The republicans may lie to themselves (and the public) all they want--but this IS a borderline recession. The Red Cross---which is screaming in the news how they've had to shell out 10,000 dollars in two weeks, to fire victims (they're only one of two volunteer agencies that help fire victims in our area--the other, much smaller agency, "After the Fire," only operates in Saratoga County).
Salvation Army, homeless shelters, food pantry's, churches, etc., all say that donations are way, way down.
At my job, this time last year, we were running full-tilt--even had an extra office rented, to handle the overflow of seasonal employees, and, even more unheard of, us regular employeees, were being actually paid overtime.
This year: ha! The night shift is still fairly full, but day shift is way down what it was, and work is only just trickling in.
And the people I talk to on the phone--hundreds and hundreds out of work, underemployed (underpaid), or working 7 days or two jobs, just to keep the roofs over their heads.
Elderly and disabled people, giving up small pleasures like magazines and gardening and other little hobbies, so that they can pay for food and medicine and rent/mortgage/taxes.
The economy is booming--for the upper middle class and rich, and even for some middle class--but there's a whole swath of America that is totally being ignored by the Bush admin, and many of their so-called fellow citizens, and I firmly believe it's going to, someday, come back and bite the Republicans--and the rest of America, in the arse. Mark my words.
Moving on,
I had a box of cereal that I'd bought on sale but haven't been able to eat (it's the crunchy kind), so I gave that to the food pantry.
And so, I ask all my American readers--please, if you can spare it--even one item, please, please give to your local community food cupboard. If you don't know where it is, just ring up your local pastor, priest or town hall, and ask.
The people you help to feed, are NOT a lot of freeloaders. They are people like me, like you, like your mum and your dad, your gran and grandpa. They are the elderly, the disabled, working mums, the unemployed (just because someone's unemployed doesn't mean he or she doesn't want to work--only an I-D-I-O-T thinks that), and the underemployed.
Trust me, it is the truth, that in America, you can "work for a living" and still go hungry! Anyone who thinks otherwise, probably voted for George Bush, and probably has a genetic defect in his family tree.
Anyway---gosh, I have been in a mood, of late, haven't I?
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