Wow, things are slow, huh?
The legislature shut down and the cooks left town and now we’re all standing around. What the hell to do?
First of all, let’s glance at some interesting news stories that are happening.
The legislature shut down and the cooks left town and now we’re all standing around. What the hell to do?
First of all, let’s glance at some interesting news stories that are happening.
Yesterday in Missoula two people were killed in some kind of shooting, and one of them worked at a local TV station. The guy who shot them then tried to kill himself but he messed up and is now in the hospital. Now, there’s a lot of talk right now that police are bad, and Missoula cops get an especially bad rap. I’ve never had any problems with them, and I’m sure we’d be worse off without them. Looking at the underlying issues that make you mad at police is always better than taking out your frustration on them.
Moving on, from now until September 18 you can enter an art contest for a Montana anti-meth campaign. I don’t know what they want, but I do know they’re offering $30,000 in prizes and people as young as 12-years-old can enter. Might be something to look into if you know the artsy types.
Tim Fox continues to let draconian, anti-business thinking lead him astray from what his flock sent him to Helena to do, and that’s reduce their tax burden. Legalizing marijuana is a great way to slow the amount of money we take from residents for schools. I propose plowing all of the legal marijuana revenues into schools, mental health, and treatment in-lieu of jail programs. Tim Fox…wake up.
UM is getting with modernity and offering a grad program for early education teachers, even though the legislature still lives in the past on early education. Yes, I’m talking about Early Edge and how we should have funded that. Anyways, I like this program and my wife could benefit because she teachers preschool students. She certainly won’t benefit from student loan debt, however, and that’s why she won’t pursue it.
Moving on, from now until September 18 you can enter an art contest for a Montana anti-meth campaign. I don’t know what they want, but I do know they’re offering $30,000 in prizes and people as young as 12-years-old can enter. Might be something to look into if you know the artsy types.
Tim Fox continues to let draconian, anti-business thinking lead him astray from what his flock sent him to Helena to do, and that’s reduce their tax burden. Legalizing marijuana is a great way to slow the amount of money we take from residents for schools. I propose plowing all of the legal marijuana revenues into schools, mental health, and treatment in-lieu of jail programs. Tim Fox…wake up.
UM is getting with modernity and offering a grad program for early education teachers, even though the legislature still lives in the past on early education. Yes, I’m talking about Early Edge and how we should have funded that. Anyways, I like this program and my wife could benefit because she teachers preschool students. She certainly won’t benefit from student loan debt, however, and that’s why she won’t pursue it.
Billings is having the same problems that the schools in Lolo are having – no money. Yeah, in the former it was the legislature that cut off the spigot, while in the latter it was local property tax payers who refused a bond issue. Guess what? These schools need to get used to this, because my generation:
If they did, it’d be 2008 all over again! So we know that in 20 years, we’ll have about 50% fewer property tax dollars coming in…unless we replace broke assholes like me with rich out of state assholes.
Unfortunately, rich out of state assholes build their houses in the middle of the forest, and sometimes we even have to build roads to them. Then when fires inevitably come, we’re forced to expend all the tax money we’ve saved up to hire people and equipment to go in and save those houses. WTF!!!
Why are broke city-folk like me forced to shoulder that burden? Or is my income tax being put off to the side to only spend on me, while we keep all the property taxes set aside for the rich man’s ignorance? Because, damn it, I’m tired of rich people not paying for me and then expecting me to come bail them out. Damn it, I’m sick of that!
This is America, and that used to mean people meant something. Now it’s only rich people and corporations. What happened?
- Is broke as shit;
- Has a ton of student debt on top of it;
- And there’s no way in hell that any banker is going to give us a mortgage in that situation…thank God!
If they did, it’d be 2008 all over again! So we know that in 20 years, we’ll have about 50% fewer property tax dollars coming in…unless we replace broke assholes like me with rich out of state assholes.
Unfortunately, rich out of state assholes build their houses in the middle of the forest, and sometimes we even have to build roads to them. Then when fires inevitably come, we’re forced to expend all the tax money we’ve saved up to hire people and equipment to go in and save those houses. WTF!!!
Why are broke city-folk like me forced to shoulder that burden? Or is my income tax being put off to the side to only spend on me, while we keep all the property taxes set aside for the rich man’s ignorance? Because, damn it, I’m tired of rich people not paying for me and then expecting me to come bail them out. Damn it, I’m sick of that!
This is America, and that used to mean people meant something. Now it’s only rich people and corporations. What happened?
Thankfully there’s still a little entrepreneurial spirit, and enterprising individuals can make craft foods at home and sell them at farmer’s markets for some extra income. This is great for people on fixed incomes, which is about anyone on the government dole…and that’s a lot of people in Montana.
We know that there are no jobs and we’re feeling this more than ever. We shipped so many overseas to build the Chinese middle class that now half a generation was forced to retire early, with no benefits or savings, and with the expectation that they now have to sit out. Those that are still clinging to the workforce are edging out their kids, and anyone who has retired is living check to check as insurance payments eat up most of their golden years.
What a mess!
Folks, the world is falling apart around us right now. We’re insulated from it, but we’re going to start feeling it very soon. It’s going to hit you hard because you’re not prepared. Stocks falling, banks acting funny, companies tightening up…it’ll be rough.
Thankfully we’ll have Steve Bullock in 2016. I get mad at him a lot, but he’s better than anyone else out there. I don’t expect much in the way of a challenge to him, either from the GOP or another Democrat. I sure hope he can keep things from going off-kilter here.
It’s going to get rough soon, and there’s a storm on the horizon. Things might be slow, but you shouldn’t be.
Might sound a little kooky to you, but perhaps you’re sitting a little more pretty than I. Maybe things are rosy. If that’s the case, I’d be even more worried than I. After all, if the stock market goes down…doesn’t affect me too much. But if you saw a ‘dip,’ then what?
Be vigilant.
We know that there are no jobs and we’re feeling this more than ever. We shipped so many overseas to build the Chinese middle class that now half a generation was forced to retire early, with no benefits or savings, and with the expectation that they now have to sit out. Those that are still clinging to the workforce are edging out their kids, and anyone who has retired is living check to check as insurance payments eat up most of their golden years.
What a mess!
- Meanwhile we continue to send countless dollars overseas to prop up the Saudi government and their war against Yemen and as Syria falls apart at the seams, America steps in to train 15,000 rebels over the next three years.
- The Chinese economy isn’t what it used to be and tensions with Iran are building.
- You never hear about the war in Ukraine right now.
- The 5,033 migrants that have drowned in the Mediterranean over the past 18 months are never discussed.
Folks, the world is falling apart around us right now. We’re insulated from it, but we’re going to start feeling it very soon. It’s going to hit you hard because you’re not prepared. Stocks falling, banks acting funny, companies tightening up…it’ll be rough.
Thankfully we’ll have Steve Bullock in 2016. I get mad at him a lot, but he’s better than anyone else out there. I don’t expect much in the way of a challenge to him, either from the GOP or another Democrat. I sure hope he can keep things from going off-kilter here.
It’s going to get rough soon, and there’s a storm on the horizon. Things might be slow, but you shouldn’t be.
- Bone-up and stock up.
- Stop pissing way money in the consumer economy, stop buying cheap Chinese plastic crap you don’t need.
- Pay off your debt and reduce monthly payments.
- Start a savings account, and another one under a mattress, in a shoe box, or a hollowed out Bible.
- Buy a gun.
- Wean yourself off electronic devices for a few hours a day.
- Learn how to grow and conserve, not use up and waste.
Might sound a little kooky to you, but perhaps you’re sitting a little more pretty than I. Maybe things are rosy. If that’s the case, I’d be even more worried than I. After all, if the stock market goes down…doesn’t affect me too much. But if you saw a ‘dip,’ then what?
Be vigilant.
