Just when I was happily about to turn this blog over to the art in gardening and the therapy I receive from gardening I am struck by the headlines in my local paper! What I could do is use the paper to wrap my kitchen scraps in but it is already too late. I read the damn thing!
The first one is General Motors (yeah, an American Company!) They are doing well in this tepid economy, and you know they work hard for it. It seems that they made FIVE BILLION DOLLARS off the American division of their company. Like all clever companies, they also have an International (think Offshore!) division and that did well too, about $15,000,000,000 in Profits! They are not even slightly embarrassed that they paid No Federal Taxes, at all, zero! I wonder what they do in a good year?
Didn't they used to have a slogan? something like, "as goes General Motors, so goes the country"?
There are really two more headlines worth mentioning. Another is about McKenzie Willamette Hospital, one of two hospitals in our area. This one is a for profit hospital, part of a conglomerate of hospitals throughout this country, based, I think, in Tennessee. It seems there is a labor dispute going on there and the management is attempting to save pennies by reducing benefits and retirement programs from the house keeping staff. These are the people who make the beds, serve the food, wash the sheets, and in general keep the hospital clean. They make from $8.50 to $12 dollars per hour. The management wants them to buy their own health insurance! It is a hospital, remember? The CEO of this company receives a base salary of FIVE MILLION DOLLARS per year, every year. Clearly he is one hard working dude.
The last headline, and by then I had had enough and went to the comics, was an article about what Missouri is up to. This one will actually be interesting to follow. As you know I believe that you need a constant flow of money for the system to work. I believe that part of the problem today is the rich (making over $250,000 per year and others are making millions!) are not spending the money. It is no longer trickling down. The middle class is getting smaller every day and we are doing our part; we are spending every dime we earn! Money has to move. The unemployed are living by the skin of their teeth and spend it the fastest.
This money in turn goes to rent or mortgages, food, gasoline, packaging, the farmers, and all the way down the line. Even though I hate the bastards for this free handout, I believe it helps the economy in general.
I could be wrong and now we will see if I am right. Missouri is stopping extended unemployment benefits!
This will be fun. Well, fun from where I am sitting. This will be trackable and verifiable. Will this help the Missouri economy? Hey, I would be all for it if it works and now we will find out!
These articles are all related. Five Billion isn't what it used to be. GM made five billion last year but that was a whole company! ONE PERSON on wall street also made $5,000,000,000 just by himself! He worked a lot harder than I did, I know that for sure. He probably deserves every single cent, poor guy!
The truth is it is easier to go after the little guy, those making less than $10 bucks an hour and those laid off and collecting unemployment because of a failed system.
But keep your eyes on Missouri because I could be wrong! Missouri is taking the same route as Ireland
and England and the Republican Party. Austerity programs, go after the little guy. I could take all this a lot easier if companies like General Motors paid their share. Or maybe the CEO of the hospital chain could make do with, maybe only 3 million? Shouldn't that be enough? Tough in the winter, I know.
Find All Eight of my Websites! Visit me HERE
The first one is General Motors (yeah, an American Company!) They are doing well in this tepid economy, and you know they work hard for it. It seems that they made FIVE BILLION DOLLARS off the American division of their company. Like all clever companies, they also have an International (think Offshore!) division and that did well too, about $15,000,000,000 in Profits! They are not even slightly embarrassed that they paid No Federal Taxes, at all, zero! I wonder what they do in a good year?
Didn't they used to have a slogan? something like, "as goes General Motors, so goes the country"?
There are really two more headlines worth mentioning. Another is about McKenzie Willamette Hospital, one of two hospitals in our area. This one is a for profit hospital, part of a conglomerate of hospitals throughout this country, based, I think, in Tennessee. It seems there is a labor dispute going on there and the management is attempting to save pennies by reducing benefits and retirement programs from the house keeping staff. These are the people who make the beds, serve the food, wash the sheets, and in general keep the hospital clean. They make from $8.50 to $12 dollars per hour. The management wants them to buy their own health insurance! It is a hospital, remember? The CEO of this company receives a base salary of FIVE MILLION DOLLARS per year, every year. Clearly he is one hard working dude.
The last headline, and by then I had had enough and went to the comics, was an article about what Missouri is up to. This one will actually be interesting to follow. As you know I believe that you need a constant flow of money for the system to work. I believe that part of the problem today is the rich (making over $250,000 per year and others are making millions!) are not spending the money. It is no longer trickling down. The middle class is getting smaller every day and we are doing our part; we are spending every dime we earn! Money has to move. The unemployed are living by the skin of their teeth and spend it the fastest.
This money in turn goes to rent or mortgages, food, gasoline, packaging, the farmers, and all the way down the line. Even though I hate the bastards for this free handout, I believe it helps the economy in general.
I could be wrong and now we will see if I am right. Missouri is stopping extended unemployment benefits!
This will be fun. Well, fun from where I am sitting. This will be trackable and verifiable. Will this help the Missouri economy? Hey, I would be all for it if it works and now we will find out!
These articles are all related. Five Billion isn't what it used to be. GM made five billion last year but that was a whole company! ONE PERSON on wall street also made $5,000,000,000 just by himself! He worked a lot harder than I did, I know that for sure. He probably deserves every single cent, poor guy!
The truth is it is easier to go after the little guy, those making less than $10 bucks an hour and those laid off and collecting unemployment because of a failed system.
But keep your eyes on Missouri because I could be wrong! Missouri is taking the same route as Ireland
and England and the Republican Party. Austerity programs, go after the little guy. I could take all this a lot easier if companies like General Motors paid their share. Or maybe the CEO of the hospital chain could make do with, maybe only 3 million? Shouldn't that be enough? Tough in the winter, I know.
Find All Eight of my Websites! Visit me HERE
4 comments:
April Fools!
You've mentioned a multitude of sins here, Jerry. One of the things that really gets my goat here is that people like Stroger, who lost his commission position, is now collecting unemployment. While I don't know what his pay was for his work, it was nepotism at its finest. He took his dad's spot when his dad fell ill. To me this man should be educated and experienced enough to find a job, especially as he was in a publicly elected position for awhile. Michael was denied unemployment for having dogs in the company vehicle (which I say again was allowed for personal use and taxes paid on that privilege). There is another woman that was involved with the Chicago Public Schools in some capacity (my memory fails as to what exactly she did). She was fired for certain acts (which included some embezzling, if I recall correctly). Would you believe she is also getting unemployment benefits? And Michael was denied for something so silly? It took me two years of hard looking and applying to find a job. I have a BBA, graduated with honors, have worked my butt off always. You know how we lived for 3 1/2 months. We're still check to check, though I am grateful for what we have and will never take a home for granted again. And the chasm grows.
Oh boy, I'm glad I'm out visiting family in California. My husband is going to be reading the same headlines and he will be more upset than you are! It is a shame. I don't think trickle down ever worked but people weren't holding onto quite as much money before as they are now.
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