Everyone seems to be on the "raise the price", "raise the taxes" band wagon these days... Food has gone up 40% due to the increase in gasoline costs.  Aloha Airlines just went out of business. My gas bill just came for the house and it's $400.00 for one month!  We purposely didn't use the gas fireplace this year nor did we turn on the heat in winter.  Basically, we use gas for the clothes dryer.  Our stove is electric and the water heater we use for showers is electric.  The other water heater only heats water for the kitchen sink.  

I just heard a report that the Department Of Water and power in Los Angeles is raising their rates as of July by 8%. They defend this move by claiming it's not that much and there is the same need they had the last 20 times they raised the rates to replace the infrastructure that never got done.  My bill is already $700.00 per month so I guess it's no big deal to tack on another $80.00.   Now 8% might not be a lot but when you add that to every other expense that has gone up 40 to 50% it's devastating.  I don't know how people on a fixed income are surviving in this corporate bleeding of America but I have an awful feeling that my prediction

of the U.S. becoming a 3rd world country is already here...