<p>I know all too well where these folks are at. It is scary & scary to hear about.
[The</a> Columbus Dispatch : Financially desperate turning to violence](<a href=“http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/10/14/ap_fin_violence_1014.ART_ART_10-14-08_C10_OMBJJ66.html?sid=101]The”>http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/10/14/ap_fin_violence_1014.ART_ART_10-14-08_C10_OMBJJ66.html?sid=101)</p>
<p>EMK - Don’t worry about those people. Republican congressional leaders have a plan to rescue them. It involves increasing the capital gains exclusion on residence sales from $250,000 to $500,000 and also suspending capital gains taxes on any stocks purchased within the next year.</p>
<p>[House</a> GOP objects to spending in $150 billion stimulus package - CNN.com](<a href=“House GOP objects to spending in $150 billion stimulus package - CNN.com”>House GOP objects to spending in $150 billion stimulus package - CNN.com)</p>
<p>oh well then
:rolleyes:</p>
<p>But still- for instance my H who has always had a temper- is not dealing well with being on strike for over a month- we really didn’t expect a strike with this economy, even though the deal wasn’t that great- and he has alternately been getting depressed and angry. ( Ive been doing odd jobs for friends- but everyone is being hit hard-)
[Domestic</a> Violence Expected To Increase as the Economy Declines](<a href=“404 Not Found | firstcoastnews.com”>404 Not Found | firstcoastnews.com)</p>
<p>We don’t have any firearms- except for a BB gun that he shoots at raccoons with
( he hit one once- but the raccoon just brushed off the BBs and gave him a withering look)
:o
So I am not afraid of him going off with a gun- but we do have a lot of bridges- including one close by that many suicidal people use. The other day- I was this close to calling the police when I couldn’t find him ( but he had gone to bed)</p>
<p>Lots of layoffs have been announced in the area- & I have the impression this downturn is affecting many who haven’t been setback noticably in previous downturns.</p>
<p>Waiting for global warming to kick in- because our furnace won’t ;)</p>
<p>I realize this is uncomfortable for many to think about/talk about.</p>
<p>However- I feel we need to accurately address and acknowledge concerns before we can deal with them. When you have dramatically reduced income- are dealing with high costs of daily expenses- especially when those expenses are things like medical bills and taxes- how is it helpful to blame the person who is faced with these challenges by telling them they should have chosen another line of work/a different area in which to live or/ that things aren’t really that bad because housing prices are still overinflated?</p>
<p>It isn’t helpful to cast blame, and I am very sorry you are living through this. It is uncomfortable to think and talk about, and worse to know people are feeling so desperate. Just today at lunch my husband mentioned an increase in suicides over the recent financial downturns. My response, “Been there, almost done that.” You’d be amazed at how bleak things can seem, or, sadly, maybe you would not. </p>
<p>I don’t know what else to say except that I hope you have lots of IRL friends and/or family in addition to your CC family. I am sending you a huge virtual hug! I hope things will improve fast for you and your family.</p>
<p>I really appreciate the good wishes. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I am now seeing who my friends really are- as our financial status- is really obvious with the newspaper headlines- and I think it is making people uncomfortable.
However- I also am getting support from areas that I didn’t expect- and that is very gratifying.</p>
<p>EK4, I must say I cannot fathom why Boeing workers decided it was a good time to strike. The offer on the table was a good one with nice salary bumps at a time when most of us are seeing significant declines. (my fees are down around 30-40% for the same work or more) Minor changes to other areas that are nothing most other folks have had to accept for years already. If I want my wife on my health insurance I pay the cost–about $6,000/yr.
The way to slow outsourcing is not to go on strike. It’s becoming more productive and reliable. Dealing with outsourcing is full of its own headaches as most managers have learned. I think many in the area have the same questions as last night’s TV report indicated–workers friends are not supporting this strike.</p>
<p>Thanks Barrons- its always nice to know there are some on CC who are consistent and predictable.
;)</p>
<p>Growing up in a family with predominately strong union ties, I learned early you have good times and bad times! It’s unsettling when faced with a situation that you have little or no control over! Even when you feel you planned for such an event.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear times are tough in Seattle Emerald. Pretty bleak in it’s own way in NYC right now. Barrons, if nothing else is equal opportunity–no empathy for the honest Wall Street worker or union worker!</p>
<p>[‘R.I.P</a>. Good Times,’ Sequoia Capital Warns - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/rip-good-times-sequoia-capital-warns/]‘R.I.P”>'R.I.P. Good Times,' Sequoia Capital Warns - The New York Times)</p>
<p>Columbia_Student, nice link.</p>
<p>there is/was a vote to put up a net on the Golden Gate bridge to prevent suicides. So sad it’s come to this…</p>
<p>If you feel your husband is angry and depressed (understandable under the conditions), you should try to find help for him. Is there anyone he can talk to? Is there anything he can do to get his mind off these matters? A part-time job or volunteering at a soup kitchen could improve his outlook.</p>
<p>My H and I keep thinking that these times remind us of growing up in the seventies. In my case, my father was a double union man (two jobs). I still (sadly) remember him coming home from his day and just putting his head in his hands. The strikes never made sense to me then or since, although I know there were good points to the union. When the business he worked for closed, that was the worst for him. We survived that anyway, but the misery of it was alot, especially for him.</p>
<p>I hope the strike ends soon; Encourage your children to give him hugs, etc., since I am sure he could use it. I think the most important thing is to remember that the love and support of family is there. I grew up having to live on less, and when I was in college and grad school, even less than that, so I am not just hot air. My own dad is long gone, but I wish I could have told him a few thousand more times how great he was for taking care of us.</p>
<p>Nice post anothermom…one thing I have also noticed is that (hope I don’t get flamed for this) it seems to ME that when women lose a job or go on strike there are lots of other things they identify themselves as…Many men I know really identify strongly with their job or profession so being out of work or on strike is very hard on them aside from just the financial aspects.
Ek hang in there.</p>
<p>This morning I asked my wife for some spending money. She gave me 8 quarters and then went to hide the coin jar. </p>
<p>This economy really sucks.</p>
<p>“Growing up in a family with predominately strong union ties, I learned early you have good times and bad times!”</p>
<p>AMEN Terp - I grew up in that strong union environment as well (all the men in the family were ironworkers), but my H did not have any of those worries, so naturally now we have different attitudes about things, and to be quite frank it gets on my nerves at times. Perhaps he needed this experience (he finally got a job offer today after being out of work since August). We all will survive - hope things improve soon emerald!</p>
<p>That’s a really good point, ebeeeee. My H still has a job, but I can see it being devastating for him if he ever lost it. And worse, I would not be “allowed” to fix it or help, because that would make him seem even more helpless, which he would greatly resent.</p>
<p>In my family, it was my mom who was a union member - she was a teacher. I remember as a child taking flack from all my friends’ parents, who seemed to think my mom was greedy and personally responsible that their kids were home all day.</p>
<p>Thinking of you EK, and hoping you are holding up.</p>
<p>I appreciate everyones thoughts- and waiting for Barrons to take us out to dinner ;)</p>
<p>Anyway- while my grandfather worked at Boeing ( and weathered the 140 day strike in 1948) no one in my immediate family was union although I studied the Wobblies etc. like everyone else.
This particular strike is also tougher than most, because the sticking point seems to be not worth it for the workers & because of the sucky economy. H also pointed out, that with previous union strikes we have undergone, union leadership, also forgoes income for the length of the strike, this doesn’t seem to be the case with the Machinists- I know that many workers are frustrated and think that the union negotiators should be attorneys, as in other union negotiations.
It also doesn’t help when the strikers portrayed in the media seem to be a combination of Al Bundy and Archie Bunker with maybe a little Ralph Kramden thrown in.
not exactly evoking sympathy.</p>
<p>but H is at least busy- we didn’t have a freezer and my sister found a chest freezer on freecycle- so today he is working on installing it- ( at least he cleared out a bunch of crap out of the basement 
) It is so big I think I could put a body in there.</p>