Fudging the Numbers

Recently I had heard comments, by some who hold a generally conservative view, that people on unemployment don't want to work, in some cases are lazy, etc. It was also stated that there are plenty of jobs out there, because they see them "on line" on job boards etc. all the time. It kind of bothered me so I did a little investigating. Here is what I found out.

I visited the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and observed, listened, and interviewed some. One of the folks I talked to was the Veterans Representative, who tries to assist veterans obtain gainful employment. He establishes relationships with hiring employers, and the veterans he represents. He informed me that although there are employers who are hiring veterans, there are a lot of jobs that are directed to the more recent military veteran, more so than the aged veteran from the baby boomer era. This is partly because of the high technical nature of the position, and the recent veteran brings some of his technical training, of a similar nature, to the table. Whereas the older veteran does not have the qualifications.

In Illinois alone there are more than 350,000 unemployed workers. I am unable at this time to get a demographic breakdown by age race and sex. But I am willing to bet there would be a high percentage of "Baby Boomers". The census puts this category as persons born between 1947 and 1964. AND....I might add that they will be retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day in 2011 and beyond. This will certainly put a huge strain on the Social Security system.

During my information gathering I spoke to one woman who I'll simply call Carol. It seems that Carol is a Physical Therapy Assistant. Her company provided rehabilitation services to patients. However, because the State of Illinois is slow to make the medicaid and other reimbursements, there had to be a reduction in staff made, and she was let go. She also stated that she had never collected unemployment before in her life and she hoped to find employment soon. She was optimistic.

Another person, whom I'll call Regina, was 72 years old. She worked for a governmental contractor for the past 20 years, when all of a sudden, and without warning, twelve people were let go, because the Federal Government was making cutbacks, and they were no longer needed. She definitely fits the Baby Boomer category, but was very optimistic, and excited, because she saw "on line" that there were plenty of jobs out there.

The third person was Bill, he was 60 years old and a former professor at one of the colleges, but he did not have tenure. He was let go due to declining enrollment. He did not have a PHD, and wasn't too optimistic that he would be able to find employemnt in his field.

In talking with the representative in the IDES resource center, I was informed that there were funds available for retraining of workers to a new field, but there were not many participants. She thought that this might be because those people figured they would keep searching to do what they had always done, however, there are some who do partake in the program, but after being on unemployment for quite a while, when their expectations aren't being realized, and their hosehold financial obligations start to get under water, they come back and see her.

This mornings news stated that new unemplolyment claims were down a record amount for the month of December in Illinois. I predict this number will greatly increase in January. Why? Because those folks whose claims ran out in December, but are qualified for an extension under HR4853, which simply extends the benefit elegibility dates, are being made to file new claims. Therefore the new claim numbers will increase.

The IRONICY of this is that in Illinois in order to qualify for the second year (the up to 99 weeks they talk about) you had to work, and you had to have had an income during the first year. The amount of wages you had to earn has to be an amount equal or greater than three times your current weekly benefit amount.

Let me make this clearer. If you were receiving $333.00 per week in unemployment compensation, somewhere during the year you had to earn a minimum of $999.00 during that year. However, they never tell you this in any form of correspondance or other media.

Well, if you're out of work and cannot get a job, how in the world would you meet that requirement. I think the Illinois Law was instrumented so that most people would not requalify. I do not know if other states have similar rules though.

So for the new year, the outlook looks bleak. I'm sure there will be jobs out there for some, but the baby boomer might have it tough. The sad part is that this might have them applying for Social Security at 62, when they would have waited for 66 or their full qualifying year. Will this put a strain on the system.......I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

What I did not find was anyone who DID NOT want a job, who just wanted to sit around and simply do nothing, while getting their checks. But also there were folks who were discouraged. Unemployment compensation does not pay the bills. In some cases it only puts food in your mouth, while they continue to mount.

Christmas Week

Well this is the beginning of the Christmas week. The "count down" 'till the big day. The kids are out of school, while all the Santa's are checking their lists for one final time and making their last preparations before the big day.

The teachers are getting a well deserved break, and the mom's are wondering how to deal with their children being off of school for the next two weeks or so. The media is all a buzz with the last minute blitz to try to entice customers to make just one more purchase. Commercialization, commercialization, commercialization.

Have we not forgotten the real meaning of Christmas? "'Tis the season to be Jolly!" No, its the season to be thankful, to be forgiving, to be kind, and to be compassionate. It's the season of "giving" not "receiving". It can also be the season where a lot of folks will be sad, somber, and meloncoly. The holidays sometimes bring back memories that have been repressed during the year. Such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of a pet, or the thoughts of better and happier times.

Have you ever noticed the feeling YOU get when you see the glee on someones face after they open the gift you gave them. So if we were to be able to measure this emotion would it be greater for the "giver" or greater for the "receiver". Most people I surveyed said they get more enjoyment out of giving then receiving. So this season is you opportunity to really feel good. Give all that you can afford to give.

It's also the season of forgiveness. The past is done and you cannot move forward until you start to forgive and begin the healing process. Sometimes this is hard to do. But it is much better to forgive than to harbor all those ill feelings day after day, year after year. Remember the old saying "Forgive and Forget".

There have been many nuances on this concept, such as "Pay it Forward" etc. but all of this action and emotion benefits the giver, far more than the receiver. So take this opportunity to really feel good this season. Give till it hurts, and forgive and forget. It's only going to make you feel better.

Government Bans Drop Side Cribs!

Hmmmmmm! It was interesting to read this morning in the Chicago Sun Times the headline news article "After Dozens of Deaths, Drop Sided Cribs Outlawed". The fact that they are now outlawed is a new twist to an old problem. This issue has been around and known to manufacturers for at least three years now.

About a year ago I was a Regional Maintenance Technician for a company named Bright Horizons Family Solutions. I had held the position for about three years. During that time I had repaired many drop sided cribs in the infant class rooms. They all had the same problem. The plastic retainer at the bottom of the crib side, would break, and this would create the condition that has been attributed to the some 33 infant deaths in the US. I would order the new parts from the manufaturer, replace them and they were good to go, until the next time they broke. The reason they break is a poor design in the mechanism to raise and lower the side.

One day while I was at a Walmart store, I noticed that they had posted a recall notice for their drop side cribs because of this problem. I asked the manager if I could have a copy of the notice, and explained why. I then faxed it to my boss and also to the corporate safety director, followed with an email. I also contacted the company supplier and asked about a recall of the cribs. All of this fell on deaf ears. No one followed up, no one issued any warnings or notices to any of the day care centers in other regions, NOTHING!

These cribs are in use today in Bright Horizons locations and centers throughout the US and probably in their European locations too. The interesting part is that the Government has banned the manufacture, sale and resale of these cribs. The sad part of this directive is that they (the Consumer Product Safety Commission) are giving all of the day care centers ONE YEAR to replace them.

Let me make perfectly clear I understand the directive. Kids are in danger, deaths could occur, and the cribs are actively in use today, BUT the day care centers have one year to remedy the problem. How many children will be injured during that one year period?

There is however, a simple fix to the problem that any qualified maintenance person can do, or anyone else that is handy. This fix should be fully acceptable to all governmental agencies etc. All it takes is a drill, four screws and a saw. You see, the other side of the crib is stationary and DOES NOT rise up and down, because the side is affixed to the head board and foot board permanently with long screws. The problem with a fix of this type is from the teachers point of view. "They cannot reach in to pick up the infant because the side is to high." ENTER THE SAW simply cut off the legs by about four inches, and reinstall the wheels on the legs. PROBLEM SOLVED.

I doubt that any of the day care centers will follow this advice, but if you have one of these cribs at home, feel free to fix the problem once and for all!

Rahm Emanuel

First of all let me state upfront that I am not an Obama fan by no means,nor did I have much admiration for any of the members of his cabinet, but as of yeaterday I do have a newly found respect for one of them, and that is Rahm Emanuel, who is running for Mayor for the City of Chicago.

Why, what changed your mind, you might ask. Well for one thing I had the opportunity to watch live on NBC Channel 5.2 the hearings that were being conducted by the Chicago Board of Elections. This man sat there for twelve hours, and was grilled by some morons who have no business in asking anyone, a question.

One of the things I found very interesting is that the Chicago City Clerk's office, headed by the City Clerk, a Mr. DeValle, who is also running for mayor, received a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) asking to confirm that Rahm had purchased a city sticker for his car, during the years he was in Washington, working on the Obama campaign, and then as the Presidents Chief of Staff. The official responce from the clerks office was that "they have no records of Mr. Emanuel purchasing a vehicle sticker. Chicago politics at its finest.

What is at stake here is that Rahm's opponents are challenging his residence in the City of Chicago for the period required under the law which simply states that a mayoral candidate must live in the city for one year prior to the election. Simply put, the opposition is trying to ensure that he is declaired ineligible to run for the position and have him kicked off the ballot.

However, Rahm is like a lot of other Chicagoans, and does not always peel off the previous years sticker. So in order to prove the clerks office was in error, he supplied them with the sticker number, and then the City Clerks office found records that supported Rahm's claim, and this new found information, verified that Rahm did infact purchase a city sticker for all of the years he was out of town working. I might also add that until he was officially the Presidents Chief of Staff his wife and family remained in their home in Chicago. It was not until later that he summond them to join him in Washington.

On the advice of some real estate friends Rahm was advised NOT to leave his home vacant while he was away in Washingon. So Rahm rented the home out while he was away on duty to the President. Now I might add that I have many friends and relatives who have taken assignments for their companies for long periods of time. In fact one of them is in Egypt right now for a two year stint. But they DO NOT sell their homes, and their legal residence is still the home they own and left TEMPORARILY while on assignment. They may have a relative move into it for the period, or they may put their personal possessions in storage and rent it out, as did Rahm, while they are gone. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL THEIR PERMANENT RESIDENCE AND STILL THEIR HOME!

Now lets get to the "morons". There was one idiot who called herself "Queen Sister" She objected to just about anything that was said by her opposition or Rahms supporters and questioned weather in fact Rahms wife Amy was the person who removed the sticker from the windshield. There were others who challenged any statement that was made in which supporting evidence proving Rahms residency intentions and facts. And there was one guy in the back who liked to challenge and try to use legal terms and quotes which only showed to the audience and participants his lack of expertise in the subject area. I had the pleasure of watching this for a good three hours. It was very entertaining. But through out it all Rahm was calm and collected.

On the table in front of Rahm he had a 4x6 photo of his wife and children. He used this very similar to how some Hindis use prayer beads. When it seemed that Rahm was starting to get pressured, he would simply pick up the photo, hold it front of him looking directly at it, as the question was stated. It seemed to give him an inner peace allowing him to endure more of this rediculous circus that he was forced to participate in. I'm sure that any of the other candidates who might be challenged for their own candidacy will not have to endure the same idiotic questions as Rahm did.

There was a point that you could see that Rahm might have been agitated, but to release this agitation he simply put his hands flat on the table in front of him, and wiggled and tapped his fingers excitedly. But throughout the entire ordeal Rahm answered the questions put to him with honesty, calmness, and accuracy as best he could. It just demonstrates that he can maintain his cool, and the reputation that preceeds him might not be totally accurate. In any event, once elected, and I am sure this will take place, his press conferences will be interesting, humerous, but also calm and collected. And when dealing with the local communities, there will be the good people of Chicago, as well as those idiots who were there yesterday. He'll handle anything that come his way with knowledge, experience, compassion and zeal.

By far, after I observed what I did yesterday, he is the best man for the job. Although I do not live in the City of Chicago, if I did he would have my vote. He is the cream that comes to the surface over all of the other candidates. GOOD LUCK RAHM!

Take Care

‘Twas the day of the Bears Game, and the snow slowed to a trickle.

The sun was peeking out, while the wind was being tickled.

The Pats were all snug, in their warm comfy bus.

They’re on the way to the stadium, to finally face us.

While waiting at the gates, the fans stood in the cold

Some of them quite young, while some quite old.

They can’t wait to get in, to let loose, cheer and holler.

They want another win, for their almighty dollar.

While I, was at home; toes warming by the fire.

You know, the pre-game show was my first real desire.

While I watched the opinions, and listened to the lines,

It was now the time, to finally make up my mind.

I grew up with the Pats, and then the Bears too.

But when all is said and done, I guess I finally knew.

That with all the cold, snow, and wind in the air,

It was with a clear consciousness, that I only be fair.

If the Bears did win, that could be a sign from heaven.

To again send the Pats home, so watch the news at eleven.

My family won’t be happy, to hear the score spread broadened.

So I’m betting on the Bears, thirty-one to twenty-seven.

The New Beginning

In the beginning I was born........Now some would say, "You're born, you live, and then you die!" I guess right now I'm in the living part. When I get to the Die part you'll surely know, as here will no longer be any posts!

So here we are "living" Would you really call it that? With the economy the way that it is, the high un-employment rate, the rising food prices, and listening to all of the know it all's who actually know nothing, and continue to stir the pot upsetting many others. Like today, I was listening to the radio and the commentator was commentating on how he thought that the state and municipal pensions should be changed over to 401K plans and the employees should contribute and save the state money.

The reality of it is that the employee's DO contribute to the pension plan, up to 10% of their income. If an employee worked for 50K a year for 30 years he would have contributed $150,000 of his own money. Add the compounded interest the money would earn over that time and it would be substantially higher. Pay out $30,000 a year, and it would only last five to seven years. So lets say it lasts ten years, after compounding. If he retires at 55 it would run out when he was 65. But what about the employers contribution? Would that give him another ten to fifteen years? I know pensions do not exactly work this way but I'm trying to paint a picture here for you to think about.

Now as usually is the case, these employees might be covered by a union "CONTRACT", where at one time, both parties sat down at a bargaining table and negotiated a deal. Included in those negotiations, pension contributions were covered and agreed on. Because of these agreements, other employees (those not covered by a union) were also benefactors of these agreements, as they were also given to them, although maybe not in quite the same fashion or amounts.

So here we have Party A (the employee) and Party B (the employer) agreeing on something, signing the bottom line of the agreement, and Party A starts to make contributions from their pay checks to the "PLAN"
What about party B though? Don't they have to put their bargained share also into the plan? Well not always. They (the employers) say sometimes they do not have the money, or they took money out because they needed it for something else. Who is the one that is cheated here? The Employee or the Employer. What the State legislators do to their employees is illegal in the private sector. In the private sector, the "PLAN" must be funded by law. When an employer does not do that it is a criminal violation. But the employee is protected by the PBGC or the Pension Board Guarantee Corporation, which is a Federal Government entity. Each and every private pension plan must file a form 5500 with the PBGC that lists all assets and liabilities of the plans. So you see the legislators have engineered themselves an out of this responsibility by exempting themselves from the laws that everyone else has to follow.

I think I have the simplest solution of all of the suggestions and crap being tossed around. Here it is.....as of January First, any municipal or state or government employee WILL BE COVERED BY SOCIAL SECURITY JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! If the laws don't allow it, then change the laws. Through attrition those already in the plan will continue until they are retired. But the existing plan will be frozen, and off the bargaining table for the future negotiations. If the employees want to bargain for an additional 401K plan that's OK, but just as in the private sector, there are administration fees they would have to pay for having it.

Next Week:  Why do we have so many political talk shows?