On Radio National this morning they were talking about debt. A learned gent was expressing concern for the levels of debt in our community and proposing Financial Counselors to be provided by the Govt. He also advocated having lenders be much more stringent about their credit checks and more realistic in telling people that they could not afford the debt they are seeking.
"That would be difficult, mused the journalist. "After all you would have to tell people that they couldn't have, or they couldn't afford to have something that somebody else could have."
What?
Am I hearing correctly?
We are worried or feeling precious about telling people they can't have something..........(doesn't even finish the sentence in disgust)
HELLO!!! Welcome to real life!
This may come as an incredible eye opener in this day and age (and obviously does to the millions of idiotic parents providing 5 years olds with X Boxes and mobile phones) but since when do we live in a society where everyone gets what everyone else has? Wake up people! Inequity is rife and you had better get used to it.
Not only that but not everyone NEEDS what everyone else has!! Just because everyone else has one does not make it RIGHT!!!!! (see note re mobile phones and 5 year olds and I stretch that even further to include any child who cannot afford to pay the bill).)
It is about time our society pulled its head in and started to live within its means. Cut your coat according to your cloth my mother used to say. In other words, if you don't have it....don't spend it!!!! Especially when the things we spend it on are so meaningless. A better car, an overseas holiday, a jet ski.
Now please don't get me wrong. I enjoy a bit of materialism the same as everyone else but it all comes back to the Rolling Stones and that saying that every parent should have carved in stone and hung over the kitchen sink (or in whatever other prominent place nagging "I want" transactions occur in your house) 'you can't always get what you want!'
Say it to them now parents and don't let them get into that pit of debt which our radio journalist would have us believe is a matter of course, even a matter of right!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
6 comments:
amen! preach it! i couldn't agree more and also love that song! now it's running through my head. :)
Agreed!!!!! I was going to say "amen," too, but Dawn beat me to it... haha
Absolutely! Access to easy credit used to be a fabulous opportunity - now it is considered a 'right'. Of course this has been encouraged by the banking sector where a 'good' profit is never enough and people are encouraged to get credit they can't afford.
Oh dear - I feel a soapbox coming on. Will leave while there is still time ...
Man, do I use that Stones phrase with the boys...along with "life's not fair, learn to deal with it". You get an amen sister from me!
BTW, thanks for the heartfelt comment you left on the "Misled" post.
Amen. I hate it that society at large can't distinguish between the words "want" and "need"
I SO agree with you! Unfortunately, I married someone with a "spend now pay later" mentality and it's a battle every day. *sigh* Usually I win, though...a
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