America’s liability charts look like the immigration charts, lots of red ink. The US government cannot pay for what it has already promised to current citizens, which is why you are starting to hear about raising the retirement age, etc. Don’t believe me, look at the US debt clock site below. Look at the bottom at the total UNFUNDED liability number of 110 TRILLION dollars, up another 4 TRILLION. Spend a few minutes looking at the numbers on this site; they are eye-opening.
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
With April 15th looming so close there are a lot of unhappy tax payers who are trying to find a way to pay Uncle Sam his just dues. Even with all of the tax credits that have come out recently there are a lot of people who aren’t getting a refund and need to send in a check along with their paperwork.
My sister is one of those people and she has had to take out a personal loan in order to take care of her situation. This has broken her heart because she has never had to deal with borrowing money and all that goes along with the process before. She has always paid cash and has had great credit up until last year. The economy has taken it’s toll on everyone it seems.
But she did go online and found a website moneynowusa.com that made the process an easier one to take on. They had her taken care of in about an hour and she is on her way to the post office tomorrow to get in it the mail and post marked by the 15th along with everyone else that has waited until the last minute to get their filing issues done.
I’m worried, however, that this is an ominous omen for her financial future. Personal loans like this can be a problem if not paid off quickly!
With all of today’s high tech involved in our daily lives it is important to keep up to date with so many computer issues. Spyware, virus protection, colocation plans and dedicated servers are all very necessary to keep our information safe and secure. Businesses need the best managed hosting that they can get their hands on and there are a lot of options out there to choose from these days.
My sister is starting her own small business later this year and has been researching many of these necessities, being as pro active as she can, while she can. She is a whiz on the computer but still has a lot to learn. I do believe that she will do well in her endeavors. It take a lot of guts to start any type of business during these uncertain economic times.
As for me, well, I’ll just keep on doing what I’ve been doing and hope for the best. The great weather is making a difference in people’s attitudes and there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel at some point.
I’ve never really gotten into the different artists through out the years and all of their various works and pieces. I’ve been to a few galleries in my lifetime but it isn’t something that I claim to know much about although I do know some folks that are quite knowledgeable about particular artists and their work. One friend (actually a co worker) of mine just recently found some shepard fairey prints online that he is excited about and was showing off at work today. It’s been pretty slow at work because of the extreme weather conditions so we’ve had some time to just kick back and surf the Internet and talk amongst ourselves.
I wasn’t really aware of this shepard fairey art, but when he showed us the HOPE Poster with President Obama I realized who this street artist was that he was so excited to find at shepardfaireyprints.com. There is a ton of authentic shepard fairey artwork there to enjoy and purchase. A good selection of their out of print materials can be found there as well. An interesting artist who has come along way in recent years. Check him out some time there, it’s all good!
The statistics are indicating that more people are in need of a good quality Private Alcohol Rehab center these days. With the economy in the toilet more people are turning to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain that has been dumped on most of us. The crime rate is on the rise as well due to the economy in crisis. People are getting desperate and we all know that desperate times call for desperate measures.
Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers are opening up all over and doing a booming business. Dr. Drew and his Celebrity Rehab show on VH1 brought the light to a whole lot of people who where and are in need of a good Drug and Alcohol Rehab. It isn’t just our celebrities that are struggling with addiction issues and problems, but seeing them through their struggle was the incentive that a lot of people needed to step up to the plate and get treatment for themselves, pretty cool huh?
The Internet is a great tool to find the best treatment centers and I would urge anyone to take a look around and see what is out there if they know of someone who needs treatment or if they need treatment for their own addictions before it is too late.
I never thought I’d see the day when the state of Maine legalized gay marriages! For having so many republicans in government office, I would have thought that there would have been a lot of conservative opposition to the bill! But it has passed, and was signed into law! So it’s official; same sex marriages will be recognized and performed throughout the state! That’s very progressive! I wonder what effect that will have on the demographics and economy of the state as time goes on.
I was surprised to hear on the radio that there is a big uproar over the fact that Michelle Obama touched Queen Elizabeth on the back in a warm gesture. I know that there is a social etiquette rule in place that no one is supposed to touch the queen, but from what I understand, Queen Elizabeth started the touching by putting her hand on Michelle Obama’s hand in a warm gesture, and then later put her arm around Michelle Obama’s waist. I find it very interesting that the general public spends so much time obsessing over what Michelle Obama does – baring her arms, putting her hand on the Queen’s back; isn’t there more important issues “out there?” Or are we so tired of dealing with the issues that we are finding respite in being so nit-picky in criticizing the First Family?
Fireworks have been illegal in this state for as far back as I can remember. I saw an article in the local paper that the State is going to consider whether to legalize them. At this point, the only “fireworks” anyone can legally buy and use in this state are those lame “sparklers.” As far as I’m concerned, sparklers are dangerous because the sparks that fly off of them when the kids are waving them around burn people in close proximity to the kids! Even though fireworks are illegal, throughout the tourist season I hear fireworks going off almost every weekend night – being lit by tourists who are celebrating their vacation. I can’t get a good night’s sleep on the weekends because they go off until midnight or even later!
I agree that fireworks are dangerous, and the commercial fireworks that you can buy in other states tend to be really expensive and fairly lame, and that the towns put on good fireworks displays. However, I don’t go to the town displays because I don’t like dealing with the crowds late at night trying to get home. If fireworks were legal here, I’d probably buy some and save them for really special occasions – like setting them off at 5 in the morning after one of our neighbors was setting his off until 1 am. They like to share their love with me, and I’d love to return the favor!
This is a question that has been bothering me for the past couple of weeks. I was talking to an engineering student that goes to Princeton about the price of gas, and the need to find alternative fuel because of the ever increasing price of oil. He told me something that I had not heard before – he told me that the US government is subsidizing the big oil companies! He said it was complicated and he didn’t have time to explain it to me, but that he has learned at school that the US Government is subsidizing them! But that is one of the biggest reasons that alternative fuels have NOT been aggressively pursued!
WHAT ON EARTH????? If that is true, I think it is high time THAT stopped! George Bush had the gall to stand up in front of audiences and say that the only cure for high oil prices is for us to drill more for oil here in the US, but we are subsidizing the oil companies???? They make such a huge profit and pay their executives obscene amounts of money! The oil companies say the high price of gas is because of supply and demand! I think that we should stop subsidizing them and spend more money on alternative fuels, which would reduce the demand for oil, which would then reduce the price of oil.
This state that I live in is supposed to be such a clean and pristine state, but it has a horrible toxic rain (and snow) problem because of the toxins pumped into the air from factories from other states that drift downwind into our state. I can see the effects of the toxic rain on the cemetery headstones. The rain just eats away at them! I get aggravated over how the folks “upwind” have the “right” to pollute the air of those of us who live “downwind.” My aggravation grows when I am reminded of how the government has relaxed emissions standards to allow for more air pollution. When I was a kid it was safe to eat snow, now that we have this toxic rain problem, I shudder to think about the kids in the area eating the snow! And yet, I’m sure that they do it!
I was reading an article on Time.com about how a disgruntled reporter in Iraq threw two shoes at President Bush this past weekend during a press conference, exclaiming “This is a farewell kiss you dog!” Wow! I understand that is just about the worst insult you can utter in that culture over there! I read that the reporter has been retained by police. I wonder what will ultimately end up happening to him, I wonder if he will get jail time or just a fine. I watched a video of the shoe-throwing and I saw that Bush avoided being hit by the shoes. I was surprised that he wasn’t behind some kind of bullet-proof glass! It seems to me that almost everywhere I see him out in public he is behind bullet-proof glass! Very strange! Anyway, if YOU are ever planning to kiss ME, please don’t kiss me like THAT!
I sure was glad that I absentee voted last week! I drove past the polling location several times yesterday, going back and forth between jobs and saw a long line going out and around the building every time I drove past! The parking lot was full and overflowed a half-mile down the street! I’ve never seen such a large turnout of voters! I have to say that I was really impressed with how many people actually seemed to be inspired to come out and vote this time! I think i heard that this was a record turnout, and I believe it. Not just for our town, but for the nation. I think that’s a good thing that so many people came out to vote, it would be nice to think that the new President REALLY is representing the country, and not just the 20% or so that bother to vote.
It seems to me that there has been a very long, drawn out controversy about whether to allow any casinos in Maine. This is such a loaded question, on the one hand people are afraid that it will attract more crime; on the other hand people want the extra income. There are a lot of “NIMBY”s “out there” and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure that I’d be very happy if a casino were to open up in the town that I live in! I would like to see any casino that is opened to be totally state run and all profits go to the government to pay for improvements to the schools, the infrastructure, and to improve social services.
Today is the tragic anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. I’ve been thinking about what a terrible mess that whole attack has created – we invaded Iraq when we should have concentrated on Afghanistan. So many lives have been lost; not just that day, but since that day. And I don’t think that the world is any safer now than it was before – I think that even more people hate the USA than before. What a mess this has been!
I was reading that Georgia and Russia have signed a cease-fire, and that Georgia has applied for membership to the NATO organization. I guess I’ve just been too wrapped up in my own personal business to even understand the hows and whys this conflict even started! I’ve heard bits and pieces here and there, and seen headlines in the newspapers, but been too busy to read them. I feel badly about that because it sure seemed like the US was going to be dragged into another conflict that we really did not want to get involved in! But I’m glad that a cease-fire has been signed, and hope that the cease fire sticks and there are no more hostilities. I also hope that the US does NOT get sucked into paying for repairs to either one of their countries damages. Let them fix their own stuff! We need to fix our own infrastructures!
My sister is over in Iraq, fighting for the “great cause.” (What a joke!) As you can see, I’m not too impressed with the war! But anyway, she had a flag flown for our father who has passed away, without me knowing it. (The flag flown, not the passing away part!)
Anyway, she sent the flag back to me, with a note and a certificate telling about how a fighter helicopter had flown several missions with this flag and what it represented and that she knew I would cherish it. I wanted to hang it outside on the front of the house, but decided that I would put it on the mantel in a display case instead. I’ll put a little brass tag underneath that says “in memory of…” my father’s name.
Well, the other day I finally found (and bought) the display case for the flag. This weekend I’m going to fold the flag up the proper way and put it in the display case. I’m sure it is going to be quite emotional for me because it brings back lots of memories. My father fought in three wars defending this country. Anyway, God Bless America!
I have the misfortune of being acquainted with a lot of people who have very strong emotions about politics. I eat breakfast frequently with them at the local market, and we have very vocal discussions about what is going on. Normally I enjoy eating with them and listening to local gossip, but lately the local gossip has given way to heated political “discussions” that I’m not enjoying much at all. I’m tired of listening to one of the guys ranting about how the democrats have ruined his life, with nothing to back up his claim. If you ask him for specific details about how the democrats have ruined his life he just gets mad and has a huge hissy fit, which is funny at first, but then gets embarrassing because we ARE in a public place! I think he is just a blowhard, but I think maybe I need to take a break from this “breakfast club” for a while.
My wife and I were discussing what a mistake we think it was for the Olympics Committee to pick China as the location for the 2008 Olympics. We just KNEW there would be trouble. The Committee was pretty naive to believe China’s promise to improve their human rights problems. And, apparently, there HAS been a lot of trouble with protestors trying to interfere with the running of the Olympic torch. And I’ve heard that a lot of countries are considering boycotting the games. I think that is really a shame, I don’t think that politics should be so deeply imbedded in the Olympics games. I hope that the countries don’t boycott the Olympics, that would be punishing the athletes who have trained so hard to compete, and I don’t think that is fair at all.