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Home › Money

Liz Smith | 03/17/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith: Internet, Cable and the Recession

By Liz Smith RSS
Alert me to Liz's new posts
In response to: As serious as this economic downturn is, are we overreacting?
Liz Smith
We are only overreacting to the economic downturn because each of us is, singly, so powerless to effect a change. And we also overreact because everything in Washington, where the power is, is so overreported, speculated on and blown out of proportion. Obama is being observed and reported on as if he should already have solved a crisis that has been in the making through all the Reagan, Clinton and Bush years. The Internet and cable all have their bloviators and they are all bloviating. It matters not if they have nothing new or helpful to say, they say whatever it is anyway.

And I suggest the Democrats ignore the Republicans who are behaving so crassly (imagine what people would have said against the Democrats had they reacted in such an unpatriotic manner after 9/11! This situation is much more serious and we should be treating it the same way we treated World War II after Pearl Harbor. But the GOP is bent on not helping.

Democrats should ignore the GOP — which is rudderless — and go ahead enacting their recovery plans and social realizations.

The next election won’t be so easy for Barack Obama and he has more power now to act than he will probably ever have again.

Read more about: Business, Cable News, Economy, Finance, Media, Politics, Public Opinion, Recession, Society

10 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Lizzie R.
Oh, Liz, you put it so succinctly. The wisdom of maturity plays so well over the instant gratification of the younger. Wish everybody would read what you have to say, as it is so wise, and should be heeded.
By Lizzie R. on 03/18/2009 12:17 am
N P

Liz,

I so agree with your last sentence. The next election won’t be easy for Barack Obama. The Republicans offer no solutions to our problems. And they do everything they can to undermine Barack. Take the issue of unemployment, for example. If at the next election there are less people unemployed, what we will hear from the Republicans is that there is still unemployment. Some Republican will tell us that he has a friend in Texas who is unemployed. And that is all we will hear. Nothing about how unemployment has improved under Barack Obama’s watch. So, I can’t agree with you more.      

By N P on 03/18/2009 12:30 am
Allene Swienckowski
Ah…but each individual can make a change. Just as the gentle flapping of the wings of a butterfly in Africa can turn into a Tornado, so too can an individual affect and change the world about them.  There was Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Princess Duiana, each an individual committed to making a difference and a change! If each of us just endeavored to deny selfishness, committed to making a difference, stopped fearing what we peceive as different, then possibly individuals would move mountains, cure disease and mend broken hearts. Change happens one person at a time whether the  change that occurs is for good or bad! 
By Allene Swienckowski on 03/18/2009 1:45 am
Paula Casagrande
Great post Liz. I am self-employed and everyday is a struggle. In the morning I have the news on, read the internet and it is so disheartening. Every other week Ihear about another business in town closing. Getting orders for going out of business signs…I feel so bad I heavily discount those orders. What I have been doing thru letters to the editor, the local chamber and local governemnt is to urge everyone to keep their dollars local…we must support each other. Yes you can always get  better deal on the internet or from a big company in Baltimore but they are not the companies paying local taxes or supporting local charities. I think I am making a slight difference….people are at least agreeing. We shall see.
By Paula Casagrande on 03/18/2009 7:51 am
Gena Beadlescomb
You go Paula I support Shop local 100%.
By Gena Beadlescomb on 03/19/2009 3:00 pm
Tee Zee
Liz, you are so awesome girl!  Thanks for saying what’s been on my mind…
By Tee Zee on 03/18/2009 10:36 am
Amelie Poulain

Liz!  I think Buffet said that on CNBC last week.  We need to liken this crisis to WW2 after Pearl Harbour.  Exactly!  I think it is being underplayed to avoid a total collapse of the consumer-based economy.  

As power shifts in Washington from a We-The-Consumers-based corporocracy, to a  We-The-People-based Democracy, there will be some growing pains.  But if we all stop shopping the economy WILL collapse. 

We actually don’t need new shoes, new clothes, new cars, new anything.  We have WAY more stuff than any other generation perceived as necessary. I remember the tiny closets in my Grandmother’s house which speak volumes as to the mindset of a generation.  She had several dresses for different occasions and one or two coats. 

 

 

By Amelie Poulain on 03/18/2009 11:29 am
Janet Schwappach
Yes, this situation has been in the making through the Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush years.  And yes, the GOP is rudderless.  But ignore them?  Are you serious?  We have a situation that is unprecedented in our lifetime in a government currently ruled by one party.  This is the time when we MOST need to consider ALL ideas so that we don’t suffer from "group think." Whether you agree or not, the Internet and cable news provide differing viewpoints that all need to be seriously considered.  Or maybe you’re suggesting that one side is inherently evil and does not have the country’s best interests in mind?  Honestly, partisanship will not work right now and is in no one’s best interest.
By Janet Schwappach on 03/19/2009 1:50 pm
Janet Schwappach
BTW, the difference between 9/11 and now is…one was a deliberate attack on innocent civilians (or religious freedom) by Muslim fundamentalists from outside the country.  The other is a global financial crisis that will eventually turn around with a little intervention.  It’s a little dramatic to compare the two as if they somehow require the same response.
By Janet Schwappach on 03/19/2009 1:57 pm
Steve Douglass
When 9/11 occurred, the country rallied against a common enemy. In this case, Nobama IS the common enemy. Republicans railing against stupidity is just as patriotic support against terrorism was after 9/11.
By Steve Douglass on 03/23/2009 10:12 am