vote on the Democratic side.

*Spring has sprung. The days are getting longer and the temperatures are trying to warm up a bit. Those temperatures may fluctuate over the coming days and weeks, but I think we are well past the cold weather and the snow. If we see any more of the white stuff, it may just be flurry activity. I have noticed where the grass is starting to thicken up, which means it won’t be long before we hear mowers getting warmed up for lawn mowing season. Once that starts, it doesn’t stop until fall, unless we have a drought.

With this comes the dreaded spring cleaning – that necessary evil. Items need taken apart and cleaned after a long winter. The best advice I can give anyone on these issues is to pace yourselves. None of this gets done in one day. We all want to have clean homes and clean properties, but it takes time. Do not over do it. If you all have been waiting for the warm weather, then use it to your advantage. Enjoy it as much as you have to work in it. I hear people complain about how cold it’s been, yet they still keep their doors shut and their windows closed when the sun is shining.

Perhaps this is all a psychological thing. We need to see the sun to feel better about ourselves and have a more positive outlook on things. I can see that after a long, and gloomy, winter, where the skies are gray and overcast. This puts many people in less than ideal moods, which is understandable. Again, I am one of those in the minority who doesn’t care if the sun shines or not. I can get by whether the sky is overcast, or blue with sunshine. It doesn’t matter to me. Every day is a bonus. That is how I look at the situation.

Let’s just hope that we have a spring this year. I would like to have temperatures in the 60s and 70s before it gets too hot during the summer. I am not looking forward to the heat and humidity of July and August. Summer can take its time getting here. Spring first, then summer. Of course, we have to get through summer to get to fall, which means football season! Until then, happy spring and enjoy the weather!