Over 50

Should you find yourself out of a job and over fifty years old you are probably going to find yourself falling on hard times. People want to believe that age discrimination does not exist but, I am here to tell you that it is alive and well and you would do well to hide your age at every turn. Lucky enough to be currently employed then if I were in your shoes I would start the process of thinking, acting and looking younger. What I mean by that is if you are going gray then color your hair. Should you have wrinkles around your eyes or on your face then get Botox. Start some sort of exercise and go on a diet and lose some weight. I am not talking about women here I want men to do this also. More than ever you need to do whatever it takes to keep your job and looking younger is they way to go. Should you lose your income and you're over fifty you are in a world of hurt and probably this will be the toughest time of your life. The stress it puts on you and your family is significant and you cannot imagine how bad it can get and I do mean divorce and worse. I believe it is the same as being told you have a terminal illness.

Should you become unemployed then you need to start looking for a job on day one and spend at least eight hours a day trying to secure new employment. Don't take the severance money should you get a check and think you can coast for a time and then look for a new job. You're behind the eight ball from the moment you are let go just because of your age. You may not feel old and everyone tells you that the fifties are the new forties. Nice sentiment for the over fifty crowd but, nothing but empty platitudes as far as employment is concerned.

Friends and family for most of us can be a saving grace and tend to help out as best they can but, they can only do so much. This is as I said much like a terminal illness and you have to go all out to save yourself. Many of you already know what I mean and have suffered through this terrible time but, for those of you who will lose your employment its war in every sense of the word. How do I know this? I have been living this hell for over a year. The take home message is hold on to your job as best you can and if you find yourself out of work fight like hell to get another!

This is my last blog post as we will be losing are internet service due to our own budget cuts. I want to thank the morning journal and specifically editor Tom Skoch for affording me this opportunity. I would also like to thank the readers and those who choose to interact.

Business Bull

American business laid off workers by the thousands and forced the remaining workers to do double and sometime triple duty. Speak up about your work load and you could be fired and replaced easily with one of the five folks waiting for the chance to take your place. Business has been hanging onto millions of dollars and yelling that we will hire folks when you cut taxes and make it easier for us to hire. Kasich has cut taxes for Ohio business and we are still waiting for the jump in hiring. Businesses still has their workers doing double and triple work to keep their jobs. The impetus is not there to hire and not likely to show up anytime soon.

Legislative Change

A house divided cannot stand. President Lincoln said that over one hundred years ago and it is relevant as ever now. We as a nation are divided along political lines and that division has brought us to the point of legislative gridlock. I believe that we are so entrenched in our beliefs that we may never get any real legislation enacted. Changing the way we pick our legislators may be the answer. Now our legislators spend more time begging for money than they do enacting legislation and we all must agree that the more money you contribute the more likely your agenda has president in the legislators mind.

Consequently, maybe we should take away all that money and all that influence. First of all we do away with elections and find our legislators the same way we do our juries. Legislators would be picked from voter registration and serve two year terms one time with no chance for renewal. During their service they will be billeted much as recruits are in the military. Spartan rooms with no luxury and all amenities provided. One day per week legislators would hear from constituents about legislature concerns. Members would work behind locked doors for eight hours each day and would be able to see their family once per month and have their families during holidays. Sounds like being in prison will in a sense that's what we need. Members have one job and it's to enact legislation not to be swayed by lobbyists' and have affairs and the like. We need take all the extras that our current legislators enjoy and make it a hard job and one where the trust is high much higher than it is now.

War Between the States

Seems that we are a nation that is divided right down the middle our political ideology has us divided blue states and red states democrats and republican conservative and liberal. Now we are mired in gridlock and the local and the national level. We seem of late to become almost rabid at times with our ideas to the point of becoming violent. Maybe, we should settle it with a big fight and winner takes all. Maybe, then we can actually get something accomplished and move on. Let's just run into the streets guns a blazing and settle everything at once. Sounds stupid doesn't it! I wonder sometimes if that is the direction we are indeed going.

Notice

When I started this blog I was not sure how it would go and like anything there have been ups and downs. However, I promised to publish all comments and let the chips fall where they may. I will continue to do so but, I need you to sign your posts if you want them published. I am putting my name on my thoughts be strong and stand behind your thoughts and sign your comments.

Thank you

Body Count

The body count in dead and wounded will never be too high as far as the National Rifle Association is concerned. Some gun fanatics can only see one thing and that is my gun and by god I have a right to own it and it does not matter how many kids, grandmothers, pregnant women or any human being for that matter gets killed. Full disclosure I am a gun owner and I reload ammunition. However, there e is not one human beings life worth any weapon I own and or you're right to have one.

Password

This year cyber criminals will make over 300 billion dollars while legitimate web based business will only make about 150 billion. Much of that ill gotten gain will be off folks much like you. Moreover, all of the current industry safeguards can be breeched by folks from Eastern Europe Brazil and the Far East quite easily. Consequently, your password is still the best way to keep yourself safe. However it must be a minimum of eight charters and preferably twelve with numbers and characters all of which cannot have anything to do with each other. I know you are having enough trouble remembering the ones you have now. Just remember there are folks sitting in little rooms all day with nothing to do but break your password. All of you that have "password "for your access it's only a matter of time before your compromised.