Daily Briefing For Friday, September 28, 2012

One Of The Many Things I Don't Understand

So here's some good news.  The more I talk to people and read stuff on Facebook, it's clear that the population is waking up.  And by that I mean more and more people are becoming better versed in issues of the Constitution, civics, and the economy. 

These folks have very diverse views on how to fix things.  Those on the left suggest we raise taxes on businesses and high income earners, force employers to provide more health care coverage, and cap corporate profits.  Those on the right suggest we reduce taxes and let the market dictate what benefits employers offer.  Both groups seem to agree on the notions that we need to end crony capitalism and audit the Federal Reserve.

Here's what I don't understand.  With so many of these people who have definite opinions on how to fix what ails our nation, precious few of them have an opinion on what they should be doing, on a personal level, to prepare themselves and their families for the road ahead.  I know folks who will cite statistics on how many people Bush allegedly murdered and how many children died in the United States this year for malnutrition and how much tax Mitt Romney paid, and yet they have absolutely no plan for themselves to help them in the event of tougher times.  Similarly, I know folks who decry Obama's policies and the burgeoning federal debt; many of these same people have no idea on what they need to do to protect themselves from the very perils they predict Obama will bring us.

I could somewhat understand it if they actually knew what to do but procrastinated in doing so.  But I don't think most of these folks are even to that point.  Is the disconnect because:

1. It's easier to fix someone else's problems than it is to fix our own?  Most of us are guilty of this.  We're really good at telling you why your life sucks and coming up with ways to fix it, yet we are completely unable to move the proverbial log from our own eye.
2. The normalcy bias prevents people from dealing with reality?  If someone truly believed we should expect a government's policies will lead to their children going hungry, wouldn't we actually do something to help prevent that from happening? If you were confident there was a significant risk of a major recession looming, wouldn't you take steps to help position yourself to survive, if not thrive, under those conditions?  I read so many "what's the world coming to?" type posts on Facebook...and yet none of these folks, while well-meaning, seem to have any plan or idea on how to protect themselves from the things they supposedly fear.
3. We're just too lazy/too tired to make the effort?  Don't underestimate this.  If you and your spouse are working full time with two or three kids running in various directions for kid events, you don't have a lot of time or energy to think about these things.  While it can be done, it requires a special commitment to do so. 
4. We don't know how to go about it?  To me, this is the lamest one of all.  There are literally hundreds of books and countless websites devoted to this subject now.  It takes little effort to get the info you need to ready yourself.

Are you one of these people who sees problems in our future?  If so, what's keeping you from protecting yourself from them?