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Spring Into Savings

By Bernie Cyrus

Friday, March 21 2008

As our Country falls deeper into uncertainty and fear of the falling dollar, we must be more vigilant in our preparation for the worst case scenario. And what is that you may ask? Well , it's called a Depression. Not since the late twenties and early thirties have we seen such a climate for mass hysteria and dissolution. My father Bernard Edmund Joseph Cyrus , Sr. known affectionately as  "Benny" would have been one hundred years old last year. Because he was much older than that of my friend's fathers. He taught me things that only the wisdom of a Grandfather knew. He taught me how in the blink of an eye things can decline to a state of financial failure that takes away all control of the American dream and can turn it into a nightmare.   During the Depression , people lost their homes , fortunes and self dignity. Many committed suicide as they could not take the pressure. Have you ever seen the soup lines of the thirties or "Hooverville" the tent cites of the millions of homeless named after then Republican President Herbert Hoover.   You may ask what or whom in particular was the villain? Well it's  a two fold answer. One: Greed. As the roaring twenties created the Charleston dance craze which incidentally made Benny Cyrus a "Champion" dancer and a rather popular "Man about town". People were like now deillusioned by eccess. However, after the "Crash of twenty nine"   He soon realized that his familie's ownership of prime real estate in the promising suburb of Gentilly had to be quickly sacrificed to feed the family . Many local grocery owners were only too happy to run up  the food tab in exchange for grocery bills. And as in most families the Cyruses were large. Bernard "Ben" and Clementine Faucheux Cyrus had seven kids. What made matters worse Ben and his brothers and cousins went on one of our countries worst worker strikes against the powerful New Orleans Public Service as they were all streetcar workers. Ben was an electrician , like his son my father and his grandson my brother Berton. However, as the strike was broken Ben refused to capitulate. He died a broken but proud man.   And there in lies the rub. Because the second villain was Credit. It was the margins of the stockholders that were called in and crashed the stock market which was the proverbial " straw that broke the Camel's back.   And now in 2008 it is the amount of credit that has  us all worried so. We live beyond our means as we drive big gas guzzling cars, boats, and have extravagant life styles. If we have not saved or invested in real sound investments we may too be on the brink of destruction.. We may soon be in a situation not much unlike we were in the the era of the Depression.   Unless we pay down our debt and rid ourselves of unnecessary trivial material things we may lose it all. What can we do? Learn how to use e-bay and sell off the excess now. Pay down those high interest rates. Eliminate all crewdit cards except for emergencies.Sell the SUV and get a more reasonable mode of transportation. If you live in town ,get a scooter , take the bus, streetcar or drive a compact car. You see we have no control over so many variables, like the price of oil or the cost of war. Our government is subject to be economically controlled by countries that have a small military and no more might then the fact that they carry our debt. It is a sad commentary , but it is true.   We can and we must control our habits and spending conditions . Otherwise, we will find a shocking revelation one day soon as we realize we own nothing but our good name and that  won't buy us food without the backing of gold. Maybe it's a good thing we are an obese nation we may just have to shed the fat the old fashioned way...miss a few meals not by choice but because of lack of currency.   I'm sorry if I sound so dismal , but I keep remembering what Benny used to do when he got those credit cards in the mail. He cut  them  up and threw them in the trash. Benny always paid cash even if he bought a house or a car. He did  so he  because he could as he did what most of us don't: he saved for a rainy day...or worse a Depression. Bookmark

 

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