Buzz words of our day...

Buzz words have been added to our currency of words... foreclosure, bailout, rescue plan, corruption, partisan, debt, trillion, rights, bankruptcy, 401k, crisis, financial markets, recession and depression.

Who's to blame?
wrong question (if I answered it would hurt your feelings)
What can we do?
Maybe, just maybe, it is the right time to reset The American Dream.

The definition of The American Dream has changed. It was "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It is now lust, license and the pleasures of huge debt.

Here are some things to think about and 10 ideas to adjust our standard of living.



Presidential Quotes:

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
- President Jefferson


"May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right."
- President Adams


"Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality."
- President Tyler


"It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens."
- President Cleveland


"The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land, for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him. This…is free labor--the just and generous, and prosperous system, which opens the way for all."
– President Lincoln


"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
- President Kennedy


"We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth."
- President Reagan



10 Practices to Reset our Standard of Living:

1. Work - Get the best paying job possible and work full time with at least one day off per week.

2. Family -Make family life a focus. Life is easier with a loving partner and it's cheaper to stay married. Raise kids and teach them your values.

3. Education - Give your children an education (12 free years of public school, plus life lessons at the dinner table) that prepares them for character choices and career opportunities.

4. Thrift - Live simply and within your means by saving money to make purchases and avoiding consumer debt.

5. Morals - Do not break the law, practice ethics and love your neighbor.

6. Health - Maintain your well being with prayer,spirituality and/or self introspection, proper rest, diet, exercise and recreation.

7. Responsibility - Keep your word, pay your bills, stay committed to relationships and make things right when they go wrong.

8. Give - Tithe, give to charity and volunteer to serve in the community.

9. Prosperity - Use your wealth to bless others and to maintain justice rather than creating a class system.

10. Remember - it's a dream, not a promise or an entitlement. Be thankful and content.

~ Kimberly