Can a ‘Made in USA’ Financial Planning Strategy save Us from Recession? (Part 2)

Can a ‘Made in USA’ Financial Planning Strategy save Us from Recession? (Part 1)
Where Can Nationalism Take Financial Planning?
Search engines are ready and waiting if you have never heard of Mahatma Gandhi. He may appear frail and even comic in this century, but Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King count amongst his followers. He fought foreign control over his land and people, through the financial planning weapon of self-reliance. That is pretty much the reverse of globalization. Gandhi asked his fellow country-people to give up clothes made in Great Britain, and to use their own farm inputs instead.

You may not agree with Obama’s plans to pull out from Iraq. The idea of putting a trillion dollars in to bridges, schools, and the like for our homeland, is another matter! Again, you are in no position to stop the Afghans from making millions by growing poppies, but what prevents you from helping people seek therapy to stop shooting drugs? Every adult can contribute a mite to create a tsunami of a financial planning fix through unabashed patriotism.

Lessons from State Differences in Financial Planning

North America is a show-case of how much States can do to stand apart. Oases of excellence stretch from British Columbia to Texas and from California to Florida. Taxes, incentives, plans, public participation, green thinking, and governance, are the sharp tools that Governors and their teams can use, regardless of whatever keeps the Federal types busy. Suburbs are better than inner cities, not just because of wealth, but because of concerted action by determined citizens.

America gains whether industry moves in to or out of Nevada. Competition between States works for the public good, but the story is different beyond our borders. It is not enough to admire such moves from a distance. Knowingly providing jobs to illegal aliens is just as bad for your financial planning, as losing your income to a person in a foreign country. The Secretary of State would like us to believe that we have a super-human role in world affairs, but that is only after our own house is in order! What did you do today to keep the United States competitive on the world business stage?

A Financial Planning Lesson from Brazil

We never tire of singing the praises of Brazil on this web site! What can we learn from the financial planning methods of this dynamic country? First, they leverage national strengths fully. This is why their vast farm lands make enough ethanol to protect them from crude oil shocks. We could do the same in places like Iowa! Second, they keep indigenous people in view better than we do for Aleutians and the poor. You could easily point fingers at forest destruction in the Amazon, or to slums in Rio, but the government does seem to have credible plans in place to improve matters. Finally, they have no immediate need for a stimulus package, grow their GDP faster than we have for a long time, and have a firmer grip on deficit financing.

What do you think of the Bush and Bernanke medicines for your financial planning? Are you a major beneficiary of the stimulus package, or have the billions left you cold and hungry? Do you believe that ‘Made in America’ is a worthwhile cause, or are you a global type? Dialog with our community, and let us help each other build better futures for our children. We wait to hear from you! We are busy, in the meantime, working on “The Small Business Route to Better Financial Planning”. The Presidency will be in transition, so we have once-in-four-years opportunities to meet possible new White House incumbents and hangers-on. Corporations have Washington infrastructure to lobby all the time, but 2008 will be crucial for small business. Please bookmark this web site to read our upcoming piece on this topic, or let us know if you would like a custom alert in your mail.