| Based once again on the principal of hope and | | | | All eyes are on Obama, the 44th president of the |
| promise, North-Americans are sleep-walking into | | | | United States. A good man. But the principal of |
| the future while consumption still lingers to be the | | | | hope won’t help this time around here in |
| past-time sport in popularity just after ice-hockey. | | | | North America or anywhere else in our globalized |
| We are a nation in denial. Organizations, such as | | | | world. Too deep is the swamp we are in. Our |
| the tourism industry still paint pink pictures of the | | | | world-wide debt is presently three times higher |
| future, as individual hotel owners are digging into | | | | than our income around the globe. Anybody |
| financial reserves and are throwing good money | | | | running a private household should be able to |
| after bad money. | | | | figure out, what this means for the food on the |
| The North American way, that tomorrow will | | | | table in the future. |
| take care of itself - deeply routed in their religious | | | | But are we learning anything right now in the |
| puritan way of thinking, which stemmed from | | | | process of such obvious despair rising on the |
| their founding political leaders, is still well and alive | | | | horizon of the world economy? Not yet in North |
| amidst the financial crisis. Televison advertising still | | | | America. Gourmet restaurants still enjoy |
| promises whole sets of living room furniture for | | | | customers who can’t afford even the tip for |
| zero down payment and no interest for the next | | | | the waitress on their credit card, shopping centers |
| five years. The car industry, bailed out with billions | | | | are crowded with customers who think with the |
| of dollars still has its sticky fingers in the lending | | | | money they don’t really have they can get |
| market: No money down and small interest on car | | | | bargains right now. The illusion still holds its |
| leases for the next few years. Shopping as usual | | | | perfection. The twilight of the gods, |
| is the tenor to keep the wheels of a doomed | | | | Götterdämmerung, is only an opera by Richard |
| economy spinning until it has run out of fuel in the | | | | Wagner. The story can’t be real. |
| truest sense. | | | | Some statistics have it, that every North |
| The credit card institutions, which will ask for a bail | | | | American spends $1.10 of every earned dollar. |
| out next - equivalent to the amount American | | | | Hello! Time to wake up, or? |
| banks needed to keep going - are still luring people | | | | So how does this psychologically impact the |
| into more debt. Soliciting phone calls outnumber | | | | “new world”? Broadly speaking, it |
| any connection you have with your family. Get | | | | doesn’t. It goes right over their “in the |
| another credit card. Why not! As the average | | | | moment” attitude - trained, manipulated and |
| debt per consumer just on credit cards used to | | | | refined by a society that pretended to be better |
| be around $34 000, that number is quickly rising. | | | | and more clever than the old world . Maybe a |
| Mortgage payments for houses threatened by | | | | few, who have already lost their jobs in the oil- |
| foreclosures and cars running on loans that would | | | | and service industry are starting to feel |
| not even allow a refill at the gas pump are | | | | overwhelmed or depressed. But that plastic issued |
| charged on credit cards. In a recent US talk show | | | | by Visa, Amex or MasterCard still feels pretty |
| they established that the average credit card | | | | secure in the wallet. And after all, the first order |
| debt per American was close to $90 000, with | | | | of patriotism is consumption, which makes up |
| some persons having up to 24 different credit | | | | nearly 70 percent of the buck going around the |
| cards. Shop till they pull the plastic - no moral | | | | economic carousel in North America. |
| obligations. Today is the day, live in the now. The | | | | It’s all an illusion - but the denial of reality |
| American way of thinking and therefore doing has | | | | keeps a people still quiet. One could say: “Do |
| seduced several generations into a people, which | | | | not disturb”, because the awakening could be |
| were always told: There is plenty more to come. | | | | disastrous. And civil unrest won’t be a far |
| The old “Frontier” thinking prevails. And | | | | fetched reality in a neighboring country, where |
| none of their leaders has really given a wake-up | | | | every household has some handguns handy. |
| call yet. | | | | |