WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

(CNN Money, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics)

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press Gazette)

(USA TODAY, Traverse City Record Eagle, Frazer Chronicle)

 

Okay you’re gonna have to follow me here…..rather closely, I mean not so close you can count the hairs on the back of my neck, but close. I got to wondering this morning, July 9, 2013 about some of the headlines that I read, and really how pertinent they were to actually what is important to us…..today.

 

To me Afghanistan, American’s employment situation, gasoline prices, or watching as closely as possible what our local, state and federal government does would be more important than “Legislators vow to take on aid fraud,” or “Judge halts abortion law, or the earth shaking “Making ethanol less of a sticky point,” or the ridiculous, “Farmers worry about fate of immigration bills,” or the block-buster of the day, “they’re back, (and they last longer), Twinkies!

 

Now right away, don’t take me illiterately, ya I think that abortion is a timely topic, fraud needs to be stomped out whenever possible and sure ethanol is important to getting us off foreign oil, the farmers worry about immigration laws means one thing, less of a pool of cheap labor. If I was a cherry farmer, immigrant labor…..from about mid-July to early August would be of paramount importance.

 

But the biggest and baddest 500 pound gorilla in the bathroom right now is…..unemployment and jobs creation. The jerks on Capitol Hill, locally, and at state capitols throughout the United States continue to drop the ball when it comes to eradicating the questions of employment, and employment that pays a living wage!

 

My mother used to call alcohol wicked vapor and money, the root of all evil, and you know, God rest her soul, she was right. Alcohol has ruined families, and individual’s lives, and money has by far caused more problems than any other element in our lives.

 

Sure I’m glad that the Twinkie is back, I used to love those little golden cakes with the cream in the middle, and I’m sure glad to hear that their bigger, it’ll effect my sugar readings more. And I’ll admit that the Twinkie headline, although on the front page was almost a light kind of informal news item that actually was on page A7. I used it simply as an example of how media driven we are.

 

THIS IS THE REAL DEAL

The unemployment rates for May came out on June 21 and thee simply wasn’t much difference, which I assume is to be expected. The real barometer of how our economy is doing will be the July statistics that should reflect some summer hiring patterns.

 

Of course the statistical information won’t reflect what people are making an hour, which to me is the more important figure. If unemployment across the board was 10%, but the 90% that was working were being paid a living wage, to my way of thinking we would be much better off.

 

Everybody knows the difference between service industry employment and manufacturing jobs, manufacturing jobs is what made the United States such a monstrous monetary giant, and distanced us from the rest of the world. I really believe those days, sadly are over, the giants of our economy are now based overseas where they can take advantage of cheap labor and advantageous tax breaks.

 

 

Until we come to grips with some basic facts of the immerging new world, and who is actually running things, we will continue…..as a nation and culture, to shuffle and suffer along. There aren’t any more business people out there to take the bull by the balls and dictate a new direction for our economy to go.

 

We have depleted much of our natural resources, we have stripped the mountain-tops of the Virginias for its coal; have rendered countless thousands of acres uninhabitable in Pennsylvania.  We have carved out huge grottos in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, taking every ounce of iron ore that could be taken.

 

Oil derricks dotted the landscape in Texas, California, Alaska, and now natural gas will be taken from huge resources from New York State west to Wyoming, and Texas. Jobs will be created, some that will pay more than a living wage…..but at what cost?

 

Maybe I shouldn’t take exception to what I view as frivolous headlines and self serving reporting, but then I wouldn’t be me…..would I? This old world has wobbled along for millennia without the likes of me, and when I’m gone I have absolutely no doubt that it’ll continue its journey to whatever end is in store.

 

Through my blog, I simply make posers, hopefully reveal shortcomings that we all posses, and hopefully some of these flaws that we can correct. I can do no less!

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!