We went and done it - Barack Obama wins 2008 election

December 1st, 2008

YAY! It’s been almost a month, and the reality has finally sunk in. YAY! America is a better country today, and I am very proud of our citizenry for seeing through the viciousness of the GOP and coming through to elect just the right man for this time. YAY! Do I sound like I’m please as punch over the outcome? You betcha.

North Carolina was a swing state. I’ve never lived in a swing state before, and we were inundated with negative campaigning from the McCain ticket. I had always thought McCain was an honorable man, but I could not possibly support someone who would say he was opposed to negative campaigning while burying us with negative mailers and robocalls. It was ugly, nasty and mean-spirited. I like to think we’re better than that.

Although I’d never been involved in politics before, I felt deep in my gut that change was imperative. The prospect of Bush’s policies being continued for even one minute past January 20th scared the heck out of me. I honestly can’t think of one branch of government that he and his cronies didn’t break. I can’t think of one branch of government that is working as it should.

I volunteered for the Obama campaign, and I made phone calls. Obama’s campaign was unbelievably professional and disciplined. I never heard anyone say anything bad about McCain or Palin to the people we talked to. Our job was to be positive and to encourage people to vote.

For anyone who is still unsure of the man, I can assure you that he’s okay. He might end up screwing up like so many other politicians, but he’s not Muslim or communist or a terrorist or anything else. How do I know?

He graduated from Punahou School in 1979. I graduated in 1968. The school is a first-rate private school that teaches its students that those who are given great gifts have a great responsibility to give back. This is instilled in children starting in kindergarten, and it is a major component of the school community. Barack was a perfect illustration of this with his work as a community organizer.

Another thing about Punahou is that we were required to attend chapel every week. The school is very diverse with children of all races, nationalities and religions, and they go out of their way not to make it too hard for kids of different religions, but the main undercurrent is Christianity. The school was founded in 1841 by the descendants of missionaries, for heaven’s sake.

The last thing is that my sister used to work for Barack’s grandmother. When you know someone’s grandmother, you get a pretty good sense of that person. My sister told me that Barack’s grandmother was a stern and tough boss, but she was fair. She was highly respected and admired, and she reached a position of considerable authority at a time when women had a great deal of difficulty doing so. Kudos to her on so many levels.

All in all, I trust that our country is in good hands. I’m so very happy that so many of us joined together to do the right thing.

And a shameless plug — If you’d like to do something really good for yourself while being a good citizen in this time of economic crisis, click here to find out how to pay off all of your debt — United First Financial.

Categories: Commentary, Government, Politics | Tags: , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

What I want to be when I grow up — help people become debt free

October 8th, 2008

We all know people who have known what they wanted to be when they grew up from the time they were in diapers. It’s nauseating, but yes, they are out there. Others of us bumble around and with luck figure it out at some point in college. I am really sorry for the people who learn they detest bodily fluids right after finishing medical school. What a colossal waste of time and money.

And then there are those of us who get it together in our fifties. I finally figured it out. For decades I’ve thought of myself as being a Renaissance Woman, interested in anything and everything and never able to make up my mind what I want to be when I grow up. Like an ADD sufferer, and with no disrespect intended, I tend to ricochet from topic to topic. But unlike people with ADD, I have never had any difficulty focusing and giving things my complete attention. Quite the contrary. I immerse myself in a subject until I have my fill or I am pulled away by circumstances. The trouble has been that the end of the class never coincides with my fill of the subject. I want to know more.

When we moved to North Carolina, I was ready to switch careers. Instead of the real estate I’d been practicing for 20+ years, I wanted to get into database design. I enrolled in classes at Wake Technical Community College, racked up a nice 4.0 average, and ultimately learned that the world of programming and database design isn’t particularly open to women over forty. Sigh. Database design is now my therapy, and I’ve designed and am currently using a very nice little property management program.

After my forties’ adventure with changing careers, I went back to class, became licensed to practice real estate in North Carolina, and went back to what I knew. Besides real estate sales, we manage a few properties for other people, and that is where my nice little property management database program comes into play.

Okay, I’m now in my fifties, and at last I know what I want to be when I grow up. Over the years I’ve learned much about real estate and mortgages and consumer loans and many things that affect people’s finances. After decades of working with tenants and their reasons for being late with the rent, I’ve learned a thing or two about what gets people into financial trouble. I can’t count the number of hours I’ve spent telling people that it’s really a good idea to pay first for the roof over their heads and only much later for clothing, movies and restaurants.

It is because of this that I know what a great product the Money Merge Account system is. With my knowledge of programming and finance, I know that United First Financial has come up with one heck of a concept. The idea itself isn’t complicated, but the mechanics behind it are. I wish I’d thought of it myself.

So now, as I slowly approach middle age (we baby boomers will not be going quietly), I have found something I really want to spend my life doing. What better way to spend my time than to help people to become debt free? What better use of my time than to help people realize their dreams when they are no longer burdened by monthly payments? What better way for me to help people work through their financial problems? All of these things are possible with the Money Merge Account system.

If you’d like to learn more, please click here: United First Financial

Categories: Commentary, Personal Finance | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off