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Just Another Sunny Day In Camp Jeff


Weather you will or whether you won't?

If you live in Northeastern Wisconsin, mark this date on your calendar (1/27/18). When I logged the morning temperature, it was above freezing (32 Degree F.) Morning temperature? I usually log some time between 6:00 - 7:00 am. It was the first day in 2018 that this has happened.

Lucy, our dog, marked the event by peeing on the pavement. Note, she usually prefers the trash between the garage and the neighbor's fence. I was able to monitor her while I was wearing an open zip-up fleece jacket (no lining). It was too early in the morning for sunglasses, but the conditions look good, and I will prepare for that later in the day. Ah, paradise!

The sound of an old man bitching about what things cost these days

My wife turned down the possibility of seeing James Taylor and Bonnie Rait perform in Green Bay. Seeing that the tickets started at $175 and went to over $400, she had a decision to make. Maria decided that even if I started to cut my prescription tablets in half, we skipped pizza night from Poppa Murpheys and (this one killed it for sure) she stopped having her nails done for a month, we wouldn't be able to fit it into the budget. I guess asking her for $5000 for a ticket to the Super Bowl is out of the question. Moving on.

Economics 1.0
Is everything to expense now? I guess that inflation is a concept that is more relevant to me now that I'm older. This is in spite of the raise I got from Social Security this year and the anticipated lowering of our income tax bill because of the new "Tax cut" for the middle class. Oh, and then there is that lottery ticket I think might net me $25 or the possibility Publishers Clearing House might drop by next week. I can't wait for the balloons. Call me sentimental, but those balloons make me think of all of the helium I've inhaled to make my voice sound funny.

So, Inflation? To think when I was young I thought that meant blowing up my car or bicycle tires. Or later on in life the size of my gut.

In wonky economic science terms, inflation is defined as the money you earn buys less and the price of things you need is higher.

Or, you screwed unless you have one of the new jobs where your friends are on the board of directors of a huge Corporation. They give you the job of running the company. For this, they pay you more money than everyone else that actually works at the company makes. And I mean everyone's total income.

Now besides this, they guarantee if they are ever forced to fire you for, say you have unwanted sexual relations with one of the employees they can't buy off, they will give you more money than you could ever spend as a parting gift. It's called a "Golden Parachute," but don't worry you'll never have to jump out of a plane to use it.

Now along with this exit strategy comes a small ask. You will be assigned to sit on other Boards of Directors, where you will hire same friends that hired you and give them pre-packaged parachutes.

Oh, and you will receive significant raises for a well-intentioned promise to make the company money, pay dividends to the stockholders (The same people who gave you the job and a shitload of money) and deprive the people who actually do the work of any kind of a life outside of their jobs.

Always remember the Golden Rule

The Golden Rule for CEO's
workers + pay raise = golden parachute deploys

That's more than enough moaning and groaning about stuff, from Camp Jeff
Until next week, when all of this will be on the exam, Poppa Jeff is dropping the mike



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