30 days notice, that's it.
I use to work for Collins & Aikman and in case you don't know their story they are were an automotive supplier. They have gone belly-up, thanks in most part to a corrupt CEO (who is being brought up on charges).
I get a call yesterday from JP Morgan with a barely hearable number I had to call about my 401k through C&A.
I called them this morning and found out I have less than 30 days to make a decision as to where my 401k is going to be rolled to and get it done because C&A is terminating the 401k immediately.
So now I have to scramble to find a place to roll it to, enroll and get it transferred. That isn't a decision to make on the fly, but looks like I probably will be.
I was laid off from C&A in August 2003 and it wasn't pretty. Pissed doesn't begin to describe the mood that day and the plant manager hid in his office the entire day so he didn't have to face people.
Michigan finally gets recognition for something good.
Mackinac Island is the fifth best island destination in the world, according to the new issue of National Geographic Traveler.The magazine's asked 522 travel industry experts in sustainable tourism to evaluate 111 islands to come up with the least spoiled ones that have prevented tourism overkill.
It put Mackinac Island, the Victorian-era beauty that allows no motorized vehicles, among rareified company at for its preservation of natural beauty. It beat out even Molokai, Hawaii.
Mackinac Island is something to experience and it's true no motorzied vehicles are allowed on the Island (ok they do have an ambulance, firetruck and I think even a police car). The only way to get to the Island is by boat or plane (ok, so I guess planes could be considred motorized vehicles). Oh and by snowmobile during the winter once Lake Michigan/Huron freezes over
Plus Mackinac Island has the best Fudge in the world, hands down. (tourists are known as fudgies).
Mackinac Island also has the only road in the world that motorized vehicles have never driven on, it's known as M-185.
It's a true unspoiled beauty and must be experienced. I have been there several times, including a 2 night stay on the island during one summer vacation with Mr Weenie.
Poor Lance ...
He has allergies and since August he hasn't been doing to good with them and when they are bad he doesn't like to eat.
He hasn't been eating to good lately and over the weekend he has hardly eaten. I even went out and got him some vegtables and he still isn't interested in them (Maggie is loving it).
So we called the vet because he just isn't doing good, didn't eat anything this morning. They think it's probably time to put him on predisone for a bit because his allergies are probably not going to get much better until the snow flys (or about another month).
Last month when I weighed him he was down a pound and I bet he is down even more, he is skin and bones.
So we go in tonight at 5pm so the vet can check him out (he had extensive blood work in September) and put him on predisone. Hopefully this works because he has to eat and drink.
My poor baby.
I received this joke from my MIL ...
Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit.
In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which
I have no problem. What I Do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who Don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?
Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I Do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rear, doing drugs, while I work. .
Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check ?
Toyota use to be Consumer Reports prodigy child of the Automotive Industy, but they must have angered CR somehow ...
The V-6 version of the top-selling Camry and the four-wheel-drive V-8 version of the Tundra pickup now get below-average ratings from Consumer Reports in its predicted reliability assessment.The same is true for the all-wheel-drive GS sedan from Lexus, Toyota's luxury division.
As a result, Consumer Reports no longer puts those vehicles on its "recommended" list.
CR said it will no longer recommend all new Toyota cars and trucks without reliability data on a specific design.
So CR is no longer in love with the Camry, which is Toyota flagship vehicle and they will no longer automatically recommend any new Toyota vehicle.
My how the mightly have fallen!
Went to the doctor on Tuesday, told him of my concerns and he said they were all normal (I think they should have mentioned this pre surgery) and should clear up within 6 months (also think they should have mentioned the 6 month total healing time).
He is sending me to physical therapy for the non-bending ability of my toe. He said it just needs to be manipulated and will start bending again.
Went to work Wednesday and by the time I got home from work my foot was throbbing. Ouch.
I get to wear tennis shoes to work because I can't fit my swollen foot into any other shoes right now.
Get into work and the janitor and one other guy were the only ones to say "hey welcome back". Everyone else acted like I was never gone. Even my boss didn't come down to see if I was actually at work at not. Nice friendly people huh.
The puppers are pretty happy that I am mobile again and so am I. Because it means I can clean the house. Mr Weenie did an ok job, but not the way I clean the house. He dusts around things instead of moving things, so we have 8 weeks worth of dust build up in some areas (ick).
And to top off all this misery, our insurance company was bought out by another and we start out "new" insurance November 1st. It has been a pain in the butt trying to coordinate everything between the two insurance companies.
HELL YA
I am moble!
Yesterday I started walking without crutches, just have on the big boot still.
I can't not freaking believe how wonderful it is to walk on.my.own!
Of course there is some pain, the foot is still swelling to much for me, I still have no feeling in the top half of my foot and I can't bend my toe.
But I can walk on.my.own!
HELL YA!
Go to the doctors on Tuesday.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the dealership, the dumocrats and their esteemed leader have publically announced it's intentions to screw the Automotive Manufacturers
Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is disappointed a House-Senate committee won't tackle legislation to improve the fuel economy of the nation's vehicles.Instead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has chosen Democratic leaders to write an energy bill -- which would include provisions on fuel economy -- behind closed doors, rather than through a conference committee of House and Senate negotiators. She cited Senate Republican opposition to appointing members.
Yep, you read that right.
All Dumocrats and behind closed doors.
No republican input and nobody else knowing what is going on.
This is suppose to be a democracy were living in right?
I was perusing through the newspapers automotive section and came across an article that stated this about the negotiations at Ford
Ford Motor Co. is proposing annual bonuses for union workers based on the company's performance as part of its effort to win more favorable contract terms from the United Auto Workers, according to a person familiar with the situation.The bonuses would be similar to those CEO Alan Mulally authorized in March to reward workers for their efforts to turn around the company's struggling U.S. automobile operations
Maybe the people from Ford who are negotiating for the company haven't read the previous contract or maybe they are just stupid.
The UAW already has an agreement in place for profit sharing bonuses based on North American profits.
Sounds like they want to replace what is already in existance with the same thing but make it sound like something brand new.
They also mention they want to make less of a contribution to the retiree health deal.
Ford also wants to make sure the retiree health care deal that was the backbone of the GM and Chrysler agreements is structured to give it as much relief as possible as fast as possible.That could involve a lower contribution to a company-financed, union-run trust, known as a voluntary employees' beneficiary association, or VEBA, that would pay for retiree health care. Ford could seek different funding terms for the VEBA or push for a different mix of cash and stock.
At some point down the road some retiree's are going to get screwed out of health care, and it's probably going to be at the same time that Mr Weenie retires.
You can't not fully fund retiree health and expect every retiree to get health care, at some point the money is going to run out. Just look at social security.
It's funny, all one hears at work is that the company isn't going to negotiate in the press but that is all they have been doing.
I know ya'll think I am off my rocker with my puppies, I think this just proves it.
Petco opened a new store in our town and for the Grand Opening weekend they had a animal communicator there.
We took Maggie because she has some issues (and because I am on crutches and couldn't handle one of the dogs)
The psychic said that Maggie was afraid of being abandened again (she was taken from mom at 7 weeks and her second home started to try and get rid of her only 1 month later, we got her when she was 6 months old) so she barks and barks and barks when people come into our home trying to tell them that they are not going to take her away, also why she barks and barks when we go places. She is afraid she is going to abandened again.
The psychic said Maggies love being with her brother again (Lance and Maggie are littermates) and he makes her feel very secure and Lance is the strong one of the two of them (funny, we always thought it was the other way around).
Maggie asked if we would still love her and not give her away when she was old and couldn't get around, the psychic was insistant upon us telling her that we would still love her because Maggie was insisting we answer her.
Maggie said she loves her clothes! They make her feel pretty! (I can use this as justification for making and buying her more clothes now!!!)
Maggie also said that she wanted a party for her birthday, she had always wanted one but we never had one. Maggie also wants a cake. Maggie really likes getting presents.
Maggie also said she misses me going for walks with her (I had foot pain and then surgery so I had to give up taking them for walks. I would walk her and DH would walk Lance)
Maggie also said she liked when we gave her maalox because she has upset tummies alot (her frequent gas lets us know that) and that we once gave her some sweet tasting food and it made her tummy upset more than other food we gave her and to please not give her that flavor again(we feed them Natural Balance but switch the flavors so we have to figure out which flavor is sweet, we have fish right now and before that duck and before that venison).
I also asked if Maggie has had any seizures when we were not at home (she's only had the one that we know of) and she said no, she's only had the one but was worried when we took her off the medication because it made her feel better (she was put on Pheno because she had 2 within 20 minutes of each other but the vet decided that we could take her off if she didn't have anymore, so she is off the medication now).
The final thoughts from Maggie were that she hopes she goes before Lance because she couldn't live without him (I came close to tears on that because we have always said that if one goes the other will follow shortly after from a broken heart because they are so close, they 95% of the time have to be touching each other, even when sleeping)
I know to take this with a grain of salt but alot of this made a lot of sense and of course now I am dying to take Lance over there.
I have searched their site but can't find the video.
Yesterday while crusing through the news stations I stopped on CNN because they were talking about the Chrysler Strike.
They had "live" video of the strikers picketing in Auburn Hills.
One major thing here, Auburn Hills is the HQ of Chrysler. Picketers only picket at their respective plants and there are no Chrysler plants in Auburn Hills.
The thing that makes CNN think your stupid?
They were showing video of GM workers picketing.
How did I know they were GM workers? They were picketing in front of a huge sign that said GM Powertrain.
Guess they feel all UAW workers that are picketing are the same.
Chrysler and the UAW have a tentitive agreement.
Chrysler LLC and the UAW agreed to establish a company-funded, union-administered trust to handle Chrysler's $18 billion in unfunded obligations to cover health care expenses for retirees and surviving spouses.The UAW pressed for job-security guarantees similar to those it obtained from GM, which made product commitments to certain U.S. plants. The UAW said it won unspecified job-security provisions for its 45,000 Chrysler rank-and-file workers.
Without giving specifics, the UAW said the deal protects wages, pensions and health care for active and retired workers. The UAW likely sought the same cost-of-living adjustments obtained from GM. The GM deal included bonuses but no basic wage increase and Chrysler likely received a two-tier wage deal similar to GM's, in which workers assigned to "non-core" manufacturing jobs will make as little as $14 an hour.
If you think that striking is bad, this strike just saved at the minimum 45,000 manufacturing jobs. Without Chrysler agreeing to new product at the american plants, all those plants within a couple of years would have been in China.
Ford is up next, bargaining is still probably 2 weeks away as they will not start bargaining at Ford until the Chrysler agreement is voted on and approved.
And this is going to be ugly. For the past 2 weeks Junior Ford has been saying that they will accept nothing less then the $30 in benefits and wage cuts to make them "equal" to the Japanese.
And you know what? Screw it, let Ford and their greedy little asses go out of business. Because you know just weeks after an agreement is signed the executives will be getting bonuses.
The United Auto Workers launched a widespread strike against Chrysler LLC this morning after all-night negotiations failed to produce a tentative agreement on a new labor contract.Thousands of UAW members took to the picket lines at Chrysler plants across the U.S. in the second walkout against one of Detroit's Big Three during this year's contract talks.
From what I read this morning they are pretty close to a deal so I am assuming it will be a short strike like GMs
I watched the first hour of the GOP debate yesterday, my thoughts ..
Ron Paul - That man scared the crap out of me. First, he does not talk, he yells, everything. And that man is no more a republican then Hillary is, he stopped just short of touting the dumocratic line about pulling out of Iraq immediately. Ron Paul is the republican's version of Howard Dean.
John McCain - He impressed me and that surprised me.
Mitt Romney - Pretty boy, but don't think he could be a president. Don't think he has what it really takes. Although I did roll on the floor when he mentioned that he was worried about coming to the debate because he thought Michigan's Governor Granholm would tax the debate too.
Guiliani - I am just not sure about him, I have heard about his dumocratic leanings during his reign as mayor but he says things differently now. Is he just blowing smoke up our ass to get the votes (ala Hillary) or has he changed?
Tancredo / Brownback - I really like these guys and would support them but neither has a snowballs chance in hell of getting the nomination.
Thompson - He was a better candidate before he got in the race. He is really disappointing me. He looked so unsure of himself speaking and that senior moment where he stopped talking in the middle of a sentence freaked me out. He just doesn't look as strong as Rudy.
Today at 11am, about 1 1/2 hours from now Chrysler could be on strike.
Cerebus, Chryslers new owners are balking at the contract terms. They are refusing to accept the same terms that GM got.
To me, they are sounding like babies who are not getting their way.
The company is also seeking better terms than GM received in setting up a union-run, health care trust for retirees.Chrysler, which has 78,000 retirees and surviving spouses, wants a lower level of funding than the 70 percent contribution that GM agreed to in creating a voluntary employees' beneficiary association, or VEBA, for its retirees.
If it cannot get more favorable terms, Chrysler has told the union it will forgo a VEBA and continue paying for retiree health care, according to people familiar with the automaker's strategy.(emphasis mine)
GM is paying 70 cents on the dollar for the retiree health care fund. Chrysler wants to pay even less than that, I think I heard they only want to pay 50 cents on the dollar.
Chrysler is balking at job security provisions that GM gave the UAW in its tentative contract, according to people close to the talks. Specifically, Chrysler is refusing to promise future products for its U.S. plants because the newly private automaker wants flexibility to downsize U.S. operations and expand internationally.
The job security they are talking about is promising new products for U.S. plants in the future. Chrysler does not want to promise new products for U.S. plants because there plan is to close all U.S. plants and make the vehicles in China.
You think we lost a lot of manufacturing jobs now, just wait until Chrysler because a chinese manufacturer. It could potentially throw the U.S. into a recession with all the jobs that would be lost.
As I stated before, Chrsyler will no longer exist as we know it in 5 years. This really is a fight for life for the UAW workers.
I have got to start walking on my own and quickly.
It's bad enough that Mr Weenie doesn't clean like I do and he leaves the blanket and comforter on the bed when changing the sheets.
But this latest thing is going just to far ...
The man is decorating my house.
We need new bathroom rugs for both bathrooms. The ones in the main floor bathroom the backing is sheading and the ones in our bathroom shead fuzz balls all over.
I was going to get new rugs once I could walk again. Some muted green ones for the main floor bathroom because it's all brown in there and the countertop has a little muted green in it, so I thought to bring some other color into that room I would get green rugs.
Our bathroom is Grey with Saphire Blue accents. Our current rugs in there are multi-colored to bring some color into the room. They are regular rugs because bathroom rugs are only single color rugs.
Mr Weenie went to Target yesterday and bought rugs for the bathrooms. The same color for both rooms. They are a icky brown color, not a color I would ever pick. He was so proud of himself when he showed them to me. I'm like, ummm the upstairs is grey not brown. He says the name of the color is Grey Stone, so it can go in both and they were on clearance, how great is that!
Ugh ....
I couldn't deny him so I let him keep them for the main floor bathroom but refused for our bathroom.
I will have to wash the main floor rugs like every week to get them to wear out quickly.
Gah
Michigan's new slogan should be ...
"Michigan, the state where you pay more in taxes then you make"
It's bad enough that the dumocrats were successful in taxing us last week by increasing the state income tax and adding the sales tax to services now they want to increase the state sales tax.
House Speaker Andy Dillon set off a firestorm of reaction Friday when he said he is considering the possibility of asking voters, as early as Jan. 15, to increase the state's 6 percent sales tax to 7 percent -- a $1.4 billion annual tax boost
Yep, instead of looking for budget cuts (like the Republicans want) they figure since we took up the butt the other increases we won't mind a raise in sales tax.
But thank the lord jesus that the sales tax can only be raised by a change to the constitution, which can only be changed by a vote from the public.
But the dumocrats think we will approve it ..
Dillon did not suggest tinkering with the just-approved increase in the state's income tax rate from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent, saying most voters seemed resigned to that hike. (emphasis mine)
We didn't have a choice, but the republicans think differently ...
"It sounds like someone has buyer's remorse," said Matt Marsden, Sen. Bishop's spokesman. "We hate to say we told you so, but we Republicans were never fans of these tax increases from the beginning when citizens wanted cuts and reforms. This is going off the reservation after we arrived at an agreement, as bitter and distasteful as the agreement was to Republicans."
Michigan is taxing it's citizens out of the state.
I really am starting to loath baths.
They use to be my salvation, especially on a cold winters night.
But now that I am forced to bathe instead of shower I am hating it.
Gads, what I wouldn't give to beable to stand under a nice hot shower.
I am hoping by next weekend I will beable to put enough weight on my foot to shower again.
blech
It was been a nerve wracking week here in Michigan, our state budget was ending and a new one couldn't be agreed upon.
So all weekend all we heard about was how the government would be shut down today if the budget hadn't been agreed upon.
I see they agreed upon a budget and royally screwed the residents of Michigan.
Or should I say the dumocrats royally screwed the residents of Michigan.
The dumocrats only wanted to raise taxes and add sales tax to services, they refused to look at the budget for cuts. The republicans wanted to look at the budget first for cuts then see if taxes needed to be raised.
"This budget agreement is the right solution for Michigan," Granholm said in a statement. "We prevented massive cuts to public education, health care and public safety while also making extensive government reforms and passing new revenue.
None of the cuts proposed by the republicans involved cutting education, health care or public safety, but the dumocrats played it up saying they were going to massively cut stuff "for the children".
Lawmakers took the state past the midnight deadline for a shutdown, but moved to avert the full impact of the crisis by approving a flurry of bills this morning including a boost in the state's income tax from 3.9 to 4.35 percent and sales tax expansion.
So starting today I will be earning less take home pay because of the raise in the state income tax.
Thanks a lot Dumocrats.
The deadline slipped by with the House approving Republican-sought reforms of public employee health care that were seen as a key to a deal. The Republican-led Senate gave final approval to that legislation at 1:04 a.m. today.
It's funy that teachers and goberment workers were yelling the most about UAW health care and wages and how "outragious" they were but when talk came up about cutting their own wages and health care they were screaming poverty. Even though Michigan Goberment workers are some of the highest paid employees in the nation. They get lifetime health insurance even if they only work 1 year as a goberment employee, where the UAW workers have to wor 10 years to earn a pension.
The Senate passed the sales tax bill on a 20-19 vote, with Lt. Gov. John Cherry casting the tie-breaking vote. The bill headed to Granholm. All told, the tax hikes would raise $1.35 billion. No significant action was taken on cutting government spending, with $400 million in cuts to be made in coming weeks.
So the goberment can spend like there is no tomorrow while the citizens suffer with another loss of income. I guess they follow the dumocrats motto fully, it's do as I say and not as I do for them.
House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche of Novi called the tax hikes "a victory of the bureaucracy and special interests and a loss for families struggling to makes ends meet. This is one of the largest spending sprees in Michigan history."
This truely was a dumocrat vs republican stand with the dumocrats wanting to raise taxes only.
"Now all eyes should turn to the Senate," Dillon said. He chastised House Republicans for failing to put up votes to save the state from shutdown."Republicans refused to put up votes to pass anything," he said.
All we heard all weekend from Dumocrats was how it was the Republicans fault if we went into a shut down as they wouldn't approve a tax increase.
And you know what I really couldn't believe was the opinion pages in the paper with everyone writting in say we should increase taxes. I couldn't believe it, people want to give more of their money to an incompetent governor and legislature.
Of course there were a couple to write in saying if we weren't in Iraq we wouldn't be having a budget crisis in Michigan, wow, people are blaming Bush for Michigans budget problems.
Republicans had demanded the teacher insurance reform bill in exchange for casting votes in support of tax hikes. But by Monday morning, Republicans had failed to put up any votes for a tax increase. Granholm had said she wouldn't sign the emergency budget without new revenue in place, and she maintained that stance into the morning. She has said the state needs revenue increases immediately to avoid plunging deeper into deficit.
So basically, Granholm was blackmailing the Republicans into approving a tax increase. They had to vote for the tax increase of they would be responsible for the state shutdown. And the tax increase only passed by the exact minimum required for it to pass, the republicans would rather see the state shutdown then to make Michigan citizens pay more for the dumocrats mistakes.
And of course the dumocrats had to throw a tantrum
After the votes failed earlier in the day, a clearly frustrated House speaker lashed out at House Republicans."We need some adults in the Republican caucus," said Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township.
So we ended up with a income tax increase and sales tax being levied on services now, like haircuts, tanning, carpet cleaning, landscaping, etc.
Well Granholm did say earlier in the year that a vote for her was a vote for a raise in taxes.
Michigan citizens are screwed royally.