Recent news reports have touched on spending habits of some of the recipients of bailout money.
For example Northern Trust received "bailout" money. Yet they continued to sponsor a PGA Golf Tourney. How could this be a problem? I really like golf.
When criticized for taking "bailout" money and then spending money on sponsoring golf tourneys Northern responded by saying, "we did NOT use any of the "bailout" money for the tournament.
What?
Please keep reading.
Big businesses have budgets. It is obvious they do NOT see the entirety of their own business as we "the little people" would. They see their business budget like a sliced pie. But each piece of the pie has nothing to do with the rest of the pie.
If I say "I am broke", I mean I do not have any money. I do NOT mean except for the $500 in my wallet.
When these "very smart people" claim they need a "bailout" they obviously mean they have money for parties, concerts, golf tournaments, corporate jets, multi million dollar salaries,...... whatever, but no money to keep their business running.
Okay,that said get a load of this. Northern Trust earned $794.8 million, or $3.47 per share, in 2008. THEY ARE NOT BROKE!!! They are prospering quite well!
AND THEY GOT BAILOUT MONEY!! Crap, where is my "bailout" money!! What a joke.
Despite remaining profitable, Northern Trust announced in December it would cut 4 percent of its staff, or about 450 jobs. What?
That is correct. A profitable company is making a 4 percent cut in its staff. Why? Maybe to contribute to the unemployment lines. I don't know why they are trying to fix something that is NOT broken. They are making money just the way they are.
Northern Trust is a typical large company, NOT the exception.
Get a load of this.
Most of you know I work for the postal service. I have an associate who has told me his post office has paid out $12,000 in grievance loses since October 2008. Why? Because he cannot hire employees to fill vacant positions (there is a hiring freeze). Crossing crafts is against the National Agreements with the postal unions and to get the mail delivered he must cross crafts. Then a grievance is filed, he must then also pay employees who did not do the work, because other employees outside of the craft were working where they should not be working.
This just keeps repeating; this is nuts! How can it continue? you might ask.
Check this out. Because the money paying for grievance settlements comes from a "different" part of the budget. Does this sound familiar? The Postal Service does not see itself as a "total" company just like other huge companies. Apparently the Postal Service has become very successfully in modeling itself after the private sector.
My brain does not work like the above mentioned. What are THEY thinking?
What I'm wondering.....er
I mean.
What I'm Thinkin'
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Its All About The Oil
What I'm Thinkin'
If you read one of my earlier blogs you will see I stated, once the Bailouts start there will be more requests for money. Here they come.
But what is really happening here?
Here is how it works: businesses and governments all make budgets for the next year, they predict expenses and try to adjust expenses to make a profit or savings. You may even do this with your income.
There is one cost factor that drives the economy more than any other. Oil.
Think about this. Everyone budgets to spend a certain amount of money in each area budgeted for, right. Well, what happens when the price of a barrel oil goes up? Gas prices go up. What happens when gas prices go up? ALL other prices must go up. Have you been to the grocery store lately? The prices jumped and are still up. Why? Gas prices went up.
Take the Postal Service - now in financial trouble. Why? Gas prices. They budgeted for gas for 200,000 vehicles to deliver the mail 6 days a week then gas prices went from $2.00 to $4.00 per gallon. This in itself is a huge portion of the loses that hit the Postal Service. I do not know why they seem to have forgot this.
Think about this; everything is connected to oil.
We trade everything for oil. Its all about the oil.
The weird thing is that everyone has forgotten all about the oil and is blaming our current situation on everything but oil, AND IT'S THE OIL!
Oh, I am not saying the banking and auto industry are not a mess, they are. But all our wealth went to the Middle East.
When will we learn? We need our own energy source. The Middle East has been a huge draw on the wealth of our nation for almost 40 years. Remember the energy crisis of the 70's. What has changed? Nothing. They robbed us then and they are still robbing us.
What I'm Thinkin'
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
If you read one of my earlier blogs you will see I stated, once the Bailouts start there will be more requests for money. Here they come.
But what is really happening here?
Here is how it works: businesses and governments all make budgets for the next year, they predict expenses and try to adjust expenses to make a profit or savings. You may even do this with your income.
There is one cost factor that drives the economy more than any other. Oil.
Think about this. Everyone budgets to spend a certain amount of money in each area budgeted for, right. Well, what happens when the price of a barrel oil goes up? Gas prices go up. What happens when gas prices go up? ALL other prices must go up. Have you been to the grocery store lately? The prices jumped and are still up. Why? Gas prices went up.
Take the Postal Service - now in financial trouble. Why? Gas prices. They budgeted for gas for 200,000 vehicles to deliver the mail 6 days a week then gas prices went from $2.00 to $4.00 per gallon. This in itself is a huge portion of the loses that hit the Postal Service. I do not know why they seem to have forgot this.
Think about this; everything is connected to oil.
We trade everything for oil. Its all about the oil.
The weird thing is that everyone has forgotten all about the oil and is blaming our current situation on everything but oil, AND IT'S THE OIL!
Oh, I am not saying the banking and auto industry are not a mess, they are. But all our wealth went to the Middle East.
When will we learn? We need our own energy source. The Middle East has been a huge draw on the wealth of our nation for almost 40 years. Remember the energy crisis of the 70's. What has changed? Nothing. They robbed us then and they are still robbing us.
What I'm Thinkin'
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
Monday, January 26, 2009
Global Warming? Baby, It's Cold Outside!
What I'm Thinkin'
I was watching Nat Geo the other night on tv. It was an episode about global warming.
These scientists had drilled some ice core samples from the Antarctic and were discussing how they could read what the weather was like for the past thousands of years. Each year was individually observed like rings in a tree. Each year had its own ring.
They could tell how much carbon dioxide was in the air and how much perception fell and even if there was volcanic activity.
So I am watching this thing intrigued by all the stuff I am learning.
Then....
Then they say something like; when there was little precipitation (clear skies/sunny) it was colder than when there were clouds and lots of moisture. Then they said something like "we have no idea why".
I thought, what the heck! This is not a little thing. But they blew over it and I heard no more about it.
I am not afraid of science. I like it. But 1/2 a story is not a story.
So, this morning I wake up and it is the first sunny day in a long time AND IT'S FREEZING OUTSIDE!
I think, hmmmm. They were right. When it was cloudy it was warmer, now when it's clear, it is very cold. Why?
Heck, I don't know.
It could be the clouds hold in all the heat from the lava under the earths crust or the dark side of space is so cold it makes us colder at night. Whatever.
The earth could be warming just as the scientist say. But why? Could be the natural way of things? Or, mankind is making greenhouse gases messing things up?
I don't know..... Now where did I put my cup of hot chocolate? I'm cold.
What I'm Thinkin'
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
I was watching Nat Geo the other night on tv. It was an episode about global warming.
These scientists had drilled some ice core samples from the Antarctic and were discussing how they could read what the weather was like for the past thousands of years. Each year was individually observed like rings in a tree. Each year had its own ring.
They could tell how much carbon dioxide was in the air and how much perception fell and even if there was volcanic activity.
So I am watching this thing intrigued by all the stuff I am learning.
Then....
Then they say something like; when there was little precipitation (clear skies/sunny) it was colder than when there were clouds and lots of moisture. Then they said something like "we have no idea why".
I thought, what the heck! This is not a little thing. But they blew over it and I heard no more about it.
I am not afraid of science. I like it. But 1/2 a story is not a story.
So, this morning I wake up and it is the first sunny day in a long time AND IT'S FREEZING OUTSIDE!
I think, hmmmm. They were right. When it was cloudy it was warmer, now when it's clear, it is very cold. Why?
Heck, I don't know.
It could be the clouds hold in all the heat from the lava under the earths crust or the dark side of space is so cold it makes us colder at night. Whatever.
The earth could be warming just as the scientist say. But why? Could be the natural way of things? Or, mankind is making greenhouse gases messing things up?
I don't know..... Now where did I put my cup of hot chocolate? I'm cold.
What I'm Thinkin'
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
Thursday, January 1, 2009
If This Is True, We Are In Trouble
"What I'm Thinkin"
I usually do not blog like this.
I came across this at Military.Com
Jeff Huber is a retired military officer. Read what he has to say. Remember what he says. Lets see if it comes to pass.
If this does come to pass it is a real wake up call for all of us.
I hope he is wrong, but I think he is on to something here.
Just click here to read his article: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,182037,00.html?ESRC=dod-bz.nl
If the click does not work just copy the address and paste it in your address bar.
"What I'm Thinkin"
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
I usually do not blog like this.
I came across this at Military.Com
Jeff Huber is a retired military officer. Read what he has to say. Remember what he says. Lets see if it comes to pass.
If this does come to pass it is a real wake up call for all of us.
I hope he is wrong, but I think he is on to something here.
Just click here to read his article: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,182037,00.html?ESRC=dod-bz.nl
If the click does not work just copy the address and paste it in your address bar.
"What I'm Thinkin"
Sincerely,
Timothy James Maki
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