Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Where's my baleout?

Once upon a time there was a young man who decided that he would pursue what some called the “American dream”. He decided to open up his own business and be responsible for his own success or failure. He would sink or swim based on his work ethic, integrity and perhaps a little luck. Through hard work and perseverance the young man became a pretty good businessperson who made a darn good living and contributed to society and the local economy.
Although it hasn’t been easy over the years- and certainly there’s been some ups and downs- he always managed to keep things on track by keeping on top of his business and in touch with his customers needs. He was rewarded with a profitable business and after all the taxes were paid had some left over for his family. This was the “American dream”: capitalism at its best. The system worked.
Recently there’s been a disturbing trend in the good old USA. Things have gone awry, going against all business principles that this businessperson learned. Can you say “bailout?” Money collected from the government is being redistributed for things than its intended use. That’s not all bad if used responsively but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Our tax money is going to businesses that are failing because they’ve lost their way or sadly have been run into the ground by dishonest and greedy CEO’s. This tax money and debt have been taken on to help businesses that have failed because of unsound business principals.
The businessman always thought that you would be rewarded for doing a good job and penalized for not. In this case those businesses that were not doing a good job still get rewarded with loans so it can be business as usual and continue to do the same poor job. And to further confuse the business owner it’s HIS (and your) tax money going for this preposterous use.
Well the system is broken and our politicians are searching for solutions how to get our financial situation back on track. Maybe it’s too late and time to bag capitalism as we know it and move over to a more socialist society.
The fairy tale may soon be over. This businessperson hopes not.