Look Around You

Now that I am retired and don't have to run around like a maniac, I have time to watch the World and its inhabitants. Here and there, I watch people. Two words for all of you. Slow Down.
Yeah, I know, it seems that you have to go full speed to keep up. Take it from someone who did just that, If you run and run, just to keep up, you are doing something wrong. Streamline your life. Get rid of what you don't need. When you work, work efficiently. Get tasks out of the way and do them right the first time.
To those who say that they have to work multiple jobs to keep up, I have a number, 7.1 million. That is the number of unfilled jobs in the Nation. They go unfilled because American workers are unqualified. The solution to a lot of problems is simple. Take whatever time you can and get qualified. There are many training programs and Community Colleges and Technical schools and they are pretty inexpensive. Give uo a few nights out with your friends and a game ot two and get busy. In the long run, actually quicker than you think, you will have the kind of job people used to have. % days a week, 8 hours a day and enough income to live well. Not lavishly. but well.
Just watch people. They waste so much time and effort and accomplish so little. They concern themselves with details of celebrity lives and local gossip. They carry on about political issues that they have no say on. trust me. despite everything you hear, big time politicians  are going to do, what they are paid to do, which is often not what people really want them to do. Rid yourselves of concerns that are not yours. Take care of your own business and do so carefully and efficiently, always remembering to be kind when called upon and to see to the well being of family and friends when they ask for help.
Then, when you find that you suddenly have time to relax, take a deep breath, open you eyes, and look around at this magnificent World. Have a Blessed day.

Aging in America

' I hear you got your families  living in cages taut and cold, Some just sit there and dust away  past the age of old.' Jimi Hendrix. Up from the Skies.                                                                                      This is the last in a series of posts that I hope have upset you. They should. I am 67 years old, which means I am officially a senior citizen. I know folks who call that middle age but, as my Dad once said, not unless you expect to live to 130. I have no such expectation.
Physically, it's tough at times. I can be dog tired for no reason and, when arthritis kicks in, I can barely walk. My vision is poor and I don't hear too well. Some days, here and there, I feel pretty darn good. Mostly, I live in a middle zone. Not awful, but not good.  I certainly have lost energy. Mentally, I have days when I feel 100 and days when I feel 20, but even on good days, I cannot hold my concentration like I used to. But, it's all okay. It's just the way life is.
I try to stay connected to the World. That's one reason I write. And here comes the issue I want to touch on.
When I was young, and yes I know that phrase is annoying, old folks were part of our lives. We learned much from then and, for the most part, it was a delight to be around them. That does not seem to be the case anymore.
 I worked for a long time at a  S. Florida condo, a place where old folks went to live. In talking to them, I learned that most of them had little contact with their adult children and less with the grandkids. A card on the holidays, a call here and there, maybe a visit once every 2 or 3 years for a day or 2. The rest of their lives were spent watching TV and playing cards. They were bored and eventually grew listless. They existed. That's about all. A few lucky ones found little jobs. That gave them a reason to feel like they were still an active part of things.
Now, if you are on a fixed income, trust me, it is hard to get by Do not believe for a minute all those ads  and shows on TV where old folks are partying and golfing and going on exotic journeys. That is just BS. A few, do such things but for most of the elderly, surviving is an issue. Mix that with long periods of neglect and you have a deplorable situation.
There was a time when older folks could find little jobs. Now, those jobs are taken by younger people who will work 3 little jobs instead of getting some training to get a good job, They do this because they know that if they except low wages, they can get away with poor work. I see this every day. I would love to find a small job and I can proudly say that I was and would still be an excellent worker.
Even if jobs are unavailable, the elderly need to feel included. Just talk to us. I promise, we won't bite. Most of us are eager to stay in touch with the World and want to just talk and learn and exchange stories.
Money is an issue. If employers won't hire older folks, then others need to step forward, Not the Government, They botch almost everything they touch. Private groups, Churches and most importantly families and neighbors need to offer a helping hand.
We are not saints, nor are we necessarily fountains of wisdom. We are just human beings and once more I ask, Are you?

Where are American Workers?

I am a tad cranky this morning so let me be brief. What is going on with America's workers?
\A report last week showed 6 million jobs in the USA going unfilled because we lack qualified workers. 6 million. What is wrong that we cannot find good, qualified people to fill these positions?
For one thing, schools seem to have quit teaching kids to read, write and do math. Thought seems to have fallen out of favor and the ever increasing minimum wage has stifled ambition. I guess if you make $15 per hour you have no reason to better your position. That may seem correct when you are 16, but trust me. that will get old. Low pay jobs are entry level, a way of getting your feet wet as a worker and a way to pay the bills while you find a way to move up.
How do you move up? Education and training.
Most of the jobs that are unfilled are STEM jobs. Science, technology, engineering and math and yes, they require education. If you are in school and have talent in these areas, stay there and do the work. If you are out of school and can get the money, there are night classes at community colleges and accredited  (don't get scammed) on line schools. Do the work,, get the degree or certification and get a good jib, It is that simple.
No interest in school? No problem because many other jobs are available and unfilled in the trades. There is a huge demand for plumbers, carpenters, electricians, mechanics,, welders and heavy equipment operators and there are plenty of training programs that cost very little. Some even pay as you learn. Yes, they require some hard work but you will always have a job and the pay is very, very good.
Say that you just don't have tine? Nonsense. Just give up a football game on TV here and there and a few nights out and you will have tons of time. Boy, will you be happy when you are making enough money to have some fun, comfortably raise a family and put aside some money for your old age. Too tired? It is amazing how a nice pay check makes the fatigue disappear.
So, Americans get busy. Or just finally admit that we have grown lazy and stupid . Don't worry. There are many folks in other Nations that will jump at the chance to cone gere and take those fine jibs. Who knows? Maybe you like saying, " want fries with that?"

America - The Insanity Cpntinues

Have You folks got the message yet? This Trump thing is not working. Just look at the facts.

The promise to end out Mid Easr woes? They are worse. The promise to rein in N/ Korea? They just figured out how yo launch an ICBM.
Get tough with China/ They're now our best buddies.

At Home? They cannot write am immigration directive that can pass the courts The Wall is not going to happen. Health Care reform is going to take a wee bit longer. Yax reform is being pushed down the road. Jobs are being created at avout the same ratel we have no huge upswing in employment.

The whole 'buy American' thing will remain a joke since his own daughter's clothing line is produced elsewhere.
The White House gas become a den of backstabbers worthy of the Medici's of old Iraly. They function from crisis to crisis, ,ost caused by the President's bug mouth, over blown ego and increasing paranoia.

This cannot continue or the Nation will be a roral disaster. So, with that in  mind, I want you all to practice saying '{resident Mike Pence."

America and Immigration

Today, the new Administration begins the daunting task of dealing with immigration. We really have no idea how many illegal immigrants there are in this Country, but it is a massive amount. We once welcomed immigrants to this Country, but things have changed. People refuse to get this. We are no longer a sparsely populated agrarian economy, nor are we a burgeoning industrial economy. Economically, we are in some period of transition. We just have no idea what we are transitioning to. But, one thing we have no lack of is workers. Economically we do not need more of them.

Illegal immigrants work cheap and are willing to do so because, when they go home or send money home, it is more than they would make in their native land. This willingness to work for low wages, drives down wages for the rest of us. I have lived in areas where illegals are present in large numbers. Because they make little, they are willing to cram as many people into small dwellings as they can. The more people, the less each has to pay for rent. This, in turn, depresses the housing prices in those areas. It also taxes sanitation, education and medical facilities in those areas. Also, poverty breeds crime. These may be politically incorrect statements, but, too bad; they are true.

That whole crime issue should be stressed. Of course not all illegal immigrants are hard core criminals (although the fact that they are here illegally does make them criminals), but things are not what they used to be. A great many have brought with them their gang affiliations and the Mexican gangs are responsible for an enormous amount of drugs entering the Nation.

We simply do not need these people here. They need to go home and, fix the things are that bad there, start a movement to change their homeland.

As far as legal immigration goes, when some one has a skill that is needed in America, great, let them enter, with some noted exceptions and conditions. People from the various terrorist torn lands should not enter. The conditions are simply too volatile and we cannot do adequate vetting. The screening processes would be too time consuming, too costly, and quite frankly, any skills they may have are also possessed by our own people, many of whom are in need of jobs.

The other condition must be acceptance of American law. Keep your religion. Keep your customs. But, only when they do not violate our laws. I bring this up for two reasons. First, there are cultures in Africa, India, and the Mid East that practice such repulsive traditions as female genital mutilation and honor killings. This cannot be tolerated in America and if these people believe that any insistence that give up these reprehensible practices violates their religious freedom, too bad. If they are still in their native lands, let them stay there. If they have immigrated, deport them.

The second problem links to the first. In Europe, Muslim communities have set up areas that are governed by sharia law, a brutally harsh set of laws. There are a few American Muslim communities who would do the same. This is not acceptable. Those who think that we should allow them freedom to do this are idiots. Sharia law includes dress codes for women, restricts education for women, all but prohibits such American traditions as boys and girls dating, practices arranged marriages, and prescribes as penalties for violations of the law stoning and beheading.

In short, why are we debating this? Illegal aliens  are just that, illegal. Deport them and let them apply for legal immigration. Allow that only if they have a marketable skill. Do not allow immigration from lands that are problematic. It really is that simple.

America and the Loss of Soul

The America that I knew is gone, history, done. I really did not wish to write something this gloomy, but true is true. If, you are in what used to be the Middle Class, the source of our previous greatness, you will understand.

Not too long ago, people, working, productive people, were the norm, and they lived pretty darn well.  Look around. How many folks do you know who are working multiple low-paying jobs to make ends meet. How many scrape and worry just to keep a roof over their heads. It was not always this way. I grew up, and lived most of my 65 years in a land where you worked a decent number of hours, made enough to live well, not extravagantly but well, and had enough time to relax and enjoy life. Now, we have very educated folks working fast food jobs and poorly paying service jobs and sweating out a living. When the media and the politicians get on and start raving about how great the economy is now and how much we have brought unemployment down, please, if you have a brain, do not believe them. The jobs that have been created suck. Low paying jobs that do not cover your living costs are not an improvement.

I have watched bright, decently educated people run themselves ragged and worry constantly over jobs that do not even cover their living expenses. They make ends meet by putting groceries, and sometimes even rent and/or car payments on their credit cards. thus insuring a lifetime of debt that they will never crawl out from under.

Then, guess what? When they go to move, either to buy a house or into a better apartment, their credit will not be accepted. Thus begins and continues an ever downward spiral. Add this into the mix. To rent a place, now, mostly, you have to prove that your income is three times the rent. I know many, many fine folks who cannot do this, and even if they can, one emergency, a medical bill or a car breakdown, and they cannot do it, so, some places are asking four times the rent.

Now, I know there are some people who say, and believe me, I have heard this often, "tough, tell them to work harder." This is what I mean about America's loss of soul. The funny thing is, I hear this from some who are barely making it themselves. To them I say, "I hope folks are nicer to you on your way down than you were to them when you were on your way up." Trust me, you will go down.

Just wait until you get older. You will not be retiring because you will never afford it. Say you have your income planned and it is sufficient? Think again. This economy so volatile that you too will find yourself searching for a decent place to live. Why in the hell have prices gone up so high?

Well, for the last 40 years or so, the little corporations have all been bought out by the big ones. When the big ones got big enough, they started to charge more and more for less and less. Then, they made things worse. All of the good jobs Americans held, were shipped to places where they work for $2 a day. I am in Georgia. At one time, we had a thriving textile industry and good jobs were plentiful, which in turn creates more good jobs, since those workers spent some money. Now, most of the clothes we buy come from places like Guatemala and Malaysia. To add insult to injury, the prices of those very poorly made clothes is going higher and higher. So, obviously, the profits of the big corporations goes higher.

The circle goes on and on, and more and more, a small, very small percentage, of the population controls the wealth. In the future, this will lead to higher and higher food costs and rents so high that few will afford them. Watch for this: we had a Housing Bubble break, and it was a disaster for many. One fine day, very soon, we will see the Commercial Real Estate bubble break and then the crap will hit the fan. What do you think will happen when stores in strip malls go bankrupt, when those mall and commercial developers cannot pay their bank loans?  What do you think will happen when folks, and believe me this is coming soon, cannot afford the rent most places charge? The property owners cannot lower rent and still pay their loans. They will default. I have seen this at a property I once worked for and it is a nightmare. When this happens enough, the big corporations who are all tied to the big banks, will own it all and you and me, the good ordinary working Americans will be in a deep stink.

The other reason I speak of America's loss of soul is the fact that there are damn few in this Country who are willing to face this and even begin to figure a way out. The only solution is to band together and do not let your friends and loved ones get hurt, but, you know what? I see very few who are even willing to do that. Folks say they will, but when it comes right down to it, "no, sorry. can't help."
The only way out lies with individual responsibility and to be honest, I am not sure that can do much to stem the coming disaster.

I should have some answers, after all, I am writing all these dire predictions and making all these harsh judgments (and trust me, I am just skimming the surface), but I am fresh out of answers. Sometimes problems build to a point where there is no good solution and all you can do is let the whole mess collapse and then salvage what you can, before creating something new. Not very cheery, huh? Well, perk up. The Super Bowl will be here before you know it.

America's Young Workers

I would like to say something nice about young, working people. I have worked aroound a few and noticed something interesting, a new approach. I was brought up to believe that after trying a few jobs and goofing around a little, you had to settle into a job and stay there, slowly moving up the ladder by working as hard as you can. I did just that and after over 20 years and enough hard work to cause a lot of damage to my body, the job fell apart and I was out. I discovered that my long term loyalty was not appreciated as time and time again prospective employers said that having only one job they could call for reference was no good. I pointed out that it showed stability and hard work, but, no.

I then drifted from little job to little job finally settling in a terrible job that had one advantage, stability, so I stayed. We all got a twenty-five cent a year raise and each raise brought more and more demands. I finally broke down physically and was forced to take early retirement Social Security. But, this isn't sbout me.

I have seen young folks in minimum wage, dead end jobs and they refuse to take them as any more than that. They show up, do a reasonable amount of work, with a reasonably decent attitude and when the boss gets too demanding, which they always seem to do, they just leave. No emotions, no attachment and no stress, and that is a realistic approach.

But, when you talk to them, you find that many of them, many, are studying, working on projects and thinking of new ideas for businesses and, when they feel ready, they have no qualms about giving it a go. Do they all succeed? Of course not, but even when these ventures fail, they cheerfully walk away ready to revise the plan and start over or to try a new plan. And, they do sometimes succeed, always because they thought up a new product, service, or approach to business that works.

Of course this does not apply to all young people, some truly are just dull clods, just as many older workers are, but it seems that more and more, behind that face saying, "you want fries with that?" there is a mind that is planning and scheming. To those, I have two bits of advice. First, stay fearless and keep at it. Two, be careful at that little stop gap job you have; those bruises and sprains you get when you're twenty come back and bite you in later years. Whatever happens, don't give up and don't give in to the pressure to take the easy way.