Money

I usually keep my political and social views off of the blog, but I just can't keep my mouth shut today I guess. Dave and I are actually more comfortable financially then we have been for our 34 years of married life, and still I don't think we'd even make it into the middle class according to our annual income.

We are being bombarded with the financial crisis the world is in right now. The stock markets are a disaster and big business is uncovering more corruption every day.

I don't know of a single person that shares my feelings, but I've thought for years... how can we go on like this? Wages and prices, even in the general sector have gotten so high, that something had to give someplace. A house that I had built in 1967 (yes, I know I'm ancient) for $11,500 sells today for $250,000! (wish I had that as an investment now) At that time, $100,000 bought you a near mansion custom built home. You can't even buy a car for $11,000 today. Oh yes, and I paid $3000 for a brand new American made car. How can we keep going on a scale like that? At that rate, when Kaitlyn and Keeley get married, what kind of a pay check would they have to bring home to be able to buy a home?

When our gasoline was nearing $5 a gallon, what happened? People started actually cutting back. People started parking those Hummers and gas guzzling SUV's in the garage and drove the VW's. Then the prices started coming down. While the gloom and doom remains the main subject of our newscasters, I can't help but think something good has got to come out of it. Prices and wages cannot just keep going up and up and up without something going bust.

But with the upcoming inauguration I don't think that the powers that be have figured anything out yet. George W's inaugurations was a whopping $40 million dollars and they are predicting that BHO's will be upwards of $150, and that is not counting the $75 million cost to Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia (Baltimore Sun). So while the economy is in the dump, gas prices are starting to rise again because people became complacent very quickly, our President and all of the political cronies will be bathing in the lap of luxury. But let us not forget... BHO is doing his part by making tickets for the inauguration available at discounted prices to his "new neighbors" in DC and is holding a "neighborhood ball" for the average joe.

But I digress... I think that it is going to have to get worse so that people will remember a little longer than they remembered the gas prices, but things have got to change. I don't think it is the fault of the president, republicans or democrats. It all comes back to us and greed. We have to learn to live simpler. If we stop paying the prices, they have to come down.