Candidate for Sale

Boy, have I been suffering technical difficulties. My laptop is on the fritz and I can't seem to get myself to a stationary PC to do my post. We have the heat concentrated in a few areas in the house so the laptop gives me the flexibility to write without freezing to death which is what I'm doing now. Since I do not want to be one of those blog writers who suddenly disappears into the blogosphere with nary a notice nor a warning, here I am.

Even though I did not write much down, my brain was a constant whir what with the Supreme Court decision that essentially unleashed unlimited corporate funds, both foreign and domestic, into our election process. The corporation, they determined, is a living being and therefore entitled to free speech. Great! Now they can blatantly undermine the free will of the people by essentially buying elections if they so choose and what can we do about it? Lobbyists just received the largest boost a high court could ever bestow. Congress, so far, has been powerless before them and now, Congress might as well attach sponsorship logos to their suits.

In response, I am offering myself up. I am willing to be a bought candidate. Why not, I'd have fame, power and somehow, after serving in office, I'd be rich. What's not to like for the common man, so sayeth Newt Gringrich. He posited that the Supreme Court decision is great for middle class candidates because now they will have access to a larger donation pool. Oh have we taken a leap back.

Massachusetts Democrats Lose Kennedy's Seat

So the Democrats have lost Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts, thus losing their super-majority status in the Senate. It was the Democratic candidate's to lose and she blew it.

In theory, the Democrats can still get things done in the Senate but they have steadfastly shown themselves to not have much fortitude when they are up against the Republicans so we probably shouldn't hold our breath. Certainly the healthcare bill is threatened but many of us are not so certain we like it in its current form anyway.

The Republicans will call this a referendum against President Obama and the Democrats and we certainly won't hear the rest of it. But, since most of the masses are still ravaged by the recession, and this past year looks like the year Wall Street rooted the Treasury and laughed all the way to the bank, negative populism can easily overcome the masses. And sadly, it has.

In one short year, Americans appear to be forgetting how the Republicans set the stage for their financial ruin and are quickly voting them back in. But then again, if the solution to fixing the economy was to give money to the financial institutions who caused it, I guess the way to fix the government is to vote back in the people who broke it.

Martin Luther King, Jr Day

Ah, MLK Jr. Day, the not-so national holiday. I had to work today. The fact that a large percentage of corporate America does not include this day as a true holiday is unfortunate. But, this is not the only one, Columbus Day enjoys a similar fate. So, happy MLK Jr. Day to those of you in the public sector for whom all of these national holidays are guaranteed.

Contracting Automatically Discourages Breaks

I am happy to report that my consulting gig is good. However, I have never been so tired. I think because the contractor arrangement automatically discourages taking any of the breaks to which full-time workers are entitled. Since you are paid by the hour, there is no incentive to take a break for lunch, for instance, that 1/2 hour break representing a loss of real cash. (And, there certainly will be no time off for appointments, sickness and/or vacations.)

In order to maximize my paycheck and fit within an 8 hour day, 9:15 to 5:15 so I can put one child on the bus in the morning and retrieve the both of them in a timely manner after work, I work every minute and eat while I work. I bring lunch to ensure that I do not have to spend any time procuring it. Granted, a "no break" strategy is probably not the best strategy but it is painful to take any break when that break is associated with a dollar amount; I cannot bill for lunch and so I press on.

Every penny counts when you haven't worked in a year and it takes a full three months for the financial benefits to kick in. I keep staring at my spreadsheet - I'm an excel crazy; every cent of my world is captured on spreadsheets - and it is clear that I will not get ahead of my obligations for at least three months. I have heard this from others who have returned to work; it takes a while for those new dollars to make a dent. Thankfully, the company likes me so far and I'm making headway on my project. That's all I can ask for and so I press wearily, but happily, on.

Devastating Knock Out

What happens when an already devastated country sustains a devastating earthquake with an epicenter directly underneath the capital city, home to 2,000,000 people? Disaster. Haiti has long been the scourge of the Western Hemisphere and this 7 on the Richter scale blow from mother nature - the first in nearly 200 years - has shuffled Haiti's deck. Thankfully, the world is responding but the insufficient infrastructure - one reporter described Port-au-Prince as an "overpopulated and underdeveloped" city - is impeding aide and rescue workers.

News out of Haiti is stilted, even a true estimate of victims cannot be established. There were no "earthquake proof" buildings and the Presidential Palace, UN Complex, the Parliament and other "important" structures have collapsed or are severely damaged. I feel deeply moved by this tragedy. Perhaps my Caribbean heritage is creating a kinship. This humanitarian effort sure does straighten us out a little bit from the woe and personal devastation many of us are feeling right here at home. In the end, the world is greater and needier than we.

Eathquake: Haiti

When it comes to Haiti, no news is bad news. I have heard it said, "maybe God doesn't like Haiti" because the country seems to suffer the worst of all ills. For the past 100 years, it has been in turmoil; politically and financially corrupt coupled with abject poverty. A recipe for continued strife that that has so far defied solution. An earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale is a killer blow.

Collective Amnesia

Unfortunately, we are suffering in an increasingly acrimonious political climate - the fact that the Republicans can be so downright nasty as to wring any joy or hope out of Obama's presidency is staggering. People are flocking to purveyors of negativity in such distressing fashion that they have managed to blame the President for everything that is wrong in America. Why are we allowing such collective amnesia?

The fact that we have an opinion (in the guise of news) channel that can claim number one status because there are so many followers of its relentless negativity should make us all shudder. Yet, they are making inroads and we will regret this when we start to vote all of these haters into office come November. Because, their supporters will show up in droves, the rest of us will not and by apathy allow it to happen.

There may be many things wrong with America but allowing a culture of hate and by extension allowing the political party that brought us the last not so wondrous decade to return should bring us pause.

I Just Got Paid Today

My year of unemployment has come to an end, at least for the next six months should I get to serve out my entire contract. And, after what seems like eons, I garnered my first paycheck today. Due to the timing of the payroll and the company's holiday schedule, it was only for three days but it was the sweetest cash that I have earned in a while and I am thoroughly excited.

I spent this last year polishing just about every aspect of my employable world, my resume, my interviewing skills, my professional skills through continuing education, my outlook, my aspirations and my well-being. I exercised, ate even less and lost some weight and increased my frugal reins in addition to spending quality time with my children. It has been quite journey. Now, I am simply grateful and elated for the opportunity to work while remembering my fellow compatriots for whom unemployment marches on. I am rooting for you all.

The State of the Island

The State of the Island is still declining. This is from the Long Island Business News, December 18, 2009,

"A recent study regarding the social, financial and physical health of Long Islanders found financial hardship growing in the region, along with increases in child abuse drug use and youth crime as well as a rise in the percentage of income spent on housing.

Sarah Eichberg, Adelphi’s director of community research and an author of the report, “Vital Signs 2009: Measuring Long Island’s Social Health,” summed up the findings on a conference call with a half dozen reporters.

“While still one of the most affluent areas in the country, Long Island has been hard hit by the recession,” Eichberg said.

The report found the “region frequently exceeds state and national levels on social health indicators, however, many indicators are moving in a negative direction.”

Record numbers of homes are in initial stages of foreclosure on Long Island, reaching 4,804 in the second quarter of 2009, up 48.7 percent in Nassau and 71 percent in Suffolk from the second quarter of 2007. The number rose to 5,851 by the end of the third quarter of 2009.

Meanwhile, nearly half of homeowners and more than half of renters as of that date spent at least 30 percent of income on housing.

Although average employee wages nationwide rose 3 percent from 2007 to 2008, they declined 5 percent on Long Island, falling below 1999 wages adjusted for inflation, according to the report.

“This decline has grave consequences for working individuals and their families,” according to the study.

Food Stamp household enrollment from May 2006 to May 2009 shot up 43.5 percent in Nassau and 54 percent in Suffolk. Personal bankruptcy filings from March 31, 2008 to March 31, 2009 rose 42.6 percent in Nassau and 32.3 percent in Suffolk."

While we may be captivated by national troubles, it behooves us all to look at solutions closer to home. As we enter the 3rd year of recession, there is no doubt that the effect on the middle class is significant. How will the Island unite toward common goals that will benefit the whole region? For now, because of deep provinciality on a town by town and sometimes, village by village basis, it remains very divided.

I Want My HGTV

Cablevision subscribers in the tri-state area woke up Jan 1st to find out that HGTV and Food Network had been dropped from the lineup. Scripps Networks, owners of the two networks, are feuding with Cablevision over fees for the channels. Cablevision has been launching attack ads against Scripps ever since urging subscribers to pressure Scripps into making a deal with Cablevision. Cablevision just raised my rates so I am a little annoyed that two of my five favorite stations are now gone. What the hey?

If you happen tune in to these now blank stations, you will be treated to Cablevision's apology/explanation claiming that Scripps is being unreasonable for requesting triple the fees that it once got from Cablevision to be a part of the lineup. Cable networks are biting back because they want a bigger piece of the action; they want some of the subscription fees that cable providers collect from all of us poor sods. I'm paying Cablevision $85 for television and double that when you add in internet access and voice lines; there is no competition, yet.

I don't know how much Scripps Networks should get so how do we know whose side to come down on in this feud. I know that Cablevision is making a mint and now that they also own Newsday, they have a virtual media monopoly on the Island. So, maybe they should give Scripps what they want. On the other hand, does Scripps deserve triple their fees. I don't know, I just want my HGTV.

Happy 2010...Good Luck!

Wow, it is 2010! A whole decade has gone by and I still vividly remember partying like it was 1999. Well, it has been a whirlwind of a holiday. Somewhere in there, I started work; I accepted a 6 month consulting gig a couple of weeks ago and they wanted me to start right away. A little strange since not much was going on but it gave me time to settle in without pressure which was good. But, I had to turn things around quickly, having to secure childcare and cleaning services very quickly. I know I am spoiled but I was lucky to hire back the same two individuals who lost their jobs in my service when I lost mine last year. And now, a year later, my schedule is back to where it once was. I am even working a little closer to home than my lost job, if that was even possible. Thankfully, I am happy where I am so far and, should it turn into a long term deal, I can manage it. If it does not, I'll be off for the summer, also not a bad prospect. For sure, I am happy to be working again.

We don't know what 2010 will bring. I know a lot of people saying good riddance to 2009 and I almost fell into that category, believe me. But, in the nick of time, it turned around for me. I'm not sure what it all means except maybe there is more hope out there for all us. Good Luck!