It Is Time to Move On ... Literally and Figuratively

I realize that it has been months since I've last posted. After Obama won the Presidency in November, there didn't seem to be much to say. I hope that he does well, if nothing else, for the sake of the country. It appears that no one is truly in charge anymore, or that anyone has the answers to both the financial crisis, and the deep political divide that still haunts this country. This country desperately needs responsible leadership, and I don't believe that Obama is the right person to provide it. I sincerely hope that I am wrong. That said, it will be amazing to watch history be made once again. At 28, I've already watched so much history be made. I wonder what things will be like when I am 90!

On a personal note, I've been working for Best Buy during the holiday season. I really enjoy it, and I hope that it continues, although that is out of my hands. I'm still very much trying to get my career going. If it is in the works for me to pursue a career at Best Buy, I would certainly welcome it. I enjoyed working there that much. More than anything else, it was the people that I worked with that made (make) it great.

I wish that I could say that 2008 was a great year, but quite simply, it wasn't. Economically, things have only gotten worse in Michigan, especially the tri-city area. Once again, I've been extremely close to getting my career going only to have things slip through my hands. I can't gain more experience if no one is willing or able to provide me with the opportunity to work. I'm certainly hoping that 2009 will provide me with a fresh start career wise.

Lindsey

I'm Back

I really missed blogging. Over the last month or so, I've resolved some long-standing issues in my life, and hopefully addressing those issues head on will ultimately lead me to a career (and eventually career success). It is a long, complicated story, but unfortunately, not an uncommon one in Michigan right now.

Cleaning out the office I share with Brian, I came across many of my files from college. There were a couple of projects of which I am proud. I also spent a lot of time going through all of my paperwork - bills, insurance papers, letters, cards, note-worthy newspaper clippings. It feels great to actually have a nice working space once again.

A couple of things happened through this entire process (there are still a few things I need to do) of organizing things in my life, including relationships (long story), that made me realize that I'm really not that far from achieving my goals. It is good to know and motivates me to finally find a permanent solution to that overriding question that has plagued me for three years and caused so much destruction in my life - the question of a career and a job.

As I said earlier, I'm far from the only well-educated young professional in this situation in Michigan. I'm tired of everyone focusing on everything but bringing new jobs to this state. We are instead focusing on educating the workforce of Texas, California, Arizona, and pretty much the rest of the country. I really wish I knew how to get involved in helping to turn this sorry state around. Any ideas? I'm tired of just talking about it and feeling powerless.

Lindsey

Interesting Observations on the Economy

I'm incredibly happy that I'm too young to have lived through the 1970s (I was born in 1980), but it was interesting reading this observation comparing what we are going through today to 1973.

This economy feels like Easy Street, compared to 1973 - Columns & Opinion - The Bay City Times - MLive.com

Lindsey

All Too True - Liberal Bias in the Media

The credit for this great cartoon goes to RedPlanet. I originally found it on Anchoress Online. What really angers me is that it is turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy. It already happened in Michigan. There is no reason why it can't happen across the country. Would you want to hire if you owned a business and kept hearing how awful the economy is? If people are unemployed, how are they going to support businesses? It is a dangerous spiral. I've witnessed it first-hand.

Lindsey

A Few Interesting Thoughts on Current American Society

I can't get enough of The Anchoress. I'm not Catholic, but I even enjoy her more religious posts from time to time (I grew up surrounded by Catholicism and almost feel part Catholic). For me though, her thorough reproach of the adolescent way many in American society are acting today is spot-on. If you read the comments on the post below, she better explains her position, which I find refreshing. She admits to giving the wrong impression, but then she goes out of her way to rectify the situation.

For the most part, I do agree with her. There are certain aspects of our society that are acting like spoiled adolescents. Now I'm not placing the entire blame on the "Look At Me!" boomers, but a case can be made for the situation worsening considerably during their watch. No matter how you look at it, this is a "must read" post of hers. I particularly like the illustrations.

“Teenage” America says “yeah, whatever.” | The Anchoress

Lindsey

PS - You can read more about what I had to say on the subject here.

UPDATE: I found several errors in this post. Sometimes my brain is faster than my fingers! They should be taken care of now.

Rolling With The Punches

I don't talk much about my job search here, but I'm going to take a minute to do so. I'm incredibly frustrated. There is very little in the way of professional manufacturing positions in the Tri-City area (Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw Michigan). I'd be open to moving, but Brian's career is going as well as can be expected, and all of our family is here.

I have a background in Supply Chain Management (specifically procurement) and Spanish. I love to write and am interested in creating a career for myself in that area. At this point, I'm frustrated with getting started in the Internet writing arena. I've found lots of wonderful places in which to publish my writing online, etc. This issue is finding paying writing gigs and replacing income quickly. I'd love to hear some ideas. Obviously what I have been doing isn't working, and I feel as though my life is passing me by.

Lindsey

One Can Only Hope

This story appears a bit silly, but Nathan Bomey might just be on to something. I'm betting that Michigan will rise again, even if it takes a few more years.

This story reminds me of an old saying in Michigan that might not be so true anymore: GO LIONS! - And take the Tigers with you!

Detroit Tigers have big-league impact on Michigan's economy, optimism

If you've been paying attention thus far this baseball season, the Tigers aren't exactly off to a stellar start. At least it is still April.

Lindsey

Misuse of Political Power of the Worst Kind

Talk about about questions that are simply too taboo to ask! I, for one, am very glad that someone finally had the guts to do so on a national media platform. I have to admit that NewsBusters is becoming a new favorite of mine. As I stated many times before, I'm a media junkie. I'm quite peeved at the hijacking of the Main Stream Media by the Angry Left over my lifetime. I am old enough to remember when there was at least some semblance of fairness in the national media. Over the last fifteen years or so, if not longer, that has completely gone by the wayside. Now even Nickelodeon is trying to sway the next generation in order to create new little Democrats. You can read about it here. If you take a minute to search Nickelodeon on Michelle Malkin's site, she has plenty of ammunition. The whole thing is truly breathtaking. I remember when Nick had actual fun programming for kids - "Finders Keepers," "Hey Dude," and "Rugrats."

What is most disconcerting to me is the revision of history. It's going on in the media, it is taking place in the classrooms, etc. We are coming dangerously close to repeating it. That doesn't even take into account that certain people are now trying to make a sticky situation even worse simply for political gain. If I ever needed more proof that those on the Far Left don't care about the United States or anyone but themselves, the article below is ample evidence in my book. It is sad that we are even asking this question (although I've had my suspicions for a long time due to the fact that Michigan has been facing economic hardship for far longer than the rest of the country; more on that later).

Fox News: “Media ‘Talking Down’ the Economy to Get a Dem Elected?” | NewsBusters.org

Lindsey

The Slow Death of a Once Great State

If you know me personally, you know that I've struggled to get by here in Bay City. Sadly, it is a sign of the times here in Michigan. There are so many people like myself who grew up in this beautiful state, who went to school here, but are then forced to seek employment elsewhere.

Well, Brian and I made the controversial decision to come back to Bay City back in 2005, and we are still trying to get on our feet. However, that doesn't mean that we've given up. There are countless others - many recent college grads - who are in the same position. They want to seek gainful employment here, get married, and raise families. However, thanks to a perfect economic storm facing Michigan, people feel as though they have to go elsewhere.

Thanks to a useless state government, which includes an even less useful governor, Michigan's economic plight is only getting worse by the day. What really ticks me off is that no one seems to want to do anything about it. College grads are expected to go out of state to seek the best opportunities, while Michigan's government is on the verge of shutting down due to all of the tax revenue leaving the state. Again, no one seems to realize that people can't pay taxes (and pay astronomical gas prices) unless they are employed.

My entire life I've heard that Michigan's economy is too wrapped up in the auto industry, but once again, no one wants to really tackle the difficult tasks of diversifying the economy and creating incentives to keep the products of the Michigan educational system (arguably one of the best in the country) here in Michigan as productive citizens.

Two-Penny Jenny (our lovely Canadian governor) and others state that the educational system in Michigan is broke. That isn't the case. We've been educating the workforce of Texas, Arizona, California, and many other states for years. It is the economic system in Michigan that is broke. We can no longer afford to export our educated population. If there were decent economic opportunities here, money would flow into the educational system.

Michigan, one of the most beautiful states in the union, is on the verge of collapse, and no one cares. There is such a complete lack of leadership here, it is almost beyond comprehension.

Things have to get better, right? I've been telling myself that for two long years now. However, it is also the first thing that you learn in business school - economic activity is cyclical.

Lindsey