Friday's Rambling

In need of a semi-used jet? Citigroup has two for sale – $27 million is all it will cost you per plane. Seems they won’t need the aircraft after all.

On Monday, the company announced replacing them with a brand new $50 million Dassault Falcon 7X business jet. Now, up to 12 overpaid executives will enjoy a cruising range of 5,950 miles and luxurious seating. By Tuesday, under government pressure reaching all the way to the White House, Citigroup decided it would not be a prudent idea and decided to rescind the order.

This spending of our tax dollars should make even the calmest of you experience a rise in blood pressure. It was reported the order’s cancellation will result in heavy penalties to be paid to Dassault. It had to be cheaper than $50 million for the new plane, right? With million dollar bathrooms, $100,000 trash baskets and overpriced perks galore, what is next for Citigroup? Then, one could only expect this and other blatant misuse of our tax dollars when the faucet is broken and Joe the Plumber is nowhere to be found.

Citigroup is no stranger to controversy. More than 15 years ago, then Chairman John Reed abruptly fell in love with a flight attendant. This prompted the following quote and joke among Wall Street circles – when the company’s jets prepared for landing, passengers were advised, “Please buckle your seat belt, stow your tray table, and put your stewardess in an upright position.” Not really funny, but you have to find a bright spot in this bleak picture.

Each day, this blog is e-mailed to Senator Carl Levin. I doubt he reads it, but the blog is received. Senator Debbie Stabenow has set up her e-mail to reject it as an “unknown address” or “not coming from a real person.” Several times, I wrote to her explaining I am a person. Maybe she refuses to accept that little fact after she failed to receive my vote in her election.

On Monday, it was reported 71,400 people lost their jobs. That is 9,600 jobs less than have been lost in the Flint area from General Motors and their suppliers in the last 25 years

Unemployment figures are highly misleading. Only considered are the people collecting or filing for benefits. It does not take note there are countless millions who are without hope of work and have exhausted the benefits. These folks have become a non statistic, excluding them from the total count.

Even sadder is most of those people have abandoned all hope of finding gainful employment. You cannot survive with a family of four and one minimum wage job. Desperation sets in, and you either rely on government assistance or turn to crime.

Once again, I strongly urge all of you to please write, call or ambush your legislators with questions and express the outrage at this deplorable situation and abuse of America’s funds.