Getting Through These Tough Economic Times

I guess by now you have heard that our government is dysfunctional.

Both houses of government and the President seem to have a very difficult time coming to an agreement on anything. What we see, in my opinion, is the game of politics being played out in a nasty way without regard for the people. After the debt ceiling fiasco, the FAA stand-off, and the Dow Jones drastic 630 point fall, one has to wonder if America is in decline? We have difficulty in the possibility of “one nation under God” taken out from the Pledge of Allegiance, but how many would have problems with the American value of, “justice and liberty for all” being removed? I think that the early immigrants would have something to say. In fact, a visit to Ellis Island would answer this question. For us on this side of the aisle, I believe, that this will be our finest moment as long as we take a simple lesson from Ellis Island.           

At the Ellis Island Museum there is an exhibit that deals with symbols of hope.  These symbols are prayer books, hymnbooks, rosaries, prayer shawls, crosses, and Star of David. The 12 million people who entered the hallow halls of “The Island” came with hope for a better life.  This hope was not realized in “streets paved with gold” or “a chicken in every pot,” but in relationships that were developed through their faith, family, and friends. I call this the 3Fs. If we are to get through these tough times as a nation we will need to stick together and work things out. It will be our faith, family, and friends which will pave the way to a new day. It will not be the government, an agency, or programs that depend on tax money.  It will be from people banding together to help one another out. It will be walking the talk of what Jesus taught us in the Great Commandment, “Love God first in your life, then love your neighbor as yourself. It boils down to relationships with people sharing their resources with each other. This is how the early immigrants made it, those who lived through the depression, and this is how we are going to have our finest moments; simply through faith, family, and friends.