Caterpillar to Change... states?

Last week Peoria based Caterpillar dropped a bomb on the whole state of Illinois. In a letter, the CEO of Caterpillar, Doug Oberhelman told Governor Quinn that he might consider leaving the state of Illinois because of the unfriendly business taxes/environment. Quinn (yucko by the way, I did NOT vote for you!) was all upset over the prospect of adding Caterpillar to the list of businesses that he drove out of the state. He tried to play it off, saying that he is “confident that Caterpillar will stay in Illinois” and that, contrary to common sense, Illinois is a business friendly environment. Umm- what the hell does he live?

First of all, let me just reiterate- I did not vote for Quinn. I think he is riding the coattails of a scandal, claiming to be a good guy- when he clearly is not. He does not speak to my interests, or what I want, so even though he is a Democrat, he did not get my vote. Take note- I don’t vote a party ticket. Secondly, are you kidding me? Illinois is not that friendly a business environment AND with Quinn raising taxes like he has lost his mind, other states are stealing businesses from the state. Guess what? I say, good for those other states. Don’t get me wrong, I love Illinois. I love living here, clearly… and there is no place that I would rather be. With that said- you cannot expect citizens or businesses to just take what you throw at them, no questions asked, no repercussions. Here are the facts: taxes in Illinois are out of control. The whole state- Cook County in particular. Until last July, Chicago had the highest tax rate of all large American cities… at 10.25% Even now, it is high as all get out- at 9.75%. That makes our gas prices soar, our utility costs sky-rocket, and living costs in general are ridiculous in comparison to other larger cities, in the Midwest or otherwise. Let me be the first to remind everyone, Chicago is not the capital of Illinois and 9.75% is not a statewide rate. Ain’t that some shit? It is that bad in Chicago, so I can imagine what the rest of the state is dealing with. If I ran a multimillion dollar operation, would I look into moving my business elsewhere? Absolutely!! Pat Quinn and the rest of Illinois’ lawmakers need to realize, there is only so much that people CAN put up with. In today’s economic times, there is only so much that the city of Chicago, Cook County and businesses can DO for a state. Being over taxed to pay for things that are NOT necessities is outrageous. I don’t want Caterpillar to leave. Those 23,000 jobs will be next to impossible to replace. I DO, however, want a government that works for the betterment of Illinoisans- private citizens and businesses… and it seems that we aren’t getting that with Pat Quinn.

New Jersey is not the only state wheelin’ and dealing’ for Illinois businesses… neighboring Indiana is too.

What's a state to do?

Obama, Race and the fight of his Presidency

IF you follow me on Twitter (jovonnam) or Facebook, you would know that I have been a little more than disappointed with the topic of race relations this week. The whole Shirley Sherrod situation grated my nerves like you would not believe and I said as much in my updates. While sending out resumes, I saw her on the Today show where she said that while she was not expecting an apology from the President, she would like to talk to him about her situation. There is so much wrong with that statement. So, I was all in attack mode about her and then I read this article, which made my panties get all bunched up even more.

This article criticizes the President for being silent on race for the vast majority of his reign in office. Um, why are we talking about that like it is a bad thing? The author says that the President has has nothing to say regarding the deaths of Oscar Grant, Sean Bell or Aiyanna Jones. So. Neither do I. I am not saying that I don't give a shit about these deaths- all were at the hands of the police (Grant in California, Bell in New York and Jones in Detroit)- but what exactly does it have to do with the office of the President? Why does Shirley think that she should get to talk to Barack?

In my honest opinion (which is what you get when you read this blog) people are pissed off because they voted for Barack for the wrong reasons. If you voted for Barack simply because he is Black- shame on you. If you voted for him because you thought that he was going to cure all social ills that have plagued minorities- again, shame on you. If you think that race relations are going to magically be fixed because America has a Black President, or that said President HAS to respond every time there is a Black person shot at the hands of a non-Black person- you are naive and shame on you. Why do people think that Barack owes you a speech on race every time an Oscar Grant situation comes up? Every time a Sean Bell situation surfaces? Every time someone like Shirley loses her job? Did Barack shoot Sean Bell? Did he fire Shirley? Um, no. So why does he have to talk to their families? Why does Shirley think she is good enough to have a conversation with the President?

The author says that the Sherrod situation was "one of those folded arms, pursed lips, neck-twisted, 'so-what-you-gonna-do-now-Barack?' moments for Black America." Let's all be clear: I do not like that description. I find it very stereotypical (I mean can't you just see some overweight Black woman with ridiculously long fake nails mouthing those words?) Not only do I find the description off putting, it is also not a true statement for me. I don't care that Shirley lost her job. Is it unfortunate? Sure. But is it clear that everything you say (or type) now a days can and will be used against you? Absolutely. PLUS, that woman was offered another job... and she said that she doubted she was going to take it. If someone wronged you and offered to make it right and you are too proud to take it... shut the hell up with your complaining. Especially during this time when people are fighting for jobs.

Are race relations important? Yes. Are they relevant in these days? Sure. Should our President be commenting on every instance of inequality? That is totally a no brainer... NO. That is not his job. Would you expect George W. to comment every time a Yale graduate got into some trouble? Every time an oil tycoon was taxed extra money? Any time a Texan was shot and killed? You think that Bill Clinton should respond every time an Arkansas resident is unjustly arrested or fired from a job without cause? No. That is never gonna happen. As the President, your job is to work towards the betterment of the COUNTRY, not groups within the country. If Bush and Clinton had done any of the above, they would have been instantly lambasted, but at the slightest nod in the direction of a racial situation people expect that Barack is gonna drop everything and be at the head of the equality march. Listen, unemployment is well above 9%; we aren't really bouncing back from this last recession; our country is involved in two wars; the Gulf Coast has yet to recover from Hurricane Katrina (5 years ago) let alone this BP fiasco; violence is taking over our major cities (Chicago included); states are going bankrupt (Illinois included); foreclosures are engulfing neighborhoods like wildfire; and in the richest country in the world some children are going to bed hungry every night.. the list goes on and I point these items out because it is clear to me that the President, no matter what ethnicity he is, has more to worry about that what Shirley Sherrod is going to do with the rest of her life.

You want racial equality? Try this out: the outrage should be coming from our neighborhoods, our churches, our city officials, our police. Shocking, I know. Local movements should be taking place. You want violence to stop? Start reporting violence when it happens. You want better neighborhoods? Get involved. I complain... you know why? Because I am involved. I call the police. They know who I am. The kids know that I will call on them in a split second. Go to city council meetings; get involved in city politics; PTA... anyone? America was built on the actions of a few that changed the tide of a whole nation, not on the apologies of a President. If you are putting all your race relations hopes in the 'Barack will fix it basket' you deserve to be disappointed.

There comes a time in every young woman's life... blah, blah, blah. Things are changing. The look of the blog is going to change and soon, the place where I sit when I type out my thoughts will change too. Where am I going? That is still up in the air. I love Chicago and will do whatever I can to stay here for as long as possible. I have built my own lovely life here; filled with friends and laughter. I love this city. I embrace almost all that it has to offer, but when the laughter starts to turn into tears priorities need to be reexamined, pros and cons need to be weighed. That is what I am in the process of doing.

I find it oddly comforting that I am not alone in this situation. Lots of young people are leaving familiar cities for foreign skylines for a brand new start. I must admit that any skyline I see at the end of this process will not be foreign to me. Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago- all familiar stomping grounds. All on the short list of cities to begin a new stage in my life. The city with the most lucrative job offer will win out. I will keep everyone updated and in the meantime I will be up to my same old shenanigans (blogging and what not). Exciting, right? For your listening pleasure- Eddie Vedder singing a classic. "You better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changing." and... GO! :)

Unemployment at 6.1%...

For all of you who think that politics is politics and has nothing to do with your everyday life... The following article is the reason why I will always research the records of those running for office, and vote accordingly. I will never tell anyone else how to vote, but I will always voice my opinion so my fellow citizens can make an educated choice. I am not directly blaming anyone for the unemployment rate... ok, I am, but he is not running for office.
I had a republican friend remind me that the economy usually flourishes in times of war. That is very true. WWII helped us out of the Great Depression... but then that would beg the question, what is happening now? We are in the depths of a war and our economy is tanking. Could it be because we are spending TONS of money on the Iraq war ($406.2 Billion through December 2007)- 70% of people polled think so.
$406.2 Billion? Think about that. That does not even include what 2008 has cost. That does not include the loss of American lives. I am grateful for the sacrifice that the members of our Armed Forces makes for the country every year... that is not what this blog is about- I do support the job that our troops do. I just think that President Bush and his cronies are making all of pay for a bad decision- and it seems as though we will be paying for a long time. This soapbox sermon could be revisited! :)

To back up this article I have found the follow links. Read up: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
http://www.miseryindex.us/URbymonth.asp
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/poll.iraq.economy/index.html


The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.The Labor Department's report, released Friday, showed the increasing toll the housing, credit and financial crises are taking on the economy.The report was sure to rattle Wall Street again.
All the major stock indexes tumbled into bear territory Thursday as investors lost hope of a late-year recovery. With the employment situation deteriorating, there's growing worry that consumers will recoil, throwing the economy into a tailspin later this year or early next year.The jobless rate jumped to 6.1 percent in August, from 5.7 percent in July. And, employers cut payrolls for the eighth month in a row.
Job losses in June and July turned out to be much deeper. The economy lost a whopping 100,000 jobs in June and another 60,000 in July, according to revised figures. Previously, the government reported job losses at 51,000 in each of those months.The latest snapshot was worse than economists were forecasting. They were predicting payrolls would drop by around 75,000 in August and the jobless rate to tick up a notch, to 5.8 percent. The grim news comes as the race for the White House kicks into high gear. The economy's troubles are Americans' top worry.
Wachovia Corp., Ford Motor Co., Tyson Foods Inc. and Alcoa Inc. were among the companies announcing job cuts in August. GMAC Financial Services this week said it would lay off 5,000 workers.Job losses in August were widespread. Factories cut 61,000 jobs, construction firms eliminated 8,000 jobs, retailers axed 20,000 slots, professional and business services slashed 53,000 positions and leisure and hospitality got rid of 4,000. Those losses swamped employment gains in the government, education and health.Job losses at all private employers -- not including government -- came to 101,000 in August.
The government said workers age 25 and older accounted for all the increase in unemployment in August.
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