Sunday

It's been a quiet day. My friend Dick and I fixed all the lights on the out side of the house. Had to buy some new ones, including one over the sink in the kitchen. The old one tried to catch fire last night. I listened to a little Eva Cassidy. It's ironic that we have the same taste in music, and all the same favorites. New neighbor moved in German Shepard in tow. Needs a few manners. They discussed the legalization of pot on television today. I tried to get a prescription from my doctor for it for medicinal use, but  my neighborhood pharmacist blew up his garage cooking Meth. Rough neighborhood. Pit bulls, Labs and German Shepards.

I heard they were closing down the Pekin Federal Prison. Thousands will be homeless. They are closing offices of unemployment all over the state because Illinois doesn't have their own real estate anymore. They build these buildings and then they don't support them, while tearing down old buildings in the downtown areas. Sign of the times I guess. Of course we have state officials in our congress that don't seem to have any klout to keep things open. Monday will be pretty typical. Going to work, then Tuesday going in for a biopsy on my lung. New experience, The good news is that Caterpillar at Joliet seems to be bargaining with the IAM now and have taken down the ads for replacement employees. 800 people back to work?? Don't really know, but at least they are talking.

Caterpillar always seems to settle their labor disputes with very little fanfare, while the state lays off police, firemen, Postal workers and teachers. Says a lot about the management of the two institutions. Tony Oppegard sends me email regularly about Mine regulations, and folk songs about miners and the UMW.
It's nice to hear people are going back to work, retiring, and the kids are finding jobs locally.

It would be nice to see the infrastructure improve this year, but I don't expect that will improve until congress quits worrying about what they spend and where they spend our tax money. Cuts seem to be the order of the day, to make the unions suffer, I have enjoyed seeing the orange cones on some of the highways and bridges. The rairoad needs to take note, and make train travel a little safer, as well as faster. And the teamsters need to take the roads back here.

Corporate greed needs to stop in Illinois, and Illinois needs to stop raising taxes on the population. And try to spend more money on bringing business to the State. I'll have to vote for Hines next time he runs for governor.