Re: A Call for 'Radical Change'

On 5 Feb 2007 13:10:08 -0800, "No_Money" <no_credit@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote something wonderfully witty:

ZombyWoof : Thank you for sharing the other side. I understand what
your saying, and there was a time I would of agreed with every point
you made in your last reply. In my case, the older I got, the more my
views shifted to the political left. I guess my big gripe is the large
corporations near me that always seem to be hiring because they fire
90% of their new hires within the first year. The first 90 days
results in many factory workers getting canned because some places
might only allow 1 or 2 sick days within that time. I have reached a
point in my life it's almost impossible for me to make it thru the
trial period of most factories, or even service jobs like those in
call centers. Chronic pain is what has me stuck where I am. I often
wonder about the pre-employment drug testing, but as you advise, it's
not legal to discriminate a new hire on the basis of their legally
prescribed meds (in non safety-sensitive jobs). Nevertheless rumors
are strong about people in small towns leaking out the results of pre-
employment drug screening. (at least rumors are bad where I live)

I think everyone rotates through phases of being Left/Right or
Liberal/Conservative for want of better terms. It usually has to do
with age & situation. There are many Winston Churchill quotes that I
like and the following seems to apply to me: "Any man who is under 30,
and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and
is not a conservative, has no brains."

When I was in college I was quite liberal on a great many things.
However, as I aged (and perhaps got cynical) my views on a great many
things changed, especially the cost/benefit of many Social programs
that show little to no results other then the transferring of monies
from one individual to another. For which Winston had another quote:
"You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer".

That is not to say that according to most Conservatives I am not a
very good given my rather liberal stance on a lot of subjects near &
dear to them as well. Such as drug laws, abortion & even some aspects
of gun-control. So I guess I'm either a Liberal-Conservative or a
Conservative-Liberal.

I think a great many organizations are getting more & more picky about
their workforce and have many rules concerning the first 90-days of
employment. A lot of it has to do with the costs of maintaining a
professional workforce. Many organizations can no longer afford to
carry marginal workers indefinitely. I think this holds truer the
higher you are in the organization as opposed to the lower. Also so
many places are manned at minimal levels and can ill afford to have
people out or with shakey attendance records.

If one is within the top ten percent of workers, I'm sure things seem
good. But over time situations can change quickly on us. One day
everything is fine, and the next day your fired for something you have
little or no control over. Next thing one knows their medical is gone,
and the American health care system might suddenly not seem so great.
It can happen to anyone.

I don't think one has got to be with in the top 10% of workers, but
being within the top 50% with a modern & viable skillset to ensure
continued & viable employability definitely helps.

If any old fool can do a job, they'll usually fill it with just any
old fool; and of course any old fool who is more reliable then the
next stands a better chance not only getting the position, but keeping
it as well.

It is very true that in today's world the only thing that is
consistent is change, and changes can happen very quickly nowadays.

That is why proper contingency planning is so important. I just
counseled a youngman today why he needed to sign up for both our
corporate STD & LTD programs even though he is in good health with no
expectation of needing them. Sure its going to cut into his beer &
pretzels money, but who knows what the future holds for any of us.




Cheers,

No Money

--

You can run, but you'll only die tired.

ZombyWoof
.