Troop support - poll & discussion

Fred,

I have been meaning to write you in private for a few weeks but gotten busy with life. I deal with the general public on a daily basis as part of my business. I think we as a group here are a fair representation of the general public which I deal with. As a whole I think 3 factors are contributing to your concerns.

1) The economy. We all know the pinch that has created, but yet many people are finding ways to be creative with their budgets and trimming where needed. Gifts are often one of the first things cut back.

2) The general mood. The mood of many people is the world is ending and its going to get worse before it gets better. This causes normally intelligent people to do irrational things out of fear. People in this state of mind may find themselves in the exact same financial place as they were a year ago but are acting like they took a 40% pay cut this year. These fears are causing them to horde or protect their wealth that they would otherwise be spreading.

3) The war is over and the troops are coming home. Many people I talk to are of the belief, justified or not, that this presidency is going to put an immediate end to the war and bring the troops home. If thats true, why send thousands of cigars overseas? If it’s not true how long will they be there? Should I take a chance sending cigars to Iraq just to have them go to waste?

I admit my participation has fallen off since last year for a little bit of all the reasons listed above. Until I read your post I never thought about it but subconsciously I fall into all the above categories. 1) My hours at work got cut so I make a little less than I did before, that makes me think about where and how I spend my money. 2) My mood is not 50% full but the glass is 50% empty right now. Although my hours got cut I found a way to supplement my income making trays. In the long run I am probably breaking even financially where I was at this time last year but I am working harder to get it and my mood has caused me to save a little more and pay off some debt I would have easily carried before. 3) How long are the troops going to be there? Is the build up over? Will the need we had at this time last year still be there this time next year?

All this being said, I feel it’s time I get you a package

Sincerely,
Chuck