Benjamin Franklin was right

I get to travel around a bit for my job. It allows me to visit different businesses in my area as well as in others. I’ve been around for a little while, but still considered new within the group I work in. So, perhaps that gives me a varied opinion/perspective on things, i.e., not yet tainted.

I recently spent time at a location that I have worked at a few times before. This was a new, adventurous, aggressive work team. All modern design inside and out; marble floors, glass partitions, leather couches, plasma televisions, Otis Spunkmeyer, and fat salaries. The halls a buzz with activity, you could almost hear the money changing hands. Every possible space filled with talk of expansion and branching out.

This time was different. Offices were bare and staffing was sparse. The halls were empty, furniture gone. No longer was there laughter and boisterous talk. In their place, silence; just silence. Executives fired and staff let go, this is what death of a business feels like.

Everything that is born has to die. And that stands true even with commerce. Oh, and one more thing. You may get away with it for now, but when the GOVT gets a hold of you…it won’t be over ‘til you’re done.

It’s a good day when it hails fire

All over the world there is conflict and suffering. If you’ve watched the news over the past couple of months, you know what I’m talking about; the takeover in Honduras, continued missile testing in North Korea, drug cartel violence in Mexico, just to mention a few. And this doesn’t even address the financial trouble affecting nearly every nation with the devaluation of currencies, instability in security markets, and layoffs in virtually every sector of the job marketplace. Or the environmental changes; the NOAA just announced a stronger than expected El Nino for the next 12 months, deadly earthquakes and other natural disasters are becoming more prevalent in more populous areas.

In spite of all of this, I am encouraged by the efforts of our leaders to try and aid systemic recovery. I have to admit that it is a bold undertaking to address the economy with its many moving and interdependent parts, universal healthcare coverage, and continue efforts to exit Iraq and confront other military concerns around the globe. I’m proud to say that I voted for President Obama and hope that he can accomplish all that he has planned.

Where She'll End, Nobody Knows

Man, the U.S. economy is in the proverbial toilet! It seems like everyday you hear about a new data release, and it’s almost never positive; unemployment claims are up, retail spending is declining, foreclosures are on the rise at unprecedented levels, and consumer confidence is at its lowest level on record. On the upside, the dollar is strengthening against other foreign currencies. Better put is that the dollar is not weakening as quickly as other currencies, thus creating the appearance of appreciating. Oh, and did we mention that the increase in the value of the dollar will have an adverse effect on commodity prices and the level of exports? Well it will. Every cloud has a silver lining, right? Or perhaps every silver cloud is followed by a bolt of lightning. And what do we do when the clouds come, go golfing.

The economic environment is truly amazing. Really! I was a student of economics back in another time, and the classroom discussions were always philosophical. Times were good; individual net worth was up, unemployment was optimal, and everyone was spending. I sometimes envy the economic and business students of today. I am sure that their discussions on various economic theories and principals are highly attended. It is an exciting time to be alive and a part of society. The next several years will shape our country’s future for some time. It is in hard economic times that people either make real changes or simply temporary accommodations to their situation. I am hoping for the former. We have a new incoming president with fresh ideas and a same party Congress. People are ready for something not the same. Be aware, be a part, and lets move toward real change that will last.