What was your dinner table talk on Easter Sunday?

I’m blessed with a large family – seven siblings, 13 nieces and nephews, and my own three children (ages 19, 21 and 25). At holidays, we typically get together with at least part of the crew – more than half of them live out of state. This Easter was another good one – hosted by my brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Cathy – the best cook in the family. We had a great time with a delicious meal, the Masters on big-screen TVs, and spirited conversation.

I wonder if our conversation matched others around the country. We talked a lot about the economy, and the expenditure of billions to set it all right. We got into the nitty-gritty of what went wrong. And then we sighed. What the hell can we do about it?
I’ve gotten to the point where I’m really angry about it. My sister, Barb, noted, “Who do we turn to? Our elected officials are just regular people – what do they know about economics?” I replied that it requires all of us to be better educated about money and finances. Plus, it comes down to values. We need to return to making money the old-fashioned way. Instead of faking gains through the sale of derivatives, we need to create things, make them and sell them. Let’s not outsource our key talents and money-making ability.

We’ve got such a powerful base of engineers in Michigan. Let’s put that brain power to work…now. Would the venture capitalists please step up? Let’s work together to get the answers and move this country forward. Government can only do so much. We, the people, need to make it happen. That’s the strength and destiny of the American people. We “can do.”