I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.

- Thomas Jefferson

Forgive me if I create disagreements with anyone with this quote. Anyone who knows me knows that I work my ass off. Even if I look like I am having fun, throwing a big party, or spending a day surfing, it is rare that a week goes by that I don’t work 80 hours. I run a handful of businesses, two of which are doing fantastic at the moment.

If I don’t open my mouth now, I will have no one to blame if things get worse.

The financial markets you see on T.V. are simply that, stuff you see on T.V. As internet business folks, we are the masters of the pitch, or the spin, of showing news the way we want it to be seen. If you watch T.V. and think it is anything more substantial that what we read on each others blogs, then you may not really be paying attention when you watch T.V.

When I looked outside this morning, the same sun was still there, the same grass, the same trees. Nothing is really fundamentally different than it was a decade, or two decades ago. Maybe the pollution is a bit worse, the crowding is a bit worse, and technology has improved, but the basic rules still remain.

I just came off of a weekend hanging with a bunch of millionaires.

I’ll be the average ThinkTank attendee has lost at least $200k during the most recent downturn in the stock market. Did anyone at the ThinkTank care? Not a word I heard out of anybody.

What were they talking about? New idea, new implementations, new ways to help each other, and to help mankind at large.

See there is no such thing as a shortage of money in our country, or anywhere else in the world. And if for some reason the government doesn’t print enough money, then there is always something you can trade.

In fact last week was one of the best weeks I have ever had financially, even without the ThinkTank.

If you can’t find a job, then you can create one. And while you are at it, create a dozen more for your friends and those around you.

The internet is free to all of us. The internet itself has all the tools you need to learn how to program. I don’t know anyone who knows how to program in PHP going hungry right now

If you have trouble studying let me know, and I will point you toward how to learn.

Build some sites, hook up with Azoogle or one of the other add networks and make a little money. Go door to door and ask the local businesses if they would like a site that is number one for their city/profession in Google, and if they don’t know how, for a fee you can show them. Always plenty of stuff to be done!

Take a look at this image and you will see that over the past 100 years, the stock market has gone up and down and up and down, but long term has gained roughly an 8 percent per year increase. All my cash is in the stock market right now, as I consider stocks to be great bargains at the moment. Can the stock market drop another 20 or 30 percent? Sure. No biggie.

The fundamentals will always stay the same. If your skills are good, and you are willing to work hard there will always be work to do, and things to make. There will always be others who can make stuff, or grow food, who will trade with you. Even if every piece of money in the world burned up today, and all the computers were wiped clean, we would all just wake up the next morning and get to work.

The numbers clicking on T.V. are simply a wake up call for those who have not been following financial basics. Save money, work hard, take care of yourself so you can continue to work hard. And by the way, study. Study, study, study, study, so you can get better at doing what you do, and become better yourself.

Wherever you live, it is your country, create it into what you want it to be.

And what to do when they preach doom and gloom on T.V.?

Turn off the T.V. and go make some money, exercise, or teach a kid to read!

When you get back, nothing much will have changed.

The earth will still be flying through space at 18 miles a second. In face, face west, close your eyes, lean forward and feel the speed!