My deepest apologies for being gone so long.  Many of my readers know that I live in the Hawaiian islands and have done so for many years.  They also know that I am relentless when researching a topic and, typically, not a quitter. Living here has created many challenges and afforded some opportunities not likely to occur on the mainland.  Yet, there comes a time when a person has to ask themselves whether they are willing to ride out an economic storm that could last decades (thanks Ben Bernanke, Barack Obama, Congress, etc.) or go where the opportunities are?

For those that may not be aware, the Hawaiian economy ecosystem suffers shocks to the mainland economy first, those consequences last longer, are more intense, and full economic recovery takes years longer than on the mainland.  For example, the first time I had my hours at my job lessened was back in 2006; a full two years before the stock market tanked in 2008.  When that occurred, I circled the wagons, got rid of as much debt as possible, cut down my monthly household overhead, and started saving as much money as I could.   The spousal unit and I have held on through numerous job and layoff cycles since 2008, up until 11 months ago when I was downsized and my husband got laid off yet again.  If it wasn’t for the generous hearts of the owners of the unit that we rent, we would have been living on the beach months ago.

Two weeks ago, my husband was laid off for the third time in 11 months and we came to the conclusion that the little bump in the economy some months ago was the warning bell of the disaster that we have been foreseeing for years.  After 6 years of holding on by our fingernails, it’s time to stop limping along being rats trapped in a cage fighting over dwindling resources as the cost of everything skyrockets. (Try $18.99 for a 2lb can of Maxwell House coffee).   It only took the spousal unit a week to find new employment on the mainland and another week for us to decide a time-frame for moving the rest of the family back.

Which brings me to my plea for a bit of help. There isn’t any hope in hell of coming up with $10K minimum to just ship our belongings.  We are selling everything we have worked our butts off for the last decade to just get off this island and be able to eat more than one meal a day, sleep at night, and watch our child grow to their full potential.   ” Then what’s the problem?”, you may ask.  Answer: there might not be enough disposable income left inside this particular island’s economy to buy our treasures for more than just a song.

We need your help; even if it’s only $5, $10 or $25 so that I can get my family moved back to the mainland and be able to focus on more important issues like ‘WHAT THE HELL IS THE FED AND BIG SIS UP TO NOW?’

Please think about it, and if you can donate, please do.

Many Mahalos,

Diamond

And for those that don’t believe it’s that bad…

You Will Not Believe What Some People Are Willing To Do For A Paycheck These Days

It is absolutely amazing what some people will do to make a living in this economy.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we have not seen this kind of desperation for jobs in America since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  What some people are willing to put up with just to bring home a paycheck these days will totally shock you.  For example, would you slaughter dogs all day long even though you are really a dog lover?  Would you personally train your replacement from China even though you knew he was about to take your job?  Would you trade sex for a job?  There are people out there actually doing all these things and worse.  Every night in America, millions upon millions of people roll around endlessly in their beds and stare at their ceilings for hours because they can’t sleep.  They are sick to their stomachs because their money is gone and nobody will hire them.  They can’t provide even the basics for their families and they feel worthless.  Unemployment can be absolutely soul crushing and it can suck the life right out of you.  Things were supposed to be better by now, but they aren’t.  The month after Barack Obama took office the unemployment rate broke the 8 percent barrier and it has stayed above it ever since.  But the truth is that the “official” unemployment number greatly understates the real amount of suffering that is going on out there.  In reality, the percentage of working age Americans that have jobs is lower today than when the last recession ended.  There are millions upon millions of Americans that are desperate for some hope, and there is no hope on the horizon.  In fact, things are going to be getting a whole lot worse for the U.S. economy.