Have you ever wondered how things really work? I do. Consider the economy. Today there are no shortage of “experts” and “pundants” out there to tell you how or what to think. Are these people really that smart or are they just lucky? I, for one, do not believe in most of the self proclaimed experts or their opinions. If these people were really true experts, wouldn’t they be out doing what they say instead of just getting paid to say it? Now I am sure many of the people you see on the television programs or hear on the radio are very well schooled in the general fundimentals of their proclaimed fields, but if their information was as correct as they say it is, shouldn’t it be working all of the time? The point I am trying to make is that no one has the absolute lock on information. What might seem right to one person may be viewed as complete lunacy to another.

   So here we are, at a major crossroad in the history of our great nation. We are about to welcome into the white house the first mixed race president in our history. I refer to Mr. Obama as mixed race because he is neither black or white, he is both.  I do truly hope that he is as good on the job as he is at the podium. The problem is, he really cannot do anything to actually fix what is broken. Now I am sure he can do things to make the problems worse, but the best he can do toward a solution is to try to bring a sense of confidence in our future, while not placing major roadblocks in the way of what will actually fix our economy.

   I was considering things and came to this thought- Governemnts and Kingdoms do not “create” economies. They “appropriate” resources to pay for programs and infastructure. Through the use of taxation and regulation governments gather what they need to perform their desired tasks. The only way to “create an economy is through the free trade of goods and services created by people. If you study history you will see that this is true. No government ever actually produced any product. In the past, many governments produced fear by military might. This allowed them control over the general commerce that was already present among the people. By exerting this control, kings and leaders were able to then tax this commerce to further their own cause. Where the governmental forces grew overly burdonsom, the local economies failed. This in turn caused the government to fail as well since it didn’t produce any actual products or tangible services.

This brings me to the point of my writing today. I am completely convinced that if we are to be able to fix our economy and return true prospertity to this great nation, it will have to happen at the local community level. We must literally stop listening to the “experts” talk and begin to talk to each other. At the community level we can discover what is needed, find a solution, and implement the solution.  We have to return to the practice of shopping in our own communities. If you can find something in your home town (even if it costs a little bit more), buy it there instead of going to some big regional shopping area in another town.  Buy your cars in your own town, the job you save there may save your own job as well. When ever possible, keep your money working at home. When you buy things over the internet or from a catalogue just to save a few bucks, you are actually sending away vital resources that help keep your community alive.  I must admit guilt to being a Walmart shopper, but I am now developing the habit of first trying to find what I need locally, then looking at the big stores. I cuurently am developing a small business from my home. In the process of this I have discovered the absolute value of the other local businesses like mine. As we redevelope our LOCAL economies, we will bring back the strength of our national economy. It is only through this kind of free market system that a lasting proserity can come.

   This nation used to be the larget producer of goods, now it is the largest consumer of goods. Major corporations have long taken advantage of this fact whie loosing sight of how we came to be able to afford to be great consumers. It will take people at the local level who aren’t afraid to step out and make something again to bring this all back into balance. If you run your business just from the board room or off of the accounting reports, you are destined to fail. While it is important to have sound fiscal pratices, true success will be found by running your business from the sales floor. Only there can you really know what your customer wants. Without that contact and care in customer service, you will find that the source of your revenue will dissapear, without fully understanding why.  The corporate mentality of fighting to preserve the bottom line without considering anything else is doomed to failure.

   As we go forward, let us relearn how to work together.  Let us bring back that sense of community. I am confident that through this we will once again be the great nation.

             Glenn Smith Jr, author of the book “The Key of Forgiveness”

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 - 2:32 AM
Category: Business/Economy.

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