A little Email: And my passion getting away with itself...

My friend sent this email to me today...He is always sending me information to make me think. It was titled: A simple, clever way of putting it...And it reads as follows. After reading it I typed my response and hit reply without a second thought. But just for the record, that is because I actually think about all this often and my strong opinions didn't need to be mulled over, I knew just what I wanted to say. You may not agree. I am not offended. It is a free country, full of free thinkings and free speech, isn't that grand! From my friend: I need your advice. I have a relative who is in financial trouble. He makes $50,000 a year, but he spent $74,591 last year, and his prospects of making $50,000 this year look kind of bad. There's a good chance he will get a pay cut. Unfortunately, he’s been overspending for quite a while and has charged $295,632 on credit cards. He’s been lucky enough to get low teaser rates, and when those have expired, he’s been able to transfer the balances to other low-rate cards. So he keeps charging $24,591 per year beyond his income. If he can’t keep rolling over his debt at super low rates, the interest will quickly eat him up. But, that's not his worst problem. He convinced his family he was a great investor. His parents gave him a portion of their income for many years, and he promised he would make regular payments to them and cover their medical care when they got too old to work. The problem is, he spent all the money. He also has dependents who are poor, and he promised to help them out, too. Some of his relatives are living in Ecuador and are dependent on the money he keeps sending them every month. To cover those promises, he should have $2,372,953 sitting in a bank account earning an interest rate that keeps up with inflation. But the money is all gone. So what should he do? Well, his Republican friends, who say they are responsible with money, have decided he must really cut spending to get things under control. There are lots of things he can live without, so they say he should reduce spending by $1,292 per year. His Democrat friends say that’s too much. They feel it would be a great hardship for him to cut spending that drastically, so reducing it by $137 should be about right. So here’s the picture: $50,000: Income $74,591: Expenses $24,591: Deficit $295,632: Short-term revolving debt at artificially low rates $2,372,632: Unfunded promises $1,292: Republican friends budget cuts $137: Democrat friends budget cuts So, what does the future look like for my Uncle Sam? Do you think he can keep going like this much longer? What about his family especially those living in Ecuador who are counting on the promises he made to them? Do you see any possible solution other than bankruptcy? TO ALL THIS I REPLIED: Ahh...I got trapped in the idea and didn't realize til the end what this was about. My husband and I try very hard to put our house in order. We have tried to prepared for retirement, bought a home with a mortgage that we could afford and would not have to lay on someone else. We live frugally and have cheap dates and the children wear hand me downs from cousins. We don't have debt from credit cards rolling over monthly. We learned from mistakes/or misfortunes of our parents and though we are not perfect at this we are trying. We have a generation of ME's and I's and NO delayed gratification. My social stratification teacher stood at the front of the room one day almost yelling at us...If I can teach you one thing it is "DELAYED GRATIFICATION, DELAYED GRATIFICATION, DELAYED GRATIFICATION!!!" That stuck with me. It was the greatest thing I learned in college. Before we got a larger TV (we had a 13 inch TV) we paid off the car. Before we got a house, we paid all debts, student loans, credit cards(didn't really have much maybe $300)...etc. But I live in a society where friends of mine have $500,000 houses they can't afford. They have motorcycles, boats, big SUV gas guzzlers, and TV's 1/2 the size of my living room wall. They pay $200/month for cell plans (Ryan and I together pay $90). They pay $150-200/month for Cable TV...we have bunny ears. I don't feel like I lack anything because my kids don't have DS's or ibox, or itouches...although our Oldest Son did save all his money birthday, allowes etc, and then asked Santa and mom and dad to pay the other half of an iTouch for Christmas. He is allowance to play it when schooling is done and only for limited times. But HEY...he earned most of it. And we didn't compensate at Christmas...he got a couple little things and ONE package...very small with the iTouch. He was happy with it though and still is...I believe partly because he worked so hard to help earn it. He is careful with it and cautious. He KNOWS its value and that value is a WHOLE year of earnings and birthday money and ALMOST all of Christmas. I bet it lasts quite awhile. I see kids that crack their iPhone and mom and dad replace it the next day. What is that? And kids with cell phones at age 8...don't EVEN get me started on that subject. We are growning a garden. WHY? We can afford the produce for sure. And the soil, planters, etc...weren't cheap. But our kids help work the garden, they help plant, harvest, water... and that work ethic is PRICELESS!!! As YOU know! There is something wrong with our society, but it doesn't start in Washington. It starts at home. People need to stop teaching their children that the government OWES them something. Parents shouldn't pay for all of college. That is a load of crap. Like the iPhone that parents buy, if children don't invest in their own education, don't work, don't help pay their way, they will not appreciate it as much. Thus the hoards of college graduates out of work and trying to FIND themselves. Sorry, this all hits a little nerve with me as you can see ;) I think the problem starts at home. We won't heal the nation until we heal the family structure. And until we start holding ourselves accountable. It is so easy to go bankrupt now that everyone is doing it if they get back up against a wall. They consumer spend themselves into the ground and then can't make the mortgage. Shame on them...AND UTAH is the worst state of all for that. It is a crime and a sin in my opinion, and morally wrong to spend and spend and then when it doesn't work out...walk away. I am not talking about legitimate reasons. I have a family member that started a business with all of their retirement money when they switched jobs. They did the market research, they worked and worked. But they just couldn't get the business off the ground. They lost everything and had to file bankruptcy and start over. I am talking about the shopper with the Nordstrom habit, that writes her/his debt off that I end up paying (well my husband does)...I work hard, but for free. And another thing...I get SO sick of employed people making stabs and jabs at moms that WORK at home...not at paid jobs, but at raising upstanding citizens. If my children listen to what I am teaching them daily, they will never be dependent on society. They will be productive and hard working, they will serve fellow men and country. And my "free" days of labor will have been worth far more than, the money some moms made while sending the kids to day care. Not everyone has the liberty and freedom I do to stay home, but the ones that can and choose NOT too...shame on them. They are doing the nation, and their children a disservice!!! And I want to take the time to applaude the REAL single mom's who do it on their own and work hard to provide and to give their children the best education in being loving, caring and responsible. One in particular knows who she is...and I frankly think she ROCKS!!! Hope I didn't offend anyone, but I call them like I see them. #256 Reason I see the hand of Heavenly Father in my life...He has given me this burning desire to raise my children with love, compassion and even more patience than I thought I could ever muster. I praise him, and in the words of a Christian song I love... MY GOD is an AWESOME GOD! Make it a great day! Only YOU can!