Wrong headed

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I saw this 'sentence' in an article in today's local paper, in the financial section.

"Rising [home] prices are important to the economic recovery because they make homeowners 'feel' wealthier and lead them to 'spend' more." (emphasis mine).

Economists are not like the rest of us... They have a much different world view than do most Americans. Theirs is a world view determined largely by numbers, data, statistics...

The 'problem' with such ideas and dependencies is that 'things' do not always follow the rules and or trends of the past few months, years or even decades... Sometimes 'things' really do change.

A great deal of our current economic turmoil came from mathematics genius' who created extremely complex economic/mathematics 'models' which, in the end, proved to be based on unreliable data and or assumptions. These same models were extremely flawed in the sense that they never even considered the consumer in general. Let alone the huge debt trap that American government and business/corporations have laid for an unsuspecting American public for decades now...

I find the sentence quoted above to be insulting, personally. The very idea that 'someone' 'somewhere' is attempting to alter the 'mood' of the public with the sole ambition of causing them to 'spend' more money is outrageous. It is just more 'how can we fool them today' openly displayed in newspapers across America. The article makes no mention of unsustainable consumer debt levels. It only speaks of how can we make 'consumers' feel better so they will turn over their hard earned cash to the economy apparently REGARDLESS of debt levels.

In this country, once 'they' [corporations/banks] convince a 'consumer' to part with their hard earned cash 'they' do everything 'they' possibly can to 'keep' that particular 'consumer' buried in debt for as long as possible. To accomplish this goal 'they' use credit cards with usurious interest rates with ridiculously low minimum payments to intentionally take advantage of economically challenged consumers. 'They' offer the consumer 'trick' mortgages on which the required payment will double in a few years with, seemingly, no regard at all as to whether the mortgage can ever be repaid. 'They' offer car loans to the poor at usurious interest rates of 20% and 30%. In this country it seems the more economically challenged a 'consumer' is the greater the level of abuse they can expect to receive.

Corporations/banks can be, and indeed are, very aggressive with individuals. Once corporations/banks are able to bury an individual in debt to the point of desperation 'they' really turn up the heat. With aggressive, threatening phone calls, law suits, verbal abuse. This is where the 'game' begins. The important part of the 'game' is getting a 'consumer' in trouble with too much debt. The end 'game' is to use whatever methods might be necessary to 'collect' that debt. If that means throwing a family of four out on the street so a bank can resell their foreclosed property then so be it...

I suggest that it is this same 'wrong headed' thinking that has led to the current economic mess we find ourselves in. Rather than even attempt to address 'real' problems in our economy/country the elite powers that be seek only a continuation of the disastrous policies of the past few decades.

All 'they' seem to be concerned with at all is how can we possibly force/trick/bribe/beg 'consumers' to take on ever higher levels of debt.

If 'they' had any sense at all 'they' would be concentrating on improving education in this country. Our public school system is a disaster and, in my opinion, greatly contributed to this financial 'crisis'. I often wonder, and blog about, if a 'poor' education is, intentionally, a part of the larger 'plan'. Dumbed down 'consumers' being easier to take advantage of by government and corporations alike.

Personally I think 'consumer' attitudes have changed dramatically over the past couple of years. People, to me, seem to have awakened from their 'material possessions at any cost' hypnosis. I, personally, do not expect 'consumer' spending to ever again approach the levels they did in 2006-2007. *I* feel that many many people's attitudes toward personal finances have changed dramatically for good. Many people realize now that the American 'consumer' has been 'set up' for years. Treated pretty much as cattle by the elites in power.

My theory is that capitalism is still ok and it will survive. On the other hand I believe that 'consumerism' is/was a dismal failure and will never return to the levels we have seen in the past.

It is past time for the elites to recognize that the rules of the 'game' have changed. Advantage consumer.

Greg