WILDER THAN A PARTY BUS RIDE: These are brutal economic times, which justify some blunt talk. What is particularly frustrating for so many business owners and consumers is the sheer complexity of the unraveling investment world. Clarity becomes a highly-valued commodity amid the pain and uncertainty. One Bloomberg News columnist offers some refreshing insight. This is too big of a debacle to simply say everyone is at fault. Because when everyone is at fault, no one is at fault. So the blame game must go hand-in-hand with the economic explain-game. The other truism that emerges from the collapsing house of cards is that we should have never stopped listening to our Depression-era grandparents. They have been proven correct on financial advice and sensibility over and over and over again. All that talk about saving, investing conservatively, maintaining integrity, and delaying gratification applies to all generations in all types of economies.
For smaller operators and business owners, the one sliver of a silver lining could very well be that Main Street will fare much better than Wall Street. But this economic enema will be painful before the system is thoroughly cleansed. And chauffeured transporation companies that serve the financial industry, unfortunately, will suffer. Meanwhile, is it too flippant to ask if all those busy bodies in Washington, D.C., New York, and other major financial centers who are desperately trying to ward off a meltdown need comfortable, quality chauffeured transportation? Is it worth marketing to bankruptcy attorneys who may want to ease the pain of financial implosions by offering clients chauffeured service to their law offices? Chauffeured transportation needs to enjoy the same status as alcoholic beverages: A refuge and consolation in good times and bad. "Have a drink -- and a limo." -- M.R.
Print | posted on Monday, September 22, 2008 2:10 PM