Needed: Someone to Preach Sanity

What America sorely needs is a voice of sanity preaching from the easternmost point of Maine to the westernmost part of Hawaii. Will such a voice emerge? It’s doubtful, but here are some of the topics that voice ought to be preaching:
* Federal funds come with strings attached. Believe it. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
When Sen. Jeff Van Drew briefed the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce about the Garden State Parkway overpasses, he was quick to point out the funding is largely in place. Most of the planning work is complete. What’s the holdup? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are demanding certain wetland mitigation be done to enable the work to start.
Offered the legislator from Dennis Township, had we not accepted federal funds for the project ($20 or $37 million depending on who is asked), the work could already have started. But, since we agreed to take loot from good old Uncle Sam, we must follow his recipe.
I have heard of school districts that similarly refused federal funds because, once the money is in the bank, old uncle has his hand on your neck, and there is no turning aside.
* Water comes from the ground, be mindful of it.
Whether or not you ever heard about a chap named Larry Newbold, he’s been preaching a gospel of water conservation for decades. He’s aged and frustrated because, to date, few have heeded his dire warnings of over pumping the aquifers and pumping sewage effluent into the sea.
Like or loathe him, the Rutgers professor surfaced a notion after the earth shook here in Cape May County and throughout the East Coast: How much water has been pumped out from the earth over the centuries, and could that, along with countless barrels of oil extracted and coal mined, be taking its toll on Mother Earth?
Take a lemon, put a candy straw in it, and suck out the juice. What happens to the lemon? Isn’t the earth like a huge lemon? Puts conservation in a whole new light, doesn’t it.
* Stay focused on your goals whether job related or investment linked. Don’t buy into fear; it’s too easy to lose your focus after fretting. The mass media can stir the population to a point of near insanity.
I listened to a group of financial commentators on CNBC radio, and they were chastising each other for peddling fear among the masses. They acknowledged that constant reports of a falling dollar, plummeting IRA accounts and such were resulting in increase fear among the population.
Granted, most of us have very frail grasp on the monetary situation, but when news of it is constantly pounded into our brains, something has to happen. The result is that many people are pulling all their cash from IRA funds, and, who knows, stuffing it in pillowcases under their mattresses.
The commentators realize they play a part in such a financial feeding frenzy. They help serve up an overflowing platter of data that the average person simply cannot fathom. So what is gained?
The way to deal with such news overkill is hard for many of us, but, we must do what our children and grandchildren do daily when school is in session, homework. That’s right. If you have investments, even if they are in mutual funds, break out that prospectus and read what companies or bonds you own. If they are shaky or questionable, take action if you can. Don’t figure the advisor knows what’s best for you.
Do your own research. Ask questions. There is a wealth of information available to anyone who seeks it in the financial world. If your companies are good, solid ones, stay the course. If you detect downward trends over an extended period, some action may be warranted on your part.
Remember, it’s your money, your future, be assertive, not passive. Step up to the plate and, for goodness sake, don’t let fear sway you from your goals.
* Become active in your local government. All politics is local, so the place to begin change is hardly in that millionaire’s club known as the U.S. Senate, or even the House of Representatives. The place to instill change is at the municipal level. People do get the kind of government they deserve. Those who demand from their elected leaders certain things will get them. Those who vote, elect and go to sleep will also get the kind of government that suits them.
Take Sam Kelly’s advice from last week’s letter to the editor. Confront your candidates now, don’t wait for them to tap on your door smiling and asking for your vote. Tell them what you expect, and don’t back down. Good leaders are ones who canvas their electorate and act upon their wishes, not the wishes of some fat-cat party chieftain.
* Become active in your faith community. In these times of uncertainty, when earthquakes shake us and hurricanes threaten us, mere mortals need to put their faith in something greater than themselves. Our technology can and will fail. Those who are active in their church, synagogue, mosque or temple are better enabled to weather the changes life brings. They see beyond the present with a calmer outlook, setting aside fear, they realize they are here for a moment in time. Seize that moment, do your best. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
If only someone would carry this message throughout our land, how much better would be our outlook?