Worst occupation in the US...what do you think and why?

[Maddy McCall]

I couldn't even begin to construct a poll on this, because there are just too many choices.

I vote either ER Nurse or Police Officer.

ER Nurses are on the front line of epidemic, contagious diseases, and they have to see people's bodily fluids.

Police have to confront some really nasty characters in really nasty homes.

What's your vote? :shrug:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. The guys who clean out Porta-Potties at...

outdoor rock concerts.

[rwheeler31]

2. Meat processing yuck

nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. George Bush's valet.

Exposed to shrub's dirty socks and undies, gotta look at him in his skivvies, maybe score blow for him, clean up after him when he binges on pretzels and Jack Daniels. Worst job in the universe.

[JohnKleeb]

4. I read anal wart researcher somewhere

[disgruntled_goat]

5. personal physician to The Truth

QED

[DrZeeLit]

6. Air traffic controller? However....

... I taught junior high school English and it sucked. In fact, one of my fellow teachers had quit as an Air Traffic Controller and said teaching jr hi was worse.

And during my stint teaching jr hi, my principal said teaching jr hi was harder than when he worked in the ER.

So... maybe I'll amend that ATC to teaching junior high school.
It was hard... hard work... yeah, hard work.

[Nevernose]

7. "Police Officer" has to be the cushiest job around!

OK, maybe not exactly cushy, but it ain't exactly dangerous, either. According to OSHA statistics, for instance, you are NINE TIMES MORE LIKELY to die delivering a pizza or driving a cab than you are working as a cop. The odds on getting killed on the job go way up for fishermen and electricians, and steel workers.

[Maddy McCall]

14. I know, but you have to go inside some nasty houses and...

deal with some nasty people.

[Nevernose]

22. Okay then -- how about MAIDS?

They scrub nasty shit off of dirty people's floors all day, making about $6.50 an hour for a company charging $75 an hour, all the while being abused by both employers and customers.

[Maddy McCall]

35. Yeah, that's pretty bad...

But they don't have to wrestle bloody people to the ground.

[Nevernose]

37. That's my idea of fun!

Especially for 40k a year to start, no education or experience required.

This is a very subjective post you've begun, jchild. :)

[Maddy McCall]

40. Cops here are hired for 25K/year...

but most are part time, so the city won't have to pay benefits. Walmart personnel tactics aren't just at Walmart any more.

[Nevernose]

41. I am all too familiar w/ the part-time thing

I wan't a cop, but I did work for law enforcement. Bush cancelled the federal grant I was working under, though, so it quickly became time to finish the degree.

It all worked out, though. Turns out that I make a hell of a good teacher, and although it's hard, it's probably the most fun I've ever had when I'm supposed to be working.

[Maddy McCall]

43. Wonderful! Glad you are teaching...

I teach, too.

You weren't funded through homeland security, were you? Or the COPS program?

My good friend is working under the homeland security grant...he thinks his job may be cut soon. :-(

Glad you are in the classroom, though. I wouldn't be anywhere else.

[WindRavenX]

8. teaching

Not appreciated.
Not paid well.
Expected to produce Harvard-bound students- while having NO funding.
Teachers are the foot soldiers of this country...I admire them so much.
I am studying to teach HS bio...and I know I am NOT gonna be rich. But teachers are quite simply the most under appreciated field EVER.

[JohnKleeb]

11. You got that right

and in many states they can't unionize cludin mine.

[WindRavenX]

17. you serious??

Man, I've grown up with the SEIU representin' the public teachers...and you're telling me that they CAN'T unionize in some states? WTF? :wtf:

[JohnKleeb]

19. You betcha I am serious

Virginia is a right to work state, I only joined the United Commerical and Food Workers(UFCW) because I worked for a company, Giant Food whos HQ was in a state where you can unionize. Theres a place called Harris Teeter here where I contemplated working but I said fuck no when I found out there is no unionization there, probably because its HQed in a right to work state. I didnt know the SEIU were the teachers unions, my folks aint union members, probably because of the anti union shit though I think my mom if she did join one would be AFSCME and my dad would be SEIU since he was a waiter when he did work.

[Maddy McCall]

20. Nope, not in states with "right to work" laws, like Mississippi

Kleeb's right. :shrug:

[JohnKleeb]

23. Virginia is "right to work" too

I was so lucky I could unionize with Giant. Such a free country we live in eh where people cant unionize, unionizing is a right, my United Miners great grandfathers would be furious about this. BTW my great aunt and godmother was a teacher and I really do admire teachers a lot.

[WindRavenX]

24. wow

That's outrageous :mad:

[JohnKleeb]

see why I am a big union activist

and why I like people like Gephardt.

[WindRavenX]

28. I'm hella pro-union too

My mom's side of the family are all firefighters and EMS personnel; they went to Ground Zero on 9/11.
And all are good Democrats.

[JohnKleeb]

39. my mom's side is mostly like steelworkers, miners, etc

granddaddy was a bricklayer.

[Nevernose]

27. Other states have banned teacher's unions from striking

Nevada did in '68. They did it with the blessings of the union, too, because in those days the gettin' was good.

It's also "right to work," so a lot of teachers don't join the union, and get all the benefits of a union contract without avtually paying their dues.

[SarahB]

47. The younger the people you teach....

the worse the pay.

Nevermind all your training in child development. Nevermind the level of multi-tasking involved. Nevermind all of this while being kind, nurturing, and exceedingly patient. Nevermind dealing with parents who either don't care or blame you for everything. Nevermind that the early years are the foundations of lives. No, not important. Let's pay them sh*t.

And people wander why I'm changing careers?

[hippiechick]

9. Anything in the service industry.

The majority of people in this country are now so impatient, pompous and rude that they bitch about the littlest thing, and any servie job - from grocery cashier to waitress to pizza delivery - is so underpaid nowadays that it's almost not even worth it.

I make an extra effort to be nice to any service people, greet them if they greet me, ask how they're doing, thank them and over tip them if possible.

That said, I personally couldn't be one of those contstruction workers that climbs up tall buildings - I'm totally geeked about heights.


:hippie:

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Oh, I thought you meant occupation the other way. Was gonna say "Shrub's"

But as far as jobs go, I always thought proctologist or gynecologist must be pretty awful.

But in terms of a job specifically in the US, yeah, police has to be up high in the list.

Or the Secret Service guy who's in charge of the Secret Service guys who defend the president (both the ones who walk with the pres., and also the guys who are in charge of going ahead and making sure everything is safe). Talk about your high stress job. I don't think i could handle it. I'd be a frickin' worried basket case after one day.

I mean, imagine being the guy brought into the Uber Bosses' office and having to say "We really thought the place was bomb-free. Sorry."

No thanks. I can take stress, but there's stress, and then there's Biblical-level stress.

[The Spirit of JFK]

12. Meat packing plant worker....Firefighter

For some reason Meat Packing Plant worker always gets one the Most Dangerous job list....and it's in a meat packing plant. Insult to injury.

I thought about police officer....but it's law enforcement; a lot of things you can do with that and you DO have some authority.

Firefighters have to run IN to burning buildings, you have to be part EMT, and you have rescue idiots from precarious situations.

Oh yeah, and Cheney's proctologist has to be a pretty bad gig, too.

[riverwalker]

13. a hooker at a GOP Convention town

I'm a nurse, and believe me, I'd rather wade through a river of puke, than have sex with the likes of Rove, Bennett, and toe sucking Morris.:puke:

[Maddy McCall]

15. LOL! You have a point!

[texas1928]

16. PC Technical support

Try and you will see it is the worst.

[Maddy McCall]

21. I bet it's bad...almost as bad as having to deal with them.

;-)

[Droopy]

18. Garbage collector comes to mind

You've got to be really tough to do that job.

[NightTrain]

25. Liberal pundit on Fox News

:evilgrin:

[frylock]

26. assistant crack whore

[The Spirit of JFK]

29. lol! Was that from an old SNL? -nt-

[frylock]

31. yep..

Norm McDonald on Weekend Update.

[BamaGirl]

30. Police officer and Guardsman

My husband is both and sometimes they both really suck :P The Guard...well he finished a 2 year deployment in August so that's self explanatory. And you can just imagine with the police. I have to say he's exposed to the ER stuff before them usually AND there are some very not nice people, as my girls say.

I think sanitation and the meat packing industry have got to be the worst as far eww factor go, and I'm sure I remember reading somewhere (Fast Food Nation maybe?) that the meat packing industry is the most dangerous in the US.

[name not needed]

32. Peep show janitor

Eeew.

[Jack Schitt]

33. This was just on Spike TV.

And I would have to say cleaning up after crime scenes to be the worst job ever. Cleaning all the guts, blood, and brains splattered around isn't how I want to make money.

[Maddy McCall]

34. Yuck...I wouldn't want to do that, either...

but they make LOADS of money.

[Jack Schitt]

36. They guy they interviewed...

said they make between $100-$800, on average, at each crime scene. Of course, the pay rates get higher as the situation gets messier. :puke:

[Nevernose]

42. OK, that one wins, at least in my book (n/t)

[Rowdyboy]

38. Any national leadership position in the Democratic party....

Minority leader/whip senate and house, party chairman, governors, and various commentators: You are slime, scum, DINO, ignorant, leftist, corporatist, radical, worthless, homosexual, asexual losers because you don't agree with ME 100% on every issue of any importance.

Being a leader in the Democratic party is like being the only fried chicken at a family reunion-everyone thinks they deserve the best piece, and everyone ends up feeling cheated and pissed.

[bettyellen]

44. PORN HOUSE JANITOR, STOOL SAMPLE ANALYSER

[bobthedrummer]

45. Law enforcement and/or US military careerists

Sanitation workers.

Then there's the slaves to consider, too.

[GingerSnaps]

46. The people that clean up crime scenes

Murders and suicides :scared:

[miss_kitty]

48. Immigrant Farm Worker

No rights, to speak of, constant fear of deportation, substandard housing with virtually no one to report it to.
Back breaking work. Long hours (10-12 or so). Working in full sun. Laws for breaks not enforced. Substandard pay. Beatings.
Little organising, in isolated areas only. No education for children, due to migrant nature of the work. No benefits whatsoever.
No chance for advancement. No protections offered for pesticide exposure. Some workers considered slaves.
Work so hard, we have to import people to do it, because no one already here will do it.


I win. What's my prize?

[Neshanic]

49. Loofah salesperson in store across street from Fox.