Is it the great recession?

Well today brought all kinds of neat observations. I had coffee with a friend today and while we sat with our coffee talking about the state of the economy it occurred to me, if this is the worst recession since the great depression then the great depression couldn't have been that bad. From my vantage point in the coffee shop I was able to see streams of high end cars and trucks delivering smiling, if not down right jovial shoppers to upper end stores and shops. The movie theater was packed and the four dollar fancy coffees were being poured at an astounding rate. I had a very tough time seeing this type of activity being common during the great depression. So what is this recession we are in? Is it a real shortage of money, or is it a mortal fear of spending money on things like credit card payments and loans. Because I didn't see anyone that seemed shy to fork over some serious dollars for fluff. By "fluff" I mean the things that you really don't need, such as the items at Macy's that you could by at Walmart, or the four dollar coffee verses the $1.49 plain coffee, or the $20.00 dollars it now costs for two people to go to the movies and the additional $20.00 dollars they get you for for two popcorns and two soda's. A stream of folks headed into the "Sunglasses" store... The cheapest sunglasses they have are around thirty bucks all the way up to four hundred dollars... Are you insane???? We sit on our fat arshes and blame the Government because we are having a tough time and then slink off for a forty dollar movie with a four dollar coffee and a side of four hundred dollar sunglasses? I wonder if Teddy Roosevelt would have found the sense of humor in this. What do you think?

Money is Tight

Well i had an observation today! Money is obviously tight all over, so the Government, in there infinite wisdom has decided that cuts need to be made in the Education system. Thats right folks in the education system... So the school district that my daughter is part of has decided to cut teachers, support staff, and admin staff... But they have accounts overflowing with monies earmarked for schools they want to build??? First off, EDUCATION? Why not trim some of the fat from state and local governments? How many assistant assistants do they need? How many secretaries? Or lets review the fact that school districts run 45 passenger buses for three or four students... Know why?? Because they have to burn up their budget so they can apply for another fat budget next year. But the Feds say cut back, so they cut back on staff because thats easier than cutting back on the cool stuff like all those shiney buses running around half empty, and the cool Smart boards that the teachers don't have a clue how to use. The kids have to pay more and more for things that our tax dollars were supposed to pay. Teachers salaries are low, but have you ever wondered what the upper admin gets paid? So lets cut back on Teachers, lets see what over crowded classrooms will be like for our kids. Just as long as all those fancy high dollar cars over at the Administration building don't get replaced by common, average cars. Gotta keep up appearances right?

March 2010 still waiting

In these hard times it occurs to me that, while I feel bad for myself as I am going through some very hard times. Perhaps things aren't as bad as they are for others. I don't have one single dime as my employer claims he wasn't able to pay me for work done for more than a couple months. But I have my family and I have my faith. Things can only get better right??? Right??? I say that as I look over my shoulder at a cold apartment with very little food left and a TV that decided all on its own to retire the other day. My truck was repossessed, but thanks to a friend and I do mean a true friend I got that back... for now. I look around and well what I do have is love from a wife and two wonderful girls who still think I'm their hero... Some hero, right?? I can't even afford the spandex that my big butt would need in order to take flight as a super hero... Maybe I could be... "Super Broke" yeah!!! Able to jump over a stack of bills in a single bound, able to scale an insurmountably tall stack of collection notices without even breaking a sweat! Ha Ha!! Whats left to do? Just laugh and try harder tomorrow. After all isn't it God who said we are due tests to examine our faith? Isn't it God who said he is not surprised by anything for he is all knowing? Perhaps if I pray hard enough he will let me in on the little secret and then we can all have a big old laugh about how the joke was on me.