The President's speech... are you kidding me?

Here we go again – the President of the United States has gone the extra mile to not only plan to address our children, but to make recommendations for discussion, to encourage independent thought about that speech.

GASP! What? Teach my kid to think? I’m the parent and I decide what my kid thinks – or so that is the upshot of the mindless reaction that is splayed across the media. Folks, stand down and watch the speech. And get a copy of the discussion guidelines for yourselves.

And think. Wow, what a concept…..

Those of you who actually think that this amounts to indoctrination, obviously never had a thought of your very own….never disobeyed your parents….or have very selective memories.

To Rhode Island - and anywhere else this applies

Well the state employees are crying because 1000 of them are being kicked to the curb since all would not kick in the equivalent of a 4.5% salary cut to save them. Did you think that pennies from heaven would shower in at the last minute? If so, you must be breathing second hand medical marijuana smoke. I took a 5% pay hit and an additional 10% for a month this spring and still got furloughed, but it kept my job for a few more months. Am I crying? NO – I’m looking for another job and I’m not going to give up until I find one.

Everyone feels like a victim of these times, but none more so than those families who are evicted from their homes by foreclosure (I’m talking job loss, not necessarily predatory lending). What irony to live in a shelter and see the home you had to leave sitting on the market, empty and open to squatters and vandals.

And yet we look to the government for answers…uh folks, we elected them. They are only as good as the consideration we gave in our vote. Have you ever been to your local congressman/ senator offices just to get information on the issues, or present one of your own? Are you greeted by an interactive office staff member, or, as I was, greeted by a well dressed and nicely coiffed young woman who seemed unable to say anything other than “Thank you, we will send this to Washington….”

The Economy...thought 1

Well, in true capitalist style, we all now know that the shareholder reigns supreme at the expense of the people on whose backs the value is earned. Bailout recipients need to accelerate payment to the government before share value goes up – if they are going to pursue the economic times as an excuse to wring every last drop of sweat out of a reduced and overworked, coerced (yes, coerced by fear of job loss) workforce. Shareholders - sure I’m one too, but, I’m a long-term investor (the way the markets were originally designed to flow) and I can wait for a bigger dividend if it means my neighbor 1) keeps their job (reduces stress on public services such as Unemployment and Medicaid), 2) is able to keep their house (lack of neighborhood foreclosures preserves the value of my property) and 3) can pay the taxes on it (reduces my local tax burden). See? I can be charitable with win-win results…..