Archive for Business
Whose Responsibility Is It?
Posted by: | CommentsThanks for coming back
I had a fairly secure job as a maintenance technician with a major small engine manufacturer for several years. A well-known tire manufacturer in the area ran an ad for a job fair in the local newspaper. This was an opportunity to move to a job with less stress and more money. A no-brainer. The short of it is that I went to the job fair, passed a few tests, had an interview, and was offered a job. Easier work, more money, better benefits, and more time off. If this is torture, chain me to the wall!
A Time For Change
I had been with this company for about four years when one day I got a call. It was a message to come to a meeting at a conference center in town. I arrived at the meeting with a feeling of what was going on. When I actually got to the room, I knew. Everyone from the plant was there. Boy was I excited! I was just wondering why they brought us to a conference center to tell us that we were receiving across the board raises? Well, as you may have guessed, there were no raises. Some big shirt from high in the company came swooping in complete with an earpiece wearing, secret service looking entourage surrounding him. The only thing missing was a theme song. Anyway, he proceeded to tell us that our plant was closing and good luck. He then dashed away to do press conferences with local TV stations. Our plant manager took the stage next and it was all blah, blah, blah from there.
Livin’ The Good Life
After the plant closed, I signed up for all of the government programs I could find. I mean come on, I had already heard that President Obama was going to pay house payments, car payments, and utility bills for citizens. It was time for me to collect my fair share. I now sit here in my government house watching my big screen tv (that I purchased with my government check) waiting for the 1st and the 15th. Akuna Ma Tada.
Reality
Ok, I lied. If you bought any of it all I can say is wow. The reality is that I never felt any of the dire hopelessness that seemed to plague some of my fellow employees. I knew that I would find a job not because employers would line up with job offers, but because I am responsible for taking care of my family. The government, via all of you tax payers, is not responsible for providing for my family. I knew that I would find a job because, as far as I was concerned, there was no other choice. Since there were no good jobs immediately available in our area, I signed up for the opportunity to transfer to another plant within the company and was offered a job about two months before the plant closure.
Sacrifice
In order to provide for my family I now spend several days each week working across the state. I drive over 600 miles each week to provide an immediate, short term income for my family while I hash out the details of some long term business plans. Basically, I do what I have to do to legally provide for my family. This isn’t easy. I don’t enjoy spending so much time on the road. I do what I have to do. I am responsible for my family. You are not responsible for my family. The government is not responsible for my family. My extended family and friends are not responsible for my family. I am responsible for my family. It is up to me to provide. God has handed me this opportunity, and now it’s my responsibility to accept it.
A Time For Help
I should point out that needing help is nothing to be ashamed of. There may come a time when the only way to fulfill your responsibility to your family is through some type of assistance. I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t let it become a way of life. Don’t let that temporary assistance turn into a full time career. Also, remember that unemployment payments are not part of a government handout. Unemployment is a type of insurance. Companies pay the premiums, similar to the premiums you pay for auto insurance. When the time comes for the payout, it’s just like your auto insurance company giving you a check to cover damages from a wreck. The point is that you should feel no worse about collecting unemployment payments than you would collecting a check from a gecko. Again, the problem occurs when people start to manipulate the system to keep getting those checks.
Fair Tax
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve spent several days and hours researching the fair tax proposal, and I can’t see how we could go wrong with this system. I won’t do it a disservice by trying to explain it here. I’ll just post a link to the fair tax website. One huge hurdle the fair tax will encounter is that it abolishes the IRS and other government agencies and programs. These are basically cancers that once rooted are almost impossible to kill. Can you imagine the government putting government workers out of work? I can’t either. Maybe if we can get enough support for the fair tax, Uncle Sam won’t be able to ignore it.
Yellow Hammer Restaurant Rots
Posted by: | CommentsMy wife received a $50 gift certificate to Yellow Hammer Restaurant from her students as an end-of-the-year gift. We forgot about it for a while, or weren’t able to go when we did remember. Anyway, we thought we would use it for our 14th wedding anniversary tonight. My wife checked the certificate and it had expired one month ago. She contacted Yellow Hammer to see if they would still honor the gift. They said no. Now, first off I’ll acknowledge that we let the certificate expire. Technically, we are at fault for not using it. Now from the restaurant’s perspective, however, they are going to let $50 turn into an internet campaign to let everyone know that their customer service rots.
Let’s lay this thing out: They received the $50, and they won’t honor the certificate, so they have they made a 100% profit on that sale. However, that $50 is going to going to cost them more in the long run because it is now my mission to yell from the mountaintops that Yellow Hammer has all the customers that they can stand and have no desire to earn more by treating people fairly. Is it really worth that $50 Mr YellowHammer?
There’s a good chance that we would have spent beyond $50 had we been able to use the gift certificate. Let’s say we spent a total of $70 on dinner. Yellow Hammer would probable have made $40 profit on that meal. Amazing! These people are willing to shaft us over a potential $10 loss.
I believe in spreading the word, good or bad, about companies, services, experienced, etc. So had we gone to Yellow Hammer and had a good experience, I would be right here telling hundreds, maybe thousands, of people about it. Alas, here I am telling that same crowd about the pathetic attitude and customer care presented by this restaurant.
Apparently these people are oblivious to the effects of a dissatisfied customer, or would-be customer in this case. Second, they have no idea about the power of recommendation, especially where food is concerned. And last, they have no understanding of basic, everyday, do-the-right-thing.
So here’s my recommendation for this restaurant: Don’t go! We are going to Applebee’s in Auburn instead.
Robert Reich And Charlie Rangle Promote Racism
Posted by: | Comments“We need to make sure that jobs don’t go to white male construction workers.” “Jobs should be mandated for minorities and women.” This is blatant racism. It’s unbelievable that the very people who whine about racism the most are actually the most blatant racists! You want to award jobs fairly, to the best candidate? Then let’s remove race from all applications. Period. Similar to the judges of a talent show sitting behind a curtain so that only the performance will be judged, not the performer. Hire workers based solely on credentials. Oh wait, let me guess, hiring someone based solely on ability is surely racist, right Mr Reich? As long as people like these are in Washington, on the news, and on the radio, this country has no hope of moving past racism. As long as we say “He’s the first black coach to reach this achievement” or “This is the first time a black woman has done this” we will continue to be a racist society.
Do you really want to get beyond racism? Then stop making skin color part of the equation. It never fails that when people talk about someone of a different race than their own, they feel the need to point it out. “There’s a little black girl in my daughter’s class that did this” or “There was this white man at the store today that said this”. Until we can fill out an application, or even have a simple conversation, without having to make a point of race, we will continue to struggle.
No other way to explain it. The Obama administration supports racism. Here it is in their own words.
What’s The Next Excuse For High Gas Prices?
Posted by: | CommentsFirst there was Katrina.
Next, we had some refineries closed for maintenance. (This ranks up there with “my dog ate my homework” as a pathetic excuse.)
Then there’s the Iraqi war, the threat of a possible storm that might maybe do something somewhere, high demand, big SUVs, President Bush, and the list of asinine excuses continues.
This is somewhat unrelated, but I just had to throw it in. Three weeks ago, when prices fell slightly, a democrat told me that President Bush lowered prices and will keep them low to help John McCain win the election. I couldn’t say much; I find it extremely difficult to argue with ignorance.
The latest, Almighty Hurricane Ike, has caused as much as a fifty-cent spike overnight in my area. So, today is Monday 09/15/08, and Ike has passed. There was little damage to any oil rigs or refineries. When I checked at 7:51a.m. cst, light sweet crude listed on NYMEX at 95.98, but pump prices remain at $4.29/gal. What’s up? Maybe I’m just a simple-minded, fact based person, but it seems to me that if the speculation of destruction causes a sharp spike in price, then when that speculation is incorrect prices should fall sharply. I’m sure when Ikegate is over some other inane excuse will be peddled to the public.
High Gas Prices: Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsThe Basics
Gas prices are driven by the supply and demand of oil. I’ll buy that. Right now, China and India have caused an increase in demand. I’ll also buy that one. This new demand coupled with the limited supply gives us the high prices we are seeing today. This is where I put away my wallet; I’m not buying. The demand is up; however, the supply is not limited.
Where In The World Did I Get This Idea?
Twenty-something years ago energy was cheap, so Congress folded to the pressure of environmentalists and cut back on energy exploration. These wildlife warriors spun epic tales of worldwide destruction due to industrial advancements; much like the global warming myth of today. Congress thought they could quiet the squeaky wheel with a drop of all natural, fully organic, virgin olive oil. Little did they know that this gnat-like annoyance would transform itself into a full grown, man sized, carbon neutral Green Machine capable of devouring any political leader who dared speak against mother nature.
What Does This Mean For Us?
The impact of this Congressional error, you ask? Well, the Department of Interior has reported that billions of barrels of oil (approximately 30 years worth at the current Saudi supply to U.S.) and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas are tucked away under the nice, warm, fuzzy wing of the Green Machine. These numbers are only for readily available oil. They don’t include oil sands, tar sands, shale, or coal to oil possibilities.
The Dreaded Environmental Impact Of Exploring Our Own Resources
So, there must be some environmental impact, right? Sure, but to the dismay of the lords of the lawn it has been a positive impact. Let’s look at the Alaska pipeline. The gurus of grass argued that the pipeline would be detrimental to the caribou population. It turns out that the caribou have flourished BECAUSE of the pipeline. Apparently they prefer to mate by the warmth of the pipeline. When you’re hot, you’re hot! What kind of credibility do the nourishers of nature have now? None in my book.
**Up next**
America’s available energy sources: coal-to-oil, shale, oil sands, tar sands
Society of Professional Journalists
Posted by: | CommentsWe all know that most every news story aired leans so far to the left that it takes a village to keep it from tumping over. What most people don’t know is that these liberal rules are spelled out for journalists by the Society of Professional Journalists. They are supposed to be “dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.” Just look at some of their guidelines for accomplishing this ethical behavior.
Striving For Fair, Biased Journalism
Most of these guidelines are crap, but one of the most outrageous is to “Cover the victims of harassment, murder and other hate crimes as thoroughly as you cover the victims of overt terrorist attacks. ” Are you kidding me? First, you must read my views on hate crimes. Either all crimes are hate crimes, or none are. Crime is crime. A crime committed against a straight white man should be punished just the same as that crime being committed against a one-legged African-Hispanic lesbian. (Don’t get all hopping mad, I have nothing against one-legged African-Hispanic lesbians.) What these journalists are trying to say is that having a plane flown through your office building and thousands of people being burned or crushed to death is equivilant to someone spray painting graffiti on your house. I don’t think so.
Just imagine how bad it will be when we get a Muslim president in office…
Back To Basics
Posted by: | CommentsI realize that my readers have come to expect posts on politics, crime and punishment, patriotism, and such. While I am very passionate about these topics, I never intended this blog to be solely dedicated to them. I started this so that I could publish my thoughts on any and all topics. To my fellow Americans who enjoy the patriotic articles, do not fear. I still bleed red, white, and blue. I am going to diversify my topics, however. If you look at some of my earliest articles you will find education, kids, and nostalgia among other topics.
For a while I also included some affiliate programs on Brainwavers. I have removed those as well. I also got caught up in rankings, popularity, SEO, blah, blah, blah. While I know these are important for business, I was putting more effort into PR than into writing. While I may be venturing into some internet business someday, Brainwavers is not it. This is not a job, and I am going to stop treating it like one.
That Feeling
Posted by: | CommentsDo you remember the feeling you had just weeks before your high school graduation?
What about getting ready to head out on you own? Away from your parents. Do you remember?
Maybe you have recently changed jobs and there was that strange “I won’t be walking down this hall”, or “I won’t use this coffee pot again” kind of feeling.
Buying your first home, or moving out of your first home into your second.
I’m not talking about any bad feelings. The feelings I’m talking about are ones of excitement; feelings that something that you have known is about to be replaced with something better. A new world is about to open up. A sense that there is something waiting that has barely been tapped.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about by now I don’t know any other way to describe it.
I had those feelings twice today. They weren’t accompanied by any visions or thoughts; just feelings. I know that all of you who have experienced this are sitting there nodding in agreement. All of you who think I’m losing it; I just ask that if you are ever fortunate enough to experience it you will recall reading an article by that crazy guy at Brainwavers and admit that he wasn’t so crazy after all.