What's the fix?

We're in a serious economic crisis. We all know that. The sky is falling. Wall Street is coming down. Congress is thinking that throwing $800 billion at it might help. Or not. While President-elect Obama is saying (now) that he has a plan, his original position was more genuine. "I don't really know how to fix it. We'll just keep trying things until it works." There are those theories and these ideas, but the truth is, I suspect, no one really knows how to fix it. The problem is that it's so big. There is the housing problem and the employment problem and the banking problem and the falling stock market problem and the public fear problem ... oh, you get the idea.

I have my ideas. I think I might have a notion of how to fix the problem. And I'm sure it would work ... except it can't be done.

The problem is in locating root causes. Some are saying that it's a failure to regulate the market. Some argue that it was faulty bank loans. Still another side suggests that it happened when banks were forced to make loans to people who couldn't afford them. And then there are those who argue that it's a problem with greedy corporations. I don't know. That sure looks scattered to me. There doesn't seem to be a cohesive thread. Or is there? I think there is -- people.

I can tell you what would fix this problem. Change people. Eliminate the entitlement mentality of some. Eliminate the greed of others. Redefine "need" for most of us to more closely align actual need. Change the mindset that says, "I deserve better." Inject people with the joy of giving rather than getting. Shift thinking from "individual is the ultimate" to a sense of community. Change the focus from wealth to family. Make personal integrity a valuable commodity rather than a laughable one. Renew the neighborhood concept.

I don't think anyone could disagree that a fundamental change in human nature would fix the whole thing. "Can't happen" is the first response, of course. But I think there was more of this mindset in times gone by. I wonder if we're being as progressive as we like to think.

Of course, bottom line, it's not possible to fix people like that. You can't just say, "Why can't we be like we were before?" It's not going to change people. And what brought about that change from the earlier mentality? That would have to be fixed, too. No, it's not something at which we could throw a program or on which we could pile some money. No, this is a God thing. Changed hearts make changed lives. And only God can change hearts.

Oh, we may pull out of this mess. Give us a few years, a few trillion dollars, a bigger national debt, tighter regulations ... oh, we may well survive. People will still be greedy and sneaky and manipulative. We'll still fly our economy by the seat of our feelings. It's a less-than-optimistic approach, but I suppose it's more realistic. What a shame! I like the God option better.