I work for the county and I am humiliated every two weeks by my paycheck in social work. Not only am I and my female cohorts who are NOT married being squeezed, but my dependent clients are being pushed out of LA County. There is TONS of medi-cal fraud by people who simply do not want to work, want to do drugs, and work under the table. I do my very best to keep them out of the system, but a lot of people are enabling in this business. The really needy people are having a bad time of it and can not find a Dr. that takes’s medi-cal. Also, we need to put some stop on people coming to Cali and getting on SSI. Like, one must be a resident for five years, and the SSI does not transfer unless your family has you living with them when you move. We are breaking under the weight of illegal immigration and psychotic wonna be movie stars coming to Cali. It’s a real cluster F^%$ out here. I have lived in LA my whole life ( 40 yrs) and I have never seen so many people sick and tired of immigrants and feeling the pinch. Yet, we have summer homes in Malibu being rented for over a 100 g’s for one month. We middle class are just getting kicked in the teeth. By the way, I did not vote for the ten percent tax on the wealthiest for the mentally ill-that passed. Did the wealthy cause others to be mentally ill? I thought that was pretty entitled of the liberal’s and I am one. That’s part of the pinch in LA right now.

Who knew the oil crisis was going to be OLIVE oil?

WE have to make this turn around. Most of us who were raised by working class parents who survived the Depression, were taught the value of money. I am pushing 60 and can pinch a penny until it squeaks if I have to and we may all have to. I have no feelings of entitlement to anything that I have not earned. We need to stop buying automobiles that are not energy efficient. Doing this will force auto manufacturers to make more energy efficient cars. It happened in the 70’s and it will have to happen again. We, as a nation, have become too lax with our own economy. The reality of our economic down-fall is staring us in the face and we can’t expect some politician or another war to fix the problems we are facing. This is a challenge and we, as Americans, need to knuckle-down and face the music. Why do we have to live our lives according to what Madison Ave. says? Because we have become prestige conscious. Some of us may have to do without luxuries for awhile and luxuries are relative to the condition of our personal economic status. I think the GREAT PINCH to come will be harder if we don’t learn to economize now.

I live in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago and paid $3.84 a gallon for gas last week. A trip to the grocery on Saturday to pick up a few things cost me $90 - seriously maybe 15 items. Thinks are spinning out of control.

Shell’s Chairman is retiring, and his interview by Charlie Rose tonight was most enlightening, since the oil execs have kept in hiding since scooping up billions the past 7 years — check it out on www.pbs.org. Marlo, I think we’ve grown beyond the 2-party system, which I fiercely defended 10 years ago - so no longer believe putting any Party in the White House is wise … if fact, we need to convert it to a colletions vault for the Smithsonian. In fact, I believe we’ve grown far too large for the patriachial structure of the Presidency, period. It’s right in keeping with those who must have a god-head to rely upon, blame, curse, or use as an excuse, aka “WWJD.” J would be out there making everyone help the sick, the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the aged, the meek, the war-raveged, and … he’d close all the bloomin’ churches that have sprung up (at least in the SW), equalling gas stations in number. He (and Mohammad) would cry out, and condemn us for putting gambling before people’s needs, and against the repression of women, and the hate crimes, all so cleverly done in the name of “Faith.” We need to think, and act out of the proverbial box, now. In other words, NRA - Never Re-elect Anyone. Until the voters reign, this shall continue.