Wisdom from the Woods

Wisdom from the Woods will be an occasional column that outlines some complex issues.

Why the woods? Why not! In the woods we can all gather our thoughts and gain new perspective. I've learned a lot about myself every time I head for the forest. I know I'm not alone and I know that mankind has used the natural world to refocus on the artificial world around us. I'm lucky to have a very special spot in my own back yard. The ledge on my property has not only been a source of inspiration for me, it's been an inspiration for others for many centuries.

In future posts I'll share new photos of this unique natural feature that archaeologists have told me is quite significant. Native Americans used this site to celebrate the change of seasons. The evidence of past ceremonial activity is striking.

Why am I here today? I can't figure out for the life of me where $15 trillion in U.S. wealth went to almost overnight. That's $50 thousand for each man, woman and child in America. That's not far from reality when I look at my own situation. It's almost as if we have been all living one giant Ponzi scheme, and Bernie Madoff was a minor player.

If $15 trillion disappeared from the economy, why does anyone question the need for government to infuse a few trillion in an effort to recover? We all criticize government when the answer is, print new money. Where was the criticism when the great private sector in this Nation was busy creating phony wealth. You know what, nobody cared because people had a sense that they were all getting rich. The greed caught up with all of us.

Let's lend the government some support here and understand that infusing some money into the system is a necessary step to move us forward again. My only fear is that the government is not going far enough because of false Republican impressions regarding economic recovery. I'll head to the ledge whenever I can't seem to figure things out. While I don't have all the answers, I've found that nature has established that balance to move forward each season. We all need to establish that balance ourselves. The economy needs to establish that balance.

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