A New Era of Hope

I cannot recall an inauguration that has gotten people so excited. A friend of mine is going to one of the many balls tonight and got a lot of help from her online friends in finding just the right dress and shoes. We've taken to calling her Cinderella.

My kids will be watching at school. My American colleagues in the UK will be going together to a bar to watch. My boss is expecting us to watch in the US office as well.

Soon-to-be President Obam: You've got yourself a tall order. A story on NPR last week was talking about a return to Keynesian economics--you know, economist who said No, actually, the market doesn't always work itself out--sometimes we need to kick start it.
Not everybody agrees, of course. It took World War II to pull the US out of the Great Depression.

But it seems to me that public works projects are a great idea until the economy gets itself sorted out. Everyone know our bridges and highways are crumbling. These are public goods that require public funds. If housing is overbuilt, let's put labor to work fixing that stuff. They'll make good wages, and maybe will be able to buy stuff, and maybe the retail sector will hire some people back, and maybe eventually people will be able to take out mortgages again, by which time the banks will figure out that they can make money the old fashioned way: by lending to people who have sound prospects.

Jobs, Mr. President-Elect, Jobs.

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Let's Encourage Older Pilots to Retire--NOT!!

The airlines have been in trouble for a while. They've been cutting costs. They charge for services that used to be included like meals and luggage.

One of the cost cutting measures has been encouraging older (and more highly compensated) pilots to retire.

Here's an example of American Airlines' approach, this from the union side as reported by the Associated Press's David Koenig last summer:

The union also proposed that pilots who decide to retire get five years of credit toward age and length of service to increase their retirement benefits. The idea is that, by encouraging older pilots to retire, the jobs of younger ones might be saved.

When do you suppose American businesses will learn that, sometimes, it isn't the next quarter's results that matter, it's the health (and in this case safety) of the business in the long run that is important.
Aren't you glad that Chelsey Sullenberger didn't work for American and didn't decide to retire early?

The Guardian Asks if Women are the VIctims of the Economic Downturn

Worth a read. Provocatively "What if Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters?"

Knitting up a Winter Storm

I just learned to knit as part of a charity knitting project. Coats & Clark invited people to knit or crochet handmade scarves for participants in the Special Olympics World Games to be held in Idaho. A group of us managed to completed more than 30 scarves.

By the time we were done, the Special Olympics World Games announced that they had far exceeded the 5000 they were hoping for. A member at a ravelry.com, a knitting forum, reported that they had received 36 THOUSAND scarves and that the Post Office was having to send out special trucks to deliver them all. A volunteer reported that each athlete and volunteer would receive one..

Special Olympics Chapters all over the country have been contacted by knitters wondering what to do with the extra scarves that have been lovingly made, but not yet sent. Many of these chapters are holding their own regional winter games, and are delighted to have the donations.

I'm dumbstruck by the response. Maybe it means that people reallly want to find ways to give if only asked.

Gives me hope for the future.

A resolution

Saying this publicly so I'll actually do it.

I'm going to work on my 2008 taxes this weekend.

Despite the fact that taxes now send me into a tailspin.

I will. I will.

Chicken Confessions

Image via WikipediaWell, last night we finally ran out of our Omaha Steak's sampler that was my husband's Christmas gift from his boss. And we haven't actually done much grocery shopping for main dish material since the package (complete with dry ice--COOL) arrived.

I confess to stopping off at Boston Market for a family meal on the way home from work. The cool thing was that they were offering an additional whole chicken for !.99. Since I was going to buy the meal anyway, I said, "Sure."

And had a yummy chicken salad for lunch today.

Tomorrow--the supermarket.

Bad News from the IRS this Week

Short version of the back story. I owe the IRS upwards of $20K. They wanted me to pay $300 a month. I can't afford to, so I requested a reduced payment of $200. They requested and I sent financial backup three separate times (plus some very cute birthday thank yous by mistake.)

I got a letter. They now say I can afford to pay $500 a month. They say they did not keep any of the previous documentation so I must resubmit all my backup for the past three months.

I'm just tired. And I can't think where this money is going to come from.

Aaargh.