Hello. It is with great relief that the last page of the calendar marked 2009 has been sent to the landfill, putting to bed one of the most grim and dreadful years I can recall in my lifetime. I’m sure some of you who are of a certain age can pinpoint a year that was absolutely from Hell. 2009 ranks in my top five. 1996 and 1999 were no picnic, either. But, this is the year when the list of challenges outweighed the risk of reward many times over. For those of you who lost jobs, I understand. For those of you who went toe to toe as an advocate for an ill relative, I salute you. For those who assumed the role of caregiver, I’m right there. For those of you confronting teenage America, how are you doing? For those of you who have increasing anxiety over the malfeasance displayed by government on all levels, you have a kindred spirit. For those of you who couldn’t complete a list of your top ten favorite CDs because you were short about six discs, thanks for being honest.
The first few days of January haven’t eased my level of mistrust, anger, disappointment and sorrow over the progression of what I’ll call our new reality. When I was on vacation (use or lose, unlike our brothers and sisters who can roll over a ton of sick/vacation days), I was reading the internet to see if anyone had an uneasy feeling of about the state of the world. I read with great interest the story of a woman on the West Coast who lost her job. Her answer? She thought it best to refuse job after job, waiting for the real thing to come along. In the meantime, she traversed the country, making some cockamamie documentary about her plight. The raft of hostile comments about this feel good story of the recession were well-earned, passionate and sincere. In no way does this represent the average person’s reality. I know good, hard working men who can’t find anything right now and the last thing they would do is refuse a paycheck. I know people who are bright and skilled, pinning their hopes on some cyber space application which probably goes into some cyber black hole. I know people who would settle for just about anything at this point, but there’s no anything available.
The solutions to this issue are pathetic. Throwing good money after bad in some “stimulus” package is an insult to every taxpaying American who still has a job. I read an article today that the mythical “jobs created or saved” tagline used by our overlords will be retooled as “jobs funded with Recovery Act dollars.” What in the world does that mean? In short, it seems like less accountability and more government mumbo-jumbo from a group of elitist politicians who are sorely testing my patience and tolerance for their deceptive brand of nonsense.
I also heard a story that Americans aren’t running up their credit cards like they used to (like when they had jobs or jobs that paid decently). Now, they’re actually saving money. Economists are now griping that we’re not spending enough money. Gents, make up your minds already.
Maybe it’s the juggernaut of ice I encounter in the course of going hither and yon from place to place every day. Maybe it’s the dirty automobiles that litter the NEPA landscape this time of year. Maybe it’s the fact that my husband and I have declared a mini jihad on the electric company, sitting in our dark house every night and flicking on our crappy money saving light bulbs only to grab a beverage or fold towels in the warm glow of twilight. Or, maybe I, like a lot of other people, am reaching Howard Beale-like levels of frustration with daily life.
The good news is this will once again be a watershed moment in our lives. If you’re sick of our leaders living high off the hog while you’re screwing in those corkscrew light bulbs that threaten your eyesight, take back your life. I’m thinking of changing electric providers to achieve a money saving victory of 55 bucks a year. That’s not a fortune, but it will make me feel less like the light bulb police. I also turned down the hot water heater to save a couple of bucks on the gas bill. And, don’t get me started on coupons. I remember a news story from about two years ago that the future of coupons looked bleak. Now, watch as we clippers hold up the line at the supermarket as we squeeze the system for all its worth.
These are little wins. The big news may happen in November, when we are in the driver’s seat to shake up the ballot box. New candidates are appearing on the scene to challenge the guys and gals in Harrisburg, some who aren’t used to having an opponent. “Incumbency” may be a dirty word in Washington as well. There’s a real challenge in the senate race in Massachusetts, where a Republican is giving the Kennedy clan chosen candidate the yips over Teddy’s seat. Not that the guy will win, but at least he’s making it interesting.
As you freeze in your house during this bone-chilling winter, make a plan to turn up the heat on the people that have gone on a spending spree that would make Imelda Marcos gasp. Throw these people out in the cold and let them know what it’s like to be older and jobless. Yes, Arlen Specter, I’m talking to you.
Corbett
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