American Husbandry

I’m about to be a dad, which gives me the right to deviate from the norm and open up a little bit.

Nobody remembers the Romans for their intricate investment products.  Nobody remembers the Greeks for their healthcare system.  I don’t know if the Egyptians have a single filibuster in their history. So why do we settle?

The great civilizations in history are remembered for their contributions to the arts and sciences, and yet our culture seems to be ruled by predatory commerce and runaway greed.

I don’t blame the banks. I don’t blame the healthcare system. I don’t blame the doctors, the hospitals, or the insurance companies. I don’t blame realtors or mortgage lenders or even Ben Bernake.

I blame us, all of us.We’ve compromised the morals of our heritage and settled for easy credit without thinking about the consequences.  We’ve given up on taking care of ourselves because we feel entitled to have someone else take care of us.

Instead of paying interest, what’s so bad about saving? Instead of waiting until we’re sick to seek care, what’s wrong with eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of ourselves?  Instead of treating symptoms – both medical and economical – with expensive bandages, why not try to treat the underlying causes?

Leona and I have certainly made our share of mistakes in these matters, and that’s our business.  We’re not looking for someone to fix it for us.

Knowing that I’m going to soon be a father definitely changes my view of the world.  So, for our part, Leona and I are going to try to consume less, and to give more.  We’re learning that sense of accomplishment that comes from buying a new sofa doesn’t begin to rival the sense of accomplishment that comes from walking the dogs around the lake. We don’t use credit cards and we pay down our loans ahead of schedule whenever we can.

Imagine if we didn’t have financing.  Imagine if we took care of our own health and didn’t rely on prescription drugs with 800% margins. Would it hurt the economy?  Maybe.  It would change it.

Sometimes I think about things like this.  If just 25% of Americans decided that they were never again going to buy something on credit, what would that do? Would it make banks more competitive? Would it reduce their exposure to risk, thereby making them stronger banks? If we stopped buying new cars, they’d come down in price. They’d get better. They’d have to. Manufacturers would have to work harder to give us better products for less. It’s supply and demand. And right now, and for the past few decades, Americans have demanded so much stuff – just amazing amounts of stuff – that we’ve been willing to pay far, far too much for it and to lower our standards on the quality of the stuff.  This includes cars, financing for homes, toys for our children painted with lead paint, fast food burgers with three patties, bacon and cheese!, furbies, $70 video games that we’ll beat in 2 weeks, overpriced-and-poorly-made furniture for our homes (Pier One), and more.

I’m rambling now.  But this is how one’s mind works when one is expecting their first child.

Oh well, maybe I’m rambling.