Saturday, June 23, 2007

Putting the American worker out of work

Have they really thought through what they are doing? What will happen when nobody in the United States can afford their product? When the middle class has been strangled to death? That they are literally putting themselves out of work?

Via whig at Cannablog:

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, You have been tagged.

Steve Bates said...

I've been without a contract I could live on for a few months now (i.e., something beyond occasional maintenance work), and as I resort to my savings, I have made exactly one major purchase in that time: a computer to replace one of my office computers that died. And I skimped on that one. I have purchased no new cars, TVs, fancy phones, BlackBerries, copiers, vacation property, yachts, jetskis, cameras, sound systems, etc. Nor have I traveled, upgraded my housing, etc., etc., etc. It's just "me an' my shadow," as the old song has it, and that avenue I'm strollin' down could easily lead someplace unpleasant.

No wonder I live at my new computer. What else could I do? (If someone says "get a job," I'll hunt them down and murder them.) I've been in business... successfully... for almost 19 years. Only in the past two years have opportunities become so scarce. And this is part of the reason.

I'm not exactly stimulating the American economy these days, mainly because it's not "stimulating" me, either. Given how many American corp's depend for their survival on constant purchases of their products by the American middle class, they really need to think this through a bit better. Their current course of action is truly not sustainable... for them as surely as for me.

mapaghimagsik said...

the market right now is tough, to be sure. Best of luck finding a contract that works for you.

ellroon said...

Steve, I had no idea you were in such wedged tightness. I am so sorry you are experiencing this, it truly sucks.

I'll join mapaghimagsik in wishing you good job contracts... locally and not from India...

ellroon said...

Thanks PSoTD!... maybe...

I'll post response in a minute...

Steve Bates said...

mapaghimagsik and ellroon - thanks for your good wishes. I am far from broke: I spent 17 of those 19 years spending wisely and saving a lot. Most people would be delighted to be in the "wedged tightness" I am experiencing at the moment.

The problem is that this is not sustainable indefinitely. I'd like to retire right now, and I'm contemplating whether it is possible or not. I'd love to be able to decide based on whether I can still reasonably compete with others in the market legally. When I see people like those in the video, teaching companies how to deliberately skirt the law, I draw mental pictures (mental because I lack your skills, mapaghimagsik) of the lot of them with cell bars in front of their faces.


mapaghimagsik, if you are as young as your avatar depicts, and if you are in some sort of IT business when not drawing wonderful political cartoons, your experience of the market may be different from my own. Laws be damned, companies do in fact prefer younger workers in excellent health. And as with the H-1B regs, they find ways around the age discrimination laws.

ellroon said...

Bars would make a good image, but the scenario they'll actually get is looking into their empty wallets and scratching their heads....