the "almost" recession and corn fed birds

There is nothing like a newly cleared cornfield to draw in a whole bunch of happy birds here on the lane. With the windows open, I can hear their collective tweets as I go about the usual business of a day off. More work, only at home ;) I haven't had a dishwasher in years, which is a real challenge for people who love to cook like we do. Bleach in the wash water is a must! BG learned that in the catering biz where you are often serving a lot of folks with a bitty aluminum double sink to dump in. The laundry never ends, mostly because there are three dogs in the house and they shed a lot...thus the blankets draped over every surface. My "supposed to last for a month" air filter is ready to pitch after two weeks. And they haven't even done the cotton yet.

Okay, then. I heard yesterday that the cost of living has risen something three percent and some change. My next paycheck will reflect a 2.5% raise for being a model employee. I could be wrong, but if I'm doing the math right I'm already in the hole before I ever start up the car to go clock in. Which means, I'm paying them so that I can work there. Right? I'm resigned to it, like most everybody else. It is what it is and it ain't pretty. Over fifty percent of my daughter's age group 19-29 are unemployed. FIFTY PERCENT. That's a whole hell of a lot of people without jobs, still depending on their strapped parents for survival in this dog eat dog economy. Thank God I don't have any money in a 401K to get raped and robbed right now. Living check to check beats that.

Also in yesterday's news was that twit from Pakistan..or was it Iran? who stood up at the UN and railed against the US and everybody else for not buying into his theory of government. I finally figured out who he reminds me of...it's the bad guy in the Left Behind series. Coincidence? I think not. France and the UK, bless their hearts, got up and walked out following the US. Let's be realistic people, among that stunning lineup of rich conservative Republicans that hashed it out this week, who do you think could do any better job than the man who is in office right now? If you're a member of the GOP, you'd better be worried. This mess was inherited from your party, largely due to overspending in the military budget. Which has brought us, ten years later, to right back where we were. On the verge of chaos.

I'm hearing more and more that consumers are asking if the product is made in the USA and if not, they won't buy. This is what it will take to get our economy back in motion...a demand for American made goods. They may cost a little more, but it's worth it to put bucks back into OUR pockets. Remember that jobs thing that's on everybody's agenda right now? That would do it.

Even healthcare has turned into a for profit giant which is a real travesty. I keep up with Doctors Without Borders and they are working worldwide to eradicate disease and illness and not getting paid near what the average vascular surgeon makes. I would hug every one of them if I were there. Bless.Their.Hearts.

Now, ain't I just a little ray of sunshine today?

^j^