I am amazed at Casper now, I see....... (Gillette: apartment, foreclosure)

[shadowwalker]

We been gone only four years. I see ladies out for long lunches, talking about playdates,business,the best places to eat,ect. I see men dressed like GQ wannabe's or the more wild ones looking like a LL Bean model. I see boys looking like thugs and talking like they only have a second grade education or lower. I see the girls looking better than a atlanta hooker on a hot august night. I see more SUV's and high end cars that ever here. I see the "kids" announcing the local TV news here. I see long lines of people gripeing about the wait or yelling into cell phones. I see some lady look me in the eyes and say "hey baby or I miss you", then I see the earphone. That's just weird. Close your eyes or don't look at some dude when on the phone. I see my old friends looking old some acting old. I see the changes and new stores here that wouldn't have made it six months here, ten years ago. I see tatoos almost everywhere. I see everyone going run,run,run to get somewheres. I see businessmen NOT doing things that four years ago were a staple in their business. I guess they really didn't like doing it with that smile! I see clothes and baubles for livestock and pets. I see people taking pets to sitters for the day. My cat stays at home, I dunno, maybe he'd like to go to the sitters. When I ask him, he just says "my dish isn't full" or so I think. I see people out shopping, acting no one else on this planet exists, except maybe the ones looking at me on their cell phones. I see the cameras at intersections here in Casper , I'm told just looking in case of a accident. I wonder how long it will be before they are taking pictures of cars speeding through red lights so they can mail out tickets. I've seen a few fishermen with more wrapped up in one fishing rod than I have in my BEST hunting rifle. I see more jewelery on people than I believe is in the government treasury of some countries I have worked in. I see up here too, there is a shortage of foodstuffs in the supermarkets. I wonder if this is a warning of things to come. I see 2 to 4 people living in houses that 15 or 20 could live in comfortably-with pets. I see that there is a rush hour traffic problem here too.
I see we can't go see a movie here,either, without listening to cell phones,people talking,or having it so loud I have a headache when it's finally over. I see people here now, spend their entire meal on the cell phones.
I see I can still find money,sunglasses, ect in the parking lot if I look down.
I see I will be able to adjust to the things I see.
I am very glad to be home. Hey, to us. THIS is where we're from! Ha,ha.
I will never be able to join the pack, I am to tired to lead the pack again. I will be more than happy just to hang around the outside of it and look in.
Anyone care to tell us what you see? Or bust my chops for what I see,I can take it.

[tekape]

For the most part, you're right....

when we moved to Oregon for a year...we left because of all those things...only to come back to Casper and find it infiltrating our great state! Cell phones have become a scourge of society...my older kids BEG me to get them one, and I simply reply..."Why on Earth would I buy you a cell phone when I don't even have one?" It's liberating to not have one! We don't even own a TV...the kids still fight me every day on that one....but there's nothing but trash on 'em anymore (or they're plugged into an Xbox, Playstation, or Wii) and the kids these days seem to sit mindlessly in front of them while their brains shrink and their waists grow.

Times have changed, that's for sure...and Wyoming isn't immune to it!

Welcome back Shadowwalker!

[BennyPhoenix]

Dont blame the kids.
Parents need to control video games, phones and other trash.
I refuse to buy my kids a video game console. They can go outside and play the way I did when I grew up. If a kid is playing video games more than 30 minutes a day then that is a problem.

[Gibs07GTcpe]

^^^^^^^My neighbors kid asked my son if he wanted to play football. My son said "Yeah I will go grab the ball......." The other kid said "Not outside, on Madden"

Wow what is wrong these days....just another reason my kids dont play the systems either.


Gib

[tekape]

Originally Posted by BennyPhoenix

Dont blame the kids.
Parents need to control video games, phones and other trash.
I refuse to buy my kids a video game console. They can go outside and play the way I did when I grew up. If a kid is playing video games more than 30 minutes a day then that is a problem.

oh, I completely agree...I wasn't trying to place the blame on the kids....it's the lack of parenting these days.

[WyattE]

It's encouraging to know that their are people out there that still believe in what the previous posts wrote about. I totally agree with all of you. I grew up playing outside and it was the best memories of my life. How would kids survive these days if they were thrown back in time when our pioneers didn't have these material things? For one thing, they would know their parents and their parents would know their children and they would have a more positive outlook on life and be better people for that matter. I applaud all those parents that are in control of their kids and their is respect there. God knows we need more like them.

[shadowwalker]

What got me to start looking was. One saturday at the mall a lady maybe mid forties was shelling out almost two hundred dollars at the video game store. She then told the two boys she didn't have enough money left to get herself work shoes!!!! The boys just laughed and took the small bag of games from the salesman.
Then, that same night as we were walking into walmart on the west side, this lady told her two children that if they were good. She'd let them each pick out a toy.
Now I do realize that as a parent you want the best you can afford for your children. As I did too. But, it seems like they run the show when dealing with their parents. I see this to in most of my nieces and nephews also.
I am glad my daughter is 26!
The changes in the state are what amazes me. I see prosperity where once,for a long time, I saw people here (me included) just eeking out a living.
I do know too things seem to be slowing down, I hope it dosn't last......

[tekape]

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

I do know too things seem to be slowing down, I hope it dosn't last......

unfortunately, I think it may get worse before it gets better....honestly, I think it NEEDS to get worse for people to truly have an appreciation for how great our nation is....right now, I think too many people have an entitled attitude that they deserve everything "right now" whether they can pay for it or not.

I was discouraged on the morning news this AM regarding a gentleman somewhere in America who had a good paying job and a $350,000 house. He wanted his "dream house" and built a $550,000 house before selling the first one....was stuck with both payments (to the tune of $7000/month) and decided that with this new economic downturn, would take advantage of the low housing prices and bought a THIRD house at a great deal and just "let the other two go" (into foreclosure). Of course, he wouldn't show his face on national TV because he was embarrassed....but stated that he's "satisfied" where he is right now. HE is part of the problem (as is everyone else who does/did this atrocity)....how is his taking advantage of the banks any different than the corporate corruption that takes place (other than the scale of the money involved)???? WIth thousands of Americans just letting their houses go into foreclosure...they are setting us all up for failure. They got into mortgages they KNEW they couldn't afford in the first place (though the banks/government allowed them to do so). It's very upsetting that so many people no longer have any moral fabric left in them.

Wyoming definitely isn't immune to this economic downturn....but I hope beyond hopes that it isn't as bad as the rest of what America will be going through.

[GEORGIAINMT]

Originally Posted by tekape

unfortunately, I think it may get worse before it gets better....honestly, I think it NEEDS to get worse for people to truly have an appreciation for how great our nation is....right now, I think too many people have an entitled attitude that they deserve everything "right now" whether they can pay for it or not.

I was discouraged on the morning news this AM regarding a gentleman somewhere in America who had a good paying job and a $350,000 house. He wanted his "dream house" and built a $550,000 house before selling the first one....was stuck with both payments (to the tune of $7000/month) and decided that with this new economic downturn, would take advantage of the low housing prices and bought a THIRD house at a great deal and just "let the other two go" (into foreclosure). Of course, he wouldn't show his face on national TV because he was embarrassed....but stated that he's "satisfied" where he is right now. HE is part of the problem (as is everyone else who does/did this atrocity)....how is his taking advantage of the banks any different than the corporate corruption that takes place (other than the scale of the money involved)???? WIth thousands of Americans just letting their houses go into foreclosure...they are setting us all up for failure. They got into mortgages they KNEW they couldn't afford in the first place (though the banks/government allowed them to do so). It's very upsetting that so many people no longer have any moral fabric left in them.

Wyoming definitely isn't immune to this economic downturn....but I hope beyond hopes that it isn't as bad as the rest of what America will be going through.

I can definitely hear where you are coming from, being discouraged about the guy with the three houses! It seems that people are more and more irresponsible every day. Sure, a lot of people dream of having something "bigger and better" or newer when it comes to their house. But some of these people go too far to make their dream a reality when they have no business doing so! Then who pays? We all do! My husband and I moved from Billings to Gillette to help ourselves prosper economically. Because our home didn't sell before we moved we rented it out. We hate being landlords, but at least the rent makes most of the payment and the renters are paying the utilities. Our house in Montana is small and modest (thank goodness!), but there was no way we were going to even think about buying a 2nd house until that one sells. Although rent is higher in Gillette than a house payment would be we don't have the same commitment or responsibilities with renting as we would with buying. It is sometimes difficult to make the change from being a homeowner to being a renter! But we are doing what we need to do in a way that we feel is wise for our long term success. As much as I'd like to have my own home here NOW (yep, I am affected by the "I want it now" attitude even though I try to be realistic and smart when it comes to money matters) I know we need to wait and be patient. Thank God we did recently get an offer on our home, but due to the buyer's circumstances we won't be able to close for awhile. That's okay, at least it is in the works. I think one of the big problems with people in America these days is that they have very little patience. What ever happened to that old saying "good things come to those who wait"? I don't know what the answer is for society. I think you are right, Tekape, in saying that things might just have to get worse before they get better. Sometimes I think our country is made up of a bunch of really slow learners!!!! I'm not saying that to be disrespectful toward those with learning problems as I am a special ed. teacher, but I do believe that some of the kids I deal with have more common sense than a lot of adults!

[WyattE]

Just a quick thought, but do you think our pioneers wondered if Life would get any better for them? And here we are today, wondering if it is going to get any worse. I'm guilty of that. It's sad in a way, I mean, our outlook on things, but our pioneers learned to appreciate what they had, not saying we all don't do that, but I think we've learned to be less patient and expect things now. Maybe we do have to lose some things we take for granted in order to appreciate it more.
I have a personal example of that. My wife and I had an apartment, no garage of course, we had to always warm our cars up, wipe the snow off them, carry groceries in from a distance, then we finally bought a house with a one car garage(she gets it, not me), so we've been in our house a few years now and thoughts of having a two car garage would make me happy, but I need to realize I should be content with what I have and it's not so bad letting my car warm up or taking groceries in from the street.
So, I must confess, I'm guilty of the "I want it now" syndrome. I'm trying but hopefully you all are too, if you have the same mentality as the majority these days. We got spoiled didn't we?