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America Speaks -- Our Budget, Our Economy |
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Written by Adam Carroll
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Thursday, 24 June 2010 14:33 |
I volunteered to be a table facilitator at the America Speaks public forum that’s happening this Saturday all around the U.S. The purpose of the event is to gain a collaborative take on what Americans feel is the best way to get our economy back on track.
In the preliminary trainings, many of the “hot button” issues are being discussed as well as some potential solutions to repay the national debt and attain a balanced budget. I have to admit some of the solutions that have been offered by those running our country’s national departments are frightening. It’s apparent that many of these committees are full of people who’ve never run a business, had to hire employees, pay for health care themselves, etc.
As a facilitator, my role there is to be completely impartial, non-partisan, and simply keep the lines of communication open and flowing throughout the day. So, I’m going to share my thoughts here as opposed to there and merely act as a sponge on Saturday gathering all sorts of great blog fodder in the process.
The over-riding theme when it comes to fixing the federal deficit is growing our national economy. Much is talked about in terms of raising taxes, limiting deductions, and the like.
Here’s a thought -- this country was founded on free enterprise. It’s what made our country great in the first place. But slowly over time, we’ve eroded the ability of entrepreneurs and small business owners to continue to increase their businesses, hire new employees, and add to the GDP. All in the name of “making things better for our country.”
Want to make things better for our country? Give the people hiring people in this country the opportunity to succeed again. Create tax incentives for growth, don't eliminate deductions. Loosen up guidelines on lending to small business owners so they can stimulate our economy by creating new jobs. Too many of us have cut way back on our expenditures because in an economy like this, liquidity is a precious commodity. The liquidity many of us relied upon came from lines of credit that have since vanished because they were “too risky”.
Guess what else is too risky -- trillions of dollars owed to the Chinese government.
My grandfather recently told me he fears that my children’s children will not live under the same government that we presently do. When pressed, he admitted he could see a time when the Chinese decide they’ll just call the debt and take over.
It scares the shit out of me.
And at the very least, perhaps Ayn Rand was right. Maybe the John Galt’s of the world will pick up and create their own economy. One where government intervention doesn’t disturb their ability to create great lives for their employees, or themselves.
I’m not bitter about what’s happening, though I feel we’re willing an incredible financial burden on the next generations that are innately ill-equipped to handle it. That concerns me greatly.
If you’d like to be able to talk about what concerns you greatly, or, more importantly, you believe you might have a solution to what ails the US, come join me and 80-100 other lovers of Democracy at Drake University on Saturday, June 26 at Drake’s Levitt Hall.
And May God Bless America. |
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The Top 5 Money Mistakes Made By College Students |
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Written by Adam Carroll
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Thursday, 17 June 2010 16:33 |
Students will begin to descend on college campuses this Fall eager to begin (or continue) their 4 year break from reality that is college. For some, a complete lack of financial preparation may have them paying for their mistakes for the next 20-25 years. Here are the top 5 mistakes that many of these students will make:
Living their parents lifestyle at college. When young people are used to eating at fine restaurants (or ANY restaurants, for that matter) on a regular basis, they begin to think it’s the norm, no matter who is footing the bill. Too often, expensive habits and tastes lead to ballooning student loan and credit card balances.
Overlooking FREE money. Before students graduate from high school, most are exposed to the scholarship opportunities that exist. However, many are influenced by their peers to think either a) it’s not cool to apply OR b) you have to be a brainiac so what’s the use. While scholarships are NOT just for freshmen, if a freshman student has not successfully applied for some of the free money resources, chances are they’ll overlook those opportunities as they advance through college. FACT: it’s as much a science as an art -- if they know HOW to find and apply, they will win awards.
Having no budget. While this is probably the most un-sexy topic to college freshmen, the reality is the only brakes they had on their own spending were generally imposed by their parents. Now that M&D are out of the picture (and out of the know), let the spending commence. If there is no set spending plan in place, the likelihood of blowing through graduation money, college savings, and Grandpa’s inheritance are fairly high.
No forced savings plan. There are two things that students have on their side -- one is time and the other is what that time will do to the money they put away now. Sure it may not seem like a big deal to save $30 a month out of the $3-400 that students make part-time, but the habit that is formed makes saving 10% of $3-4,000 a month significantly easier down the road.
Keeping up with peers. When a roommate says, “we’re all going out for pizza tonight, wanna go?” it’s difficult (if not downright impossible) to say “no thanks”, right? As difficult as it may be, the drive to keep up with the spending power of a neighbor may put students in the poor house for the long haul. Whether it’s dinners out, new clothes, ringtones for everyone in the address book, or “socializing”, the amount of money that a peer spends should have no impact on a student’s spending... but it does. |
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