Happy Holidays!

More of the Same

We are still fighting in Afghanistan

We are still fighting in Iraq

Guantanamo is still open

Financial institutions are still raking in the dough

Special interests and Lobbyists have completely hijacked the government

The costs for entitlement programs (Social Security and Medicare) continue to rise

The Military Industrial Complex is completely indestructible and the costs continue to escalate

The middle class is still shrinking

The national debt has reached an amount formerly considered catastrophic

The government is morally bankrupt

American corporations have bought our leaders

Congress' approval rating is still dismal

And so on....

As we reach the end of the aughts, the problems are still the same except for the common person/taxpayer, their situation has cratered - staggering unemployment, staggering defaults on debt, be it mortgage, credit card, auto or small business loan, and a staggering weight upon their shoulders as America's future seems increasingly bleak.

So, all we have to look forward to is next year. I do really feel like skipping the holidays because I really don't want to shop or be put in the position of having to shop considering the economic uncertainty that continues to swirl around us. Some are calling the Recession over but many of us are still deep in a depression in many ways. Yes, I do know that holiday spirit can work wonders, especially in times like these, so I am going to put down my typing fingers and try to find some. And I won't be back until I do.

Employment is not the Guarantee it Once Was

It seems that it is now time for me to buckle down and face the future. My world is about to radically change. It is pretty clear that the job prospects that I am currently pursuing will not be as convenient as my previous employment and will require a complete shift in lifestyle. It will mean two parents commuting to work for hours each day. I wonder if it is the right thing to do. All of that travel to sustain a life out here.

While my spouse is lucky enough to be able to take the train, I will most certainly have to drive which will undoubtedly add further stress to my commute. Though I have enjoyed living out here, I really have not established a deep sense of community so in some ways I wouldn't mind moving closer to the city where both my spouse and I would be much closer to the corporate centers that provide the type of jobs for which we are qualified. The downside is that the children have established a community for themselves and do not want to leave.

The new reality is that employment is not the guarantee it once was; there are simply not enough jobs now even for those who are qualified. While gaining employment now requires greater sacrifice than we could have imagined even a short year ago; not gaining employment is having a devastating impact on the middle class. The middle class life is becoming even more difficult to sustain because the types of "good-paying jobs" that fueled the growth of this class continue to rapidly disappear. From all accounts, it is pretty clear that the middle class is shrinking. Long Island is a middle class world and so I fear for its future.

With little job creation on the Island to look forward to - a recent survey in the Long Island Business News indicated that 75% of Long Island companies do not plan on hiring in 2010 - many more of us will probably have to uproot or travel great distances to gain employment. I will be one of those people and so it is almost certain that it will be difficult for me to continue to write with the frequency that I do now. I will see, so shall all of us.

All I Want for Christmas is a Job

My job search is heating up right when I should be focusing on the holidays. I am so completely distracted that it has suddenly occurred to me that it will be Christmas two weeks from tomorrow and I am far from ready. While I have incredible respect for each and every celebration that occurs during this time period, my family celebrates Christmas and it is to this holiday that I refer. Right now, I have no tree and no lights and I have sent no cards and I have not done any shopping. It seems to me that the Christmas spirit has been severely crimped this year, two years of Recession will do that to us, I suppose.

I have not tapped into any overt excitement even though there are only two weeks left. Have we lost our joy? Even the children are not bothering too much about it. They literally have no Christmas lists, it is incredible. But then again, children are resilient and they do respond to the times and though my children are fortunate to live in true suburban comfort, we have tried to refocus them on other pursuits besides the collection of material things. They have been showered with lots of love, attention and affection while I have been out of work so maybe we are simply reaping the benefits of that. They are simply happy to have me around and we all cherish the time because we know I will eventually be back to work.

We have experienced a serious dent to our disposable income so I'm not really in the mood to shop. And while some will experience an urge to splurge just to break up the monotony of lack, I don't feel that materialism will cheer me up. I just want to work. I am excited about the prospect of going to work. And I know for sure that I will be the happiest worker ever for my gratitude will be intact for years. These last three years have been tough for us so I won't be looking any gift horse in any mouth. I suppose that my truth is at hand, all I want for Christmas is a job. I'll be more than happy to celebrate Christmas later when I have made enough money to really and truly afford some gifts.

Let's Just Elect the Lobbyists and Skip the Charade

The word is trickling out that the Senate has reached a healthcare agreement that does not include a public option. In lieu of the public option, it is suggested that medicare be opened up to those 55 and over - they would have to pay a premium - and medicare would be increased to cover those making up to 130% (or thereabouts) of the federal poverty rate. While this option would help those who currently have no health insurance, it does nothing to help those of us covered by increasingly expensive employer plans. Without a public option to provide competition to private insurers, how will they ever have any incentive to lower prices?

Healthcare is not just about providing coverage to those who do not have it, it is also about the rest of us who are paying through the nose for it; employers and employees alike. What is truly sad is that the general consensus is that a bad bill is better than no bill? Of this, I am very afraid. If healthcare costs increase over the next 5 years at the same rate as the last 5, we are doomed. How much more of our paychecks will be lost to premiums and taxes?

Though we have known for quite some time that the special interests were winning, it is pretty clear to me now that they have won; they have completely hijacked the will of the people. After all, there has been very little legislation coming out of Congress that has been good for the average citizen for quite some time. As one letter writer to the Times Editorial page put it, "Maybe we should elect the lobbyists directly to Congress and skip the charade." (11/29/09)

Keeping the Job Hunt Rolling

Rolling, rolling, rolling, keep that job hunt rolling...

Tomorrow I continue my bid for a civil service position. It has been a long and arduous process but I'm happy to still be in the running having reached the actual interview stage. Yes, I am indeed drinking the koolaid when it comes to working in the public sector. But the public sector has fared well, despite the recession, because states and localities used federal stimulus money to plug their budgets and avert layoffs among the rank and file.

Unfortunately, the influx of federal cash won't be available next year and state and municipal tax revenues continue to decline meaning that next year there will be huge budget gaps to fill. So, those of us attempting to join the ranks of public employment at this juncture may be late to the game. I must admit that I am concerned that any new recruits will not have the same job protections as the sitting ducks and I feel that even if I do land a civil service job, I may end up being part of a new wave of layoffs unprecedented in the public sector.

Nevertheless, I am still going for it because I am at least intrigued by the position and having reversed myself on the sector entirely, I truly hope to get it. I am willing to adjust my worldview for the right opportunity and those of us who are unemployed know that we must be flexible in order to improve our odds. Despite recent positive data on the national level, the employment horizon remains bleak on Long Island. Competition is fierce and we have to play hard to win while being thankful for the chance to step onto the playing field. Tomorrow I step out onto the field. Wish me luck.

Where Did the Swine Flu Go?

I thought we were still in the middle of a swine flu pandemic, the re-emergence of an old strain - slightly mutated - that threatens the global populace. Last month, there was a shortage of the vaccine, did we get it? Is everyone happily vaccinated now? Or, has swine flu prevention just become a regular part of our lives such that swine flu fear and the accompanying fear-mongering headlines are no longer necessary. Or, has swine flu simply gone the way of avian "bird" flu or SARS? Maybe there is not enough room in the news cycle, what with all the economic collapse, healthcare reform and unwinnable wars we are surrounded with. Not to mention Tiger Wood's early morning solo car crash at the end of his driveway followed by a wife wielding a golf club and the subsequent admittance of "transgressions" on his part.

Schools and businesses have loaded up on hand sanitizer and education initiatives to help people learn, yet again, hand-washing techniques which we all should know by now is the single most effective method for preventing any type of contagion. Hasn't there been a sign in every public restroom for the past 30 years? Hopefully, it is all sinking in and people continue to be careful, for the cold weather is rapidly approaching and by extension the worst of the cold and flu season. Maybe there will be a decrease in simple colds and flu as an additional bonus from all the swine flu preventive methods we are all supposed to be practicing. Whatever the case, I'm doing all that I can do to prevent myself from getting sick. Excuse me while I go load up on some more vitamins.

Jobs Revisited Again

Well, it is not like the problem of jobs has gone anywhere, the topic has been front and center for the last two years. And for all that has been said about creating them and saving them and stimulating them, nothing has happened and the unemployment rate now stands at 10.2% as we all painfully know.

Tomorrow President Obama will hold a Job Summit at the White House. Business leaders and political dignitaries will brainstorm with the President about how to create jobs in America. All should read Paul Krugman's New York Time's editorial, The Jobs Imperative (11/30/09) for a well tempered view on the subject. Unfortunately, neither he nor his colleagues have much faith in the summit. I'll guess we'll see what the President comes up with.

In Afghan We Stand

Today President Obama announced his plans for Afghanistan, in response to General McChrystal's request for 40,000 more troops. Many military experts criticized the General's request as paltry considering that a true counterinsurgency strategy required significantly more troops. Anyway, the President basically said that we have the resurgence of the Taliban and Al Qaeda which is a tremendous security risk for America so we need a surge and we have a coalition of the willing. Except, he assured us that this would not be an open ended commitment. What does that sound like? I'm afraid that "Bush-lite" is really going to stick on this one.

Essentially, President Obama plans to send 30,000 troops within the next 6 months. Apparently NATO will send some as well, for some 43 nations are in support of our surge. NATO is expected to make an announcement later this week. The President did not refer to his strategy as a surge but that is essentially what it is, for in the summer of 2011 he plans to start drawing down troops. But what happens if things take another turn for the worse like in Iraq where our military surged and then surged again?

The cost of the surge is estimated at $30,000,000,000. The new number circulating is that the war costs $1,000,000 per soldier. Obviously this is a disingenuous number calculated by dividing the total cost of the war by the number of troops; it is the military equipment that is costly not the individual soldier. The rationale for the President's strategy is that we need to re-take some geography from the Taliban and Al Qaeda and train more Afghan security forces before we can leave. Those of us who wanted to end the war sooner than later will be disappointed. Those of us who wanted the full troop assignment (and then some) will also be disappointed.