What a week this has been. It's been a really depressing news week, don't you think? Gasoline is creeping upwards again. Food prices at the grocery store are going up. Everything is going up except wages. Damn Republicans and their corporate interests, trying to eliminate the middle class. Citibank is trimming their workforce by 45,000 people. That phrase sounds nicer than "firing", or "laying off", doesn't it? "Trimming the workforce." One of the brokerage houses on Wall Street is going to trim their workforce by about 3,000 people. They all got caught trying to be too greedy in the sub-prime mortgage business.
The fall-out from the sub-prime mess isn't over yet. That mess isn't just confined to the US, it's hitting financial institutions all over the world. A couple of British banks are having financial problems related to this sub-prime mess, as well as a couple of German banks. This mess will continue well into 2008.
Recessesion? We're in one right now, although the powers that be haven't confirmed it as of yet. Us working stiffs have been feeling it for months now. We feel it. I feel it every time I go to the gas pump, every time I go to the grocery store, every time I go shopping for clothes (which isn't that often). Utilities are going up. Everything is going up except our wages.
Recession? What am I talking about? The economy is great! If I made over $200,000 a year I'd be making money. I'd be feeling real good about my finances. Every time I turn on one of those financial channels on TV they keep saying everything is great, the economy is booming, etc. It's all BULLSHIT!!
I could go on and on, but I can't. I'm depressing myself over this shit. Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. I think I'll go to work now and at least that will take my mind off these things for a while. At least until I go home tonight, have my dinner and turn on the news. I'll be depressed again.
Hope you all have a great weekend. I'm going to try.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Capitol news........
The Patriot-News always has a little column in the daily paper called "Inside The Capitol", which has a little piece in it called "Heard On The Hill" which is usually a little quote from someone official in the Capitol. Yesterday's "Heard On The Hill" was a quote from the Gov's Press Secretary, Chuck Ardo: "LED (lights) would cost approximately $1,800....and is thus cost prohibitive. However, the governor's energy plan will help ensure that the cost of lighting every Christmas tree and menorah in Pennsylvania will cost less in the future." Apparently Chuck was asked about why the Capitol Christmas tree will not be decorated with the energy-efficient lights now available.
What, we can't afford $1,800 for LED Christmas lights now? Come on Governor, surely you can find $1,800 somewhere to buy the new lights? Jeez Louise. And the Gov has this really great-sounding energy plan that he is pushing and he can't decorate the state tree with LED lights? How ridiculous is that?? Aaaargh!!
Meanwhile.......
PA House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese's ousted top aide gets a new job. Isn't that great? (snark) I knew he would find a lobbying job somewhere. It always seems that these ousted political people get hired by lobbying concerns. Triad Strategies, one of the capital's leading lobbying and image-making firms gave him a great job - senior associate in the firm's communications practice. He'll be making as much or more than he was making in DeWeese's office. So are the other ousted staffers going to get nice new jobs too? We'll see.
DeWeese and Co. are still not out of the woods yet with this legislative staff doing campaign work on OUR dime scandal. I bet this scandal will grow and there will be more Dem wrongdoings with that, AND, when State Attorney General Tom Corbett looks more closely at the Republican side in this scandal he'll find this mess on their side too. I think the Attorney General should also look at the campaigns in 2004. There was a lot of that going on in 2004. I know someone that was shipped to one of the counties surrounding Philly and that person worked in that county for 3 - 4 months leading up to that November 2004 election. I have a lot of friends working with the state, and I hear lots of things.
You know, if all the residents of Pennsylvania just hear HALF of what all goes on in the state capitol, they would vote them all out in the next election. ALL of them. If you think for one minute that our elected state representatives are there working for us, you've got another thing coming. Just ask State Senator Mary Jo(I love mercury and polluters) White (R-21st). Her district leads the state in mercury levels, and she wants to kill any and all bills to cut down on mercury pollution, and all pollution, and crack down on industrial polluters. I wonder if her constituents realize that she works exclusively for special interests in her district and not the health and welfare of her constituents. Jeez Louise!
Once in a blue moon (around re-election time) SOME state legislators will actually do something for us working stiffs in Pennsylvania. Everyone should take a really good look at their state reps and their records to see what have they done for US lately?
What, we can't afford $1,800 for LED Christmas lights now? Come on Governor, surely you can find $1,800 somewhere to buy the new lights? Jeez Louise. And the Gov has this really great-sounding energy plan that he is pushing and he can't decorate the state tree with LED lights? How ridiculous is that?? Aaaargh!!
Meanwhile.......
PA House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese's ousted top aide gets a new job. Isn't that great? (snark) I knew he would find a lobbying job somewhere. It always seems that these ousted political people get hired by lobbying concerns. Triad Strategies, one of the capital's leading lobbying and image-making firms gave him a great job - senior associate in the firm's communications practice. He'll be making as much or more than he was making in DeWeese's office. So are the other ousted staffers going to get nice new jobs too? We'll see.
DeWeese and Co. are still not out of the woods yet with this legislative staff doing campaign work on OUR dime scandal. I bet this scandal will grow and there will be more Dem wrongdoings with that, AND, when State Attorney General Tom Corbett looks more closely at the Republican side in this scandal he'll find this mess on their side too. I think the Attorney General should also look at the campaigns in 2004. There was a lot of that going on in 2004. I know someone that was shipped to one of the counties surrounding Philly and that person worked in that county for 3 - 4 months leading up to that November 2004 election. I have a lot of friends working with the state, and I hear lots of things.
You know, if all the residents of Pennsylvania just hear HALF of what all goes on in the state capitol, they would vote them all out in the next election. ALL of them. If you think for one minute that our elected state representatives are there working for us, you've got another thing coming. Just ask State Senator Mary Jo(I love mercury and polluters) White (R-21st). Her district leads the state in mercury levels, and she wants to kill any and all bills to cut down on mercury pollution, and all pollution, and crack down on industrial polluters. I wonder if her constituents realize that she works exclusively for special interests in her district and not the health and welfare of her constituents. Jeez Louise!
Once in a blue moon (around re-election time) SOME state legislators will actually do something for us working stiffs in Pennsylvania. Everyone should take a really good look at their state reps and their records to see what have they done for US lately?
The incinerator debacle continues......
This is just a never-ending nightmare. Aaaaargh! Why do our Harrisburg City and Dauphin County elected officials keep throwing more money down this money pit? This is just insane. They keep believing if we just throw a little bit more money at it, Covanta will perform magic and the incinerator will work like it's supposed to and we'll either break even or start making money every month. I have my doubts on that. Do you know how much the city and county taxpayers are on the hook for this? Approaching $300 million dollars. Jeez Louise that's a lot of money. Most of that amount falls on the city taxpayers. $300 million d-o-l-l-a-r-s.
This incinerator loses $1 million plus dollars a month. A month! And our elected city and county officials keep throwing good money after bad. When does it stop? Go to King Reed's office and ask him that. This is the guy who used the Harrisburg Authority,which owns and runs the incinerator, for his own personal piggy bank to buy artifacts. Go to the City Council meetings and ask them how much longer will they permit this folly to continue. Go to the Dauphin County Commissioners meetings and ask them the same thing. How much longer will they continue with this? This is INSANE people!
The city of Harrisburg is the most heavily indebted municipality per capita in Pennsylvania. Embarassing isn't it?
The Patriot-News has an excellent editorial in today's edition: Too Much.
That's the title in the print edition, and they're right. It's really an interesting read, especially the first paragraph.
My take on all of this? Stop this insanity and either default or find some way to pay this debt, and start using Lancaster County's incinerator that is right down the road a little ways near Bainbridge. It's not that far from Harrisburg.
Stop the insanity!!
This incinerator loses $1 million plus dollars a month. A month! And our elected city and county officials keep throwing good money after bad. When does it stop? Go to King Reed's office and ask him that. This is the guy who used the Harrisburg Authority,which owns and runs the incinerator, for his own personal piggy bank to buy artifacts. Go to the City Council meetings and ask them how much longer will they permit this folly to continue. Go to the Dauphin County Commissioners meetings and ask them the same thing. How much longer will they continue with this? This is INSANE people!
The city of Harrisburg is the most heavily indebted municipality per capita in Pennsylvania. Embarassing isn't it?
The Patriot-News has an excellent editorial in today's edition: Too Much.
That's the title in the print edition, and they're right. It's really an interesting read, especially the first paragraph.
My take on all of this? Stop this insanity and either default or find some way to pay this debt, and start using Lancaster County's incinerator that is right down the road a little ways near Bainbridge. It's not that far from Harrisburg.
Stop the insanity!!
Today's Harrisburg news........
City Schools.........A $40,000 study that King Reed commisioned last summer, AFTER the school district failed to register much progress on state student assessment tests has been made public by the Patriot-News. This report was delivered to King Reed on October 31, 2007 and he has not made it public. Par for the course with him. He's all into secrecy and such.
Biggest findings? A need for stronger leadership and better communications between the district office and teachers. The Patriot News says: "Superintendent Gerald Kohn ackowledged the district has struggled to find the right mix of leadership across its 15 school buildings. At least five principals have been dismissed during the past year." Mr. Kohn, leadership starts at the top. Communication Mr. Kohn starts at the top also.
We're paying this guy $235,000 a year, with many terrific perks, AND a 6.5% salary increase every year. This information was contained in a November 9 article by the Patriot-News titled "School chiefs draw Grade-A perks, benefits. I think we are over-paying Mr. Kohn judging by the results the district has posted during Mr. Kohn's tenure. The results? A little improvement, but still a long way to go. And he's been here about 6 years? I expect a LOT more for the money we are paying him. A 6.5% salary raise every year? Do YOU get this kind of a raise every year? I bet not. I know I don't. Most of us working stiffs are only getting a 1 - 3% increase at best. Does Mr. Kohn realize how hard WE, the tax-payers, have to work for even that kind of increase?
And this is all King Reed and State Senator Jeff Piccola's doings. I hope the taxpayers don't re-elect these two jerks.
Biggest findings? A need for stronger leadership and better communications between the district office and teachers. The Patriot News says: "Superintendent Gerald Kohn ackowledged the district has struggled to find the right mix of leadership across its 15 school buildings. At least five principals have been dismissed during the past year." Mr. Kohn, leadership starts at the top. Communication Mr. Kohn starts at the top also.
We're paying this guy $235,000 a year, with many terrific perks, AND a 6.5% salary increase every year. This information was contained in a November 9 article by the Patriot-News titled "School chiefs draw Grade-A perks, benefits. I think we are over-paying Mr. Kohn judging by the results the district has posted during Mr. Kohn's tenure. The results? A little improvement, but still a long way to go. And he's been here about 6 years? I expect a LOT more for the money we are paying him. A 6.5% salary raise every year? Do YOU get this kind of a raise every year? I bet not. I know I don't. Most of us working stiffs are only getting a 1 - 3% increase at best. Does Mr. Kohn realize how hard WE, the tax-payers, have to work for even that kind of increase?
And this is all King Reed and State Senator Jeff Piccola's doings. I hope the taxpayers don't re-elect these two jerks.
I'm baaaaack!!
I've been busy working and such. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I had a great one too. Ate too friggin' much, but that's what holidays are for, right? Eat, drink and be merry!
Ok, it's time to get down to business!
Ok, it's time to get down to business!
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