The Vent and Rant Thread

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by wodin

Unemployment, and Congress critters notwithstanding, my sympathies do NOT lay with six figure factory workers when teachers and police people are barely above federal poverty levels!

Six figure factory workers? Where are these jobs. I want one.

[pshrynk]

With pay, benefits and pension, the rate for the highest ranking UAW workers peaks above $50 an hour.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Small issue compared to Moejoe's, but I had the 6 wks checkup from my last eye surgery today. Got there, examined, everybody got "the look," did lots of tests, had allergic reaction to the stuff they put into my arm and was vomiting a LOT, found lots more bleeding arteries in the retina, macula is more swollen than ever, and did surgery #12, all within about 2 1/2 hours.

I had just gotten back able to comfortably read again. I guess I'll be away from MR again for a while until it heals and I can do this without straining at 150%.

Love you all!

Doh. Sorry to hear about that DG. To cheer you up (and myself if I'm honest) I'll write you a story on any subject you like about anything you want and I'll even record it as an audiobook to save some stress on those eyes of yours. Just let me know

[phenomshel]

Damn Macmillan and Amazon to the seventh ring of Hades!!!! It's Feb. 16th, publication date for A Night Too Dark, Dana Stabenow's latest in the Kate Shugak series. NO EBOOK of it ANYWHERE!!! AAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I have to buy this in hardback and scan it, I'm flying to New York and barging into Macmillan's corporate offices armed with a Kindle and beating someone over the head with it until they call security and Pshrynk to subdue and sedate me. (And I'd hate to see what the laddie at the door would charge me for THAT).

EDIT: Never mind, a dear friend found an ebook version for me at Mobipocket.com, which seems to be the only place that has it. $24.99 - but worth it for Kate.

EDIT 2: Barnes and Noble has it for $12.49 BUT...it doesn't show up in the site's search engine results. I had to Google for "A Night too Dark ebook" to find it.

[mvisconte]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I had some interesting conversations with an old friend who is a rabid conservative and felt the Feds should do just that. He's an entrepreneur, and has made his living in a variety of ways over the years. He's under the happy delusion that everyone else can emulate his practice, and letting GM go belly up would simply spawn a batch of smaller, nimbler independents filling the void it left. And so it might, but what happens to all the laid off workers in the meantime? Most would not be able become entrepreneurs and go into business for themselves, a fact that he can't seem to grasp.
______
Dennis

What happens to the laid off workers in the mean time? Does everyone have to emulate his practice, or just those who are displaced or those that don't find work elsewhere? Are you suggesting that they just die suddenly if GM disappears?

If a factory closes that employs 1000 workers, it's silly to think that even 1/2 of those would become entrepreneurs. I don't know if that many would WANT to. Some people are those kinds of movers and shakers. Others are scammers, others still are damn hard workers, etc. Some are hopeful, some are helpless, some are mobile, some are planted.

Some would do weird things like buying bulk goods and showing up at flea markets. Some would work out of their homes or sell stuff. Some would take multiple jobs (hard to with when 20k people get laid off). Some would learn new jobs skills or fall back on old job skills. Some would move out, find a new city, try again. Some would move back with parents or move in with children.

Some would despair, some would fall into depression, some would kill their pain through booze, drugs, or permanently.

But in spite of that, all in all, the majority of the people just ... survive. They live. Maybe not at the level they're used to, maybe more cautiously. Some do better, some do worse. Some draw from reservoirs of spirit and character that they never knew they had. Others withdraw and quite trying.

How is that different than life?

Good things, bad things - we keep going.

If your friend is a rabid conservative, then he probably feels that the keeping the GM money "in pocket" would be a lot better in the long run, and could actually have been available in the event of total catastrophe.

"Here;s a badly managed business with inefficient practices. Do we give the management 6 billions of dollars which we can't control, or do we wish them luck, hold 6 billions of dollars in reserve, and monitor the 20k workers, and maybe another 30k people in the surrounding areas. People who are husbands or wives or daughters or sons. People who have a famility member working at the plant, or people that work elsewhere that depends upon the spending of those folks who worked at the plant. Grocery stores, clothing, electric utilities, police, teachers, etc.

I guess it comes down to control for me...

[yvanleterrible]

Don't start me on car makers. You won't want to hear.

All I'll say is that they're dragging their feet not to make a decent affordable eco-friendly vehicle; a real one. It's always ten years in the future...

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Damn Macmillan and Amazon to the seventh ring of Hades!!!! It's Feb. 16th, publication date for A Night Too Dark, Dana Stabenow's latest in the Kate Shugak series. NO EBOOK of it ANYWHERE!!! AAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I have to buy this in hardback and scan it, I'm flying to New York and barging into Macmillan's corporate offices armed with a Kindle and beating someone over the head with it until they call security and Pshrynk to subdue and sedate me. (And I'd hate to see what the laddie at the door would charge me for THAT).

EDIT: Never mind, a dear friend found an ebook version for me at Mobipocket.com, which seems to be the only place that has it. $24.99 - but worth it for Kate.

EDIT 2: Barnes and Noble has it for $12.49 BUT...it doesn't show up in the site's search engine results. I had to Google for "A Night too Dark ebook" to find it.

Get over it.

$300, please. The Laddy at the door is on vacation, so you'll have to hunt up Adrian and pay him.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Get over it.

$300, please. The Laddy at the door is on vacation, so you'll have to hunt up Adrian and pay him.

Your bedside manner needs work, dear . I've already worked out a deal with Adrian.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Your bedside manner needs work, dear . I've already worked out a deal with Adrian.

Does Mr. phenomshel know about this??

Does Adrian............?

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Does Mr. phenomshel know about this??

Does Adrian............?

ROFLMAO!!! Yes, Chris knows, and Adrian..well, who knows what Adrian really knows?

[Lady Blue]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

ROFLMAO!!! Yes, Chris knows, and Adrian..well, who knows what Adrian really knows?

The shadow knows



hmmm . . . I meant to say, the shadow knows

[LazyScot]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Get over it.

$300, please. The Laddy at the door is on vacation, so you'll have to hunt up Adrian and pay him.

You're encouraging someone to go and hunt Adrian? I presume you don't do the Hippocratic Oath any more?

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Your bedside manner needs work, dear . I've already worked out a deal with Adrian.

I thought it was a couch-side manner. Maybe that's what's wrong.

Originally Posted by Lady Blue

hmmm . . . I meant to say, the shadow knows

I thought it was the shadow's evil twin's alter-ego's subconscious' pet marmoset who knew...

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by wodin

Unemployment, and Congress critters notwithstanding, my sympathies do NOT lay with six figure factory workers when teachers and police people are barely above federal poverty levels!

Amen to that!!

[lilac_jive]

Man, it seems like every night now I'm getting fuzz in my eye. It's so annoying. This time I had to take my contacts out and finally after an hour of tearing up I was able to see it and get it out. Is it because I have a cat now?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Man, it seems like every night now I'm getting fuzz in my eye. It's so annoying. This time I had to take my contacts out and finally after an hour of tearing up I was able to see it and get it out. Is it because I have a cat now?

Yes, but you'll learn to love it.