Peasant Management 101

Simple Simon went a-fishing for to catch a whale;
All the water he had got was in his mother's pail.
Simple Simon went to look if plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much which made poor Simon whistle.
He went for water in a sieve but soon it all fell through;
And now poor Simple Simon bids you all "Adieu"

Ranger Question of the Day:
Since housing values have fallen,
has your local tax board reassessed and lowered
your tax burden lately?
____________

Daniel Schorr's essay on NPR today speculated upon the drastic drop in consumer spending over the last few months. He posed the question: what if, after "recovery", America is no longer the "Shop 'Til You Drop" economy?

What got us to this point was a heapin' helpin' of greed and stupidity, a lethal combination. From Econ 101, Ranger recalls that wealth is created from the production of goods and services. Somehow, in our slick new post-colonial (right), post-national world, we got the idea that we could conjure up wealth simply from wealth. The financial vehicles created are well beyond Ranger's pay scale, but he can see that it was a shell game, a Ponzi scheme, to create wealth without production of goods or services.

Two months+ on and we are still being sold a bill of goods, told that somehow these overvalued pieces of paper will turn a profit for the government which purchases them. Right back where we started from.

What is to be done? Ranger is a small unit type of leader and all thoughts move in that direction. Just speaking from the personal level of responsible living, it is evident that neither local, state nor federal governments have acted responsibly. A standard has to be modeled for the people to follow, and profligate has been the flavor of the last several years.

Living without economic pain is living within one's means. This used to be de riguer. School primers, Boy Scouts, Goofus and Gallant. . . you get the idea.

Some Real Simple Ranger ideas:

• If you can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em. That goes for livestock or people. Restrict family size.

• Pull in your perimeter

--Cancel your cell phone service or land line.
--Kill your direct TV; use only local stations
--Limit your credit card expenditures to necessary items. Pay off monthly.
--Differentiate between "need" and "want," and eliminate most wants.
--Don't believe government and commercial propaganda

• Drive fuel efficient vehicles, and drive slower.
• Heat and cool your home to realistic levels. Put on a sweater or take off clothes in the Summer. Open your windows in the Spring and Fall, if feasible.
• Talk to your neighbors. You are not alone.
• Budget all expenses and buy what you can afford.
• Shred credit card/cell phone offers before reading.

This doesn't jibe with a government that is telling you to SPEND. But having savings that will carry you for a few months is the only way to ensure a level of economic comfort.

Your government is not providing a sustainable template for economic health. Even in the most glaring and long-term of problems, it has not behaved responsibly. After 32 years of oil embargoes the U.S. has still failed to achieve a level of fuel efficiency in our vehicles or develop reasonable energy alternatives.

The days of cradle-to-grave protection are long gone. Did they lie to you, the Gods of the Marketplace? Yes, but you are too old to believe in magic. You've got to figure this one out on your own.

~~~If you have any personal suggestions, we're game to hear them~~~