While politicians in the capitol may be throwing money around, pretending it grows on trees, many citizens are forced to make cutbacks in their daily spending, from groceries to gasoline, due to the drastic down-turn in the economy.

The general public ? unlike Democratic politicians who advocate bailout plans in order to correct the crisis ? know that it is impossible to spend more in order to solve economic problems.

Many Americans find themselves discovering new ways to “tighten their belts,” such as eating spaghetti instead of prime rib, or driving economical cars to cut back on both car payments and gas expenses.

The current turmoil in the economy may even influence the decisions many college-contemplating high school students make. However, instead of narrowing one’s college prospects, there are many other avenues to ensure economic stability in paying for college.

Scholarships are often considered an option only for academically successful students, which is untrue. Many institutions offer scholarships available to everyone, not just valedictorians. Students who suffer under the economic crisis can use this to help them cover the tuition of an expensive college.

High school students may not be the only ones looking to save money, in light of the current economic situation.

According to a Bureau of Economics spending report, overall consumer spending has decreased on durable goods, non-durable goods and services.

In the last half of 2008 total consumer spending was down 107.8 (in billions of chained [2000] dollars) in the last two quarters of the year.

With politicians still spending like there is no end to the money, and the economy showing no signs of recovery, perhaps they should take a different angle with what they believe needs to be done to aid our ailing economy. Perhaps instead we cut back on our out-of-control spending and let the economy recover on its own.

For more political opinions, read the March 13 article, Political climate governs idealology.