[esoxmagnum]

It hits closer to home every day around here. Not only do we have friends and family laid off, but we find ourselves having to do more and more service work pro-bono, and we are anticipating that we “might” break even when the first cold snap hits.

We run a family heating and air company, and more and more, we go to service a unit in a home, where folks just can’t pay the bill. Most of the time, we can’t out of good conscience leave a home with no heat, especially if there are elderly or infants involved, so we try and work out some sort of payment. These folks are maxed out on credit cards, our banks (we have 3 we deal with) will not give them credit for even $500 bucks, so we end up hoping that they can pay 10 bucks a month, but we know that in most cases it will be a “charitable donation” of which we are well beyond maxed out for on the year, and like I said, we haven’t even dipped below 0F for the season.

We were getting calls from some banks to go in and check mechanicals on foreclosed homes (plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, etc) but that has since dried up as well, as banks are now just sitting on the foreclosures, they have given up hope on selling them. They aren’t even sending out weekly landscapers to pick up leaves, trash, mow the lawn, etc., and a few of our neighbors have organized a roving crew of lawnmowers just to clean up these properties in the area, to keep the neighborhood looking somewhat decent, and to give a somewhat appearance that the homes are lived in, hoping to discourage teen parties and homeless squatters.

I do not believe for a minute the 10% unemployment, not around here in Chicagoland. No way, not for a minute. And our elderly are getting hit really hard, property taxes have gone up AGAIN this year, even though homes are losing 40% of their value, and the elderly on fixed incomes just cannot take the inflation, higher taxes, higher medical bills, and their kids aren’t able to pitch in and help out, because they are broke as well.

Watch for real numbers to come out all over if the R’s take over house and senate. The old media will be reporting horrible numbers in an effort to blame the republican take over. Only then will we see real data.

[21twelve]

“I do not believe for a minute the 10% unemployment...”

I just used a couple of part-time helpers. They both said that while they are not employed and are looking for work, they have not had a job for so long now that they are off of unemployment and are not counted as unemployed anymore!?

I did some work at a government site, where work is fairly steady (of course). My contact said that he knows that it is way different in the “real world”. He said the contractors that work there don’t use their company vehicles (HVAC, plumbers, etc.) to run errands to the supply stores anymore as they get mobbed by folks looking for even a day’s worth of work.

[redgolum]

There is a foreclosed house up the road from me that the city had to break into. The bank (won’t tell you which one) didn’t shut off the water, and the pipes froze. The basement was 4 feet deep with water.

That house will never be sold. Some are thinking of torching it.

[Hamilcar_Barca]

God bless you for the pro-bono work you are doing. That was a well written response. I knew people who were laid off but this was the first time it hit a close circle of friends. The government has to be manipulating the numbers to help Obama and the Democrats. There's too many stories of hardship for the unemployment rate to be under 10% You're correct if the Republican's control Congress then the horror stories will be nightly news.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Yes.... God Bless You for the work you’re doing.

We have a LONG way to go, as a country yet... I fear much worse is yet to come.