Originally Posted By dshyates "^^^You need a vacation!" You have no idea. Except I lost my job in Feb. so technically I am on vacation. I was a photog for a CBS station and they "Reduced Staff". I have resumes in all over the east coast. From Columbus, OH to Miami, FL. I am so ready to go back to work so I can get a vacation. On the bright side there are 4 different stations in Orlando that are looking for Photogs. I sent resumes to them all last week. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Let us know if you need our help, dshyates. My sisters and I live in a two room cottage in Morva and we'd be quite willing to take you under our roof, if need be. ORWEN: We sure would! I mean, we have one room down stairs and one room upstairs--in the attic. That's where we share a large bed room. We could find a corner for you to sleep on, too, on a bed of straw! ORGOCH: But I gits ta do the cookin'!! We got a nice fire place downstairs in the room we uses fer a kitchen-livin' room. Got a long 'nuff table where ya can eat yer frog legs fer breakfast an' we won't even charge ya no rent. Just do a few chores ev'ry now an' then an' that'll suit us.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Hmmmm...make dshyates sleep on a bed of straw in a corner? Somehow we just can't have that. Not when I'd be MORE than willing to share my own bed with him. That ought to make our offer seem a lot more appealing...
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<I'm finding it's way too expensive for us. We can do Disneyland for FAR FAR less, it's hard to justify spending $3,000 for a week's vacation.>> Year after year that is the dealbreaker for us, and its why we have only been to the world but once.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 dshyates, sorry I didn't realize. Best of luck to you finding something that you enjoy and pays well.
Originally Posted By XandersMom I visit Disney every year- usually several times. I have found that in the past few years it seems to be getting better. More attention is being paid to renovations and taking care of what needs to be corrected. I always stay on property and no one will ever convince me that staying off property is better. It just isn't. I hate the traffic, and I love the atmosphere. I travel all the time, so the price of Disney's rooms really are not that much out of line with other hotels. Even the food quality has improved significantly! Look at the food in Magic Kingdom. I mean, no one actually expects it to be great, but it is alot better than it has been in many years. The value food courts are still far better than the deluxe for obvious reasons. I even have to take issue with the the price increases. I have been going to Disney since 1988 regularly and at least annually for the past 14 years. The prices have increased, but not so much that it will affect if I go. It may affect WHEN I GO. I have changed vacation times because prices were better at certain times, but that is just reasonable comparison shopping. Disney is still a great place! I stayed at the Grand Floridian in February, at the All Star Movies in April and will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside in July. It seems that in every place some people are great and some are grumpy, but even Snow White had that problem with her staff!! lol! Oh and other parks in my opinion are not equal. I have been to many others with my family and always, repeat ALWAYS left disappointed. Who wants to save money and have a subpar vacation?! NOT US!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Everything is getting harder to do. It's hard to stand there and watch the pimp run wildly as I fill my car, it's brutal to go to the grocery store. Don't get me started on the price of education - college. I am likely more fortunate than most, but trust me almost everyone is feeling it right now. And I don't see any short term solution to this. So yes, Disney is getting harder to afford than ever before.. trips likely need to be spaced out further ( I am over 12 months between for the first time in 20 years and although schedule conflicts have a lot to do with that, the financial end of it benefits from not going right now also). Fall tuition for college ( grad school) and Catholic HS for the kids is a backbreaker. I wish states would cap some of the taxes on gasoline. The states are taking in windfall tax money as the taxes are based on the price per gallon. Such a large portion of gas prices are taxes, enough is enough already, yet you never hear one politician - Dem or Rep go near the tax issue. As gas has gone from $2 gal to $4 gal - those taxes have doubled. Where is the money going. As for my state- Illinois - they still claim to be broke and want to increase the state income tax from 3.5% to 6 or 7%.... If the taxes on gas got capped, maybe it would help slow the rising costs of groceries and other necessities... so I guess net is, although WDW is getting more and more expensive, I do not want to see a downturn ( further( in quality to keep it affordable. I would rather go less often and have it be a quality refuge in a world of ever cheapening experiences. just IMHO
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Everything is getting harder to do. It's hard to stand there and watch the pimp run wildly as I fill my car, it's brutal to go to the grocery store.>> Why is your pimp running so wildly? Is he mad you aren't servicing your clients in full princess regalia? Sorry, had to take that shot!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I wish states would cap some of the taxes on gasoline. The states are taking in windfall tax money as the taxes are based on the price per gallon. Such a large portion of gas prices are taxes, enough is enough already, yet you never hear one politician - Dem or Rep go near the tax issue. As gas has gone from $2 gal to $4 gal - those taxes have doubled. Where is the money going. As for my state- Illinois - they still claim to be broke and want to increase the state income tax from 3.5% to 6 or 7%....>> You should know that government now only inteferes. It never steps in to help at all. Like our Prez offering prayers for Iowa instead of what the people really need: some of the $$$ he's blowing in Iraq! (or the money he didn't spend on the Gulf Coast)
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <<<Everything is getting harder to do. It's hard to stand there and watch the pimp run wildly as I fill my car, it's brutal to go to the grocery store.>> Why is your pimp running so wildly? Is he mad you aren't servicing your clients in full princess regalia? Sorry, had to take that shot! < gas to run that superfly car costs more today
Originally Posted By SuperDry There was actually a story in the news about how some states are getting LESS gas tax revenue since drivers are cutting back on the number of miles driven. I suppose that this would be true for the portion of tax that's a flat amount per gallon, but I find it hard to believe that cutbacks in driving are enough to offset the higher prices for the percentage-based taxes.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Like our Prez offering prayers for Iowa instead of what the people really need: some of the $$$ he's blowing in Iraq! (or the money he didn't spend on the Gulf Coast) << Iowa is getting a lot of prayers, and money. Those folks need both. You are vehemently opposed to the war in Iraq, so I think you would prefer that money to go anywhere else. You have got to be kidding about the Gulf Coast. Do you really mean that, after all of the billions that have been pumped into that region, and all the money for the victims of the storms.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Iraq is no longer relevant. We need to start focusing on the rumored IRAN war and its affects on the oil economy.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Iowa is getting a lot of prayers, and money. Those folks need both.>> If given the choice of money or prayer, I'll always take the tangible asset. Prayer may make some folks feel better, but it doesn't solve real world problems anymore than sprinkling pixie dust does. <<You are vehemently opposed to the war in Iraq, so I think you would prefer that money to go anywhere else.>> I've never said that (I think), but that is absolutely 100% accurate. It was a horrible mistake/miscalculation that will haunt this nation for generations. And the amount of money being spent over there is astounding in a sick astronomical way. <<You have got to be kidding about the Gulf Coast. Do you really mean that, after all of the billions that have been pumped into that region, and all the money for the victims of the storms.>> You know I only kid about going through the trash of mid-level Disney managers!
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<You have got to be kidding about the Gulf Coast. Do you really mean that, after all of the billions that have been pumped into that region, and all the money for the victims of the storms.>> You think all of this money has been pumped into the Gulf Coast, and it hasn't. While there are parts of New Orleans that are thriving (and those are the parts, like the French Quarter, that didn't flood), there are MANY parts that are still struggling. The area around my school in New Orleans East is still a wasteland. There's no hospital, there's one large grocery store, and about a quarter of the restaurants and other businesses that were open prior to Katrina have reopened. MANY homes are still damaged and empty. It's like driving through a war zone. The same thing can be said for the 9th Ward and parts of Lakeview (though Lakeview's residents are fighting fiercely to bring their neighborhood back). It has been widely acknowledged that the government screwed up royally when it came to helping the city and Katrina's victims. Unless you've driven through the many parts of this city and have seen the terrible shape that parts of it are still in, you can't pass judgment on what the government has done for New Orleans. I can tell you for a fact that they still need to do a LOT more.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: My sisters and I totally agree with you, Nikki, dear. As a matter of fact, we are suspicious as to whether or not some of the money meant for Katrina victims even reached them. The greed and hypocrisy of the world continues to amaze us. FEMA isn't even FEMA any more. It seems to be turning into more of another government arm for Marshal Law these days.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 And how much of the money that was suppose to go to Katrina victims, went to scam artists instead?
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey The majority of my friends had severe damage to their homes (5 feet of water or more) and they had to fight with their insurance companies to get the money they were owed. Where was the government then? Where is the government now when insurance companies are dropping policies left and right when the majority of the flooding occurred due to levee failures, which were constructed by the government? Many people in this area now have to buy "last chance" insurance, which is (of course) provided by the government to those deemed uninsurable by private companies, and which is usually double what most insurers pay? I was one of the very lucky few - my house didn't flood and the worst thing I had to deal with was a funky refrigerator when I came home three weeks after the storm. So many people here are still struggling to get back to where they were before the storm. I can only hope the people in Iowa and Illinois get better help from the government than the people of the New Orleans area did.
