Money Like Water

One day I will look this and laugh, well maybe not laugh, maybe cry so hard that I will laugh that crazy laugh that TV villains do. You know like that Vincent Price laugh that you hear at the end of Michael Jackson’s thriller album. I’m certain I will be sitting in my padded cell, maybe even with a caterpillar, rocking back and forth reciting. “Yes Big Brother. I worship you. I honor you. You are the greatest.”

As last Friday’s monthly employment report showed, job losses are showing no signs of reversing anytime soon – a point the President’s chief economic advisor, Dr. Christina Romer, acknowledged over the weekend. And while our job market is hemorrhaging, so too are the federal government’s books, with the Associated Press reporting this morning that the budget deficit this year will climb to $1.8 trillion – nearly four times the record set just last year. Perhaps the most startling aspect of the White House’s budget admission: the government is borrowing 50 cents for every dollar it spends this year

Can you imagine if you tried to run your household budget like this? In other words, what if you had to borrow half of your budget on your credit card? Any financial consultant worth a salt would say “ARE YOU CRAZY?” Essentially that’s what we are doing you know. We are borrowing from our children and what is our return on investment? We are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a job that pays maybe $30,000. Just send me my check it would be cheaper and I promise to spend it in a way that will stimulate more jobs.


OBAMA said that his Recover Act has already saved or created over 150,000 jobs. Sadly the Us has lost more than 1.2 million jobs since Obama took office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not quite certain when all this job loss stops being Bush’s and begins being his.

Also Obama has not really explained to me under his transparent administration just what the job-counting formula is for counting jobs created by the stimulus bill.
While I’m on the “It’s All Bush’s Fault” rant, how about this Obama quote. Number one, we inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit….That wasn’t me.”

In fact, the congress was under Democratic control in 2007 and 2008. For those who didn’t pay attention in high school history it is the Congress who holds the purse strings. George Bush does hold some responsibility because he signed the legislation. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten or excused that.

In Bush’s final months he said we had to hurry to sign the emergency financial bail-out package. Much was made about McCain rushing to sign on but Obama also supported it. Don’t forget the Dems wanted to make it even bigger. I, like many other Americans were all for these companies to go under but instead, our money, the money that Congress treats as their own went to prop up the same institutions that spent like drunken sailors. (My apologies to drunken sailors everywhere.) Oh and Obama did vote in support of Iraq war spending even though he voted against the war.

I try not to get too political on my blog but our history is being written right now and I'm doing my best to document what is happening.

Something funny happened today in my seventh period class today. One of my students, G just walked in the door after having gone to the bathroom. In that very instant the phone rang. G looked at the phone and as I was walking over to answer it he said, “I just felt a charge go right through me and into that phone. It’s like I know that phone call is about me.”

I picked up the receiver and the voice at the other end was a student calling for one of the coaches. “Coach so and so wants you to send G down here.” It was just plain odd. I sent G down there and he was gone all period. He thought I was joking at first but I just thought it was funny how sometimes people just know things.

These are the blog contests I entered:

Prizes (3): Romano's Macaroni Grill gift basket.

Prize: Pink Vado HD pocket video camera.

Prize: Creative Vado HD pocket video camera (ARV $229.99).

Prize: $50 Visa gift card and Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissues.

Prize: Two canisters of Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes for every classroom in your child's school.

Prize: Pair of eyeglasses from EyeBuyDirect.com [excludes designer frames and sunglasses].

I Am An American Patriot

Talk about being grateful. Today the Army National Guard Recruiter stopped by to give me an award for my support of our soldiers. Wow what an honor. She presented me the award in front of my class.

Today I was pretty busy getting articles ready for my Thrifty Maven blog. I’m trying to do a series of articles on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank.

Today’s a kind of sad day. First the father of Officer Morgan has passed away and will be laid to rest today. Officer Morgan is a wonderful woman and I’ve had the pleasure of teaching one of her son’s as well as her older son’s baby’s mother. What a difficult time it must be for her. Trixie, is a wonderful person, great co-worker, loving Mom, and a doting Grandmother and I wouldn’t wish this pain on her for even a moment.

We also lost another co-worker this week. We called her Ms. Candy. She was our cafeteria manager and it was a job she seemed to love. Feeding the kids and making sure that the food served her was not just healthy but very tasty was very important to her. I usually don’t eat school lunch but one day she asked me why I didn’t. She told me that she would get me to try eating it yet. Once I did I was hooked. I loved her cheese buns and I understood why the kids and the teachers were so crazy about them. They were soooooo very tasty.

Last year she was diagnosed with cancer. She seemed to have fought it and won some time. This week she passed away. One of the cafeteria workers told me that her husband died about twelve hours later. Our principal acted as one of the pall bearers at her funeral today.

On the economic front recession-battered employers eliminated 598,000 jobs in January, the most since the end of 1974, and catapulted the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent.. I’m grateful to have my job. I see that the city of Canton has laid off 14 percent of its workforce in an attempt to balance a budget shortfall of $1.1 million to $1.2 million. Clark Atlanta University laid off 100 people Friday and canceled classes until Tuesday, according to school officials. Seventy faculty members and 30 other staffers were laid off. Clayton County schools with a surplus of about 150 teachers. That means that 150 teachers need to retire or resign by April 5 or face losing their job next school year. In addition to teachers, the district also has a surplus of 102 other workers, including three assistant principals, 19 counselors, 18 physical education teachers, 14 middle school graduation coaches and 38 kindergarten paraprofessionals. This is all so very frightening.

I did win a $5 Chevron gift card. Every little bit helps you know. I HATE when Darryl opens my wins. It doesn't leave me the fun of opening up my wins.

I'm entering more blog contests and here they are:

Prize: $25 Build-A-Bear Workshop gift card.

Prizes (3): Audiobook copy of A Long Stone's Throw by Alphie McCourt.

Prize: Roku digital video player and six-month Netflix membership

Prize: Code for a box of personalized Fruit Rollups.

Prize: Coupon good for a Pizza Hut Tuscani Lasagna Meal.

Prize: 5-pack assortment of musical and voice recordable Hallmark cards.

We're still watching two episodes of Dallas every night. Tonight Sue Ellen had her baby after having a car accident when she escaped from the Sanitarium.