SOURCE: Americans for Tax Reform: ATR.org

Read it here

by Ryan Ellis

I have purchased only one new car thus far in my life, but I was not the one who did the haggling. I left that to my mother’s husband, who is an expert at grinding out great deals (not to mention he had already purchased multiple cars from the dealer we went to). That said, remembering how he operated and now watching this video, I have realized that I think I will be able to haggle for my own car next time.

However the biggest hurdle is going to be not caring about how much of an asshole you’re being to the dealer.

The only way to save GM, is to kill GM. – Michael Moore

Like many Americans, I have fond memories of riding in huge boats with “GM” emblazoned on the seatbelt buttons. I also remember my grandfather being rather adamant about the brand at times, as grandparents tend to be when it comes to American cars. Talk about a new generation.

Thanks to my friend, Monica, for sending this to me. And thanks to Michael Moore for writing it. I don’t always like your movies that much, but good article (As though he’s reading this).

Find his article here.

I am not a sage, nor am I a millionaire, but I am doing what I love for a living, working from home, and waking up excited about every single day. Keeping that in mind, read on:

We have all heard that the unemployment rate is getting worse, and the reasons why are obvious. Banks and businesses are folding left and right in this Grizzly Bear of a market. You can find one individual’s tale about unemployment here. The latest figures I have seen from the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts 24-54 year olds at 4.8% and growing everyday. 25-29 year olds are at 6.5% and 30-34 year olds at 5.2%; virtually unheard of since I have been alive. Hundreds of thousands are losing their jobs every month since last summer, and it will only get worse.

I have an acquaintance on unemployment. Let’s call this person, “Acquaintance.” This person falls into the 30-34 year old crowd.

Acquaintance has been fired from their last three positions due to ineptitude, laziness or simply because they were not seen as the “right fit” (translation: they were annoying their co-workers to the point that they felt the need to speak up). They always chalked it up to someone “having it in” for them but I think deep down they knew the truth.

I understand the need one would have for the occasional night out, cocktail, whatever, and unemployment can help provide those things. We are creatures of habit, after all, and to suddenly be confined indefinitely to the home whereas once you were out everyday can be a severe life-change. It could even bring about negative effects.

At the same time, I am a conservative individual when it comes to work. I enjoy working hard and reaping the rewards. It is difficult for me to not work, to cut loose and take time out to play. I have never been accused of being lazy, but I have been accused of being a workaholic.

That said, I do not agree with unemployment acting as a crutch; few people do. As in, looking at the amount you are allowed to take and resting on your “laurels” so-to-speak, leisurely trying to find work that only pleases you while happily depositing your checks from the government.

This is not the problem with Acquaintance.

Unemployment can be an enabler; that is nothing new, but these days, and in this economy, people are doing anything they can to get by.

A person with no children, no car payment, no mortgage has more ability to generate an income than those with those responsibilities. Children, mortgages, etc. necessitate doing everything and anything possible to generate an income because, to put it bluntly, unemployment checks are not enough. Unfortunately there are individuals out there who “play” the system as much as they can. The issue was a strong one in American politics, but not today what with a crumbling economy, war, terrorism and other issues on the minds of voters.

Instead, we have individuals awaiting thousands in unemployment money, idly searching for jobs on the internet, “trying out” various career choices to see what might suit them. Meanwhile, the weeks pass, and in their downtime from surfing Monster, CareerBuilder, Craigslist, or signing up and going out on a couple of interviews with the occasional Recruitment Agency, they watch movies, play video games and go out, spending government money that should be put to better use.

It is not that I do not sympathize with the unemployed or laid-off; I do, and I wish them luck in finding a job in today’s difficult job market. But when I see individuals much older, much less able-bodied, and with much more pride in their work ethic taking menial jobs that they were probably doing twenty years earlier in order to make ends meet, I become upset.

As I said before, I sympathize with someone who has to go on unemployment, FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, and even with the person on unemployment who still needs a night out or drink at times. Hell, we all do.

I have had the good fortune of quitting every job I either did not like or was not good at. I never worried about quitting jobs, even with nothing else lined up, because I knew I was going to be up the next day, heading to a restaurant to serve table, knowing that it would be temporary and just to pay the bills. On my time off from said restaurant, I would job search, schedule interviews, etc.

Every day is work. That’s the bottom line.

This is for Acquaintance and every other person out there in the same situation, not for people with larger responsibilities:

People without children or mortgages need to take this time in their lives to make a decision about who they are and what they truly want to do. What are you truly passionate about? What would you do every single day even if you weren’t being paid and had no children or mortgages to worry about? In short, what do you love to do? Figure out a way to monetize and get to work. Don’t waste your time searching for another position that might give you status, money or attention from others. Don’t waste your time looking for praise.

If all you do is spend your time searching for something “big” or the almighty dollar, you are always going to be beaten, or fired, as it were. Because if you are not working at what you are passionate about, you will not be willing to put in the hours, and before you know it, the person who actually is passionate about that thing is going to stomp you into the ground. And there you will be, back to square one, looking for the next big paycheck, but in the meantime, collecting a small one that you did not earn.

And you know what? You deserve it.

- Milton Friedman, “Capitalism and Freedom” (1967)

Dare I say it, our government has irresponsibly let down its tax-paying citizenry in the worst way possible: by striking at not only our futures far down the line, but our parent’s futures TODAY.

That said, the damage is somewhat revocable. How? By demanding that the proposed $700 billion bailout be cancelled.

A recession, at this point, should be welcomed. The irresponsibility has gone too far. What would be the purpose of bailing out these lenders at the moment? To ensure that they can keep operating and handing out loans?
When the Federal Reserve dumps more money on the problem in the hopes of preventing a meltdown (which is what we get anyway), keeping interest rates low and inflation high, you get a run on credit by people who need it the most. And, as we should all know by now, those who need credit the most should not be allowed to have it. So rather than letting a system that was designed to follow the laws of supply and demand correct itself, the Fed steps in to calm things down, in effect becoming the monkey wrench we all look to, ignorantly, for help.

There is no reason to be frightened of a recession, nor any reason further irresponsible measures should be taken to avoid one. A recession is a sign that WHAT WAS ONCE our free-market economy still works. It doesn’t want the government to be involved, mucking things up by trying to place a band-aid on a gunshot wound. It wants the recession. It needs to correct itself. I say, we let it.

Most of us have been through at least one recession before (whether you were too young to notice it matters not, you’re family was feeling the pinch). It requires belt-tightening; something most of the new home-buying generation isn’t very familiar with yet, since tightening a Coach belt might decrease its inflated value.

It’s scary I know, but somehow we will be able to live without our gas-chugging Chevy trucks and Coach accessories for every body part, all of which are usually purchased on credit. We can also live without the replicated 6-bedroom homes for 3-person families, bought with low or zero down-payment, low interest home loans by individuals who obviously have neither the income nor the credit to back them up.

The United States has seen the first drop in median home prices since The Great Depression. We have been living in an age of fancy cars and boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner, and now the economy is telling us it is time to settle up. It is telling us the time has come to make sure you can still eat at all, not just get noticed while going out to eat. The reality has always been just beneath the surface, but now it has arrived.

Let me make one thing clear: we can no longer rely on our government for financial security. It has now proven its failure. Do you want to retire comfortably?

Then work. Save. Spend wisely.

America’s government and its citizenry (the majority at least) have been financially irresponsible for far too long, and now we need to pay for it. The party is not over, it just needs some re-tooling.

We all need to contribute to make it through what is going to be a very tough couple of years.

Step 1: Sign these petitions. QUICKLY. They might not make much of a difference, but it will kill 5 minutes during your first of many evenings spent at home:

http://financialpetition.org/petition.shtml

http://www.petitiononline.com/bailout/petition.html

Step 2: Stay home tomorrow night.

Step 3: Don’t vote for McCain or Obama, but if you feel you must vote for one of them, don’t waste your time signing the petitions above.

More steps to come in the future.

Postscript: The U.S. Housing Department reports that the percentage of foreclosed/default mortages for the country is still under 10%. That means that the majority of this crisis is due to only 10% of the mortgages in America. Imagine if that number were 20% or 50% or 90%. Then think about what you can afford and what it will really cost.

I was listening to the radio while driving to dinner a couple of weeks ago. The host was Tom Leykis, a Los Angeles radio veteran on Monday through Friday from 3 to 8pm on 97.1 KLSX. 95% of the time, Leykis discusses “issues” that focus mainly on men, such as how to get “laid” more, how to spend only $40 on a date, or how to “dump that bitch” the moment she starts talking about a relationship. Very highbrow.

Lately, however, Leykis has been focusing on the economy. It seems as though whenever I tune in, the topic has changed from “signing racks” to “how has the economy affected you?” On this particular Thursday evening, he had on a caller, a young man it sounded like, who just a few days earlier had lost his job working for Wachovia somewhere in Southern California. Apparently, he had called in the week prior and was talking to Tom about how thankful he was that he was working for a beleaguered bank and still had a job. Speaking too soon is an understatement.

He proceeded to tell Tom how he had been working diligently at the bank for the past couple of years, and then all of a sudden, he was let go. He was awarded no severance (which I assume means he was hourly) and had to leave the office that day. He went on to explain how he also had a roommate in his apartment with whom he split the rent. Unfortunately, the roommate had decided to return to school in San Francisco and had bailed on him a month earlier.

At this point, the tone of the call shifted dramatically, because this man completely broke down.

Within just one month, he had gone from working for a bank, doing a job that was helping him pay for his college tuition and living with a roommate in an apartment, to living in his car. He explained that he could not stay with his parents at the time because he they had no room due to his other siblings, and that he was, in fact, helping them pay for their mortgage. He was going to cancel his cellphone next and was using some of his remaining minutes to call Tom and ask for advice. Throughout all of this, he was sobbing, saying what a “failure” he was and that he did not make himself more indispensable at his job.

“I never knew how good I had it,” he said.

He also explained that, since he did not have an address, he had been rejected by other businesses for a lack of residence. And forget trying to get another bank job.

Tom, for his part, did the right thing by first suggesting that the guy go get a P.O. box for a couple of bucks at the nearest UPS Store. Then he told the guy to do what most listeners were probably thinking he should do: bite the bullet, tell his parents, and start sleeping on the couch. The guy realized he would not be able to continue school, but the important thing was that he stop living in his car.

I could go on a rant here about how this guy probably could have kept his job had executives in his company been smarter about their business practices or not taken huge salaries with perk-addled bonuses, but the bottom line is that by the time the call was over, listeners, including myself, were faced with one of the many hard truths of these times: people out there are not losing their jobs strictly due to laziness or ineptitude. Hard-working people are being given the heave-ho simply because there is no more money to pay them with.

I imagine myself back at that age (pretty easy since it was only around eight years ago), and I think about how I would have reacted had that happened to me. I was fortunate enough to have parents who had found success, thus I was taken care of. If I had suddenly lost both my job and my home within the same month, there was always a bed for me at home, and in fact I have had to use it at times.

I have never been laid off or fired from a job, and I count my blessings everyday; ten times more in the last six months, but one of the caller’s comments really stuck with me, and probably will for a very long time. He mentioned that a good many of the previous callers that were on before him were commenting on how the current state of the economy was essentially “cleaning house” for the rest of the hard-working people in the country. To put it bluntly: the people losing their jobs were losing them because they were useless jobs to begin with, occupied by lazy people who never realized how easy they had it.

I beg to differ.

I realize that there have to be some jobs in the millions lost that should not have existed in the first place for the sake of proper budgeting, but that does not give anyone the right to judge another person’s work or occupation from a distance. Those that immediately jump to the conclusion that all of these lost jobs were useless in the first place, should stop and take a closer look at the walls of their glass houses and make sure of how thick they are.

This economy, while far from a depression (it’s not a depression if they’re still throwing away food at restaurants), is turning on those who felt protected, safe and completely invulnerable. We cannot start believing that everyone is at risk, because that is taking a stance of fear. That is working against, not for.

Instead, we should take this opportunity to look closely at what it is we do, what we offer, and if we are truly passionate about it. To really examine what we are after: Money or Happiness. The Money route helped to land us here, so that might not be the best course of action. I have learned the hard way, through boring office jobs, undertaking work I couldn’t care less about, to finally trying to strike out on my own, with my own company, my own work. And I can tell you right now, it is far better now to wake up every morning and look forward to my day, even if the paychecks come every six weeks instead of every 2. Working without passion shows. When you see someone performing a duty they don’t absolutely love, it is clear, and odds are they are going to be out-worked by someone more passionate. I understand it can get tough, especially with mortgages, kids and bills, bills, bills, but it does not take 20-20 vision to see that the clearest way make those things labors of love rather than just labors, is to go after your passions. Even if it’s in your off-time.

There were people being laid off long before this economy tanked and long before the bailouts and the Iraq invasion and the housing slump, and there will continue to be layoffs even when the country is in boom times. Think of how those people must feel, the ones who were pink-slipped when the country was sky-high.

So let’s take a cue from the Leykis caller and think about how good we do have it, or how good we could have it, by trying to do what we love.

Am I wrong?