To Be, Or Not To Be Optimistic About the Economy

In today's trying times, the biggest issue on everyone's minds seems to be the economy. The future seems grim and even with a hopeful new commander-inchief our nation's future as a powerhouse in the global society is at risk of being forever changed by the mess created by the theme that seems to be all too common in American society: the
perpetual need for more.

The majority of pundits and columnists don't appear to be especially optimistic about the money situation either; though we can't be mad at them as they don't appear to have much of a future themselves seeing the direction that the media has gone in today.

To most, the only light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train, and apparently that's how it's supposed to be for a while.
However there are those who dissent. One of these people is Harry Gill, microand macro- economy professor here at Santa Monica College. Born in Kenya and educated in London at one of the oldest universities in the world, Gill is a very accomplished individual who is more than just a credible source on the subject; he is a veteran of applied work with the ever-dynamic entity that is the economy.

Gill is unique as an economy teacher not only because of his education but because of the personal experience that he got while working hands-on with the economy. "The college I studied at specialized in economies of developing countries," said Gill, "so when I graduated, I went to volunteer in South and Central America writing loan proposals to banks on behalf
of subsidy farmers. I worked in 19 different countries, then I lucked out and got a job here." Gill seems to be pleased with his current place of residence in sunny southern California, despite its especially chaotic economy.

When asked about what should be done about the economy, Gill starts in calmly and sternly about a handful of solutions to slowly fixing mistakes from the past. "If you look at Santa Monica," said Gill, "there are tons of things being done to help the economy. More people are being trained to
fix hybrid cars, windmills and other methods of producing natural energy are becoming more common. These things seem small, but they can really have a big impact," said Gill, very matter-of-factly.

But the biggest thing that needs to be done, especially for the global economy in Gill's opinion, is a change in mindset rather than an actual physical product or massive conversion. "We need to be optimistic," said Gill. "Once people regain confidence, it will be better. The economy is based on expectations, and once those go back up, once people regain their confidence, it will be better."

So while the smaller components of rebuilding a smashed economy are just building blocks used to create a larger, more unified goal, Gill's words make sense in that an economy is something that needs more than just capital to succeed. Let's just hope that Gill's confidence in confidence is all we need to bring us out of this mess.