The body politic - mosying thru Abington PA - Mom

Scott printed out a Times editorial to show his fellow SEPTA workers. "We can keep wishing and hoping for a powerful economic recovery to pull the US out of its doldrums," writes Bob Herbert, "but I wouldn't count on it. Ordinary American families no longer have the purchasing power to build a strong recovery and keep it going."

Where does the money go? Herbert writes that the wealthiest people in America have steadily been earning more and more, according to the new book Aftershock by Robert Reich, who was President Clinton's labor secretary. Their 'stratospheric' climb has resulted in their earning 11 percent of the total income in 2007. This represents only 13,000 households in a nation of 300 million people.

"Americans are not being honest with themselves about the structural changes in the economy that have bestowed fabulous wealth on a tiny sliver at the top, while UNDERMINING the living standards of the middle class and absolutely CRUSHING the poor."

It's now business as usual for middle-class families -- whole families as well as one person families -- to work two, three or even four jobs to barely make ends meet.

Read the whole article here.

Harrumph.

I'm having a poor man's supper tonite: delicious fettucine which I'll pour over frozen green peas and frozen shrimp and slather with olive oil and black pepper. Of course, this is the kidney-healthy diet I maintain, small meals many times a day. This is what I had 4 hours ago. I'm too lazy to go shopping.

Y-a-w-n.....s-t-r-e-t-c-h. That was me this morning getting out of bed to get my car inspected.

My auto mechanic, Mike. He and Scott are friends from childhood. Mike is a superb auto mechanic. At last count, he made a little over $11 an hour, supporting a wife and son who plays ice hockey, the most expensive sport there is.

Mike is an example of a hard-working working-class man who is the backbone of our society. $11 an hour. Shame on America.

Mike and Scott formed their own business once upon a time and were quite successful until one day the accountant said, "You don't have any money in your bank account, Scott."

Turns out Mike's ex-wife had used all the money for drugs. That was the end of the business. And his marriage.

Went to the dentist. This was Amy's third day at work, my dental hygienist. I always ask for what I want. "Would you mind changing the TV station?" I asked. She got Turner Classic Films on, a few scenes from a Clark Gable/Claudette Colbert movie.

During a long and boring procedure I asked her to please talk to me as a distraction from the squirting water that was running down my throat to cool off the hot cleaning device. I told her to talk about whatever came to mind, telling me all about herself. IOW, I put her on the couch. I showed her how I would respond to her statements - besides grunting - with my left hand, the same way I would talk to my kids when I was eating or drinking and didn't wanna talk.

It went well. Then Dr V came in to check her work. I asked him why he hired her. "The vibe," he said. "I knew within three seconds I was gonna hire her. She had a positive vibe."

(Now Pew Research will spend $100,000 studying why people get hired. Save your money, scions of the Sun Oil Company. Simply read this blog post.)

Oops! Another casualty of the Great Recession. The rich get richer, the poor get...

While waiting for my car to get inspected I went for my daily constitutional. This place had some good prices for rugs. Even when I was manic, I never spent money. What for? To enlarge my worldly possessions? To what avail, I may ask.

Incontrovertible evidence that Edgehill lies on the side of a hill, except, of course, if you're a Republican, when, sadly, all truth is ignored and distorted.

Hmmm. Where do these stairs lead, I wondered. Let's go up top and see. Aha! We're on York Road. Never knew dat!

This bicycle was chained to the rail at the top of the stairs. As reward to the cyclist, I put a beautiful feather I found on the step on his bicycle seat, which he wrapped in white plastic against the elements.

Sign noting the city of Abington, where my son lives, was named by Money mag as one of the Top 100 cities in the nation. An Abington friend of mine's husband got laid off. They live in one of the lovely Tudor homes there. She was weeping when she told me. But within two months he found another job. Bye-bye Paddy Marie! They moved to DC. Three college-age kids.

Good afternoon, MaMA!

Helping hands. One pair is 88 years old, the other 64.

Read my friend Iris's recent blog post, wrin on the 10th anniversary of her mother's death. Eloquent!

I love my mom. She showed me a couple of my father's letters she has been sorting thru for the past 20 years. "May I take this one?" I asked. It was a typewrin description of their first home in Midway Park, Camp Lejeune, NC, where I was born. A four-bedroom cottage. Since my dad had served 18 months in Guantanamo Bay and had a secure job as Paymaster they didn't ship him off to WW2, tho he would've given his life for his country. Instead he gave his life for Lucky Strikes.

The b'ful drive home down the backstreets. I feel free at all times, but esp. when driving.

When I got home it was naptime. Scott comes over around 5 so we can nap together. We watch TV and slowly fall asleep. Mike and Pat was on thother nite. Remember I said how much I love the challenge of foto'g what's on TV? I esp. liked Katherine Hepburn's tennis shorts.

Oh no! Time to work on the Compass magazine again. It takes nerve for me to ask people to write articles. The person I wanted most said No, he had too many projects going. One of our writers absolutely bashed our mental health system since she was a patient who was fiercely verbally abused by her new psychiatrist. I called a friend of mine who knew said psychiatrist.

Says I, "My friend 'Dora' saw Dr. X."

"Oh, she did?" said my friend. "Did she get a tongue-lashing?"

"Yes," I said. "Dora said she became Dr X's whipping boy."

"I'm not surprised," said my therapist friend. "Dr X told me she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She took out all her rage on her patients."

And, yes, Dear Reader, the woman is still practicing.