Is it just me or does anyone else have a problem with Sen. Bunning getting a “deal” to agree to allow an extension for unemployment benefits. I guess he has come up with a commodity other than money to help people pay bills and maintain a sense of normalcy within their lives. No, that didn’t happen? Oh for Sen. Bunning I guess it is acceptable to exist while holding your breath waiting for your life’s bubble to burst. I’m trying to figure out why he has been given so much power. Okay so politics requires tit for tat, we all know that, but what a blatant example of peacocking at the expense of others. I agree there is an extreme amount of debt piling up without knowing what the long-term outcome will be, but when did the basic standard of living get to be an acceptable sacrifice? When I see someone think somehow its cool for everyone else to do without and be okay, I can’t help but wonder what they would, scratch that, have given up as they dictate and decide what everyone else should be able to do without. So Sen. Bunning as you take your grand stand, I just have a few questions. Are you in jeopardy of falling behind on your mortgage and if not are you willing to downsize, probably at a loss, to cut your expenses? How many vacations have you skipped? Have you and your family forgone shopping? Have you parked your car? What exactly have you done other than say other people have been receiving too much money and it needs to stop. Did you forgo your salary or benefit package in the order to offset spending? Probably not. It’s really easy to sit in the only chair in the room and tell others to make themselves comfortable. Cutting off peoples unemployment benefits without offering another options highlights your humanity and true concern for your brethren. After all who cares if they have four walls if you Sen. Bunning, don’t get an extra vote.
Posts Tagged ‘Employment’
I’m The Man
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010The Jobs That Pay
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009There was an article on Yahoo.com discussing 10 fields where it was surprising that people were only making minimum wage. Hmm, I’m going to see if I can guess the jobs. Let me ask, are any of those jobs dependent on your speed, agility and ability to hold onto or launch a ball? No? Perhaps it might involve a ball being dunked, dribbled or maybe being swung at by a bat interspersed with lots of spitting? No? Do any of them require meticulous outward appearances, interpretations of scripts and are shown on television or in theaters? No? What about the job where you sing and at the same time you create a new dance step? No? None of those jobs pay minimal wage? Okay, then is it one of those gigs where you get paid just because you are you? Yeah I know, who am I kidding, I know there are those “fabulous” ones who are lucky enough to make a cushy living on that one. Minimum wage, yeah right. Well let’s see what jobs actually made the underpaid and underappreciated list. EMTs and lifeguards, wow, they can breathe life into our bodies but not necessarily into their own pockets. Preschool teachers and nannies, evidently the formative years don’t pay. CNAs, guess that’s the problem with the nursing home smells, they don’t earn enough to clean, well pretty much anything. Rounding off the list were tax preparers, automobile mechanics, line cooks, amusement park ride operators and pharmacy techs. While I appreciate the talent that individuals in sports, entertainment and the fabulous ones have, I think we also need to appreciate the things that people contribute every day as well. It may not be on the grand scale or platform that some professions offer, but important and respectable none the less. Irrespective of a person’s field of choice, shouldn’t people in general be able to live without their daily necessities balancing in the wind? I don’t think that athletes, entertainers, the “fabulous” and only those at the top of a company ladder should have that aspect of life on lock as they say. But hey, only a select few think I’m fabulous, so I guess I don’t carry much weight!
Equity Is Key
Thursday, August 6th, 2009Okay, admittedly it’s hard to be sympathetic to someone who is making what appears to be an exceeding large salary when they are still not satisfied and want more. I know many would gladly accept that salary and at this time I will happily throw my name into the bucket for getting paid to share opinions especially since right now I’m doing it for free. Tell you what American Idol, I’m feeling really generous and I’ve got a real bargain for you, I’ll do it for one-fifth of Paula Abdul’s salary. Sorry Paula, a girls’ got to eat. Irrespective of the fact that Paula and others in her position do not have to worry about everyday things like so many of us do, the fact of the matter is companies garner lots of money from having certain “names” attached with their projects, sports teams, television shows, etc. Because of this, I do believe that individuals should be fairly compensated within the realm of fairness for that specific circumstance. Of course that does mean that we will continue to hear ridiculous sounding salaries like those of many athletes and entertainers. However, as with anything, I am in favor of equity. An organization shouldn’t make millions and feel that they should not compensate appropriately those who contributed to them having those earnings. I’m sure it is also a big blow to the egos of entertainers and athletes alike to learn they are not exempt to those issues of us non-clouted individuals, you know when someone else makes judgments on your worth. Being compensated based on your “value” to the company for all but the one at the top will always knock you down a peg. You know businesses have the unique ability to make you feel like crap on so many levels, whether you are the third assistant removed or the co-star of a movie you still can get it handed to you. It’s got to be hard to sit next to someone who is making say $45 million for just a couple of years of work when you feel your work is no less important than theirs and you only get 10. Plain and simple, that sucks. I think I would complain too. No matter what these companies pay those who assist with their operation, rest assured, the company is without doubt getting theirs. Companies just show some respect for those who helped you get it.
Workers Compensation
Thursday, May 14th, 2009In a lot of ways companies are authorized and enabled, in my opinion, to abuse their employees. While I can understand wanting to ensure that when you pay workers’ compensation you are doing so because it is warranted, I can neither understand nor feel that it should be accepted that employers’ are allowed to withhold payment for undetermined periods of time. So now not only have you been physically injured doing your job, you are being financially injured by your job as well. Having lived in a one income household with a husband who was injured and not paid for a 3-month period of time, had we not had the support of family, our lives would have been completely wrecked. More sense of responsibility needs to be shown to employees by employers and that’s really just the bottom line.
Mom and Dad or Me
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Layoffs are affecting everyone, no matter the age, position or experience. There have been millions of jobs lost since the start of this year alone. With so many people needing to find employment, who will be the most employable when the job market does begin to change? Who will fare better, the person whose been in the workforce for years accustom to a certain salary, level of responsibility, and benefit package or the new graduate who is looking to enter the workforce and begin life after formal education? I personally throw my concern behind those who are experienced mostly because of our society’s obsession with youth. Sadly our seniors have been disposable for as long as I can remember and let’s be honest unless you are really working in rocket science most people with a small amount of intelligence can do most jobs. That’s why it floors me to see some of the requirements employers have for the “lowliest” positions. Employers’ perspectives have gotten as out of control as real estate values and with so many people needing employment I can only imagine that it will get worse. Anyway, I do hope I’m wrong because the time that experience gives workers usually means they’ve acquired increased obligations, responsibilities and families. Although the poor graduates if not employed will have too come up with a way to meet their student loans and begin a life that they have anticipated for years with little assurance that their goals will be met anytime soon. It’s just a tough situation anyway you look at it. I’m sure many people have the question, who should be given first consideration, mom and dad or me?
Question?
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Perhaps I’m unclear about what the issues are with why so many jobs are absent from our country. It was my understanding that this had a lot to do with the fact that so many companies have taken as much of their operation as possible somewhere else, leaving Americans with fewer alternatives. So why is it that as these companies try to figure out how to save themselves they are being taken over by entities that exist outside of the United States? Is that going to help with the situation that currently exists? Please help me understand.
Position Available?
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Why are some companies hiring when there isn’t enough work for the employees they already have? And why do companies insist on imposing unrealistic sales expectations particularly if their products are ones that the budget conscious can certainly do without? These are the same companies that have cut hours so employees are no longer “full time,” there go the benefits, purportedly because the market isn’t there. Yet they still expect that employees who are working fewer hours with less demand for their product to exceed previous years sales objectives. Okay let me summarize, less demand, fewer hours, more people, loftier goals. I guess I’m missing something because I don’t see how that adds up. Perhaps instead of companies being so concerned about just hawking their wares a little consideration could be given for employees. Let’s try this, stop hiring when business can’t support the employees you already have and try to make people, employees and consumers alike, feel good about who you are as a company and what you have to offer and I’m sure in the long run it will pay off when consumers can freely purchase again. By all means I certainly understand you want your employees to work but putting unreasonable pressures on them to perform while taking the little market that exists away, when overall the company can’t, wasn’t that the reason for reduced hours, jobs, and compensation in the first place, seems completely out of touch with the current economy or perhaps just makes you not that great an employer.
2.8 million. WHAT!
Monday, April 27th, 2009Come on, this has really gotten to the point where ridiculous, absurd and down right ludicrous does not begin to explain how awful it is that companies have no true concerns about how they spend. 2.8 million dollars in the first three months this year to lobby lawmakers was spent by General Motors. And they are still cutting jobs. They even want workers to take concessions to help them qualify for more government assistance. I am not pretending to know the complexities of running a company on the scale of these companies but at some point common sense is common sense. Come on! (Yeah I know I already said that but really COME ON!) Again I question, where is level of responsibility that these companies expect that consumers should have without fail. Perhaps they wouldn’t have their economic problems requiring them to ask for assistance and layoff workers if they would show more concern about how they spend. So many American households run on shoestring budgets and for the most part get things taken care of. These companies don’t seem to have a clue about how to prioritize and make do during the difficult times. And aren’t they supposed to have financial advisers that plan for the lulls. I mean don’t that think that we should be able to take care of everything no matter what else is going on in our lives. From their perspective isn’t our life’s reality our issue. Apparently their issues are ours too. Just ridiculous.
You want what?
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Admittedly it is a lot harder to find a job these days. There are plenty of people looking and not enough work. But we have to acknowledge the job seeking process has gotten completely out of hand. The qualifications “required” for some positions fall into the get real category. I don’t really think you need a degree and years of experience to answer someone’s phone. And lets be honest there isn’t much out there that can’t be taught as long as a person possesses a little common sense. Although thankfully I haven’t had the displeasure of having to look for a job, I know plenty of people who have. Taking months to fill a position after five or more interviews has surpassed ridiculous.