Controlling the Message
A poll reported on FOX News yesterday told America that over 60% of us are paying very close attention to the economy and the financial mess on Wall Street- this would be a great thing if the pundits on the issues actually had a clue what was going on.
Irresponsible Rhetoric
I’ve heard on a daily basis that you cannot get a home loan, and each day I’ve reached out to local lenders and asked if anything has changed. Over and over again, I am told that money is flowing fine, and not to listen to the news. Well, that’s great, but 65% of the country is listening to the news, and if it’s wrong, then over 65% of Americans will more than likely believe what they’re hearing.
Who’s in Charge?
I’ve heard over and over again after 9/11 when George Bush called on Americans to go shopping, to spend money, that the country did exactly that. I have to wonder, if the opposite is being said to 65% of Americans today- don’t bother, our economy is dead. Who’s in charge around here? The media? Who determines the course of America’s future- the press? After all, all we heard all weekend was to not to invest in the market, and it surprises me that folks were surprised when a massive sell off occured after the opening bell Monday morning.
Apparently They Control the Message
This isn’t an attack on the free press, but it is an attack on the pulpit they’re being given in a so called crisis. If you give the press enough room they’ll hang us all if no one steps up and leads on the issue. Someone needs to step up, someone needs to set the correct message, someone needs to set records straight, otherwise, the solutions being formulated will only be met in the end with a larger challenge- a paralyzed market.
Recession/Depression is the New Reality
It must be true, because I heard it on FOX, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, and on the radio. Why must it be true? Because no one is leading on this issue but the press and they’re leading with a Headline that says “DOOM!”
The credit crunch is real, the ability for businesses to get credit is a huge reality, but I’m not sure that scaring Americans into mattress stuffing is an answer that will help small, medium, nor large employers.
So I’ll Do My Part
Yes, you can get a home loan, yes, you can buy a house, and yes, you can save a ton of money when you buy one, and no, the quick flip is not a great idea, but the long term investment of home ownership is.
Help your local small businesses by doing some shopping, call your stock trader and see if there are any choice bargains and pick up a few shares, take your family out to eat, trade in that gas guzzler for something a little more efficient. I don’t care what you do, so long as you don’t allow your fears to overtake you.
I realize that what I am saying is not a gut wrenching analysis of the economy and financial problems in the market, but rather, a snapshot of a country that is gripped with fear that is being fed between each commercial break- by what we call “the free press.”
