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.

2011 Real People In Review

Now that we covered the celebrities and in the news, I thought I would now cover the Real People 2011 Review. As we are watching television just before New Year's Day, we get slammed with the celebrity stars year in review, greatest sports moments and so on. But, they never mention what happened to the average every day person. I will start with the bad and finish with the good. What about?

How Eddie and Jan's house was
foreclosed on last month

How many homeless families and people
there are in the United States now.

Or how Frank next door lost his job last week.

And his wife lost her job 2 years ago
and they had to file for bankruptcy.



Johny had his car repossessed after his....

unemployment benefits were cut.





Cousin Sally's school got shut down.

Police officers were cut from the force. So, the next time you call
911 when someone is breaking into your house,
they may not have one available and your wife will have
to drive you to the hospital after you've just been shot.

Urrrrrr ..........

That may not be interesting enough.

But, I'm going to tell you anyway. Because, we want to know when....



When Maggie turns six.



That Jimmy returns home to his family in time for
Christmas.

Nick and Alison just got married and
still believe in the American Dream and.....

a year later they gave birth to triplets. Then....



Alison's little brother recovered from cancer.





And many more sad and happy stories of the everyday Americans people. But, we watch them. We kick back on our sofa watching TMZ and show after show of celebrities year in review or sports in review. By far I am not making fun at all the happy and sad moments in the lives of the everyday American. I am poking fun at all those who don't believe we are important enough to talk about.

My Awful Customer Service Experience With T-Mobile

I thought I would share my most recent run in with call centers overseas. Christmas Eve I called T-Mobile to do some changes on my account. Well of course, someone I could barely understand and who could barely understand me answered the phone. It took me three phone calls and an hour later to accomplish what I needed done on my account. The people on the other end kept putting me on hold and disconnecting me and had no idea what they were doing. Not only did they have no idea what they were doing, they were having a hard time understanding me, like I was speaking a foreign language to them.

Finally on the third call, what I asked for was completed. So, I asked for a supervisor to complain about how the phone calls were conducted. After a few minutes, the girl comes back to the phone to tell me they don't have a supervisor available. I was expecting that one, they never seem to have supervisors available in those overseas call centers. So, I asked to be transferred to the corporate office in the United States. They did transfer me amazingly without disconnecting me this time and I complained about the awful customer service I received.

It really irritates me when I am calling customer service and it is such a struggle to understand the person on the other end and they have a difficult time understanding you. It makes you feel like your business means nothing to them, because saving money means more to them than your experience with their company. Every since all these big companies have started sending their call centers overseas, customer service has gone straight down the tubes. Not to mention, the thousands of people who have been put out of a job so these companies can send their call centers overseas to pay their employees and $1 an hour. Our American dollars are being spent to employ thousands of people overseas and possibly even millions of people overseas, while the American people are sitting here losing everything they own. Lets not forget customer service has gone straight down the tubes. There is no such thing as a valued customer anymore. They just want your money, they don't care if we are satisfied with our customer service experience.

It is no wonder, so many companies have security breeches and our personal information is hacked. These countries they are using and sharing our personal information with doesn't have the ability to pay for the same software as the United States or take the same security measures as a customer service call center in the United States would take.

I am asking that anytime, someone reaches an overseas call center complain and complain loudly. This isn't going to stop until we complain about it. Voice your opinion, you have that right. Write about it, do whatever it takes to get your voice heard. As a mommy blogger, you have the ability to reach thousands of people with your blog, your twitter, facebook, and all your different blogging communities and groups you belong to. Use the resources you have available and demand change.

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.