I got my nails done over the lunch hour today. I used to have them done on a regular basis and then sometime last year decided to go au natural. That was before the economy tanked. I just got tired of it. But lately I have been missing the white tips and the 10 perfectly matched nails. I also saw the owner of the nail salon at church every Sunday and wondered how his business has been doing. I was pretty sure that nails are not a huge priority if you have lost jobs or had hours cut. I know the family has 3 young children and employ several other women with families. So today I went to the salon. It was sad really, they welcomed me back like a long lost friend. They told me that things have been very, very slow and that some of the employees have been layed off. I was the only one in there for a while and then another client came in. But just 2 of us in an hour. So I am going back, becoming a regular customer again. I like what they do and they need the business.

We have a company here in Lincoln that sells and services corporate type jets. They are a great company and are huge donors to the community. They have never had to lay off any employees in their 50+ year history. But because of all the media hype regarding bail out companies and CEOs flying around in their private jets, this company has lost tons of business. At first they asked employees to take a wage cut to prevent layoffs. But recently they had to lay off employees anyway. Remember that lots of people who work hard for a living,work for companies like this one. No one stops to think of the little guy, the family bread winner when they complain about the rich and infamous. When the people with money stop spending it, everyone suffers. Trickle down works both ways...