Hey America, Knock Off The Pity Party
By Thomas D. Segel
February 26, 2009

There is a lot of hand wringing and moaning going on across the American landscape. The political prevaricators proclaim we are facing such dire times and such agony that it is almost the end of days. Pardon me, but what a bunch of crap!

I am sure there are pockets of pain in various locales across the country. The auto and banking industries have taken a hard hit. But, they do not make up America. The housing situation is bad, but 98% of mortgage holders are making their payments. This is far from the Great Depression that politicos tell us in on the horizon unless we spend our way into oblivion.

Granted, most of our 50 states are running multi-billion dollars lose balance sheets. Why, because the big spending mentality of elected officials has placed them in that dangerous position. Some states, including my state of Texas, require balanced budgets and no red ink spending. They are doing just fine.

Businesses open and businesses fail. That is life. I once read that the average life span of a business is just a little over 50 years. That tells me that all businesses eventually fail.

A few years ago I visited a New England locale called Mystic Seaport. It was the home of our whaling industry and more than 4,000 whaling ships were built there during the heyday of that great business. Today only one whaling ship remains as a museum piece.

My great grandfather ran a store and did a wonderful business selling kerosene lamps. Have you bought many of these lamps lately? Do you even remember horse drawn carriages? Are they in demand? Or even more currently, Beta recordings, ink filled pens, iceboxes, milk in bottles, or lead soldiers? Have you bought any of them lately? The point is... everything is always in a state of change. Instead of shedding all those tears of gloom, we should all be seeking out the next big bang coming our way.

Locally, we have lost jobs, just like every other place in thee country. The number crunchers tell us the national unemployment rate is at 7.8% and moving toward 9% or 10% unless we spend our grandchildren's future. But, that isn't really horrible, unless you are one of those who have lost his or her job. In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas we historically have seen unemployment rates of 15% or 16% and that was up until about 10 years ago. But, everyone survived and most seem to be doing just fine, while at the same time offering helping hands to those in need.

Here we have lost national companies such as Circuit City or Steve and Barry's. When they left there were large vacancies in our mall. But, you know what? Other stores have come along to replace them. Marshals has just built a new store, as had Bed, Bath and Beyond. Headlines in yesterday's newspaper reported a new company to process medical claims nation-wide will be opening its doors and offering 750 jobs.

But, this isn't just a Texas story. There are opportunities everywhere. Companies such as FedEx, Google, EBay, Whole Foods, Men's Warehouse, T-Mobile and Nordstrom are doing well, and most of them are still hiring.

Those who follow commodities know that many things are on an upturn. Gold has gone over $1,000. Silver remains stationary. Crude oil, heating oil, and unleaded gas show a steady climb. Cattle corn, lumber and wheat are increasing in value.

There is high demand for personnel to fill jobs in medical services and nursing. Across the computer industry employers are crying out for people who have the skills needed in that technology. Engineering help is needed, as is help in the engineering software field.

The field of education is wide open for those who wish to serve as teachers, administrators, classroom assistants and in other staff positions. It is estimated that almost 40,000 of these jobs will need to be filled in 2009.

Green jobs are everywhere. More and more companies are adding staff members to fill environmentally oriented positions.

But, the mortgage market is horrible some claim. That too is not the entire story. A friend of mine who brokers mortgages claims she has more than thirty lenders who are providing mortgages on a daily basis. There is one catch though...you must have good credit.

Things really are not as bad as those gloom salesmen in Washington proclaim. Just look around and plot yourselves courses that will lead you out of this misery malaise. America needs to knock off its countrywide pity party and become what it always has been...a nation of positive thinkers.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.