Marketing to the Jobless

Recently, I was perusing a website that I actually talked about the other day: http://www.layoffdaily.com/ And I found a very interesting marketing gimmick from Hyundai. The news headline read, “Lose your job, Hyundai will take your car back”.

Wow! What a sign of the times.

Read the full article here on the Financial Post: http://www.financialpost.com/news/story.html?id=1231852

Thank You, Mr. President

If you've been living under a rock, you've probably still not heard that Wall Street executives have been fleecing their corporations, the government bailout, and even their own shareholders. Wall Streeters took out huge bonuses last year, despite losing horrendous amount of money.

In a Bloomberg.com article that I found, the President took the words right out of my mouth:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHIiSbRd09O0&refer=home

Here's another from Reuters:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Obama-big-Wall-Street-bonuses-rb-14198432.html

Citi Responds to My Disgust

I wrote to Citi to share my disgust for their corporate executives’ continuing extravagances. Over the past few days, news reports have indicated Citi’s newest corporate toy: a $50-million dollar Dassault Falcon 7X corporate jet.

Check out the plane at: http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/7x/

I suppose with $45 billion in new capital recently injected by you and me, the lowly taxpayers, via the banking bailout, they have money to burn. Here’s how they responded:
_______________

"In 2005, Citi signed a contract for replacement aircraft, which was part of our plan to reduce the number we own and use more fuel-efficient models to save on operating costs. However, we have no intent to take delivery of any new aircraft.

Our policies governing the use of our current aircraft are strict and enforced. We limit use to a small number of executives who fly commercial whenever possible to reduce expenses. To support this effort, over the past eight years Citi has cut back its number of aircraft by two-thirds, and we continue to explore ways to reduce all our assets."

Citi is Full of Crooks

Stories are flooding the news that Citi was actually going to buy a corporate jet, known as a Dassault Falcon 7X, for $50 million. Check out the plane here:

http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/aircraft/7x/

Is this simply amazing or not?

This extravagant purchase comes on the coattails of a $45 billion capital injection by you and me, the lowly taxpayers, via government bailout monies.

Are they just that crooked? Wow! What a slap in the face to the government, the taxpayers, and, yes, even its shareholders. Do its shareholders even ‘own’ the company anymore?!

This is yet another example of corporate executives stealing monies to pay for lavish lifestyles, while the people they just laid off due to their financial malice pick up the tab.

If you'd like to contact Citi's shareholder services, here's the address: shareholderrelations@citi.com

Indiana Nearly Doubles Jobless Rate Y-O-Y

Greene County’s unemployment rate is reportedly nestled in between the lower national & the higher State of Indiana’s rate. For a map of all of the counties within the state, which is published by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, see here:

http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/docs/laus/laus_map.pdf

Statewide, the jobless rate hits 8.2% today, according to the government reports. This figure is almost double the one reported about a year ago when the rate was only in the mid-4% range. This is not surprising, but nonetheless ‘not good’ either, especially when another thought comes to mind:

Historically, in the business cycle, layoff announcements were considered a ‘lagging indicator’ or those measurable results that would confirm long-term trends, such as a recession. Lagging indicators did not predict events like this in the past, but they merely confirmed them; yet, is this still true today? That is the real question!

It’s no secret that the U.S. economy has been shifting to be more-and-more service-based and less manufacturing-based.

So, if Tom gets the axe at the factory and can’t afford Sam’s service now, then guess what? Sam is in trouble business-wise. So, if Sam’s in trouble, is he going to buy services from Thelma? Probably not. So, now Thelma’s business is down. In turn, Thelma -- well -- you get the idea...

Where does the downward spiral end then?

Massive & Numerous Layoffs Nationwide

Not to be pessimistic, but things are looking worse, economically-speaking. I found a website to put the current labor market – and tons of layoffs – in perspective.

Take a look at this: http://www.layoffdaily.com/

It lists layoff announcements in the headlines of many news sources nationally. The length and numbers within each have been staggering lately.

CEOs Gone Wild!

When you give bonuses of more than an annual salary for the average American, it’s probably too much. If you are making a couple thousand times the lowest-paid worker at your company, you’re probably making too much. In the midst of record losses for most companies, these corporate bonuses and salaries are even more outrageous, not only to the line workers, but also to the investors and stockholders in these very companies.

Want some eye-opening figures, along with sources cited as proof of what is being said? Take a look here: http://www.toomuchonline.org/index.html

The publication is a product of the Council on Public & International Affairs, billing itself as “Dedicated to the notion that our world would be considerably more caring, prosperous, and democratic if we narrowed the vast gap that divides our wealthy from everyone else.” It is released in weekly updates.

According to recent posts there, today’s corporate leaders are truly ‘CEOs Gone Wild!”

U.S. in the Middle East: The REAL Reason

Want to know why the U.S. military is in the Middle East? Well, here’s an interesting conspiracy theory: http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHI203A.html

It has everything to do with money & power, according to this website. And where do you get vast money & power these days?

Oil!

Who would have ever thunk a 'US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce' even existed?

Even if you don’t accept the story as true, it’s an interesting read. And there may be more truth to it than any of us really know right now.

ID Theft: Mere Child's Play

Worried about identity theft?

It’s becoming more and more prevalent these days. To prove how easy it is to commit, a writer at Scientific American wrote this piece on a little experiment he conducted: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=anatomy-of-a-social-hack

Just don’t try this at home, kids!

Oink, Oink at HOG

American motorcycle-making icon, Harley-Davidson (ticker: HOG) is trading today at about one-fourth the price of its 52-week high of $48.05.

At the time of this yearly high, I’m sure many bought in thinking it was going to surge back to its higher levels in the low-70’s in previous years. Nope. It just keeps falling.

Is there a safety net anywhere? Somewhere? Please?

Oh, yes, there is one, if you’re the CEO of HOG! CEO Jim Ziemer made a paltry $875,000 last year. To supplement his meager earnings, he exercised $5.34 million in stock options.

It’s a good thing he sold these shares that he had options on, or he’d be stuck like the investors of HOG right now. Oink. Oink.

Soy-Doh vs. Play-Doh

A Greene County entrepreneur, Sawyer Sparks, has developed and begun selling a new soybean-based product dubbed ‘Soy-Doh’. It can be molded and played with just like your Play-Doh of yesteryear.

His website purports that the product is non-allergenic, gluten-free, and non-toxic. It even reportedly stays moist longer.

More info, including scents & colors available, as well as ordering info can be found on his website at: http://www.biogreene.com/soydoh/

At only $2 per container (plus S&H), check it out!

Greene County Tax Sale?

I’m really not sure what’s going on at the Greene County Courthouse.

In the Fall last year, they should have held a tax certificate sale on all properties with delinquent taxes to a point allowed by law to put on the list. That didn’t happen. (They did have a tax sale on properties that had been through the regular sale a time or two in hopes of dispensing of those ‘don’t want’ parcels, but that’s a different story.)

I’ve noted, however, that several Indiana counties are having their sales after the first of the year in 2009. On the 28th of January, for example, tax liens on parcels in Ripley County will be on the block. In February, Randolph & Dekalb county liens are up for grabs.

I haven’t seen info on Greene yet though… hmm…

Greene County's 'Big 3' of Real Estate

The ‘Big 3’ of real estate in Greene County (alphabetically):

http://www.harrahrealty.com/
http://www.hunleygmac.com/listings.php
http://www.keyassociatesoflinton.com/listings.php

A search on http://www.realtor.com/ for ‘47441’ yielded only 60 results. This is down from a couple years ago when 80 listings were pretty consistent.

There has to be something wrong with this, however, because there are a lot of homes up for sale. It’s apparent when driving down the roadways and side streets. I suppose several may be FSBO’s (For Sale By Owner).

I need to go out and reassess the situation because there’s something awry with only 60 listings being posted. I would guesstimate closer to 100 – at least – based on historical results and the current economic climate.

Off for a Bit, But Back Now

Since ceasing to post on the Greene County Daily World, I decided to take a little break. Being the Holidays and such, too, it was nice to take a rest from 'all-things-blog'.

Having now realized I missed blogging, I’m back now…

So, enjoy!