If There Is An Economic Problem I Don't See It

I live in middle America. Madisonville, Kentucky to be exact. We are 45 miles south of Evansville, Indiana and about 90 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. Things are supposed to be tough economically for regions like here. I don't see it. Gas prices are down. Food prices are down. If what I have seen at the local mall here in Madisonville as well as Evansville and the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville is supposed to represent and economic slowdown then I must be blind. 20 minutes just to find a parking place at the mall??? WalMart parking lot full???? The interstate with traffic going both ways as far as the eye can see???

Personally I think we have been sold a story. Obama says we are in an economic crisis and that Bush has wrecked the economy. Bush didn't wreck the economy, greedy people in positions of financial power did the damage, if there is indeed damage. Now, I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am beginning to wonder why what I hear on the news doesn't match what I see out on the street.

Maybe I am just blind. What do you see where you live???

Wal-Mart Worker Trampled To Death on Black Friday Sale

Should Wally World be held responsible for the death of this employee during a "black Friday" sale? I suppose in today's society we should come to expect something like this when materialism and greed take over the Christmas season. Actually I blame all the major retailers for this. They start weeks in advance getting people excited and worked up about big sales just so they can make that almighty dollar. Like the billions they earn already is not enough.

God forbid black Friday sales were ever canceled. This is just another reason I have become so dissatisfied with the Christmas season. I long for the simple holidays of my youth. I was a military brat and spent my childhood in Italy and Germany. Back then Christmas meant a lot more and I don't remember the frenzy and the craziness that we see today. It was a quiet time of reflection and family.

My wife wonders why I feel like I do. I guess a lot of my friends wonder the same thing. I really think those involved in the death of this individual at WM and those that reacted so terribly when the store tried to close do to this incident, need to take a long inward look at their lives. I certainly am not perfect and would never dare to point an accusatory finger at someone but this goes way over the line.

Let's hope nothing more like this happens........... hope against hope.

Looking For Long Lost Childhood Friends

I grew up as a military brat which meant I got to see the world. It also meant I had no real roots and no real place to call a childhood home. I went to 14 schools in 12 years in multiple locations across the U.S. and in Germany. I have had some tremendous experiences, seen things that most kids had to read about in books and have some wonderful memories. All in all, I would not trade that childhood in for anything. One thing that I do lack however are childhood friends. Most military brats get used to making friends and then leaving them knowing they will probably never see them again. Now comes the world wide web and our world has gotten drastically smaller.

I would like to find some of my old childhood friends, specifically from my time at Andrews Air Force Base from 1973 to 1976. So here goes my list as best as I can remember. Most of the people in this list would be between about 43 and 50 and we all lived on Chicago Court on Andrews Air Force Base. If you see your name on this list please email contact me via the comments section with your contact info. Womens name would be maiden names as I knew them back then.

• Gay Kleinman (Kleinman or Klineman)
• Mike Antoskow
• Mary Ann Lokatis (sp ?)
• Karen Hildebrand
• Tony Hildebrand
• Steve Palmer (your dad was head steward on Air Force One)

There are others that I can't remember - maybe you will recognize my name, Eric Dytzel. We all went to Central Senior Highschool which was off base.

I hope this works and look forward to contacting you.......... eric