No Matter Who Wins This Election.....

This article is from the October Dave Ramsey newsletter. It has been laid on my heart to share it with all of you. I hope you all take it to heart. You control your financial future. Today is a great day to start!

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Dave Ramsey
October 2008 Newsletter


Dave, which bozo should I vote for in this election? Who’s going to fix the economy? Who’s going to give me the most money?


Well, I’m here to remind you that you’re going to fix the economy because your personal economy is up to you. It's not Washington's job to fix what's going on with you. If you are waiting on Washington to change something, you've got a long wait!


You’re going to give yourself money as a result of your hard work and persistence. Waiting for money to be taken from others and given to you is a spirit of envy, and it's wrong.


I’m not here to tell you who to vote for. But I am here to tell you that the government doesn’t have the capacity to fix your problems. Washington is full of bozos, and I am doing my part to send a lot of them home!


This economic mess is a reality, but we can each only control one thing—our reactions. Does this stuff define you? Only if you let it. The weird thing about the economy is that YOU are the economy! I learned this the hard way. I got my real estate license when I was 18 years old. By the time I was 21, interest rates had risen to 17% fixed-rate … and I still sold houses. How? Because I worked hard.


As bad as USA Today meant a recent article to be about what we think of the suffering economy and upcoming election, I think it’s rather encouraging that no one thinks that President Bush or Barack Obama or John McCain can fix the economy!


This may be the beginning of the biggest level of prosperity this nation has ever known if we don’t look to a candidate to fix our lives. How about we say, "I’m going to vote for the candidate who’s going to fix the nation. I’m going to fix my life, so leave me alone and let me do my own thing."


Don't react based on fear or panic. Don’t look to Washington to fix your problems. Why would you do that? At what point did Bill Clinton fix any of your problems? At what point did he cause you to prosper? At what point did George Bush end your career or cause you to prosper? When did Ronald Reagan fix your problems? Guess what? I liked Reagan the most, and while he was in office, I hit rock bottom and filed bankruptcy—but it wasn’t Reagan’s fault. It was mine.


So when you go to the polls in a few days to cast your vote, don’t get caught up in following a political party or candidate without knowing the issues they support. Do your research so you can make educated decisions.

Tip #33 Pay Off Your Debt

I just recently received the books I ordered and couldn't be more thrilled!!

A few weeks ago I decided I have had it with all our debt. I just couldn't take it any more. So, I ordered the much praised books by Dave Ramsey. They are called 'Financial Peace'. I have watched the video and am in the process of reading the book. I have very high hopes for us.

We don't have credit or mortgage debt. We have medical debt. The kind that lingers at $50 a month. My husband was sick for almost 4 years and had 2 open heart surgeries, a pacemaker surgery, and multiple IV antibiotic treatments. Then there were all the specialist visits, and at home nurses! All of this has helped us to accumulate close to $40,000 in debt. And that is with Medical Insurance!!! The hospitals are great at letting us pay $50 a month, but that means we wouldn't pay it off until we retired!!! I just can't do this for 30 years!

We are in the process of making our budget and will start using the envelope system March 1st. I am very confident that we will get this debt paid off a lot quicker!

Do you have debt? Why not try to pay it off. Don't let it linger for 30 years. Start paying it off now!

Happy Saving!