“A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.” Proverbs 19:3

Here’s some breaking news: Our elected officials mostly suck. They’re often incompetent or power hungry, and the last thing most of them care about is YOU, at least until the next election. 

Yes, they have responsibilities as elected officials, and we expect them to do what they were elected to do, since we can’t watch them every minute. However, when it gets right down to it. it’s YOUR job to care about your family and make sure they have what they need in a time of crisis, manufactured or not. Blaming this person or that party does nothing to move the ball forward, nor does it improve your life, although there’s clearly plenty of blame to go around at this moment. 

Lots of people complain about government, and to a large degree they’re right. The best way to keep government out of your life is to make good decisions and not give them entree into it. Save your money. Marry the right person and don’t screw it up. Raise your kids right. Don’t put your family in the hands of judges. 

This shutdown is unforeseen and totally unfair to the hardworking people of America. What galls me most is the people who are making these decisions about our futures aren’t missing a paycheck. They aren’t going to lose their family business if we’re shut down another month. Easy for them to make proclamations, right? But living your life correctly is something you should do regardless of who’s in office, or what decisions they make. 

Every financial expert in the world tells you to save 3-6 months’ living expenses at a minimum. If everyone had done this, there wouldn’t be lines for free food, and people freaking out in a week. I saw a two-mile line for free food ONE WEEK after the layoffs. One week! People, you need to plan better. 

And why are people sitting in food lines with cars that are clearly new? I’ve seen them with dealer’s paper plates still on them. 

I don’t care what kind of car you drive, but you clearly can’t afford a financed car if you don’t have a week’s worth of FOOD in your house. I posted something about that the other day on social media, and people said, “some people are picking up food for others who don’t have cars”. In a $60,000 car? If you can afford that, you should be buying the food for others and not taking up space in a line meant for truly needy people! 

What are you teaching for children about leading a responsible life when you’re that broke that soon? Days after your last paycheck? I don’t care how much you make, you can curb your lifestyle and save some of it. I know very well what it’s like to be fired unexpectedly. I was fired a few years ago, one week after I bought a house. I had signed the papers and hadn’t even moved in yet, so yes, I know what it’s like to go into lockdown mode. You make correct decisions to ensure your survival, knowing that God will meet your needs, but not necessarily all of your wants. 

Some people are always broke, all the time, no matter how much they make. You know them and I know them. They have no money management skills. They whine on the phone to friends, borrow money from family, and always seem to have little “emergencies” that come up. Now those same people are crying that their government “relief” isn’t immediately in their bank account, never acknowledging that their poor financial decisions have put them at the mercy of government.

If you don’t marry well, you’re stuck either living with someone you can’t stand, or fighting over “who gets the kids during a lockdown”, you have screwed up somewhere, Maybe you chose poorly, or make you were a crappy husband or wife. Either way that stress is self-imposed, and not the government’s fault. 

There are people who are “independent contractors” who now expect unemployment. Once again, none of this lockdown this is their fault, but did they declare all their income when doing those gigs? Hmmm? If not, good luck. More bad decisions. 

If you’re in a tough spot, don’t give up – take action. Sit down with your bills, honestly evaluate your situation and formulate a plan. What do you need, and what can you cut, at least for now? You’ll feel better if you take control of what you can control. Maybe you’ll have to turn in your financed car and buy a Boulder Highway beater. So what?

Maybe cancel cable and all those unnecessary entertainment packages. Move in with family. Adapt. It’s called survival, and the fact is, no one knows when Vegas will return to any semblance of “normal”, or if you’ll have your old job when this is over.

A crisis is a great way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Although it might be tough for a while, resilient and resourceful people will sail through it, while some others will curl into a ball and (once again) blame everyone else. Sure it’s unfair, but life isn’t fair, and events are rarely within your control. But the decisions you make long before a crisis hits will determine how well you weather the storm.

Something to think about for the next time. 

Heidi Harris

4-19-20