CNBC.com Sign of the Times

More signs of the times we live in. Attached is an image CNBC producer Jeff Daniels snapped near the 710 Freeway in Los Angeles. He thought it was a well-dressed homeless man soliciting donations. When Jeff got closer, he realized it's a Century 21 realtor handing out business cards.

Meanwhile, I was speaking with a friend who is a CHP officer. For public safety reasons, CHP officers are not being furloughed three days a month like most state employees in California.

Officers also happen to be important revenue generators--It's not uncommon for a red light violation or speeding ticket in California to reach $400. My friend expects those fines to go up as the state scrounges for money.

He also told me that CHP dispatchers are being furloughed. However, since they need dispatchers 24/7, he says some of those employees are being paid overtime...to cover the furloughed shifts. I've called the CHP to verify this, and, if true, how much extra it's costing taxpayers.

Finally, people in California are increasingly losing their minds, literally (we all are, as Americans live longer and suffer the effects of aging). My 92-year-old aunt told me she called a 94-year-old friend the other day and got her voicemail: "Please leave a message. If I can find my phone, I'll call you back."

Send me some of your "signs of the times,"

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