Have People Changed---

[mrandmrschicken]

We live in a resort area it's like three to 4 towns combined into an "area", that has lots of "old money". That is now being passed down and out. 1st Generation creates the business, 2nd generation grows the business, 3rd generation sells the business. Many of the sales have been to foregin concerns. This is so true around here. Then people have to live with regret and guilt. Thats what I see. We are surrounded by rich black soil that is farmed by farmers who recieve up to a million dollars a year in gov't aid to farm their 1000 acres. Young farmers are harder to find. Factories around here are suffering layoffs as well as manufacturing drops. So, the rich get richer, the middle class is getting hit the hardest and the poor linger. I also agree that we were destined to go down this path and have to endure it for a time to "correct" things and bring balance back. We also need to bring our people who have been squandered in foregin countries, back home to force a grow build environment. So much of what we know is up in the air. Do we need national health... yes! I will have spent over $4,000.00 for me and my wife alone, on health ins. this year. Does that stimulate me? NO! And the rates and deductibles just continue to rise. Someone is making way too much money.

Getting back on track, we need to become a happy, and whole, nation again and stay out of everyone elses business and take care of our own. Thats how you grow again in comfort, happiness and wealth.

 

[Stumpy]

I live in a rural county in a southern state and burglaries are definitely up, but most of the burglaries that I know of were done by meth heads, so it's hard to say that the economy is the reason for it.

 

[rdranch]

Excellent point! I take that for granted here sometimes because where we live live people have always been armed and we do look out for each other. That is one of the reasons we love living "rural".

 

[becky3086]

We live in a small community of dirt roads. Haven't heard of any burglaries or any crimes worse than usual. What I did notice when I went shopping yesterday is that several people said "Merry Christmas, it won't be a BIG Christmas this year but we are still going to have a Merry one." This is true at our house as well. To me, people seem more content than they did when the economy was good but it could just be my own view of it. As for us, not much has changed. We both have jobs and still barely can pay our bills and it has always been that way

 

[becky3086]

Quote:
Health insurance. Yeah, that would be nice. Haven't actually been to a doctor in about 8 years.

 

[backdoorchicken]

facebook changes people



i have friends that i have had for years and once they get on facebook they are completely different people. it's weird.

 

[Rosalind]

Jobs were always sort of fluid around here. There are lots of employers in the Boston area, so often people would work at one for a few years, then quit and work for another for more money, or else they'd be working for some university startup that ran out of money and folded, and they'd give themselves a little vacation in between jobs. Most of the companies are either publicly-traded or have corporate headquarters someplace with more unemployment, so Corporate would set the raises to be no more than 1-3% (cost of living or less), which is fine when there's high unemployment, but in this area where there is decent employment that's not enough to retain the good workers. Now people are quitting without giving themselves a vacation, or getting laid off from small companies and it takes a much longer time to find something else regardless of field or background. Some of the companies that used to be considered sort of awful to work for, now they have no problem finding good people. And you see people moving jobs for not much more money, or moving for reasons of company stability rather than waiting to get laid off, because severance packages aren't what they used to be. Used to be you could count on some kind of severance, and in some sectors it could be quite good, you'd get a few months paid and your insurance paid through the rest of the quarter. Now the severance packages are pretty thin and you might not get one at all.

Developers have stopped building. Which is sort of a blessing really--there's not much to build on in Massachusetts that isn't swampland, and when they build on that it makes serious water problems for the neighbors (think, your entire foundation subsiding and your septic backing up because of the new condos messing up the groundwater flow). But they aren't modifying buildings either, which we need.

Mostly, what has changed is that you see the white-collar middle-class and upper-middle-class folks getting nervous, depressed. Before, it was them doing all the outsourcing and sending blue-collar jobs overseas, but they fancied that because their jobs required a lot of college, they were somehow safe. Now, the CEOs have discovered that they can ship white-collar manager jobs overseas as well, as most of the MBA-type jobs can be done (with lousy quality, but they can still be done) by IIT and Peking U. grads, for 1/4 the money. Hey, turnabout is fair play. They aren't any more cutthroat than they ever were competition-wise, because they need to be nice to anyone who is still gainfully employed and could have a job contact, but they are bitter. They tended to be NeoCalvinists in a quasi-religious sense, they felt that their prosperity was evidence of their moral righteousness and Randian superiority, and now they are being told, "No, actually, you are neither the Elect nor John Galt--you are disposable and replaceable."

 

[Mattemma]

Our local police blotter seems to be growing longer.A lot more stealing from cars,stores,and homes.Also see a lot more indentity theft being reported.

 

[coloradochick]

Becky3086 I'm right there with you on the doc visits with about the same time frame except for emergency surgery that I unfortunately had to have May of 07.

rdranch is right about the bank robberies, there were 14 just last week in the Metro area. One was just a few blocks from me. Car and house burgles have been steadily climbing. As far as people this holiday season I've noticed far more people closer to being in our shoes financially than in the past and folks seem more eager to help each other.

And rdranch I've wanted to get out of the city for so long. It's amazing that just 30 miles to the East the attitudes change so much. People actually wave at each other as you drive down the road. Here they just look at us like were invading their day.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Happy Holidays!!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Things have changed here for sure. Just in my house, we are struggling worse than ever before. Crime rates have gone up, but it's the usual methhead population just got out of jail and repeat offended I think, because now that they're caught it seems to have slowed back down...vicious cycle

Anyway, yeah we have taken a hit, but attitudes are actually BETTER, we are finding more creative ways to make it with what we have. Things we wasted or tossed before, we're finding uses for now. Unfortunatley some people have issues with changes, and can't adapt, and THOSE people are having it really rough right now. My grandma went through the depression as a child, I just called her up for some ideas about how to manage. Nothing better than advice from folks who know a little something

Everybody really just needs to take a step back and reassess their situations and adjust accordingly IMO. EXAMPLE: We have not bought but 2 Christmas presents this year, one for each kid. We have opted to make each other gifts, and it has been the best Christmas EVER. We remember the "reason for the season" rather than go nuts spending for self gratification. I have made my kids smile without spending $100 before and I can do it now! So in a nutshell things have changed and I think for the best. I don't want to be in this boat forever, but while I am I might as well enjoy the fishing