Friday - the weather is finally improving. But my mood is not.
I saw the stat that said Illinois unimployment is now 9.1%. Almost 1 in 10 people are out of work. The highest unemployment rate in 23 years. We're at the point now where that is the 3rd or 4th story on the news. And how does the government respond? By bailing out the financial institutions that caused the meltdown, providing them with money to award obscenly high bonuses to their staff, and doing nothing to halt the foreclosures of the homes of those who didn't get a bailout or $750k bonus. It just seems like this approach is a little to top down to be effective.
The same week I got laid off in September, I got a bill from the IRS for $1400 from an 401k I had to cash in to pay my bills. I had cashed it in 2 years earlier. Also that same week, I got my property tax bill. Of course, I paid each, as I am not a presidential cabinet nominee, and cannot just ignore my tax obligations, as apparently they are allowed to do.
My point is that the country was built on the backs of people like us. Our efforts, and our taxes support the fat cats. While there are fewer of us working, there are more government workers, whose hourly wage is higher than the public sector, and our tax dollars are funding the overpayment of the inept executives that have caused the problem we are now facing.
something just ain't right.
anyway, I don't have a positive message or a good story today. I am too busy trying to understand just how the current state is considered acceptable by anyone other than those getting rich from the goventments largesse.
The same week I got laid off in September, I got a bill from the IRS for $1400 from an 401k I had to cash in to pay my bills. I had cashed it in 2 years earlier. Also that same week, I got my property tax bill. Of course, I paid each, as I am not a presidential cabinet nominee, and cannot just ignore my tax obligations, as apparently they are allowed to do.
My point is that the country was built on the backs of people like us. Our efforts, and our taxes support the fat cats. While there are fewer of us working, there are more government workers, whose hourly wage is higher than the public sector, and our tax dollars are funding the overpayment of the inept executives that have caused the problem we are now facing.
something just ain't right.
anyway, I don't have a positive message or a good story today. I am too busy trying to understand just how the current state is considered acceptable by anyone other than those getting rich from the goventments largesse.
Here in Michigan, unemployment is 12.6%. GM is also "letting go" 1600 more white collar engineers, many in MI. Some say the unemployment rate in Detroit is close to 25%.
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