Money matters.

Like it or not, when speaking of how our economy is doing there are a couple considerations: what we are doing and what the rest of the world is doing. Right now, the big players are not the Europeans or the Americans. The aggressive, hard-charging players are the Asians. Feed a person for a day or you can teach him to fish, and look out, he might start fishing!

The talk in this country is the stagnant economy and the talk coming out of Europe is the “crisis.”  One economist I interviewed described the European economies as sluggish pertaining to growth. Another described them as stuck in the socialist rut (or “model” if you want to be technical or polite) of malaise: high taxes, oppressive debt, and languishing unemployment.  The Greeks have fallen into the pit of despair; the Poles, as much as I can tell, are holding their own and are even slightly edging upward. Now-a-days, that ain’t so bad.

The statistics I am reviewing and reporting come from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or the OECD (http://www.oecd.org). The mission of the OECD “is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world” so these guys provide the information and analysis for your nation’s good economic health. Check it out and for the record, some of the significant numbers for the Poles (2010 data; 2011 still not in) are unemployment 9.6%, general government debt 62.4%, and taxes (as a percent of labor cost) for the average worker at 34.3%.  The same numbers for Germany (an economy almost four times bigger than Poland’s) are 7.1%, 87.0%, and taxes at 49.1%. These numbers are relative depending on how each country measures them (for instance how does Poland and how does Germany define unemployment). The sweetest looking stat I see for the Polish economy (here the “economy” is defined as the Gross Domestic Product or GDP which is the amount of goods and services produced) is growing at an average of almost 5% per year since 2006.

There are many factors that go into creating the conditions needed for a robust economy and a positive financial outlook. While there is always room for improvement, apparently the Poles are doing some things right as they are producing more rather than less stuff each year. Similar to most of the western nations though, there is the ever looming pressure to slide back into the socialist realm of providing government dependence and entitlements for the citizens. The transition from a controlled or socialist economy is a tough one but I hope the Poles keep on fishing.

Polonia’s Money Matters.

Most of the Polish entities, like most individual Poles here and abroad, do a good job of raising funds for maintenance and special projects, are good stewards of how they spend the money raised, and do a reasonable and efficient amount of planning and saving.  The American Polonia would not have accomplished what it has over the years by not being frugal. I do believe at this point that the real or imagined pressure for maximizing revenues can be counter-productive.

There was a time when Polonia had much more time and people than money and some groups simply can’t afford to pay for help emptying trash cans, clearing tables, keeping the bathroom paper towels stocked, or cleaning up after the affair. I get that but I also feel like part of the worry about the money is psychological baggage we probably could lose. (At one point I finally figured out that driving 20 miles to use a coupon was not worth the expense of the gas.) I know it increases the cost of doing business but at this time in our ethnic lives a little extra help with the grunt work, while pinching the bottom line, is supremely worth it for many reasons.

We always say it would be nice to get more of the young people involved. Maybe give the kids a job and pay them a few bucks and perhaps the excitement and glamour of the church picnic will transform them. That is if they can look up from their cell phone for just a minute. There are disabled or jobless folks that need a helping hand. There are immigrants that can use a few extra bucks. If you show them how to fish (or make golabki) they might just keep coming back to the old pond.

Polish or not?

I looked up Tom Skerritt, the movie actor, on the IMDB (International Movie Database, www.imdb.com) website. Tom was born in Detroit, Michigan and if you select the hyperlink for the city in his bio it takes you to a page called “Most popular people born in Detroit/Michigan/USA.” Since Detroit is such a Polish city, this list is a quick check to find movie people with Polish connections. Besides Tom (mom’s name is Helen), the actress Elisabeth Harnois was born in Detroit and made me curious because she has a Polish face and she has a Polish first name. Tom and Elisabeth, Polish?  Check the list out and let me know if there are others that are Polish.

If you have a thought about this month’s topic, an answer to the question, a question of your own, or have interesting facts to share, contact me at: Edward Poniewaz, 6432 Marmaduke Avenue, St. Louis , MO 63139 ; eMail alinabrig@yahoo.com.

N.B. If you send eMail, reference the Polish American Journal or the Pondering Pole in the subject line. I will not open an eMail if I do not recognize the subject or the sender.