Financial Stability in America and American Responsibility by Chelle Stockman

The financial problems in America began with Americans. Let us consider how the dollar has lost its purchasing power. The first and most powerful way we have decreased the value of our dollar is by not using it. You see, the dollar no longer stands for spending power. We trade predominantly with credit and debit reserving cash for smaller items; therefore our dollar has less purchasing power.

Now let us consider how we do business. We buy things on credit and because credit is so freely given and so freely taken in exchange for goods and services, prices of those goods and services continue to increase which places a strain on the supply end of the production train which also drives up costs. That in return forces suppliers to look for areas where they can increase production without raising the cost of their products which is merely a temporary solution because as the supply becomes available, the demand continues to increase. If we paid cash for goods and services, the demand would be more stable which means the cost of production would decrease but because we buy things on credit, we can have what we think we want right now and concern ourselves with paying it at a later date. In essence, our jobs go overseas to fuel our appetite for goods that we buy on credit.

Credit has replaced the currency in America. To restore our country's financial stability, we must cease using credit except to start up businesses and purchase homes. For everything else, including health care, we must use cash. When we pay cash, we should try to pay for things made in America and if we simply must have something, we should then seek to pay cash for items made on our continent. This will help to solve immigration problems, and the trends will eventually catch the eyes of economists who will start chatting about our spending habits. They will be forced to adapt to the consumers demand rather than string us along on the perilous path of job losses and credit woes.

In the arena of health care, the cost will drop drastically if we can avoid using services that we cannot pay for. The health industry regulators fear a sickened and possibly infected society and will make policy changes (reluctantly) to curtail the never ending inflation of health care costs.

You want to keep jobs in America? Buy American made goods and when you aren't able to find them, write your representatives. Write the companies you prefer to do business with and encourage your friends and neighbors to also do so. You want to have affordable goods and services? Pay for them with cash and buy only what you need to use. Don't visit doctors every time you get a cold or a sliver. Go when you need to. A wiser use of your cash would be to visit menu planning nutritionists who promote longevity diets rather than wait for sickness to force you into a hospital where even Tylenol is served at an inflated cost.

Americans don't realize that our oil costs per barrel decreased when we used less. OPEC and other oil commodities have production limits that are heavily taxed when they over-produce. In a way, that's how it goes for other goods and services we purchase. You want affordable housing? Buy more affordable products and save for a larger cash down payment; the market will adjust to our spending habits. It's pretty simple if we'd only do this.

We the American people can serve one another best buy developing better habits as consumers. I'm ready to get started. You folks with me? The time to restore the value of our currency is now and that can only happen if we trade and sell with cash, resisting the urge to use credit and debit.

God Bless these efforts.

Chelle Stockman

Palin and the Russians by Chelle Stockman

While the media suffers letdown after their election climax, they seek to revel in the aftermath by extending the experience through Sarah Palin gossip. What they fail to inform us about is who bailed Russia out of their financial fiasco, so it looks as though it's up to me again. Too bad nobody will see this.

Two weeks ago, Russia sought their help from our past allies, the Saudis. The media almost covered it in all its serious consequences but as they so often do, they never complete what they start. They asked us that if President Obama goes through with his promise to withdraw our troops, won't there be a void citing the longstanding resentments between the Sunni and Shia tribes. That's where they started and that's where they ended without exploring certain facts.

One: something always fills a void; therefore, should we withdraw from Iraq, someone will come in to occupy the space we now fill and that someone will most likely be Russia.

Two: The Saudis have a lot to lose in that region because of their tempestuous past with Syria, Iran, Kuwait, Libya and Iraq because OPEC is in jeopardy which will compromise the control the Saudi Emmirate have over resources in that large region. Therefore, they require someone to occupy Iraq which is the middle ground because it wouldn't be ethical for the Saudi's to do so, all that religious brotherhood stuff and such. The Saudis are about appearances and Iran has always seen right through them. We, under the Bush regime, were being told that Iran is our enemy when in fact Iran is a watchful nation because they have been unable to trust the allies we were so heavily indebted to, the Saudis. Now Russia is heavily indebted to the Saudis.

All you have to do is be reminded of how this all began and then connect the dots for yourself. I've just reminded you, now please connect the dots. This is a time of prayer.

That's all for now.
Chelle Stockman

Letter to Rachel Maddow by Chelle Stockman

Letter to Rachel Maddow by Chelle Stockman

 

 

Good Morning, Rachel;

 

I have a question regarding Senator McCain's ties to the Kemper-Marley crime syndicate.  He seems hell bent on bringing up Senator Obama's associates but the fingers seem to point right back to himself, his lovely wife, and her father. 

 

Is it true that Jim Hensley was connected to the Tishes, the Linders, the Rothchildes and Drexel Burnham Lamburt?  If so, why is there nothing about it slapping us in the face? Where is that guilt by association John and Sarah are offering up?

 

It's no secret that Republicans don't vote for people of good character instead opting to vote for characters such as gippers, mavericks, and hammers. With sensible reason tossed out they are casting their votes for winks, the pursing of lips, empty promises and identifiable charm instead which cloaks the high crimes and suspicious suicides ultimately leading to Jim Hensley's involvement.  Tell me Senator McCain didn't know this.

 

Is it also true that Cindy McCain has profited heavily off of the war industry and has money in off shore accounts?  What the hell is going on with our nation?

 

Any response is appreciated.

 

Chelle Stockman

Dollar Gobbled by Credit Beast by Chelle Stockman

Extra, Extra.  Dollar Gobbled by Credit Beast

By Chelle Stockman

 

Our representatives aren't able to act when we send them our warnings.  How many of us does it take to inform our representatives of a potential problem before any solutions can be offered and why do they fail to see the connection of inflationary prices in a sector to the devaluing of our currency, from the devaluation of our currency to the loosening of lending practices, from the lack of regulation to the rape of the consumer? 

 

It isn't like our representatives were not aware of this.  They've had six years to prepare for this. I know I wasn't the only constituent who consistently wrote to them about each and every wave that affected me or my business. I know many of you wrote to them as well. 

 

Our president thought he'd boost our nations economy through new construction, focusing on the housing sector.  For many of the states, the housing market was in a moderate to slow growth cycle which made new housing a crazy idea at that time.  People simply were not able to buy the houses at the current rates back then. Building new houses at the newer costs and expecting people to suddenly be able to afford them meant you had to know it would force the lenders to change and the tradeoff would mean further deregulation of that industry which could spell major trouble. But, our president did this anyway. 

 

What had to happen to pay for the new housing?  More credit would have to become available on a much larger scale.  How could more credit become available?  Loosen the lending criteria.

 

Contrast to 1980

 

In 1980, you met with your real estate salesman.  They would take down your combined annual income, figure your current debts and  record assets if you had any.  You were required to put a down payment of ten percent or more which was do-able because the housing market was under a controllable inflation rate compared to average salaries.  The real estate salesman would take the differences of money coming in and money owed and then figure out eleven percent.  Back then, 11 was the magical percentage rate for maximum amount of money the buyer could reasonably afford to pay out annually.   They broke the figure down into approximate monthly payments and that was what they were willing to allow you to pay. They set the maximum amounts you were allowed to pay back then. In retrospect, those lenders were ethical.

 

They weren't shoving FICA scores down our throats in those days.  They were shoving our ability to pay down our throats. If you were not able to show a large enough amount of money to pay for the goods under their 11 percent rule, you were denied.  You also didn't have hundreds of lenders competing for your business either. They didn't solicit you, you solicited them.

 

Fast forward to the year 2002, the new housing boon.  A two-bedroom one bath house two blocks away from my salon went for 95,000. This particular home's value in 1980 was a mere 45,000.  I wanted to divorce my husband and sat down with the same formula in mind and worked up to see what I could afford as the real estate salesperson showed me back in 1980.  I was going back and forth with the idea that I would be over extending myself and thought I'd hold off for another six months to see if I could save a larger down payment.  Bad move, at least that's what I thought.

 

That house suddenly went from 95,000 to 186,000, in a six month period.  I was supposed to think that was still a fair price because the newly built condos were now 365,000.  What no one was getting was that if it was a tight squeeze at 95,000, it would be larger squeeze at 186,000.  That house finally sold nine months later for 385,000 (15 months after I first looked at it).  How could people suddenly afford to buy this house when they couldn't 15 months earlier, when the house was selling at one-third of the cost?

 

My answer was this.  To qualify for a half million dollar home in 2004 you didn't have to offer a down payment.  Suddenly you weren't qualifying based upon 11 percent of your annual income; all you needed to qualify was something called a FICA score. 

 

The better your FICA score, the less interest you'd have to pay on your loan. If you had a low FICA score, your rates would be higher, but you wouldn't be denied.  In fact, you were told that you should do it, go for it, and in a few years with consistent payments you'd be able to apply for a loan and a betterinterest rate; refinancing is what that's called. Typical lending ethics of today, where the poorer you are the more you pay and the better off you are the less you pay. Oh, the poorer consumers never learn, do they.  Good for those lenders, bad for the taxpaying citizens being asked to bail them out.

 

The problem began when people's salaries weren't keeping up with the costs of goods.  That was never addressed through legislation but was addressed through the creditors.  We were flooded with credit cards.  Larger goods were still not moving as was the case of homes and businesses. So the larger scale lending practices had to loosen to keep things moving along because we still hadn't addressed the problems with our purchasing power. We didn't realize it back then but America's largest gross domestic product would become our debt.

 

The first problem that has led us to this "Bail Out" was that our purchasing power was on the down low without the help of credit.  The second problem was created by the credit industry flooding us with the illusion of having the necessary purchasing power to keep going.

 

We bottomed out.  Our representatives failed to address the problems about the average Americans dependence on credit to purchase.  Secondly they failed to address the inflationary sectors credit helped to create and lastly, they failed to handle the problem of our falling values of our currency.  They are all interdependent upon one another.

 

When a woman has to use credit to fix a tooth, pay for a son's ticket, get a new water-pump in her car, buy clothing for her growing children and pay for groceries for a week here and a week there, our nation is in trouble. Necessity overtook our desire for frivolous purchases when it came to spending on credit. You can't rent a car without a card, barely book a flight without one.  Credit has killed the dollar bill.

 

We are being told that this bail out was important to us so we could have access to credit, when it's using credit in place of currency that is the real problem.  The creditors all know this and has this stopped them?  NO.  As our representatives voted in favor of the bail out, my 19-yr-old unemployed and troubled son just got a credit card from Bank of America. Think the credit companies care? Why should they?  We will pay them one way or another.  ENOUGH!

 

Power to the People.  Power of Currency. Screw Usuary.

Laissez Faire Economics by Chelle Stockman

Laissez Faire Economics

By Chelle Stockman

 

Opinion

 

 

We have reached a state of economic fragility; so much for that promise of a broader shared prosperity.  Republicans blame Democrats and vice-versa. American voters are growing weary from the political blame game and are considering ejecting them all from our plundered garden, much like God ejected Adam and Eve when they chose to blame others rather than admit that they messed up.

 

The actions of our representatives over the decades have had far reaching social consequences which began with deregulation and privatization without federal oversight.  American voting citizens know their limited voice is tossed into the electoral grog; however, the American consumer has been trained to demand a more expeditious satisfaction.  Where it takes a voter years to rid themselves of a representative, it takes a consumer one trip to a different store, a mere change in our shopping habits.

 

Our representatives know this and fear this above all other things because with their signature they transferred our Representative Democracy to a deregulated Corporate Democracy.  To the American voters they for years have shouted the virtues of Market Equilibrium saying, "There are ups and there are downs but the market will always correct itself."  Today their cry is but a whimper and the power transferred from the voting citizen to the desperate consumer has been diminished, leaving the multi-national corporations in charge of our liberties.

 

We should be demanding that our leadership from the Office of the President on down answer this one question. If your market equilibrium assertion that it will correct itself because it always does is true, why on Earth are you demanding that we the citizens bail them out?

 

Okay, I'm done for now.

 

Chelle Stockman

The Change Begins With Us by Chelle Stockman

 

By now, most of you know someone who has had to accept a lower wage to be employed. You probably know someone who got themselves over their head by overuse of credit cards. The housing market has left its finger print on your ability to acquire a loan for the purposes of funding a child's college education For those of you who use public transportation, you've seen the costs rise in the past few years and for those of you who commute using your own vehicles are most likely spending over fifty dollars a month ( 50 bucks a week for me).

 

Many of you can probably pass through your town and see vacant signs going up where small businesses used to be.  You milk drinkers out there are probably paying four bucks a gallon unless you buy the two-fers and then even with that, you are probably paying a dollar a gallon more right now than you were just three years ago.

 

With health care premiums on the rise, and energy bills taking their cut out of your allowable income, things might seem to be a little out of control for you.  For those of you who have the luxury of being able to investigate which presidential candidate deserves your vote,  realize there are no candidates on the ticket that can do one thing to help you or your loved ones to overcome their current predicament. 

 

The conditions we are facing today make me think of the times when slaves were ready to be free.  It took them a century to make their move.  While they had much needed help from others outside their situation, it was they who had to decide that the time had come to be free.  Once they made that decision, they actually freed themselves. Sure others finally pitched in to help them, but they began their harrowing journey out of bondage into personal responsibility, which is the heart of real freedom.

 

Today, we have all been held in bondage, whether it came by our own habits or by our acceptance of the conditions we thought ourselves powerless to overcome. But like the slaves in our American history, to overcome the silent bondage we face, we must decide to free ourselves.  There is a saying that comes from the Scriptures. It goes like this: Before you try and remove the speck out of your brother's eye, remove the log from your own.  Everyone has heard that said before and in so many different ways.  Most of us think that the saying is limited to one interpretation, that being; before you dare to criticize someone, examine and work on yourself. I submit to you, it also has another meaning, and that is; In order to encourage others who are facing difficulties, face your own.

 

How do we do that?

 

First, we must realize that blame is fruitless.  We can't achieve our freedom by blaming others.  While we hope there will be accountability for those we are tempted to blame, we could be doing what it takes to give us more advantage.  We must realize that all these things dragging us down are circumstances. If we endeavor to "fight" the circumstances, more circumstances will manifest. So, we need to get back to the basics.

 

Laughter is free. It's contagious.  It's essential for healing.  Gratitude is free.  It's contagious.  It's essential for peace.  Both are more powerful than blame.  Both help us to transcend circumstances but blame invites circumstances. So rid yourselves of blame.  I know its hard to do but it gets easier as you remind yourself that blame advances no one.

 

There is love, kind acts, sincerity and a host of other tools we have to empower us on our victorious journey. 

 

 The thing is, belief is core to our ability to overcome whatever circumstances we face.  We need to believe that change begins with us.  We need to be willing to show ourselves mercy.  Hell, anyone can feel guilty about something if that's what they want. Through mercy we can overcome the guilt.  So be merciful to yourself and you've just climbed one wrung out of a rut. Show others mercy and you've climbed a few more.  Shout, speak, whisper, think, "Thanks. I'm getting it. I feel less guilt or no guilt about... and I no longer have the urge to be harsh to others around me. I'm getting it!  Thank you!"  Gratitude is a booster shot.

 

It takes you to advance yourself and it takes you to overcome. By the way, others around you will be witness to the light inside you that slowly replaces the darkness; and when they are ready, they'll be helped by your success. Success is contagious.

 

So, challenge yourself to eat healthier, dance a little more, say hello to townspeople in passing, smile at a child, pet an animal, and be thankful that you can do all those things.  Be thankful that you are the owner of your own thoughts.  If that's all you can find to be thankful for, no worries.  Begin there.  The more you are thankful, the more things you'll find to be thankful for. 

 

The only caution there, and I hesitate to share it with you, but I really should, so here goes; when finding things to be thankful for, don't be thankful for what is not. In other words, don't compare yourself to others or other circumstances.  Be thankful for your own breath, your own mind, your own experience and if you find the urge to say, "I'm thankful I'm not like that...," stop yourself and say, "NO!"  Keep it positive and heal yourself.  Healing is contagious.  If you want to help others, change the way you think.

 

I want us to change our entire society in order to get us back to living healthier, free from oppression and the other circumstances that seem to prevail. Rather than fight the circumstances, endeavor to overcome and remember, circumstances are temporary.

 

I'm expecting your triumph and I'm grateful that we have one another, if nothing else, in our prayers.

 

May the blanket of circumstances be cast off our blessings.  Amen.

 

Chelle Stockman.

Era of Americrats by Chelle Stockman

Back in 1948 or there-about, there was a push for another national political party by southern Democrats who disagreed with the civil rights platform of Harry Truman.  They were dubbed "Dixiecrats."

While it never became an official party, the term Dixiecrat evolved to represent those who disliked favoritism of any kind as well as loathing anything Republican.

 

Here we are today, some of us trying to figure out whom we shall cast our votes for between the Democrat, Barack Obama and the Republican, John McCain.  John McCain ought to be wary right about now because I predict we shall see an even larger movement to keep Republicans out of high office and I'm calling this new unoffical party the Party of Americrats; Americans fed up with anything Republican.  Those are the people who shall be casting their votes for Obama.

 

That's all for now.

 

Chelle Stockman