6A
FEATURES
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
Fallout from layoff
Dear Annie: I am writing you do, and with the toy industry being
in hopes of getting, well, a lit- replaced with computer games,
tle shred of hope. I come from a well, that’s strike two. Annie, my
lower-middle-class family that father has worked since before he
has always been short on money, could drive. He knows machines,
high on stress and full of love but he doesn’t have a high school
despite that. Growing up, I always diploma. One day he’s upset about
admired the fact that my
reaching 60 and fearing
DEAR
parents served a healthy,
heart failure, and the next
comforting meal every
he’s told he has to start
ANNIE
night, despite having mul-
over. It’s just devastating.
tiple jobs, and waited until
He loves providing for
they thought we were
his family and has been
asleep before they tear-
so proud to do so. Now
fully whispered about
he is a deflated shell of a
the mortgage. I recently
person who doesn’t know
graduated from college,
what to do, and I have no
Lane
and my parents didn’t Annie
idea what to tell him —
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
want me to stress finan-
or what to do that might
cially and drown in debt
help. Do you have any
the same way my mother did, so advice for a girl who just wants
I moved back home to pay off my the best for her dad? — Still Dad-
loans, with the understanding that dy’s Little Girl
Dear Still Daddy’s Little
I would establish my professional
career and pull my own weight. Girl: The love and emotional sup-
And, I’ve got to admit, it’s nice to port you offer your dad is price-
feel like a kid back at Mom and less. He might not feel like open-
ing up and being vulnerable to
Dad’s again.
But recently, a bomb dropped: you, but know that just your being
My dad got laid off. He worked there no doubt offers comfort.
all day, every day, and my mom
There are some practical steps
has had two jobs since the reces- you could take to help, too.
sion hit just to keep us afloat. The
First, you mentioned you’re
reality is that machines can do living at home with the under-
what people were once hired to standing that you’ll pull your own
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
weight. If you haven’t been paying
rent so far, I’d encourage you to
start chipping in what you can. Try
to work out a budget that allows
you to do so while also repaying
your student loans.
Next, research with your dad
the employee rights in your state to
be sure he is, at the very least, get-
ting everything the law requires.
For example, some states mandate
that laid-off employees receive
their last paycheck immediately
and that it include payment for
all accrued vacation time. And in
some instances, if an employee has
been receiving benefits through his
employer, he is entitled to continue
doing so for 18 months. Accord-
ing to legal resource guide Nolo, a
federal law called the Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act “gives employees (and their
dependents) the right to continue
their health insurance coverage for
a period of time after losing their
jobs.” Nolo does note that employ-
ees are responsible for paying the
full premium cost, but at the group
rate the former employer negoti-
ated. Visit the Employment and
Training Administration’s website
(https://www.doleta.gov) to find
Rapid Response resources for laid-
off workers in your state.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Humans are
fallible creatures with a strong capacity to learn
and grow. It’s why you don’t even mind when
someone criticizes you today. It’s a chance to
improve and maybe even solve something
you’ve been struggling with.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The wise Roman
emperor Marcus Aurelius suggested that it is
not the external things that pain us, but our
judgment of them, which is within our power to
wipe out. To alleviate stress, you’ll change your
mind about something today.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Some people
throw stones; other people build with them.
Figure out whom you’re dealing with and what
they can and can’t be trusted with. What hangs
in the balance here may be your heart.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). When people act
out of love, it brings them together. When they
act out of fear, it drives them apart. This is why
no one can be forced, intimidated or manipulat-
ed into loyalty, affection or love.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Ask any pilot: Course
correction is more or less a constant in the
air. To avoid the storms, air traffic and more,
pilots and autopilots are constantly making
adjustments to the flight plan. Today’s course
will require this of you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). So much about the
interactions of the day won’t be personal. Stay a
bit detached to better see how things work. Bot-
tom line: The person you want to pay attention
to you will need some extra reason to do so.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As for the rules of
the game, it’s not what they are that matter —
rather, it’s that all of the players agree on what
they are. To know this for sure, you may have to
break it down point by point.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The cosmic
suggestion is to throw kindness like confetti
— which is to say, directly up, so it can rain
down wherever. If you aim kindness, or con-
fetti, too forcefully or directly, injury can occur.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Take a
look around you to determine whether your
surroundings are supporting you in the
direction you want to grow. Location isn’t ev-
erything, but right now it’s much, much more
important than you might have guessed.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’d like
to be sure you’re on the same page as those
under your charge. But if you give them too
much of the plan up front, they’ll either be in-
timidated by the task, or they’ll second-guess
you. Keep it on a need-to-know basis.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People will
do illogical things to regain power. They will
act irrationally to preserve a sense of self or
the continuity of their personal story. If you
want them to be predictable and manage-
able, pose no threat whatsoever.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Small problems, if
not corrected, can become big problems. Good
news: It won’t take you very long at all to rectify the
seemingly little and inconsequential issues (that
actually have great potential for consequence).
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (April 18).
There’s something new to want out of this
year. It may seem overly simplistic, but it’s re-
ally the way it will go: You’ll believe in yourself,
and you’ll make it happen. You’ll change your
morning ritual in May, and this will change
everything. Friends and family will contribute
differently than they did before. A gamble pays
off in November. Libra and Leo adore you.
Your lucky numbers are: 10, 2, 22, 8 and 43.