Just found out that the Tradin' Post is going out of business. It was a weekly that you could find in most carry outs. The place to look for a car as well as other stuff. With Craigslist and Ebay I guess that it was a matter of time before enough people listed their items on the internet before it made the Tradin' Post obsolete.
And the other print media is getting hit too. I haven't subscribed to a paper for years. I get all my news off of the internet. And you can see that we are in the middle of a gigantic shift. From print to electronic delivery of news and information. Why watch the 6 o'clock news - you can watch news 24 hours a day on the news channel or get news real time on the internet.
Unemployment in Ohio is the worst since the early 1980's. We are at 8.8%; the highest that it was in the 80's was over %13. I guess that it is worse up in Michigan.
Obama is making changes lightening quick and is being very agressive. With the economy in a tailspin, he is tacking on spending programs left and right. But at some point the bills come due. He promises no new taxes except for the rich. But I suspect that either the definition of rich will change or the definition of taxes will change. Already I am hearing of carbon credits and an increase of the gas tax. So I am thinking that the income tax may be left alone while other things are taxed.
My situation has improved - at least temporarily. I start at new job on Monday. It is a 3 month contract to migrate software from an unix system to a linux system. Sounds like they also need some reporting done and so forth. So it could easily go over 3 months if they want all of the items on the wish list. It's either feast or famine. I also got a call back from another company. They were ready to offer, but I told them that I had made a commitment and wanted to stick to it. I think it is bad karma to break a commitment like that and switch. So time will tell using integrity will pay off or not. The contract doesn't pay that much money, but it's something.
My dealings with the TAA and the TRA (programs for displaced workers) are mired in red tape and bureaucracy. My claims were denied, I am appealling but it is an uphill struggle. I have spent several hours on the phone to no avail. It is easy for the government to take your money in taxes. But when it is time to get something back, they throw umpteen obstacles in your path. I am about to give it up and forget about it.