When the Freight Train Takes a Dirt Road Detour...

When the Freight Train takes a dirt road detour, it's time to start believing that something is really wrong with the economy, and those running the railroad. And, friends and readers, this freight train we call our nation's economy has not only taken that dirt road detour, but has run through the swamp as well!

What was a well oiled locomotive, pulling our train through the hills and valleys of the economy, sometimes straining a bit uphill, and sometimes free-wheeling and getting a good ride on better days, has been derailed by the political machine that was designed to serve the nation, not bankrupt it. That and the giant corporations that keep bleeding us dry, and filling their pockets while ours have nothing but lint left in the bottom!

For those who believe in paying more taxes, be sure to vote democrat in November. Regardless of what you think of Bush, the war or anything else, remember who has been at stoking coal into the locomotive for the past two years...the democrat controlled house and senate, and not the republicans. Ol' Bush might be the throttle man, but the train doesn't run very well unless you have good backup fire, and he sure as hell hasn't. I don't agree with some of his decisions, but it takes a consensus and that he hasn't had. In-fighting and pork-barrel spending just hurts everyone. Just look back to the Clinton years and the tax tables to see how much more your taxes will be, and get ready.

The government thinks you're an endless source of money. You paid all that money into Social Security in preparation for retirement, if you can ever afford it, and then they tax at least part of it. They constantly entreat you to save for your retirement in a 401(k) or an IRA, and if you do, they tax it when you withdraw it, no matter how little it is, or how much you have left.

If you work hard and pay taxes, you pay for those who sit on their butts and collect welfare, or who are here illegally, and have baby after baby free on your dollar, yet you can't afford to pay your medical insurance co-pays when you get sick or have to be hospitalized! The hospital writes off the care for those people but do you think they will write yours off? No way! You'll go to collections and they'll put a lien on everything you own to try and collect. All while the illegals and welfare cases go merrily on their way for free! And, for those on welfare, every free baby gets them more welfare money, WIC money, food stamps, etc. And you're paying for it. They won't admit who the baby's father is because the State might actually make the father pay, unless he is in jail, as many are. Plus, they get more on welfare if they just claim they don't know. Some women have six, eight or ten children each with a different "baby daddy"! Sure makes a case for involuntary sterilization, doesn't it! Or at least cut off welfare after one! Work or no welfare works too!

The government simply increases taxes to cover any and all shortfalls. politicians have diarrhea of the mouth and promise no new taxes but then sneak them in the back door so you won't notice them. Or at least hope you won't. Increase the sales tax by one cent seems minuscule and they tell you it's also paid by all the tourists and transients so it's a good thing. But when do tourists and transients but cars and appliances and the big ticket items that costs the most where that extra cent really hurts? Nobody tells you that, do they? Plus, the tourists go away and you're stuck the rest of the year and for many years with the tax!

Same with taxes to cover hospital districts, such as the one that was defeated narrowly this week for Tri-City Medical Center. They spent 400K on the election, 400K on TV ads, God knows how much for consultants and newspaper ads (couldn't that money have gone to repairs and modernization?) and the bond measure failed. For the third time! Here's a hospital that can't govern itself effectively, and has been whining for years about the same issues. They constantly put a proposition before the people asking them to tax themselves, using scare tactics that the hospital will close if the people don't approve a new tax. Didn't work before, and didn't work this time either. People are saying No More Taxes! Especially when you want to tax people who don't use the hospital (their insurance requires they use other facilities), tax only part of the cities covered so most of the people who use the hospital don't get taxed, the high use by illegals who pay nothing and no taxes, etc, etc.

Big business is suffering in this country, and in some cases, rightfully so. Take the auto industry. I don't drive foreign cars, so let's go from there. We took too long to catch up to the quality of the foreign imports, and we let them get too great a foothold in the US. Their pricing was more attractive, they lasted longer and didn't have to be replaced every few years. Their fuel economy was better and during the first fuel crisis we learned absolutely nothing. The US automakers didn't downsize vehicles and the public didn't really seem to want smaller cars, so as soon as it was over, we went back to burning gas and diesel like it was never-ending, and here we are again in a worse situation than ever.

And now, like then, the gas companies are raking in monumental profits,while we're standing with empty pockets wondering how to fill the tank on the behemoth in the driveway! And the US automakers are in trouble, trying to figure out how to survive in the marketplace. They're losing billions, yes billions of dollars every quarter, trying to stay alive, closing plants and laying off workers, stopping production of some SUV and truck lines and minivans, etc. Did it take this long to learn that the time was coming that gasoline and diesel would run short or too costly to fuel everything? And that fighting higher fuel mileage standards wasn't a prudent thing to do?

And, maybe some introspect is in store for some workers themselves, to see where it's actually worth the price they are paid to fit nuts and bolts onto a vehicle. Here's some amazing information and it goes to show how our own unions and workers have priced their own companies right out of the market. Sure, the buyouts are fine for them, since an autoworker worker making 60K could receive 100K and up to 81 weeks of severance pay to accept the buyout. (This varies by company, time worked, etc. Some Ford workers are offered $140K after 10 years)

Per the Center for Automotive Research: " On average, active union members cost automakers $130,000 a year, whether they are working or not, according to the Center for Automotive Research. That cost drops to $50,000 a year when someone retires early or takes a buyout, and once that retiree is old enough to move onto Medicare and Social Security, the cost drops to $20,000 annually. " Any wonder the cost for an automobile is so high?

Regardless, we're on that freight train and taxes and big business have derailed us and only government and big business are going to get those rails back in place to a healthy economy. We need to stabilize jobs in sectors where people can make a reasonable wage, have healthcare benefits, reduce taxation that is based on giving away to everyone and every nation that won't do for themselves, and start being America again. Maybe we need to reinvent the railroad and lay the tracks ourselves to assure it's done right, and use the cowcatcher to fling off the politicians who stand in the way enroute to a strong and healthy economy!