DEEP WATER AHEAD

There is deep water ahead for the Obama Administration and the Democrat controlled Congress and extreme care must be taken to avoid overloading the ship. The idea of change was the most appealing catch phrase during the election campaign and that idea created the victory the Democrats were seeking. But, did "change" mean that the Government was to become THE answer and solution to all the problems and negative decisions made by everyone during the past ten years?

The economy is in free fall to be sure. The blind optimism of business and citizens during the past 10 years created a sense of mindless spending and paper wealth that broke the barriers of reality. Too many people believed that the unreal appreciation of home values was just going to continue forever. This created the feeling by too many that they could just spend and buy without regard to their debt level because many were able to leverage the "value" or "equity" in their homes through lines of credit or refinancing tools provided by banks and lenders who fed the flames by making credit all to available for far too long. Well, as this happened and now EVERYONE is going to have to pay the price and regroup.

The new Administration has quickly accepted the responsibility for the years of excess by announcing that help has arrived and giving the false impression that the Government can and will fix everything. This will never happen and if upcoming policies are ruled by politics instead of pragmatic logic the Obama Administration will sink in the deep water of good intentions.

Some attempts at slowing down the economic disaster is warranted and necessary but the continual message to our citizens must be a combination of the hard truth and reality that the Government is only able to buy time and anyone who is in financial trouble due to a home buying decision or excessive credit card spending or job loss or anything else needs to use this time to make a plan for themselves and their families. Turn off the television. turn off the computer and the cell phones and sit down with your family and be honest enough to see the truth of your situation. Then begin to change the things that are causing your problems and begin to feel good about the fact that once you face whatever reality you have and begin to heal, things will improve. It's not going to be easy but it is necessary.

It's Time To Think Again