The famous baseball player Yogi Berra (not kidding) said that immortal line many years ago. I was reading a book recently called "Rich Dad Poor Dad - The Cash Flow Quadrant" and it promised to make me a millionaire before breakfast (just joshin'). Actually bits of it are very interesting and other bits, well not so. Anyway I got to chapter 9 and nearly choked.
Now upfront folks economics does leave me with that glazed over eye thing going on but I stick with it on the basis that I might learn something useful. In short this book was written in 1999 by a wealthy American with the idea of making the rest of us wealthy or even more envious depending on your desire to "self improve".
In a nut shell he spoke about a change to US tax laws in 1986 that precipitated the Wall St crash in 1987. Real estate (house) prices fell all over the US some by as much as 70%. Most of the property owners were Doctors, Lawyers, other highly paid professionals and many small business owners who had been advised to buy property to avoid paying tax (I think).
The outlook for many people was years of tax payers paying for decisions that they never made for property that many never owned with the conservative estimate for sorting out the slurry 10+ years. So the government established a Bank Resolution Corporation (a wha Gay) to solve these woes. Their main course of action was to put these properties in the hands of private individuals who knew what to do with them (anyone? anyone?).
Bob (the author) says that for people like him (private investors) this was boom time, and his many millions were made whilst "Joe plumber" paid for everything.
Now as I said I'm not an economics head but does anyone else see a pattern,trend,same bloody thing all over again. I would appreciate a master class if I have this all wrong.
It's deja vu - all over again!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
A lesson from Argentina
On the radio this morning a previous Minister for Finance of Argentina spoke about the economic crisis that almost destroyed his country in the last decade. He spoke of "actual" blood on the streets rather than the metaphorical kind that many media observers speak of, and some of the fiscal and societal measures his country had to endure in order to achieve some semblance of normality again.
One thing that piqued my interest in particular was his reference to how quickly his country started to recover once the nasty decisions had been made (I think he mentioned 5 months). The point he made was that after the necessary financial and political aspects of the recovery plan were instigated, he felt that one of the main reasons for further improvement in the lives of the Argentinian people was their attitude to what was happening and the control they had over their own futures. Some experts with opinions warned of provincial towns and cities being left as ghost towns as people fled to Brasil.
However the Argentine people took a view that a positive attitude was of more use to them in their every day lives than an blind acceptance that what the observers told them was best. I believe that despite the difficulties that Ireland finds itself in it is not the media, where it appears that everyone has an expert opinion rather than a reporter of the news) but the Irish people who will dictate the mood of the country for the length of time this difficulty lasts. It is important to remember that every media organ is connected to a paymaster and sings that tune. There is no outlet that is unbiased so no news story or opinion comes to you in an unbiased manner. The problem with opinions is that they are just that, opinions. They may or may not be facts and as such should not be accepted as truth.
My advice to people is simply to make the best decision based on what they see and know rather than what they hear and with that decide on the attitude you are going to take with your life for the foreseeable future or until something changes your mind. There are many difficult times in a persons life, that is just the way of things. What is important is how we deal with them and move on.
What other people do to us we cannot control. How we react to them is our decision.
One thing that piqued my interest in particular was his reference to how quickly his country started to recover once the nasty decisions had been made (I think he mentioned 5 months). The point he made was that after the necessary financial and political aspects of the recovery plan were instigated, he felt that one of the main reasons for further improvement in the lives of the Argentinian people was their attitude to what was happening and the control they had over their own futures. Some experts with opinions warned of provincial towns and cities being left as ghost towns as people fled to Brasil.
However the Argentine people took a view that a positive attitude was of more use to them in their every day lives than an blind acceptance that what the observers told them was best. I believe that despite the difficulties that Ireland finds itself in it is not the media, where it appears that everyone has an expert opinion rather than a reporter of the news) but the Irish people who will dictate the mood of the country for the length of time this difficulty lasts. It is important to remember that every media organ is connected to a paymaster and sings that tune. There is no outlet that is unbiased so no news story or opinion comes to you in an unbiased manner. The problem with opinions is that they are just that, opinions. They may or may not be facts and as such should not be accepted as truth.
My advice to people is simply to make the best decision based on what they see and know rather than what they hear and with that decide on the attitude you are going to take with your life for the foreseeable future or until something changes your mind. There are many difficult times in a persons life, that is just the way of things. What is important is how we deal with them and move on.
What other people do to us we cannot control. How we react to them is our decision.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Do we whine too much?
Its often been said that Irish people don't complain enough and on the face of it, it is a little difficult to find fault in that view. We are well known for not complaining about bad food or service when we get it, that we continue to vote as our fathers and grandfathers did despite what we actually think we should do and so on, and I have often wondered why this is. Is it a hang up from our days as a serf of the crown, or the church with the default tendency to tip our respective hats to our betters or is it something else.
In a way I could sort of understand the crown/church thing because it could be argued that it was so historically ground into us as a people that this is what we know best. What I find more troubling is the idea that it could be something a lot worse, a lot more insidious. Could we possibly be whingers? Plain and simple as that, willing to blame and excoriate others rather than take responsibility for what happens around us. This option I find more worrying if it were true.
I don't think I need to rehash the state we find ourselves in financially and whose fault it is that we are here. Suffice to say that we are here so what should we do about it. If you watch TV, listen to the radio, read newspapers and trawl the internet you will find many different voices describing the problems, identifying the guilty parties and defining the "only" way out of the mess on behalf of the rest of us. On the face of it these voices seem to be a fairly disparate bunch of experts but when you look closer you will notice a number of very clear similarities that may go some way to explaining their ability to come up with the "only" solution.
These politicians, business groups, trade unionists and news hounds all appear in the main to be pursuing a policy of keeping "ordinary" people off balance, insecure and worried, about their jobs, homes and futures. This is a very clever approach because it breeds a sense of hopelessness and dependence in people who have convinced themselves that they have too much on their plate worrying to have time to look at the reasons why they are so worried in the first place. People feel that they must vent their frustration about the health service, public offices, "non nationals" (I'm afraid I still don't understand that term), bankers and others so they contact organs such as Joe Duffy, Vincent Brown, George Hook et al. in order to blow off some steam. Fair enough if thats what you feel is appropriate, but let me ask you what is it that most people do when they contact these outlets? Do they constructively complain or do they whinge?
Unfortunately too often I think its the latter and it is this lack of constructive criticism and complaint that keeps allowing these disparate voices to continue to keep Joseph and Josephine Public fighting amonst themselves thereby deflecting attention and criticism from the Politicos and their corporate bosses. Complaining has a chance of changing something but whining never will. The truth is that within ourselves as a people and a society we have the tools to deal with most of the problems that life in general throws up these days. Those things we can't change (guess what) we can't change so no real point in worrying about them. By complaining in a constructive manner we put the onus to sort out the problems back on those who have said they can do it and are paying themselves for doing just that. By whining we just blame each other and nothing changes at the top.
Take some time this week to look at how you approach difficulties that life presents you with. When something bad happens to you or a loved one or indeed your community, how do you react. What do you do. You can say how unfair it is and I might just agree with you although that won't help in finding a solution. The other alternative is to accept that it happened and then find a way to deal with it. Not always easy but always worth the effort. This approach also changes the dynamic between the public and the state,commercial interests and media interests, strengthening the reality in everyones mind as to what society really means. Society is the people not the trappings of state.
In a way I could sort of understand the crown/church thing because it could be argued that it was so historically ground into us as a people that this is what we know best. What I find more troubling is the idea that it could be something a lot worse, a lot more insidious. Could we possibly be whingers? Plain and simple as that, willing to blame and excoriate others rather than take responsibility for what happens around us. This option I find more worrying if it were true.
I don't think I need to rehash the state we find ourselves in financially and whose fault it is that we are here. Suffice to say that we are here so what should we do about it. If you watch TV, listen to the radio, read newspapers and trawl the internet you will find many different voices describing the problems, identifying the guilty parties and defining the "only" way out of the mess on behalf of the rest of us. On the face of it these voices seem to be a fairly disparate bunch of experts but when you look closer you will notice a number of very clear similarities that may go some way to explaining their ability to come up with the "only" solution.
These politicians, business groups, trade unionists and news hounds all appear in the main to be pursuing a policy of keeping "ordinary" people off balance, insecure and worried, about their jobs, homes and futures. This is a very clever approach because it breeds a sense of hopelessness and dependence in people who have convinced themselves that they have too much on their plate worrying to have time to look at the reasons why they are so worried in the first place. People feel that they must vent their frustration about the health service, public offices, "non nationals" (I'm afraid I still don't understand that term), bankers and others so they contact organs such as Joe Duffy, Vincent Brown, George Hook et al. in order to blow off some steam. Fair enough if thats what you feel is appropriate, but let me ask you what is it that most people do when they contact these outlets? Do they constructively complain or do they whinge?
Unfortunately too often I think its the latter and it is this lack of constructive criticism and complaint that keeps allowing these disparate voices to continue to keep Joseph and Josephine Public fighting amonst themselves thereby deflecting attention and criticism from the Politicos and their corporate bosses. Complaining has a chance of changing something but whining never will. The truth is that within ourselves as a people and a society we have the tools to deal with most of the problems that life in general throws up these days. Those things we can't change (guess what) we can't change so no real point in worrying about them. By complaining in a constructive manner we put the onus to sort out the problems back on those who have said they can do it and are paying themselves for doing just that. By whining we just blame each other and nothing changes at the top.
Take some time this week to look at how you approach difficulties that life presents you with. When something bad happens to you or a loved one or indeed your community, how do you react. What do you do. You can say how unfair it is and I might just agree with you although that won't help in finding a solution. The other alternative is to accept that it happened and then find a way to deal with it. Not always easy but always worth the effort. This approach also changes the dynamic between the public and the state,commercial interests and media interests, strengthening the reality in everyones mind as to what society really means. Society is the people not the trappings of state.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
You will get what you focus on
Its a well accepted premise in the wide world of psychology that people tend to get what they focus on. Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're right (Henry Ford I think). The notion is not new then. No in fact the theory has been knocking about for many years.
I used to have a problem seeing the mechanics behind the theory but with a bit of perseverence I got it and you can too. The reality is that it is easier (and sometimes more comforting)to think of the things that have gone wrong and those people who have wronged us (whether in reality or just perceived) than to make ourselves focus on what we really want and do something about it.
Let your life be designed by your decisions and not by circumstances. There are people who have better family situations than us, more money and better social opportunities, thats all true. But when we sit down and give it some thought the reality is that we all know someone who despite poor upbringing, bad social standing, physical disability etc etc still manage to achieve amazing things. And the secret is that they have decided that they can achieve whatever they want and that nothing is going to stop them. That decision is what designs their lives not the situation they find themselves in.
So let your life be designed by your decisions not by situations and circumstances. Commit to a decision and refuse to accept anything other than what you want for yourself. If you find you are not reaching your goal then change your approach and then keep changing it until you do achieve it.
I used to have a problem seeing the mechanics behind the theory but with a bit of perseverence I got it and you can too. The reality is that it is easier (and sometimes more comforting)to think of the things that have gone wrong and those people who have wronged us (whether in reality or just perceived) than to make ourselves focus on what we really want and do something about it.
Let your life be designed by your decisions and not by circumstances. There are people who have better family situations than us, more money and better social opportunities, thats all true. But when we sit down and give it some thought the reality is that we all know someone who despite poor upbringing, bad social standing, physical disability etc etc still manage to achieve amazing things. And the secret is that they have decided that they can achieve whatever they want and that nothing is going to stop them. That decision is what designs their lives not the situation they find themselves in.
So let your life be designed by your decisions not by situations and circumstances. Commit to a decision and refuse to accept anything other than what you want for yourself. If you find you are not reaching your goal then change your approach and then keep changing it until you do achieve it.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A monumental few days
Do you know whats been quite amazing over the last week or so has been the change in the amount of happy faces I've seen about the place. What with HRH over last week and Mr Obama this week people seem to have interpreted these events as instructions to smile a bit more and worry a bit less about life in general. This is not a bad thing you know. Its a well accepted psychological premise that positivity and negativity are both infectious in their respective effects on people. Whats important to point out though is that negativity is far more damaging than positivity is helpful. I'm not sure why this is but its certainly the case in general terms.
Why make an issue of my observations? Well for a few days there the media packs had to almost stop the incessant publication of negativity in order to take account of the publics desire to feel good about themselves and our country. For a few days people were spared the almost maniacal desire on the part of the media and the political agenda to continuously keep people down in a place where they dont ask too many questions of those actually responsible, thereby deflecting attention from those that continue to remain aloof and untouchable.
Enough of the rant. What I want to impress on you is that for a few days people became once more what this country is best at creating. Good honest life loving folks who are capable of dealing with any situation that life sees fit to throw at them. I found it a very proud time to be Irish and I feel that we can create this feeling more often without the need to have great statemen visit us. We just have to make a decision to do it. Our future is limited only by our willingness to make that decision. Everyday will not be as monumental as last Monday or the previous Tuesday but thats life. How we deal with that life and the difficulties it presents is up to us, not the media or the politicos.
Our decision. Your decision. Make that decision.
Why make an issue of my observations? Well for a few days there the media packs had to almost stop the incessant publication of negativity in order to take account of the publics desire to feel good about themselves and our country. For a few days people were spared the almost maniacal desire on the part of the media and the political agenda to continuously keep people down in a place where they dont ask too many questions of those actually responsible, thereby deflecting attention from those that continue to remain aloof and untouchable.
Enough of the rant. What I want to impress on you is that for a few days people became once more what this country is best at creating. Good honest life loving folks who are capable of dealing with any situation that life sees fit to throw at them. I found it a very proud time to be Irish and I feel that we can create this feeling more often without the need to have great statemen visit us. We just have to make a decision to do it. Our future is limited only by our willingness to make that decision. Everyday will not be as monumental as last Monday or the previous Tuesday but thats life. How we deal with that life and the difficulties it presents is up to us, not the media or the politicos.
Our decision. Your decision. Make that decision.
Monday, May 16, 2011
What happens next?
I think Anthony Robbins once said that "your history doesn't have to be your biography". I take this to mean that just because certain things have happened previously, it does not mean that those things have to be what decides how your own personal legacy is formed. At a time of unprecedented hardships economically for people in this country, it would be all to easy and indeed probably understandable if as a society we blamed any future inaction on these circumstances that have come together to make everyday life so difficult. But the fact is that these things have happened and the reality is that complaining about what has happened will not change them.
Despite everything there is an opportunity now for local people to recreate the society as opposed to the economy that we all deserve. Not everyone is an entrepreneur at heart and many people face daily difficulties that will prevent them from being the economic drivers of any future success, but this does not mean that people cannot contribute in a manner that does not need to be economic or indeed entrepreneurial. People have perhaps now more than ever that gift that seemed to be in such scare supply until recently.....TIME.
Time to reconnect with family, friends and neighbours. Time to give to local charities and clubs. Time to make their locality a pleasant place to live once again. What is available now is that greatest resource, people. People who can make a difference to the lives of those around them so that when the economic crisis ends, and it will end because it always does, it will be infinitely easier to carry on the good work when the hard groundwork is already done. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Of course we all need money to survive, and that is definitely scarcer than it was, but it is not the be all and end all. There are other achievable goals for us all that don't cost money, just time.
If we agree that there is a fundamental difference between "surviving" and "living" then the gap between seeing our town and country as a society and not merely an economy isn't that large a gap to bridge. We all need each other and all of us are capable of coming up with ideas that can make "living" more enjoyable for us all.
We can stew in what we have or we can create something that is uniquely ours.
What do you think?
Despite everything there is an opportunity now for local people to recreate the society as opposed to the economy that we all deserve. Not everyone is an entrepreneur at heart and many people face daily difficulties that will prevent them from being the economic drivers of any future success, but this does not mean that people cannot contribute in a manner that does not need to be economic or indeed entrepreneurial. People have perhaps now more than ever that gift that seemed to be in such scare supply until recently.....TIME.
Time to reconnect with family, friends and neighbours. Time to give to local charities and clubs. Time to make their locality a pleasant place to live once again. What is available now is that greatest resource, people. People who can make a difference to the lives of those around them so that when the economic crisis ends, and it will end because it always does, it will be infinitely easier to carry on the good work when the hard groundwork is already done. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Of course we all need money to survive, and that is definitely scarcer than it was, but it is not the be all and end all. There are other achievable goals for us all that don't cost money, just time.
If we agree that there is a fundamental difference between "surviving" and "living" then the gap between seeing our town and country as a society and not merely an economy isn't that large a gap to bridge. We all need each other and all of us are capable of coming up with ideas that can make "living" more enjoyable for us all.
We can stew in what we have or we can create something that is uniquely ours.
What do you think?
Friday, May 13, 2011
Lets help ourselves to change our mindset
I have been thinking for a while now about the idea of a forum for people in the Bagenalstown locality to discuss ways of maybe changing the mindset that seems to prevail at the minute of doom and gloom brought on without question by the economic situation that we all find ourselves in. I don't want to give the impression of diminishing the problems that we all face or indeed suggest how people should choose to live their lives but there are without doubt many positive things that we could all be doing that would lift spirits and give a shared sense of community that was perhaps lacking in the boom times. Put simply there is no single simple answer to all our problems and while I want to see justice for those people who deserve it and the correct punishment for thise responsible for our economic woes, sitting at home blaming others without offering solutions isn't the answer and really only makes evryone feel worse. So the idea is to get people activated, both physically and psychologically to do things for all of us so that all of us benefit. This is despite the current situation a great opportunity to reinvent ourselves as a society and not continue to just view our lives from the point of view of an economy. I don't live in Ireland Inc. despite most media commentators' and politicians insistance on calling it so. I live in a town that I am proud of and a town that can be a great place to live and bring up our families again. So as Mr. Einstein said "Nothing happens until something moves". Its your move.
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