What is occurring with our CEO's, the self-indulgence, the entitlement, and magical thinking (which in their cases has paid off handsomely) is also occurring at every level of society—from the states to the local governments to individuals.

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The Sorry State of Debt and Delusion

According to a report by NPR this past April 19, 2009, a stream of money was being released into the American economy as if into irrigation ditches. More than $787 billion in cash was supposed to flow out of Washington, D.C., and trickle its way toward communities and individuals hardest hit by the recession. They stated that out of that enormous sum, close to a third will be processed through state governments.

Has it happened? Has anyone been bailed out besides corporate CEO's? And if so, what have they proposed doing with the money?

I took a walk through some of the stimulus watchdogs on the internet. There are a lot of open hands. California was the leader with a package totaling $63.8 billion according to americanprogress.org's calculations. New York came in second at $41.29 billion, Texas, third, with $38.39 billion, and Florida fourth with approximately $30 billion.

I was curious about my own state—New Mexico. What did our leaders consider a priority? What did we need to consider for out future as well as for the immediate goal of putting people to work?

New Mexico, as an example, put its legislative hand out for $2,937,146,132.00. Like a little note to Santa, it attached to its wrist a tag detailing everything they wanted to do with the money.

What About Water?

In a state comprised of mainly desert, where water is already the source of heated debate, criss-crossed claims and very subtle politics between Texas, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, you might imagine that a water conservation program might be listed in the number one spot. Or an energy plan that involved trapping the vast amount of wind power or solar power available in a place where winds and sunlight are nearly constant.

Here's what we got instead:

• A proposal for an EventsCenter that will cost $418 million;
• A plan for an $11 million rehabilitation of the infrastructure around the dedicated site to support it;
• Plans for landscaping in the millions, repaving of roads that almost never get potholes (there's rarely any snow to speak of in winter, and never any ice to melt and re-freeze over time), and drainage improvements. There's even one plan to remove a neighborhood from the flood plain. (Can someone please explain to me why a developer was allowed to build a neighborhood in a flood plain to begin with?)

There was only one water conservation project and all the water projects (mostly storm drain improvements for all those other neighborhoods in the flood plains) combined will cost $71 million.

Not one school project in a state with a 50% drop out rate before 12^th grade.

As Above, So Below: The Crisis of American Culture

To explore this on another level, I made an informal inquiry of people at different stores, acquaintances, neighbors. I asked them, “Without giving me any personal information, if the government gave you $2,000 right now, what would you do with it?”

85% said they would go on a little shopping spree and buy something extravagant (a lot of HDTV's and iPods). One woman said she'd go to the casino and see if she could triple it. Another person said he'd do some repairs to his house. Another one said he'd hire an attorney to get his kid back. Only one person said he'd pay down his debts.

My conclusion: As above, so below. And"perhaps more importantly, as below, so above. It's not the fault of politicians. It's ours.

What is occurring with our CEO's, the self-indulgence, the entitlement, and magical thinking (which in their cases has paid off handsomely) is also occurring at every level of society—from the states to the local governments to individuals.

No one seems to be thinking about where they're going to get their next clean glass of water. No one seems to be looking at the mud where the Rio Grande used to flow large and unencumbered. No one has the foresight or self-discipline—not our CEO's and not ourselves—to be the little pig who builds the brick house.

Posturing, Yes, But Still The Right Idea

With the possible exception of Governor Mark Sanford from South Carolina, who requested that his state allocate a percentage of federal stimulus funds to pay off their $700 million state debt instead of spending it on state services. The government rejected his proposal and a vocal group from the DNC called his offer grandstanding and political posturing. But the question persists: Is there anyone left (besides psychotherapists and priests) who truly believes that carrying around a debt is unhealthy fiscally, socially, and spiritually?

The voting (as it appeared on StimulusWatch.org) substantiates the view that America still has no fear about debt despite the massive wave of foreclosures and portfolio losses over the last four years.

When New Mexicans voted on the stimulus projects over 166 people voted “Aye” on the events arena, but only 22 voted “Aye” on the water projects. On one plan for a historical community center that serves the least vocal or successful of our population, a measly $350,000 was requested for necessary renovations. Over 34 votes were cast “Nay.”

Roads That Lead Nowhere

My interest in this grew out of watching the road leading to my home repaved for absolutely no reason. The road they paved over was perfectly good. I do not exaggerate. In addition, the powers-that-be are widening the nearby interstate from two to three lanes. Why? I don't know. There are never any traffic jams because of traffic. Drunk driving accidents, yes. Traffic, no.

Now, after all the work they did on repaving the two lane local road in our area, what do you think they're going to spend money on next?

Did I hear someone say, “tearing it up” on another construction project?

There are many people who are delighted about the stimulus money. But I'm about as stimulated by this cash flow as I was about the corporate bailout. And I don't think they're that different, after all.

Authors Bio:
Judith Acosta is a licensed psychotherapist, author, and speaker. She is also a classical homeopath based in New Mexico.

She is the author of The Next Osama (2010), co-author of The Worst is Over (2002), the newly released Verbal First Aid (Penguin, 2010) and the author of numerous articles on mental health and cultural issues. She specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and grief, working with people all over the country.

She has her practice in New Mexico with her canine therapeutic assistants. She has worked with trauma, anxiety and fear in patients for twenty five years. She has watched it, felt it, wrote about it, and helped heal people from it. As a result, she has learned a few things about fear, particularly that growing epidemic she calls VIRAL FEAR.