Economics

With local news stories highlighting the economy, budgets, etc. I wanted to post some general definitions of different economic systems as well as my personal thoughts on the matter.

(all definitions brought to you by dictionary.com)

1. Capitalism: an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

2. Market: a capitalistic economic system in which there is free competition and prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand.

3. Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

4. Command or Planned: an economy in which business activities and the allocation of resources are determined by government order rather than market forces

5. Communism: a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

The general public believes the United States is a Capitalist nation, and I would partly agree with that. However, we lean more towards what is called a "Mixed Market" economy where are elements of Socialism & a standard Market economy as well as the basics of Capitalism - hence "mixed".

Which economy is best? For the USA? For the World?

We need to lay down some fundamental principles that will help you understand my final opinion.

a. mankind is the deciding factor in what intrinsic and ultimately monetary or perceived value something has. (i.e. the chunk of gold is worth "X" amount of money because that's what someone decided it should be)

b. when a vast majority of the world's wealth lies in a small percentage of the populace (top 5% or roughly 3 million people in a world of 6 billion), we need to find a new means of distribution to equalize it so there aren't these giant pockets of poverty found around the world an within our own nation.

c. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the whole "value" principle. I don't know where it started or how, but I'm sure that Satan is behind it somehow. God created each man equal, and at some point mankind decided to put a dollar sign over each man's head saying "what you do and who you are is only worth this amount of money to society".

d. The "rarity" princple: just because there is a limited quantity of something available, why should that increase the value? What would happen if pocket lint became rare? Would we find it valuable then?

So, what do you think my final thought is on what is the best economic system?

Communism.

Not this perverted, twisted, socialist-dictatorship that we find being passed off in the world as communism. (My research online to make sure my definitions and theories were inline made me sad to see how warped and ill-informed most people are when it comes to the true basics of communism.) I'm talking pure communism. The kind that only can be dreamed about in a utopian society.

Communism's primary basics: common ownership, common resources, equal distribution

Anyone see a problem with any of that?

So long as there is man with his power-hungry nature, pride and selfish tendencies there is no hope for a pure communist society to exist outside of a small kibbutz.

I think that there needs to be a reinstatement of Levitical practices done as a whole and around the world. Every 7 years they would erase all debt and begin the new season with a clean slate. I think that our world would be a very different place.

I'm Thankful

This time of year I am reminded of so many things for which I am thankful. My ultimate question is why do we only dedicate one day a year to giving thanks? I feel like it should be done all year long...maybe something would be lost, but I think there is more gains to be had if we did.

We made the trip down to Indiana for Thanksgiving. It took us three hours just to get outside of the city...it should take one. Driving rains, wicked winds, slow traffic...it made us think that maybe we should have just stayed home. But it was worth it.

It was so wonderful to see my family - most of them anyway. Grandparents, aunts, cousins, and of course my parents. Time with them always feels far too short and I'm left longing for more time and more opportunities to be with them.

Reality is that some of them won't be with us for too many more years. My grandparents are showing their ages and states of health. It's a heart-wrenching thought to realize that each time I see them could be the last...but I cherish what time I am able to spend with them.

I wish I could have taken some of our friends with us to Indiana just to share a holiday with them. I love our Chicago family. They fill the void of not having any blood relatives in the remote area. They love and dote on our girls, they offer comfort and advice, they provide hours of laughter, they share meals, and they yell at the football games on the television alongside us. We are truly blessed by having all of them in our lives.

I am thankful...

I am thankful to be able to stay at home and raise my daughters and not work outside the home.

I am thankful for a loving, god-fearing husband who loves me more than I could ever know.

I am thankful for my two, beautiful daughters who teach me (and challenge me) every day regarding the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Not a day goes by where they don't make me laugh and smile.

I am thankful for a warm, inviting home.

I am thankful for my god-given cooking abilities that allow me to feed and love on others...if only I could have some god-given Cleaning abilities...

I am thankful for truth speaking pastors and leaders in our church. New Life, you have blessed me beyond words.

I am thankful for loving parents & family.

I am thankful that I am in Chicago...as much as I long for a slower pace of life, I am thankful for this too. Only in Chicago would I have met many of the people I call dear friends and only in Chicago would I have been forced to grow beyond myself.

My friends and family, I love you. And I am thankful that God has made a way for us to have such a love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Creative Nostalgia

I know, I know. It's been nearly 2 months since I last updated this thing...life is BUSY, people. :oP

Seems like the only "me" time I have right now is when everyone else is asleep. My brain fails to let me rest, even when I know I need to rest.

I don't know if it's because my 10 year high school reunion is coming up, or the fact that we're going to the Ball State vs. Purdue football game this weekend, or what, but for one reason or another I've been reminiscing about the days of yore...and all the creative things I did or was involved in.

I was actually thinking about some of my pottery pieces I created during my stint in ceramics sometime during high school. I wonder what happened to the large vase I spent hours carving.

I've been thinking about the Latin songs I sang during the time I was a nun...in the Sound of Music production my Junior year of high school. I know it was high school, but I can help but think about how I got goosebumps whenever we hit the chords just right on Gaudeamus. (Mr. Hayden was a great conductor/director/teacher. I miss being challenged by the songs we sang.)

I keep wistfully remembering all the literally countless hours I spent swing dancing in college...and the ballroom class and country western class with Ya'akov.

I keep dreaming about a day that I could be on Dancing With The Stars - or some version where it's just regular people that no one really knows.

Yes, I know, I could go on a dance date with the hubby....but Brian's not much of a dancer... I love my hubby to pieces, but there are times I want to just dance and not have to re-train him. (Not to mention the fact that we have two kids, so we have to find a sitter anytime we want to get out on our own.)

*sigh*

I've come to realize that I don't have much of a physical or tangible creative outlet.

Years upon years of always having something - choir, art, dance, etc. - and now I have nothing really. No church choir, no worship team, no art classes, no dance classes or outings...

Kinda bums me out...and makes me get all itchy thinking about what all I used to do.

I want to sing - and not just with my daughters.
I want to dance in public.
I want to create in a way that is fulfilling to me.

I just need a means to an end...and I'm not sure where to find it.

Life As A Family Of Four

If you've talked to us lately, you know that Kyleigh's arrival hasn't slowed us down a bit. In some ways, it seems like we're doing more...maybe it's just the season.

We regularly try to do activities that Mackenzie enjoys or make sure that she gets some one-on-one time (i.e. park, movie, Target, grocery).

We've also done a whole mess of other stuff that isn't on our regular activities list: blueberry picking, swimming out @ a pool in the 'burbs, hiking @ Indiana Dunes...

So, if you're one of my faithful followers/friends/readers that has an infant who isn't as flexible as Kyleigh...don't worry. I've discovered that Brian and I, and our children, are not the typical standard of normal that most people envision when they think of life adjustments with a newborn child. We are what most people consider "ideal" or "weird" or "atypical"....or some people have even called us "crazy".

Let me take a moment to knock on wood, or pray that when and if we have another child that they are similar to my first two, because I'm not sure I could handle having a "high maintenance" child. I would deal, but I'd probably go crazy.

Something Needs to Happen...

Ah...silence. Kyleigh (my snoozer) is taking a nap between feedings, and Mackenzie finally crashed out after nearly 4 days of not napping. Life is currently "okay".

Adjustment to life with two children hasn't been bad at all. I can't really complain. I have an angel for a newborn who sleeps like crazy and only makes noise when she's hungry. Mackenzie has done quite well considering that she was an only child for almost four years.

However, there are moments when I feel like I'm going a bit crazy trying to keep up with regular, household tasks.

I have been thoroughly blessed to essentially not have to cook dinner for the past 3 weeks (and I still have another 2 weeks of meals being brought, plus a week in Indiana where I won't really have to cook there either). Yet the dishes still pile up.

We pick up the apartment every evening (toys, clothes, trash, etc.) And yet I feel like everytime I look around there is something else to be cleaned or sorted.

The computer desk is a wreck with random papers everywhere.

Our "storage area" needs overhauled - as does my pantry and our bedroom closet.

I've given up on Mackenzie's room for the time being...it's been a disaster zone since Brian's birthday party when there were 10 children playing in it...and it drives me nuts.

All these things, and more, were on my list of "things to accomplish before Kyleigh arrived". Didn't happen.

Brian and I are both beginning to feel the effects of broken sleep - I am not as overtly affected as Brian, then again I was already not sleeping well when I was prego. We're lethargic and just want to crash the moment both children are down for the evening...that simply means that things get put on the backburner.

I guess I write all this to say that the times during the day that I should be resting alongside my beautiful children are the times when I'm either on here (the computer) trying to sort out my life via e-mail, or cleaning like crazy because the dishes, or the dirty floors, or something else won't let me/my mind rest until it's accomplished.

I need a live-in maid...or just some better organization/motivation. What methods I utilize right now, just don't seem to be cutting it.