The Great Depression 2: Depression Harder

[Andy 60]

Woolworths and MFI have died over here.

Woolworths being a much-loved shop that sold pretty much anything, they were originally a US company and were due to celebrate their 100th anniversary next year. Not sure how my small town will cope with the loss of the biggest and most usefull store on the High Street.

MFI is a furniture retailer. No big loss, but they are still a pretty well-known name over here.

Also reported to be in trouble are Curry's (an electronics store) and the UK branch of PC World, who are both owned by the same comapny. PC World wouldn't be that great a loss, to be fair. But they do sell PC components, which seem to be hard to find other than online. And I like to see what I'm about to buy, lol.

Oh, and I hear there is another bailout over there. Here's a little something I found on the 'net:

[Ender 8]

Oh, if only Ford sold the Mondeo ST220 over here, they'd make so much goddamn money...

[Bad furday 57]

I love the look of the new Mondeo..especially the 5 door liftback. I'd buy one if they brought it over.

http://www.thetorquereport.com/2008/06/nex...will_be_ba.html

Right now..I've got my eyes on the new Ford Fiesta 5 door. Love the styling, just hope that when they bring it here in 2011(?), they don't change the way it handles.

:D

[Mara 29]

A 5-door Fiesta? Interesting...

[Chickenman 9]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/30/exe....pay/index.html

"We have a bunch of idiots on Wall Street that are kicking sand in the face of the American taxpayer," an enraged McCaskill said on the floor of the Senate. "They don't get it. These people are idiots. You can't use taxpayer money to pay out $18 billion in bonuses."

Thank you, Senator.

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

ok, so there is at least ONE functioning brain cell in Washington.

[Chickenman 9]

These bailouts are insane. And even more insane when they're coupled with tax cuts, and in the middle of a war. This keeps up, the federal government isn't going to have any money, which means taxes are going to have to go sky high just to keep us from crumbling.

[Princess 35]

It's nuts. That money was meant to keep the economy from failing, not to pay bonuses! Did anyone else see the story about the CEO of Air Japan that wears off the rack suits, cut his own salary when the company was struggling, eats in the cafeteria with the rest of the employees and rides the bus to work?

[TheUnknown 39]

Here is the video of her speech on the floor of the Senate:

[Drake 53]

It's nuts. That money was meant to keep the economy from failing, not to pay bonuses! Did anyone else see the story about the CEO of Air Japan that wears off the rack suits, cut his own salary when the company was struggling, eats in the cafeteria with the rest of the employees and rides the bus to work?

People like that are the ones who started out with nothing and understand that if people continue with their greed, everyone will return to nothing.

[Winters 0]

What we need is the Great FDR! (and another war... but the war is what gets us out of these things... WWII... well, all the wars except Gulf (both) and Vietnam...)

[Chickenman 9]

No. No we don't need another war.

[TheUnknown 39]

I see now the Republicans in the Senate are in all out obstruction mode in the Senate, along with a couple moderate Democrat co-conspirators. ewok bipartisanship. They're not negotiating in good faith, and all they want are more tax cuts for the rich, which don't solve s***.

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

back to business as usual. carryon.

[TheUnknown 39]

CNN posted a story about some of the sticking points for the Republicans (http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/gop.stimulus.worries/index.html). Some of this I might agree with them on (like the tax break for movie producers, which was taken out of the bill, by the way). But the majority of it I see as potentially helpful (building buildings, buying computers, etc.) And worse, the bill itself is 900 billion dollars. This stuff accounts for, what, maybe 10% of it. That's really nitpicky and makes it look like they're just looking for reasons to kill it.

? $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

? A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

? $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

? $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

? $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

? $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

? $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

? $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

? $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

? $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

? $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

? $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

? $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

? $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

? $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

? $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

? $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

? $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

? $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

? $500 million for state and local fire stations.

? $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

? $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

? $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

? $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

? $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

? $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

? $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

? $850 million for Amtrak.

? $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

? $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

? $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

? $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

[Chickenman 9]

I was going to post that. A few on that list I do agree should get some funding. *shrug*

[TheUnknown 39]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1871&s_pos=

Wait 'til it gets to the part about education.

[Princess 35]

Honestly, I like some of what's on that list because building those projects and places will create jobs

[TheUnknown 39]

I think I need to clarify. The things on that list were stuff the Republicans said were wasteful and want cut.

[Princess 35]

I know, I'm disagreeing with most of that list.

So here's a question that I heard on the radio, are all these companies that are cutting jobs, cutting jobs because they can't afford to keep their doors open unless they cut or because they aren't as profitable as they used to be?

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

i think it's some of both. when times were good, the general public spent money like they had it even though they really didn't. then when things crashed, suddenly people are buckling down and not spending as much as they used to. so some companies really aren't as profitable as they used to be with decreased consumer spending, and can't afford to opperate at the same level they could in years past.

[Tsl 7]

My hospital is going to be cutting people here soon. Our patient population has shifted from like 50% Medicaid to....I don't remember, but a helluva lot more % of Medicaid. Since Medicaid reimburses next to nothing, they're making all kinds of cuts everywhere. I imagine it's like this pretty much every hospital in areas heavily effected by job loss.

[Chickenman 9]

This doesn't have to do with the economy per se, but it's an issue I'm sure has been made worse in this climate.

There was a homeless man on the subway today. I hate it when I see homeless people, because it absolutely tears me up inside. It's just so unfair. Why does a spoiled b**** like me get to live such a good life while these guys have to beg just to stay alive. This guy was the whole shebang, he was balding except for several long frizzy strands of hair that reached straight up about a foot from his head, he smelled something awful, and was drinking what I hope was alcohol from a listerine bottle, but might have been actual listerine. And all he wanted to do was talk to people. Have some kind of social interaction. He was nice as hell, but every single person in that subway car, including me, looked at the floor, ceiling, out the window, anywhere that wouldn't lead to eye contact with this guy. He was far too beneath them. A few stops before mine, a member of the transport authority came in, said hello, acted like he was this guy's best friend, and told him they were going to go for a ride together, is that okay? They're going to head to another station, where I guess they herd these guys, and they're going to give this guy his own train. How does that sound? You're not going to be any trouble, are you? Trouble? Seriously? The guy was trying to hold a conversation with people. How dare he. Everybody knows that subways are for long awkward silences where people won't even spare eye contact with one another.

I swear, the next person I hear arguing against government programs for the poor because they don't want to pay a bum to be a bum, is getting stabbed in the ewoking eye. Or anyone who ever tells a homeless person to go get a job. It's ewoking hard enough to get a job when you have a three piece suit to wear to the interview. Something tells me a pile of rags and single glove with the fingers cut out isn't going to lead to stock options. And the fact that such a disproportionate number of homeless are military veterans, men that bled for this country, is ewoking disgusting.

No, I didn't give him any money. Like any good American, I'm saving my money so I can stimulate the economy by buying an XBOX game. The guy wouldn't take any money anyway. He was too proud. Bless him.

[Andy 60]

The thing that really annoys me about homelessness is that there are thousands of homes sitting empty across the country because people have been evicted for not being able to afford to keep up their mortgage payments. Where are they living now? Oh yeah, the streets! What are those perfectly good homes doing? Sitting waiting for people to buy them because nobody can actually afford to.

I really wish I could do something to help. And I don't mean give these people my spare change, because that's only a temporary fix to an indefinite problem. I could give him the 34p I have in loose change, but he's still going to be there tomorrow.

[Drake 53]

And the sad part is that many will most likely just use that charity change to buy alcohol. One thing I've heard some people do is give out gift cards to clothing stores or coffee shops. It may not do a lot to get them off the streets but it does prevent them from worsening their condition through drinking.