According to the Associated Press, “Billionaire Warren Buffett said unemployment will likely climb a lot higher depending upon how effective the nation’s policies are, but he remains optimistic over the long term.
Buffett said the nation’s leaders need to support President Barack Obama’s efforts to repair the economy because fear is dominating Americans’ behavior and the economy has basically followed the worst-case scenario he envisioned.
‘It’s fallen off a cliff,’ Buffett said Monday during a live appearance on CNBC. ‘Not only has the economy slowed down a lot, but people have really changed their habits like I haven’t seen.’”
Perhaps we needed to change our habits. President Obama told the nation that it would take time for his economic stimulus package to begin working. The President has only been in office for 49 days and yet there are those who are criticizing that he is taking on too much while others wonder whether enough is being done with the banks.
It seems like a little patience is in order here. I know that we get information instantly these days, however, we need to stand back and wait a little bit while the plans are implemented. Perhaps we need to let some of the banks fail or let companies like AIG reorganize themselves and stop throwing more money at dying companies.
Like a bleeding patient in an emergency room, the preliminary measures taken are to stabilize the patient’s vital signs. Only when it is clear that the patient is stable can any additional efforts be made to “fix” the problem. We need to stop the bleeding that appears to be coming from the housing market and then go back and infuse money into the banks.
Until our economy is stabilized, the nonprofit sector will continue to feel its effects. What are you doing to remain optimistic in this difficult recession?
