It is a sign of the times. Given the current economic woes, many people are turning to a second job to make extra income.  Things are bad everywhere with no sign of improvement on the horizon.  The temporary boost in employment statistics generated by the thousands of part-time census jobs has evaporated.  The numbers just keep getting worse.

Here in Florida we had a .1% jump, which wouldn’t seem so awful if we weren’t already at record unemployment levels.  Now unemployed job seekers have to face off against not just their unemployed brethren, but also the employed (and therefore viewed as employable) workers seeking second jobs and the housewives/college students/retirees who were out of the job market altogether but are now jumping back in.

Even ex-governors of Illinois are not immune to the pinch.  Apparently, sending his wife out to appear on ludicrous reality TV shows isn’t enough to keep Rod Blagojevich and family in style.  Blago showed up at the Chicago Comic Book Convention to hawk his marketability.

The pricing scheme: $0 appearance fee, $50 per autograph, $80 per photo op.  Seriously.  Blago stated in an interview on Fox News Sunday this week that he didn’t make very much money at the show.  But his idea of ‘not very much’ might be different from yours and mine.  And the amount he claims to the IRS is probably very different from the amount he actually received in cash.

I guess the moral of the story is that maybe the economy isn’t as bad as we thought.  Apparently there are individuals in the Chicago area willing and able to fork over gobs of their hard earned money for the signature of a disgraced former politician.

MOSAIC may not be a household name, but they are the world’s largest phosphate mining company. They provide the raw materials that go into the fertilizer that grows the fruit and vegetable products that you consume every day. Last week, they announced plans to lay off over 200 workers from their plant in rural Polk County, FL.

You read the headline that a company resorted to layoffs and your logical response is “it’s the economy, stupid.” Good answer, but wrong. It isn’t the economy. It isn’t a lack of demand or resources and it isn’t competition, domestic or foreign.

MOSAIC was forced to idle their Fort Meade plant and lay off workers because of a line on a map. There is a road, aptly if not creatively named County Line Road, separating Polk County from Hardee County. MOSAIC has, over the course of decades, mined all the phosphate from their land on the north side of the road, but they own more than 10,000 phosphate rich acres on the south side of the road.

Despite their legal ownership of the land in Hardee County, appropriate zoning, and approvals from the US Army Corps of Engineers, MOSAIC’s enormous drag-lines sit idle on the north side of the road because of a restraining order (they’re not just for crazy ex-boyfriends anymore) issued by a judge in Jacksonville. Not just one, not two, but three distinct environmental groups have sued to stop the company from mining any of their land in Hardee County.

Oddly enough, MOSAIC isn’t even a party to the lawsuit, leaving the defense of their very business in the hands of… the Federal Government. The three groups – the Sierra Club Inc, People for Protecting Peace River, and ManaSota-88 – filed suit against the US Army Corps of Engineers. The allegation is that the expansion of the mine would essentially destroy nature and turn the county into an environmental wasteland fit only for cockroaches and high school dropouts (I’m paraphrasing).

Regardless of the impact it will have on the next generation, these people don’t want industry intruding on their little slice of retirement paradise. The current economy is forcing more than enough layoffs as it is; it doesn’t need any help from a group of people who earned themselves a nice living somewhere else in industry have since retired and moved to Florida.

News-flash:  The economy isn’t doing so well.  I know that’s a shock to those of you who live in a cave on a deserted island and haven’t seen a TV or the Internet for the last three years.  For the rest of us, it’s just more of the same.  The only question that remains is: when will it get better?

Ask ten economists, and you’ll get ten different predictions as to when the economy will turn around.  The only commonalities will be that they all think it’s a ways off, and they’ll all tell you something different than they did six months ago.  It’s bad out there.  It may not be getting any worse, but it isn’t getting much better, either.

Unemployment – high and holding steady.  Costs – high  getting higher.  Foreclosures – setting new records every month.

Now the federal government has passed health care legislation that, regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, is bad for business.  Big businesses already have begun shoring up their reserves in order to pay for their increased costs associated with the health care reform.  Their estimate of the cost: $1 billion dollars.

AT&T is a big company.  They can afford to put aside a Billion with a “B”.  They’ll just pass the cost along to the consumers, maybe lay off a few thousand workers here or there.  3M, a not quite as big company, is preparing for $90 million in additional health care costs.

This month’s jobs report is due out this Friday – Good Friday.  In jobs terms, I’d imagine that the only good thing about it will be that the markets are closed, so the news won’t have much of an immediate impact.  Although a few talking heads have suggested that the report will contain good news – gains up over 100,000 jobs – other, more reliable estimates predict a similar number – of jobs lost.

Before we even start, let me be clear about this one thing: the earthquake in Haiti and the resulting devastation was a terrible, terrible thing. We Americans, individually and collectively, should do what we can to help the people of Haiti recover from this disaster. I am not in the Rush Limbaugh, “Let ‘em take care of themselves” camp.

Having said that, this is a business blog, not a humanitarian aid blog or a general current events blog. So, it is appropriate that we take a look at the long term impact that this disaster may have on business, divorced from the tragedy itself.

In the short term, there are a few companies and industries that will benefit from the devastation of a small island nation within spitting distance of US airspace.  The same old, big players who rush to the rescue, to the benefit of both the victims and the company’s bottom line.  They know who they are.

A less obvious, longer term impact on the US economy will be the certain influx of many thousands of Haitians to the United States.  There will be a sudden and pronounced increase in the pool of unskilled and unemployed workers, which already is pushing maximum capacity.  Southern states, Florida in particular, are likely to be hit the hardest by the influx of Haitian immigrants.

While that’s good news for citrus farmers and housekeeping services, it’s not so great for those currently looking for a job or those workers in unskilled jobs fighting to cling to their current position.  There is a very real possibility of a flood of immigrants so extreme that it overwhelms the capacity of some municipalities to deliver services to those in need.

The writing is on the wall.  The influx is coming.  The question remains: how can you position yourself or your business to profit, or at least not suffer, from the coming events?  By proactively considering the impact that this disaster will have in your area, you can put yourself in the best possible place to reap the rewards of looking ahead and being prepared.

There’s an old adage that says when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade. Well, the current job market is a bunch of lemons, if I’ve ever seen one.  But if you plan carefully and take a long term view, you can position yourself to come out of this better off than your competitors.

If you’ve got a job, hold onto it.  For nearly every skill set and every industry, this is not a good time to be looking for a new job.  There’s virtually no one doing any hiring, and those few that are looking are being swamped with qualified, unemployed, and desperate prospects.  It’s hard to compete when you’ve got a position in your back pocket.

If you’ve got a reasonable gig right now, you may do well to stay put and put your job hunting energies to another direction.  You may, dare I suggest, put that effort into doing your current job really well.  You may be shocked to find that by the time the economy crawls back up out of the toilet, you will have moved up with your current employer.

Another possible use for that time and energy that you previously spent looking for a better job is advancing your education.  Whether it’s an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate – whatever the next step is in your educational path - if you are in position to go on to get a higher degree, now is the time.  There are a lot of options, including night, weekend, and online classes that make it easier and more convenient (although not cheaper) to get a degree than ever before.

The bottom line is that those of us who don’t NEED a new job right now (even if you WANT one) probably won’t be getting one any time soon.  So, why not take a long range view and spend the next year or so positioning yourself to be ready when the job market picks back up?

Recently, sources have revealed investors are dumping large amounts of money into Twitter.  There has been much speculation and rumors that Twitter.com could be prepping for an IPO.  Why else would companies dump $100 million into a company with zero revenue?

According to Bloomberg.com, the company is believed to be valued at $1 billion.  The only rationale for valuing the company this high is if they are ready to unleash a massive revenue plan or if they are going public.  Either strategy would require some type of plan to make some money for this social media company.  The traffic is there to form unbelievable potential to investors.

Currently, Nielsen states that there are over 25 million “Tweeple” throughout the world.  Businesses, celebrities and entrepreneurs really are beginning to take advantage of this unique site.  Ashton Kutcher is followed by 3.7 million.  He capitalizes on this to help raise awareness for his television productions and charitable causes.  Businesses keep customers up to speed on new products and events.  Entrepreneurs are sharing marketing and business tips with their followers.  Even pastors and motivational speakers are able to share quotes and inspiration.

Twitter really gained worldwide recognition because of the media and recent events in Iran.  When no reporters could get firsthand information during the election protests and ensuing violence this summer, they relied on Tweeple.  The value of its communication power became evident and had everyone asking, “What is this Twitter-thing?”  How could they possibly turn this traffic into money, though?

Almost every financial website covering Twitter agrees on two main ways revenue can be generated.  One is to create business applications, such as calenders and private messaging.  These business packages would open the lines of communication to employees worldwide.  The business possibilities are expansive.  The other main way for income is for them to go with the advertising route.

No matter what they do, they are poising for major profit generation.  Keep your eyes posted for the IPO and let me know.  I’m on Twitter at (www.twitter.com/joeylaw) and so is Wasabi Media Group (http://twitter.com/WasabiMedia).

What other ways can Twitter generate profits for its investors?

What to do when there’s nothing else to do? That is the question facing many unemployed workers right now.  Whether ’tis nobler to continue plugging away seeking traditional job opportunities or to move beyond the norm and look for more out of the box money making opportunities?  It’s risk versus reward on a very personal scale.

A friend of mine, we’ll call him “Chris”, has been unemployed for 8 months.  Unemployment benefits are running out, and he’s reaching the end of his options.  He’s a smart guy with a lot of experience, but that just isn’t enough to land a job in a market of 10%+ unemployment and more layoffs every month.  One of Chris’ best attributes is a sharp sense of humor, so Chris is going to do something unusual: he’s going to try to make a living as a stand-up comic.

He’s got potential, I think.  I really don’t know how stand-up comics get started.  I doubt that they can quit their day jobs right away, but since Chris doesn’t have a day job… well, maybe that’s an advantage.

Not everybody is testing their chops in front of nightclub crowds.  Some are trying freelance computer repair, consulting, writing… whatever they can to try to get by.  And for a few, it is working.

There are a lot of part time, freelance opportunities depending on your skill set and location.  Some skills lend themselves to freelancing, others don’t.  A computer technician is more likely to strike out on his own than, say, an economist.  Both are fine skills and good professions, but one can operate out of the spare bedroom on a shoestring budget with word of mouth advertising and the other can’t.

So, while the rich will get richer through this drought by following a ‘buy and hold’ strategy, those of us who can’t afford to buy now and wait for a payday will have to try our hands at whatever we can find to do using whatever we’ve got.  One liners and comedic timing are optional.

It’s the Law of Unintended Consequences. Whenever the government intervenes in the market, no matter how pure their motives, there is an unplanned result.  This unplanned result, which may be instead of or in addition to the intended result, is almost always negative.

Enter the Cash for Clunkers program.  Your Uncle Sam is gravely concerned about your gas guzzling old automobile.  He wants you to buy a new, fuel efficient car.  Uncle Sam is so concerned that he’s willing to give you $4500 toward the purchase of a new car in exchange for your worthless old junker.

That’s good, right?  Good for you, good for the new car dealer.  Not so good for your uncle, but he’s got deep pockets so you don’t feel so bad.

What about the used car dealer across the street from the lot where you bought your new ride?  He doesn’t do very well on the deal, because his potential customers are sidling over to the new car emporium.  Uncle Sam’s intent was to help the new car dealer, but since there is only so much business to go around, his actions carried the unintended consequence of hurting the used car dealers.

Of course, your Uncle Sam really didn’t have the money to give you, so he took it from his investors, the tax payers of the United States.  We don’t have the money, either, but Sam didn’t ask our permission first.  He just took it.

Now Sam needs more money to pay the tab, and the dealers have gotten wise to his stalling tactics.  Some dealers sold cars weeks ago on the promise of some fat government money, but haven’t gotten paid yet.  The car dealers are getting tired of holding the bag, waiting for Uncle Sam to pay up.  Now they have begun holding on to the cars until they get paid for the government’s portion of the bill, causing backlogs of up to 100 cars that have been sold but not delivered on some lots.

I’m sure we’ve got nothing to worry about.  Sam’s always good for the money, right?

It’s bonus time again at AIG. America’s favorite charity, to which we gleefully contributed $180 billion, is set to hand out bonuses to 40 of their best go-getters. Unlike the gargantuan payouts of a few months ago, this is a paltry $2.4 million in bonus money.

It doesn’t seem like all that much, unless you consider that $2.4 million divided by just 40 employees means that these guys will be taking home a cool sixty grand a piece, on top of their regular salary. $60,000 is more than a lot of people make in a year. Let me take it one step further – $60,000 is more than a lot of hard working people who did NOT directly contribute to the collapse of the American economy make in a year.

What could these individuals have contributed that would justify such bonuses? These are deferred bonuses from 2008, meaning that these were ‘earned’ based on their performance as the company was falling billions of dollars into the red. Maybe these men and women are heroes in their own rights. Maybe AIG would have needed a $190 Billion or $200 Billion bailout if these bonus-worthy champions hadn’t done whatever it was that they did to prove themselves so valuable. But I don’t think so.

Continuing the proud tradition of making a bad thing worse by intervening in commerce, the federal government is now in the business of reviewing executive compensation. President Obama has appointed a Compensation Czar (no, I’m not making that up; that is a real position paid for by your tax dollars) to look into the salaries and bonuses earned by companies that are coming under the control of the United States government.

Of course, the Compensation Czar is powerless to do anything in this case because the bonuses were promised back in the carefree days before such a position even existed. The best we can hope for is another round of hand wringing and public vilification followed by complete and total inaction by the government. But the NEXT time a huge multination corporation fails and is bailed out by the government, just you watch.

The economy is… not good.  I know it; you know it.  If it weren’t evident by our personal and business bottom lines, you can’t help but be bombarded by stories on the news of businesses closing, banks foreclosing on homes, and people out of work.  Things are bad all over.

Well, maybe not everywhere, it turns out.  Hollywood, so disconnected from the real world of fly over country, seems to be doing just fine.  Movie theater attendance is on a record setting pace.  Consider how well Hollywood could be doing if they put out any decent movies this year (Star Trek excepted, of course).

The real issue of interest here is not that Hollywood doesn’t have to abide by the same rules as the rest of America.  That’s old news.  No, the real story is that Americans, so financially strapped that we’re putting the mid-level restaurants out of business and doing all our shopping at Wal-Mart, haven’t stopped going to the movies.  The message seems to be that we’ll sacrifice on the non-essentials, but don’t you dare take away my $8 tub of popcorn smothered in artificially butter flavored grease.  There are some things that we simply will not concede.

This got me thinking, so I did a little research on my own.  I visited about a dozen local businesses, from a citrus juicing plant to an auto dealer to concrete block makers to restaurants.   Time after time I listened to heart-wrenching stories of loss and layoffs and declining revenue and no hope on the horizon.

Thoroughly depressed, I then visited the local comic book store.  There, all is well.  No dip in revenue and a steady stream of customers.  I didn’t get to the video game store, but I suspect they would tell me a similar story.  In 21st century America, entertainment is king.

We’ll buy the cheap mac and cheese, we’ll put off replacing that worn out shirt, we’ll give up the Gatorade and drink water instead.  But we’ll keep our movies and comics and cable TV, thank you very much.