Big numbers can be funny sometimes. When Wall Street
got itself in trouble, a financial bailout package was put together in
the neighborhood of $700 billion. That\'s a staggering number. Any time
we start discussing numbers with that many zeros behind it, most people
tend to lose sight of the value that it represents.

Just as when
Carl Sagan to used talk about the billions and billions of stars in the
universe, or the billions and billions of years the earth has been in
existence, speaking in terms of billions of dollars is a concept most
people simply cannot grasp. It would be nice however if the executives
seeking these bailouts would show a little humility and thankfulness as
they sat before Congress asking for the money. Until Congress put a
stop to it, these executives were planning to pay themselves huge
year-end bonuses, and maintain their salaries at the inflated and
greedy levels of Wall Street.

Just after the Wall Street bailout
request was submitted, the press became aware that corporate
boondoggles in such towns as Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas were still
happening as scheduled. There seemed to be little remorse that these
demonstrations of corporate excess were now using taxpayer dollars,
instead of corporate funds.

For some reason, discussing a bailout
in terms of one dollar a year for 700 billion years seems to put it
into perspective. Maybe that would also an interesting way to pay
senior executives seeking bailouts. They make $1 million, paid at the
rate of one dollar year for 1 million years. We probably shouldn\'t be
poking fun at a very serious situation. The problem here is that most
people simply don\'t understand the concepts of money, particularly at
this scope. Many people think that these problems are at such a high
level that they will have no impact on their day-to-day lives.

This
is a dangerous misconception to have. The truth is that the economic
recession that we now face is going to affect all of us and whether we
like to believe it or not, the Wall Street bailout and threatened
bankruptcy of the Big Three auto manufacturers will have a tremendous
impact on the American economy, and on most of our lives as well.
Unlike the big corporations and financial institutions however, the
average American can\'t go to the government seeking a bailout. The only
person who can provide for your financial future and security is you.

It\'s
important to face this challenge head-on. Don\'t ignore the problem, and
hope that it just goes away, because it won\'t. Doing nothing is not an
option, because the recession is here, and it\'s real. By acting today,
you can enjoy tomorrow.