Why your opinion about the stimulus plan doesn’t matter
I don’t write much about current events here, because they usually don’t affect your personal finances, but I wanted to point out something interesting I just read.
Have you ever noticed how everyone seems to have “the answer” to the healthcare crisis or the economic meltdown? The problem is, they usually don’t see above their own situations to the larger problems. That’s why any one of our opinions is largely irrelevant.
Check it out:
This New York Times article points out how G.M. is asking for $12.1 billion more in loans. The comments are the best part:
- “Amy” starts arguing about healthcare and her grandfather
- “Dave” writes about the auto companies being political sacred cows
- “RG” complains about Wall Street fat cats
- “Dale” bemoans the lack of a national healthcare system
- “JK” argues that unions are a net benefit to America
- “Outraged” argues that “unions are destroying America”
And that’s just in the first 10 comments.
You see the problem?
Everyone’s got an opinion, usually drawn from their own narrow experiences, not seeing the full picture.
This is why product managers know how difficult it is to ask their users what features they want in a product.
It’s why politicians can’t just tactically respond to what people want, but have to show leadership in what they need.
And it’s also why everyone’s got an opinion about what you “should” do with your money, but few people actually implement the strategies.
You can listen to people’s opinions all day long. You can read thousands of blog comments on personal-finance blogs each week. But trust me, those critics — whether it’s your uncle or mom or sister or friend — are still going to be saying the same things tomorrow, next year, and 5 years from now.
What matters is what steps you take toward getting rich right now.
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