If you research the word “economics” you will find that the etymology of the word lies in the family. The word literally means the structure necessary to operate a successful family. So even though you may have never taken a single college class in business, you are in fact an economist. You may be a good one or you may be a poor one but…you are one.
What is interesting about this concept is the implied responsibility this places on each of our families for the current economic crisis we find ourselves experiencing. Your initial reaction to that statement is probably, “Wait a minute - I’m not responsible for this mess, am I?” Consider this illustration. If a brick building collapses, one of the causes we must consider is the possibility of defective building blocks, i.e., the bricks.
Economics does not begin with businesses, states, nations, or governments. The building blocks of economies are families, and we cannot separate the economic expectations in our families from the economic crisis surrounding us. We must struggle with the fundamental question, “How much is enough?”
How big of a house do you need? How many toys are necessary (both for adults and children)? Does your family really need a new car or another one added to your fleet in order to function effectively? These questions all boil down to one bottom line for most of our families – debt! So we could restate our original question as, “How much debt is too much?”
We are certainly scrambling to get out of the way of a gigantic, growing snowball of national debt that seems to be picking up speed daily as it careens down the slope. But if we are going to be honest, we are increasing the size of this giant snowball, at least in a significant part, because there are many, many “family-sized snowballs” nipping at the heels of folks all over your neighborhood.
Entitlement goes way beyond the stereotypical cliche of the "single welfare mother” who thinks she has the right to a better standard of living than the vast majority of humanity ever experiences. Entitlement also extends to families who have overextended themselves with large homes, lots of toys and new cars, who believe that government (read that taxpayers) should rescue them from their own snowball. That is not spelled c-o-m-p-a-s-s-i-o-n. It is spelled w-e-l-f-a-r-e.
There is a place for compassion. We are caring people who want to help those who have encountered catastrophic medical bills. But debt resulting from too big of a house, too many toys, and more expensive cars than are needed does not call for compassion. It screams for responsibility.
Principle Based Evaluation: Just as strong communities are the key to a strong nation because transformation comes from the bottom up and inside out, so the family is the most fundamental building block of society and teaching our children economic responsibility must start at home.
For more information on the author, Gary Cake, go to: http://www.mtwm.org/
jordyn cline
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The Need vs. The Want Everyone has some level of responsibility whether they know it or not. With this responsibility comes the ability to know when you have gone beyond the means of that which you have been given to steward. It is not normally people’s goal to become stuck in debt, but this pit is perpetuated by our culture, who has their “needs” and “wants” mixed up. If families stopped to ask question, “Is this a need, or is this just something I want to have?” before making a purchase, there would be a lot more stable homes in America. Because the family is the fundamental building block of society, it’s their responsibility to instill stability in their home through stewardship, in order to effectively build society. To daily ask the question “How much is too much?” is vitally important to the building of a strong and successful society. http://www.breakpoint.org/tp-home/blog-archives/13007-debt-is-rising-because-virtue-is-missing http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2009-09-15-investing-economic-recovery-takes-shape_N.htm |
Ashley McCuen
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family first I would agree that as family is the fundamental building block of any society, it is in the family that economics starts. We must be teaching our children how to steward money, stay out of debt, but store up wealth at the same time. One article I read said that in this rough economics times, the family is threatened. It said, “One thing that can happen in these trying times is the family can break apart and crumble under the stress. Divorce can happen, usually if the marriage wasn't a strong one in the first place. Blame occurs, money disappears, the life everyone was once used to living is gone.” [1] This is very true, and this is why economics must start at home. Along with this, we see that many sources agree that money and finances is the number one cause of divorce! One article says, “The number one reason is money. They say money makes the world go around. But they also say it is the root of all evil.” [2] This is why we must start teaching our children about economics, working a good budget into our daily lives and families, and work towards no debt. This is crucial. Before we can settle anything in our nation and government, we must settle things in our own families. This is key. Sources: [1] http://hubpages.com/hub/Poor-E...ts-At-Home [2] http://www.associatedcontent.c...html?cat=7 |
