Carl Crossman Blog

The news came in today that the national deficit for the last year was $1.4 trillion dollars. This is the second largest deficit in U.S. history. The deficit is in large part due to the fact that unemployment is up and tax collections are down. The slow economy has not helped anything as government expenditures have remained the same or slightly larger.

The money going out of the government is growing as we are supporting two wars and rising costs in Medicaid. Other factors such as rising discretionary spending and food stamps are enlarging the deficit. I hope the government can find a way to balance the budget.

There is some good news on the economic horizon. Gas prices are expected to fall now that the summer is over. Many experts believe that prices will fall dramatically after Labor Day. The drop in prices will reflect the demand that is put on gas by Americans.

Families going on vacation during the summer have driven up costs. Other factors such as the overall supply have played a role in the price drop. The stock market has reflected the change and oil company stock has dropped. I am glad that some of the economic strain on people will be lifted.

One nice thing about my family is that we are spread out all over the world. That makes it easy to gain perspectives from many different views. Just by picking up the phone, I can talk with someone who lives halfway across the world. I did this just the other day when I talked with my cousin Dave who lives in Australia. We had much to talk about and I learned a few new things.

Dave told me about his recent move to the country and some of the things that had happened to him. He described how he had found it easy to purchase the insurance he needed for him and his family. He told me about the accident cover and funeral cover he had gotten to protect his family in case something happened to him. He was satisfied that his family would be financially supported in case of an emergency.

After we had spoken for awhile, he mentioned that he was also interested in purchasing an aussie life plan. This would ensure that he could feel safe in the knowledge that those left behind him would be left in good shape. I enjoyed our conversation and feel good about the steps he has taken. I am sure that he will do very well in his new land and become the great man we all expect him to be.

When a meteorite lands on the earth, it becomes the property of whoever’s land it lands on. This has already been established by courts in the U.S. Such was the case of a local landlord where a meteorite fell in Virginia. The landowner has declared his intention to sell the rock to the highest bidder at auction. These rocks can be worth thousands of dollars and are collected avidly by collectors.

Meteorites can also be donated to the National Museum of Natural History that houses the world’s largest collection of space rocks. I think that is the most rightful place that these rocks could end up. Allowing the public to view these relics of the birth of space is only fair.

We were all sorry to hear about the recent earthquake that devastated the country of Haiti. I was glad to find though that help is on the way to these people who are in desperate need of help. Agencies and organizations from all over the world are joining together and sending aid to the country. I am proud of the efforts by individual citizens of the United States that have given money to the relief effort.

I hope that everyone will continue to give the funds necessary to help rebuild the country as well as provide relief for the people who need it the worst. It’s hard to believe that such basic items such as water can save the lives of thousands of people. I pray that every citizen of Haiti will be able to overcome this tragedy.