The World Economy

 And so begins another week, and another mini-heatwave. At sunrise this morning, our outside temp was 43 (F).  We'll be climbing up into the upper 60s (F) today.  Forecasters are predicting that tomorrow our temps will crest in the mid 80s (F).  That's warm.  I don't doubt that the store will see a mini-run on window air conditioners.  This is early enough in the season to k=look for one if you need to buy or replace one, though the selection is not going to be that great.  I'd recommend ;you check out what's on line before trundling you but into the store to look at the 2 or 3 models we have in stock.

Yesterday was a bit of a disappointment.  We were supposed to have breakfast all day, but the associate who was scheduled to man the griddle call off.  She's been sick for about a week, so it's not as if she just picked yesterday to call off.  So, instead of having lots of breakfast delectables for me to graze upon, we had Italian Ice and ice cream.  Even though I love ice cream, I was disappointed at not being able to consume sausages, and pancakes, and French toast.  Though, I will have to admit I did make good on the peanut butter ice cream.

Otherwise the day was boring.  I got in my laps, and another measure.

This is the 7th day since the extraction.  No discomfort.  I'm eating real foods.  This is a good thing, since it won't give me an excuse for eating a half gallon of ice cream.... not that I really need an excuse.

And who, you might ask, could rack up better numbers on Spotify than Bad Bunny?  The answer is Clair Obscur, Expedition 33, a video game about a mother's grief for her young son.  Give it a listen.

As we've all come to expect, the Orange Anus started the new week off with a little market manipulation, by posting that negotiations seemed to be going better than expected.  Of course, this is bullshit.  The only reason for this post is to make Wall Street grow momentarily.  We all know that it's going going to fall again, but Orangie needs to give the billionaires another reason to cheer for him.

He's also posted a flippity gibbet screed about birthright citizenship because it appears the Supreme Court is going to rule against him and white supremacist conservatives.  The more often things go against his dictates, the more likely his head will explode.  

I don't think people understand how his 4 week war with Iran is going to upset the world economy.  His actions will most likely crash the American economy, ant that will have resounding effects on the price of rice in India.  People need to begin developing a "world view."  This idea of "I'm only going to think about it when it effects me," is going to break a lot of people.  When this break happens, and these people complain, make sure you tell them this is what happens when you only think about yourself.

 

Fantastic Four

 Good Morning people!  Our high temp for today has been revised... down.  Our high for today is only predicted to be 96 (F), which means the little red thermometer indicating heat warning is no longer in our forecast.  Now, isn't that nice?  We have a 40% chance of thunderstorms.  Tomorrow that % is up where our high temp was supposed to be today.  If the weathermen are right, Thursday and Friday will be filling up our rain gauges again.

Yesterday was one of the meh days that substitute as Tuesdays.  When I bought my car the dealership recommended I make an appointment with their tech expert in order for her to go over all of the functions and apps on my car.  I cancelled.  The differences between what I had in the Crosstrek and what I now have in the Outback are not that different.  In fact, in today's world of computerized automobiles I suspect there isn't really much difference between one model and the next, so a Ford, or General Motors vehicle is going to have the same apps as a Subaru.

So far today has been much more productive than yesterday.  The first load of laundry has been washed and hung out on the rack to dry, and the second load is in the washer.  One thing I need to do when hanging clothes out to dry is use clothes pins, otherwise Howie will pull T-shirts and shorts off the rack and run around the yard with them in his mouth.  The bread machine is kneading a loaf of bread; I included some wheat flour since I still have about 3 pounds left.  

I went to see Fantastic Four, First Steps last evening.  I liked it a lot.  I have been a fan since the series came out, yes, I am that old.  One of the main reasons was Johnny Storm. What was not to like about a blonde teenager who was so hot he could set himself on fire?  Joe Quinn does not disappoint, even though his Johnny Storm is much older than a fourteen year old boy.  Pedro puts in a great performance as well playing Reed, a man who can stretch his body, but who's logic is much less flexible.

Supposedly the economy grew by 3% which was higher than most economists were predicting.  Before everyone gets out their rah rah pom poms and starts dancing around, we have to remember that this administration has no problem fudging the books in a way to make themselves look good.  We also need to ask ourselves how much of this growth was the result of pre-emptive buying?  You know?  Like me and my new car?  You do know that one of the main reasons for my purchase was the impending price increases brought by tariffs.  So, you need to ask yourselves how many other people are just like me?  Buying when the price is right.  I've already suggested that might be why high priced installations are being purchased.  I don't doubt that there are quite a number of Americans who would rather buy now and save later.

And of course, Orangie did say some truly vile things yesterday about Epstein stealing two of his spa workers.  This is the 3rd reason that he's given for their breakup.  Another was that he discovered his pal Jeffy was having rather unsavory relations with very young women.  The reason most likely to be true was that his pal gypped him on a real estate deal.  Since we all know how long Orangie holds grudges, I would say that is possibly the real reason his friend was arrested and was murdered committed suicide while Orangie was in office.  There are whispers that it was Ghislaine's team that leaked the birthday book to the Wall Street Journal.  Could she be out for a little vengeance?  If this is the case, I wouldn't doubt if she has a veritable treasure trove of dirt on Orangie.

The Goddess of War

 Well, here we are at the end of the work week.  Friday.  I will have Friday's off from here into perpetuity.  Believe me when I say it's so nice to say that.  To celebrate, Mother Nature has given me nice weather, with afternoon temps reaching into the upper 70s (F).  Surprisingly, the forecasters are calling for a cool down in a few days.  Then the afternoon temps will reach into the upper 60s (F), to low 70s (F).  Since we haven't had rain for a few days, we're under a fire watch.  In fact, there are several wildfires burning out near Shippensburg, that's about 45 miles away.

Retail yesterday was successful, measure wise, I got 3, though one shouldn't really count because I made a mistake and asked corporate to update a customers information.  They did, however in doing so they broke the link to the quote and the 2 systems stopped communicating.  We used to have an old Legacy system that did everything and worked well, but what good is software that can't be updated?  Now we have Design Builder for doors, windows, and blinds, HDMS for flooring and back splashes, and Order Up where quotes are built, changed, and paid for, and, as you might suspect, there was zero training because... well, I suppose that would be too much of an added expense.  We were actually told that tenured employees might have problems dealing with the new systems, however new learning them from scratch would do just fine.  Not surprising, even the new employees hate the system.

Did you know that Athena carried both a sword and a shield because she was the goddess of war?

Tell me, has anyone figured out what's going on with the tariffs?  I do not think this is intentional, rather this is what happens when you a bunch of blithering billionaires who are all trying to out-manage each other as they fail to run the country.  The United States cannot be run as a business.

Yesterday Reuters/IPSOs poll had only 37% of Americans thinking that the Orange Anus was doing a good job of handling the economy.  It that's true, that's base Republicans 28% and some idiot Independents who are too focused on their greed to understand how incompetent Orangie is at handing the economy.  According to Fox Entertainment, his approval rating is down to 44%, I think that's too high, but then again this did come from Fox, an, as expected, Orangie got all hissy.  To be honest, all he wants to do is play golf poorly and sign Executive Orders as though they were decrees.  And, in case you're wondering, it's only going to get worse.

The Return of Covid

 Don't you just love the beginning of a new work week?  I do, but then I'm only scheduled to work for 5 hours today, and then I'm off until Saturday.  I like schedules where I'm off for 4 or 5 days in a row.

Pronto Plumbing is coming back out tomorrow morning because... there's a Leak in the drain.  And not a tiny one.  Water drips through my kitchen ceiling.  And not just the occasional drip.  It's fairly constant when I turn on the bathroom faucet.  I'm suspecting that when the original drain pipe was cut, damage was done to the piping under the bathroom floor.  We shall see.  For the time being, I'm not using the bathroom sink.

Yesterday work was slow up until football started, then the store died.  I did end up getting 2 measures, which means I met my goal.  One of the measures that the 'new' guy has set up was given to me, probably because he's new.  

And Covid has reared it's ugly head in the store again.  One of the hardware associates is out with it, as is one of our assistant managers and a flooring aisle associate.  The aisle associated is a 58 year old, unvaccinated Trumpie.  He actually felt that his immune system was special because... well, he thinks he's special.  It's a MAGA thing.  I don't want him to die, but I do hope he gets very ill just so I can chide him when he comes back to work.

Here's another angle of my dahlias.  Love that orange color!

With basically 3 weeks until the elections, there is a Republican media blitz.  I don't know if the Democrats are killing the air space, too, but the GOP seems to be everywhere.  One of the biggest deceits the pushing is that they can fix the economy.  Anybody who's paying any attention to what's going on in the world realizes that's a lie.  Some of the reporting that I'm seeing indicates women, who were so stridently anti-abortion, are leaning Republican simply because of their lies.  They don't realized that the price of gas has been weaponized by both the Saudis and Putin.  They don't realize that even though the American mid-west is called the breadbasket of the world, it is precisely that.  Most of the grain we harvest is exported (just like the oil we pump from the ground) because the growers (and pumpers) make more money doing that then selling it to Americans.  We import many of the grains we use from other countries (that's right).  Countries like the Ukraine.  Republicans are all for this.  For them it's really all about the rich getting richer.

Whiplash!

For those who use Blogger, there have been some subtle changes.  I am always surprised how they fail to give any sort of notification as to how the changes work, not that they're difficult to figure out.  I just wish there was some sort of 'warning.'

Yesterday was one of those... odd days.  One of my 'specialist' associates called off, which meant I was alone until the closing 'specialist' arrived at 1330.  Customers are feeling more comfortable with their masks, so they're waiting in line to talk about having flooring installed. Most of them are older.  That's right.  Outside of Harrisburg, this is a Conservative area, lots of Republicans.  They do not pay attention to warnings, and infection maps, and definitely lack common sense.  The infection rate in Cumberland County is still climbing, as is the death toll.  I can tell you, these people have no clue.

Yesterday was also odd in that I felt a bit tired - 7 days of going to the store, you know?  And when I got home, instead of going for a bike ride, I made linguine.  Pasta.  Carbohydrate hell.  I love it and hate it.  All I ended up doing was a couple of loads of laundry and playing "Doom Eternal."  I'm getting really good at killing off those damn demons.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, the Idiot Jerk was in Arizona at a factory which makes face masks.  Can we talk about a quick pivot here?  Whiplash

 The Coronavirus Task Force will be gone in about a month because of its failure to grow his approval ratings.  Remember, this buffoon is a Reality Star and if the show he's in doesn't garner him the positive ratings he craves, it gets cancelled.  The only thing he has up his sleeve is the Economy.  Now he's vaguely saying we will need to accept some losses, but then losses were never a problem for him.  This is the same Idiot who asked why we just didn't let the virus 'wash' over the country taking out as many as it needed.  And the great economy he brags about was built on Executive Orders which eliminated rules and regulations meant to keep workers safe, to keep corporations from taking unfair advantage of employees and insure they had certain rights, and to protect the environment.    Investors loved this shit and bought heavily.  He and his Party rewrote the tax code so Corporations and Wealthy individuals made out like bandits while the middle and lower classes got little, and again Investors loved this and drove Wall Street higher.  Whiplash!  So he's turning to the one thing he believes can get him re-elected:  the economy.  Remember, he's the one who said you can even 'go to work' if you become infected.  He even issued an Executive Order in an attempt to force meat packing plants to stay open without understanding people don't want someone with Covid - 19 handling their pork chops or grinding their hamburger.  He has a total disregard for human life.  This is why his pivot is going to fail... badly.  The infection rates are still going up and people are still being hospitalized and dying.  This dumb shit thinks that if he doesn't talk about it, no one is going to care.

November approaches.  Vote Blue.   And then let's put this sucker in jail without a phone.d

Glen Blooms!

Well, today is Tuesday and I'm working my 7th day in this schedule.  I have off tomorrow and Thursday, yippee... oh, wait, the forecast for tomorrow is for on and off again rain, with a high of 50 (F).  I might have to do something like a really long bike ride since I'm not going to be able to do anything much outside.
I did sign a customer up for a measure yesterday.  She and her husband had just closed on a new townhouse, and, of course, she asked "how soon can we have this installed?  By the end of the month?"  I told her that was a good time frame.  Guarantee nothing.  One of my fellow sales specialists set up a measure over the phone and did just that; there are going to be problems with that job.
In case you hadn't realized it yet, this little Covid - 19 is going to be with us for a while.  I think back on that supposed 'medic' who got angry and scolded me "this is going to be gone by the 18th."  I suspect he go that from the Idiot Jerk in the White House, a less than human individual who has no regard for human life.  This is evidenced by the casualty predictions, which once again beginning to rise as is shown in this document.  Remember when the CDC was predicting  we were going to lose 60,000 lives?  Well, they've up'd their prediction, in case you didn't know.  Now they're saying 100,000 by June 1 with almost 3000 more a day.  Do the math and you'll see they're low-balling that number.
Why, you ask?  Conservatives want to ease restrictions and get people back to work in a very unsafe environment.  It's about the buckos in the bank, you know?  This is the Republican version of Clinton's "it's the economy, stupid," except they're going to kill people.  And they're going to lose a lot of votes along the way.  Those very people who love the Idiot Jerk in the White House are running around without masks, they're not practicing safe distancing, and he's encouraging their behavior. He doesn't care if they live or die, as long as they go back to work.  What neither he nor they understand is that a vast majority of the country would rather focus on health and safety rather than dollars and cents.  We all know the economy is going to come back... it always has, the recovery is just not going to be as fast as he and they want it to be.  Tough Shit.
And... finally... yesterday as I was heading to my car I saw something amazing.  Glen is blooming!  And it looks like he... she... it is wearing a little green hat!

I never, ever thought Glen was going to put on such a show!

Smash, Crash, Boom, Bang

Well, my first weekend day has not had a very auspicious beginning.  I went to clean the toilet bowl this morning and the bottle of Clorox Scentiva I use was clogged.  At first I thought perhaps some local MAGA head had snuck into the house and had a free disinfectant snort and left the cap open - not the case.  I could twist the red plastic cap open and close - no problem there- so the clog must have occurred farther down in the nozzle.  The bottle was full and rather then chuck the whole thing away, I went downstairs and cut the top off.  Now there's no clog and the toilet bowl is clean.
Yesterday, when I went to work, I discovered my schedule had been changed.  No 2 days off in a row.  In fact, my new schedule only had me off on Monday, oh, and my hours had changed. Instead of working my fixed shift of 0800 - 1 PM, I was now scheduled 0600 - 0830.  We have a part-time cashier who is also a Dave S and some nimble fingered person (either the scheduler or an Assistant Manager) gave me his schedule by accident.  Everything is now fixed.
As far as my store opening up completely, going back to business as usual, I'm expecting that to happen sometime towards the end of May.  Even then I don't doubt the large home improvement retail chain I work for is going to keep a serious eye on the infection rate.  Until there is a vaccine, or a med which will keep people from being hospitalized if they become infected, life is going to change.  I saw snippets of BoJo saying pretty much the same thing.  His tune has changed, somewhat.  He actually said the British people are not going to sacrifice everything they've struggled so hard to get by setting themselves up for a 2nd wave.  Oh, and if the Idiot Jerk in the White House was expecting the NHS to be on the bargaining table, I'm afraid he's going to be very disappointed.
If you listen closely, there is an unmistakable rumble of concern rattling through the GOP, they may not only lose the White House... but the Senate as well.  They allowed a Moral Degenerate to get elected and many, believing he was the 2nd Coming of Reagan, jumped on board his Loyalty Train.  Oh... shit.  Now the Idiot Jerk is barreling full steam towards the cliff and all they can do is clamber back into the caboose, terrified that he's going to take them right along with him, smash, crash, boom, bang into the rocks below.
Today I'm planning on doing some chores around the house.  The drizzly rain we've been having for the past couple of days seems to be on it's way out to sea.  There are breaks in the clouds and occasional rays of sunlight beam down to light upon my lawn; it desperately needs to be mowed.  That will happen tomorrow, after the grass has dried up a bit.  Here's an older shot of my tulips out front.  I'd have an updated one for you but... well, it's been drizzly, shitty rainy.

Now, ain't that the icing on the cake?

Well, it's Monday.  This is my 2nd day off in a row.  I'm living the dream!!!
Yesterday I had to go to the store to buy some wood filler.  I'm painting trim and there were two small holes that needed filling.  While there, I told HR to take my name out of consideration for the COS position.  You see, if I were to get that position I would never, ever again have a three day weekend.  When I'm at work I walk quite a bit, 11 to 12 thousand steps a day going up and down aisles talking to customers.  The position I had applied for is a sitting position.  I have some serious arthritis in my lower back so sitting 8 hours a day is probably not the best for me.  Oh, and it would also be a lateral move for me... no pay increase. 
Gas prices are going to go up!  Saudi Arabia suffered a drone attack.  A couple of interesting points about that.  Even though the Houthis are jumping up and down, claiming responsibility, the Idiot Jerk's administration wants to blame Iran.  Even though we export millions of barrels a year, we import most of our oil from Saudi Arabia.  This is how the GOP wants to make America Great.  Their creed is 'Tis better to make money then to take care of your own.'
You'd think they'd understand higher prices at the pump are going to hurt the Idiot Jerk's approval rating.  Higher gas prices are going to have a detrimental effect on the economy.  That is not a good thing when when you consider the Idiot Jerk's handling of the economy is the only thing that gives his approval rating any kind of boost.  But that's changing as more and more people realize the only thing the Idiot Jerk is good at is blowing smoke up your ass.  Of course, Republicans have been doing that for years... and years... and years.  Think of them as vaping with their rectums.
And speaking of supporters, we had one on Saturday in the flooring department.  A middle-aged white man who loudly said he 'loved the Idiot Jerk.'  He went on to say that ICE had raided the place where "I get my cakes.  I couldn't buy cakes for a while, but now everything back the way it was."...  ... Believe me, I had no idea what this moron was talking about.  I even took the time to Google it.  Cakes... Immigration... illegal aliens.  The only thing I could find was a 2010 raid on a San Diego bakery.  As far as Central Pennsylvania, there was a raid in 2018, but that was at pizza shops in Lebanon and Palmyra, and those individuals were arrested for expired visas.  I know ICE had a big raid down in Mississippi.  Does anyone know if that included a Twinkie factory?  Or maybe Little Debbies?  Personally, I do believe someone's been blowing some rather decorated smoke up this guy's ass... and he likes.

38%

Well, here it is Saturday.  Outside the temps are a cool 59 (F) and there is no 'heat index' in the upcoming forecast.  At this point in the season, summer is 2/3 over and I, for one, am looking forward to the fall.
I've decided to call off work today.  I rode Red Rocks Amphitheater last evening, or at least 10.1 miles of the route and my legs are very sore. Going down the stairs to start the coffee was a bit of an issue.  For those who don't know, there is a very large, outdoor concert venue at Red Rocks.  There are a number of other attractions in the complex.  The complete cycling route is 13. some miles long with steep hills.  This morning my legs are sore.  Besides, I want to prep the X6.  I'm taking it out on the road early tomorrow, before traffic gets flowing.

It looks a bit biblical during concerts.

I'm surprised the Idiot Jerk in the White House hasn't tried to hold a rally there yet.
Right now he's enroute to the G7 where he's going to try and sell some snake oil to Boris Johnson and, of course, desperate Boris will buy it by the case.
And how about the stock market yesterday?  A number of articles I've ready have pointed out one glaring fact:  it didn't begin tanking when Powell said they weren't dropping the Prime Interest rate, nope, it was the Idiot Jerk in the White House increasing the tariffs on China that kicked it off the cliff.  Oops.  So, why did he raise them?  He's saying because China increased tariffs, but speculation is that it had more to do with Powell saying it's the trade wars that are screwing over the American Economy... you know?  Trade wars?
And as things get worse, more and more fingers are going to be pointed at those who put this dumb shit in power:  Racists, older white Americans, White Supremacists, and Evangelical Christians.  Only 38% of Americans approve of the job he is doing.  Now we know what groups make up that percentage.  We need to put them in the loony bin where they all belong.

The hills

Today is my Hump Day.  Yeah, I know, I'm out of sync with most of the world... but then that's retail.
I found out yesterday that the position I had applied for is going to be changed to a part-time position, so I said "thanks, but no thanks."  I want to pay off my car before I even consider going part-time.
Evidently Independent voters who have supported the Idiot Jerk in the White House solely because of the economy are... leaving.  Republicans too, are slowly beginning to sour on the Liar in Chief economic policies.  They are growing concerned about Tariff Wars and their increasing damage to the American economy.  Prices are going up.  I see examples everyday at work.  This past week dirt cheap indoor / outdoor carpet that sold for .40 a square foot last week saw a price increase of 7 cents.  Some may say "hey, what's 7 cents?"  When a product goes from .40 to .47 that's a substantial price increase... it's like... 18%.  Two weeks ago our Lifeproof vinyl flooring went up .20 cents a square foot.  Corporations got a really large tax break... so why the cost increases?  The American people are paying for the Idiot Jerk's Tariff Wars and Independent voters are getting fed up.  They don't realize that in Conservative Economics the little guy is always the one getting nailed.
And I guess some white Republican is racist letters to the Mayor and City Council members of Charlotte.  Of course the writer is quoting the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  This will continue until he is voted out, and even then the stains of his presidency will remain for years to come.
Anyway, I bought myself a 'bike' pillow.

Mostly because it has a red bike on it (like mine) and because it was on Clearance at work.  Half price off.  The only things going down in price are seasonal items, everything else is going up.
My next cycling challenge is to complete the Eistobel route.  It's 16.7 miles long with hills, one with a 9.4% grade (steep).  I've gotten 2/3 of the way through it.  What's stopping me from completing the route?  The hill of a lifetime... of course.  Big.  And I know, once I climb it... in the not too far distance there will be another, larger hill of a lifetime.  So many treasure their down hill rides and their little valleys, but in the end it's always the hills that let you grow... and they can be a little scary.

The Desk Set

Well, today's Friday and I get to go back to work.  For 4 days.  Then off again.  I'm on 32 hour work weeks, hopefully until sometime in the early spring when sales begin to pick up again.
I rode 4 miles on my bike yesterday.  That was good.  I haven't ridden since before my Mom died.  Rouvy updated their software.  All my mileage disappeared.  That sucks.  The big change is that now you are actually riding down the road and on my TV that looks simply terrific... if I had a bigger TV it would be totally realistic.  See what I did there?  Totally realistic?  I wonder if that's a sign my mind is regressing.
Yesterday I also started fixing the archway between the living room and the dining room.  Back in Seig's puppyhood. he tried to dig a hole there... a very big hole.  The location of my Morris chair has always been a way to hide it.  Now, however, the chair is being moved because of the desk and the arch will be visible.  Right now all that's left to do is a little more spackle and some light sanding to feather the edges and it will be ready for painting.  In case anyone is wondering, here's a shot of the desk I bought, notice I'm not showing the arch, that incident was irritating.

I am anxious to see how it arrives.  I bought it from Amazon and they wanted to charge me an assembly fee, however I've checked on several other websites and they advertise it as "shipping assembled."
Yesterday the Blue House passed funding for the government.  The Idiot Jerk says he will veto.  I saw where he wants the military to string razor wire along the border.  This guy is an ugly racist from hell, isn't he?  The fact that he represents a base that is virulently hateful of brown skin is... frightening.  As the population of America continues to evolve, and for those who don't understand it is evolving, this group will begin to segregate themselves into smaller and smaller communities.  I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in North Dakota somewhere.
Today we will have to watch and see if Wall Street rallies... maybe a little.  Here lately it seems to be five steps down and one step back up, five steps down and one step back up.  Financial periodicals are being to ponder if the Idiot Jerk and Republican economic policies are to blame.  Well, he wouldn't be the first Republican president to shit on the economy.

Flood Warning

Well, here it is Tuesday, I'm off work, and we're under a Flood Warning!
I have about 1 inch of water in my basement.  Not that I'm concerned, I have pumps.  This has happened before.  My parents grew up in a small town called Pine Grove.  It made the news yesterday.  Hershey Park was closed yesterday.  We had flooding like this about 12 years ago and some of their animals drowned.  Now they take extreme precautions.  Right now, we have a steady rain, not heavy, the kind we like to think of as a 'soaking rain.'  That's fine.  My basement floods when we get torrential downpours.
Sticking with that water motif, I'm going to segue into Aquaman.  Cute, huh?  Sounds a bit fishy to me.  Anyway, the trailer for Aquaman was dropped at Comicon.  Looks good, very colorful.  Best line in trailer in decades:  "Redheads, you gotta love 'em."

I'll go see it, not because I'm a big Jason Mamoa fan.  I always thought he came across as a bit too scaly.
Finally, a bit about the economy.  Everybody is smiling.  The Idiot Jerk in the White House smugly gives a thumbs up "see how it's growing under my administration."  For those who don't know, the economy grows when people spend money.  The more they spend, the faster it grows.  True: unemployment is low.  False: people are making more money.  That's where the stink comes in.  Personal debt is growing by leaps and bounds.  Banks don't care.  Retailers don't care.  And sure as hell, the Idiot Jerk in the White House doesn't care.  They don't care if the average person is spending around 26% of his or her paycheck on debt alone.  Their philosophy is:  just give them more credit.  As long as people are spending money like it's going out of style the economy is going to grow.  This is why the Fed increases interest rates, to slow down that growth, to keep it from becoming overwhelming.  Corporate America likes to fluff over interest payments.  They want  Mark and Mary Moron to just get another credit card, or apply for a Home Equity loan in order to go on vacation.  Conservative economics say that if you spend more money, businesses will make more money and they will, as a result give out larger pay increases.  Well that never happens.  Pay increases are bad for the bottom line.  For them the P & L is Holy.  In fact, that's one of the things you hear about this economy.  Where are the pay increases?
So, is the economy great?  Sure, as long as you don't look at personal debt.  High interest payments are at the point of breaching the dikes of our personal savings.  Financially, the country is under a severe flood watch.  The flood warning is just around the corner.

My Syn

So, this morning I'm sleeping when the feel of a muzzle on my cheek slowly interrupted my slumbers.  This was a very big muzzle, breathing out slowly onto my face, and then just as slowly inhaling.  Rolling my eyes over to the clock, I saw the time was 0436.  This is Biggie's quiet way of telling me he has to go 'potty outside.'  If I try and ignore him, he will jump off of the bed and begin barking.  When a 118 pound dog barks that early in the morning the whole room seems to shake.  Of course, till I got downstairs to let him out, they were both waiting.
I got another 30 minute ride in with Tyler this AM.  Better than yesterday.  Higher wattage.  More calories burned.  I'm going to change the pedals later, before I go to work, so I can take the bike out on the road tomorrow.  I should give it a name.  The old bike is the X6, because it's an X6.  This bike's a Synapse, so I've been thinking of calling it My Syn.

My Syn

And, of course, the Idiot Jerk has pretty much shit away any legislation in regard to immigration reform.  He had some sort of phony event at the White House yesterday in another attempt to demonize illegal aliens...  illegal aliens who just happen to speak Spanish.  This is the same tactic a group in Germany used to emphasize what they considered to be a Jewish Problem.  While there is a small group in America who believe what he says, in reality the Idiot Jerk is nothing more than a dingle berry just waiting to be wiped out of the White House.
The only thing keeping the Idiot Jerk's approval ratings from being despicable, is the economy, at least that's what some people believe.  The shriek joyously about low unemployment without understanding pay rates are not increasing.  Prices are going up.  There's no stopping them.  The world is teetering on a massive trade war, everybody against us, and it that happens, it's going to be bad... for everybody... but mostly us.  Countries will target specific products in order to draw blood.  Trade among themselves will increase as trade with the US declines.  This is how the $$$ fall.  Be prepared.

Gullibility

Thursday, the 4th day of my vacation, and I've finally managed to settle into some sort of routine.  The weather helps.  Yesterday AM was drizzly and cool.  The sun did break through until much later in the afternoon.
I went to my neighborhood Giant yesterday.  When I got home I discovered that someone who was Biggie enough had pulled the butter dish from the counter and licked that sucker clean.  Now, I wonder who that was?
And I only rode for a little over 8 miles yesterday - I stopped when the music stopped.  My ear buds weren't charged and lost the Bluetooth connection.  When riding on the road, you need to keep focused.  Music is essential, however, when riding on a trainer.
Today is nice and sunny.  This means I'm going to get so much more accomplished.  Already my writing table downstairs has been re-organized. At present I'm working through an upper body free weight routine.  My ear buds are charged so this afternoon I'll get another ride in.
And then there are the foolish Americans.  I'm a member for a group called the Tonkin Gulf  Yacht Club on Facebook which is for Navy Personnel who were in Vietnam.  Some foolish old Sailor actually wrote "now that the [Idiot Jerk] has negotiated peace with North Korea, we can bring our troops home."  There is no fool like an old fool... and the Idiot Jerk has a lot of supporters who happen to be fools.  Has gullibility ever been so strong in this country?  They see the stock market and say, "my isn't the economy doing great."  They look at their 401k's and shout "isn't this great!" without understanding both the stock market, and their 401k, can drop in a matter of hours.  Unemployment has dropped, but hire rates have stayed the same.  Pay increases are still piddly.  The gullible don't see this.  They are too blinded by the Idiot Jerk and his propaganda fireworks.
Economically speaking, this country will soon be in the place we were 12 years ago.  Dodd-Frank will be obliterated by greedy Republicans who never learn.  They always find it easier to point the finger at someone else.  And, of course, the Idiot Jerk is cheering them on.  And gullible Americans will believe the illusion.
Anyway, since it's nice and sunny, and warm, I'm going to push my lawn mower back and forth across my lawn.  I have some wisteria which will be cut back as far as I can cut it.  If tomorrow is as nice as today, I'll take the dogs up to the park in the early morning.  They love that!

This is from a walk last year

Drizzly time of year

Well, it's Wednesday, the last of my 4 days off, and we have snow... slight snow, barely covering the ground.  Last week they said 1-3 inches and we ended up with over 6.  This time they said we might get more than 6 and... well... we might get about 1/2 inch.  Forecasters had said we'd have snow from midnight last night until midnight tonight... now they're saying this weather event will be over sometime this afternoon.  Ooops.  There goes my free cardio.
The Idiot Jerk's administration lost another one, some guy named Cohn, and the hardliners are doing the happy dance.  Even when these fools look in the mirror and see pure stupidity they fail to understand.  Their economic plans are based on 80 year old models, or I suppose, to be more precise, they want things to go back to the way they were 80 years ago.  They think by setting up vintage trade policies they can turn back time, that the world will give them what they want; not going to happen.  They will never understand.  So, what do you do when those in charge fail to comprehend reality?  You take them out of power, give them jobs more suited to their capacities, like caddies.  I'm sure these people would find driving around in a golf cart and fetching balls rather fun.
I started watching "God's Own Country" last evening.  Inevitably I started making comparisons to "Brokeback Mountain," which isn't really fair.  I stopped it after about 40 minutes and will watch the rest... maybe later today. 

I also want to get out the steamer and start taking down the boarder in the dining room.  It should come down fast.  

I do wish it were sunnier out, of course, we are approaching spring; a drizzly, rainy time of year.

Lily's Beaver

So, I did my 35 minutes on the eliptical this AM and sitting here at the computer scanning the news and sipping on my Gatorade Frost, when Lily began barking from downstairs.  Where as Big Seig will just bark for the hell of it, she usually barks when she wants something.  I found her sitting in front of the sofa with her beaver in her mouth.  That's right, she has a beaver... a toy.  They both do, or did.  Big Seig ate his and then threw it up because fake fur is non-digestible.  Sitting down on the sofa, I reached for the beaver saying "you want to play?"  She took a step away and, looking up at the staircase, barked again.  She wanted to play alright, but not with me, with Big Seig.  Little hussy.

Anyway, during the 1st quarter of this year, the Economy weakened.  And, of course, the Trumpophones are spitting out their sour note excuses, one of which is... 'the weather.'  Isn't it amazing that every time the economy under performs one of the main reasons is always 'the weather.'  They're saying things are going to improve when the "tax cuts" kick in... but there's no guarantee that they're going to kick in.  And when they do?  Well, I don't know a single company out there that's going to say "oh, we just got a nice big tax cut, let's hire some unnecessary labor!"  But then this is always the problem with Conservative Economics.  Isn't funny how these people who want to reduce the size of government, lay people off to cut our expenses, want someone else to hire people to just sit around.  Nobody hires anybody until the demand for labor is actually there.  I have never worked in a place where an associate gave their notice and a new hire was brought in before they were actually gone.  That's wasted payroll hours, you know?  Nobody hires somebody in with the expectation that down the road there's going to be more work.  When I worked for International Paper we took over the billing for the entire Eastern Seaboard and they waited to see how our current staffing would handle the additional invoicing.  It wasn't until we were a month into it that I had to deal with my first interviews.  This is how life is.  A fact Conservatives like to ignore.

 

Republican immigration failure

For those who haven't noticed, the Republicans have a really serious problem when it comes to dealing with immigrants.  Even though they, themselves, are the children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren of immigrants, they hate them.  They claim those that are here illegally are stealing American jobs, they're taking advantage of American benefits, and they're criminals. Until now, all they've every done is fan the flames, but now they have the Idiot in Chief in the White House.  Now they're going to clean house.  They are going to cut off their nose in spite of their face.  You see there are some Republicans who understand the $'s involved here. not only in the hiring of people to extradite these people, but in the lose of their services.  That's right, most illegals work real jobs.... they clean shitters, and pick fruit, and mow lawns, and get paid under the table.  They clean houses and some are even Nannies, all under the table.  Deporting these people means a lot of open jobs which will force employers to pay higher wages, and pay taxes.  In other words, everybody's cost will go up.  Bad for the economy.  These illegals buy food.  A general estimate would put that total at about $100 million per week, or about $5.2 billion a year.  Bad for the economy.  Taking them out of the equation means a really, really big hit to the economy.  But that's okay, because Conservatives hate illegals.  And while there is a certain % of them who are criminals, there is a certain % of all Americans who are just as guilty, in fact some of the biggest crooks in this country are Republicans.

They will screw themselves silly over this because they don't actually stop and think.  It's that GOP conservative fire, you know?  The faster you can make it burn, the higher you can get those flames to shoot, the happier they are.  The fact when the fire's spent, all they're going to be left with are ashes isn't even in their field of vision, probably because they'll blame somebody else, most like Bill Clinton, since they blame everything they can on that man.

The dollars and cents of Trump

Whether you see it or not, every executive order, or action, done by DT so far has to do with money, making money to be precise.  Take the Muslim "ban" which they say isn't a "ban" just a more intensive vetting process, which, of course, now they are saying might be made permanent.  The one country that should have been on that list but wasn't is Saudi Arabia.  Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who attacked the US on 9/11 were Saudis.  And nothing has really changed since 9/11 mostly, I suspect, because Mecca is in... Saudi Arabia.  And DT has investments there.  And more important, Saudi Arabia has a lot of real estate investments in the US.  That's dollars and cents DT understands.  The personal aspect of this ban that is not a ban?  He doesn't have clue.  Of course, if there is terrorist activity once again in the US and those terrorists come from Saudi Arabia, and country not included, DT is going to be shit's creek without a paddle, but that doesn't occur to him because there is no monetary value in that.
And his Supreme Court nomination?  Helped Holly Hobby win their lawsuit?  DT doesn't have an inkling about the religious ramifications, he's not religious.  Besides, relegion has nothing to do with dollars and cents, unless, of course it has to do with tax exemptions.  I suspect DT is all for tax exemptions.

Even saying that Obama's executive orders on the LGBT community are related to dollars and cents.  We spend a lot of money... the business community knows this.  We help make their profits green.  This means DT is not going to do anything which will hinder the flow of dollars and cents.

No matter what decisions he makes, in the end they all boil down to money.  Nothing will change.  He will only get worse.

Credit Hell - Retailers roadmap

When was the last time you purchased something at a major retailer, say a Sears, or a Lowes, or a Target or some other major retailer and had the cashier didn't ask you if you want to put your purchase on a credit card? You probably can't remember that far back.  That questions is usually the first thing that pops up on the cashier's screen after your item is scanned.  You see retailers want you to buy on credit, they don't want you to pay cash.  Customers who pay with cash spend less money.  Retailers view this as a Cardinal Sin.  Even more important, they want you to open up one of 'their' credit cards.  'Their' credit cards are special.  They earn the slightest bit of a percentage more if your charge is on one of 'their' cards.  Now, doesn't that make you feel special?

Studies have shown that people will spend more if they're putting it on a charge, even if they really can't afford more.  Some people are always trying to rationalize how they can swing the monthly payments, even if it's only paying the minimum amount due.  The fact that minimum payments earn the credit card companies sometimes thousands of dollars in interest isn't factored into their thought process.  The means the $900 HDTV may, in the end, cost you $1300 doesn't connect and retailers could care less as to how much their product is actually going to cost you.  They are in it for the moment, that second of instant gratification they get when your credit card gets swiped.  I wouldn't be surprised if the next major financial upheaval we are for to deal with ends up being directly related to personal, credit card debt.

 Do you think the credit industry really cares about your personal finances?  Hell no.  They love shoppers, those foolish people who can't say no to a perceived bargain.  As someone who works in retail, I see these people all of the time.  They can't wait to pull out the card at the first hint of a deal.  Do you think retailers give a hoot about your finances?  Hell no.  That's your problem, not theirs, no matter how attractive they make their 'special financing'  Once that sale has been finalized, you are indebted to the credit card company, not the retailer.  The minute that receipt prints out retailers wash their hands of you.  True, they don't force you to buy from them, but they also do absolutely nothing to dissuade you from making the purchase.

This is one of the problems with the American Economy.  Credit is the food it eats and the air it breathes.  Credit is the lover the economy takes to bed.  If people were to stop buy on credit the economy would crash.  Recovery from the last recession took so long because people chose to pay with cash rather run up their credit card debt.  I know, I work in retail.  The numbers of people using their debit cards increased dramatically and those relying on their Visa, Mastercard and Discover card decreased.  Of course that's changed now and people are backing to back to burying their asses in credit.  Eventually credit card debt will hit the tipping point, like an old, fat cow, and it will flip over.  Then everybody will be pointing fingers trying to place the blame on somebody else.  Maybe if retailers chose to slow down their growth, decided to be satisfied with less then 5% or 6%, perhaps be happy with only 3% the fall into credit hell might be averted.  Perhaps if people realized their debit will, at some point in time, catch up to them and voluntarily charged less.  Maybe if they understood how using their credit card to go to the movies was not such a good idea.  Shit, there are a whole bunch of perhaps' and maybes people are ignoring constantly.  To slow down economic growth would be un-American and we wouldn't want that now, would we.

Why aren't companies hiring?

The Democratic Convention is in full swing and I'm not watching it.  Even though I'm a registered Democrat when casting my ballot I'm Independent, you know, those people Republicans try cater to but really don't like.  Both parties say they know how to create jobs.  Here's a little tidbit about why companies aren't hiring.  Of course this isn't news.  Any American with average intelligence should have figured this out a long time ago.  What we have is an employers economy, one in which employers make all of the rules.  If your productivity dips they'll can you and hire someone who keep up with the pace they demand.  As long as the money keeps piling up in their bank accounts nothing is going to change.  If they can get twice the work out of two employees why should they hire a third?  Jobs aren't being created because they aren't worth the expense.  All tax breaks do is put more money to their bottom line.  Oh, sure, at some point down the line they will hire that third employee, but not until it is absolutely necessary, not until they've worked their employees to the bone.  When that will be is anyone's guess.  One thing is certain, Wall Street is doing just fine with the unemployment rate as high as it is.  Recovery is going to continue to be slow and nothing is going to speed it up.