Town Hall for Hope

I was on Cliff's blog the other day, and I saw what I thought was an advertisement. Normally I just ignore ads (really), but this one looked curious (I placed a similar ad in my blog entry today), and I clicked on it.

Cliff's ad was a bit smaller so I did not see Dave Ramsey's name or any particular's of the event. Then I started reading about it, and I was intrigued for two reasons: (1) I actually know who Dave Ramsey is (national radio talk show host, and I am familiar with his show), and (2) he is attempting to do social networking to promote his Town Hall for Hope (and it appears a bit amateurish).

The two ways that looked most promising for me was that he has a blog for the event, and that he has a twitter account for this as well. He also has a YouTube channel. What is really bizarre is that the numbers for most of these seems low. For instance, on his You Tube channel he has 336 Subscribers and about 16,341 Channel Views. That seems low for a national radio show guy. He has 4.5 million listeners per week, has written several best sellers, and tours frequently, addressing sold-out venues from coast to coast. But these social networking ways of reaching people . . . just not Dave's think, I think.

Now, I don't believe everything Dave Ramsey believes, but I appreciate his was of taking personal responsibility for one's actions. I can't go to the event because I have a prior engagement, but I would think attending and writing about it on your blog (if you go) would be terrific.

I have written a number of posts that are "oh, crud" type of posts. Posts of diminished independence, of we-can't-really-do-anything. Personally, I see my wealth and property values decrease (but I am not in debt so I am not going to lose my house or my car). Retirement may be delayed – but it was so far off that it may not matter. I am more concerned with a flat economy over more than ten years now, as if the markets are being manipulated so that more and more of the profit is being sucked out of the economy. I tend to be a conspiracy theorist (technical term = nutjob), but you know, if there were no conspiracies, then I wouldn't think this way. And I see our government continuing to try and spend us into prosperity (and I am the nutjob?).

I could go on and on about this, but I won't. I would, however, suggest that you look into this event because it looks positive, hopeful, and something that may matter. I just did not think the Tea Party Tax Protests (the current ones, not the ones in the 1770s) were that way at all.

If you want to attend an event, look here. Most of the venues are churches, which I love. Some people believe religious people are nutjobs that had over their personally responsibility to Christ, or a tree god, or whatever. Perhaps they may thing a bit differently if they go to this event.

Anyway, instead of me going on and on about this event (which I have been, to spite my promises to the contrary), I am clipping an article from the Savannah Morning News. It has more information about the event, written by a non-nutter.

Dave Ramsey to host 'Town Hall for Hope'

Personal-finance guru Dave Ramsey has called a meeting. And more than a million Americans are making plans to show up.

Ramsey's "Town Hall for Hope," a presentation promising straight talk about the economy - how we got here, where we're going and how it's affecting the average Joe - will be broadcast live Thursday night from LifeChurch in Oklahoma City, Okla., to some 6,000 locations across the country.

The public has been invited to attend the 90-minute presentation and question-and-answer session free of charge at a location near them - and they've been signing up in droves.

In the Savannah area alone, more than a dozen venues - most of them churches - will open their doors for the meeting, which begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Across the river in South Carolina, some half-dozen churches - from Hilton Head Island to Bluffton to Beaufort - are gearing up to host the event. More than a few are already filled to capacity. A note on the Web site of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton advises, "This venue is already packed, so please look for another location!"

Sign of the times

There was a time not so long ago when Ramsey was considered pretty radical.

After all, his suggestion that we cut up our credit cards, pay off all our debt, live below our means, save money and actually pay cash for our little luxuries seemed the complete antithesis of the American way.

"Now, I think we're beginning to realize the way we have been living in this country is part of the reason we're in this mess," said the Rev. Darwin Meighan, pastor of Live Oak Community Church on Savannah's southside.

In addition to serving as a host site for Thursday's meeting, Meighan's church is one of 26 in the area currently offering Ramsey's 13-week "Financial Peace University" course.

"The course offers a lot of hope to people who may otherwise feel overwhelmed financially," he said, adding that most of the people in the class are also planning to attend the town hall meeting.

It's a scenario that's being played out across Savannah.

At Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church, retirees Bill and Betty Grubbs signed up for FPU in the hopes it would help them learn how to hold on to more of their money.

"We're relatively comfortable, but our 401(k) now looks more like a 201(k)," Bill Grubbs said, laughing.

"We wanted to find out what else we could do."

Now 10 weeks into the course, Betty Grubbs says the couple are putting Ramsey's teaching into practice.

"We're following a budget and using cash, rather than a credit card," Betty Grubbs said.

And they'll be in the audience for Thursday's town hall meeting.

"I'm really interested in hearing what he has to say about the situation we're in today," she said.


A message of hope

At Thursday's town hall meeting, participants will hear Ramsey, a syndicated radio talk show host and New York Times bestselling author, offer his take on the economy, the recession, foreclosures and more, providing real statistics and steps to take now.

The presentation will be followed by an hour of live questions from viewers via phone, e-mail, Twitter and Facebook.

For so many Americans living in fear about the economy, Ramsey said, the meeting will provide an opportunity to sit down with people in their own communities while joining in the larger national community to talk about issues and answers.

"The solution to America's economy is to get people to believe again," he said in a statement released this week.

"It's time to connect with families to instill hope and optimism in our economy and our country. We the people are the healing agents."

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About 'Town Hall for Hope'

A free, live event, Dave Ramsey's "Town Hall for Hope" - a presentation and question-and-answer session on the economy - will be broadcast live from 8-9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday from LifeChurch in Oklahoma City, Okla., to more than 1 million people in some 6,000 locations. In the Savannah area, more than 20 locations will serve as host venues.

For more information and a list of host venues in your area, go to www.townhallforhope.com.

About Dave Ramsey

A personal money management expert, Dave Ramsey is a popular national radio personality and best-selling author of "The Total Money Makeover," "Financial Peace" and "More Than Enough." He is also host of "The Dave Ramsey Show" on Fox Business Network.

Ramsey knows first-hand what financial peace means in his own life - living a true rags to riches to rags to riches story. By age 26 he had established a $4 million real estate portfolio, only to lose it by age 30. He has since rebuilt his financial life and now devotes himself full-time to helping ordinary people understand the forces behind their financial distress and how to set things right. His books and courses are designed to help people eliminate debt and credit cards, learn to budget, avoid bankruptcy, build wealth and find financial peace.

"The Dave Ramsey Show" is syndicated to more than 400 radio stations nationwide with more than 4 million weekly listeners.