Housing. Is it really that bad?

Just take a look at this video and then ask yourself if what is being asked from the U.S. Government is reasonable. Is it really that bad?

Recession Proof Jobs

"FBI Seeks More Geeks
January 9, 2009: The U.S. FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is on another hiring binge. With 30,200 employees (40 percent of them "special agents"), the FBI is looking for another 850 special agents, and 2,100 other specialists with scarce skills. With a recession going on, this is a good time to be recruiting computer specialists, although Arab linguists are still hard to find. But even the recession is even putting a few Arabic translators out of a job.
All this is in support of the war on terror, and also to replace the growing number of baby boomers who are retiring. The FBI is eager to increase the proportion of agents and support personnel possessing more foreign language and computer skills. This is critical as the FBI stations more personnel overseas. For nearly 70 years, the FBI has had a presence overseas. While the CIA was created half a century ago to specialize in collecting intelligence overseas (and is forbidden by law from doing that in the United States), the FBI always maintained some presence abroad. Even before September 11, 2001, the FBI was sending more agents overseas as part of domestic counter-terror operations. Currently, there are over 200 FBI personnel stationed overseas, in nearly fifty countries. The FBI usually operates out of the local U.S. embassy.

Back home, the FBI is responsible for detecting and defeating large scale computer crime operations. This is becoming a larger and larger responsibility, and the Bureau wants more people qualified to hunt down the cyber criminals, and build a criminal case against them." -- Strategy Page

Freedom and Democracy.

"Freedom exists only where the people take care of the government." -- Woodrow Wilson

"Democracy is a very simple principle, and those who speculate about its meaning are those who are not quite willing to accept it. The dictionary defines it as "the rule of the people." Not much more need be said about it." -- Bernard Smith

Obama Stimulus Plan Passes In The Senate.

Abortion Bailout. Can you believe it?

Abortion bailout? Believe it! Stop it!!!

"WASHINGTON (BP)--More than 60 abortion rights groups have signed a 55-page report to President-elect Obama urging him to include abortion coverage in any national health care plan and to help roll back dozens of pro-life laws, including bans on taxpayer funding of abortion and partial-birth abortion in what one pro-life group says would amount to an "abortion bailout."" -- Town Hall.com

One of the groups who are among the signatories is the American Civil Liberties Union. As you may or may not know, this group tends to hide many of its outright agendas in the text of its site. However, dig a little, and here is what they say about abortion.

"ACLU Calls Again for Withdrawal of Regulations Jeopardizing Women’s Health (9/26/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union and all its state affiliates, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services asking the administration to rescind regulations that could seriously undermine access to reproductive health services, including birth control and abortion." -- ACLU

Here is what Obama's site, Change.gov says regarding reproductive choice.

"Reproductive Choice
Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims."

While it is important for women to have access to affordable health care and be protected, destroying an unborn child's life it utterly despicable. Showing this disrespect for life is not an honorable thing. This kind of tolerance or belief, while we are all entitled to our personal beliefs, is not acceptable.

"Even though Obama's website makes it clear "the document was produced by an outside party and submitted" to the Obama transition team, pro-life groups nevertheless are concerned, in part because pro-choice groups made up part of Obama's election base, and also because Obama himself is a staunch pro-choicer who once told a likeminded audience he "will never back down" in his support of abortion rights." -- Town Hall.com I could not find any such document on the Obama site. I could only surmise from this that it had been removed because of the controversy. The following is a portion of the supposed document text according to Town Hall.com.

"As for Obama's first 100 days in office, the groups urge the president-elect to sign executive orders and back legislation that would force American taxpayers to pay for abortions. Among their priorities, the groups ask that Obama, in the first 100 days:

-- work with Congress to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits Medicaid and other federal funds from paying for abortions. Medicaid funded about 300,000 abortions in the year prior to the Hyde Amendment's enactment in 1976.

-- put forward a health care reform bill that covers a "full range of reproductive health services, including contraception, maternity care, and abortion care."

-- more than double funding (from $300 million to $700 million) for Title X, which funds Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. Although the funds technically are prohibited from funding abortions, that has done little to persuade pro-lifers to support it.

-- include in his first budget $1 billion for international family planning programs, including $65 million for the controversial U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which has been denied funding during the Bush administration based on the agency's support of China's coercive population-control policy."

Troubling? Yes. However, you can do something about this. Here is the information you need. The source is "Team Sarah", a site driven by Sarah Palin and her supporters.


"December 19, 2008

Dear Team Sarah,

Tired of bailouts?

Well they aren't going away anytime soon. Now the abortion industry wants one!

We all knew that Planned Parenthood (the number one abortion provider in the country) was going to have a special seat at the table in the Obama administration. Well it hasn't taken them long at all to roll out their extreme agenda.

Tell your Senator today that Planned Parenthood should not get a bailout.

Go to www.stoptheabortionbailout.com

Abortion groups have submitted their 50 page proposal to the Obama-Biden transition team. At the top of the list? More taxpayer dollars for abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood. How much more? Over 1.5 billion dollars more!

The Abortion Bailout Package:

**$1 BILLION dollars in taxpayer funding for International Abortion Groups like UNFPA, an international aid organization connected to coercive abortion as part of China's coercive one-child policy

**$700 million in taxpayer funding for "Title X" Health Clinics (aka your local Planned Parenthood affiliate)

**Repeal the Hyde Amendment -- Vastly expanding federal taxpayer funding for abortions

**Include Abortion coverage in any taxpayer-subsidized national health care program

**Expand taxpayer-funded abortions through the Peace Corps program

It is an outrage for Planned Parenthood to expect you to give your hard earned dollars to fund the destruction of innocent life.

Join citizens across our great country in telling their Senators to keep your tax dollars out of the abortion providers. Tell them to Stop the Abortion Bailout!

Sign the Petition today!

www.stoptheabortionbailout.com"

Take Care of the Government

"Freedom exists only where the people take care of the government." -- Woodrow Wilson

Senate GOP Action Alert.

A memo was leaked that was sent as a "Senate GOP Action Alert" prior to the vote on the bailout. It states:

"...Senators Ensign, Shelby, Coburn and DeMint...The message they want us to deliver is: This is the democrats first opportunity to payoff organized labor after the election...Republicans should stand firm and take their first shot against organized labor...If we can hold the Republicans, we can beat this." -- This according to MSNBC as shown in the video below.





Notice in the above video that the recorded earnings of union versus non-union workers is not actually different. Therefore, that factor can actually be taken out of the mix, that is, as long as those number are correct as reported.

Was the bill killed because of the union or because of politics?

The Global Economic Roller Coaster

What is the economic roller coaster doing around the globe? It is important to ask that question, being that we are living in a globalized economy in which each developed nation's economy feeds on its neighboring nation's economic survival.

"BEIJING/TOKYO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Deflationary fears spreading over the global economy are crashing into Asia's manufacturing base as data on Wednesday showed a sharp slowdown in wholesale price growth in the region's top two economies, Japan and China.

The situation is quite severe. We are slipping into a deflationary recession risk pretty fast," said Isaac Meng, an economist with BNP Paribas in Beijing.

China's growth is expected by the World Bank to slide in 2009 to 7.5 percent, below a level of 8 percent widely regarded as the minimum needed to absorb millions of people entering the work force each year. It expanded 11.9 percent in 2007." -- FXStreet.com

"ROME (Dow Jones)--Italian gross domestic product fell the most in a decade in the third quarter due to lower exports and investments, while October industrial output figures showed that the fourth quarter is likely to be even worse.

Final third-quarter data from statistics office Istat Wednesday confirmed that Europe's fourth-largest economy fell into a deep recession..." -- The Wall Street Journal

"Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government and central bank are considering plans to pump billions of pounds into the economy as the bank rescue package and the lowest interest rates since 1951 fail to halt a slide into recession.

The Bank of England and the Treasury are weighing a strategy known as “quantitative easing” where authorities increase money supply to boost bank reserves. The initiative was last used by Japan at the start of the decade.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government is frustrated that banks are rationing credit after tapping the Treasury for cash and guarantees to prop up their own balance sheets. Policy makers both in the U.K. and the U.S. Federal Reserve are looking beyond traditional interest-rate tools to revive the economy." -- Bloomberg.Com

"WASHINGTON, US — Congressional Democratic leaders and the White House have apparently reached a deal to spend US$15 billion on emergency loans for struggling U.S. automakers.

It would create a government “car czar” to dole out the loans, with the power to force the car makers into bankruptcy if they didn’t cut quick deals with labour unions, creditors and others to restructure their businesses and become viable.

Congressional Republicans, left out of negotiations on the package, are expressing grave reservations and may seek to block it.

Republican Senator David Vitter promised to filibuster the measure, which could delay a final vote for days." -- The London Free Press

So, while information is power, positive information is even more powerful than that the ever looming and extremely obvious recession and economic collapse. Therefore, here are some pluses to the current economy.

Oil prices are down to $45.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. This means that gas prices are lower and therefore there is more money in our pockets.

30-year Mortgage Rates are down (as of yesterday) to about 5.53% according to Forecasts.org. Therefore, if you have good credit, you may want to purchase a home, or refinance your existing dwelling.

Additionally, in these lackluster consumer spending times, all types of stores are competing more than they ever have for your business. There are multiple deals and coupons, so take advantage this holiday season.

Auto Bailout. Where are the economic advisers?

Tell me. Where are the economic advisers, the accountants, the good economists for the United States when decisions like the bailouts are being made in Congress?

If we are creating a bailout for these large auto corporations at 5% interest, how is it that we are making an investment? The reason I ask this is that we are paying out at least 5% in interest to foreign countries on the money we are borrowing for these bailouts. Doesn't the country have a good accountant/economist who can advise on a higher percentage of interest for these loans so that we can actually make money on this supposed investment?

Besides the interest issue, what about the profit being made by GM on its overseas sales? Are they really in such desperate need of the taxpayers money?

"Now GM is looking at its own international stable, and has its eye on China as a source of stopgap revenue for its North American operations. We've posted before on the fact that GM's international operations aren't doing too badly, and GM China sold 11.5 million vehicles last year -- more than any other manufacturer there. This year, it expects China sales volume to grow by 11- to 12-percent, and that means yuan in the bank." -- autoblog

So, shouldn't GM utilize its overseas profits at this time, instead of getting a handout that is composed of our future tax dollars with an interest our country is currently paying other countries for the money?

Additionally, shouldn't there be a mandatory restructuring of these enormous bureaucratic corporations in order for them to receive a dime of our money? And along with the restructuring, wouldn't it be prudent that the CEOs and other exorbitantly highly paid executives of these companies (Ford, GM, Chrysler) be taking a mandatory cut in pay, to a pay scale that actually fits standards of someone who should be accountable for the success of their company(s)?

The desire is not that additional U.S. jobs be lost. The desire is for accountability and basic accounting in general.

What do you think? Do you support this "bailout"? Or do you have a multiplicity of questions?

Paulson Committing Terrorism? You must listen to this!

In this economy, many people are attempting to blame anyone they can to make sense of the situation. Some claim that this is the New World Order, but you need to decide that for yourself. Conspiracy? Truth? Very interesting!

Where is the economic transparency?

"'With arrears forecast to increase over 2009, it is essential that all lenders ensure that their arrears and repossession policies treat customers fairly.'

'Borrowers facing difficulty deserve to know that their lenders have the right measures in place to treat them fairly and try to help them keep their homes wherever this is an achievable outcome.'

"

These two statements were official and placed in the www.dailymail.co.uk

"Mortgage lenders were warned today to treat customers in arrears fairly or face action, as 45,000 people are expected to lose their homes by the end of the year."

Wouldn't it have been prudent that the mortgage companies, lenders, and all other organizations tied-up in this mess might have thought of treating each case as special (not, one-size-fits-all) before this melt-down? If that would have happened, much of the mess would have been avoided.

Do these companies really have to be told to "treat customers in arrears fairly"? I guess they are that stupid, since they are the ones that got us in this mess in the first place.

Isn't there some way that a compromise can be met? I mean, I am sure that there are those who are really having a tough time. There are consumers who have lost their jobs and have not been able to make ends meet. And then, there are those who bought the big house, the new cars, the new furniture, and spent double or even triple their income. And now they are going to ask for money or leniency.

And what about those of us who have been paying our mortgage? What about those of us who have not purchased new cars, new furniture, and are paying our bills on time? Should we just stop doing that so that we can get an equal hand-out?

Where is the motivation to succeed if you can just buy anything and have the government (or, in other words, the U.S. taxpayer) pay for it?

I believe that the general population would like to see the economy issues solved in a fair, motivational, growth-inspiring way. Wouldn't you like to see the details of rules they have created for the bailout so that you know where your money is going? Where is the U.S. economic transparency that needs to be in place for the use of our taxpayer dollars?

U.S. Stores Closing. Economy Woes.

Watch those store money cards and gift cards.. and credit slips! Stores
that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October
2008 and January 2009. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FAMILY AND
FRIENDS.


Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many)

Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered

Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide

Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January

Cache will close all stores

Talbots closing down all stores

J. Jill closing all stores

GAP closing 85 stores

Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January

Wickes Furniture closing down

Levitz closing down remaining stores

Bombay closing remaining stores

Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.

Whitehall closing all stores

Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)

Macys to close 9 stores after January

Linens and Things closing all stores

Movie Galley Closing all stores

Pacific Sunware closing stores

Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores

JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.

Wilson Leather closing down all stores

Sharper Image closing down all stores

K B Toys closing 356 stores

Loews to close down some stores

Dillard's to close some stores.

In other words, don't buy gift cards from these stores!!!

Note: This was forwarded to my email from a friend, so I cannot vouch that it is 100% accurate.

Who Owns America?

Who owns America? American has incurred extraordinary amounts of debt due to war, disaster relief, stimulus for the economy, the massive bailout, and along with other reasons (which I am sure includes the pork put into bills for things hidden from the American public). I take issue with that!

"The national debt clock, the unofficial tracker of the federal deficit maintained by the Durst Organization in New York, has reached its limits. Last month, as the national debt exceeded $10 trillion for the first time, the clock ran out of digits to record the number.

The dollar sign in the clock had to be deleted and replaced with a one to record the massive number. The clock’s owners say a new model — with space for two extra digits — will be in place early next year.

Now the debt clock will be able to reach the quadrillions. Hopefully, that’s not a level that will be breached any time soon. –Phil Izzo" --The Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2008

The debt of the entire Third World and developing nations is about $1.65 Trillion dollars. The debt, as of October 20, 2008 (since the same date in 1993) is equal to $10,464,889,644,552.18, according the Treasury Direct . gov

"“We had thought we would have a little more time,” said Douglas Durst, whose late father Seymour B. Durst, erected the sign in 1989, “We’re rewriting the software to deal with the current economic problems and are in the process of designing a new sign that will have more digits.”

The Durst Organization, a real estate firm, plans now to add two more digits to the clock. That means the debt clock could reach $999.9 trillion before it becomes obsolete -- that’s $999,999,999,999,999 in debt or about 100 times more than we have now."-Scott Mayerowitz, ABC News.com

The U.S. National Debt Clock

So, who owns America?

"Public owners include banks, private investors, pension funds, mutual fund companies, insurance companies, and state, local or foreign governments.

Government agencies holding the debt include the Social Security trust fund, Federal employee retirement funds, and other trust funds (transportation, housing, etc). Like any other investor, these government agencies earn interest on the bonds and treasury bills that they hold."--Cheryl Woodard, AskQuestions.org

Feeling a little bit anxious? I am. All of the money the U.S. government needs for programs and the economic stimulus and bailouts is going to come from me and you, the taxpayers.

"Many people don't understand how Wall Street works, but they can see that housing prices are tanking, food prices are rising and gas prices are soaring.

When that pot of gold also known as a retirement account starts to disappear down an economic black hole, it can be very unsettling.

This increased dread and anxiety makes some people behave in unhealthy ways"--Linda Petty, CNN

So, get out the yoga mat and do some ohms cause it's going to be a long and bumpy ride.

Sources:
www.brillig.com
The Wall Street Journal
ABC News.com - Money Beat
AskQuestions.Org
CNN.com

Rethinking Obama. I've Been Too Hard On Him.

With the coming of a new week and with the opportunity to vote early, I am mulling over this election in my mind.

I'm giving Obama another thought, wondering if I am too hard on the poor lad.

Sure, the economy is bad. That is why the polls are so much higher for Obama. He has no ties to the economy, where McCain is a Republican and therefore, McCain must be responsible. When Obama gets elected, he'll fix the economy for sure.

So, I wondered about whether I've been too hard on Obama regarding the Ayers relationship. Is it his fault that the guy is literally his neighbor? I am sure that he never talks to his neighbors, since he has obviously been to busy organizing the community. He probably doesn't even know that Ayers purchased the other half of the lot, making Obama's half more affordable. I bet that, when Obama went next door for the fundraiser, he had no idea that he was stepping foot into Ayers' home. I'm guessing that he just thought he had been cut a lucky break when the guy next door offered to have a fundraiser to launch Obama's political campaign. He probably just said, 'Wow. This guy next door, whom I don't know at all, is willing to jump start my career and earn me some cash.". I bet he was totally excited and didn't even cross paths with Ayers the whole time he was there.

What about the contributions he has reportedly received (the top second) from Fannie Mae? Oh, that must have been a type-o. He is going to fix the economy, so he must have nothing to do with the down-swing of the nation's economy. He isn't a Republican. Obama is a Democrat, which means he had nothing to do with anything along the lines of the bombing economy and the lack of cash in our pocketbooks. He has tons of wonderful programs that the government is going to take charge of for us. Surely, the money for those programs will come from some magic place and we won't have to pay for it out of our earnings. His idea to have much of our society taken over by the government sounds so great. The government never screws anything up.

Obama has nothing to do with the war in Iraq. After all, he is a Democrat. Of course, he made a mistake when he initially voted for the war. The poor guy. Things just happen. It's not because of anything he has done. He wouldn't vote for anything like the war in Iraq. When Obama becomes President, his desire to yank the U.S. out of Iraq is so perfect. So what if Iraq collapses under it's own government.

I think it would be great to have dialog with Iran. When Amademajad says that the U.S. and Israel should be wiped off the map, Obama should just talk.

'So sorry that you feel that way, Amademajad. Let's talk it over and find out if this rage comes from your relationship with your father.'

When Amademajad says that the Holocaust never happened and that the Jews made it up, Obama should just discuss it. What is the problem in that? When Amademajad says that the U.S. should be bombed with a nuclear bomb, Obama should just assume that he is having a bad day, go get him a cup of coffee and talk. After all, he is human and he will feel better about things once he has been able to talk them out. Yes, Obama's desire to have diplomatic discussions with Amademajad is so realistic and reasonable.

I admire Obama's desire to be Christian. Wright must be getting the shaft when people are discussing his views. Being Christ-like is a tricky thing. Of course, Wright never taught that being Christian means that you can be racist. Why would Obama sit and listen to that council. Wright must be teaching the correct views on Christianity. Obama certainly wouldn't tie himself with anyone who taught incorrect things about 9/11. I sure do admire someone who is acting like a true Christian.

I think that I've been too hard on Obama for sure. I know who I'm going to vote for now that I have mulled it over.

Wealth Redistribution - Obama's Presidential Goal

Who would have thought that the United States of America would become a socialist nation. Sure, many of our Nation's people are having hard times. However, is it the American dream that some of the Nation's people work hard for a living and pay out huge portions of their income to the government so it can go to the people in the nation who don't pay taxes? Maybe some people in this nation have that dream, but the majority, I'd wager cash, don't think of that as their American dream.

With Obama, his idea is as follows...

"My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody ... I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

"The truth is, in order to get things like Universal Health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more"

--Michelle Obama, April 8, 2008

So, are you willing to give up a piece of your pie? I work to darn hard for my pieces of pie to want to give it up to the government for redistribution...to become a socialist nation! This theory of redistribution makes success finite. In American, is success supposed to be finite?! Infinite success is the American dream I've always heard about.

Doesn't the government waste most of our "pie"? Why would we want to give more of our "pie" to the government to waste? If I want more pie, I don't want to have to give most of it to the government because I have worked hard for it. If other people don't want to work for their pie, they can do without as much as I have. That is not to say that I am selfish. I give at least 10% to charity. However, I do believe that you should have to work for your desert.

"The media, of course, is very aggressive about not caring, but the malaise seems to affect ordinary Americans as well."

--Bookworm

Please open your eyes America! See what is being presented for what it is! If you don't like Bush, you certainly will after electing Obama! If you think that the economy is bad now, just wait until you elect Obama! Were our Founding Fathers wrong in the constitution? Or, did they fight for these freedoms...the American dream...the right to have a dream...in vane?

Sources:
GlennBeck.com
AmericanThinker.com
FoxNews.com

Depression and the Economy

Can what you are feeling today be attributed to the U.S. economy? Are you feeling blue because of the Dow Jones numbers falling? Can your depression be attributed to the U.S. Presidential Elections and the negative politics between candidates?

Of course, the answer to the above questions is, yes. Multiple sources show that the heavy weight of just hearing about these major issues affects our general well being. Not only that, but the fact that many are being affected in more personal ways regarding their homes being foreclosed upon, their jobs being lost, their 401K depreciating in value, their pensions being lost, and on and on. If you are thriving in this economic crisis, making a profit on your home, getting an income raise, or otherwise flourishing, you are one of the lucky ones.

According to the Mayo Clinic symptoms of depression include:

Loss of interest in normal daily activities
Feeling sad or down
Feeling hopeless
Crying spells for no apparent reason
Problems sleeping
Trouble focusing or concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Unintentional weight gain or loss
Irritability
Restlessness
Being easily annoyed
Feeling fatigued or weak
Feeling worthless
Loss of interest in sex
Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

"Depression symptoms can vary greatly because different people experience depression in different ways. A 25-year-old man with depression may not have the same symptoms as a 70-year-old man, for instance. For some people, depression symptoms are so severe that it's obvious something isn't right. Others may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why."

What can you do to help yourself if you find that you have some of the symptoms of depression?

Obtain the right amount of sleep. Some people need 8-12 hours of sleep. Other people need only 6 hours of sleep. The most important thing is that you stay consistent in the time you go to bed and the time you wake up to keep your internal clock running correctly.

Seek appropriate and consistent exercise. Depending on your fitness level, exercise regularly and aerobically. A brisk walk outside will help your heart and your mind. You'll find that, by exercising regularly, you'll benefit your mind, your body, and possibly eventually even your pocketbook.

Avoid excess sugar and/or caffeine. These stimulants can cause you to "crash", or in other words, they can cause a "major downer" after you have the "high" from either of these two stimulants.

MayoClinic.com has great advice regarding prevention of depression that we could all follow closely in these turbulent times. "However, taking steps to control stress, to increase your resilience and to boost low self-esteem may help. Friendship and social support, especially in times of crisis, can help you weather rough spells. In addition, treatment at the earliest sign of a problem can help prevent depression from worsening. Long-term maintenance treatment also may help prevent a relapse of depression symptoms."

Complications can occur from depression. "Depression is a serious illness that can take a terrible toll on individuals and families. Untreated, depression can lead to a downward spiral of disability, dependency and suicide. Depression can result in severe emotional, behavioral, health and even legal and financial problems that affect every area of your life. Complications that depression may cause or be associated with include:

Suicide
Alcohol abuse
Substance abuse
Anxiety
Heart disease and other medical conditions
Work or school problems
Family conflicts
Relationship difficulties
Social isolation"

What can you do to cope with depression or with the signs of depression? "Coping with depression can be challenging. Depression makes it hard to engage in the behavior and activities that may help you feel better. Talk to your doctor or therapist about improving your coping skills, and consider these tips to cope with depression:

Simplify your life. Cut back on obligations when possible, and set reasonable schedules for goals.

Consider writing in a journal to express pain, anger, fear or other emotions.

Read reputable self-help books and consider talking about them to your doctor or therapist.

Don't become isolated. Try to participate in normal activities and get together with family or friends regularly.

Take care of yourself by eating a healthy diet and getting sufficient sleep.

Join a support group for people with depression so that you can connect to others facing similar challenges.

Stay focused on your goals. Recovery from depression is an ongoing process. Stay motivated by keeping your recovery goals in mind. Remind yourself that you're responsible for managing your illness and working toward your goals.

Learn relaxation and stress management. Try such stress reduction techniques as meditation, yoga or tai chi.

Structure your time. Plan your day and activities. Try to stay organized. You may find it helpful to make a list of daily tasks.

Don't make important decisions when you're in the depths of depression, since you may not be thinking clearly."

You can become well again, even with the most severe forms of depression. If you feel that you cannot cope alone, please contact your physician for help.

Remember that these economic cycles are just that, cycles. The situation our economy is in at this moment will not be the situation a year from now. These cycles eventually have an upswing. So, change your outlook from doom-and-gloom to a visualization of a year from now when the outlook can be prosperous.

Sources:
MayoClinic.com

Stimulus Package Details. American Dream?

Where are you going to spend your rebate check?

Facts regarding the controversial economic stimulus package as found on the IRS Internet site at www.irs.gov are summarized here.

Stimulus checks begin being mailed in May, 2008.

To qualify, you must file your 2007 tax return.

Checks will be available via direct deposit if that is the option provided on your 2007 income tax return.

Eligibility.

"In most cases, the payment will equal the amount of tax liability on the return with a maximum amount of $600 for individuals ($1,200 for taxpayers who file a joint return) and a minimum of $300 for individuals ($600 for taxpayers who file a joint return).

...Low-income workers who have earned income above $3,000 but do not have a regular filing requirement must file a 2007 tax return to receive the minimum stimulus payment. Similarly, Social Security recipients, certain Railroad retirees, and those who receive the veterans’ benefits mentioned above must file a 2007 return in order to notify the IRS of their qualifying income."

"Parents and anyone else eligible for a stimulus payment will also receive an additional $300 for each qualifying child. To qualify, a child must be eligible under the Child Tax Credit and have a valid Social Security number."

Note: Limited to those with Social Security Numbers only! Please read all exclusions.

Once U.S. citizens receive the package rebate checks, instead of paying off debt, they are reportedly going to turn around and spend most of it at places like Wal-Mart.

What is wrong with shopping at Wal-Mart, you ask? For some, it remains their only option. This is understood.

However, the money spent at Wal-Mart will most likely go straight to China.

Here is the reason that the rebates may most likely go straight to China if spent at Wal-Mart. Click Here For Link To Article

"China is Wal-Mart's most important supplier in the world. The overseas procurement home office in Shenzhen, a city of South China's Guangdong Province, has played a key role in the firm's global purchasing business.

Wal-Mart shifted its overseas procurement centre from Hong Kong to Shenzhen in February 2002 to better serve the purchasing and exporting business.

"If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China's eighth-biggest trading partner, ahead of Russia, Australia and Canada," Xu said."

The word is getting out about our free trade issues, however. More Americans are realizing that our trade issues are directly affecting our economy. For instance, the jobs that are now at stake regarding the $40 billion contract for Air Force aerial refueling tankers that has been awarded to a partnership between Northrop Grumman and the European parent of Airbus, instead of the American manufacturer, the Boeing Company (refer to this link to The New York Times article.

An article on CNN.com relates the feelings of the American population quite eloquently. Click Here For Link To Article

"We are a nation crawling into a fetal position, cramped by fear that America has lost control of its destiny in a fiercely competitive global economy. The fear is mostly about jobs lost overseas and wages capped by foreign competition."

"Median household income in 2006, at $48,201, was barely ahead of where it was eight years earlier. So the prospect of a recession has made the anxious middle class even more so. Coming in a presidential election season, the approaching storm clouds have turned the economy into the No. 1 issue on the campaign trail. Fear is a potent force in American politics, and Democratic Party leaders have astutely tapped into rising voter unease about globalization."

"No matter which candidate or which party takes control of the White House one year from now, free trade will - in the words of Hillary Clinton - take a "time-out." That's because Congress - which will most likely remain in the hands of the Democrats regardless of who wins the White House in November - took away President Bush's ability to negotiate trade deals by quietly letting so-called fast-track authority lapse last summer. And lawmakers won't hand that power back to any new President - Democrat or Republican - without major new federal programs (and new trade rules) designed to ease the stress of globalization on U.S. workers."

What do you and I do in a time like this?

For one, we stop borrowing money. Additionally, we remain aware of the economy, the trade, and the large companies that are involved. We make wise choices regarding our spending so that the money can actually bolster the U.S. economy, instead of a foreign economy.

On the Glenn Beck show on CNN, he has addressing this issue head-on. Click Here for Transcript Page

"Once again, our politicians have shown that needlessly spending billions more of your tax dollars has a bipartisan appeal. They can come together on spending your cash."

"For once, I really wish our do-nothing Congress would have actually lived up to their name. Your children’s future is much, much worse off tonight...."

"...does anyone know what values these parties stand for anymore? I used to think that Republicans stood for smaller government and free markets, but that’s almost laughable now. Under this package, the people who paid no income tax will get full, as they like to call them, rebates. My grandfather would have called them what they really are, handouts."

"...it allows government-chartered lenders like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to double the size, or almost, of the loans they’re allowed to buy. Never mind that those companies may have over $16 billion in bad loans already on their books, which are your books."

"Deficit, deficit. Where I have heard that deficit? Oh, I remember it was from the Congressional Budget Office, which just announced...the 2008 deficit is expected to grow to $250 billion, and that is without the stimulus package or a recession factored in."

"Free markets create wealth. Governments destroy it. Look around the world if you want proof. Twenty percent of the countries that have the most economic freedom have five times more wealth per person than the bottom 20 percent."

"STEPHEN MOORE, SENIOR ECONOMIC WRITER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ... We haven’t talked about the housing component. It’s, you know, I call this Uncle Sam subprime lender. Because what we’re going to do in this package, now that all the banks have finally smartened up and said, you know, "Maybe we shouldn’t be making these -- these loans to people who can’t repay them, who don’t have good credit ratings, who can’t make a down payment...

And now under this package what’s going to happen is the Federal Housing Administration, which is insured by you and me, Glenn, and Amity, we’re now going to be the subprime lenders. And you’re going to have another catastrophe in housing. But now, it’s not going to be the banks that are going to be losing money; it’s going to be the U.S. taxpayer."

"BECK: Yes. Stephen, I don’t know if you saw in "The New York Times," but Hillary Clinton revealed herself today as a spooky socialist, where she was talking about all the things that she wants to do, and she wants massive control on the markets and bigger, stronger government."

"MOORE: Yes. And this is my point. I mean, Hillary Clinton, this wasn’t yesterday, but a few months ago, she said America can’t afford all my ideas. And finally, she said something truthful."

Now that the question of the economy (which was in trouble before Bush came into office) is now in play, who do we vote for during these Presidential Elections? This is a seriously, thought provoking, mind-bending, brain-teasing, keep-you-awake-at-night question. The candidates certainly haven't lessened the stress. Instead of thinking of what will sound good coming out of their mouths, they may want to start thinking about what will actually function on paper going through the U.S. Congress to make changes once they are in office.

Sources:
www.irs.gov
www.chinadaily.com.cn
CNN.com
www.nytimes.com
The Glenn Beck Show on CNN
www.glennbeck.com

Stimulus for U.S. or for China?

Watching the news today, I had to almost laugh at the decision that our government is making as a "stimulus" for the economy. Why laugh? Because if I didn't laugh, I'd probably scream.

There is already controversy surrounding the package. Once U.S. citizens receive the package rebate checks, they are reportedly going to turn around and spend most of it at places like Walmart. What is wrong with that, you ask? Because the money spent at Walmart will most likely go straight to China.

Here is the reason that the rebates may most likely go straight to China if spent at Walmart. Click Here For Link To Article
"China is Wal-Mart's most important supplier in the world. The overseas procurement home office in Shenzhen, a city of South China's Guangdong Province, has played a key role in the firm's global purchasing business.

Wal-Mart shifted its overseas procurement centre from Hong Kong to Shenzhen in February 2002 to better serve the purchasing and exporting business.

"If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China's eighth-biggest trading partner, ahead of Russia, Australia and Canada," Xu said."

The word is getting out about our free trade issues, however. More Americans are realizing that our trade issues are directly affecting our economy.

An article on CNN.com relates the feelings of the American population quite eloquently. Click Here For Link To Article
"We are a nation crawling into a fetal position, cramped by fear that America has lost control of its destiny in a fiercely competitive global economy. The fear is mostly about jobs lost overseas and wages capped by foreign competition."

"Median household income in 2006, at $48,201, was barely ahead of where it was eight years earlier. So the prospect of a recession has made the anxious middle class even more so. Coming in a presidential election season, the approaching storm clouds have turned the economy into the No. 1 issue on the campaign trail. Fear is a potent force in American politics, and Democratic Party leaders have astutely tapped into rising voter unease about globalization."

"No matter which candidate or which party takes control of the White House one year from now, free trade will - in the words of Hillary Clinton - take a "time-out." That's because Congress - which will most likely remain in the hands of the Democrats regardless of who wins the White House in November - took away President Bush's ability to negotiate trade deals by quietly letting so-called fast-track authority lapse last summer. And lawmakers won't hand that power back to any new President - Democrat or Republican - without major new federal programs (and new trade rules) designed to ease the stress of globalization on U.S. workers."

What do you and I do in a time like this? For one, we stop borrowing money. Another choice is we stay aware of the economy, the trade, and the large companies that are involved. We make wise choices regarding our spending so that the money can actually bolster the U.S. economy, instead of a foreign economy.

On the Glenn Beck show on CNN, he has addressing this issue head-on. Click Here For Transcript Page

"Once again, our politicians have shown that needlessly spending billions more of your tax dollars has a bipartisan appeal. They can come together on spending your cash."

"Congressional leaders in the House compromised today on an economic stimulus package that includes $100 billion in tax rebates, if you make less than $75,000 a year. Other than that, you`re rich. Along with $50 billion in temporary business tax write-offs."

"For once, I really wish our do-nothing Congress would have actually lived up to their name. Your children`s future is much, much worse off tonight...."

"...does anyone know what values these parties stand for anymore? I used to think that Republicans stood for smaller government and free markets, but that`s almost laughable now. Under this package, the people who paid no income tax will get full, as they like to call them, rebates. My grandfather would have called them what they really are, handouts."

"...it allows government-chartered lenders like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to double the size, or almost, of the loans they`re allowed to buy. Never mind that those companies may have over $16 billion in bad loans already on their books, which are your books."

"Deficit, deficit. Where I have heard that deficit? Oh, I remember it was from the Congressional Budget Office, which just announced yesterday that the 2008 deficit is expected to grow to $250 billion, and that is without the stimulus package or a recession factored in."

"Free markets create wealth. Governments destroy it. Look around the world if you want proof. Twenty percent of the countries that have the most economic freedom have five times more wealth per person than the bottom 20 percent."

"STEPHEN MOORE, SENIOR ECONOMIC WRITER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ... We haven`t talked about the housing component. It`s, you know, I call this Uncle Sam subprime lender. Because what we`re going to do in this package, now that all the banks have finally smartened up and said, you know, "Maybe we shouldn`t be making these -- these loans to people who can`t repay them, who don`t have good credit ratings, who can`t make a down payment...

And now under this package what`s going to happen is the Federal Housing Administration, which is insured by you and me, Glenn, and Amity, we`re now going to be the subprime lenders. And you`re going to have another catastrophe in housing. But now, it`s not going to be the banks that are going to be losing money; it`s going to be the U.S. taxpayer."



"BECK: Yes. Stephen, I don`t know if you saw in "The New York Times," but Hillary Clinton revealed herself today as a spooky socialist, where she was talking about all the things that she wants to do, and she wants massive control on the markets and bigger, stronger government."

"MOORE: Yes. And this is my point. I mean, Hillary Clinton, this wasn`t yesterday, but a few months ago, she said America can`t afford all my ideas. And finally, she said something truthful."

Now that the question of the economy (which was in trouble before Bush came into office) is now in play, who do we vote for during these Presidential Elections? This is a seriously, thought provoking, mind-bending, brain-teasing, keep-you-awake-at-night question. The candidates certainly haven't lessened the stress. Instead of thinking of what will sound good coming out of their mouths, they may want to start thinking about what will actually look good on paper going through the U.S. Congress to make changes once they are in office.

Sources:
www.chinadaily.com.cn
CNN.com
The Glenn Beck Show on CNN
www.glennbeck.com