A group that we started as a mastermind group now has turned into support group due to the following considerations below.

Do you have a group to turn to in the midst of this economic mess: If not find blogs like this one that you may resonate with and talk and listen to members or others out there. For some, the fact they know they are not alone in their situations have done a lot in coping with their guilt feeling that they are failing their families and kids: Many of these things are not our fault:

Consider the following:

· Oil and gasoline prices are at an all time high: $119/barrel as of yesterday.

· Food and raw materials are in increasingly short supply; prices are soaring worldwide.

If someone has any doubts about recession and the rising cost of living, we want him to go and explain his definition of the recession or inflation to the ordinary hard working descent American families who for the first time in their lives have to line up in food banks for daily loaves of bread. As the manager of the food bank said these are not the ordinary mills of welfare or homeless people. These are ordinary Americans who used to be able to put food on the able for the children and themselves and now feel lucky if they can have one full meal a day.

Some of the ‘lucky ones who do not have to line up at food bank but have to skip some regular meals a day, are they spending less money? Most of them are spending the same amount of money BUT ONLY FOR MUCH LESS.

Many teachers are receiving kids in school and their first hob is t o feed these children first. They know that a hungry stomach can not learn. And now even those school programs are being cut by governors and legislators who say we not afford to give food any longer to these foodless kids but we can afford to continue with corporate welfare, corporate tax breaks and other gov’t subsidies.

Somebody explains this to these hungry families.

· The humongous expenditures from a massively expensive war are coming home to roost. Any idea on how we can continue with this war and still afford it?

Our discussion on this turned in one discussion started by one older couple who said forget the war in Iraq. There is plenty of war over here and around us. See the post on “WAR Everywhere”

· The U.S. economy and stock market are stalling;

The pundits are quick to point out this a good thing, as an opportunity to invest for the long haul. They are mum on descent advised on how to cope for those who had invested long time ago and are harvesting the fruits of those investment now. In other words, those who are living on the Returns OF and ON their portfolio are being killed in the battle field of the stock market with its recent performance in recent months.

· Unemployment lines everywhere are getting longer;

There are plenty of skilled workers willing and are competent to work. But corporate America does not reward this. Those folks are just small cogs in the big machinery of corporate America. When and it you are an expensive part , you can be replaced at any time by one cheap part in some other parts of the world.

How can we make the EQUATION of Profit WORK again for America?

How can respect for value of Labor co-exist with desire for descent Returns On Capital?

We are listening ….

· In an attempt to pull the economy out of the doldrums - the Feds is printing money like crazy and turning our dollar into play money. I still can recall what my 5^th grade economics teacher said when I asked: “Why can those who print paper money and those who mint our coins did not make sure that when they printed and minted enough money for everyone? I was scolded by the teacher for proving I had not been listening. I protested that I was absent during the day of discussion. He asked the class for volunteer to answer the question for me. The one boy who always tried to prove he was smarter than I was, was very happy to oblige. I was truly impressed with his answer:

“This paper money are actually just representation of something that are not as easy and convenient to carry and exchanged like these money paper and nice coins. So unless you really have enough the true money, you cannot print the dummy money.”

So there is real money and dummy money? I asked in excitement.

“You can call them that way but dummy may not be accurate here, Augustine, said our teacher with clear pride in her voice that someone can come up with a good explanation. That answer stuck with me up to my economics courses in graduate school. It marked the day I fell in love with economics.

What I never expected to ever see in my lifetime is the literal printing of money as I thought we could do in 5^th grade. Augustine would be shocked if I were to tell him that in my adopted country, the great USA, we actually can print money WITHOUT THAT ‘something’ that you offered in your answer some 38 years ago.

I am wondering how many of our 5th graders know this part or our monetary system. I am sure that many smart kids would be shaking their heads disagreeing with me. “There must be a basis somehow.” What would that be?

We have several lesson plans that covers exactly this question. How would anyone get access to those lesson plans? Visit us at www.eflad.com

· Bailouts are arranged left and right like it is free money.

I wonder what answers we could or would give to our children NOW if only they were to receive the enlightenment tomorrow that these are loans on their backs; these bailouts are Loan Amounts that the Present are spending for Them to Pay in the Future?

Would the kids tell us in their characteristic “whatever” flip of their hands in the air? IF do they, in one way it would not be surprising because we have not trained our kids to thinking in terms of the future. They are present oriented. If on the other and, the question stops them on their track and say: “Wait a minute, I am not sure I heard that right. Can you repeat that just for the record?” And then they start to think and protest, we might be seeing the sign and proof that all that needs to be done is get the attention of the kids, enlighten them with the truths and they can be counted to take the proper stand.

The latter is a huge premise in curriculum that aims at educating the children early.

· Wall Street is being bailed by Main Street.

Can anyone believe this? This is economic essence of the economic package and the bank’s bailouts.

· Millions are losing their homes, driven into foreclosures and filing bankruptcy and creating the biggest economic divide in history:

Millions or HAVEs are enjoying and piling for fortune on the misfortune of the HAVE NOTs.

Books & ebooks, emails and tele-seminars about this Utopia of real-estate investing clog the information highway.

Pick up those houses of broken dreams and make millions out the misery of those people

Anyway the tax payers already took care of those written off losses by the banks, who enjoy the bail out of our

Federal Government anytime they prove their stupidities in investing.

The HAVE NOTs are asking if there is a government system that would also bail them out they also would prove stupid

Into thinking they can also own a home through simply the old fashion concept of working hard. Their only crime was their ignorance in thinking that making less than $50/yr qualifies them to partake in the American dream of home ownership.