You have a voice

USE IT!!!

Women have a natural instinct many refer to as the "Momma Bear" reaction. You aggressively protect what is most important to you, your children. Their safety. Their well-being. Their future. I realized this morning while watching the news, I am turning into a Momma Bear in regards to the country. The safety, the well-being and the future of our country is in serious jeopardy. Whether you agree with my position on the Financial Rescue Bill or not, is irrelevant. I guarauntee we all agree that our 'representatives' have hijacked the country with our baby in the back seat. None of us would stand on the side of the road and allow that to happen, why now? In this blessed country, we have the absolute obligation to not only be educated on the issues but let our voices be heard! Our founders fought during the Revolutionary War against 'taxation without representation'. Do not allow this $700 billion tax bill pass without representing yourself. Our Congressmen and Senators are mere spokesmen for the people who elected them into office. Call your congressmen and tell them how to vote, then hold them accountable during the elections!

Can you hear the roar of the Momma Bear?

What can I do?

I have had so many thoughts about recent events. It is easy to feel powerless as we watch decisions being made in our government that will effect the foundations of our free market, the economy and our lives. I have, for the first time in my life, had real fear about the well being of our country. Don't get me wrong, I have in the past had many concerns about the direction the country is going, about leaders and their motives but I have never felt authentic fear in this regard until now. As the days go by I keep thinking "What can I do?". As one individual living in this huge country how can I affect or change anything? I don't want to be all doom and gloom but I can't help but think "what would those in the roaring 20's wish they had done differently prior to the economic change of their time. What can I do to be positive about my future and the future of my family"?

I choose to not be powerless so this is what I feel we can do and I would ask anyone reading this post to please comment and give your ideas so that we can all come together with ideas that will help us be in control of our lives.

1. Speak up in any way that you can. I appreciate the author of this blog, Sarah, for her proactive stance. She called her congresswoman and voiced her opinion. I heard many comments on the radio that those who voted against the bill did so because they were bombarded with calls from constituents. Hopefully now they will revise that bill and make it better. We do still have a voice and they will (sometimes) listen.

2. Be Prepared. Adopt the mind set that you don't rely on government. There is no precedent thus far for government solving problems effectively. You have stewardship over your family and we as mothers need to take that seriously. Things in our country could change and with that knowledge what do you need to do to be prepared? If we have a recession then what will be of most value to you?

3. Be out of debt. This should be done at any level. If you are deeply in debt put that as a priority and begin the process of paying it down. If you have no debt then make sure you are saving and wise in your investments (at this point treasury bonds or any other safe investment choice). Put the credit cards away!! We need to take charge of our personal economy.

4. Store food. If we have a recession or a depression (not likely but not out of the question). The value of the dollar will significantly decrease and inflation will increase. What will be of value to you? Food and day to day necessities. This is important even if we don't have an economic turn down right now. If not now.....it will come at sometime I can promise you that!! The past few days should be case enough for the fact that our economy is fragile and can change quickly. I will never be powerless as far as the care of my family goes because no matter what the economy does I am prepared with food and necessities to take care of our needs. If inflation increases we will see price increases and food will not be as readily available or affordable. I figure all that I buy now and store away will be my most precious commodity. If anyone wants more info on food storage or links to great sites for this just leave a comment with your email and I will get it to you.

These are just a few ideas. I want to hear from you, either with stories of how you or your family has been prepared in hard economic times, or ideas as to what we as mothers can do to be proactive. I know that there are a few people who read this blog and don't comment. I want to hear from you!!

Blame Game

Why is it that in the Democratic press conference, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and others blame the 133 Republicans who voted against the Bail Out Bill, when 95 democrats also voted against it? They blame a dozen or so Republicans who were allegedly offended by Pelosi's typical anti-Bush comments for making an emotionally charged vote. Why didn't their party rally behind their fearless leaders? Why wasn't it a major sweep for the democratic party? If it is the Savior Bill that they are touting, why wouldn't they get behind it? And if it passed and was successful, it would validate their competency and judgement over those of the republicans. And is it insane to anyone else that the democrats are falling in line behind the Bush Administration? "Failed policies of the Bush administration"?!?!?!? Why on earth are they trusting his judgement now? I will give you the answer to that last question. It is because this $700 billion bill would give the federal government a socialist power over our "free market system". This opens the door for future socialist programs. The banking system fails now, the federal government buys it for $700 billion. Somewhere in the future, if the health insurance industry starts to fail, the path has been paved for the federal government to buy it out. Outcome, socialized medicine. This has nothing to do with the economy. It is against their religion to throw billions of dollars at big businesses. I believe that those extreme left democrats were only behind this because of future implications, and the power that they would receive. I want to hear from the 95 democrats who voted against this, see what their hesitations were. Do you think we'll hear from them? As we speak they are being taken out behind the capital, blind folded, and read their last rights. Is our country awaiting the financial executioner? I do not believe so. But we are not in a position to play the blame game.

So now what?

BREAKING NEWS: House of Representatives vote against the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008", final vote 227:206. Did I call my Congresswoman, Mary Fallin and let her know my position? Yes. Was I against the government putting more money in a corrupt and broken system? Yes. Was I absolutely against government ownership of a major part of our free market system? Yes. Was I positive I was a minority and they would vote for this measure? A resounding yes! So now what!?! Although I am relieved that a majority of those in the House have the same reservations about this 'bail out', I am very anxious about what will happen now. Even though I knew this was not the right answer to such a catastrophe, it was an answer. And right now, the only answer. Is Wall Street going to completely collapse? Will we find ourselves in the middle of a "D-Word"? (notice how no one, current President, candidates, congressmen, etc will not say "depression"?) It is just a waiting game now.

The Debate is ON!

Isn't this sweet? Smiles and handshakes. Kicks and giggles. I'm sure it will be a lovefest!

Not really. There will be below-the-belt jabs, done with a smile and possible wink. There will be many, "Although I respect [Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama] I believe...." but that will be as close as we get to a lovefest. As it should be. I want to see strength. I want to see firm positions. I want to hear actual solutions. Will we? Probably not. But I would like to bet how many times we hear these gems:

"Drill baby drill" (I will bet twice)

"Worry about Main Street, instead of Wall Street" (6 times)

"The policies of the last administration" (11 times)

"I work across party lines" (8 times)

"4 more years of Bush" (14 times)

"Forgotten Middle Class" (6 times)

"In my economic plan, I will lower taxes" (7 times)

"Billions of dollars in Iraq" (12 times)

What's your bets? Share other possible phrases!

History Lesson

Although I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History, does not mean I can recall every name or date from the beginning of time. But there are a few things I do remember. The stock market crash is one of the most well known dates in US history, Tuesday, October 29th, 1929. The President at the time was a newly elected, Herbert Hoover. Senator Joe Biden was obviously confused when he made this statement, in an interview with Katie Couric:

Televisions as we know it weren't around till 1936. What he might be confused with was Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, which started March 12, 1933. And to his credit, Roosevelt was still in the midst of the Great Depression and trying to rally the American people. Yet, what I find disturbing was the contrast to Sarah Palin's Charles Gibson interview. If she would have made this slip-up, he would have circled and swooped in on the fresh VP carcus, hungry for the young and inexperienced meat the media has portrayed her as. Yet, nothing is said, no corrections made. And I'm so glad that Senator Biden defined a leader as someone "who knows what they're talking about".

Natural Consequences

You touch fire, you get burned. You leave milk out, it spoils. You step on something fragile, it breaks. You buy a home out of your price range, you go into foreclosure. You charge excessive amounts on your credit cards, your items get repossessed. CEO's lie about the value of their products, they go to jail.

Or are natural consequences outdated?

The government seems to think so. The Presidential Candidates seem to think so. Henry Paulson seems to think so. You made bad money decisions? You lied about your financial situation? Never fear! (Cue Superman's theme song)

Federal Government is here!

"Here I come to save the day!"

And how do they rescue the damsel in distress, tied to the railroad track? With 700 billion dollars! But Superman can't fly anymore, he's carrying a $9.7 trillion weight around his shoulders. Why on earth would we trust a super hero with our money and retirement, who has a negative $9.7 trillion balance in his bank account? I don't. I absolutely do not want the government to bail out the housing market. Here is why:

• Aiding corruption: Why did the housing market fall? Why are these financial institutions failing? They were built on lies and deception. My husband used to work for a national financial institution, and had to quit. He had low numbers. Fiscally ignorant people came with their upside down balance books, and his company wanted him to push profit making products. They would look at him and ask, "Is this the best route for me financially?" And how grateful I am, he honestly told them "Absolutely not. This is what you need to do..." This was in a small branch in Oklahoma. I shudder to think how grand the cover-ups and how deep the deception is on Wall Street. In the criminal system, you can be charged with aiding a felon. Why is the government seeking to do so?
• Stupid people: People have fallen into the mentality that just because they work a 9-5pm job with an hourly pay they deserve a home. And not just any home, their dream home. Theater rooms, granite counter-tops, 3 car garages. All to store their stuff, bought on credit cards. The average American household with just one credit card has $9300 balance. What happened to saving now, buying later? Did you also know that 1/3 of American's who bought a home in the past 5 years owes more on their house than it is worth? I know many smart, hard working people who don't own homes. They have worked extremely hard to afford what they have, and take pride in their accomplishments. These are the everyday heroes who hold up our economy.

Bottom line: The country needs a reality check. The country needs the natural consequences of being greedy. What happened to the Prodigal Son when he squandered his inheritance? He ate with the pigs. The government is trying to prevent those who have squandered their inheritance from eating with the pigs. I see the bail-out as putting a Dora Bandaid on a gaping head wound. This will only be a temporary fix, because the root of the problem isn't being addressed. This is not a bail out, it is a sell-out. And we will be paying for it.

(Click here for a website that has contact information for your Senators. This issue is too important to sit on the fence. Pick a side and let your representatives know where you stand!)