First as we get closer to the election, I invite you to participate in early voting. You will see more turnout this year than ever, so be smart and find out about early voting in your area. It is easy, no lines and it makes sense. Then I suggest you keep looking at the following websites. I got two more from a blog reader (Teresa) Besides http://www.factcheck.com/; go to http://www.newstrust.net/ and http://www.themoderatevoice.com/.
Both candidates will step up the personal attacks because they don't know how to win otherwise do they? How about sticking to the facts. Americans are worried, angry and scared. We need an optimist and someone brilliant who can choose the right team to get out of this mess.
The next topics for next season of Living Smart deal precicely with very timely topics. We will have experts on the future, integrity, ethics, civility. Does that interest you? Have we lost our way? We will also cover how to enjoy life more by spending less, the value of music in child development and how to raise healthy children. One of my favorite topics is how to deal with prickly people and keep a balanced spiritual life. I can't wait!
I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to deal with the financial meltdown. First of all keep calm. This will pass. We may face a recession but getting upset, frazzled and worried can't solve anything. We have to be smart. If you are young and have money in the stock market, talk to your financial advisor. I have heard it is best to wait it out but I am not an expert. If you are older, your options change. Is it smart to stay in cash now? In the first six days of October , Americans pulled more than 19 billion dollars out of mutal funds that investing US stocks. If you switch to cash now however, you are likely to lose money because inflation will probably eat up you after tax return you earn from saving or money market accounts.
The 700 bailout has not worked YET. We still have no idea how the stock market will do in the short or medium term (not good so far) but what is it you can do? Start looking at your own budget. What can you cut? Do you have to go to dinner every week? Can you wait on a new wardrobe? Find out what you spend on a single area of discretionary spending. What about restaurants, entertainment and shopping? Yesterday instead of eating at a restaurant. I got together with friends and had a picnic. WE saved money and enjoyed nature. Just consider that.
If start taking small steps with your finances, you will feel a bit more control. No one can really predict the future, but I have faith in America and what we are capable of doing once we work together. Remember a lot of the uncertainty in the markets is stricly psychological, based on what people think may or may not happen. In the mean time try to focus on what YOU can do yourself. For example, consider cutting up a couple of your extra credits cards you don't need.
Living Smart airs on Sundays at 3pm and Thursday nights at 10:30pm. My new show Latina Voices, I co host with executive producer/anchor Minerva Perez and super lawyer Sofia Adrogue airs on the municipal channel 16 on Tuesdays and Sundays at 10 am and 10pm.
Friday
The financial Crisis and a Speech by Joanne Herring
Let's face it. Many of us are feeling quite a bit of anxiety. For the past 4 years, I have been producing Living Smart to help our viewers with valuable information to make better decisions in life. I have had three wonderful financial consultants and advisors talk about social security, saving, getting out of debt, making smart decisions with their money and here we are finding our lives a bit out of control. I still believe we have to keep calm. We do have to revisit our investments and if we are in debt, figure out how to pay it quickly. There are several credit organizations that help with that. http://www.cccservices.com/ is a good website. Most importantly though, this crisis to me represents an opportunity to think about what is important in life. For instance I hardly go out to lunch anymore now. I eat at work and save money on gas and lunch. The great part of this is that I have more time to relax with my coworkers and improve my relationships at work. I am also spending more time with my family and friends. I realize conversation does not cost anything and it is a way to reconnect with people in a different way.
In America we work too hard and we worry too much. We must find ways to relax and keep ourselves sane. To do that we have to keep our thoughts positive and upbeat. We can create our own reality. If all we do is watch TV and hear how bad things are, that is what we will eventually spend time thinking.
I do beleive in America we have the sort of productivity and technological innovation that will get us out of the rut we are in. We are creative, innovative and optimistic. To succeed we must remain that way. I believe we got into the mess we are in because we were out of balance as a nation. There is no doubt the capitalistic system is the best economic system but only when it is balanced with social consciousness, and justice. We do need some limits to greed driven excesses.
Today I heard a speech by Joanne King Herring. She is played by Julie Roberts in the Charlie Wilson's War movie. She shared how Hollywood had made a caricature of who she really was. She said in real life she never cussed or slept around like in the movie, but that Hollywood didn't care about her real life. They just wanted to entertain, even if that meant ruining her reputation.
She is truly grounded in her faith and really wanted to help the USA by understanding what was really going on in the Middle East. She also shared that it upset her the movie didn't recognize how congressmen from both sides of the aisle really worked together to help in her mission to battle the Russians. I find it sad that Hollywood disrespects conservative values and that the right wing talk show hosts do the same with liberals. We are living in a world where people of different political views don't listen or respect anyone who disagrees with them. This is sad and has led us to where we are today. To avoid this we must know the truth. I insist we read www.factcheck.org to find out if what the candidates are saying is true and then making a decision based on that and not on what they are saying about each other. For instance not all republicans are to blame for this debacle, nor are all liberals responsible for the lack of morality in our society. It is not simple. It requires us to read and analyze and try to understand other people's views, even if we disagree. Joanne Herring worked hard with both sides to battle communism, because she was smart, understood that there is good in everyone no matter what their politics and the focus was in the cause, not "what is in it for me."
We need more people like her in our society. Let's begin to look at the big picture and choose candidates who truly do want to work with each other. Otherwise, our nation will suffer.
In America we work too hard and we worry too much. We must find ways to relax and keep ourselves sane. To do that we have to keep our thoughts positive and upbeat. We can create our own reality. If all we do is watch TV and hear how bad things are, that is what we will eventually spend time thinking.
I do beleive in America we have the sort of productivity and technological innovation that will get us out of the rut we are in. We are creative, innovative and optimistic. To succeed we must remain that way. I believe we got into the mess we are in because we were out of balance as a nation. There is no doubt the capitalistic system is the best economic system but only when it is balanced with social consciousness, and justice. We do need some limits to greed driven excesses.
Today I heard a speech by Joanne King Herring. She is played by Julie Roberts in the Charlie Wilson's War movie. She shared how Hollywood had made a caricature of who she really was. She said in real life she never cussed or slept around like in the movie, but that Hollywood didn't care about her real life. They just wanted to entertain, even if that meant ruining her reputation.
She is truly grounded in her faith and really wanted to help the USA by understanding what was really going on in the Middle East. She also shared that it upset her the movie didn't recognize how congressmen from both sides of the aisle really worked together to help in her mission to battle the Russians. I find it sad that Hollywood disrespects conservative values and that the right wing talk show hosts do the same with liberals. We are living in a world where people of different political views don't listen or respect anyone who disagrees with them. This is sad and has led us to where we are today. To avoid this we must know the truth. I insist we read www.factcheck.org to find out if what the candidates are saying is true and then making a decision based on that and not on what they are saying about each other. For instance not all republicans are to blame for this debacle, nor are all liberals responsible for the lack of morality in our society. It is not simple. It requires us to read and analyze and try to understand other people's views, even if we disagree. Joanne Herring worked hard with both sides to battle communism, because she was smart, understood that there is good in everyone no matter what their politics and the focus was in the cause, not "what is in it for me."
We need more people like her in our society. Let's begin to look at the big picture and choose candidates who truly do want to work with each other. Otherwise, our nation will suffer.
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