Palpable Realities of How Bad The Economy has Become Under the Current Administration
As a retired military family, we have commissary privileges, which really helps us out with our grocery budget. The sequestration will be deeply affecting the commissary, and other base amenities beginning next week. Until September 30, the commissary will be closed on Mondays. To us, this isn't all that big of a deal. I can grocery shop any other day, but to commissary employees, this is a huge deal. They lose hours which equals lost pay. Most of these folks are already on fixed incomes and this loss of pay could be difficult to downright devastating financially. Given the choice, I know the military budget must be spent on our active duty forces in harms way and so the cuts must come from somewhere else, but does this administration know the harm it is causing to so many lower income families? I'm assuming not, as Obama and Michelle just returned from a multi-hundred million dollar trip to Africa.
Gas prices are soaring once again. This not only means higher prices at the pump, but higher prices at the register. Our grocery bill has increased substantially in the last couple months. While having the teenagers home for the summer would account for some of the increase, I have seen that the price of certain items has greatly risen. For example, a bottle of real maple syrup went from $4.89 to $6.59 in just the last month. I was tempted to break down and buy the cheaper syrup that is maple flavored and made from high fructose corn syrup. I'm not that desperate just yet.
Our two oldest are working at Chili's and McDonald's respectively. It will be next to impossible for our McDonald's employee to get any more than 25-30 hours per week because once he hits full-time they are required to provide benefits. The inability to make a living wage (and I'm not proposing raising the minimum raise), makes it unlikely he will gain his much sought after independence from us, unless he takes on a second minimum wage part-time job. Currently that is impossible because he doesn't own a car or have driving privileges. It's a tough life for our 18 year old right now.
Full-time employment will continue to be a next to impossible dream once Obamacare takes full effect. Thankfully, in his grand wisdom, Obama has decided to postpone enacting the employer required provision until 2015, after the elections. How convenient.
Gas prices are soaring once again. This not only means higher prices at the pump, but higher prices at the register. Our grocery bill has increased substantially in the last couple months. While having the teenagers home for the summer would account for some of the increase, I have seen that the price of certain items has greatly risen. For example, a bottle of real maple syrup went from $4.89 to $6.59 in just the last month. I was tempted to break down and buy the cheaper syrup that is maple flavored and made from high fructose corn syrup. I'm not that desperate just yet.
Our two oldest are working at Chili's and McDonald's respectively. It will be next to impossible for our McDonald's employee to get any more than 25-30 hours per week because once he hits full-time they are required to provide benefits. The inability to make a living wage (and I'm not proposing raising the minimum raise), makes it unlikely he will gain his much sought after independence from us, unless he takes on a second minimum wage part-time job. Currently that is impossible because he doesn't own a car or have driving privileges. It's a tough life for our 18 year old right now.
Full-time employment will continue to be a next to impossible dream once Obamacare takes full effect. Thankfully, in his grand wisdom, Obama has decided to postpone enacting the employer required provision until 2015, after the elections. How convenient.
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