Wednesday, September 17, 2008

To Market, To Market....

Let's see if a mere mortal can understand this. I am certainly not a financial wizard.

This week the US stock markets seem to be in free-fall. Things have been going south for a while now. Big swings up and down -- mostly down.
Investors sell. The more selling that goes on, the more the people sell, and the more the markets sink. Folks are being hurt by this.

Last week, gas was in short supply (we are told). Folks panicked and bought gas. The price rose. The more people bought, the less gas there was, and the more the price rose. Folks are being hurt by this.

The economy is the subject of a lot of conversation. And, I know of at least one person who has asked another (not me) if his personal position was on the brink of danger.

I think that all of us should be concerned about our personal positions. However, a more major question to me is what kind of mess are we leaving for our children and grandchildren and more?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Passing Gas

Those of us old enough to remember the "energy crisis" of 1973 might look at the current "gas shortage" situation somewhat cynically -- probably an understatement.

I don't think we learned anything from 1973, and I don't think we will learn anything from this situation. Looking at things with an historical perspective does not seem to be our strong suit.

Blaming different groups, political parties, etc is probably not helpful either. So, who is responsible? The first three words in the Preamble of our constitution seem appropriate here. "We the People...."

As we all know, people actually have to go to work, to school, etc. Whether or not to drive may not be much of an option. Car-pooling seems to be "so yesterday."

I filled up last Saturday at $3.75 per gallon--just before the price of gas went into the stratosphere. Sadly, we will now think of $3.75 as a bargain. As for me, I will try not to drive much, and I will pass gas stations until absolutely necessary before I buy gas at these current prices.

To learn more about this, go to your favorite search engine and search: energy crisis+1973. Read to your heart's content. See for yourself if there are any similarities -- and differences.