Friday, December 12, 2008

News and musings, December 12, 2008

Well the automakers aren't going to get bailed out by Congress, United Autoworkers Union wouldn't take any pay cuts. Not a good deal. I know I was opposed to the bailout but if congress wanted to do it with stipulations maybe just maybe I thought it would force Chrysler and GM to evolve into workable auto manufacturing entities again. No dice it seems?
Auto bailout goes down in flames.

It seems Patricia Blagojevich isn't without blame in the whole mess with the Illinois Governor.
Illiniois first lady scrutinized before husbands arrest.

Bernard Madoff founder and president of a New York firm that invested funds for wealthy individuals, hedge funds and other institutions, was charged with operating what he told employees was a long-running $50 billion Ponzi scheme in what may be one of the largest frauds in history.
Madoff charged in $50B Ponzi scheme.

What do all three of these above news articles have in common? Greed plain and simple. I know it's oversimplification but when I was growing up greed was putting as much jelly on your bread as was humanly possible. Capitalism in this country has turned into greed. I am totally for a honest wage for honest work, a honest wage doesn't entail $78 an hour with benefits for gluing carpet in a car. The American consumers have been paying these prices for years riding on our bubble which I'm afraid was one huge Ponzi scheme or pyramid type scheme. Which I believe is not Biblical but that is neither here nor there. Consumers will pay the price now but hopefully we will realize what is fair compensation and it will be lauded more than being able to buy a McMansion in the future.

I know not everyone HAS to work @ Starbucks and it's not a viable option anymore with all the store closing but the book How Starbucks Saved My Life should be required reading in high schools colleges and unemployment lines. It's by Michael Gill and is available here on Amazon. I loaned my copy out but everyone should read it, it just might make you a better worker whether you have a low end or high end job or own your own business. Basically it's how one man realized that there is worth in work beyond monetary compensation but it's also about how he had treated his employees and what type of boss he was which has become typical of so many business'es around the country I'm afraid.

(Blathering drivel below)
I really must clean house and my dreaded desk which has been accumulating things to be filed for like a month now, I wasn't going to blog but the temptation was too great, you know nothing will change if you do everything the same which is true only the house gets dirtier if I spend all day @ the computer. I got up in one of my early morning ramblings and found snow on the ground?!! It's mostly gone now, supposed to be 50 today but snow and ice for 3 days next week, the 3 days I have to work in the week. Hopefully they are wrong. A lady @ work had her husband bring her into work the day it got bad last week and as my husband was away from home I told him that wasn't fair I had to drive in it, he's never taken me anywhere like work and only to the dr if I was REALLY sick and couldn't drive. Then I was thinking about some of the rides I've taken with my husband int he snow and decided maybe it was best I drive! He's a professional driver but sometimes that seems a little scary on the snow! LOL

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