Jobs lost, oil makes a ton of money

Two stories side by side in today's news:

U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Sheds 17,000 Jobs...how the heck can you unexpectedly do that?

Exxon Mobil Profit Sets Record Again. You an count on the Pats to win, and oil companies to make an obscene amount of money. Exxon earned a record $40.6 billion in net income, a three percent increase over last year and beating its own record set in 2006.

How the heck can one corporation make so much money because the price of oil is going up that high and fast, while in one month 17,000 people lose their jobs? And we know there were more than that; there's a large percent that just doesn't get reported, or there are people that just dropped out. I'm talking overall unemployment figures now, though. There's definitely something wrong with the model here, when one particular piston of the economic engine is firing away, and the others are rusting in the cylinder.

I've never understood the economy except in real-world ways that it affects me: the price of a gallon of gas or milk. And sometimes I think it has all gotten way out of hand, where a little guy like me is affected by forces on the other side of the world, and I have no power to fight back. The best thing to do is check out, or check out the best we can in this society. Sometimes I'd love to just run away. Those remote spots in Idaho are looking more and more alluring. For a couple of years I wanted a boat. That way I figured I could just pull anchor and scuttle across the face of the earth like some kind of water bug. But that didn't pan out. There just doesn't seem like anything just one person can do.

Then I reflect it all back to the upcoming presidential election, and have yet to hear one word how any of the candidates would address problems like this. It's finger-pointing and dirty politics as usual. Oh, well, it seems the American public pretty much gets what it asks for most of the time. Be careful what you ask for, 'cause you may just get it.