The Economy is Not Improving

In my area the panhandlers are white, black, occasionally Mexican and occasionally Asian. Sometimes they bring a dog, and once a couple brought their two children !  There are a disproportionate number of veterans who need to panhandle.  How do I know ?  Because sometimes I talk to them, and sometimes I feed their dogs, or bring them food.                    (Picture: http://open.salon.com/blog/toritto/page/19 )

      

    Judge Judy has a saying which is, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining !"
Yet this is what our federal government seems to be doing.   "I have created 3 million jobs" says Mr. Obama.  Where ?   Although my daughter was able to secure a job a year after graduating with honors from a university, she has both a full-time and a part-time job because this is what it takes to survive.  My son who graduated, also with honors from the same university has been unable to secure any paid employment whatsoever, and he graduated in 2010.  That's two and a half years ago.  One of my other sons used to work for his college while attending, but they ran out of funds and now his job as a supplemental instructor of mathematics is over.  Who needs math anyway ?  Most college students can't do higher math.   This is probably what the government thinks anyway.   Our son who came to us through adoption as a young teen, is now almost 18.  He also has no job, which would have been helpful in saving for a car, car insurance, and ultimately college.  Employers are closing, not opening.  I am told that things are better where we live, than in many other places.   No one at our house draws foodstamps, but I won't begrudge anyone who does and who needs it.  Our family used to provide to our local foodbank.  When we took monthly trips to Sam's Club we would buy an extra six pack  of the canned chicken, and canned chili six-packs there, and give it to the food bank.  We can't really afford to do that now.   Our electricity costs have jumped, as have our costs to register vehicles, repair them, buy oil, and car parts. Our food costs have skyrocketed, especially meat, milk and cheese and produce.  We provide our own eggs, but animal feeds have skyrocketed also  Our family's prescription medicines have also skyrocketed, in both overall costs and in terms of final costs to us. (Yes, I too was taught to use multiple words in writing, but skyrocketing is the correct word for all of these !)  Our homeowner's, car, and other types of insurance have also sharply risen, except life insurance.   Of course, according to the Obama Regime, there is no inflation.   More of that peeing on my leg, apparently.       Our property taxes and personal property taxes have stabilized.  Our payroll taxes have increased and my husband brings home seventy five fewer dollars per week, since the year began. My husband hasn't had either a cost of living or merit increase in five years. His company cannot afford to give them to anyone anymore.  My daughter just received a modest raise, and the increase in payroll taxes at the beginning of the year, not only ate it, but a little more also.
         More and more people are moving out of their homes and either in with family or to a small apartment closer to a city.  I can think of ten homes locally which will go up for foreclosure sale when the banks get around to it.   When they do, they are not that cheap, and sitting empty without heat, they are now damaged. One notable home has black mold, and should be bulldozed.  When I do go to town on a weekday, I am the only person in the store.  Store employees follow me around asking if they can "help me".   I usually know what I want and they are disappointed when I spend six dollars rather than the hundreds for which they were hoping.  We still know people who are losing their jobs.  We still know people who have been out of work for three years.  Even in our rural area, we have people who wait at the grocery stores with signs which say, "Will Work for Food. God Bless", or  "I am Ashamed to Need to Ask for Your Help. Anything will help".   In a neighboring county, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance prohibiting pan-handling.  (It's SUCH an eyesore, they said, and not good for the local economy or for real estate values.)   Is it any wonder that daytime home robberies are up substantially, including some in which only FOOD is prepared and taken ?    Oh yes, Mr. Obama. We have turned the corner and now the economy is improving.  I have only one thing to say to that. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.


To cheer you all:


This is Sarah Slean, who wrote this, played the piano, arranged  and conducted this uplifting piece,      "Amen"




You can buy Sarah's album at: www.sarahslean.com 
Her albums are also available on iTunes and some of them on amazon.