9 Truths of Today's Economy

The following commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet's guest contributor program, which is separate from the company's news coverage.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Oh, sure we can talk about the technical issues of blah, blah, blah, behind individual, U.S., and global economics, but haven't we heard enough from economists, financial advisers, and politicians?

Dare I say, "Let's take a journey into the world of root cause analysis -- translation: common sense!"

9 Irrefutable Truths of Today's Economy

1. We spend too much.
2. We save too little.
3. We invest too spastically.
4. Being connected in the world is good and bad.
5. Policy protections do more harmful consequences than good.
6. You cannot totally spend nor save your way into prosperity.
7. While life isn't fair, trying to make it so is sure to make it worse.

U.S. stock prices surge up and down on news of debt loads, debt relief, and uncertainties in the economic and legislative landscape.

Sovereign debt and entire countries being insolvent is a lagging indicator of citizen insolvency.

Deep divides over tax increases vs. spending decreases is a ideological conflict as old as liberalism and conservatism.

BRIC and other emerging economies are going to present more opportunities and threats, strengths and weaknesses.

U.S. home sales are slow, foreclosures are fast and new construction is nonexistent.

These are all symptoms.

To be sure, the true reasons behind our mess are that we have lied, cheated, and stolen our prosperity and purposeful lives away from ourselves by sacrificing the traditional values of decency and the protestant work ethic for self-indulgence, gratification, and depravity.