Lantec Lantec

How's that "change" working for ya?

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How's that "change" working for ya?

Looking for some insights

from WinCustomize Forums

I'm looking for the US citizens (illegal aliens are OK too) that want to share their story of how things have "changed" for them in the last 19 months.....

Mine....I guess the biggest thing for me is that at the end of May I closed a business I started in 1990. I did everything I could to protect the 10 employees I had. It's hard having to tell someone that they'll just have to find some other way to shelter and feed their family. The worst of it came when I had to let go my brother-in-law.......you can imagine how good family relations were after that. I tried to take advantage of the "stimulus" but since I wasn't in banking or car sales and I didn't have union labor I was pretty much shit-outta-luck.

So......with my savings gone and my business closed I'm pretty much starting over. I'm going to keep plugging away because I only know how to work. I can't see collecting unemployment even if it means bagging groceries like I did at 15. What keeps me up at night is wondering if I can manage to make enough to pay my family's part of the overwhelming national debt.

Feel free to add your story of "Change you can believe in"

ps....I believe.....I really believe

 

 

177,949 views 94 replies
Reply #76 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Iben, reply 75
~
Here is the hope and change you are looking for.
The economy will improve instantly if
the republicans do well in November.
~
I don't think anyone thinks that things will be *fixed* after teh next election (or any election).  I think the hope is that things will be *better*.

Again, change and hope are better served at the personal level and rolling up to the city, state, federal levels.

Reply #77 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Zubaz, reply 66
I never expect change to come from the Federal government.  I do expect leadership and in the last 19 months I've not seen that.

I'm still mostly unemployed and working contract gigs.  I still can't afford self-funded healthcare.

I'm still working on change at the local level here in the Detroit-metro area.  Last week I helped build a playground for a school that's being reopened after years of neglect.  I'm buying more goods from people I know.  I'm spending more time with neighbors.

I continue to hope that my elected officials are honestly doing what they think is best (no matter how much I disagree with their choices or how ineffective it ends up being).

In the past 19 months I've become more saddened by young people thinking that the government is the only solution to our country's problems and disillusioned when it fails to solve them.

In the past 19 months I've had many teachable moments with my kids; explaining why things are hard right now and what they'll be able to do to create real change and hope.

 

I believe things will get better.  I know that I'm going to be able to say I was a part of that.

 

By the way . . can you spare some change?

No change to spare unfortunately as we have not had a raise in over five years.  Still, we're employed and we have health benefits so very lucky compared to a lot of other folks.  My daughter got a great job recently after being out of work for almost two years.  My sister also just got a job so maybe things are starting to turn around - at least a little bit.  I've been where you are, Zubaz, and it's rough - really rough.  Sometimes I didn't think I was going to make it but things finally turned around.  Hope things turn around soon for you too and for any other forum members who are out of work. 

 

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #78 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hope things turn around soon for you too and for any other forum members who are out of work.
Thanks.  Together makes things better.

Reply #79 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting WOM, reply 65
Seems this thread morphed from how ya doing now to a political thread.

1.  Lincoln freed the slaves but the afro americans like the democrates

2.  Kennedy started Viet Nam but Nixon takes the heat for it.

3.  Bush put us in debt even though congress approved or disaproved the money(democraticly controlled)

4.  Bush started the was in Irac even though congress approved it (democraticly controlled).

 

Lincoln was a progressive.  In his day, the Republicans were the Liberal party.  In other words, he was a modern Democrat.

The French started Vietnam.  We foolishly went in to bail them out.  Kennedy wasn't responsible for the escalation that Johnson and Nixon took Vietnam to.

The Republicans controlled both houses of congress during the majority of the Bush years...ahem.  Even for the two years they didn't, the Democrats only had a slim majority in one house.  So with the White House holding the veto and the GOP holding the other house, the GOP still effectively controlled the government.

You can look up all of these facts online in a thousand different reputable places.

 

 

Reply #80 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Zubaz, reply 70

we'd be sitting in a police state right now or close to it.We're closer now than we have ever been before.  The gov't in more involved in the private lives of American people and corporations now than any time before.  And each time it's allowed it gets easier for the next step.

Actually, we were MUCH closer under the Bush years of Executive Order fiat.  Obama has undone many of those abominations already.

It was Bush who removed the top three executives in every government agency, replacing them with political stooges with a White House agenda.  

It was Cheney and Bush who savaged the US Constitution on a daily basis and stated that "deficits don't matter".

You are inaccurately and quite cynically ascribing Bush's crimes on his predecessor and successor.  

While Obama is by no means perfect, at least take the time to educate yourself on the things he SHOULD be held accountable for, versus the things left over from the "most corrupt administration in the history of this nation" - a quote from a close friend who has been in and around the White House for the past 40 years.

Reply #81 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Yes. Obama made quite a stink about Bush's use of the Executive Order....at least until he became president and now of course, he uses it just like Bush did and it is yet to be determined if he will use it more.  The all time winner for most usage is none other than FDR, one of Obama's heroes.

Reply #82 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Lantec, I'm awfully sorry to hear these news from you!

I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I'm over here in Israel awaiting the birth of my grandson (my eldest boy's first).

I'm embarrassed by the joy I'm feeling while you're hurting...keep going fella. In my heart, I truly believe things will get better for you and the family.

I'm holding very good thoughts for you, at any rate.

 

Quoting Zubaz, reply 78

Hope things turn around soon for you too and for any other forum members who are out of work. Thanks.  Together makes things better.

Together is always better, and I continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers, Zu. Gonna stick a note in The Western Wall for the two of you and your families.

Reply #83 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hey Doc!  Have a great visit and enjoy the arrival of the grandson!  Just awesome!

Reply #84 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Any time the scales get tilted too far left or right it's not good for the country. The beauty of Clinton was that he was actually a conservative and knew how to work with the repubs after a fashion. It was a little rocky at first but if you really look at it his administration it was very much in the middle.

Perhaps in the fall the scales will go back to the middle somewhat. Just hope that doesn't cause complete gridlock.

Barack said it would take at least 5 years to get things in order. He said it when he first got in.

He was left with a complete mess. The economy, 2 wars.

Personally my pay has gone down but then again I work for a newspaper. I'm getting by if I can hold onto my job.

Good luck Doc and Lantec.

 

Reply #85 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Thanks, Ken :) . Much appreciated, Chasbo :) . Spent 7 hrs. in the delivery, and unfortunately (for my daughter-in-law...a truly wonderful young woman) no change.

Yet. It'll happen tomorrow.

On another level, folks... there's plenty of blame to go around: On the Governmental/Credit Market/Banking/Investment Market and the public: One common factor among them? Greed.

One man cannot fix that. It is ridiculous to expect it to happen that way, also.

I think making political grist of so much misery isn't the way to go either, since no political ideology nor party can fix any of this.

Unfortunately, the parties are at each others' throats, instead of working together. That is not, and cannot be the way out of all this. Hard work and a return to the "live within your means" along with job creation, and credit for small business while keeping huge financial institutions solvent is, along with less churning in other peoples' countries by keeping our noses in our own limping business.

Bless you all...from the heart,

doc

 

Reply #86 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting kenwas, reply 81
Yes. Obama made quite a stink about Bush's use of the Executive Order....at least until he became president and now of course, he uses it just like Bush did and it is yet to be determined if he will use it more.  

Um, Obama has used many of them so far to UNDO Bush's Constitution and the Rule of Law breaking fiats...

"uses it just like Bush did" is therefore grossly inaccurate.  

Even an amateur can read the summary list of Executive Orders issued by each president and see the difference in scope and intent.

Reply #88 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Uh, AIG was bailed out under the Bush Admin.  Not that it really would've mattered who happened to be in office at the time.  As far as I'm concerned AIG is to blame for AIG.

Reply #89 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I'm pretty pissed off about the current administration funding terrorism with our tax dollars...way to go Obama

I flew into Tehran on my way to England, September, 1973...[refuel stop for a 707]....and saw more M60s and F4 Phantoms lined up alongside the runway than most people will have ever seen in their lives.

Obama was probably still a rug-rat back then.

"Funding terrorism"?....Heck, even Australia's last Formula One world champion was sponsored by Bin Laden's old man  [that was the Williams team].

"unfortunate" links to Terrorism have been with us ever since the advent of terrorism/terrorists.  It is definitely NOT a case of "way to go, Obama".....more like "way to go, Capitalism/the West/you and me"...;p

Reply #90 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Jafo pretty much hit it on the head.  There is a very long of history here, unfortunatley most folks only want to blame 'the other guy or the current guy'.

When I listen to the news, which isn't often, I am always reminded about the comic stripe Pogo I believe (hope I am right with this) where he looks into the mirror and states, I have met the enemy and it is us. 

Someone will correct if I am wrong. :sun:

Reply #91 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Someone will correct if I am wrong.

Close enough, Philly. LINK  ;)

Reply #92 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I'm pretty pissed off about the current administration funding terrorism with our tax dollars...way to go Obama.

Cars... Our enemies will find ways to cause us to question and try to weaken us through our most basic tenets and beliefs such as some of the Patriot Act and the current non-issue distraction in New York. Once again, distraction serves division.

Just because our enemies are clever, doesn't mean we should regret actions which saved us all from total economic destruction which would take a century (if ever) to recover from.

You probably have investments that are mutually dependent (as all essentially are in an economy). There is no way possible to protect us all while not protecting some undesirables. Would you have preferred what would have happened to us all had AIG gone under? I think not. The fact that we fuel our cars doesn't mean we actively support terrorism, but the money flows (much like the spilled oil) to places we'd rather see excluded.

What bothers me most is that the money that went to the banks didn't open the credit crunch for small businesses. That should have been part of the package...in fact, the central piece of the package.

Reply #93 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Nineteen months is not enough time for the kind of change necessary to take place, when the reasons for the pain we're experiencing right now have been in place since the 1980s, when we ceased being a manufacturing economy and, instead, became a service economy.

Hit the nail right on the head there, Karen, without a healthy manufacturing sector, any economy is going to struggle.  Past governments may be partly to blame, for allowing it, but the large manufacturing corporations should shoulder 99% of the blame for the stagnant economy... without a healthy proportion of manufactured goods to trade, the balance of payments is never going to add up because too much then has to be imported.

Shoot, I only ever did high school economics, and even I know that.  Makes you wonder what political and industry leaders are thinking, doesn't it.  And without a good proportion of manufacturing jobs, unemployment rises significantly, meaning there are fewer customers with the propensity to pay, meaning those remaining manufacturers end up with surpluses they either have to mark down significantly or melt down a write off.

Maybe one day somebody with the power to effect change will get it right. :S

I shan't be holding my breath, though.

Reply #94 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting CarGuy1, reply 87

I'm pretty pissed off about the current administration funding terrorism with our tax dollars...way to go Obama.

Then stop reading a neocon tabloid/propaganda rag like the National Review.

A REALLY big part of becoming an enlightened educated reader capable of cogent critical thought is learning how to filter sources of information for bias and agenda.

The National Review is NOT an unbiased source of information.  It has a known and well-documented editorial agenda.