bodner088

Regardless of what we are always being told by the venerable Pantheon of pedigreed Economists out of Washington, DC , Wall Street , and academia (as well as by the seemingly cynical grumblings of self-professed "Main Street" economists -- I am one of those myself -- and I have growing misgivings regarding the utility of my undergraduate degree in Economics ) regarding the state of the our sovereign finances , most of us develop a powerful "feel" for how well the machinery of monetary and fiscal policy are working by our own personal finances . If my income is increasing, but at a lower annual rate than my ordinary living expenses (including my repayment of the debts which I incurred to either live beyond my means or to purchase investments that my neighbor (a smart fellow) said were " sure things ") are increasing, I feel a decline in my sense of well-being. My finances are continuously getting tighter. This seems to make sense (except to people who...

Reality Versus Perception - Real Trends Versus "Aftershock" Reactions We, as Human Beings , are never particlarly good at making objective decisions, judgments or plans. We are sensorially barraged by overlapping discordant waves of staccato advertisements, promotions, and news which is more about entertainment and propaganda ( spin doctoring ) than it is about reporting of factual information. We are bombarded by the noise (and accompanying sensorial fatigue) that envelops us, and are shaped, in every aspect, by the external environment. This having been said, we are each burdened by the imposing filter of his own perception . Even if we are given the right raw data or raw material, we may misinterpret or mismanufacture. This comes from inside of us. Carried to its logical conclusion, it is very difficult for us to differentiate between what is real (and lasting), and what is imaginary (ephemeral and incorrect). We tend to live our lives in a reactiv...