Rantings

Or maybe this should be titled Rantings Part One. There will be, for sure more...

Today's is about the economy, mostly; and the election, partly...just in case you want to stop reading.

I see that Exxon Mobile posted the highest profits ever last quarter...surprise surprise! This makes several highest profits ever for a quarter for them. Although the price of fuel is down right now I don't expect that E-M's profit will drop much. Crude oil is costing them less. I would be surprised if oil company profits started falling any time soon.

But if oil company profits are high it would seem to indicate that the economy is in good shape. High profits means that things are going along swimmingly, right? But check around...we the people are not doing so great economically right now. Senior citizens are losing the money they intended to get them through the rest of their lives. Young people are worried about their jobs. Middle aged people are just plain worried. (Of course, that is nothing new, middle aged people have a lot to worry about.)

Consumers are cutting back on purchases. Another indication that the economy is not doing well. Consumers have to cut back, they have just about no choice. If the money is not available...if one has to decide between eating and buying goods, then buying goods is going to lose it's priority. Senior citizens have to decide between eating, purchasing health services and buying goods. I am surprised whenever one of us seniors buys anything remotely considered consumer goods. ( I have noticed that there still are a lot of Senior Citizens at McDonalds every morning though...of course senior coffee is not very much money.)

Personally, I have thought for some time that the economy would slow down. And that it would hurt when it did. I think that the adjustment had to come. It should have come much sooner in fact, and if it had it would not have been as harmful. It would have still hurt, but perhaps not as much. It is no surprise that the 'little' people bear more than their share of the burden. It is just the way it is...the 'little' people always pay the freight in this world. It isn't right but it just the way it is.

Which brings me to the politics part of this Rant, or Raving. Mr McCain is always taking Mr Obama to task for wanting to 'redistribute the wealth', and being a 'socialist'... Which indicates to me that it is alright with McCain that the 'little' people 'pay the freight'. He seems to be saying that is the American way. I can see that is the way it is, but does that mean that it cannot change? Or if that it changes we are 'heading down the slippery slope' of socialism? I believe that changing what is incorrect about this country is an important goal. And it is wrong that the few wealthy people can protect their wealth and the many poor people have to give their 'wealth' up...to the very same wealthy people that are protecting their wealth. I admit I don't know how that change should be manifested. Only that change is needed. McCain is wrong! And please don't get me started on Ms Palin!

So then Mr Obama is right??? Well, maybe he is more right, in my opinion. Unfortunately, there is only a more right-more wrong type of choice this election. IMNSHO...Mr Obama is the most right. He is the most right for the economy, for health care, senior citizens, and the rest of America as well. It is time for a change! And I pray that the change is the right one for us all...Amen.

Who????

The Election is less than two weeks away. So once again I need to decided which candidate is most likely to do the least harm...er, do the most good.

John McCain is talking a lot about Barack Obama being a socialist. He often remarks that Obama wants to 'redistribute' wealth. I have always thought that working hard should be rewarded with monetary gains. For over thirty years, I worked hard -farming- and the monetary gains mostly ended up in someone elses wallet. But none the less I believe in trying to get ahead. I am not at all sure that is possible however.

It seems to me that John McCain also wants to 'redistribute' the wealth. Distributing wealth from those who are earning wages to those who already have most of the money in the world. In fact, that seems to be the goal of most. To move more money out of the wallets of wage earners and into the bank accounts or stock accounts of the people who are running the companies.

I maintain that if moving money up the ladder is a good thing, then mmoving it down is as well. There has to be money in the wallets folks or there is none available to move up. I'm not sure that concept is realized by those who have the money. Maybe if all the money was in those hands, whether or not there was more money would not be important? Or would the few that had it just try to redistribute is amongst themselves? The latter is more likely I think.

McCains health care plan seems to be to give the insurance companies some money and then to tax the insured on that money. That may be simplified somewhat. But it once again is 'redistributing' wealth from the many to the few. The few in this case being both the Treasure Department and the Insurance companies. I am not at all sure what Obama's health care plan would be. I have no confidence that any health care plan presented by the US Government or insurance companies would be beneficial to us people.

So for whom should I vote. Well, I have two weeks nearly left to decide. I wonder if Pat Paulson is running this year? I guess not. Sigh.

I woke up this Morning

Today when I woke up, I was in that fog which comes almost remembering a dream. Exactly what I dreamed does not seem to be available, but the anxiety is still messing with my mind, and body as well.

Now it is afternoon and the anxiousness is still with me. I have been thinking all day about H&R Block. I think that some (most) of the dread I feel is coming from that direction. (The economy, also). Last Monday's class featured a lot of 'corporation speak'. My instructor is an evangelist from the Block Church. She is a true believer. That is OK for her, but 'Corp Speak' means 'corp thinking' and 'corp thinking' is one of the things I hate most in this world. I worked under that type of thinking for 10 years, and it is not happy, healthy, or beneficial at all. Yes, I can exist in that environment...do I want to exist there? Not at all! Never Again!

Monday's class was filled with buzz words and phrases which mean something to my instructor. But every one of them set my mind on edge. I feel that 'corp speak' is a bane on individualism, and to me individually. I DO NOT want to be a part of that at all. Corporate thinking is one of the big items that is wrong with the USA today. We, as Americans, go along with too much of that type of thinking. Why should Block's bottom line be of any importance to me? I don't believe there Is a reason why it should. Corporate thinking all too often equals greed. That type of thinking is why we the people of America (not the government!) had to bail out the banks. Has that bail out worked? Well, check out today's market to see. That bailout was instigated by the same people that caused the problem in the first place. Have any of those ideas been good? I think not!

I do feel that helping people prepare their income tax is a worthy endeavor. But maybe I would be better off in another setting? I am beginning to believe that is the truth. Anywhere else might be a better place to be. I will have to think on that some more.

I have never quit anything I have started. That is one thing I do not do. But! I don't believe I can stay with the class and also stay true to myself. I am convinced that the anxiety I am feeling is directly related to the 'corporation think/speak' I have been hearing and feeling at that class. I have always been good at being stubborn. This time however, I am not going to hang in there just to prove that I can. I am tired of the anxiousness. I am tired of the feeling that this is just wrong. I am not going to finish my class. I will keep the book. I paid for it-it is mine. I will do the reading and the exercises. But I am not going to finish the class and I am not going to be one of H&R Block's People. This is my effort to remain true to what I believe!

Now I do feel better...

Oh Yeah

I got 95% on my second attempt on the H&R Block midterm exam. Hurrah! My reading skills are improved? or maybe I just paid more attention! My instructor was estatic. She was feeling low because of the first 5 tests only 2 'passed'... I for sure am feeling terrific right now....

OH Nooooo!

This is not Good! I am taking a class at H&R Block. Last night I took the midterm exam. And I did not score high enough! I can't believe it! Some how my mind did not get itself around a couple of concepts, I guess...This 66 yr old mind is not as sharp as I thought! I am PO'd bigtime. If there is any good news in this it is that I got the part of the exam that was actually preparing someone's taxes all correct. So does that mean I can do the work, but I can't read the test? It does look that way right now. I get to try again tonight...Hopefully those results will be much better..

rainy Wednesday night

It is a rainy night here in Michigan... and I am brand new to Blogging...but here goes.
I am taking a break from thinking about the mess this country is in. Just letting the rain soothe away all my worries. It is good to step back and just let things go, sometimes. Just let Nature/God/or Whatever (One and the Same)Be and forget my petty worries. It is time to get out the old flattop and make some music with my favorite fiddler.