Our bizpain continued through the week with an eruption of conflicting feel good/feel bad stories by week’s end – hard to know what to do with this information, but it just doesn’t suggest that we’re on the mend yet.  In fact, it appears that the people with the job security out there really don’t know what’s going on at all.  We’re looking to them for answers, but they don’t have any.

One of the most bizarre events was the disclosure that a government official was going to proceed with raises to governmental staffers and when the “people” the “workers” pushed back, the offer was retracted – are these government officials just stupid?  (may be a hiring requirement)

Top stories that relate to our jobs:

Wells Fargo

Upbeat on home loans – their net income was up 50% - and, they’re hiring 5000 people to keep up with the workload.

Freddie Mac’s CFO’s suicide

all the news reports suggest there is no connection to the turmoil or his own loss of a million during all of the recent turmoil.  This must be written for the government workers, because if there is no connection, you can slap may ass and call me Judy!

Apple

First Q profit jumps 15% on sales of iphones and ipods – we doubt that buyers are listening to the news about the Freddie Mac CFO.

GM

Going to shutter 22 plants for 9 weeks – affecting 24,000 workers – we don’t want to sound snotty, but didn’t we just give them about 25 billion dollars a couple of months ago?  Isn’t it true that no one wants their cars at the prices that they’re selling them?

Chrysler

Pretty close to Bankruptcy.  Of course, everyone is thrilled that Fiat might buy them – but, Fix It Again Tony?

Someone accused of TARP scheme

Not much to report here.  Just surprised it took a couple of months for it to show up.  Lot’s of creeps out there and they’re feeding off of the other creeps’ misdeads.

MySpace

Founder stepping down because he’s losing face(book) in the corporate structure – why would anyone want to work for or with Murdoch?

McDonalds

Net income rises 4% - mostly breakfast foods and drinks – this is good news for everyone in the world – people are finally eating the most important meal of the day.

Morgan Stanley

Reports $177 million loss – some of which is probably hidden in bunch of idled GM cars and trucks that will most certainly disappear or be vandalized for about 9 weeks coming up soon.

Apartment rents drop in U.S.

Everywhere.  It cold be that tent cities rents are going up – all supply and demand.

B of A CEO

Says he was strong-armed to take on Merrill-Lynch by Bernanke and Paulson – if he didn’t the whole world would collapse.  Now, let’s remember the entire world came to a halt because of 4 Somali pirates who have RPG rockets, but light fires back home by rubbing two sticks together. 

Ford

Is going to increase production by 25% because they beat estimates while posting a 1.5 Billion loss – the Worried Worker doesn’t get this one either, but it’s fun to report it.

Banks

are getting the results of their “stress tests” while we stressfully pinch pennies.  We won’t know what it’s all about until May 4 or until the next suicide that has nothing to do with the current turmoil.  Most interesting is that if the news is bad, it will most likely trigger huge problems anyway – self-fulfilled prophecy.  If the news is good, it will get coverage for a day or so and then another homely singer from LittlePitHole will win our hearts on YouTube.