Everyone Shares The Problems - if you think it doesn't affect you, you're wrong.

INTRODUCTION:

Greetings all, I hope this post finds you all well. I hope those of you that are eligible to vote are voting. This is a critical election that will shape the next two years of our future. Regardless of your affiliation, the key is to vote. Honestly,m this election is not about party affiliation. It concerns what you feel is right or wrong and who can fix it. People become so hung up on being a Democrat, Republican, or Independent they forget that it isn't about the party. It is about who you feel will do the job that is inline with what you, the voter, believe in.

There is one phrase I am not fond of. A phrase that each and every one of us hears.

It doesn't affect me. It's not my problem.

That is the farthest thing from the truth. Everything affects us all; as a whole, it is our problem, and you share in it. I do not want to make this a political post. I gave you my opinions in last weeks post. Tonight's topic applies to everyday living. I love our country, and I believe that our right to vote is the one time that we can effect change. It is a right that so many to too lightly, and on average, only 68% of registered voters vote, yet, 100% of registered voters will complain about politics. However, let's move along.

WHY?

Why do I say that "everyone shares the problems?" Frankly, whether directly or indirectly, we all share in the problems, and the problems affect us all. No one is immune. I fully concede that not every problem affects you directly, as some may only have an indirect impact on you. Understand, we are not talking about someone having a bad day 2500 miles away from you. Of course, it's a given that doesn't affect you. I am referring more to the larger picture of life. The people you come in contact with regularly.

At times, we all need to get our heads out of the sand and take notice as to what is going on around us. It could be your friends, a family member, a co-worker, high fuel costs, inflation, groceries, and many other things.

It's about caring. Giving a damn. A police officer that gets killed in the line of duty or cities that defund the police may not directly impact you, but it does indirectly impact you because of the effect it may have on your local police officers.

For every action, there is a reaction. How far of a reach will that reaction have? No, your rural, suburban neighborhood may not have immigrants who crossed our borders being moved there. But the larger city you travel to for work or pleasure may be impacted. When the federal government spending goes up countrywide, everyone is affected by it. Some more than others. Let's look at the housing market for a moment. In some areas of the country, the housing market is crashing. In other areas, it is still over-inflated, houses are going to bidding wars, regardless of the interest rates.

I will use the state I lived in for all of my life until I recently moved as an example. Connecticut. Houses are still overinflated and going to bidding wars. Why? Because people from New York are buying them up. The average blue-collar worker in Connecticut cannot afford to pay those prices. They do not make the New York City salaries. At some point, whenever things settle down, these overinflated houses will not be worth what people paid for them.

A TRUE STORY:

My plan was to relocate before the pandemic hit. A time before we even knew there was going to be a pandemic. I had sold my house and rented a house that I thought I would need for just two years. The house was for previously sale. The house was sound but outdated. I didn't care because my time there was going to be limited. It had just gone off the market becuase it wasn't selling so I rented it. To modernize the house, someone would have to put at least 60 to 70,000 dollars into it.

Then the pandemic hit. That kept me there an extra two years. When I decided it was the right time to move, the owners put the house on the market and got a highly overinflated price for it because of the state of the market at the time. Someone from New York bought it. They tore it down. Why I don't know and they completely rebuilt a modernized new house. The bottom line is, they probably had about 600,000 or more invested in this house now. That neighborhood will NEVER be worth that kind of money. After over a year later, the market is even worse. Almost every house that goes up for sale is going to bidding wars. Selling for over 50,000 dollars more than they are worth, even if they need 20,000 dollars or more in upgrades.

The moral is people from other states, especially those that no longer wish to live in New York City, are buying in Connectocut because it is close and they can commute. This has affected the housing market in Connecticut which now affects the people that live in that state. When all these higher salaries move into a sate, the per capita income from that state goes up, hence, the government raises taxes. That being said, the people who are born and raised in that state can't afford it. They do not make New York City salaries working in Connecticut. One thing always affects another, whether directly or indirectly.

WHY ARE OTHERS PROBLEMS SO IMPORTANT?

People need to be aware of these things and not ignore them. Eventually, it will affect what goes on around them. Closer to their home. Take the issues affecting young school children. The issues that parents are speaking out against. It started it one state and one state only. Now, like a plague, it is spreading to other states. I am NOT asking whether you agree or disagree about the topics our children are being indoctrinated to at such young ages. That is for you to decide. I merely state it as a point of reference why we eventually share in the problems.

The other day I heard someone say, "I don't care, my kids are fully grown." I asked that person, "do you have grandkids?" They replied, "yes." I replied, "well, how about them? Doesn't it matter or apply to them?" That person looked at me. He did not say a word, but I knew he got the message by the look on his face.

The things we feel are NOT our problem are someone's problem. That someone needs your voice to help resolve it. That is why we vote. When we institute change when we are not happy about something. Do you believe our country has lost some of its unity? Is it divided? It has, and it is. Mostly because people say, "it's not my problem." Which is the point of this blog post. It is our problem. Whether you go to work and a co-worker is having a bad day, and you have to deal with it all day, it affects you at work, and when you go home.

Financially, the state of the world affects us all. The cost of living goes up for everyone. All our tax dollars pay for things our leaders decided to spend money on. EVERYONE SHARES THE PROBLEM.

The question is simple. However, the answer is not. However, there is a solution. There is always a solution. The question is, are you willing to be part of the solution? I know, like many, you are asking, how can I fix it? Well, frankly, alone you cannot. Sure, the problems in your individual life you can fix. However, when you look at the larger picture, it takes everyone to fix it. We do that my exercising our right to vote. Our right to institute change. Once again, regardless of your political affiliations, you know in your mind and in your heart what you feel is right, and what you feel is wrong. Therefore, you vote for the individual(s) that you believe will follow your beliefs.

IN CLOSING:

That is the first step. However, as the saying goes, "Before you can solve any problem, you must admit that there is one." I believe most will agree there is one, and in fact, more then one. Ignoring problems do not make them go away. In fact, it causes them to get worse. We do not live in a world where we can count on the other person to solve the problem. Our problems are many and complex. It will take all hands on deck to solve these issues.

I watch all the polls that are taken asking people what they think is our biggest problem. Some say inflation. Others say crime or the border. The truth is, they are all related. Inflation is probably the biggest because that affects everyone immediately and daily. High crime, drug problems, and human trafficking caused by the border problems may or may not have hit your area yet. However, if continued to go unaddressed properly, they will.

Problems will always exist. We will all face them daily. These are what I call our day-to-day problems. Some are more pertinent than others. Some require immediate attention whereas others may not. The fact is the people who solve their problems are the ones that face them and address them. They discuss them, come up with a solution, and implement it.

Other problems may not be that easy. Many of these issues can only be addressed during election periods, and this is that time. Make your voice be heard. At best, we are all living in challenging times. People's retirement plans are losing money, our buying power is reduced, but most importantly, our country is facing global challenges. Challenges that can become much worse and have greater long tern consequences. This is why we all share in the problems. History has taught us that alone, we cannot institute the required change. However, as a whole, we can and have always prevailed. It is a time for unity and to stand united. A time for us as a country to solve these problems so everyone can enjoy the American Dream equally. God bless, stay safe, and be well.