Someone needs to take a chance

By now we all know that the worldwide economy has slipped into recession. Daily we are bombarded with tales of woe. Layoff numbers are reported with great zeal by the media and somewhere, somehow hope seems to be resting with the new administration to make it better. Here is a quick newsflash. They Can't! Not Obama, not the congress and not the government. No, the change must come from the people and from the private sector. The financial crisis is largely behind us, but it looms large. The banks were so badly hurt that they are now affraid to lend. Isn't that why banks are in business?

If the banks won't take a risk on new ventures or capital, and companies move into layoff mode thus further tightening the flow of money, then we are stuck. Someone needs to take a risk. Forward thinking companies need to look past the next quarter or half, and start hiring again. I know many companies are, but it needs to become more widespread. Recession is not a financial condition, it is an attitude. No politician is so captivating that he's going to change that attitude. Mr. Obama does not stand a chance if this is what he's trying for. No, the change must come in the boardrooms, in the corporate halls where decisions are made. Forward thinking execs would be using this buying opportunity to snap up new tallent. Sticking our heads in the sand, doing nothing and hoping for some change to be thrust upon us will leave us in the dust.