Stock Market Crashing

This is the part that makes me laugh. How many times has the average American learned about how and why the stock market crashed in 1929? and yet we still haven't learned anything from it. One of the contributing factors as to why the stock market crashed way back then is because people caused a mass panic when a simple downturn caused millions of people to withdraw all of their investments in the market. Guess what? that only made it worse! So, basically, people need to stop freaking out and leave their money in the market! Investors can only make up for so much of the loss...

Another Stimulus Package?

Ok, at this point, I don't think that these bills are going to do anything to boost consumer confidence in America; the previous ones would have helped by now. All of them sound good on paper, but they clearly aren't helping. I don't know what it will take for the economy to bounce back, but it might just be time! that's what our free-market is based on! everything will balance out in TIME!!! The stimulus bills sound like they will act as the magic wand that will wave and all our problems will disappear. They aren't just going to solve everything. Plus, bailing out the people and corporations where the CEO's make so many more times than the workers, just isn't fair. I understand that the purpose is to keep them in business and keep jobs, but that just isn't right. The business cycle would eventually get rid of businesses when they no longer serve their purpose or can exist without the government bailing them out. Why do we insist on stopping the business cycle's natural course?

Wal-mart sucks

I think that Wal-mart is the root of all evils in our economy. The less you spend, the farther down our economy will spiral, as money is kept out of the system. The money you spend at a normal store (instead of extreme discount stores like Wal-mart) goes to pay workers at that store, people who ship merchanise to and from manufacturers to the stores, workers in those factories and the list goes on and on. When you shop at stores like Wal-mart, highly underpaid workers are receiving minimal benefits from that dollar you just spent and all it does is allow Wal-mart to continue selling products at such low costs that local businesses have to go out of business because they cannot compete with the sales of Wal-mart and other large, chain stores.

Wal-mart does exactly this in every area they exist: they build an oversized building and, because they are a huge chain, they can afford to temporarily set prices so low as to put all or most other competitors out of business. After the competition is gone, Wal-mart can then raise prices to where the other stores were, merely replacing their competitors and paying workers a ridiculously low wage to the point where even their own workers can't afford to buy their goods.

Wal-mart is like a fuedal system in the Dark Ages of Europe. They suck.

Alternative Energy

Independence of fossil fuels. Is it really possible? Iowa's new strive to be eco-friendly by trying to be more dependent of biofuels and wind-power is contraversial. Although Iowa is creating about 8% of the state's energy with wind-power, they neglect to say that they are using fossil fuels to power the factories making the windmills and that the company who employed the people in the factory recieved tax breaks and subsidies. It's understandable that companies and manufacturers need incentive to completely change the set-up of their factories to be more eco-friendly, but to what extent?
As well, Iowa is trying to be more dependent on biofuels. Once again, fossil fuels are being used to power the factories that produce ethanol including coal, the least eco-friendly fuel in the world. Is it possible that the ethanol being produced's benefits will outweigh the ecological cost of using the coal?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7861686.stm

The New Stimulus Package

People everywhere are doubting the new stimulus package, the Recovery Plan, yet do they really know and understand the possible benefits from the package? Relief from taxes and concentrating on putting the money back into our schools, Medicaid, finding newer, cleaner forms of energy and provide relief for workers and the growing unemployed can only help our nation. This is something that needs to happen. Our schools are failing as more and more programs are cut and schools become dilapidated with a lack of proper care that comes from a lack in proper funding. As well, the money would have to be spent eventually on finding cleaner sources and forms of evergy; the sources we have now will only last us so long before they completely disappear, and wouldn't it be better to gradually wean ourselves off of our dependence on the various nonrenewable fuels than have it all be gone and then find ourselves stranded? This new stimulus package can only help our nation recover from this horrible downturn in the economy and can only help all of its citizens. All of them.

Obama's Plan for the Middle Class

Everyone in America is feeling the effects of the crashing economy, yet there are a few people who are really looking at ways to actually fix what's happening. People are expecting a magic wand to be waved and that everything is just going to get better. Well guess what, it's not.
Obama's plan to strengthen the middle class is brilliant. Throughout history, a failing middle class has been the death warrant for civilizations and is one of the many contributing factors in the mighty downfall of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, whenever a middle class is not only strongest, but the largest and fastest-growing group in a society, the economy and everything else in that culture seem to just fit into place and everything booms.
What we need to focus on is strengthening the middle class with high-paying, consistent jobs for the middle class. I fully agree with Obama's plan.

Local Businesses

This is largely a response to an article (found at http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/38564377.html) written by Karen Cinpinski about the recent loss of Harry Schwartz bookstores. Everyone is feeling the effects of the downward-spiraling economy, but should the people really force local businesses into closing their doors because a book or service can be found for a dollar cheaper? Most local businesses are founded on a desire and passion for something, whether it be to broaden young minds with books, or to serve the best cup of coffee possible. It really took something for local business owners to go against the odds and open a business that had a chance of failing even in a good economy.
Try to imagine cities without the small, cozy local businesses. Downtown Waukesha would not be the same if those one-of-a-kind coffee shops disappeared along with the bookstores and offices of local people who depend on local people to shop there. Harry Schwartz is a loss to everyone who knew the kind of service they gave, but let's use this as an example and not let the economy take away the character of our cities: the small local businesses.