Do You Have the Time?

You're out there working or not and it doesn't really matter.  Maybe it does, but you're never really sure.
Well, we thought about having the dog write for us under a pen name and voice her opinions on the entire political, social, and economical situation in the United States and it occurred to us that giving the dog artistic license might get us in a heap of trouble!

One of the discussions during our blog meeting was how people are quick to tell Veterans thanks, yet they forget that their rights to life and liberty are not just words in the Constitution, they are rights that military personnel maintain for all American citizens.  We feel humbled.

The question is, do you have the time?  Do you have the time to contact your elected officials and voice your opinion?  Do you have the time to use the freedom of speech right that veterans have defended?  We've searched and found contact information for elected officials.  We have published links on our November Notables page.  Want to honor a vet?  Use your rights.

On a side note, we know that there is nothing worse than prodding someone to do the job that they are paid for.  Management does it all of the time and we hate them for it.  Thanks, management.  We're all happy to have someone to hate and blame!  We're expecting that you will help all of us prod our elected officials along so that they will do the job they are paid for.  In this case, the author was elected to post the blog and as the author holds a management position she will have to take immediate action.  ~off to honor a vet because I'll find the time

We're Concerned About Jobs

     We're concerned about jobs.  We've heard about the taxes, but without a job we cannot be taxed.  We can't even go to the mall and spend money on things that are taxed at the local level.  This whole situation is obviously a big mess.

     There are other things to be considered too.  What are we teaching the next generation?  As for myself, I see an angry younger generation that is trying to understand things that are way above my middle-age ability. Knowing that one of six children are receiving assistance for food provisions, it leaves me wondering how these children are handling this crisis that they experience every day.  With mom or dad not longer working this is added stress to the children too.    

     As adults, our coping skills include humor.  Wonder what the next generation thinks of our laughing about there being a lack of oxygen in Denver?  I'm fairly certain that a five year old child hasn't learned about altitude changes.  I keep hearing about light-hearted comments, but I'm not even sure how much my heart weighs!

     The next time the younger generation tells you that you're clueless, take a moment and think about it.  I agree that we need to pull ourselves up by the boot straps and hang in there through these tough time, but think about how the next generation interprets what they see and hear.

OK, folks.  I'll get step down from my little soap box.  When I heard teens talking earlier, it crossed my mind that they should be talking about cars and dances, not gas prices and political debates.

The Numbers of Unemployed vs. Unfed

Sometimes news reports give us statistics about unemployment and include numbers about underemployed. The reports often include references to states or regions and they factor in whichever quarter the author decides to reference.  It gets confusing.  Whatever variables are included in reports, it is no wonder people don't like numbers, but it is basic elementary school math.

It is important to know that nobody knows exactly how many people are employed because nobody counts them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the numbers based on a random sampling of the population. When was the last time you were included in a “random sampling”? Talk about variables!

Today, when I was reading about the labor market in the United States of America I read that the unemployment rate dropped from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent. This is better than the ten percent that was reported in October of 2009 but that doesn't give us any actual facts, but I am more concerned about SNAP.

SNAP is the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program that we commonly refer to as “food stamps”. Reports have been released that fifteen percent of American citizens at receiving benefits from the SNAP program. Again, it is basic elementary school math. Stop one hundred people on the street and fifteen of them require nutritional assistance. 

More jobs will always mean there is less unemployment, but it will also reduce the number of hungry people.  Please help your local food pantry or visit Feeding America.