Here’s a very relevant related article…

Now let us look at to additional unknown costs. The cost related to suicides and its effects on all family members. The cost of family violence, the costs related to divorces, and the cost to the children who grow up in these kinds of circumstances. Bad government and ruthless greed affect everyone for a very long time, if not for a life time. That is why to call them white color crimes, when so many will dye, is a joke.

Rich

My opinion hasn’t changed one bit since the campaign

Thanks for the update.

I agree with you that this is a time when we need to pay heed to the distress and anguish many of our neighbors, relatives and community members may be suffering. As a matter of fact, to the people in other countries as well. Personally, I make small cash contributions to about 120 different organizations all over the world. What I get back (and wish I didn’t) from many of them are labels, cards, calendars, rosary beads (?), stamped envelopes, pennies and nickels taped to letters, religious booklets with prayers and affirmations, and endless phone calls pleading for more contributions….oh, and I forgot, many packets of carrot seeds. I just wish they would stop sending me stuff and spend their money on the people they are supposedly trying to help. I will make the contributions electronically on a regular basis. I don’t need them to use my contributed money to send me stuff and flood my answer machine with pleas for more help. (I now have to let my answer machine screen my calls to avoid the persistent solicitors.) My point is not that I am such a great guy trying to do my bit for my neighbors across the globe and here in the states (Appalachians, Indians, hospitals, the poor, vets, disabled, etc.). It is just that I have been aware for a number of years that there are tons of hurting people everywhere that are ill, homeless, hungry, emotionally distressed who need whatever help we can give. Most of them seem to have found their way to my door, probably through list sharing.

I think we can all help others in some way, depending on our own circumstances. You do it through your toons and the organizations and schools you help and through your inspirational messages that heighten our awareness of crucial issues. We can all become more sensitive to those of our acquaintances and friends and neighbors who may be hurting through loss of jobs or facing bankrupcy or who can’t pay their mortgages. There is nothing that hurts more than when one is in trouble and one’s socalled friends turn their back on one or just plain ignore one. We need to be sensitive to the subtle signs of friends and close acquaintances who suddenly stop communicating for no apparent reason. A few months ago, I sent the police to check on a friend who suddenly stopped commuicating with his friends and didn’t answer phone calls. A relative had taken him to a rehab center for alcoholism. A few weeks later, after he had completed rehab, he was found dead in his apartment with a self-inflicted bullet through his head. None of us who were his friends had picked up any clues that he was this distressed although we were aware he had problems.

To your point, yes, there are many people suffering from the domino effect of the economic collapse. There is no quick fix for the economy, only increasing staggering debt. We can’t count on the Obot package, even if it is well intentioned. The market prognosticators and economic advisers are often about as accurate as the weather forecasters who predict a sunny day when it is raining outside. Sometimes, we just have to look out the window and see if it is raining or sunny. And we have to do what we can to help ourselves…..and others.

Today a challenger filed papers with the election commission.
Specter has so lost any claim to US Senator from PA. People here are PLENTY angry at him.

and a hat tip to you for informing us of Palin’s birthday. It’s the same day as my beloved Grandpop’s.
Good people.