Piano World Home Page Forums Restricted and Archives The Coffee Room Walmart & McDonalds look forward to new wave of high-tech workers:

Corporate America is a weapon of mass destruction - or rather American destruction. And this is one area where I fall right in line with the Bush-bashers. Why the liberals are not helping the working folks is beyond me.

I wrote to Hillary and our Republican Congressman urging them NOT to lift the moratorium on Cash Balance Pension plans - something Bush was all in favor of. I got nothing from Hillary, I got a nice letter from the Congressman stating he was in full agreement with my concerns.

I have yet to figure out what Hillary really is - liberal or conservative. Or what she's doing in the senate besides preparing for her run in 2008.

Derick

Shant, 99 doesn't work out - too few words. But one song come to mind; "Money for Nothing".

As am aside, when beloved Lou Gerstner departed IBM, the employees at one site thru a big party. They hired a rock band that altered the words to "Goodbye to You" that 80's Scandal song (Patty Smyth - jarring any dusty memories?) - the new song was entitled "Goodbye to Lou". There were some incredibly stinging lines - but all well deserved.

You don't know? I think its obvious...an opportunist extraordinaire- nothing more, nothing less.

Alright, Shant.

Here's the first step in your new career:

http://www.walmartstores.com/wmstor...ores/Careers&catID=/wmstores/Careers

According to a report today, the CIA cleared Bush's speech before he gave it in January. But I see that Lieberman has jumped on the "we want to know what Bush knew and when he knew it" bandwagon.

CIA cleared Bush speech

Derick

Hey, didn't Shant say Wal-Mart had no health coverage?

Plus 401(k)
Wal-Mart contributes to your 401(k) plan, on your behalf, whether you participate or not. We contribute annually to Associates' accounts based on company performance. You may contribute up to 15% of your pre-tax income toward retirement and have choices on how your money is invested.

Plus stock options/purchase and other things.

You know, for all the problems going on, I do think that so far things are better for me than my parent's generation. I mean, I can chat with people instantaenously 1000s of miles away almost for nothing, carry around my music without lugging vinyls and a 50-pound turntable, write documents without retyping whole pages in order to make corrections, do accurate engineering drawings without pencils or rulers, have a better chance to survive a car wreck, live through a heart attack, not have the local river catch on fire, etc. All these things improved my life and employed people.

In spite of all the business BS, one thing is clear, that IDEAS drive the market and change the world. No question, there should be some minimum standards for workers compensation, set by the governments around the world, and this is open for debate and worth fighting for. However, there are some jobs around that export simply because no one here wants them. If I had to pick a minimum wage job, I'd probably feel better working for Walmart that sewing shoes together.

For better or worse these days, the countries with the best ideas coming out to improve folks lives in some ways are the ones who are going to win. Protecting some of the same old jobs doesn't necessarily create anything new, usually it just means rejiggering the same old models. And if noone here comes up with the next big thing, someone else will.

The proper thing to do, IMHO, though, is to really provide the training for laid off folks to jump on the next, different bandwagon. If we go the route of tax cuts, make the corporations do it; otherwise the government should do it. A simple severance and fare-thee-well just doesn't seem to cut it for too many people.

Gryphon: Although I just glanced at the link, I do not recall whether it explains for how long a person has to work as a full time employee of Wally's World before anyone can become eligible for these lucrative benefits. I don't know how it works in the US, but here they hire you as a part time for at least two years, then if they deem you are a "team player", they might offer you a full time position. As full time employee you then wait another two years to become eligible for the benefits package and bonuses. But at the 22 or 23 month of your full time employment with Wally's World you receive a pink slip and are layed off for one reason or another- usually a shortage of work. All perfectly legal and ethical. :rolleyes:

Most places I am familiar with are 90 or 180 days. Usually if a union is involved it's the 90, but in any case it's usually tied to some type of probation period, even if you are a graduate engineer hired into a salary or management position. And even once you become eligible you might have to wait until the next sign-up period which is usually once a year.

More about foreign outsourcing and its impact:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030713/ap_on_hi_te/tech_moves_offshore_2

No, what I said is that Wal-Mart "employees" for the most part have no health coverage, and, in Washington State, Wal-Mart feeds at the public trough by having employees attempt to enroll in the taxpayer subsidized Basic Health Plan.

It's a plan that kicks in for full coverage at 24 months. (Hint: if they haven't quit, most are "discharged" at 22). Prior to that, there IS a health plan, but costs far, far more than virtually any of their employees can pay for.

"This little piggy runs a market...."

Another interesting story about a former Microsoft employee among the newly poor in America and his friend, formerly of Boeing.

http://www.washtech.org/wt/news/industry/display.php?ID_Content=4583

Great articles chickgrand! Keep 'em coming.

I almost want to puke when the company comes around and asks us to go to local elementary/high schools for National Engineers Week. We are supposed to tell the kids how "wonderful" it is to be an engineer. I told my manager that I wouldn't participate in what just about boils down to selling crack to the youth of America.

Yeah, it feels good now but you'll be in rehab before you turn 40 - a has-been whose job is now "out-sourced".

Why doesn't Tom Brokaw ever do a segment on this stuff - the ultimate fleecing of America.

Take your children to work day is another good one. "This is where Daddy works today, and in a few months, who knows, he may be working at the Piggly Wiggly".

Derick

Derick, have you seen this?

CEO most wanted deck of cards


"Got any Ken Lays?"

"Go fish. Might as well, you're unemployed."

Actually, I typed: "I'll stop this as soon as you're angry enough or depressed enough", but erased it before posting.

Is it your turn to mop up at the Piggly Wiggly tonight, or mine?

Okay--that one I want.

Here's another:

http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2000/01/10/brains/

Well, I still say, TAX 'em. Tax 'em til it hurts. Tax 'em until their sons and daughters can only go Europe on spring break, rather than during Christmas as well. Tax 'em so that, between husband and wife, they only have 65 pair of $250 shoes. Tax 'em so they can only afford liposuction twice a year.

99 still seems mighty fine to me.

I appreciate the perspective.

I once bought a car from a wealthy American actor that he drove good friend Imelda Marcos in from LAX to his home when she bailed out of the Philippines (bumper sticker: Keep Tahoe Blue) (still have the car as a second). I carefully removed all panels, hoping for some of that immense stolen loot overlooked. Alas, all I found was one tarnished quarter. And nary even a shoe to be found.

65 pair of shoes and liposuction only twice a year! And the kids home at Christmas...why that's outrageous. 99 is not enough. I say expropriate the expropriators...and have their bratty kids tend the potatoe fields for summer camp.

By God! Turn every able bodied man, woman, and child out to the fields to produce food (Cultural Revolution Redux).

And then, when we find that our industrial production lags behind the rest of the civilized world, turn them all back in to the steel mills and factories (Great Leap Forward Redux).

And then, after the great famines that ensue because no one is producing food..... :p