Night Mill Bill

I was just wondering how everyone is doing with the economic world being what it is. A buddy of mine has a "Corporate Restructuring" hanging over his head, and the waiting is not fun. Me, well, I'm ok for now, but if a big, bad thing happens I'm not sure what I could do. The uncertainty of it all just eats at me. I wondered how everyone else was doing.

Well, how's everyone doing?

(feel free to gripe a bit if you like, wont bother me at all)
(or feel free to say that everything is fine! Good news is ok too)

__________________
Night? - I work the overnight shift.
Mill? - Thats where I work, www.estatemillwork.com.
Bill? - Thats my name!

smitty1967

Hey Bill...good question....

Retail gasoline is $3.79, and we carp and moan and complain all day about it, but we don't think a single thing about paying $7.50 per gallon for bottled drinking water from the same gas station (go ahead and do the math, I'll wait...$1.25 for a 20oz bottle, 128oz per gallon) for something we can get for fractions of a cent at home! Nor does the thought of buying $8.00 per gallon coffee bother us.

Some that call themselves Americans are quick to ridicule and belittle our elected leaders, when these American's fathers were, I bet, of the greatest generation of WWII veterans. Would your father put a boot in your behind if he heard you ridicule the president or question our military leaders' actions, or belittle a uniformed soldier?

Do we have a lot of things hanging over our heads? Yes, we do. Are we bent over a barrel every time we go to the grocery store? No doubt. Is the job market a roller-coaster for middle-aged Americans who should be thinking about retirement instead of corporate mergers and layoffs? Regrettably, yes.

My mother is a widow and a United Auto Workers pensioner, and with each new contract from the company to which my father gave 42 years of his mind, body and spirit, she continues to take a cut in benefits while the corporate hot shots take huge salaries and bonuses equalling several million, and while the company continues every quarter in reporting record profits and sales. Unimagineable.

How am I doing? I take care of my mom, along with several siblings. My kids are healthy and smart, my wife works, and I have a stable government job with good retirement plan, an employee-managed private pension. I am building my hobby building as we speak, and me and my house serve the Lord as well as we can. We eat well, we play together, we pray after every meal.

None of this is to suggest that I'm without my own set of problems. I extend my empathies to those with their own unique problems. However, two things I know to be sure: Most often, we create our own trouble. And, prayer and faith in God above and a high moral barometer set the course for an enjoyable day and a solid night's sleep every time.

regards,
smitty

frankp

Things in my life are not to be complained about, that's for sure. My only real issue is my daughter lives with her mom in another country so I don't get to see her daily like I've been used to for the last 12 years. We get trips often though, because things in my life are not to be complained about.

I've made some decisions in my life that made the people around me very nervous and question my sanity, but it's all worked out well for me so far. Gas is expensive, food is expensive, but we manage and spend a fair bit of our time trying to help others less fortunate than we through volunteer efforts. We spend more than we should, but we save more than we spend, so it evens out reasonably well.

Do what you can to help yourselves and those around you fair these rougher times and we'll all be better off at the end of it.

Interesting question, Bill. Wish you well, and the same to everyone else.

This is not the forum for it, smitty, but I'd be interested in a philosophical/religious conversation about what constitutes a "high moral barometer" despite the validity of the addage that you don't talk religion unless you want to fight. This happens to be the second post of yours with religious overtones, which I've become fairly used to not seeing, so it intrigues me a little bit.

smitty1967

Hey Frank: I'd be glad to discuss our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with anyone anytime. Most times, it does not have occasion to come up. When it does, I may be considered by some to be a zealot. I think I am not, but cannot help others' perceptions of me.

Abraham Lincoln said, c. 1860-ish, "A man is a success who enjoys the laughter of innocent children, the trust of pure women, and the respect of other intelligent men." I think I'm there, and I think I can tell by your comments that you are, also. Any time you like, PM me, and we can discuss further to your heart's content.

You're correct on this probably not being the place for it, but you won't get a fight from me about it. Bud from NC and I had a nice little PM exchange going on gun ownership, politics and our fathers. It turned out well and I got to know him a little better, despite him asking a hard question to start off the exchange. (See honey? I can be reasonable...).

regards,
smitty

user4178

Don't EVEN get me started !

pianoman

I still have alot of wood...and a head exploding with ideas of what I still want to make...I don`t need any stinking money! Well...maybe a little bit. Rick

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Night Mill Bill

Thanks for the replies folks! I was just wondering if everyone felt as gloomy as I was. I guess there really is no point complaining about it.

Still, I read the news, I get worried. I see whats going on in Burma, I worry. I see whats going on in China. I worry. I see whats happening to gas, I worry.

China gets to me, I admit, going even more off-topic. I have nothing against the people, but sending so many jobs overseas just does not strike me as such a hot idea. Didnt we not like Communist Dictatorships? I swear, not long ago, we didnt like those. Now we cant stop sending them money. Unless they are Cuban, I guess. I cant wrap my head around some of this stuff.

Heh, I say there is no point in complaining, then what to do I do? I complain some more.

I wish I found comfort in religion. When I was little we went every sunday, no questions asked. Then one of our parish priests got arrested. He was taking money out of the "Fix the Roof" fund, and had a girlfriend in Long Island (it did seem to take a really long time to get that fixed) (Heh, and he always did seem like a really happy guy). Then we lost a Decon. There were some rumors floating around about him and some kids that I'd rather not get into. Rumors are Rumors, yeah, but he sure disappeared pretty completely, and pretty quickly. Havent set foot in a church, willingly, for years. Enough was enough. My theological thinking pretty much settled on "Just try and be nice," and I've left it at that for a while now.

I talk about some of this stuff with a buddy of mine, and he tells me to stop reading the news. I wonder sometimes that maybe he has a point.

I think I'll start looking into some wood Turning. I've seen folks make some stuff that way that just blew me away. That, maybe, I can handle.

__________________
Night? - I work the overnight shift.
Mill? - Thats where I work, www.estatemillwork.com.
Bill? - Thats my name!

Cdat

Well now. A subject I like.
I make a decent wage. I just put 53 dollars in my American built Malibu! Geeze! I switched to a car a few years ago due to the rising fuel costs back then! 1st car I have ever owned. Always had big trucks before. I still own an extended Envoy for the family. That thing eats gas like you wouldn't believe but it is nice to load everyone and everything needed into one vehicle for a week or two vacation.

As for why everything sucks now? I blame no one but ourselves because we did it to ourselves. We buy the cheapest stuff (made overseas). We demand a source of fuel other then oil, so we grab our best food crop and totally screw up our farming and inflation.

We live a lifestyle that uses credit more then anything else. We offer cheap discounted and gimmicked loans to people, knowing we are expecting them to go deeper in debt so we can collect those missed payment fines.

We build houses faster then we have people to move into them and it finally all caught up with us. I laugh every time I hear of someone walking away from their house because they owe more then it is worth. Then the banks lose money because they were so dishonest in the first place offering someone a loan they KNEW could not be paid back. I laugh at the banks, not the people who lost a home they never should of bought in the 1st place. Of course, now we have to bail out our banks or our whole economy will collaspe because of lieing worthless money managers.

Heading toward a recession? Hell, we've been in one for 6 months now and no end in sight. Unemployment low? No crap. After 6 months, you're dropped from unemployment lists. You don't have a job but you're not on anyone's list so you don't count. Took a lower paying job because you had to feed your family? Well there is one less unemployed person and one job gained! Wow what great math!

Ever notice how we drill for oil within the US but export it to China? They pay more for it.

NAFTA? Short term gain. Long term (now) we lose. We short termed, sent money, material there to build their infrastructure but now that it is built, they don't need our goods any more. They build stuff there and sell it to us here. Just like every where else we have these 'open' trade agreements.

So, to answer your question, after my rant, I'm depressed as Hell but we have no one to blame but ourselves.

TS3660

CDat, I agree. We did it to ourselves. But I'm glad I didn't contribute. Knowingly anyway. I heard a lady on the radio yesterday complaining about gas prices and she said the gov't needs to do something. She obviously was an uninformed idiot. When asked what the gov't should do, she said can't stand Bush and that we need to drill in Alaska, not in Anwar like Bush wants to do. When she was told that Anwar IS in Alaska, she stumbled and then hung up. What a dufus. The shame of it all is that there's too many uninformed people that vote.

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Bud

"Capitalism is the unequal sharing of wealth: Socialism is the equal sharing of misery"

Cdat

What kind of car do you own? Where do you shop? A lot of people say they aren't the problem when in fact they are THE problem. I'm not saying you are, just that some people don't realize that their spending/buying habits have helped create this quagmire.

Shop at Walmart? Your clothes made in the US of A? American Made vehicle? Not just the brand but where was it assembled? I'd rather someone buy a Toyota made in America then a Ford made in Mexico. Some time, go to you-tube and type in China factories and there is a video there with the workers INSIDE of the stamping press. One mistake and you're dead. We as average workers will NEVER be able to compete with people who do not value human life. I went to the Ukraine a few years back and every other man I saw in the morning walking to work had either a hand, arm, finger or leg missing. Everyone of them due to workplace injuries. No way we can compete with that. When it rained, the water was black with coal ash and the smoke coming out of the factory's was yellow. You think the EPA would allow that here? Our economy is gonna' tank. No if's, ands or buts about it. We are obsolete in today's marketplace. The one we set up in the 1st place. -end of rant part 2-

TS3660

I own a F-150 and never shop at WAl Mart. But you're right, I can't possibly know where every part of everything I buy is made. The fruits & vegetables at my grocery are imported from Mexico. So, I go to the local farmers market. But it is run by illegal aliens. You just can't win. I can't buy a cell phone that has it's support center in the US. There's only one TV manufacturer in the US. Our next president will be elected by illegals because here in NC, they can get a driver's license without being a citizen. Simply show a utility bill and you get a license. And because of the motor voter law, they vote. What a crock.

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Bud

"Capitalism is the unequal sharing of wealth: Socialism is the equal sharing of misery"

mdlbldrmatt135

Working for a Oil industry equipment supplier........ Work is great... steady... pleanty of OT.......... but the rest of it scares me............

smitty1967

Cdat, Bud...well said by both of you....

smitty

Boardman

I recently talked with a painter who tried "all" of the painting contractors around and nobody had any work, he said. Now painting is part of the whole housing industry bust, so I don't take that as a general indicator. But I do feel we're not in a very good position here now.

I truly believe that federal price regulations on gasoline/fuel is not so radical a thing to consider these days. Fuel costs affect EVERY aspect of our lives, from groceries to the plumber you hire. I simply cannot fathom how we stand for the fact that gas prices are getting higher and higher, while Exxon reports the biggest profit margins in the history of the country.

Oh that's right!....the Senate held "hearings" on fuel prices a couple weeks ago. Seems like I never heard anything about their findings on the matter.

Cdat

2nd highest in history. I betcha' they did some awesome number crunching/hiding to report less then what they really made.

mdlbldrmatt135

I can tell you they're reinvesting ALOT back into the refineries...... But they're not the wisest investments they could be making....

The Oil price tey keep quting on the news is "Light sweet" crude..... the easiest & cheapest stuff to process........ something like 75-80% of refineries prosess it..... the problem is... we're running out of the "Light Sweet" crude......

the "Heavy Sour" crude has alot of Sulfur in it making it more $$ to process...... (yet it's not worth as much because of this) it requires different material in the processing equipment.... a BIG investment.... Only 1 refinery in the US is making an effort to DOUBLE it's output and they're doing it so they can process the "heavy sour" crude.......... the original cost estimate to do this was something like 4 billion so far it's doubled in price........and getting higher.....

I'm by NO means defending the Oil companies.......... but with my Income dependent on them.....................

Hell........ we have a 21 axle truck / trailer (only 4 axles are on the truck itself) sitting in our driveway waiting on the compressor skid to be ready to ship...........

smitty1967

Hey Matt: you seem like the guy to ask this question...

Is it true that diesel is the first product to come off crude in the refining process? Ergo, it should be the least expensive, correct?

(I said should be the least expensive....)

just wondering
smitty

mdlbldrmatt135

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refining

It's more $$$$ because it's sooo close to heating oil...........

Night Mill Bill

Some good replies here! Part of me is glad I brought the subject up, part of me just does not want to talk about it anymore. Still, its probably better to try and get the subject out there. May as well face up to it.

Here's a new question:

How do we think we can fix our economy?

What do folks think? Is there a way to do it that wont hurt too much, or do we just have to ride it out.

__________________
Night? - I work the overnight shift.
Mill? - Thats where I work, www.estatemillwork.com.
Bill? - Thats my name!

Cdat

It's easy to fix. Problem is no one would be willing to do it.