An Amazing Day

Watching History on 1-20-2009. This is a truly amazing day. For me, it seemed as though this day would never come but I know that for many Americans this day was a fantasy. Regardless of your political views, please enjoy what is happening today and understand that it's a huge step forward as a nation. The U.S. is going to be alright. We're going to be alright.

Macroeconomics for Kids

Over the past couple months it has become painfully clear that the U.S. economy is, at best, on shaky footing. With each passing day we are greeted with more gloomy details - unemployment rate rising, stock values tumbling, pending auto-industry failures and lay offs by the thousands.

How does one explain this recession/downturn/slowdown to kids? Do we bother at all, if we ourselves are still employed and the impact hasn't yet touched us?

A couple nights ago I broached the topic of macroeconomics with the Bear. She is turning 5 in March and while that might seem young to have such a conversation I felt it was important for her to understand what is going on in the world. She cheered for Obama alongside her Mom and Dad and to that extent she too has a vested interest in the fate of the free world, after all the future is hers not ours. What our elected leaders do today is going to play a major role in her adult life. If you don't believe that just think about what our government didn't do in Afghanistan in the 80's and follow the cause and effect trail...leading directly to the Taliban and some of our most difficult present day international dilemmas. Also factored in to the timing of me having this discussion is that my oldest brother just lost his very-well-paying job. So the downturn has touched home in more ways than just our shrinking 401(k) values. While her Uncle's new predicament opened the door I still needed a reasonable approach to the topic(s) at hand...I mean she is only 4.7 years old.

Here's the path I went down:

I told her that her uncle lost his job and that a lot of moms and dads are being sent home from work because there isn't a lot of work to be done. While there are numerous reasons, both national and international, for the rise in unemployment the example I went with is the decisions some families have to make to stop buying gourmet pita chips. Huh? The worst financial crisis since the great depression is because of fancy pita chips? Well, no, of course not but that is her favorite thing to snack on right now so I went with it. I explained that if her Uncle's family liked those same expensive chips they might have to cut them out of their shopping trips going forward as they will have less money now. That means the grocery store is making a bit less money. That means the pita chip company is selling less pita chips and may not need as many employees making pita chips. So the pita chip company sends some moms and dads home from their factories and those families have to make tough financial decisions themselves - not go out to eat and the same scenario happens as local restaurants, not go to the movies and the same things may happen at local theaters, not give as much to charity and so on and so forth...

I wanted to drive home the vicious cycle of it all and focus solely on the one aspect of the economic picture. While I kept it extremely narrow I didn't want to dumb it down or be over-silly about it. The Mrs. and I believe strongly that kids should be talked to seriously when necessary, that they are smarter than we as adults generally give them credit for and most times have a thirst for knowledge of all kinds.

It's doubtful that the Bear will be testifying in front of congress anytime soon or providing her opinion to the Wall Street Journal but at least she kinda gets how so many things in this world are interconnected. She gets, I think, that something happening somewhere else may eventually trickle down to our neighborhood/family/household.

Have you engaged in similar conversations? What did you say and how did your children take it?

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

Get out and be heard.

No Excuses!

Vote today!

Obama Biden 2008! It's Officially Offical!

As an Obama supporter I am quite pleased with local boy Joe Biden getting the VP nod. So pleased that I went crazy making stylish and cool new Obama Biden t-shirts, bumper stickers and democratic ticket buttons. Love Obama Biden 2008?


Buy some Obama Biden shirts, stickers and mugs today.

Super Duper Bouncy Tuesday

Watch this snazzy new HD video from our friends Ellen and Matt...then (if you reside in one of the lucky 22 states) Vote.

If this song doesn't wake you up and get you ready to change the country, nothing will.

Family Values (I wish I was a Swede)

The next time some Republican yahoo is pontificating about how important family values are and how they will work, with the grace of God, if elected to solidify the family unit in America, think about the fact that the Family Medical Leave Act provides exactly ZERO paid time off and only 12 whole weeks of job-protected leave (and that last part only applies to larger organizations and companies, some of which may fork over some paid time inside that 12 weeks - if you're so lucky).

At the same time, those crazy socialists up north in Canada grant 14 MONTHS of paid time off after child birth and across the pond in Sweden, a couple is able to share in 18 freakin' MONTHS away from work (at 80% pay) to raise their newborn baby. Amazing how much family matters in this country. Maybe we should just keep praying that everything will work out with our kids when we drop them off at daycare at 12 weeks old (or younger if a family cannot be without one of it's paychecks for that long - which I imagine is most of 'em these days.)

In fact, according to a 2004 study by Harvard University, only 5 countries out of 168 fail to offer some form of standardized paid maternity leave. The grand ol' U.S. is one of those special five, along with Australia, Lesotho (?), Papua New Guinea and Swaziland (which sounds totally made up). Sweet.

Is there a problem we face as a country that cannot be traced back, in it's infancy, to family/home life? Too many homicides and gun-totting crazies? Maybe if they had a better education, yes, but what about if they had a better home as a child? Take it all the way back. Think about everything that ails us as a nation and try to find something that doesn't have it's roots, even just a seedling, in childhood/parenting/the way we were raised...and by whom (parents or daycare providers juggling the attention and needs of a dozen children at once)

Twenty to twenty five years ago middle class families had just one parent working, most of them it seemed. Now, to stay afloat almost every kid has both parents away from the home for 8+ hours a day from birth, just about. Is this because we crave too much stuff and need two incomes to fund our Hummer, Nintendo Wii, HDTV, Dining out habits? Probably. Would we function better if we, as a nation, WANTED LESS in general? Probably. But, the corporations wouldn't like that very much, nor would their stockholders. Pervasive and non-stop advertising helping American kids and adults alike feel inadequate if they don't have the latest and greatest widget surely plays some role in this complex puzzle of economic failure at the family level...right? But so does the fact that we as parents in the Unites States are not provided the opportunity to nurture our children from birth and enjoy their early moments at home.

What the hell kind of Family Value is that exactly, Mr. President and members of congress? Maybe some of that war budget could be better served to subsidize family maternity leave in the coming years? Might not protect us from the new terrorists our actions in Iraq have given birth too, but it might just protect us from ourselves.

Thoughts?