If you feel like you are in need of a little entertainment, check this video out. I think it is so cool! It never ceases to amaze me what can be found on the Internet. It also delights me when I think of the creativity that people want to share. Enjoy.
With the changing of the guard in DC, many speculate that January 20th will symbolize the passing of an entire generation: the baby boomer years. However, it’s more than a generational change with Obama being a relatively young president, it is more like a sense that a cultural era is ending. This was a very unique era dominated by the boomers, many of whom came of age in the ’60s and experienced the bitter divisions caused by the Vietnam War and the protests against it, the civil rights struggle, social change, sexual freedoms, and more. The peace sign was our symbol and our slogan was Us Against the Man. It is theorized by many that those experiences, led boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, to become deeply motivated by the need to address all of the social injustices that our country had long ignored. Read more »
We have accepted the fact that in lieu of a stimulus check in the mail, we should be seeing more money in our paychecks. And that is fine and good. In fact, rumors abound throughout this country that Obama will seek major tax cuts in his stimulus plan, and there are several tax breaks under consideration right now. All this talk makes taxpayers feel like relief is finally on the way. But what can we really expect? One plan is to provide a tax credit that would allow companies to reduce the tax they withhold. However, if that is only $500 for individuals and $1000 for a couple, as proposed on CNN.Money, I don’t see how that is going to impact the way I spend my money. If I break $500 down by 26 paychecks a year, I will only see an increase of about $19 per payday. I do understand the economics behind this but it doesn’t make me feel any better. A mere $19 is not really enough money to increase a credit card payment and it’s not enough money to stash away in a savings account so I probably will spend it without thinking, which is exactly the intention of this tax cut. The problem is, $19 every other week is not going to make me feel very hopeful that the economy is turning around and this feeling will probably lead me to continue living as frugally as possible. I wonder how many others will feel the same way? Read more »
2008 turned out to be a turbulent year. It was a year marked by many new buzz words. Change and bailout made that list. But if there is one word that was overlooked that best describes 2008, I would have to pick the word low. Not a very profound word, but it seems to me, a very appropriate word. From weather temperatures falling to all-time lows around the country, to stock markets taking the lowest dive since the Great Depression, to interest rates falling to a new record low, to housing prices declining and continuing to fall, to the sitting president’s approval rating. Well, you get the picture. It seems like nothing was left untouched by low. When we celebrated the count down to 2008, little did we expect that it would be a year of this bottomless, un-ending ride downhill. We partied like it was 2008, made resolutions we knew we wouldn’t keep, and cheered in that new year with the usual innocent glee and optimism that welcomes each new year, totally unaware of what was in store for us as the year progressed. Read more »
I don’t need to remind you that when President-elect Barack Obama takes office, he will face what may well be the bleakest economic outlook since World War II. Over the past couple of years, we have stood by and watched as personal income has slowed to a crawl and then felt helpless and stressed these last few months because the economic forecasts have spiraled downward with ungainly speed. Today, many experts believe that unemployment could reach 10 percent by the end of next year and our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity. This translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. This is on top of the money we have already lost in our investments and the value of our homes. But, this country will soon swear in a new president with a new plan providing us with a new hope. Read more »
Obama and his team had initially hoped after his election last month that they could remain largely detached from current events and plan behind the scenes for the new administration. But the demise of the economy, instability in the financial markets, the collapse of several big banks and the Big Three Automakers asking for assistance - combined with President Bushs’ lack of clout with Congress and the public - have heightened pressure on the president-elect to assert himself. Despite the fact that he has stated over and over again that we only have one president at a time, in the Democratic Party’s weekly radio address today, Obama, baited by Democrats who want a more aggressive Obama, began rolling out his plan for economic recovery. He has asked his economic team to develop an economy recovery plan that will help Wall Street and Main Street. His goals are to create 2-1/2 million jobs, rebuild our infrastructure, improve our schools, reduce our dependency on foreign oil and save billions of dollars. He did not say how much each idea would cost nor did he attach an overall price tag to the proposals. He said that he would fill in the details in the coming weeks. The Swamp speculated that his comments reflect the growing belief among his top advisers and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill that the fast declining economy and the continued loss of jobs requires a massive spending program even if it means swelling the national debt. Read more »
The elections are finally over and the United States, with much help from our generation, has elected a new president. With this new president comes the pro-offered promises of change and hope and a new vision of America; but what impact will this new administration have on retired and near-retiring baby boomers? Just like everyone else caught up in the economic woes, baby boomers are facing their own set of problems. Not only have we taken a big hit on our investments, but some of us now find ourselves helping out with family members who have lost jobs or gone into mortgage default. En masse, those of us still working are rethinking early retirement and looking at the prospect of working two to five more years just to recoup our investment losses. Many of those baby boomers who have retired are now looking for part-time jobs in order to make ends meet. So, President-elect Obama, what do you have in store for us? One campaign promise that you made was that seniors making under $50,000 would no longer pay income tax. However, many Democrats think that this is not only a bad idea, but low on the list of things that need to be done. Read more »
This blog contributes to the web with Nofollow Reciprocity.