Assault on the American Dream?

Anyone listening to the media that has been working hard to pay their obligations, build a life, send their kids to college, pay for healthcare, and prioritize their own debts is probably frustrated at the constant bailouts, greediness of corporations that seem to think there is no room for them to fail and that they are all too big to allow them to file for Chapter 11.. and it can be rather depressing to listen to this.. billions after billions of OUR money being thrown at people who have proven that even in good times, they cannot manage jack. Newsflash - no one is too big or too small to fail, because one of the wonderful things we reap when we are successful is weathering the storms. Without the ability to fail, there is no ability to be successful. Not in the true sense of the word.

I think most annoying is the auto industry and the constant whining, which seems to sound much like "but mommy, it is the teacher's fault that I got a bad grade.." particularly when I hear "we were doing fine until the credit crunch." HUH? Really? You were? According to WHOM? No, you weren't. This is actually called "lying under oath". You were creating cars people didn't want and some were embarrassed to drive, routinely made fun of by Gen Yers (and some X'ers), and even my favorite relatives in the 80+ year category bought their first "foreign" cars with in the last decade.. a big deal to this generation of loyal consumers.. mostly due to quality issues. I heard my grandfather literaly say it was tough to not buy American, but he loves his Toyota. (and still loved me when I backed it into a parked car)

Did it REALLY start just recently when people couldnt "get a loan"? I dont think so. Polls show that most American's aren't that gullible either.. over 90% dont want the bailout consistently regardless of how bad the pollsters design the questions.. so why don't we see Congress telling these guys to take their jets back to Detroit and go suck their thumbs like the crybabies that they are?

Well that is the nature of today's market it seems.. where everyone is too big to fail.. but where do we draw the line? Why is Petsmart reporting greater earnings today and double digit increases over previous quarters? Does it just mean we care more for our pets than our cars? Maybe because they are more reliable than the Big 3's autos.. but another digression. Maybe we love our pets more. Seems we found room on the credit cards for designer pet food, but a Ford with a dash that feels like cardboard? uh uh. There is a big surprise.

What really, really irks me is this notion that the American dream is being assaulted. Yes, we are in some financial hot water - anyone with 1/4 of a brain left knows this. It isn't anything we haven't faced before. It isn't anything we won't face again. It is nothing like what our elders faced in the 20s and 30s. My grandfather has thankfully shared in much detail the pains he and his family went through, and how that shaped who he is today. There is much to learn from the frugality of that generation even once they started making good money. My grandfather has had his couch reupholstered several times, while I keep buying new ones. But that isn't really the point of this either. I do think it is vital for my generation to see this- to see that not all will go well, and you have to get creative and plow through, using whatever ounce of energy you have left. Don't give up, and don't ask for freebies. Where is the fun.. or the dignity, in that? I am sure many of you would agree; you'd rather lose everything than make it on someone else's dime.

The point is that the American dream.. the desire in the heart and soul of Americans to build something for themselves - to not make someone else rich and to work for themselves and their families.. whether as full time contractors choosing who they do work for or outright businesses supplying products and services to those who share our great fate as Americans.. that soul hasn't died.

It won't die because it is in the heart of many of us that is unwavering - in a sense built-in to many who desire the ability to have no maximum capability. We live, even today, in a time where the sky is the limit - how amazing and fabulous is THAT?!

Sometimes .. in times like this when we see billions being thrown at industries that are burning through $6bn or more every month, it is easy to lose our way or for a bit .. even despair.. after all, we work our butts off to make the next mortgage payment or move up or get our kids to a better school (well for those of you that have them!)

I dont hear great Americans saying "but what about me." Instead, they shake their head .. disbelieving how pathetic this situation has become, which started with granting one individual the ability to spend $700bn of our dollars with little to no oversight. What did we expect would happen?

American entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of this economy. The Big 3 might employ a couple million workers, but that is nothing compared to what small businesses employ. Small and medium sized business owners all over this country are revalidating and realigning their core competencies, bringing in new consumers, going global online, checking their numbers, making plans for the future should consumer spending continue on a downward spiral, and making corrections in business plans to weather the storm because they know no one will give them a handout.

My bet is, even if someone did offer them one, they wouldn't want it anyway. The best part about being an entrepreneur is the ability to design ones' own destiny. This cannot be taken away by stupid acts of politics. Another great part about being an entrepreneur is the ability to fail, should you choose or should life or something else get in the way. Failing sucks. I know that first hand. But the best lessons are learned in failure. What lessons are we teaching children who watch big companies fail and get a hand from US? What are we telling entrepreneurs that really do provide a ton of jobs when we just bail out the big ones because.. well.. they are big.. and an afford the Congressional lobbyists? The best feeling is to wake up (or lay awake) one morning or night and say "damn, I just realized..." and voila, you have the epiphany.. and you won't repeat the mistake.

You learn from those mistakes.. pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again.. all because you have the HEART to do it. That dedication and perserverence and heart felt soul of the spirit cannot be bought, even for $25 billion.