12 Steps to Fixing Our Nation's Financial Woes

This is a recognition that our Nation faces serious personal and national economic-financial issues. These twelve steps are integral to putting "We the People" back on the right path to fixing our financial problems. These Twelve Steps are derived and adopted from the original Twelve Step Program published by Alcoholics Anonymous. I truly believe that many people in this country have dependency issues when it comes to debt financing as related to materialism:

1) We must admit we are powerless over our material wants and needs and that our spending has taken over our lives and imperiled our future. Some people spend money as a way of raising their personal self-esteem. They have done this at the expense of their future economic viability. It is important to realize that those materialistic desires will never fill an empty soul.

2) We must realize that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. In my opinion, this doesn't necessarily have to be about God. This can be about having a Purpose in life. Refocusing on a Purpose gives one the force (or energy) to do good things and realize that life has meaning. Materialism leads to a "me" lifestyle and to greed and selfishness in a group setting and in culture. I think that this is much of the problem that our society is facing today, because instead of working together toward the furtherance of our society, we are all pulling in different directions to represent our own selfishness and greed. That is the reason we aren't getting anywhere. There has to be a balance between what is best for the individual and what is best for society.

3) We must make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him. To me this means that we have to realize that life isn't just about us as individuals. Each one of us have wants, needs, and desires. We have to learn that we cannot enslave others to fulfill our desires. We are all subject to the variables of life that relate to all of us as individual beings. That is one of the hardest aspects of life that we as individuals have to learn to accept, because we aren't going to ever be fulfilled. Life isn't about fulfillment, it is about acceptance of what the force conjures up though fate. You have to accept that things happen for a reason.

4) We must search ourselves and fearlessly and fairly evaluate our personal morality. Are you a good person or are you a bad person? Do you go out of your way to help others or hurt others? We are all sinners. None of us are perfect. We all have good and bad days, but we must realize that our actions have consequences to those that surround us and their actions have consequences to those that surround them. My personal actions can set off a wave of negative consequences that can have far reaching negative implications that we do not realize when we are stuck on ourselves as individuals. The opposite can also ring true. A positive attitude can also spread throughout a community and society. You will truly reap the harvest of the seeds that you sow.

5) We must admit to God, to ourselves, and other human beings the exact nature of our wrongs. No one is perfect, but the harder that we try to strive towards perfection, the closer we will come to achieving it. If we don't try, then we will never come close. It is alright to make mistakes, but those that do not admit or live in a state of denial about their errant ways will be doomed to repeat them.

6) We must be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. We can't put off solving our problems. We must deal with them today. Procrastination only leads to more procrastination. Once we assess our lives and accept our transgressions, then it is time to remove them from our lives.

7) We must humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. When we feel powerless and overwhelmed about our transgressions, then we need to pray or meditate and reach within ourselves for the willpower needed to keep from submitting to our weaknesses. That self-reflection will help one realize that they can attain inner-peace over time. The longer that you can remove yourself from the weaknesses, the easier they will become to deal with, but at some point they must be dealt with head on.

8) We must make a list of all people we have harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all. If we have financially taken advantage of others, then we must admit to them what we have done and do our best to make amends. This will help to clear a guilty conscious. If we owe creditors, then we must be upfront in our dealings with them. 99% of the time they will be willing to work with you, so will family and friends. If you are in dire straights, don't rob Peter to pay Paul. Tell your friends up front that you are in dire straights. I am sure that if they can help you, they will. But don't set up a timeline to pay them back, because if you don't meet it and they then need the money, it will put a strain on your friendship.

9) We must make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. If telling the truth to someone you care about will hurt them, then it is best to keep it to yourself. This goes for finances, as well as any other type of interpersonal dealings. If you borrowed money from a friend and blew it on something frivolous, then it's best to leave that out of the equation. Just be up front that you blew their money and that you will do everything in your power to make it up to them in the future. It may put a strain on your friendship, but you might not lose that friendship.

10) Continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong promptly admit it. When you fall off the wagon, then face it head on and deal with it, otherwise you will end up back at ground zero or worse.

11) We must seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His Will for us and the power to carry that out. We can't lose sight of what we are doing by getting our personal finances and social lives back in order. Many times these vices snowball until they careen out of control. We must be honest with ourselves, because many times these self-inflicted wounds are forgotten once they heal. The emotional scars are there for a reason. Embrace them and learn from them. A meaningful life comes from making sure that those bad experiences are lessons that aren't constantly repeated.

12) Once we conquer our demons and realize a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, then we shall try to carry this message forward to others who may have a similar problem, and practice these principles in all our affairs. You have gone through all of this for a reason. Don't be embarassed about it. Teach and tell others about the hole that you dug for yourself. It goes back to the morality issue. Lead by example and others around you will do the same. If we all become self-reliant and at the same time charitable, then this world will surely be better for it.

In no way am I wanting to stir up a religious debate, but this is a moral issue. We have created a lot of moral hazard by telling people that it is ok to live beyond their means and that the Nanny State will bail them out when they get in trouble.. There is no way out of the bind that the government has put us in, but we as individuals need to learn about Self-Preservation and the role that it plays in Liberty and Personal Freedom.

Take Charge Folks, this game is nowhere close to over. We will restore this country back to its glory!!!