Monday, November 21, 2011
Great Sadness
Hi, I am Sally Peterson. One of Lola's daughter-in-laws. It is with great sadness that I must report that Lola passed away yesterday afternoon. Please her husband, Don, and our family in your thoughts and prayers.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hey, Occupiers! You're in the Wrong Places! Congress Makes the Laws!
And look what they did when they passed the restrictions on your lives if you ever take out a student loan!!!
Two thirds of you are in debt to the tune of about a Trillion Dollars. You are now a part of our debtor status. And you can never escape! Unlike a mortgage, no one can repossess your degree or your debtor obligation status.
Get this: Student loans are not "dischargeable." If you file for bankruptcy, student loans cannot be included but will continue in perpetuity. Your debt will follow you for life, even to the point of having your wages garnisheed.
They will get first dibs on your tax refunds.
You will be ineligible for federal employment.
Professional licenses can be revoked AND
even your Social Security checks will be docked when you retire!
So, hang out and take free food and make a mess in as many cities as you can, but you can never escape your student loans.
Good luck and
God bless...
Two thirds of you are in debt to the tune of about a Trillion Dollars. You are now a part of our debtor status. And you can never escape! Unlike a mortgage, no one can repossess your degree or your debtor obligation status.
Get this: Student loans are not "dischargeable." If you file for bankruptcy, student loans cannot be included but will continue in perpetuity. Your debt will follow you for life, even to the point of having your wages garnisheed.
They will get first dibs on your tax refunds.
You will be ineligible for federal employment.
Professional licenses can be revoked AND
even your Social Security checks will be docked when you retire!
So, hang out and take free food and make a mess in as many cities as you can, but you can never escape your student loans.
Good luck and
God bless...
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Obama: "Solyndra deal was Complicated"
How complicated can it be to give money to political friends or decide to borrow money from competitors?
What competitors, you ask? Well, since we borrow so much from China it's not a stretch to figure we are borrowing from them to prop up solar power companies to compete with the Chinese, right?
Another sleight of hand: 103,000 "new" jobs? When over 40,000 of them are just Verizon workers going back to work after their strike? Really.
And I wonder where all those union workers think their pension funds are invested. Couldn't be the stock market where they are protesting with the, some paid, some not, demonstrators around the country protesting capitalist greed...
And last, did you know that the average age of the homeless is Nine (9)? Yes, and as soon as one is identified in any school district the feds put up a quota which must be met to still get the Title I funds due them?
What is the definition of "homeless?" Say a family loses their home due to foreclosure and they go to live with Grandma. The kids are now considered homeless. What a scam.
No wonder no one is working on the jobs issue--they're too busy thinking up ways to con the public into knuckling in another direction. Such as, the new Labor Relations regulations saying 16 year olds on farms can't recognize the dangers of any machinery that isn't hand or foot powered and a whole lot more. Couple that with the EPA regulations against raising any dust in a field or a gravel road in the country.
Will it never end?
God bless...
What competitors, you ask? Well, since we borrow so much from China it's not a stretch to figure we are borrowing from them to prop up solar power companies to compete with the Chinese, right?
Another sleight of hand: 103,000 "new" jobs? When over 40,000 of them are just Verizon workers going back to work after their strike? Really.
And I wonder where all those union workers think their pension funds are invested. Couldn't be the stock market where they are protesting with the, some paid, some not, demonstrators around the country protesting capitalist greed...
And last, did you know that the average age of the homeless is Nine (9)? Yes, and as soon as one is identified in any school district the feds put up a quota which must be met to still get the Title I funds due them?
What is the definition of "homeless?" Say a family loses their home due to foreclosure and they go to live with Grandma. The kids are now considered homeless. What a scam.
No wonder no one is working on the jobs issue--they're too busy thinking up ways to con the public into knuckling in another direction. Such as, the new Labor Relations regulations saying 16 year olds on farms can't recognize the dangers of any machinery that isn't hand or foot powered and a whole lot more. Couple that with the EPA regulations against raising any dust in a field or a gravel road in the country.
Will it never end?
God bless...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
What's All the Whining about Civil Rights for a Traitor?
Am I the only one to draw the correlation between the FBI's Most Wanted List and the legitimacy of information gathering by the Executive Branch? A relatively small agency has more power than one third of the branches of government? Too much time on their hands.
God bless...
God bless...
Monday, October 3, 2011
HELP!! STOP THAT MAN!! YES, HERMAN CAIN!!
Can you afford 15% sales tax on your next car? Do you really think Michigan can survive another dip in the recession??
And when we've finished with the car companies, the next step will be the rest of us. Who in his right mind would call a 21% tax rate (which is his flat 9% plus his 9% sales tax which those of us in the middle would get hit with since we actually do pretty much spend our entire income--and half of the Michigan 6% that is used for hard goods) fair? And don't forget, there are many states with higher sales tax and income tax rates than we have.
Start counting the tax on every dollar spent. Doctors, lawyers, insurance policies, school tuitions, college tuitions and loans, barbers, beauticians, lawn and garden services--see where we're going?
Come on, Republicans. Get real.
Next on the list has to be Romney. He is way too much a gentleman than to get down and dirty and fight Obama who knows how to fight gangsta style Chicago politics. Not only that, how is a guy with his wealth and upbringing going to connect with folks who have had to struggle and work their way up out of the trenches to get a toe hold on the good life? He has no idea what it is to make a choice between which kid gets to get the new pair of tennis shoes this paycheck and which one, just as needy, has to wait.
If Newt had a sense of decency in his younger days he'd probably be a shoo in, but he just didn't plan ahead and the rest of those guys just have delusions of grandeur.
Just my opinion...
Don't mean to take too much of your time, but we need to talk about the guy from Solyndra who spent so much time at the White House talking to the President about his philanthropies. Really? And no, neither Eric Holder nor the President saw any kind of memo regarding the ATF's Fast and Furious. No joke. Holder said he'd only heard about it within the last few weeks even though memos have crossed his desk at least twice, April and October of 2010. Really? (When I earned a paycheck one of the prime responsibilities from any boss I ever had was "Don't ever let me be surprised." Do you suppose Obama and Holder have given instructions to "don't tell me anything?" Yeah, right.Don't worry, there will be more.
Transparency? What's that"
God bless...
And when we've finished with the car companies, the next step will be the rest of us. Who in his right mind would call a 21% tax rate (which is his flat 9% plus his 9% sales tax which those of us in the middle would get hit with since we actually do pretty much spend our entire income--and half of the Michigan 6% that is used for hard goods) fair? And don't forget, there are many states with higher sales tax and income tax rates than we have.
Start counting the tax on every dollar spent. Doctors, lawyers, insurance policies, school tuitions, college tuitions and loans, barbers, beauticians, lawn and garden services--see where we're going?
Come on, Republicans. Get real.
Next on the list has to be Romney. He is way too much a gentleman than to get down and dirty and fight Obama who knows how to fight gangsta style Chicago politics. Not only that, how is a guy with his wealth and upbringing going to connect with folks who have had to struggle and work their way up out of the trenches to get a toe hold on the good life? He has no idea what it is to make a choice between which kid gets to get the new pair of tennis shoes this paycheck and which one, just as needy, has to wait.
If Newt had a sense of decency in his younger days he'd probably be a shoo in, but he just didn't plan ahead and the rest of those guys just have delusions of grandeur.
Just my opinion...
Don't mean to take too much of your time, but we need to talk about the guy from Solyndra who spent so much time at the White House talking to the President about his philanthropies. Really? And no, neither Eric Holder nor the President saw any kind of memo regarding the ATF's Fast and Furious. No joke. Holder said he'd only heard about it within the last few weeks even though memos have crossed his desk at least twice, April and October of 2010. Really? (When I earned a paycheck one of the prime responsibilities from any boss I ever had was "Don't ever let me be surprised." Do you suppose Obama and Holder have given instructions to "don't tell me anything?" Yeah, right.Don't worry, there will be more.
Transparency? What's that"
God bless...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
What's Different from the Forties to Today?
(Sorry about the absence-had a bad reaction to a prescribed med.)
Folks have been talking about how the country worked together for the 4 years of WWII by rationing, tax increases, making sacrifices and how everyone was on the same page. And that now we, unless we have a family member engaged in the war(s) are mere spectators.
I believe there is something more than just the change in culture of the entire time frame. There is something more insidious going on. But first I'd like to share a theory I've had for some time.
The entire generation of the "greatest" encompassed the Depression and then the war. In my humble opinion I believe that when the men and some women came home from the service they had the mindset that their children "were never going to have to go through the hardships of life that they had to." Consequently, for lack of a better description, we spoiled our kids rotten. The boomers are the instant gratification generation.
Our children also benefited from parents who qualified for the GI bill which put them in line for being much better off financially than their parents and they made sure their kids also wanted for nothing. It has escalated through the years and our grandchildren also feel they are "entitled."
Along with all the extra money and no need to work for it plus the celebrity culture it's been a generation waiting for an accident to happen. Respect for authority and coupled with "don't trust anyone over 30" learned from their parents who were their buddies rather than authority figures were just not adding up to responsibility and accountability.
Maybe a bit simplistic and certainly not a 100% outcome, but shared sacrifice is a foreign concept to many. (My own kids are examples whose parents remember their parents' hard lives and easy come easy go doesn't happen at our address.)
The other part of this I've added since early development of this theory. Politics took on that difference as well. The flower children are the liberals of their generation and when George W, in their minds "stole the election" I can say that the lack of the respect for the Presidency in the Clinton years by Conservatives was transferred to the liberals' animosity of President Bush.
Which brings us to a point where lack of respect and anathema against the opposite party when asked to cooperate for the common good (not in the socialistic sense) it is also a foreign concept. Who really thinks they should sacrifice to anyone else?
Not really sure how to solve this, but I'm quite proud of Boehner and Cantor who don't think an olive branch is just a twig. Let's see where this takes us.''God bless...
Folks have been talking about how the country worked together for the 4 years of WWII by rationing, tax increases, making sacrifices and how everyone was on the same page. And that now we, unless we have a family member engaged in the war(s) are mere spectators.
I believe there is something more than just the change in culture of the entire time frame. There is something more insidious going on. But first I'd like to share a theory I've had for some time.
The entire generation of the "greatest" encompassed the Depression and then the war. In my humble opinion I believe that when the men and some women came home from the service they had the mindset that their children "were never going to have to go through the hardships of life that they had to." Consequently, for lack of a better description, we spoiled our kids rotten. The boomers are the instant gratification generation.
Our children also benefited from parents who qualified for the GI bill which put them in line for being much better off financially than their parents and they made sure their kids also wanted for nothing. It has escalated through the years and our grandchildren also feel they are "entitled."
Along with all the extra money and no need to work for it plus the celebrity culture it's been a generation waiting for an accident to happen. Respect for authority and coupled with "don't trust anyone over 30" learned from their parents who were their buddies rather than authority figures were just not adding up to responsibility and accountability.
Maybe a bit simplistic and certainly not a 100% outcome, but shared sacrifice is a foreign concept to many. (My own kids are examples whose parents remember their parents' hard lives and easy come easy go doesn't happen at our address.)
The other part of this I've added since early development of this theory. Politics took on that difference as well. The flower children are the liberals of their generation and when George W, in their minds "stole the election" I can say that the lack of the respect for the Presidency in the Clinton years by Conservatives was transferred to the liberals' animosity of President Bush.
Which brings us to a point where lack of respect and anathema against the opposite party when asked to cooperate for the common good (not in the socialistic sense) it is also a foreign concept. Who really thinks they should sacrifice to anyone else?
Not really sure how to solve this, but I'm quite proud of Boehner and Cantor who don't think an olive branch is just a twig. Let's see where this takes us.''God bless...
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Where Has All the Money Gone??
Did you happen to hear that Solyndra Inc which received a $535 million loan guarantee in 2009 to build a plant in northern California closed its doors and had to lay off all its workers a year ago. Yup! The same Solyndra that today declared bankruptcy after a more recent $500 million boost from the same Department of Energy.
And, I kid you not, they are defending themselves with remarks such as "While not every company will succeed in this competitive industry, we believe that solar generation and manufacturing play an important role in helping America win the clean energy race."
Then there's SoloPower, Inc which makes lightweight solar panels in San Jose. This month the White House finalized a $197 million guarantee for them with two other loans for solar power combined for $425 million to be awarded before the September 30 deadline.
Another business Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection after closing a Massachusetts plant which had been built with local and state subsidies.
I guess after looking at all these closings the least we can do is wish the new recipients good luck.
Not to be outdone, the battery business is looking rather bleak. With so many companies and so many countries getting into the development of said car batteries, the market expects a glut long before the 2020 deadline everyone is aiming at.
By everyone we mean: SB LiMotive, a joint venture between German automotive supplier Robert Bosch and Samsung SDI of South Korea; Renault and Nissan investing $5.76 billion (actually being revamped to move ahead without subsidies); LG Chem Ltd of South Korea; A123 Systems Inc and Enerl Inc from the U.S. who are smaller in scale. Actually there is much talk about too much capacity by 2015 so each of these companies are hedging their bets in various ways, but looking at a $300 billion market for electric vehicles and looking at $50billion of that amount for the batteries, no one wants to back out just yet.
However, we have pumped in $5 billion with $2.6 billion for batteries in the car business. Sounds like a lot? China is pumping $15 billion over 10 years into alternative vehicle technology and South Korea has committed $12.5 billion into the 2020 Battery Project.
Looks like a fight to the finish.
God bless...
And, I kid you not, they are defending themselves with remarks such as "While not every company will succeed in this competitive industry, we believe that solar generation and manufacturing play an important role in helping America win the clean energy race."
Then there's SoloPower, Inc which makes lightweight solar panels in San Jose. This month the White House finalized a $197 million guarantee for them with two other loans for solar power combined for $425 million to be awarded before the September 30 deadline.
Another business Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection after closing a Massachusetts plant which had been built with local and state subsidies.
I guess after looking at all these closings the least we can do is wish the new recipients good luck.
Not to be outdone, the battery business is looking rather bleak. With so many companies and so many countries getting into the development of said car batteries, the market expects a glut long before the 2020 deadline everyone is aiming at.
By everyone we mean: SB LiMotive, a joint venture between German automotive supplier Robert Bosch and Samsung SDI of South Korea; Renault and Nissan investing $5.76 billion (actually being revamped to move ahead without subsidies); LG Chem Ltd of South Korea; A123 Systems Inc and Enerl Inc from the U.S. who are smaller in scale. Actually there is much talk about too much capacity by 2015 so each of these companies are hedging their bets in various ways, but looking at a $300 billion market for electric vehicles and looking at $50billion of that amount for the batteries, no one wants to back out just yet.
However, we have pumped in $5 billion with $2.6 billion for batteries in the car business. Sounds like a lot? China is pumping $15 billion over 10 years into alternative vehicle technology and South Korea has committed $12.5 billion into the 2020 Battery Project.
Looks like a fight to the finish.
God bless...
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