Signs the economy is bad: August 31, 2018 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

Another week, and another set of signs the economy is bad. Just when I think I can take a  week off, more stories appear, and here we go again.

So, what's going on with the government?

• Yes, the U.S. Government DOES waste millions of dollars when traveling abroad. Story via Center for Public Integrity.
• The USDA reports that there are more children in the U.S. in poverty now than before the Great Recession. Story via the Food Politics blog. 
• Did we mention also that more than 1 million children in the U.S. are homeless? Story via The Lexington-Herald Leader. Ain't America great?
• The administration of the Pendejo In Chief loves to brag the economy is booming. Well, turns out that is not really true. "In short, the economy is NOT booming for working classes of Americans." El Jefe explains the details over at Juanita Jean's.

In corporate fuckery and the bad economy:

• Flying United Airlines and you are running a bit late? Well, fuck you, they are not holding the plane for you. Well, they are not unless you are important somehow. Also, did  you pay  for a  good seat? Well fuck you too, if some big honcho, like a federal legislator needs  it, you are getting bumped. Story via Inc.
• Meanwhile, Southwest is raising the price on their Early Bird Check-In fuckery. Story via Inc.
• It is commonly known that women pay more for basics like their feminine hygiene products, which are essential, as well as other things like razor blades. That is often called a "pink tax." Well, seems women cannot catch a break, and companies, banks, so on also tack on a "pink tax" on other products and services like mortgages, cars, and other goods. Story via TruthDig.
• Pork producers do more than make bacon and pork products. Their big farms often mess up their local communities with pollution, flies, stench, and more. Naturally, pork producers are mobilizing their lobbyists and lawyers so they can prevent people from suing them so they can keep effing up the environment and their neighbors' property. Story via Truthout.
• A new report finds that guns are a significant factor in rural suicides. Story via The Rural Blog. However, the gun industry is more concerned that the Pendejo In Chief is bad for business. Story via The Week. Did the Pendejo In Chief suddenly declare he is confiscating guns or such? Did he say something stupid to scare people off buying guns? Nope. On the contrary, he loves guns and is happy supporting gun owners, gun rights, etc. And that is an actual problem; there is no boogeyman like Obama to scare gun fetishists into buying more guns.They are just not stockpiling AR-15s and other guns as before. From the article, "As a Maine gun manufacturer put it, there's just no 'fear-based market' pushing gun lovers to stock up anymore." 
• This is more like corporate soap opera. A former CEO of Barnes and Noble has sued the company, and all sorts of sordid revelations are coming out as a result. Story via The New Republic.

In education news:

• Turns out that no matter if you do everything right, you WILL STILL get fucked when it comes to student loans. Story via Mother Jones. The best advice I can give you is to not take out any student loans matter what. Those loan forgiveness programs  you may have heard? Mostly illusion or just not worth the effort or time to try to use it. 
• And if things were not bad enough, it turns out the problem with student loan defaults is bigger than previously thought. Story via Inside Higher Ed.
• Usually I have sympathy when some small college has to cut back and lay off faculty. However, this particular "university" I am more than happy they have to lay off people. Heck, if they go broke and close down, I would not shed a tear. Where is this place? It's Bob Jones University, and they are laying people off to close a budget gap. Story via Inside Higher Ed.

In some odd, curious, and miscellaneous items:

• Funding conservation efforts is not easy. How do you find money to help save species and preserve the environment? Well, in the U.S.,  one way is allowing people to kill animals. The problem is people are just not hunting as much as they used to. Story via Truthout.
• The whole probiotic movement is a cash cow if you play it right. People will pretty much swallow anything (literally or otherwise) if you toss in some goobledygook and make it sound all scientific. So, stay tuned as baby poop pills could become the next big thing. Story via Big Think. As often attributed to P.T. Barnum, "there is a sucker born every minute."
• Via Marketplace, learn how exactly casinos decide where and when to put in slot machines as well as when to retire and replace them. It has to do with the urinals theory. 
• And when LGBT are kept out of a place, they make their own space and excel. Via VICE, learn about the world of same sex ballroom dancing. This is just a cool story (gotta have one of those once in a while). 

And finally, for this week, let's see how the uber rich are doing:

• Well, if you are rich and retired, odds are good you are living it large, like these folks in fancy retirement homes in Florida.We are talking about "residents who are willing to shell out $13,000 a month to live in a $100,000,000 palace with a pool, a theater, and 'yappy hour' for dogs." 2Chainz explains for VICE.