Wow, when ya gotta dress up the ol' man and send him out just to make ends meet....


Now that's hard times.

hasn't affected us were both in heath care, the only thing i can complain about is we were about to sell our house in monroe and move back home to sequim. now we have to waite till our house value goes back up, we were bummed but hopefully it'll come around soon.

I'm just back from Ixtapa.I have gone there every year for many years. The town is DEAD. I have never seen it so empty. That's gotta hurt a lot of locals who work in the tourism industry. Usually every boat is chartered this time of year. But last week there were many tied to the pier all day .

There appeared to be fewer cruise ships as well. Most years there is one every other day. This year in two weeks I saw maybe four.

WF is one of the few remaining solid large banks. They didn't want to take the bailout money from the feds.

But, they DID take it, and this is just something you don't do when you took bailout money.

How the hell do you get a job that pays that kind of dough with such poor decision-making skills?

Doesn't seem to me like they are cancelling anything to save the money, but to be in better position to get more stolen money from Uncle Sugar.

i got laid off 1 1/2 months ago along with about 20 other employess at platypus marine in port angeles and before that didnt work a 40 hour week since sept.-oct. there just is no work here would move to find but wont leave my daughter behind so im stuck trying to figure what to do. . unemployment dont come close to paying the bills

Dang Dave, we just cancelled reservations to Zihuateneo (sp). I heard some bad things. We were there two years ago and had a blast. Thats too bad for them. We're going to spend our money in Alaska this year. May have to go visit the old Lodge at Clam Gulch. $220 for an offshore charter, OUCH!

I can't be thankful enough for my job. It allows the wife to stay at home with the kids so hopefully they don't turn out to be delinquents. 1 out of 2 cars paid off and socking money away for retirement and a little in savings. Got two boats paid for (but both together are only worth 5 grand). Just found out that my performance evaluation was good enough to warrant a 4% COLA so that helps too. But it is affecting me indirectly. I'd love to be able to sell my place for what I paid for it a couple of years ago and build in a different location but there is no way I'm selling for 40 G less than what I paid for it. That would be like losing all the equity I built up.

For me personally it is sad to see so many people falling on hard times. I mean good people. I think it is hard not to know someone who hasn't been seriously affected by this down economy. I feel for all of you out there who are struggling. I know people that will never be able to retire because they had to use their savings to survive after being laid off. I know people who go to work every day knowing that it could be their last.

To me this is like an epidemic of a serious disease. You may not have it, but you are moved by the people who do.

The really ugly part is that as money gets tight, our present local economic picture darkens. Hard to stay afloat for long without a product and buyers. Way too many used their house like a credit card, and with the present nanny government, there are too many pigs at the trough sucking the life out of an already sick public funding source (you and me) by creating imaginary crisis after imaginary crisis (with the appropriate fees, of course). Every agency has become an income stream to feed the machine.

Hang on, boys......she's gonna get rough.

I have not been directly affected yet.... things are getting close though. Fortunately I am running a project that is just coming out of the ground in SF, (You don't see too many tower cranes flying around here right now) the project will run 2 years or so. So I'm hoping to ride out the storm. I think I will, I have been working for my company for damn near 30 years, there are others who work here who wont however...Times are tough, hundreds if not thousands of Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, are out of work. It is grim. I suggest no one take their position for granted.

Wife was laid off. Bank took the bailout and then laid off her whole division. And looming layoffs at work for me but we will be alright. Why? Because we bought a house we could afford and carry no other debt. I should be rewarded not punished. I guess I will be in a way. If I get the axe I will salmon fish all summer not dress up in womens clothes.

It is showing in my business. Sales have now really begun to slow. I'm not losing deals to my competition. Deals just aren't happening. Folks are just not buying new equipment and are hanging on to what they have.
I've had several emails or voicemails from key contacts informing me they'd been laid off.
I'll just grind it out and make it through this. Both vehicles are paid off, no cc dedt and five plus year of mortgage payments in the bank.
Fishing is a great release from this stuff.

My auto repair biz suffered bad in 08. Lowest gross sales in my 25 years there, and these numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
Things are slightly improved with gas @ 2 bucks but still on the quiet side. Every thing is paid for just hangin on feeling a bit like a dinosaur.
My very poorly invested I R A is sadly shriveled and shrunk like my dick in very cold water. 15 years till I hit the social security jackpot .

Not liking what 4 buck gas does to us I`m starting to study up on batteries and electric tranportation options.

Still need to go fishin.
Good luck to all.

Al

Well, day 2 of liquidation , and I find it interesting that folks who owed me money, but could'nt pay me are the first ones showing up to spend away.. Not only that, they
think I owe em a discount because they're buying in quantities, at half the price they would be paying elsewhere.. Whining, sniveling vultures..This economy is going to hit everyone, no matter how safe they think they are. Good luck to everyone..
Once I have sold as much as I can sell, I am hitting the road, starting over someplace else far far away.. as a free man I might add, divorce papers filed on Wednesday.
Won't be long now, and I will be posting from time to time from an undisclosed east coast location. (one devoid of cats, too) Good luck to everyone..

Good job! How much did you get for the wife? I hope it goes better for you elsewhere, it is so brutal everywhere right now. Good luck.

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

Destination states.

Good luck to you, man. I'd be bummed if Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Nebraska were on my radar, but it looks like they're bucking the trend in regards to unemployment rates.

Day 3..... Didn't get even close to half on investment in soon to be ex wife....figures
Today was just like yesterday, the locusts were out in force...sold lots of stock, but the excise taxes are gonna eat up lots of the profit.. Yea, I can hear you thinking, why isn't he just pocketing the cash???? It's really not that simple, when you know that they can and will catch up to you...I will be very lucky to break even.. Pathetic to think that a man can invest his retirement , and then have both state and federal
government screw him better than ex wife ever did. Sucks to be me. Oh well, once again I know I will be starting over again, and having learned what NOT to do will serve me well. As I said before, I wish all good luck, as I still feel that this roller coaster ain't gonna be over soon. We're all on the A ticket ride , and it wont be over till the gondola flies off the tracks and we all end up wet spots on the concrete below.
Gentlemen and Gentleladies, it's pucker time...

Day 4 of liquidation... still moving stock, although the vultures are
thinning now. Still have people coming through the door where the big "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE" sign is posted, asking to rent still.
Me thinks that a great majority of these folks cannot read. Must be
the area I'm in. Said to be second only to Granite Falls for meth
labs in the NE area of Snohomish Co., and judging from most of these people, I guess it must be true. Oh well getting out as soon as I can, and never looking back, although I will miss the fishing around these parts.
I'm going to have to learn new techniques, as most of my fishing time will be spent trying to land some Atlantic salmon, in their native waters.
I wonder how west coast techniques will work over there? Should be a great learning experience. I will be posting as the days progress, until such a time that I pack it in and head east..Hmmm Head East, remember them?
How appropriate... "Save my life I'm goin' down for the last time".....

Best of luck to everyone in these dark times...

Kona was dead as hell when I was there recently too.......we were one of only two boats to catch anything, and only one of FOUR that were booked that day. The skipper said he's never seen anything like it. Hotel rates were down by as much as 40% in some places.

Job-wise, I had to cut 10% of my workforce and close two locations. Brutal stuff in brutal times...............and the "survivors" don't exactly have it easy either. 2 people doing the work of 12? Not fun.

I think a Madoff public beheading would be a nice first step to ease tensions, enjoy some quality entertainment and increase feelings of general well-being among the victimized and constantly betrayed populace. Bank and Wall Street execs would be scheduled next, followed by a wide variety of corrupt politicians. Imagine the ratings!