There is a disease in this country and indeed the world. – that disease is ignorance, and it’s spreading at an exponential rate. Each day we give up our rights and we accept it. We give up our jobs and accept less in life and we do nothing but move on. As the quality of our life degrades so does our expectations and tolerance for others so we conceded rights and hard fought for liberties in order to hold onto our DVD collections and ability to download illegal MP3 playlists from
LimeWire.
What the hell is happening to us?
America used to have an economic cherry. From where I stand, it seems in the past 10 years alone, that cherry has been sold down the river in lieu of $40,000+ SUV's and Plasma TV. While America Blogs, surfs for Internet porn, checks fantasy football stats or goes virtual garage sale shopping on eBay, India and China are taking up our slack –AND- their doing it for pennies on the dollar.
To my many over seas friends – this Blog is not meant to take aim at you – it is meant to point out that we American’s have given away our way of life that has supported us for the last century. I know many people in the UK who say that their jobs are at risk or have been taken away too.
In the last 3 years I have watched the demographics of households change right before my eyes. The family across the street from me was the first – The husband lost his job because China bought up the steal factory, dismantled it and moved it to China – they kept him on long enough to train his own replacement over seas and help move the factory onto the boat.
The next to go was the gentleman behind me – He worked for
Steiner. Steiner makes lawn equipment and other power tools – those jobs are all over seas now.
The next to go was the man next to me – he worked for GMAC. He was a district manager and they replaced him with “Seasonal work force” from over seas. Every 6 months a replacement manager will be brought over to work his job and sent back to the over seas GMAC subsidiaries. GMAC also owned his home and now, every 6 months, we get a new neighbor. The latest family living there are Egyptians and they will be there until the next replacement comes.
Joining these people will be my wife Rene – her Job was just out sourced to India as well. They gave her notice that her position will be terminated come this November. They are sending 35 people from India to train with her and her co-workers over the next few weeks. They will show them how to do their jobs. Rene has already begun hunting for another job. By the way, the 35 people will replace over 100 America workers working for less than 1/10 of what Americans made and their employer will NOT have to pay 401k’s, Medical benefits or workman’s comp and disability claims or premiums.
Disease IS spreading – but the disease is not our over seas competitors – its our own laziness and ignorance to do something about it. Working for the phone company, I go into many businesses and homes each day. During my 9 year Tenure, I have heard 1000’s of stories JUST LIKE those above. Adding to that, the many people out of work I have talk to online and read about in the newspaper.
I don’t have the answer to fix this – other than we need to get back to basics here in the USA. For me, that means carefully choosing whom I do business with. Utilities companies – Credit cards, food, restaurants – EVERYTHING, I am going to do my best to see to it that my business is kept local as best I can to support the local economy.
I am going to work to spend less on Gas, utilities and products NOT made in the USA. (as best I can). I’m also going to carefully consider whom I choose to vote for in elections and make sure that their priority and loyalties are to the American working families.
The American kitchen cabinets are almost bare. The country is almost in the toilet – if you have money, land and investments, you may not be feeling the pinch – but trust me, many people ARE… and those people are a lot worse off than me or my wife. Some of these people have been unemployed for years and have way more education than I do.
At night I pray….
…Lord, America is almost broke. We need some help here:
People are starving in the unemployment line; soldiers are dying for rich men’s oil drilling rights on foreign shores; American homes are being foreclosed faster than being built; business are closing up and moving away; dignity is for sale online at Monster.com and faith in our government has turned into fear; Our hero’s are in comic books; Children have forgotten how to play tether ball and 4 square because Wii hasn’t digitized the game yet; The elderly freeze for prescriptions instead and predatory reverse mortgage lenders stand waiting with a pen like the big bad wolf outside their door; Planes fly into buildings and complete cities have been flooded leaving still today 10’s of thousands homeless in the street, 4 years later.
Where are our priorities?
Where are our hero’s?
Where is our salvation?
How can we save the world when we can’t save ourselves – and who put us in charge of that in the first place?
Our high wage earning jobs are being given to China and India and our low paying jobs are given to illegal Mexicans. Our social security and now or Medicare system is being put up for grabs for use by the illegal’s. I'm not against Mexicans working - lets just make them legal so they can contribute to the system from which they burden or wish to draw upon.
There are more Baby-Boomer's getting ready to retire that will cause a crash in the Medicare system. They are NOT handing down their fathers business, farms and legacies – those are for sale so they can continue to vacation and live “the life” their fathers never had and the life their children will never have either.
51% of our wages go to the government now before we even get our pay checks and another 9% will go into their hands when we buy something with those wages – another 7- 15% will go into their hands when we die. So build more roads… hire more Post office workers and print up more useless junk mail for them to deliver.
When I was child, my mom use to yell at me – SHUT THE DOOR or you’ll let out all the cool air we paid for and the bugs will fly in – then the house will get hot and be filled with flies.
"AMERICANS: SHUT THE DAMN DOOR!!"
It starts with –YOU- !!Blog Comments:
-Matt FM
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 04:25am (EDT)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 06:32am (EDT)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 12:33pm (BST)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 07:16am (CDT)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 11:05am (EDT)
I'm afraid it's worse than we even know. Consider if you will that the majority of our nations industries are Public institutions where ownership is traded on the worldwide exchanges. We send over 700 Billion a year to countries that hate us so we can fuel what remains of our economy. They, in turn, buy majority stakes in US based businesses either directly or though surrogates to control the continued flow of funds as economies shift. If we shift to alternatives they are influential enough to direct the path. Even domestic wealth is not immune from deception Consider T.Boone Pickens and his current "Green Initiatives. He states he's an oil Man but advocates wind power in the plains where he is a majority landowner using Windmill Technology his companies manufacture. In addition most of his current oil industry holdings are Natural Gas which he advocated for transportation use.
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 01:55pm (EDT)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 06:29pm (EDT)
Thursday August 14, 2008 - 10:06pm (EDT)
Friday August 15, 2008 - 12:43am (EDT)
-Patricia Rieger
Friday August 15, 2008 - 11:48pm (EDT)
Monday August 18, 2008 - 12:07am (EDT)
Monday August 18, 2008 - 08:06pm (EDT)
We are in a recession, although the politicians, and a majority of the republican friends I have keep telling me that we are not. They site the "fact" that we had .01% growth. Sad. They also tell me that unemployment is not as bad as it was in past years. I try to explain to them how the numbers can and are manipulated or things get conveniently left out of the calculation. Like unemployment, they only count those that are collecting, after their unemployment runs out they are magically removed from the count. Michigan is in a depression, GM is close to bankruptcy as is Ford, and the surrounding states are hurting as well. The H1B visa continues to allow more and more foreigners into this country to take American jobs, and the government continues to allow increases in the amount of them. In the last year of my employment with HP , I worked to get the Clorox company in California to have outsourced computer administration, replacing over 20 Americans, Americans that had families and bills to pay.
Sunday August 24, 2008 - 01:25pm (EDT)
What do you do when you’re feeling so gross? Motivation can take a back seat when your feeling so run down.
Sometimes when we attain things we've strived for for so long, there can be a bit of a "let down", goal attained and all that. I'm so happy for you that you finally attained what you wanted for so long. Take heart though...it seems you're such an inspiration for so many of the other girls on here.
Looks like you are working diligently on getting over the "hump" of the let down that was bound to come with everything you've been through lately. Just get through each day as best you can. And I've had the friend cheesecake and honestly can't think of a better way to work my way through a problem! Keep smiling that pretty smile....
When I'm feeling down I tend to eat or sleep! Looking at the photo you've mastered the first one of those, and with that smile you look good enough to eat too!!
My secret make-myself-feel-better activity? (grin) Coloring! Yep, I have the big 96 box of crayolas and my own coloring books. I happily discovered you can order beautiful more grown-up type coloring books off amazon. Mine tend to be girly, LOL...unicorns, fairies, carousel horses, etc.
Chloe, your beautiful just the way you are. You are my hero girl, I hope to grow up one day and be like you! And as for feeling better, an Instyle, glass of wine and a bubble bath would be my perscription. Luv ya! ;)
What can I possibly say? It's not going to be bliss every day; but that doesn't mean it can't be bliss some days. How's that?
I ate that fried cheesecake too and I think it is still with me ten days later! It was delicious though! Great seeing you again in Columbus this past weekend. Sounds like you and Tara had a blast.
Hi Girl,,,,,You looked great in Columbus hon.It does do you good to get out and let loose once in a while. We all need it.Keep having fun when ever you can.
u look good :) Why doesn't yer fone number work anymore??
Today I did a great thing for lifting my spirits... went to the nail salon. A little pampering by cute Asian girls goes a long way! Tomorrow... shopping for shoes.
