Dominos or Popcorn – Does It Matter?

 A week or so, I posted a Facebook note about Stockton Ca., the first city of its size to file for bankruptcy and opined that it is the first domino and that others will fall because of the combo of the financial meltdown of 2008 and the massive retirements of baby boomers, and of course, many other factors.

Last evening, the news reported that Scranton Pa.’s mayor announced pay cuts for all employees, including himself to minimum wage, $7.25/hr.

“There is another domino!” I said to myself. But, this morning coming to work in the heat, another analogy came to mind. The pressure (heat) is building on states and cities across the country and they are starting to pop like popcorn! Stockton and Scranton are not linked, but they sure are affected by the same pressures, and many more are going to pop.

The solution? Fareed Zacaria points out we should be welcoming with open arms the 10,000,000 or so hard working legal aliens we receive each year, something that Japan and China simply would not abide. They will pay into our social security system and do the essential work that needs to be done.

I mean no offense to any group, but while we must be a haven for the poor, oppressed, and persecuted, we also need skilled and trained people from all parts of the world. And, we really need to figure out a humane process for those that our porous immigration program encouraged to sneak in here to become integrated into our system. Learn English as your first language and get some education, please!

Being stuck here, working, for another ten-fifteen years past “retirement age”, it is easy for me to say, but I think the average American has to re-examine his/her lifestyle. Find time for an hour of physical activity, weights, walking, dance, sport, cut back on portions and carbs, and decide that 70 is now the “standard” retirement age.

Finally, time to suck it up,  and make universal health care work, but put in  preventive and holistic medicine! Demand some personal responsibility.

P.S. : Cudos to our Welfare System for the recent announcement prohibiting the spending of welfare benefits on drugs, guns, alcohol and Cheetos! (So Bill Clintonish!”)

Whoops; it’s a Wednesday not Friday; I had better get back to work. 7:14 a.m. July 11, 2012. jbh

This post was written by Burton Hunter