Well I don't live in Elkhart but I owe property taxes too! Funny how the economy can be in the dumper, real estate devalued, and yet government taxation just keeps rolling along with an evergreen attitude of .....where's my money!

Too much taxation, real unemployment @ 18-20%..........anarchy cannot be too far way.

Many of us relate to your frustration John. Citizens of this nation should carefully consider the harmful impacts of high taxation levels before electing any representative.  The attitude of the new administration (both Congress and the White House) appears to be; (a) share the wealth, (b) if necessary significantly increase taxes to do it, (c) make the resulting and burdensome costs of such entitlements fixed [rather than variable] so they can't be easily repealed and (d) continue the overt deceit of the American people by leading them down a primrose path that encourages high levels of consumer and government debt in order to stimulate the economy and reduce the political pressure on them.  The nation (both citizens and government) need to learn to differentiate themselves and make things again in order to produce true wealth.  The truth is that high levels of government as well as consumer debt only imprison and undergird unrealistic and unsustainable illusions of WEALTH without wealth producing WORK.

It's hard to feel sorry for people that made $35 an hour and are being re-hired back at that same $35 an hour. Ask our local (Northern Indiana) emergency workers how much they make and I doubt you'll find any that make anywhere near that much. Companies need to be realistic when paying wages!!! Labor is the biggest cost of a product, thus companies need to pay a modest wage. Doing this will allow them to lower the cost of their product thus making it more affordable. Would you rather had a job that pays $35 an hour only when the economy is good or would you rather have a job that pays $20 an hour regardless of the economy? Unions/Companies need to be realistic!!!!!!! Employees need to learn within their means!!!!!!!! We have families living for a month on what these RV workers were making in a week. Something is really wrong with our society when people have $25,000 in credit card bills and were making $35 an hour. People need to get back to basics!

We are getting worse by the day, but then we need to start changing our mind set to be more self-sufficient, I started my indoor garden, I had fresh mint to make tea, basil, tomatoes, rosemary, greenpeppers and cucumbers, so far so good but not perfect, I save the water from rinsing vegetables and all rinse water to water my plants, I ate a lot of beans in soups, salads and with brown rice, so I cut in my food expenses and I feel very satisfied, I roast soy beans to golden brown and grinded and I use it as coffee, and i do not need milk that way and with toasted bread and a little honey Im ok, Why all these changes? because I had to feed two people without job, pay housing, electricity and I had not car, mine was repossed last April, but that gave me more money for food, I try to get always a ride from co-workers or I walk if the weather is good, so far we are surviving, my creditors will die but now I am in survivig mode and I do not care anymore about my credit rating, I hope jesus is coming soon because I do not see any other solution, now I am thinking more about god and His promises, I never expected this beautiful country will have this problem. Rosita

I am amazed at how people can stomach the idea that people ought to be able to live on a shoestring and be happy and content. I often wonder what lifestyle these people live themselves. I doubt it is on a shoestring. Let's put the blame where it belongs on the banks and wall street and all the others who participated in jilting people who just wanted to live life decently. They weren't living large like the olagarchs. But they wanted to exceed the bottom ratio of society and to for once not struggle. Where is the humanity in paying someone so low a wage they can't afford all the basics. When I pay someone to do work for me I base the pay scale on what I know I would need to survive. I don't care what it is. I don't care how old the individual is. I am not rich by any means but I have a conscience. Minimum wage is unconscionable. Further gates and all the rest can afford to pay people enough, not elaborate, wages so that each and every one of the employees down to the janitor could live a decent life. The problem is there is no incentive to make life decent for everyone willing to work. Capitalism is just that capitalizing off of others for ones own self gain. So here we are. Where do we go from here. Nothing good was ever gained from enslaving others for ones own gain. Minimum wage is destitution at best. Working three jobs will shorten your life span as it did before there were regular working hours and breaks and vacation. Which by the way came by way of people getting their heads cracked in or murdered. I agree with Rosita;

"I hope jesus is coming soon because I do not see any other solution, now I am thinking more about god and His promises, I never expected this beautiful country will have this problem."

Shame on those who still believe in the myths and are willing to accept its atrocities in the face of their own well being. I guess the new attitude is others be damned as long as I am ok. Hope those who feel that way can bear what's to come: millions of people out of work; no benefits of any kind; no prospects except perhaps digging ditches for the government. I wonder what the wage will be for those jobs. More than likely still the minimum.

Recession, unemployment and raising taxes would definitely reach the final objective,...lower quality of life. How far are we behind Third World Countries (?), as fast as taxes and government fees can be raised.