Our Government

Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling disgusted with our government? How did we get to a place where the governments power is such that the citizens are no longer able to decide how much our government pays itself?

Employers Who Suck

Let me give you a scenario: A 42 year old man, (lets call him Jim) 6' 2", looks like a linebacker (and could have been), has a strong presence that commands respect, (he used to make 80K a year) goes out for an interview. He knows the economy sucks, his job and his company evaporated when the housing industry folded. He knows this place is retail sales and probably gearing up for the holiday season, so they won't keep him long. He knows that there are few positions out there that he can apply to, so he is thinking about going back to school and learning another trade. Jim has dropped his wage expectations to $15 an hour, he thinks this is reasonable considering his CDL A with a Hazmat, forklift trainer certification, Associates in bookkeeping and accounting, and over 11 years of experience in leadership and logistics.

This guy is a go-getter, a driving force that knows how to get things done, manage people and materials and speed up processes. He's hired and fired so many people he can't remember them all, and he knows how to train people, gain their respect and loyalty, and build teams that work together to get it all done and make everyone happy. He's not hard to get along with, he's not a hard-head, and he doesn't get angry without cause. He's looking for something he can do for the next six months or so to keep him busy until he gets his schooling and financial aid figured out. He's not expecting much, just a honest job, doing something he doesn't hate himself for. He gets dressed appropriately for the interview, since this is warehouse work, he wears the standard boots and jeans, belt and Carhardts, he's showered, shaved, brushed his teeth and put on a bit of aftershave, nothing over-the-top. He has copies of his resume, references, work history, driver's abstract from the DOT, his licenses and certificates all neatly tucked into a aluminum driver's clipboard. He has his phone, his bluetooth, pens, pencils -  and sunglasses, in case he needs to show them he can drive a truck. He is prepared, excited and ready to go to work.

Jim shows up ten minutes early, and knows where he needs to be and who he needs to talk to. He gets there and his interviewer and potential boss doesn't show up until ten minutes after the appointment, he's about 27, wearing tennis shoes, droopy jeans and a ratty t-shirt. He doesn't apologize for being late. He asks how long Jim expects to be working there, and Jim is honest (he's always honest) and tells him he wants to go back to school, and expects he'd be there about six months or so. The interviewer then tells him that they like to hire people who will stick around. He then asks him about what kind of wage Jim is looking for, Jim tells him his bottom line is $13 an hour. The interviewer then says well, I like to bring people in at about 11 or 12 but 13 is doable. Jim asks him if he's read his resume, and he says yes. Jim then asks him questions about the job responsibilities and expectations, and the interviewer tells him he'd like to make use of the certifications that Jim has, but they will have to figure that out. The interviewer asks Jim if he has any experience with retail and purchase orders. Jim is surprised - his resume clearly states that he has extensive experience with logistics, purchasing, all aspects of warehouse management, accounting, etc. Jim asks again if the interviewer has read his resume, because he doesn't believe that this guy has any idea how to interview, and now has serious doubts about the company, the position and if he'd even get a paycheck if he worked for them. The guy says yes, but offers no details.

Jim tells they guy that he managed 45 subcontractor groups, a warehouse, 25 sales people, the office and accounting staff, and personally supervised purchasing and logistics to supply multiple building projects resulting in almost 2 million in sales a month, out of one office dealing exclusively with floor coverings and interiors, tile, stone, hardwoods and laminates. Also, he knew from hands-on experience how to do each position that he was management over, and frequently would jump in to help. The interviewer looks at him like he has no comprehension of what Jim just said.

Jim said: "You do retail sales online here right? So you never actually have to talk to a customer face to face, or drive out to their home and inspect work that was performed, or manage subcontractor crews that can't speak english, and still have the job done correctly. I did that. I communicated with people to get things done, as they were ordered by the customer, the way the customer wanted, and if it wasn't right, I made it right. I made certain that materials were ordered on time, correctly, according to schedule, and that prices were what was quoted, that the salespeople correctly identified what the customer wanted, it was in stock or available, and that the drivers picking up materials knew where they were going and what they were picking up and when they were supposed to be there. Nothing that happened at that store was a surprise to me, because I had my hands in all of it, including the installations and warranty work. I did it all, that's why I was management, I knew what I was doing... Do you? This is the stuff that ticks me off, nobody knows what they are doing anymore, nobody cares about what they are doing, and no one is willing to pay someone who would care a decent wage or show enough respect to bother reading their resume."

The interviewer didn't know what to say, obviously, he had the resume in his hand, but it was obvious he never read it. He said: "Well I guess we're wasting our time." Jim said: "No, you are wasting your own time, because you're not willing to be prepared, and that shows me that probably your company doesn't care what they are doing either, because everyone in your department is probably being paid just above minimum wage, there is high turnover because you can't keep anyone decent, and you're putting out crappy products. Just one person who has the experience and knowledge could turn this whole place around, but you aren't willing to pay for it, so you'll never hire them".

This scenario has been played out over and over, in one degree or another for the past 2 & 1/2 years for this man. Either they don't want to pay for his experience, the interviewer is afraid he will steal his job, or the owner feels that he should be his own boss (but he can't afford to start a business and there isn't room for it anyways). The problem is, the construction, manufacturing and transportation industries that he's worked in are, for the most part, out of business and the ones left in business are operating with people that are "grandfathered in", family members who can't find a job elsewhere, or transient and other workers who make poverty-level wages. I'm sure he's not the only one, but riddle me this: if the majority of these businesses are only hiring at poverty-level wages, and the prices of things keep going up, wages keep going down, where are we going to be in another year?

I predict a revolt. I'm surprised we haven't seen massive violent protests on the street already. Perhaps we are all just so beat-down and depressed that we don't have the energy to mount a full-scale overthrow of our revered dictatorship. As they say: fluoride in the water makes us passive, technological advances teach our children that they don't have to think, they don't have to question the powers that be, they can be sluggish, brain-dead cogs who work at nowhere jobs for big companies that only offer poverty level pay. The rich get richer, the middle class becomes non-existent, and the poor become poorer. The government has us, we become controlled and controllable, passively letting them tax the hell out of us, while they are guaranteed health benefits and retirement. Can we say SOCIALISM?

jobs, or really, lack of them

Funny how so many of us are either unemployed or UNDER employed. Funny also how the press seems to sidestep the latter more often than not. People who lost their jobs have ran out of unemployment and have, in desperation, found jobs doing things they are over-qualified for. I've noticed people in their 40's and 50's working fast food jobs or waiting tables, leaving the teenagers and young adults who would normally fill those jobs without options.

I notice that the job ads are for temporary health care jobs, and high-tech jobs like writing software, and very few jobs for the manufacturing and construction trades. I also see the same jobs posted over and over, because they want to pay near minimum wage for something they are requiring certificates, degrees and years of experience for. All this while taxes go up, prices go up, and government salaries in high places continue to be sky-high. I say we cut the fat at the top, discontinue the guaranteed retirement and health care benefits for the already overpaid senate and other offices, and spend that money creating jobs by letting the small businesses do business without being overtaxed.

Retail is failing, and unless we are working at decent-paying jobs, we sure as hell are not going to be out buying anything except things we absolutely need. The circle begins with a paycheck that pays for a honest days work with an honest wage, not the kind of wages we made at our first job babysitting or mowing lawns. Soon all those illegal immigrants are going to be out of a job too because the rest of us have taken them. It's much more productive to hire someone legal at the same wage because they won't be deported, they are desperate, and because the economy sucks (and will for a long time), they will stick around.  

Why we shouldn't focus on housing

CNN's Ed Henry interviewed Shaun Donovan on "State of the Union". Seems like Shaun can't figure out how to lie well or cover his tracks. Ed asked him pointed questions about comments he made about the housing market including one this month: "in better shape than anyone predicted a year ago". Shaun stammered his way through the interview and seemed impressively relieved when it was over, after offering nothing noteworthy that would bolster anyone's confidence in the market.


http://thepage.time.com/transcript-shaun-donovan-on-state-of-the-union/



Surprised? I'm not. I believe that we should stop looking so hard at the housing market and start pushing the powers that be for JOBS. What good is a good housing market without the jobs to support it? Sure they can get people into houses for cheaper than ever, with great rates, but with so many people unemployed or UNDEREMPLOYED (which no one wants to talk about these days) and credit ratings in the tank, homelessness on the rise and no end in sight, who can afford to buy a house if they can't afford to keep a car, pay rent or buy groceries?



I know whereof I speak; I lost a car, a house, and recently sold another car to pay for mounting expenses that we thought we would have the money to cover by now. My husband's job of 11+ years evaporated with the housing market, and we thought he would retire from it. He's been struggling ever since to find another job, even cutting down his income expectations to half what he used to make, and he still can't find one. We are now facing the coming loss of my measly job, and the prospect of being homeless soon. Even if we took jobs waiting tables (which you can't find anyways, since so many people like us are opting for last-ditch efforts like that) we wouldn't make enough to pay the rent.



So I have some commentary for Obama: How much do you pay Shaun Donovan to field questions like this that YOU should be answering, and why don't you just use that money to create jobs? Also, if you were really doing your job, you'd cut the pay rates of the senate and their guaranteed benefits and use that to create jobs! Also: you suck.

Beginnings

Beginnings are like endings, they have the potential to wreak havoc on your life, or add the most unexpected joys. The trick is how you deal with them, do you react or do you make the most of them?

Decisions are dangerous too, one slip and you are in a hell of your own making, but a good choice can float your boat for a long time. So how do I make the most of this new toy - my blog? I originally intended to share some wisdom I've learned along the way, but now that I write this, I think that I run the risk of sounding like some blow-hard who sounds like they know it all.

I think I'll pass on the advice for the most part, the world is full of people who have advice to give, and most of us don't listen anyway. I do have one tiny thing I'd like to say to young women who are lost in life: be self-sufficient.

I don't mean try to become independantly wealthy. Wealth is good if you know how to use it and it doesn't use you, but few people can manage it without becoming unhappy. Being self-sufficient as a woman is a powerful thing. If you can support yourself and learn to be your own person, happily, without the aid of someone else, you will never have to depend upon someone else to survive except in extreme emergencies.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know that whatever happens to your job, your family, your friends, you know how to survive and weather the storm without being a burden upon someone else? How comforting it could be to have the confidence that you can love someone without having to cling to them for support if things turn sour! So many women end up in relationships that are unhealthy and dangerous because they are afraid and feel they have no where to go.

Speaking as someone who has left a relationship when it went bad, before it got worse, I know what it is like to be homeless and afraid. I know what kind of strength it takes to keep yourself safe when your fear trys to force you to go back to a bad situation just because you are afraid that there is no where to go. The trick is to convince your fear that there is a place to go, you just haven't decided where that is yet.

That is the key, you have decisions to make, you have choices, you just have to be willing to do the work to find out what those choices are, and decide what way to go about making them happen. When I left my husband, it was in a hurry and in a panic. I was fortunate to have had a job at the time where I had made friends that lived nearby. I simply found one of them and had a boo-hoo session, calmed down, talked it out and started searching amoung my co-workers for someone who could handly a temporary room mate.

Once I found her, I went home when he wasn't there, packed up what I wanted (this was before he knew I was leaving) and split. A great deal of things were left behind, I later had a sit-down discussion with him with friends present about what I wanted that I had come into the relationship with. (This is very tricky, I wouldn't advise this unless you are VERY certain that you will be safe, that he is calm, and you have done everything you can think of to make sure you are able to leave safely and have witnesses present).

My wants at the time were pretty meager, my biggest concern was my own safety and getting out of there with a clean break. I didn't care about the expensive sterio and entertainment system he treasured, I wanted my clothes, my personal possessions and family heirlooms, and that was it. The rest of it could be replaced, my body and my sanity could not.