It gives me some modicum of comfort to know that when our children's children look back on this week, they'll be able to say that it ended.
A new report by the Economic Policy Institute finds that not only did all income growth in Florida from 2009-2013 occur only among the state's richest 1%, but that income among the 99% actually fell. Yup, incomes for rich Floridians went up 15%, while incomes for EVERY FUCKING BODY ELSE went down 4.3%. Who's your job creator now? Hashtag economicrecoveryisbullshit. Hashtag thanksrick. (H/T Gawker)
Duke Energy is passing along the cost of decommissioning its Crystal River power plant to customers, to the tune of an additional monthly bill charge of nearly $3. Duke Energy's company line on this is, "hey, it could've been nearly twice that, but we did some wrangling to get this debt that we should totally eat ourselves down to $2.73 before passing it along to the you because we're tired of getting massacred in the court of public opinion and want to show you we're really not terrible." Duke Energy's perception of customer service and public relations is… flawed.
And finally, Tampa Bay foreclosures are poised to hit their lowest numbers since 2006. Some are calling this local proof of economic recovery; others are supposing the banks just finally realized that there's no more money or leverage left in foreclosure now that people can't afford to give a shit about the status of their home loan anymore.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2016.