bbach

It really is true that as one door closes, another one opens. And that is very true, as long as you are actively seeking that door that opens. Rarely does it come right to your doorstep, although I'm sure that happens to a select few. A long time ago I found myself unemployed and lost. I really did not know what to do. On top of that emotional depression seemed to be setting in. Funny thing, but I'm an accountant/finance/sales type person, but I changed horses altogether, went and got my cdl and took some truck driving jobs. I never stopped seeking to better my employment though and always spoke about it to everyone I met one the job or off. One contact led to another and next thing you know I found myself making very decent money in the RV business. Been there ever since. You just never know what doors open up when you open up your mind a bit. I'll never drop that cdl.

Come up where I'm at and you can see the reality of it. Recent studies show that Ohio has lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs. And in my case, I got replaced by somebody for $3 less an hour. Now, I don't have a job. There isn't any jobs in this area. I can't pay my bills. I can't even afford to put food on my table. I will soon be gone from cyberspace for some indefinite period of time, because groceries are more important than this. Once the current billing cycle ends, bye bye stranger. So, from where I'm sitting, the whole mess is going right down the toilet. See now, that is part of my observation. Certain segments of our country are strongly affected and others are not as much or not at all. Our economy in ND (including housing) has remained fairly strong. Our state has some incredible surplus and measures are on the ballot to lower our taxes because of the huge surplus. Sorry to hear you are going through that Stranger! Wow.

There's a valid point being made here -- Americans have poor prioritizing skills when it comes to finances. That's partly what got you where you are. Yup, that is my point indeed.

Why do 13 different football stadiums pack in about 60,000 people every Sunday, who spend umteens of $$$ for tickets, beer, parking, tailgaiting, hookers (err, that's what I hear)? Let's not even begin to talk about all the other sporting events like college ball, hockey, etc. Apparantly we Americans are only broke when it comes to our house payments.