Is the economy really as bad as they say?

[HMVWNAB]

As a former employee of 23 years, give this a read to see the demise of a former technology industry leader and innovator.

As someone put it to me, the company once run by engineers is now run by accountants.


http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2014/What-Happened-to-Motorola/
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What are the last 2 words of the National Anthem?
PLAY BALL!

[T Hollis]

If this is any sign we are in big trouble!

I own a little over three acres that I have planted fruit trees i.e. apple and cherry on. I mow it once a week and water as needed. It is covered with grass and clover which in years past has attracted honey bees. This year as I mow I have not seen "ANY" honey bees what-so-ever! This is very concerning to as my trees need to be cross pollinated to bear fruit and from what I am seeing this year it is not going to happen!

And.

The freak'n "Japanese Beetles" are worse than I have ever experienced! They are not only eating my fruit tree leaves but, are destroying my grapes!

So...personally, I say if this is the norm, yes we are in big trouble!

No bees...no food.

[vdubyah73]

The topic is "economy" not "ecology".

Bill
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burning down the house

73 bounty hunter, sold.
'77 transporter, junked had crotch rot.
Dubless, but have a CPR built stroker waiting for a new to me Beetle
'93 Fleetwood Bounder 34'

[T Hollis]

[Cusser]

Mrs. Cusser and I got shingles vaccine injections today. Took 1 hour at home with calls to Walgreens (3rd time), then to Aetna insurance, numerous times on hold, who told us it would cost us nothing out of pocket at any CVS. Walgreens had told us $234 each out of pocket, but on 2 previous calls on different days told us no cost.

After that: 1.25 hour round trip to CVS 3 miles away for the computer entry and the injections. No wait to be helped at CVS, just forever for woman to enter in the stuff into the computer and get OK from Aetna. Actual injection part took about 1.0 minutes each.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[T Hollis]

"Yes" - "Yes" - "Yes" it is as bad as they say and getting worse!

Short Story.

Went to the grocery store today to purchase a few items for dinner this evening.
In the produce department was a display advertising 'Bing Cherries' already bagged up in neat little zip open bags.
I love bing cherries so I grabbed a bag and placed them in my basket.
At the check-out the checker rang them up and low-n-behold they came to almost $8.00!
Now, I know it was my fault for not paying attention and I really did want them, but $8.00 for a couple pounds of cherries!
Not to long ago they were like .79 a pound.

I've always said, watch the grocery industry if you want to see how the economy is fairing.

[vdubyah73]

They eliminate groceries and energy costs from the cost of living index, they say they are to volatile. Guess what, so isn't Wall St. The end of every 8 year presidential term has brought an "economic downturn". Oil embargo, dot com bubble, credit union crash, housing bubble, etc…. Now is not the time to change jobs, buy a house or other big financial moves, except to maybe bring your money home to more secure places. I expect shit to hit the fan in the next year, I have a quasi government job with a DOL contractor that does job training for disadvantaged young adults. Not a great job but I doubt it will go south on me as it's been in business for decades and gets busier with a weak economy. Guess what, enrollment is up.

Bill
_________________
burning down the house

73 bounty hunter, sold.
'77 transporter, junked had crotch rot.
Dubless, but have a CPR built stroker waiting for a new to me Beetle
'93 Fleetwood Bounder 34'

[79SuperVert]

Part of prudent budgeting is to build a reserve in the good times, so that it will be there for you in the bad times. For instance, paying your mortgage off in advance, and continuing to save the mortgage payments afterwards. You build up a reserve with money that you wouldn't have otherwise anyway, and then if an opportunity comes up, you are ready.

After the 2008 crash, we were able to buy a condo that was a short sale, by using the equity in our house that was fully paid off, and then paying off the home equity loan quickly using our cash reserve. We now rent the condo to one of our daughters and her husband at just enough for the condo to pay for itself, and they pay far less rent than they would otherwise for a comparable place elsewhere.

But to be frugal, you have to learn to live on less. We don't have cable TV, we have a basic 500 minutes cell phone plan, we buy our cars used and pay cash for them, I mow my lawn myself, we pay off our credit cards in full every month, etc. etc. We are blessed that we have never been unemployed, and I fully admit that is part of the reason we are able to do all this.
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Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[TDCTDI]

At anywhere between 92-102 million working age adults that are not working (depending on what source you find), I'd have to say the economy sucks. But what policies are allowing this many people to not work & still survive?
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[T Hollis]

[OB Bus]

[TDCTDI]

http://jobenomicsblog.com/tag/bureau-of-labor-statistics/
Here's one, just look up "number of unemployed in US"

But the chart lower in that article points out that 111 million people are effectively paying the way for the 212 million people (government employees & contractors, while working, are still funded by taxing the 111 million workers.).
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[EverettB]

[vdubyah73]

Here we go! First the shocking unexpected landslide for Brexit, they took their country back. Next will be the surprise win by Trump and the entrenched career politicians as well as banks, insurance co. etc will start losing control of the money. I'm not speaking for or against any political candidate or philosophy, I'm only referring to the economy.

Bill
_________________
burning down the house

73 bounty hunter, sold.
'77 transporter, junked had crotch rot.
Dubless, but have a CPR built stroker waiting for a new to me Beetle
'93 Fleetwood Bounder 34'

[OB Bus]

[vdubyah73]

[mark tucker]

for some it's worse than they say. and some not affected/dont care.and some...doing just fine, and some doing real good..laying off&selling off thier name to china.