Got to Keep Watch!

Recently I have found that a good friend was not aware of some goings-on in the government/economy that I considered old hat, even givens. This was, of course, really bad stuff. I was shocked. I just thought that people, especially people I knew to be rational, knew this stuff. I was wrong. I was projecting, thinking that other people had some ideas similar to mine. If asked, I would have said right away that such projecting just gets you into trouble. Intellectually, I knew that. I just didn’t connect it to that particular issue.

I understand why my friend did not know these issues. They are way outside of his area of expertise and interest. Also, these issues have not been brought up in any political contest, not in any other Objectivist oriented site, that I know of, and I haven’t talked about them. You see, I always talked about stuff I thought we both found interesting. That was my mistake and my error. I really should have talked about issues that I knew were important, just to make sure that he knew they were there.

This really brings up two points. One, I now realize that I am going to have to bring up these issues on this blog. For those of you who find some of these things pedestrian, please keep in mind that they have got to be presented for those who have other interests.

The second point is more important. Everyone who is interested in their freedom and well-being needs to keep track of certain things. In today’s world, vigilance is necessary. I am not being excessive or alarmist: NECESSARY!

You have got to keep track of what is happening to your money, your retirement investments, your housing, and the government’s commitments. I mean this in the context of a human being, which means: over time. I mean the phrase “what is happening” means the consequences of today’s and yesterday’s government actions over the next 10, 20 years. The recent “dire” warning posted by John Lewis should not come as a surprise. Even some middle of the road columnists have know about this for years. (“Dire” is perhaps an understatement. Obama is merely going to make it worse, which means the really bad consequences will occur sooner.)

Fortunately, today, it is easy to keep track of this stuff. The internet and your computer can get you to the information you need quickly. Find sites that will give you graphs and keep you up to date (hopefully, this one will be of some help). You need independent sources. Set up favorites of, for example, the dollar vs. the Euro and the Yen, Federal debt, interest rates – the 10-year Treasury Bond and CDs, the CPI (whether this reports the full inflation or not is besides the point, upward movement is upward movement). You will want to see what the Federal Reserve is doing. This isn’t easy, and I do not know anyone but myself who is watching. As I find sources, I will post them. If anyone finds a good sources, give to us, please.

Writing just now I realized that if I am going to do a good job on this blog, I am going to have to have my own periodic report. But, I could get hit by a truck, so you need to sit down with your own means of self-protection so you can look through the murk and find a means of watching them yourself. Seriously, this is important. They realize the importance of putting their buracratic maze between themselves and the world. You just have to suck it up and get in there. Just keep your own values and safety in mind.
For the economics challenged, keeping track of this stuff will be difficult, but no more so than keeping up with your medical condition. Both are necessary. We know that ignorance is not bliss.