How to Understand Our Economy

Hi there. It’s February 1, 2009 and I figured that it’s a good time to reflect on some of the recent events in the news lately about our economy. I’ve written the story about it it’s called The Government that Laid the Golden Eggs. Here we go. Once upon a time, a poor widow named Claire lived in a house with her son Barry. Their wealth declined significantly over the past year, and their middle class neighborhood on main street had been suffering increasingly over the years, so Barry decided one day to find the solution to help him and his mom and his neighborhood. The next morning, Barry walked down main street in his neighborhood trying to find a job. The restaurant owner as he hung a For Sale sign in his window said, “Folk, you’re cooking at home, and spending less because they are afraid of losing their jobs.” The grocery store owner said, “Business is okay. People are buying my groceries to cook at home, but I can bring on more people kid. Folks want to spend less, which means I’ve got to lower prices which means I pay my current staff less or let people go.” The shoe repair store owner said to Barry, “Business hasn’t been this low since the early 80s.” Barry thought for a second, not everyone having trouble I’m sure. Folks are still spending their money somewhere. They have to buy milk and toothpaste. “Who do you know that their doing okay?” The store owner thought for a minute. “Well, there was this guy who came in to get a shoeshine wearing a pinstriped suit. He wasn’t from this town I’m sure. He said he is from up North.” Barry left the store and wonder where this guy was from. He stopped by the town Governor’s office, and ask that he knew where he can find this guy. The Government caught his head nest. Well, what was he can get in return for that information. Barry just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing, “Nothing.” and when he said that the Governor said, “Well, it doesn’t matter to me man, I’m out of here anyway.” At home, Barry tried to convince his mom to say patient that he would find this mysterious place up North where they could still get their shoeshine and wear pants drives. Claire said, “All my life, many have told me to be patient. I can barely put food on my table with my pension. My old coworker Bill, he can put food on his table for his child on his pinching. I mean, we worked the same job for 30 years. Why is his pinching more than mine?” That night, Barry can’t sleep. He went to the kitchen to get snack, but all he found was an apple with bite out of it which he throws out the window. 10 minutes later though, a stalk grow towards the sky in thread, Barry started to climb it. When he reached the top, what did he see? Pinch drive, shiny loppers, expensive jets and fancy offices. “Where am I?” Barry asked. “You’re on Wall Street.” Saying a course of silver heard men before they broke out in song. Barry shook his head and disbelief. Thinking of his struggling mother, Claire. Thinking above the restaurant owner who had to sell his business. Thinking above the grocery store owner who could barely pay his staff. Thinking above the shoeshine owner who at 77 couldn’t retire. “You guys ought to be ashamed to yourselves.” Barry exclaimed. “People are struggling and it’s like you’re putting on a production of dyes and dolls up here. This is inexcusable.” Barry run into a nearby court house and try to find someone who could help him, but all he found were two groups of people bickering over something in a box in the corner of the room. Barry stood and watched. One group wanted to use that thing in the box to create social programs and stimulates struggling businesses like giving them direct aid today. The other group wanted to use that thing in the box to give tax breaks to small business owners and taxpayers not direct immediate aid. Barry grew frustrated because at the end of the day we all wanted the same thing. “Can’t we all just get a long yield.” But they continue to bigger leaving that thing in the box in the corner unused. Barry knew that thing in the box must be able to help his town, so he took tiptoed to the box and peeked inside. “Oh, my God!” he said. This thing inside is laying golden eggs at will. So I guess whenever this neighborhood up here needs help they just ask for more eggs and use them as I want to use them. “You think that rich is up here with trickle down to my town, but they’re not. This is broken I have to fix this.” Barry took the box and run out the court house towards the stalk. Suddenly, he felt the earth shake. He felt a long shadow cast over him. “Give back that box, ” said the shadow. “We need the money here or else everyone will suffer the bonus has spent here employ the restaurant owner, the taxi drivers, the dry cleaners.” Well, Barry kept running to the stalk. That must be Rudy, the giant he thought. “I’d better get out of here before it has someone arrest me.” Barry slid to the bottom of the stalk, and chopped it down before Rudy the giant get to him. The giant fell to the earth crying, “Ill get you in 2012.” Barry shared the golden eggs with the local businesses. Time will tell if these businesses will recover for the long term, but for right now the influx of money help them sleep a little better. And Barry’s mom Claire, she joined the Senate and put Wall Street in its place. “You guys ought to be ashamed to yourselves.” She said, “You’re idiots.” Well, not everyone on Wall Street is an idiot, but this week anyone who was an idiot was reaped a new one for being angry. The end.