I started writing my Blog in May of 2012, 5 yrs after the beginning of the Financial Crisis of 2008. No, I’m not counting deficient, I merely time the start of the Great Recession, with my Business cycle. In June of 2007, 3 months after signing another 5 yr lease with Merit’s landlord of 30 yrs, I knew we had entered a recession. Just like the recession of 1992, Merit’s phones stopped ringing.
It was the end of scheduling and planning for contracted work. Almost like death by a thousand cuts, we were asked to recalculate all our yardages ( Merit was primarily a carpet contractor, measuring units of installation in yards of carpet installed and invoiced accordingly.). Then, we were asked to reduce our charges by 5%, reducing our profit margins. Next we were told what our customers wished to pay. After 35 yrs, customer service was no longer anyone’s priority. The bottom line became our customers’ wish and demand. Take their pricing or leave the business.
Being me, I tried. I asked my mechanics to work with me, I couldn’t give up, nor could they. Was I happy? No, I wasn’t happy. Being a business woman, confronted with challenges, I was determined to stay in business and turn the Economy around for myself, for my workers, for the Veteran Community, for everyone. Since I worked by day, I started writing at night or whenever I had a free moment. I don’t like others dictating terms to me, that’s why I became a Small Business Entrepreneur.
I’ve lived by my own standard of ethics ,” I won’t look in your pocket and no customer should look in mine”. A win win in negotiations was something most of us had valued. My good friend and developer Henry and I would always negotiate a deal. Neither one of us thought an anemic deal was a good deal. So we dealt fairly with each other and everyone else. We had old fashioned ethics and integrity . I was really angry when I had to swallow my pride and profit in order to stay in business.
The Banks were bailed out as all of us on Main Street suffered. I became aware quickly, that we were entering an era of bubbles , man made disasters and short term thinking. I reasoned that the folks who got us into this mess, couldn’t have been too bright. If they were, they would have planned to avoid the ” bust”. For 10 yrs. I listened but did not hear, Warren Buffett or Charlie Munger! I had no idea, when they said events would get ugly, what that meant to me or my family or anyone else. . Now I know!
I set out on a quest to educate everyone in the process, knowing that one person knowing both the reasons and solutions for the crisis is not enough. We all have to understand the Financial Crisis of 2008. We can see it’s effects on the Middle Class!
- Mortgage Foreclosure
Student loan debt
Poor credit rating
High interest rates on credit card loans
The evaporation of loans for small businesses
The loss of manufacturing
The rise of the financial equity business
No money for infrastructure at any level
Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan becoming homeless, committing suicide, surviving injuries beyond comprehension . Poor medical care
Under employed workers earning low wages.
Rise in food stamps and poverty levels
Limited buying power
The list is long on suffering. Short on solutions to end decades of wage and job declines. That’s when I knew, the people, who got us into this disaster were not so smart. Like the Emperor ‘s before them, they had no clothes. Stripped naked by the recession, I could see them clearly and I knew I was their equal. Not in money, but in smarts. Like the” Pied Piper of Hamelin”, I have set out to reason with the adults of our Fair land. The status quo is not acceptable to me, not when I see the possible. But that’s not enough for me either, I want everyone to see the same dreams of our success. One person can lead the way, but many must follow.
I present my ideas to you. , dear reader, as thoughts for debate. We don’t have much time , 2016 is our “drop dead date”. We should have one voice and one wish list, because, like it or not, Politics effects Us all. This time around, we want a Goldilocks government to protect us from the whimsy and risky behavior of others.
- Let’s finally have a dialog. Let’s finally talk to our families and neighbors and all 300,000,000 get on the same page of the same program. I started by trying to change my world and in the process, as my journey evolved, I hope I am changing your World for the better, also. Knowledge is indeed power. We have choices, you have my voice and Politics effects us. We’ll get the life we deserve when we work together in pursuit of that life . My happiness is your happiness, we are connected. It’s never too early for a New Years resolution! I propose that this is a year of commitment to ourselves and each other to over turn the status quo and finally begin to Resurrect the Middle Class.
Thank you for your continued support. I will write the news as I see it. Hoping beyond hope, that positive change will come to all of US. I am not going to live with the status quo any longer. I will do whatever it takes to bring back our Middle Class. I look forward to the next chapter in our journey, moving forward together, ” we the People will speak”. All the best. Joyce