The funny thing about a free market economy, driven by consumer confidence, is that dire predictions can be self-fulling. The more the media tells you that the economy is bad, the more you believe that the economy is bad. And when you believe the economy is bad, you spend less money, hording your pennies for the “bad times” to come. And when you stop spending, retailers make less money and in turn order fewer products and are forced to cut jobs. Manufactures sell less and in turn order less raw materials and are forced to cut jobs. Materials producers (farms, mines, mills of every sort) sell less raw materials and are forced to cut jobs. Naturally, this cycle takes a while, sometimes years, but the result is the same.

It’s even more striking in the stock market. It can happen in hours instead of years. When someone says, “Ooh, look out! The market is going to drop,” everyone wants to “sell high” and get out. But when everyone starts selling at the same time, the price does drop, not because of the bad news, but because of the selling itself.

Here’s another interesting trend. Democrats (and Liberals in general) fair much better in elections when the economy is bad. I can’t say for sure, but my guess is that it’s because the Liberal, socialist mantra is comforting to those who don’t know how false it is. “We will take care of you. Don’t fear. Let Papa Government care for you. Fall into the loving arms of Papa Government.” It’s easy. It doesn’t require any critical thought or economic knowledge. Just feel the warm embrace of big government. It’s no coincidence that Bronco Bomber’s slogan (in fact the bulk of his campaign) is “Hope” and “Change.”

But if you stop and think about it for just a minute, do you really want your bank or your health insurance to be run by the same beaurocracy that runs FEMA, or the IRS? Ask anyone who’s served in the military how efficiently and intelligently the government runs things. (I can wait for Uncle Robert’s and Nephew Dustin’s comments on that one!!)

My point is, the next time you feel that burning sensation in your gut while the news tells you how horrible your life is, take just a minute and think for yourself. Is your life really that bad? Is there really any reason for you to sell out of your 401k and cancel your vacation? Or are you just falling victim to a Liberal biased media’s campaign of fear?

One last thing. This morning as I ate my cereal, Good Morning America was doing a heart rending story about a new industry in Souther California. There are now companies that are paid by banks to clean out foreclosed homes. They showed these guys dumping family pictures into garbage bags and tossing furniture and big-screen TVs into dumpsters. They talked about how awful it must have been for these people to just leave their whole lives behind because they didn’t … sorry … “couldn’t” pay their mortgage.

Then, I opened my Bible and God showed me this from I Timothy chapter 6:

We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…

Amen.