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Post by mshm99 on Jun 12, 2009 23:11:14 GMT -5
I am one of the employees of United States Steel ,Granite City ,IL plant. The plant has been shut down and the people laid off for a little over six months. For many , this has been a hard time ,money wise. A plant like ours provides indirect jobs to many. When I worked construction,I made a good part of my living working for outside contractors in the plant.
The wife and I have always lived by the adage" learn to live on two days pay a week". So this really was not a terrible hardship on us as everything is paid for ,and the kids out of college with good jobs.
USS announced today the the plant is going to be restarted,due to increase in orders that the Gary ,IN. Works running at capacity can't handle.
We make the hot rolled coils that are stamped into everything from cars to refrigerators. Not structural steel.
Fellas, this is a good sign. Not just because I work there. These are the green shoots of the economy starting to come back.
I've always thought that this country is so blessed because we the people know what has to be done, and no one politician,party,robber Barron,amoral wall street manipulator can hold us down for long.
This country will rise again,stronger than ever. And the youngsters,if they are smart will have learned an important lesson.
God bless America!
mshm
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Post by chuck41 on Jun 13, 2009 8:03:24 GMT -5
Congratulations on the local upturn you are seeing. There are lots of places like your community that people want to work and want their economy to recover.
Your personal values and the practice of living below your means has served you well. Yes, our country can weather a lot of storms. What we can't weather is a change in the society that destroys the work ethic, the will to recover, or the desire just to sit on our butts and wait for the bail outs. Unfortunately that is exactly what the socialist agenda from Washington and the dumbing down of our education system is doing to us. Few today have a practice of saving and living "below their means" and those grasshoppers are going to suffer when inevitable downturns occur.
Don't expect any rescue from Washington. They don't really want a recovery, that is not in their goal of socilalsm.
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Post by ozark on Jun 13, 2009 9:00:02 GMT -5
Well, I just got up and am drinking my one cup of daily coffee. I read mshm99 post and I cheer up and started humming: "I'm proud to be an American." I then I read chuck41's post and started singing: "Dem low down dirty depression blues." Now I am going to get off my butt and go take a nap on the couch. That usually makes me feel good.
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Post by whyohe on Jun 14, 2009 3:18:34 GMT -5
mhsm99, i hope you are right cause that would be good for me. i work for a rail road and a increase in production would mean i can get back to work soon too. BUT they just layed some more people off and are expecting more at end of the quarter. i was told not to expectt a call back for at least a year. i hope they are wrong, i'm not the type that likes to sit and collect unemloyment.
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Post by petev on Jun 14, 2009 8:39:07 GMT -5
mshm, I think you and your wife had wise values that are helping now. My concern is the same as Chuck41, that for the first time we have the government owning over 50% of a company like GM, and refusing to take back bank loans (which were made with taxpayer money) until the banks do what the government wants. I disagree however with "Don't expect any rescue from Washington. They don't really want a recovery, that is not in their goal of socilalsm." That's too cynical for me, and whether Washington likes it or not, they still have to answer to the voters in future elections. Now, to address the original thread- I do think we are in a recovery, and in fact I have profited from it personally, but I am afraid that it may be shortlived, since some of the fundamental causes are not being addressed, including shipping jobs overseas, and not letting the natural process of a free economy weed out the bank and auto manufacturers mess. Just my opinion of course, which is right for one person anyway! Pete
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Post by mshm99 on Jun 14, 2009 10:17:12 GMT -5
Is the glass half full or half empty? Everyone has a perspective that reflects what they have experienced in life. I have no idea of is ahead of us. Our plant has the lowest man hours per ton of steel in the corporation. That probubly explains a lot about why we are firing back up.
I do know this , it took us a while to get into this mess. Not much of it our making. The working man has always been saddled with the clean up of some con game the country club types have perpetrated on system. Unfortunately, they are never brought to accountability. Sad ,but reality. (Remember the savings and loan scandals) Your only choice is to hunker down , live frugally,invest conservatively and always figure that this pay check may be the last.
Life is a poop sandwich. The more bread you got ,the less poop you eat.
mshm
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Post by jims on Jun 14, 2009 12:46:56 GMT -5
In some areas of the country it may be getting better but I have not seen a turn around here in Ohio. It is still slipping here.
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Post by Buckrub on Jun 15, 2009 11:34:54 GMT -5
I always lived by the adage "If the Lord gave me a dollar, he musta meant for me to spend two".... So I'm employed, making a decent living, and broke!  But my wages not only pay for my needs, they pay for the needs AND wants of those who won't work and those who failed, so I feel much better about things. I'm a real contributor (for now). |
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Post by edge on Jun 15, 2009 13:51:45 GMT -5
SNIP The working man has always been saddled with the clean up of some con game the country club types have perpetrated on system. Unfortunately, they are never brought to accountability. SNIP Sorry you feel that way  IMO, the American voter has brought this on themselves! Everybody wants more at the expense of someone else. Now I don't care what the next guy makes as long as it doesn't come out of my pocket. Let's take a look at GM and their legacy costs. You might ask yourself why are they paying health care and retirement costs on people that no longer work there? Well, when GM was making lots of money the Management wanted to give themselves big bonuses and the Union wanted big raises and increases in the benefits. The stockholders wanted dividends and a return on their investment. The management and the Unions got together and decided that they could pay themselves more money TODAY in return for not paying health care and retirement benefits until TOMORROW! This is the Wimpy Hamburger plan " I will gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today" ;D So, the Union wages went up, the stock price went up, so management got big bonuses......but the bills were not getting paid!! GM is bankrupt and we are left holding the bag for the Unions. Management and the stockholders got zero...and Obama gives the Unions most of the company after they were a major force in putting it out of business! edge. |
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Post by chuck41 on Jun 16, 2009 8:58:23 GMT -5
For the housing bailout the big leaders in the "fix" were Frank, and Schumer, the same two that were most instrumental in the failure by insisting on expansion of the "sub prime loans" that caused the problem.
For the rest you have tax cheats like Geitner and Reid leading the charge for the "fix". These people are all socialists. They are not interested in truly solving the problem to the long term benefit of the American economy or the American people. That's why they never want to "waste a good crisis".
If you think I am cynical, look at the history of the people who are running this stuff. They want to buy votes from the dumbest and least productive segments of our society and they are using the power of the government to tax to steal from the more productive groups to do it.
Edge is right. The blame lies solidly on the ignorant American voters who demand more and more benefits for themselves at the expense of others. Check out this video.
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Post by edge on Jun 16, 2009 10:15:55 GMT -5
IMO, housing was a multi-step failure!
1) People over leveraging their homes, assuming that prices will never fall too far;
2) Community reinvestment act;
3) The Federal reserve over tightening credit to curb inflation....and waiting WAAAY too long to loosen it;
( you can blame about 25% on this )
4) Congress and ultimately the VOTERS not enforcing immigration;
( you can blame about 50% on this!! )
As a secondary note, the reason that most working class people did not get big raises during the last 5 years is due to uncontrolled immigration and NOT because of GREEDY CEO's, or GREEDY Wall Street! That is the way the business cycle works!
When times are good and companies make money they pay their top people.
When unemployment falls ( because business is good ) the working class can demand more pay because the companies need good people.
If there are always people knocking on your door for a job there is no need to give raises!
OH, and by the way, if the working class had been getting those raises they would have been able to afford their mortgages, and their gasoline.....and bread that Ethanol drove the price up.....which was the inflation that the Federal Reserve was trying to curb!
edge.
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Post by mshm99 on Jun 16, 2009 11:34:04 GMT -5
I can sure agree about the Wimpy thing. All the years I worked construction, pension money was paid,up front, to a trust controlled 50/50 by union/contractor board , for no pay. They hired an actuary to monitor the fund , and any over funding is paid to the retired guys at Christmas.
That is the way it should be run. Unfortunately there are a bunch of Wimpy Systems that the PBGC (Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation) are bailing out right now ,with more coming down the road.( And we will be paying some of this bill)
I respect all your opinions on where to lay blame. I certainly have no divine pipeline delivering me the truth. I'm sure there is plenty of blame to go around.
I personally tend to discount simple solutions to complicated ,multi-faceted problems or that any one thing could bring on the calamity that has beset us. And that's where the conservative demi-gods tend to lose me. I don't believe that if the world will only listen to Rush or his clones and do what he says that the world will be a better place. I pretty much believe the opposite.
I would like to see civility return to our national discourse . I would like to see respect return for differences of opinion. I see mean spirited partisans imply that if you don't agree with me,you are not a real American.
Beware of zealots of any stripe.
mshm
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Post by ozark on Jun 16, 2009 11:57:35 GMT -5
The economy is definitely improving. Yesterday we found a deer track and only two men were following. When times are bad several people would be trying to track it.
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Post by edge on Jun 16, 2009 13:48:36 GMT -5
SNIP I would like to see civility return to our national discourse . I would like to see respect return for differences of opinion. I see mean spirited partisans imply that if you don't agree with me,you are not a real American. Beware of zealots of any stripe. mshm I agree, the Democrats have poisoned the well for the last 9 years and it is time to stop it! Bush it out of office, time to give it a break edge. |
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Post by deadeye on Jun 16, 2009 14:18:54 GMT -5
The economy is definitely improving. Yesterday we found a deer track and only two men were following. When times are bad several people would be trying to track it. ozark,that is one of the greatest statement's ive ever read for those who can read between the dewclaw's! ;D ;D |
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