One of the biggest challenges in this world is to overcome the negative and destructive thinking of those who want us to roll over and die.
The purveyors of doom/gloom may rationalize their behaviour as "just getting people to face reality", but who created that reality in the first place and why do we have to be stuck in it for a long, long time?
These people are very active during war, crisis or threats of imminent destruction. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, I realized how dedicated they were to spreading the gospel of nuclear destruction with or without religious dogma. To them, we were all simply pawns in the hands of some uncaring force that could smash anyone at anytime.
Today, most of these doom and gloomers seem to have become economists reading out of the same "economic bible". They postulate that governments and individuals are under the spell of mysterious powers or influences that no one can understand or control.
The predictions of these dark prophets are the buidling blocks of Hell itself:
- Oil was suppose to go to 200 dollars a barrel(Fortunately, it didn't).
- It's suppose to take five years for the stock market and mutual funds to get back to where they were.
- Unemployment is suppose to be close to 9% in the United States next year.
- Despite what governments do, the recession will just get worse.
- The credit freeze will continue because governments are powerless to stop it.
- As profits decrease, panic will continue in the stock markets.
- U.S. Housing prices will continue to fall through 2009.
- Investing will continue to suck and then investors will give up and die.
Everyday, we can hear these fortunate tellers spew their dark visions on financial TV shows.
Needless to say, economic problems bring out the best in some individuals and the worst in others.
- Companies cut the waste in their plants/products and look for ways to operate more efficiently.
- Companies that are run by stupid or incompetent CEOs simply go bankrupt or are sold at discount prices.
- Companies that are on the ball will find new markets and new customers for their products(i.e. China, India, Brazil, etc).
- Companies that innovate and bring new techology to market will often be in a superior position in the next bull market (i.e. Green Technology). Build a better solar panel or electric engine and the world will beat a path to your door. What happened to the stocks in start up companies like Intel and Microsoft many years ago?
We don't have to live in the straitjacket of yesterday's mistakes.
Economists and wealthy capitalists have lost millions in the panic of October 2008. They were/are depressed by their losses. Misery loves company.
For most of us, it's great to have bargains in stocks, housing and gasoline again. Lower prices stimulate demand and what does that lead to.....losses for the doom and gloomers.
happy
St Johns 
