An Unusual Year Ahead

The year 2012 has already has already kicked off to an unusual start. The weather is definitely warmer than usual all across the country. Fifty degree weather in Michigan during the month of January, I will take it. My daughter pointed out something unusual today, there are three Friday the 13ths during the year 2012. An all out war has broke out in Iraq already.  Hopefully they won't be sending our men and women back over there to straighten things out over there again.

I don't really believe this will be the year the world will end. But, it may be the beginning of a new world. It is completely possible, it may be the beginning of a different world. Through out history the world has evolved and changed. The generation experiencing the change never believes the changes that are going to occur. 80 years ago they never would have believed you if you said in the future people will be able to sit on their couches  using a computer accessing the entire world or we would be able to walk around talking on telephones that you could take anywhere with you. They would have thought you were crazy.

Every generation experiences a major change in society. This just may be our generation and our children's generation experiencing the change. Our generation has watched technology grow and flourish. There is always a price to pay for increasing technology. It is a catch 22. The more technology that is created, the less jobs people are needed for to perform. People are being replaced with technology. Our environment has a price to pay for all the new technology. Therefore, we may experience global warming to a certain extent, more volcanoes, earthquakes and more environmental disasters.

I think we are looking at a different way of life. Technology has soared into the future, while it feels like people are falling back into the past. Our generation will have to be the generation that will have to learn how to embrace the changes that are happening and find new innovative ways to work. But, there are going to be those who fall between the cracks of change.

I don't really think we are looking at one catastrophic event happening and poof our world is going to be different. At least I hope that's not what we are looking at happening. It is possible to have several catastrophic events through out an extended time for all the chemicals we pump into the air and water to innovate all of our new technology. Eventually, it will catch up with us.

We have seen the Y2K and the 11/11/11 come and go. I think we will see the 12/21/2012 come and go along with the rest of the predictions. But, I think the year 2012 will be remembered as the year the United States has changed as a society. Our way of life will be changed forever. This economic recession we are suffering from will be the beginning of a new society and a new way of life.

Just as the Hoover was blamed for the Great Depression in the history books. Obama will be in the history books as taking down Osama Bin Laden and the Great Recession of 2012. Even though the recession began before he came into office, he will be blamed for the economic fall of our country.

I think we will be looking a  larger class division between the wealthy and the poor, the middle class is fading out. People have achieved the "American Dream" and are watching it slip right through their fingers. The cost of living is increasing making it more difficult for the ones who have managed to keep their jobs to maintain the way of life they are used to.

As more and more people lose their jobs, they become more desperate looking for ways to survive and the crime rate is increasing. Just as it has increased through out history.

What it all boils down to is, history always repeats itself. I don't think we will be living in this dark world where half our population will be wiped out during one big catastrophic event. We are looking at a different way of life that will be harder to achieve success and a lot of people will struggle and fall between the cracks. Our way of life will change and demand the need for more technology to be created. Our children or our children's children will be living in a different society than we knew of as we were achieving the "American Dream" and the path of change will not be a glorious path of change for our generation.

Wall Street Occupy

The Wall Street Occupy group has raised almost $300,000 in funds to support their movement. The group is growing nationwide and has spread to Rome and London. I am sure the U.S. Government never planned on the group gaining momentum like they have. People are tired of the economy and they are expressing their Freedom of Speech. Honestly if I were in the government, I would be worried about the group.

People are demanding change. Most of the big corporations don't even pay taxes. They are supposed to be creating jobs with their tax break in the United States, but they aren't creating jobs they are cutting jobs left and right. In the meantime, the government is taxing the hell out of the working middle class. They take enough taxes out of my husband to support another family on and we are struggling because of it. He gets paid every two weeks and they take as much as $1,000 out of his check every two weeks. That is 26,000 a year in taxes. That is  another person's wages. Meanwhile, a lot of these big corporations aren't paying a dime in taxes. Then they take almost half the income of the working class trying to support their families. None of it makes any sense what so ever.

Then there are the ones who can't find jobs. There seems to be a large group of educated experienced people in their late 30's and up who can't find work. It is like we are washed up at 40, if we were laid off. Nobody wants to hire us. We are either over educated for the position or have too much experience. I have been looking for work, it's not easy. The wages are extremely low, less than half of what I used to make before. It seems employers are looking for younger people without any commitments to a family. At interviews, I am always asked how many children do I have and how old are they? A lot of employers don't want to hire women with children. I have worked every since I have had children, it never interfered with my job in the past, so why would it interfere now?

Another thing I hear is, why are you applying for this position when you have a degree in psychology? Why??? Obviously, it is to work is what I really want to tell them. Or another thing I am told is I don't think you will be satisfied with the position, because of the wages. I used to make $20 an hour working full time and now I am applying for positions making $8 or $9 an hour part-time. My attitude is, something is better than nothing, but they just don't seem to get it. I understand that when you are starting over with a new company, you have to work your way up, I am not going to find a job making $20 an hour in this economy. I started with the company in 1999 making $7.50 an hour working full time. Even back then, it was easier to find a job making more than you are now. At least it was full time, giving you more earning potential. That was 12 years ago, it is sad you make more money 12 years ago than you can today.

That is the reasoning behind the Wall Street Occupy. I understand why they are angry. We want jobs, jobs that we can support our families on. The big companies are taking their tax break and using the money to build companies overseas employing people in other countries, not people in the United States. That is not what the tax break was designed for and our government is not stopping them. They are burying the middle class alive. We have spent years of our lives helping these big corporations build their companies and they throw us away like garbage. We are a generation that has dedicated endless hours into investing in our future and we have nothing to show for it. We did what we were supposed to do, we went to college and worked hard to build a future for our families and to give our families a descent home to live in and a chance to go to college themselves. So many of our generation has lost their jobs, their homes and lucky if they even have a place to live. Everything we have worked for is gone and we are still paying the student loans for our education. The government is doing nothing to stop these companies from doing what they are doing. What ever happen to the American Dream? We have lost almost everything we own because of the decisions our government has made and they have the audacity to wonder why are we so angry?

Where Do They Go?

After doing the post the other day on The American People Are Getting The Boot. I started thinking, where are all these families going now that are getting foreclosed on? I know one of my daughters friends, her family was forced to go live with her Grandmother. But, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a family member to move in with if they can't afford an apartment. Sometimes renting somewhere big enough to accommodate children is more costly than the home they were living in. So, what do they do? Where do they go?

Everyone thinks, it can't happen to them. They have owned their home for 5, 10 or even 20 years. They have been at their job for several years. Then one day, they get laid off and can't find another job. Along comes the foreclosure notice and they are out, they are left to find a new home for their family to live. God help them if they are one of the millions, the bank foreclosed on for one late payment or one those who had a mortgage through Bank of America and their home was foreclosed on them for no apparent reason just so the banks could get their hands on some of the 700 billion dollars bail out money Bush decided to hand out to mortgage companies.

So, where do they go from here? Michigan ranks in 8th place nationwide for foreclosures.  I started calling the Housing Authority in Wayne County yesterday to ask questions about Section 8 or low income housing. Wayne County won't be accepting applications for Section 8 for almost 5 years, the cities offering low rent has a waiting list of at least two years, one city in Wayne County has one bedroom apartments available, but won't rent a one bedroom to families with children. Which is understandable, but what if you have no where else to go other than a one bedroom for the mean time? After making several calls, I told one women "I'm a single woman with two kids and my house is in foreclosure. What can I do?" Her solution, was to look for a shelter. What about the women or families this is a reality? Where will they go?

You can't really blame it on Section 8 for the list being so long and not having available funds for Section 8. They do what they can. To add to the mess, Michigan has now put a 4 year cap on Welfare funds. If you live in Michigan and have been receiving benefits for at least 4 years, you benefits are now cut. There are a lot of people that abuse the system, but there are also single parents and low income families that depend on their benefits for survival because they have not been fortunate enough to fall into that small percentage of Americans with jobs paying enough for their family to survive on.

The blame falls on the United States Government. It is time for the Government to say, we can no longer offer aide to other countries, our own American People are living in a crisis every day. I don't know about you, but I am very tired of hearing about this country or that country needing help from the United States Government. They talk crap about us and imprison our citizens, but when they need help they come running to our government to help them.

ABC World News, has made a commitment to Made In America Products. Running show after show on buying American Made Products to help Americans get back to work. Below is a clip, if you haven't seen the segments before.

46.2 million Americans are living in poverty. Some of these people and families are forced out on the street, living out of their cars, tents or where ever they can. Even though our government isn't doing enough, they can only do so much. Part of the responsibility falls on the American Companies that have moved their manufacturing jobs overseas or the companies that have moved their call centers over seas, it is time to bring them back and the American Government needs to step in and put a plan in place to do so. But, the American people need to do their part also. Seek out products made in the United States, the more American made products we buy, the more jobs will be created for Americans.

Obama's New Tax Plan

Monday Obama is going to call for a new minimum tax rate for anyone earning more than a million dollars. Obama wants to raise the percentage of the taxes that millions pay to the same as the middle class wage earnings. Obama is calling the proposal the "Buffett Rule", after the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett who complains about America's richest pay a smaller percentage of taxes than middle class wage earners.

It is about time that someone has figured out that the "Trickle Down Economics" does not work. America's wealthy are taking the money they are saving on taxes and using the money to build the companies overseas. It has never made sense to me why the middle class pay a higher tax rate than the wealthy. It has come to the point where it has become very difficult for the middle class to survive, because they are killing us in taxes. America's middle class are struggling to survive and losing their homes and jobs left and right and they are driving us right into the ground with taxes. If something doesn't change soon there will no longer be a middle class we will be divided into two classes, the wealthy and the poor.

The problem I do have with the deal, is the Republicans will agree to the proposal if the Democrats agree to future cuts on Medicare and Medicaid. The problem with the Republicans is they are trying to do in America's poor and middle class. The Republics twist the arms of the Democrats to pass proposals or bills. It's like you have to take a step backwards in one problem area to take a step forward in another problem area. It is time for the wealthy to pay their fare share of taxes. They have had the opportunity to do something productive with their tax breaks. Year after year, they have proven without a doubt they will not do anything productive with the money they are saving on taxes. Now, it's time to take away their tax break without having to give the Republicans something they want. The Republicans are like dealing with a bunch of two year olds', the democrats have to bribe them to make any progress. How can you live in a democratic society if the laws are not equal across the board. That doesn't sound like a true democratic society to me. It is a Democratic society on Republican terms. The elderly and poor have a hard enough time surviving as it is now, cutting medicare and medicaid benefits is only going to make survival more difficult on those on medicare and medicaid.

The Republicans blame the Democrats for the economic stress this country is in. However, a Democrat has only been in office for a few years and prior to Obama we had a Republican for 8 years. The Republicans are throwing stones when they live in a glass house. The only thing they are trying to do is save the silver lining in their own pockets and they don't care what they have to do to keep their wallets fat. The Republicans have a theory, that the Democrats are trying to bring the country to a breaking point, so they can restructure the country. A Democrat hasn't been in office long enough to bring the country down. The fall of the economy began long before Obama was in office. The Republicans have been trying to make a two class society for as long as I remember. There is no such thing as the "American Dream" anymore. The "American Dream" is an almost impossible task to achieve, unless your in the income bracket the Republicans approve of. It is time to restructure the country, it is time to stop catering to the wealthy, so they won't throw a temper tantrum.

Wake Up! The United States Is In Serious Trouble

Michigan's poverty rate has increased by 50% during the past decade. In the 1999-2000 census the poverty rate was 9.8%. In the 2009-2010 census the poverty race increased to 14.8. The medium household income dropped more in Michigan than any other state in our nation. According to the 2009-2010 census, the medium household income dropped by $12,000, making it the highest drop in the nation.

The recent cuts that were made in Michigan are not going to help the economy recover either. It only threatens pushing more people into poverty. Making it more difficult for families who have lost their jobs to support their families. Michigan residents will not be able to receive more than 4 years of welfare benefits in their lifetime beginning October 1st. Which comes to, if a family had been receiving benefits before the cut was passed. They will lose their benefits beginning October 1st. Which will be detrimental to low income families and single mothers. Passing the welfare cut can seriously damage a low income family or a single mother who may be working, but not making enough money to buy food for their family. There are a lot of households out there working minimum wage jobs, because the economy is so poor and jobs are very difficult to find.

Being someone with two college degrees and out of work for almost the past three years, I can vouch for the lack of decent paying jobs here in Michigan. There are very few jobs to apply for. Most of the jobs I have been applying for have been for $9.00 an hour or less and are part-time jobs with an earning potential of only around $200 a week. Even those jobs are difficult to get. Some of them asking for a bachelor's degree in business for a part-time $9.00 an hour job for an administrative assistant or secretary. When you go to the interview, the employers act as though $9.00 an hour working part-time has so much potential. I truly feel like laughing at them. It's not even enough money to support your family. I used to make $20.00 an hour before the company I worked for went out of business. That is barely a drop in the bucket for me. Regardless of the low paying jobs, I still apply and go to interviews whenever possible. A job is a job and their lousy $800 a month may help pay some of the bills. Employers are taking advantage of the economy as a way to pay people the lowest possible wages, because there are so many people living in Michigan desperate for jobs, because they are unemployed.

Nationally, the poverty rate rose to 15.1% in 2010. Which comes to a whopping 46.2 million people living in poverty in the United States, making it the largest number of people living in poverty in 52 years.  That takes us back all the way to 1959. Our nation has fallen back more than 50 years. It is a sad day for this nation.

Between 1981 and 2005 and estimated 600 million people living in China moved out of the poverty rate. Take a good look at our numbers and their numbers, it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out what is going on. NAFTA was the beginning of the fall of the United States. American manufacturers began moving their companies overseas for cheaper labor putting Americans out of work. A lot of people blame Obama for Americans being out of work. However, it all began long before Obama. The fall of the American economy came just before Obama got elected and the economic mess fell into his lap. It is easy to blame Obama for the economic fall of the economy. However, it goes all the way back to Bush Sr. and the 2 terms of George W. Bush was enough to push the United States into a economic pit leaving Obama holding the bag. That doesn't excuse Obama for being partially to blame for the economy getting worse during his term. He has done nothing to find the solution to the economic fall of the United States. The only solution that may fix the United States is to put a stop to American Companies moving their companies overseas. Make it more costly for over seas American companies to import their goods into the United States. The average American will tell you exactly what happened to our jobs. Now, why can't the politicians see whats going on? They can see the problem, they just want to find another way to fix the problem. However, there is no other way to fix the economy until they put a stop to manufacturers moving their companies overseas. Politicians are too busy trying to keep the wealthy happy and trying not to step on their toes to fix the country. Not to mention, the politicians fall into that percentage of the wealthy and they are not about to burn down their own house to save the nation.

You may be wondering, what is the point of this long post full of politics and statistics. The point is, it is time for Americans to look at the facts. Stop burying your head in the sand when it comes to politics. We have come to a point in America where too many people just take what is dished out to them and don't say a word about it. China is steadily moving forward in economic growth, while the United States is dramatically dropping.

Go through your household items, clothing and even food. How many products can you find that were made right here in the United States. Very few products have been made in the United States. We have sat back long enough and allowed all of our manufacturing jobs go overseas. The government thought the fix to the problem would be to extend unemployment and pay for the education of those who have been put out of work because their job was sent overseas. However, you can educate as many people as you want, but if there are no jobs for them to fill their education is worthless. It may have helped a select few find new employment, but obviously not enough or our country wouldn't be in the mess it is in right now. 

Our economic success, safety and health depends on Americans standing up and saying they have had enough. The toys we buy in stores are no longer safe for our children to play with, the bottles we use to feed our babies is no longer safe for our babies or even the formula we feed them is no longer safe. Our food is even being imported to the United States, putting American farmers out of work. Have you ever remembered a time when we have had so many recalls on food? Our meat is coming from Canada and Mexico. In Mexico, the people who can go into Texas to buy their meat do, because they say the meat in Mexico isn't very good. So, what do they do? American companies bring it here to shove it down the throats of Americans. This doesn't bother anyone? It is extremely disturbing to me.

Our children's future depends on this generation standing up and demanding change. What is life going to be like for our children when they grow up or our grandchildren? The future is not very promising. If we lived in the 70's we would be in the streets protesting. In the year 2011 when we are supposed to be moving forward, we are moving backwards and I see very few people who even speak up anymore. What happen to the democratic country we used to live in where people cared about our future. Everything has become the here and now and very few people concern themselves about the future. You are doing an injustice to your children by sitting on your sofa watching reality television shows hiding from the nation falling apart around you. Your children are not going to be able to find jobs, if there is no where for them to work.

I find it disturbing that when ever I do a post on politics or the dangers of our food or products being imported gets lower stats than a blog hop. Wake up mothers, you are the consumers. Whether you believe it or not, you have the ability to pull the strings on consumer buying. You are the ones who do the grocery shopping. Start writing companies, making phone calls, writing your Governor or writing the White House. Do whatever it takes to make your voice heard. You are the ones feeding the poor quality food to your families. Is it really acceptable to you that your feeding your infant apple juice containing high levels of arsenic. The juices containing high levels of arsenic are coming from China. Start reading the labels in the grocery store, see where they are manufactured and start boycotting food products manufactured in other countries. You are the consumer, use your consumer powers. Politics may seem boring, but it directly affects the economic well being and the health of your family.