The New/Old Army?

A Seattle publication just covered the enlistment of a 41 year old man. A man who has both children and GRANDCHILDREN joins the army. The man wants to aid his family and chose the army. The GI Bill will give his children access to college funding and give his family stable income. The man will be able to skip basic training and get sent straight to Iraq with a brief pass at Afghanistan.

Wow. The man really loves his family. I don't know if at the age of 40 I would consider joining the Army. I can understand he needs to support his family. The man is lucky the army raised the cap to 41 in an effort to widen enlistment criteria.



http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008833716_oldsoldiers10.html

Student Loans Backfire

As a result of the economic downturn, many students have been unable to continue payments on their student loans. Defaulting on a loan puts a serious boundary up for a graduate to fully enter the world of success. The credit agencies record the defaulted status and release the information to interested financial institutions. The graduates cannot secure home loans and get higher credit card penalties. However, the issue is not the defaulted loans, but how might a student "rehabilitate" the loan?

I find myself eternally grateful I have not borrowed towards my graduation. In the current economic downturn, I am sure every bank refuses to give students leeway in repaying their loans. The current climate in Georgia almost assures the strictness of loan repayments. I am amazed a student, after paying to "rehabilitate" his/her loan, remains in default. I would be going crazy with the credit score burden. Even if Arizona got involved, how can they track down every loan?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29595467/

Comparing 9/11 to the economic crisis? WOW

I recently ran across an article entitled, "Is the economic crisis Obama's 9/11?". The author compared the political sense of Obama and George Bush. The author believes crises can provide a President opportunities. I'm assuming "opportunities" include public interviews and press coverage. The article continues with a brief summary covering the 787 billion dollar stimulus package currently planned. The author continues on to compare Obama to President Roosevelt.

I quite agree the ecnonomic crisis is a very important issue. The effects of the ecnomic crisis will be felt for some time in the future. I however disagree with the comparason between the economic crisis and 9/11. I will not make such a comparason until a certain amount of time has passed (i.e. a decade). How can anyone know what the effects of Obama's stimulus package? Will it work well and revilatize our country's ecnonomy? Or will it be a small drop of rain in the ocean? We as observers will not know the true impact of the current crisis and "solution" until many years after Obama's Presidency.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/09/economic-crisis-obamas/

The Needs of the Many

Peachtree City recently cut jobs in response to the current economic crisis. In an novel effort, the city counsel put out a survey to decide if all employees were willing to take a 25 percent pay cut. A resounding 90 percent of workers decided "NO". Peachtree City will release 23 employees and outsource project to save over 800,000 dollars.

I have a personal stake in the decision to eliminate the 23 employees. My mother currently works for Peachtree City and supports my collegiate education. In addition, Peachtree City covers my medical expenses. The current situation cannot be remedied through budget cuts. Peachtree City must, however unpopular, increase millage rates.

http://www.fayettedailynews.com/article.php?id_news=3045

Gov Perdue to the....rescue?

Gov. Purdue just put the 30 million dollar budget for school nurses on the chopping block. In response to the ever increasing budget deficit, Governor Purdue continually proposes means and methods to preclude raising taxes. Under current school policy, students are unable to self medicate while on campus. The medical staff at local schools has been given the authorization to administer prescription medication (i.e. insulin) to underage students. The removal of school nurses will seriously hinder the safety of students currently enrolled in public schools.

I believe this to be a grave mistake. The public may view this as a positive method of reducing the deficit, however, without considering all the repercussions. If one child becomes ill without proper medical attention, for whatever reason, the public will vilify the Gov. I believe the Gov is looking for short-term gains at a long-term loss.

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/02/21/churched0221.html

Peanuts not really that safe

The recent crisis covering the broad realm of peanuts must have George Washington Carver turning over in his grave. The biggest problem will continue to be recalling all affected products and regaining the publics trust in the manufacturing process. The most recent example of a poorly constructed warehouse stored raw peanuts with finished goods underneath a leaky roof. Furthermore, the strains of salmonella turned out to be resistant to antibiotics. Many companies are now looking for an alternative to GA grown peanuts to dispel the public's fears.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/us/09peanuts.html?ref=us

Need to still save for retirement

The biggest worry for employees are retirement funds/401k supplied by employers. Many big companies announced a liquidation of retirement funds to maintain operations in the current economic climate. The very thing many employees counted on to cover the uncertain fate of social security/fica. However, Fidelity investments recorded only a 1 percent drop in overall retirement funds. The biggest lesson I've learned is preparing for my own eventual retirement outside of my employer and the government.


http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/02/08/news/state/20090208_arizo_190538.txt
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Caterpillar

Just recently Caterpillar committed a pr nightmare. The company spilled over 6,000 gallons of oil into a nearby river in Illinois. The costs of cleaning up a spill of that magnitude must be in the 10's of millions of dollars. I feel for the pollution/industrial waste spill cleanup crew.


http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Spill-Caterpillar-plant-closes-river/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A5668BC-806D-4D8E-9B34-1225B27FACA5%7D

Saudi Assures Asia

Latest news indicates an end to Saudi cutting the surplus to Asian markets. Due to the economic downturn, crude oil prices have fallen under current contractual obligations. In an effort to stabilize prices, Saudia Arabia has cut output by 10 percent. Hopefully, this will extend to the US in the future and maintain steady prices throughout the year!


http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_3_MOLT/idUSTRE5180HD20090209