A123 Systems received $390 million in US tax dollar subsidies. So they laid off 125 employees and gave their big wigs raises! A123 Systems makes batteries for cars and its largest customer, Fisker Automotive, is in financial trouble.

Robert Johnson, vice president of the energy solutions group, got a 20.7 percent pay increase going from $331,250 to $400,000, while Jason Forcier, vice president of the automotive solutions group, saw his pay increase from $331,250 to $350,000. Prystash's raise was 8.5 percent, going from $350,000 to $380,000.

This is probably an example of what Michelle Obama, returning from her 16th vacation in a mere 3 years meant when she said:

"Every day, I hear about how folks are struggling -- the bills they're trying to pay; the businesses they're trying to keep afloat. I hear about how folks are taking that extra shift, they're working that extra job, they're doing whatever they have to -- they're saving, they're sacrificing, never spending a dime on themselves because they desperately want something better for their kids.

"And make no mistake about it, these struggles that I'm talking about, these are not new. For decades now -- decades -- middle-class folks have been squeezed from all sides. See, the cost of things like gas, groceries, tuition -- prices continuing to rise, but people's paychecks just haven't kept up. And when this economic crisis hit, for far too many families the bottom just completely fell out."

After 16 vacations for which the US taxpayers shell out millions, Michelle probably understands struggling better than any of us. After all, with her husband in office Michelle has seen gas rise 83% and the federal debt climb well over $4 trillion. During Barack Obama's reign unemployment has stayed over 8% for over 36 months and that's after the figures have been fudged to drop millions from the labor force and count those underemployed as employed.