[Wayne Maybury]

Originally Posted by Hammer65

If we step back and look and what has been happening here in the USA, and some other capitalistic countries, we've become a nation of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant results and/or rewards without regards to future consequences.

Shareholders want results on a quarterly, if not monthly basis, corporate executives are driven to perform based on quarterly earnings and not on developing a long term strategic plan and executing on that. Bonuses etc that are a large part of executive pay are determined using these short term metrics. It's hard to fault management for doing what shareholders, through the board of directors, are demanding them to do. Albeit some, or many depending how you look at it, are corrupt with little or no personal integrity. Nonetheless all are driven by "What have you done for me lately?"

We seem to make little investment in long term strategies or things like infrastructure whose payoffs are not near term. This short term gain idea is supported by the concept of Day Trading. Granted many lost their #$%& doing this, but it exemplifies the "Need It Now" attitude that's pervasive.

I don't know how to change this but hoping people will spend now and help boost the economy is, in my opinion, BS. This is more of the same. I'd hope that if individuals do see some additional cash in their accounts that they would look at what they've lost in pension balances, portfolios, IRA's and or 401k's and replenish those safeguards of the future. We not planning for the welfare of our children with this, just robbing them of their future.

Just What Are We Trying To Stimulate???

Excellent post. About the only thing I would add is the fact that there seems to be a total lack of accountability and responsibility. Too many people today seem to think that they have the right to do whatever they please with disregard for the results of their actions.

Wayne