middle class are moving ahead?

http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/22/the-middle-class-falls-further-behind/?iref=allsearch

This article should really read the middle class are moving ahead. Sure the middle class as a whole may be shrinking, but according to this graph in this article it actually shows something positive. It shows 10% has moved out of middle income, but what people are not looking at is where did this 10% go? Look carefully and you will see that the reality of it is that actually 6% moved into the upper income and 4% moved into the lower. So over the past 40 years that actually means more middle income people did better and that overall the upper income level in america has increased the most. There used to be 11% more lower income level people than upper but that gap has narrowed to only 9% now.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to see us do more to be able to shift that 4% back to middle and bring some more from lower into it too. Same as I would like to see the continuing trend of more middle shifting towards upper as well. I would also have to imagine a large part of those that shifted towards the lower is probably due unemployment and or being underemployed currently. A rise back in the American economy and job sector could easily make these numbers change. As the cost of doing business in China rises economist's are predicting a shift of jobs returning back to the US. Some places have already started this.

Starting to smell a lot like Packers Football!!!

So today we will get our first taste of some preseason Packer's football as they take on the San Diego Chargers in San Diego at 7PM CST. Not to get too excited since it is just the first preseason game, but the fact that preseason has started only means the countdown to the regular season opening day game has begun. It will be nice to see some of the new players out there in action tonight, I really never pay much attention to training camp since I figure it is the coaches and personal that will determine who makes the team in the end anyway. Once regular season begins then it is time to buckle down and know who is on the team.

Good luck to the Packers always nice to come out on top so I hope they win, but more important is getting out of San Diego injury free.

Go Pack Go!!!

On a second note in the Olympics, remember women's soccer today at 1:45PM CST Team USA will be facing Team Japan in the final to decide the gold. If you remember the US lost to Japan in the world cup last year in an exciting game. I don't follow soccer too much so I do not know how many of these players played on those teams last year. Hopefully both teams will give their fans another exciting final game. This time I do have to say I hope Team USA comes out on top.....sorry sweetie :P

and in women's Olympic basketball Team USA faces Team Australia in the semi-finals at 11AM CST

Don't let the door hit you on the way out PG

Today now officially marked the day that I will not be able to access my local papers website page for free. I  do not really understand how they think this is a smart move. I wonder are there other news agencies websites going this route too? Why should we have to pay for access if we are bombarded with advertising? The Green Bay Press Gazette has had some of the most ridiculous forms of advertising plaguing their site, but being that it was free you figured you deal with it as being part of the package.

What they are doing now will just drive people to accessing the local TV news websites along with other national/international news websites. I am not sure how the Press Gazette thinks it can monopolize and control access to printed media here in their subscription base area.

I wonder how long it will be before they either resort back to the way it was or that someone else picks up the pieces and creates a new free local news access site. It certainly sounds like a tempting idea, so anyone that might take to the idea now remember where you heard it first.

WTF Cousins?!?!?!?!?!

OK Cousins Subs  is/are pretty good and tasty but they are seriously so over priced. I biked there and bought a 15" double steak n cheese w/ a small soda and it was just short of $20!!!!!!! Granted yes one half of that filled me up pretty good so now I have an extra half sitting there but you can certainly get sandwiches similar to this in size and quality for far less. It is too bad that Pasquales wasn't closer would have much rather spent less than $20 there and got a combination(Italian beef w/ spicy Italian sausage) hand cut fries and a soda.

Don't you just hate it when.....

Sleeping nice and sound and I suddenly wake up to the smell of smoke and hearing faint popping and cracking noises. I am coming out of a full sleep and it is obviously taking me awhile to figure out everything. I roll over and pick up my phone staring at the time, I can notice flashes of lightning in the sky. I keep smelling this smell and hearing these noises, so I pop out of bed thinking OK wow maybe something was struck by lightning and is now I fire. I quickly scan my place, whew nothing on fire here. I think oh maybe one of the neighbors units might have caught fire or maybe something. I open the front door, one of the neighbors I can see smoking outside I think this isn't what's causing the smell. I go open my backdoor and what the hell the neighbors are having a bonfire....grrr

Wednesday Whimper

Well it looked like we were going to get a nice storm to roll through, but it ended up being more of a whimper. Started out good, things got dark, clouds started to roll in from the north and then lightning started to dance across the clouds. Check out weather.com and look at the map, yep looks like a nice little storm coming this way. Then wham-o a flash of light and instant crash of a lightning strike as if it struck right in the backyard. It was like OK the storm will start now, then all it does it rain a little bit and it was over....lol The only good thing is right now the temperature is a little cooler, I can feel a bit cooler air moving through my fan.

Thankfully though the morning bike ride to get some donuts was fantastic, as was being able to spend a lot of  extra time with my girlfriend too.

I guess I should go make some dinner, it surely isn't going to make itself.