On a More Personal Note

My husband says I am critical, cranky, and dissatisfied with everyone around me. I told him, I thought he was right, it was probably the company I've been keeping . . . We all tend to want to assess a mess and blame somebody, anybody; politicians, Wall Street, pundits, or reporters and when it all boils down to brass tacks, or tax as the case may be, who is actually affected? I know when I'm fed up, it only affects me, as my husband told me does his best to ignore any complaints. And I thought, that probably is the same way the politicians see the constituents. Another interesting fact I've learned about our present leader and our leader-elect. Our President goes to bed every evening pretty early, which seems to me to indicate, the problems aren't keeping him awake at night. I read that even through campaign strategy meetings, Pres-elect had to monitor his Black-berry regularly. And just last night, my husband told me there was no resolution to my complaint and he was going to bed. He used to just take calls through our "quality time." This made me realize what is happening nationally, is only the results en mass, of what is happening individually. It seems that all of America is realizing just how insecure our future truly is, and it's got to be some body's fault, and nobody is listening to our complaints. I heard President Bush say the other day, "it didn't happen overnight and it won't be resolved overnight." Well, really now? I also heard him say just one month before the crisis was announced, that our economy was secure. Alright, so it didn't happen overnight, it took a month . . . I'm thinking this automaker bailout may just be some sort of smoke screen to keep us occupied while something bigger happens. Congress is finished at the end of the week and a new one will convene a couple of weeks before a new President is inaugurated, so I just can't help but wonder what is in store for us from Thanksgiving through New Year's. I'm thinking as the economy goes global, that making cars just isn't going to be America's contribution. Maybe in the global economy Germany or Japan gets to make all the cars! But back to our month with recessing politicians, and plans for new administrations. I theorize that this gives "we the people" a month to get our ducks in a row, while the officials wring their hands, debate, and take recess. What can we do? Can we adjust our spending, buy what's truly needed, change our habits, and assess where we are in life? Or just spend another month blaming the other party and the corporate elite and the welfare recipients, and gripe about trying to maintain our regular spending habits. I say, the only way to repair the country is with a new assessment, personally. We can change the economy by what we buy, what we spend, and what we don't. I chose Hanukkah gifts that inspire independence and creativity. I don't think my grandchildren read this blog, but just in case, I won't mention specifics. I did get the girls a keepsake and our grandson a special something from days gone by, and I kept these items under $20.00, and one apiece. The rest of the seven days, they will be opening mind challenging puzzles, crafts, and even a few home made items. I didn't go all out this year, and I realize prices have increased, but I didn't chintz out either. I didn't buy any of the trendy stuff, as I have no idea what is trendy. Rather I like to refer to our gifts as practical yet special and somewhat unique. We created a game earlier this year called ECONAMOK, long before the economy was declared to have run amok, and the grandkids play it when they come. It of course has a political, socio-economic theme to which our grandkids caught right on. As the months unfolded, I was shocked to see how close to reality the game has been. So this year, we'll have a new Hanukkah tradition. We'll light candles, play dreidel and eat latkes, and one evening we'll play ECONAMOK, so our grandchildren can be prepared for what the world will offer.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. a Proverb of Holy Scripture