Doug and Julie Effinger in Nicaragua

I really need to update this blog

2011-03-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Julie and I are getting ready for our Spring trip to the states. You know, tax time and all. This has been our first full year working independent of other organizations (until the end of 2009 we had always partnered with orphanages). With our focus on the extreme poor in Nicaragua through feeding programs and student homes, we have found a niche that is meeting an important void in our area.

I've been lame about updating this blog and our ministry blog, Nica Impact. I hope to update both during our time in the states. At least I can say my excuse has been that I've been very busy with construction at our new project location, along with the operations of the student homes and the feeding programs.

We've had visitors on a regular basis over the past six months.

We had a team from Ames Iowa, Harvest Vineyard who helped us out with a feeding program lunch. They are one of a number of groups that have done this over the past year.

Plates of food getting ready to distribute.

We plan to hang out at the Tupilapa beach during the Easter week. Nicaragua shut down during that week, so we hope to enjoy the time before we leave to be with family in the states.

You can get updated at our new ministry blog at: www.nicaimpact.org

Marta Ligia Rodriguez Ruiz

2010-08-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the fourth in the series.

Name: Marta Ligia Rodriguez Ruiz

Age: 19

Time in Program: 7 Months

Educational Focus: Secretary Technician and Computer Operator

Marta was referred to us from the manager at the Monkey Hut, a tourist center at the edge of the crater lake Laguna de Apoyo. She was working part time in housekeeping at the lodge to earn money to help out at home. She had already graduated but had no money to continue her education. She lived at home with her mother and six brothers and sisters. Her boss knew of her desire to study and that there was no way for her family to afford sending her to school, so she asked if Marta might be a candidate for our program. After contacting the house director, Marta easily qualified and over the past 7 months has shown her dedication and desire to get ahead in life in order to help her family.

In Nicaragua it is very common for family members who work to pool their funds to help out with living expenses. Marta was working part time in the lodge to help the family when she could, but work wasn't full time. So when this opportunity presented itself to study she was torn but decided to advancing her career possibilities by getting more education. She has entered a vocational school for secretaries and takes computer classes. She also wants to study english, which she hopes to start at the beginning of 2011.

Marta is a model student and person. She is quiet, constantly studying, and very friendly. When she is not studying for her class she likes to read her bible and other books that relate to the scriptures. Her biggest concern is for her mother and her family. They have very little money and often times there is no food in the home. Marta has a chance to make a big difference in her family through this program.

She has expressed her gratitude many times for the opportunity to be in the program, but not just for her, but for all the girls of Casa Esther and guys in the Casa Juan Marcos. She is a unique young lady that consciously thinks about others as well as herself.

Photos:
Top - Marta
Center - Studying at Casa Esther
Bottom - Marta with Nelly at Casa Esther

Osmany Jose Ramos

2010-08-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the third in the series.

Name: Osmany Jose Ramos

Age: 20

Career: Nursing/Medicine

Osmany is one of our students that really stands out in the program. He has been participating for about 10 months now. Since joining the student program he has been hit with a couple of setbacks, but due to his perseverance he has been able to continue forward with his plans without major problems.

He came to us wanting to study Nursing at the local public school, but was unable to get into the local nursing school because the national political party offered the majority of the openings at the school to youth that supported the party. As a result he was denied enrollment. Needless to say, he was disappointed. The director of Casa Juan Marcos investigated options and found a school in private Nursing school in Masaya, about an hour bus ride away. The only openings were on Saturday because he applied late. The caveat is that the school has a three day a week internship at a hospital in Granada, also about an hour away. Osmany fills out his time volunteering at the old folks home and helping out with the feeding program.

When we make food deliveries in the feeding program, Osmany is often asked to speak to the kids before the distribution. He is very comfortable with public speaking. He can preach and teach and sing very well. Prior to coming to our program he was a leader in an HIV/AIDS awareness program in his community.

Osmany doesn't know his father, who left the family when he was very young. He always worked to help his mother and 5 of his 11 brothers and sister. His entry into our program has been a hardship for his family but he and his mother both realize that by taking advantage of this educational opportunity, he can return home in a few years with the ability to earn a good salary with a professional career.

Photos:
Top - Osmany helping at a food distribution
Center - Helping at a rural medical clinic
Bottom - Studying at Casa Juan Marcos.

Maria Isabel Somarriba Gonzales

2010-07-28T12:14:00.001-07:00

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the second in the series.

Name: Maria Isabel Somarriba Gonzales

Age: 19

Time in Program: 1 year

Educational Focus: Finishing High School

We met Isabel while working in feeding programs we facilitated in San Marcos. Isabel is second of 7 girls in her family. All but the oldest girl lives in the home. Isabel's mother volunteered to cook for the feeding program and through that relationship we met Isabel.

Most young people who attend school in Nicaragua will graduate at age 17. Isabel, because of the extreme poverty in her family, was not able to begin her education with her peer group. She is a couple years behind. She will graduate this year at age 20. Still, she has aspirations to learn a career that could help her family. And she would like to be an example to her five younger sister that they can break the cycle of poverty given the opportunity.

Isabel has not chosen her career choice yet. She is pondering her options and counseling with the director of the girls home to select a career that will fit her skills set.

When we asked Isabel what she thought of her opportunity to participate in the student home, she responded, "I'm always thankful for all that you are doing for me and this opportunity that you are giving me." And, "This is good for me because it helps me in my classes and in other areas of my life."

Isabel has a strong personality and has the potential to be successful in anything she puts her mind to. In the year she has been in the program she has matured immensely. We are excited to see the future that God has for her.

Photos:
Top - Isabel with Julie
Center - Studying at Casa Esther
Bottom - With her parents and her younger sisters at her sister's 6th grade graduation.

Franklin de Jesus Garcia

2010-07-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the first in the series.

Name: Franklin de Jesus Garcia.

Age: 20

Time in Program: 5 months

Educational Focus: Agricultural Technician.

Franklin is the second of six brothers. He was referred to our program from his youth pastor. Franklin has worked to help his mother since childhood. He doesn't know his father. When he found out about our programå he couldn't believe such an opportunity was available. His family lives in a small home in one of the underdeveloped barrios of Jinotepe. Since he moved into our student home, he has lost his bed in his home. In fact, on Sunday after church, his younger brothers come to our student home to hang out with their brother. He is an example to them.

Franklin came into the program knowing exactly what he wanted to study. He loves agriculture and he understands there are job opportunities in this agrarian society. He has chosen to study Agricultural Technology. In order to study his career, he has to wake up at 4 am, catch a bus by 5 in order to arrive to class by 7 am in Rivas, a city about 80 miles south. Class ends at 4 pm and he is back in Jinotepe around 6 pm. He does this five days a week. His weekends are filled with studying and church activities.

It was his church that noticed Franklin's focus and leadership. In Casa Juan Marcos he has already demonstrated those qualities. When asked about his opportunity in the program he says, " I think that this is the best opportunity that I have had in my life to go forward and I feel very proud to part of this program".

To those of you who have supported this ministry through donations or prayer, thank you. We hope you will see value in the work we are doing.

Blessings,

Doug and Julie Effinger
Global Orphan Fund, Inc.
Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua.

Donations to the work:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen, WA 98605

GO Fund Student Homes in Nicaragua.

2010-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

For years we had worked with orphanage organizations which invested in young children, abandoned, abused, and neglected. After many years of seeing these children receive large amounts of attention by well intentioned foreigners, buying clothing, bringing gifts, and taking kids out on group activities, we had an epiphany moment. For every child we took to the pool for a swim day, or the beach, there were many others "outside the fence" looking in, dreaming what it would be like if it were them on the inside. This evolution of thought eventually led us in a new direction in early 2008.

The GO Fund's flagship program in Nicaragua has become it's student homes. These homes provide educational opportunities to young adults finishing up High School, or entering Vocational Education or University.

We operate a home for young men called Casa Juan Marcos (House of John Mark) and a home for young ladies named Casa Esther (House of Esther). Each home has capacity for 8 students. Acceptance into either home is based on applicants level of poverty and motivation to study and achieve a higher standard of living for themselves and their families. Each student agrees to follow certain rules and take on responsibilities. They are required to maintain a full schedule filling their time in three basic areas: 1) Studies, 2) Be involved in spiritual development/church, and 3) Volunteerism. Once a student is accepted, they attend local schools where they will learn a trade or University degree and round out their studies learning computer skills and English language.

Our house Directors provide career counseling for the students. They also screen the applicants and provide guidance in their studies. In addition to a house directors, we also have a hired cook in each home. This allows the students to focus their time towards their goals. Students are required to participate in the upkeep and maintenance of the home, respect the other members, and do their chores in a timely manner.

We presently have students from as far as five hours north of Jinotepe, an hour to the west, east, and south. And even a couple from around Jinotepe proper.

For the participants in the student homes, this opportunity is most likely the only chance they would have to learn the skills required to escape poverty. Our hope is that through this program, these young people would set a new course for themselves, their families, and their communities. And that they would no longer be on the outside, looking in.

Over the next few weeks and months we will profile the students on our program. If you'd like to donate to this ministry please send your tax deductible donation to:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen,
WA 98605

Photos:
Top - Julie in front of Casa Juan Marcos
Center - With Cook at CJM
Bottom - With Isabel at Casa Esther

Latest GO Fund News.

2010-07-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

(sign posted inside the old building we just purchased)

Been a while since our last post.

Things never seem to get boring around here or in our ministry. The GO Fund is in the midst of a transformation. For 7 years we worked closely with orphanages assisting in funding and constructing projects. As of December 2009 we have decided to work independent of other organizations. Nearly two and a half years ago we opened up a home to help young men aging out of orphanages so they could continue their studies. During the first year we assisted three young men from orphanage backgrounds. In every case, we were able to help them in their transition to independent life, but they fell short of acquiring a career through our program.

At the same time, we began working feeding programs in rural poor communities and found many poor teens and post teens who had to stop their studies due to lack of funds, yet still had the desire for higher education or vocational training. As a result, we modified our transition homes to become student homes. The focus of these homes now is to offer educational opportunities to the motivated poor. We presently have six young men and 5 young women in our program, with new candidates being screened for the 2011 school year.

As a result of all the changes that have transpired in this ministry, we are in the process of changing our ministry name and official focus. We are presently called the GO Fund, which stands for Global Orphan Fund. Since we are neither global nor do we work with orphans specifically any more, it is time to upgrade our name to match the work we do. Or at least to be less restrictive by name. Our board has been mulling over name ideas and we hope to have a new name registered before the end of the year. Along with the new name we will update our bylaws which will then allow us to register properly in the country. These are things we didn't have to do before since we always partnered with other organizations. Now it's time.

We recently purchased a half acre of property within the city of Jinotepe. On it we hope to build a facility which would serve as a ministry center, a library, a student resource center, and a teaching facility. It would become ground zero for our students and an outreach to the local community. We could eventually offer classes including, english, mathematics, and sex education, as well as bible studies and Christian leadership training.

Also on the property we hope to build a visiting team facility for short term missionaries and longer term volunteers, a directors house, and round out the property with a greenhouse and fruit trees and bushes. This property will be home base for the ministry, but the work needs to be reaching out into the local communities, like the feeding programs that we support. We presently supervise meals for 400 children and elderly people daily in three local towns. We would like to expand that number in the future. We would also like to host dental and medical teams that would visit the rural villages and provide much need care.

The fundamental program under our watch is the student homes. This is where we believe we can make the biggest difference in Nicaragua. It is because the young people in our program, given the opportunity, can impact the lives of their families and friends in their home communities much more than we ever could. Over the next few months I will try to highlight each one of our students, provide a picture and some background. We are very proud of these young folks. We hope you will be too.

To those of you who have supported this ministry through donations and/or prayer, or are considering partnering with us, thank you. We hope you will see value in the work we are doing.

Blessings,

Doug and Julie Effinger
Global Orphan Fund, Inc.
Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua.

Donations to the work:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen, WA 98605

Happy Holidays

2009-11-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Julie and I along with all our young men and women in the Casa Juan Marcos and Casa Ester homes would like to wish you a very merry holiday season. We are all very grateful for your prayers and support in making this program a success.

We are completing our second year with the Casa Juan Marcos (House of John Mark) boys home. We've had a few changes this past year. A couple of our boys have moved on while four new young men have entered the program.

This is the first year for the girls home, Casa Ester (House of Esther). After a rough start in locating girls for the home, we have found four young ladies who are excited to participate.

The Photograph shows the present participants along with Julie, Myself, Omar, and Doris. (From L to R. Back Row, age, studies) Doug Effinger (Me), Omar (Director of CJM), Alex (18, Finishing High School, Finish Carpentry), Francisco (18, Accounting), Osmany, (18, Nursing), Franklin (20, agronomy), Abner (20, Finishing HS).
Front Row, Doris (Director of Casa Ester), Julie, Isabella (19, Finishing HS), Gaudy (18, Nursing), Heidi (18, Nursing) and Ana (18, Teaching).

In addition to these homes, we are involved in a feeding program that is presently feeding 1600 children a day, 5 days a week, in 14 communities and it is expanding.

Thank you for partnering with us in this work. Have a wonderful and blessed holiday. God Bless you all.

Sincerely,

Doug and Julie Effinger
Global Orphan Fund, Inc.
Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua

Remembering Sandra.

2009-05-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Julie and I received notice that the girl we have sponsored for the past five years will be returning to family members. Sandra has been living at the El Canyon/Puente de Amistad (Bridge of Friendship) orphanage for the past 5+ years. Julie and I have tried to visit her every month, or as often as time permitted, beginning a few weeks after her admittance into the orphanage. After hearing the news, Julie and I ran down to see her one last time at the orphanage.

(Sandra at 8 years old.)

I remember the first time we met Sandra at El Canyon. She had only been there for a few days when we came down with a dental team to provide some free dentistry. I dropped the group off at the orphanage just outside of Managua and had to run into Managua to do some errands. When I returned just after mid-day, the group was well into cleanings and checking the kids mouths. Sandra had been the first to get looked at and the dentist said she did really well for never having seen a dentist before.

Once I arrived back at the orphanage I saw this little eight year old girl who quickly came up to me and held my hand for the next hour or so. Wherever I went with her she would follow along side. Julie was busy helping the team while I got to make friends with Sandra.

(Learning to knit)

Shortly after our trip to El Canyon, Julie and I discussed being Padrinos, or sponsors for her. We agreed and since then we have made regular visits, bought her cloths, took her for weekends and holidays, and basically played surrogate parents.

Sandra came from an area in Managua called Callejon de los Muertos, meaning, Alley of the Dead. This is a place considered one of the most dangerous areas in Managua. Drug dealing and prostitution run rampant. And many are found dead due to drug related activities. It was in this area that Sandra was found unattended. She had been living with a grandmother and, when her grandmother passed away, she continued without anyone to care for her care until a teacher noticed her and reported her to the child protective services. At the time her father was a drug dealer and her mother had run away. Sandra was alone.

(Sandra's favorite place when visiting our house. Asleep on the couch until bedtime. )

Being placed in an orphanage is never a happy moment for a child. They are placed in an institution with dozens of kids. There is already an established pecking order and the new kids always has to find there place. If living on the streets is hard, adjusting to a new home where you know nobody is equally difficult. But Orphanages do provide a structure, three meals a day, and eventually they become like a big family. At El Canyon, there are usually around 40 kids there at any time. Some come and go while others seem to become fixtures, knowing the chores and taking on responsibilities. This was Sandra. Having been there for over five years, she had tenure.

Sandra is behind on her classes. She started late and has had difficulty catching up. But she is smart. She still has an innocence about her that makes her fun to be around. Like many kids, she is very self aware and has low self esteem. Especially now that she has become a teenager.

(Sandra at the beach. Ten years old)

I remember Julie and I taking her to the beach before we constructed the cabin. She used to love to chase the little sand crabs, dig holes in the sand, and swim in the water. She was fearless in the surf. Although she couldn't swim, she would go out as far as she could to jump into the waves. We have a fairly strong side current and the water can carry you out to a ripe current, but she would be having too much fun to understand or even care. I always had to stay at her side to make sure she was safe.

( Sandra with Julie. She is about 12 years old here)

Sandra is returning to family members; an Aunt and her father, who lives with his sister and as many as 6 other uncles in the home. We don't know the conditions yet but we know they are not great. Yet the government has been proactively trying to take children out of protection centers, or orphanages as we like to call them, and reunite them with family members. Almost any family member will do as long as the receiving family agrees. Sometimes these situations work out. But more often then not, the children's quality of life diminishes greatly. Since food is scarce for most Nicaraguan families, one more mouth to feed is not received too well. Also, a young girl like Sandra who has entered her teenage years is at high risk of molestation and abuse. In addition, barrio life can mean little protection or concern for the child. They are often times free to roam the streets and get into trouble. Or things go the other way and the child becomes a house keeper/servant for the host family.

(Here she is at our house ironing her school uniform. )

Whatever happens to Sandra is and always has been out of our hands. We can only pray for her and hope that God will take care of her. We hope that we can continue a dialog with her through her family, to encourage her and let her know she is still loved by us. And boy do we. Sandra Mercedes Rosales Orosco.

(Left - This was taken in early May 2009)

(Right - This was taken during our last visit. She is 13 years old)

About My Dad

2009-05-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

I've been blessed.

I want to say something about the most influential person in my life. He is the person who has molded me, encouraged me, and loved me despite all my flaws.

This person is my Dad.

I could tell you his name: Richard P. Effinger, but to me he is simply, my Dad.

He's my friend and my mentor. In a sense, he is the reason I have a good image of God the Father in my faith.

Not everyone has a good dad. Not having a good dad can make it difficult to understand the character of God. I have a better understanding because of my dad. That's not to say that I understand God completely. Nobody does except the Son. But I know my dad. The one God gave me. And I know that he loves God and honors him. He tries to emulate Him.

My dad's not perfect. And he'd never claim to be. What makes him such a great dad is that he has never placed himself above the rest of his family. Rather, he has encouraged us all to live our lives in the way we believe God would direct us. He sees himself on the same journey to know God as his family. Each one individual, yet together. My dad has always pointed to the Father.

Julie and I just spend a couple weeks with my folks. There is nothing as special as spending time with my dad. Isn't that what God desires of us? That we would spend time with Him? Dad always makes us feel like every moment is special, valuable.

Dad just turned 74 years old last month. He is 74 going on 47. We had a little gathering to celebrate. He's still in great shape and is very active. He and my step mom have been together for over 35 years. Longer than I've been an adult. He understands commitment through the good and the not so good. Kinda like God.

Since I live about 3000 miles away from dad, every time we are together is more and more special. At his age we never know how many more opportunities we will get together. As he says, he has outlived his warranty. I'm just thankful he's still in great health. Dad has an urn sitting on the mantle. He picked it out and reminds us that it is his future bodily home. We hope that it stays empty for a many many years to come.

Dad has always been a hard working man. He made his living with his hands. Yet there are two things he does best with his hands. One is giving hugs. If he taught me anything, it is the value of a hug. My daughters can tell you if I was a good student of my dad in this area. Hugs are awesome.

The other thing he does well with his hands is play the piano. He is self taught and plays from his heart to an audience of One. From my childhood I remember dad coming home from work, we'd all sit down for dinner and after dinner, as we were all doing our chores, dad would sit down and play piano. Today, dad will stop at any moment in the day and sit in front of the ivory keys to make music. We the children of my dad have been blessed with many a concerto. Please double click on the videos to see him playing in full screen.

One doesn't have to wait until their loved ones pass on to share how special they are. There is no obituary that can be nearly as good as sharing our love and gratitude with the living. Thanks Dad, for being such a great man, and a great dad. Speaking for all my brothers and sister, we love you.

Land of Judah Orphanage

2009-04-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

Don't take my word for it...

2009-04-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is a good read...

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=5300

Financially Frustrated American

2009-03-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

There is a lot going on in the United States these days. We've just experienced an historical election amidst an economical environment in the midst of contraction. People are demanding change. And change they will get. But at what cost?

If our government continues to spend money at a rate unheard of in our history, then we will go bankrupt as a country. The result will be hyper-inflation, which means all the savings the responsible Americans have accumulated will be worth pennies on the dollar while all the debtors, those people who have lived outside their means for the last decade or two, will get a bailout in the short term, while losing their purchasing power like the rest of us.

The culprits of our National economic condition are many. The fault of our immediate failure lies mostly on the lack of Government regulations regarding the sales of high risk mortgages as they were packaged, sold and resold. While financial institutions used the existing laws to make a profit. Our government representatives (i.e. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, to name the most obvious) are mostly at fault as they allowed laws to be put in place allowing people who were not qualified access to loans while not having adequate income or assets to back those loans. The intention was to allow more people to achieve the American Dream, home ownership. While the laws were written to allow first time home ownership to those who realistically can't afford them, they also applied to speculators and flippers.

In the 80's I purchased my first home through a first time home buyers program, but it did not allow my wife and I to make the purchase without putting money down or to include the closing costs by making the loan 110% or more of the appraised value, with the hopes that the home would increase in value quickly. Why, because the program was establish based on real values, not future values. We weren't allowed to extend our credit beyond what was reasonable. The law of the time WAS looking out for us back then.

So this leads us to the real problem. A lack of individual self discipline at an individual and community level. We have borrowed more than we can afford to pay. As a people we are extended beyond our capabilities. Our parents and grand parents lived mostly within their means. They saved money, payed cash for most of their purchases, only purchased on credit when necessary and paid it back as soon as they could. They lived always being prepared for an economical downturn, because they had lived through a Great Depression.

Our parents accumulated wealth by living conservatively and making investments. But they didn't overspend.

We have done just the opposite. We have run our credit cards up and payed off our cards with other cards. We have purchased cars on credit using a disproportional amount of our income. We have purchased homes the same way, going backwards on our home loans from the beginning, with the hope the values will catch up to our incomes and mortgages.

That all created an expanding economy, but not a real economy. We have been living on borrowed money for years.

Now it's time to pay the piper. The natural response is for the economy to contract until it finds a point where our collective incomes can catch up to our debt. This isn't rocket science. Its, common sense. If you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you borrow too much, then you have to put other purchases on hold until you get your debt under control. You don't get to go into your basement and print more money to pay your debt. You have to work hard, tighten your financial belt, and responsibly pay off your loan.

So why are we allowing our government to do this? Why are we bailing out people who purchased homes with money they don't have? Why are we bailing out businesses that mismanage their business? Why are we allowing government to print and spend money, devaluing the money already in circulation?

It is a travesty that workers lose their jobs. It is sad that people lose their homes. There are casualties to every recession. Some of those casualties are justifiable. Some are not. Those of us who made investments in the stock market and have seen the value of those investments cut in half, well, stocks are a risk and we know going in. There is an upside, and there is a down side. Many of us are presently losing in the market. Am I asking for a bailout? NO!

The same risk occurs when we buy a home. It is an investment that may go up and may go down. So those who purchased a home with too large a mortgage payment and then lost their job or had to take a pay cut, well, that is the natural risk of home ownership. It's time to downsize.

Bailing out corporations is even worse. If a company has a bad business model, it will not survive no matter how much money you throw at it. It is better for the company to file bankruptcy. Throwing money at it only delays the inevitable. Jobs will be lost either way. Better to use the money to retrain the unemployed than to keep them in their jobs for a few months longer. They will eventually end up on the street anyway. And then we'll have to pay to retrain them.

Detroit has a bad business model. They have Unions that restrict the ability of management to adapt their business model. What needs to happen is the car companies in the US need to restructure, file bankruptcy and follow the model of the Asians. Oh yeah, but they provide jobs that pay lower wages, you say. Yup. That is the process of business evolution. The business model must be successful, (i.e. profitable) or it will eventually fail. It's not our job as tax payers to pay for bad business models nor bad union agreements. You don't see many model "A's on the roads.

People, we need to take some responsibility for our actions!

Most people voted for Barack Obama because they wanted change. We are going to get change. But I doubt it is the change we really want for the long term. Many of those who voted for Barack did so because President Bush ran up a huge war debt. President Obama will do so 8 time larger than Bush, and with an economy that is unable to sustain the payment of the debt. We thought President Obama and his team would be better managers. They are not showing that tendency so far. From better accountability to more credibility among his staff. They are not showing to be an improvement over their predecessors. At least not economically.

This is an incredible opportunity to get back in control of our economy. Allow the economy to contract. People are resilient and they will survive. The market will level off at a point that is fair valued. Job creation will begin again based on successful businesses that are growing. These things will happen regardless of what our government does. Do we really want our economy to recover just so we can face a huge debt payment? Because if we do, our recovery will be short lived and we will go through this again, only worse, because our money will be worth so much less against the huge debt we will be facing. Mr. Geithner should know this but is chosing to gamble with our future.

So while President Obama and Co. wants to bail out all the irresponsible people and companies by throwing money at them, those of us who have learned to be financially responsible are asked to suck it up. President Obama, be a responsible president and don't run up our National debt. No matter how much you think government should lead the people, never forget that the government should work for the people, not the other way around.