How do you make a living???

[greytdemocrat]

I don't know about the rest of DU but I'm getting a little tired
of seeing the people that pay my salary get dragged thru the mud on
an ongoing basis here.

I'm talking about "Corporatism"...or whatever.

The company I do IT work for is a part of another company that
bought them out from another company I used to work for. It was a good
deal for all and no one has been fired even though the business I'm
in depends to a great deal how the US package shippers are doing, which
as anyone knows, isn't that great.

It's real easy to blame big places like Wal-Mart.

I work for my salary and I appreciate my employer. It can work both ways.

[FLDCVADem]

1. I work for the federal government

I transitioned a few months ago from an IT corporation, prior to that I served 20 years in the Air Force.

[midnight armadillo]

126. I work for the Military Industrial Complex

That's right, my employer is primarily a DoD contractor. Years ago I swore I would never, ever work for such a company again. They my wife & I had a baby and we were going bankrupt so I applied and got the job.

5.5 years later I'm about to jump ship to a startup and I can't wait. That's it - no more military industrial complex for me. No more lieutenants to write monthly reports to, no more scrounging around contacts for projects of dubious value to the DoD.

[Way2go]

2. Working, working.

"How do you make a living???"

[bigwillq]

4. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[greytdemocrat]

20. Hmmm.

I assume you can read.

[doc03]

3. Since last April I make my living

from unemployment compensation.

[Brickbat]

5. That's great that you're happy with your employer!

Not everyone is as lucky as you, apparently.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

21. So true. Do you recall when the a-hs sold us on the idea of taking our manufacturing jobs to other

countries? They told us we'd actually be better off. That's like f telling me, "If you hand me the $ in your bank account, you'll have double the money there by tomorrow."

[Brickbat]

25. This OP blows me away, frankly.

I got laid off in November 2001, after the publishing company I was working for got scared off by the blip in ad revenues after 9/11 and shut down our publication. It affected me like almost nothing else has, except possibly becoming a mother. While my husband has worked as a union organizer (and has been active in the unions he's a member of), that layoff opened my eyes like nothing else did as to how soulless capitalism truly is. I will never, ever trust an employer again. Ever.

[FLDCVADem]

28. Like it or not

Corporations have a binding fiduciary duty to their stockholders. While in a Utopian world it would be nice if they just decided out of the goodness of their hearts to continue paying people when there was no work, bottom line is that it just isn't feasible and in many cases would open them up to stockholder lawsuits.

And flame away, but I'll still take capitalism over any other system I've seen in action so far.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. To paraphrase Thom Hartman

I'll take a socialist democracy over for profit capitalism.

[FLDCVADem]

77. Different strokes for different folks n/t

[elehhhhna]

63. This is why I will only work directly for a sole or majority owner, private company

Corps will burn you, they do things that are suicidal in order to reap short term gains and a good "owner" knows there's a balance between profits and ongoing quality, long-term planning, etc. My current boss is a family man, immigrant, self-made and hard working. Kinder than he wants people to know. After almost a year, I respect him more than when I started here. Which is serendipitous and uncommon.

[katkat]

80. capitalism

I wonder how those $100 million a year CEO salaries affect the corporation's "fiduciary duty to their stockholders."

If a corp is a person, as they'd like to be for legal reasons, then they have responsibilities other than the bottom line. Which, by the way, is not going to remain that great if no one has the money to buy their products.

A friend at HP, which is doing quite well in terms of profits, tells me they plan to ship a whole bunch more jobs overseas this coming year.

One reason I try to only Buy American. Just like I recycle.

[FLDCVADem]

83. If the stockholders aren't demanding their dismissal

then I guess they're fine with it.

[notadmblnd]

115. And can you guess just who those stock holder are?

They're not people like you and me. They are the board and their cronies.

[FLDCVADem]

131. Speak for yourself

We're stockholders in several companies, and we regularly cast votes on board members, etc. Does it have any effect? Probably not, as we're not majority stockholders.

Bottom line, if you want to outlaw corporations, which last time I checked is not a plank in the Democratic platform, then by all means, go for it. But until that happens, I don't understand the outrage over corporations doing what they are chartered to do - make money for their shareholders.

[notadmblnd]

143. you like to pull shit out of your ass, don't you?

there's nothing in my post that says outlaw corporations.

[FLDCVADem]

145. That's the collective "you"

not you personally.

[Raineyb]

123. Government is supposed to make up for that rather nasty fact about

corporations by regulating the shit out of them to make sure they do no harm. Instead we have the government bending over backwards to placate the corporations at the expense of human beings. This is NOT the way it's supposed to work.

[FLDCVADem]

130. I don't agree that government is supposed to

force companies to break their fiduciary obligations to stockholders.

[Jamastiene]

196. Funny, some of the same corporations do pay people in other countries,

because other countries have strong unions. Here in America, most unions have been ignored and attacked for decades now by corrupt politicians.

[natrat]

205. capitalism sure, but now government and corporations are merging, incredibly dangerous

[Sarah Ibarruri]

31. Capitalism is a system by the rich, for the rich. I'm hoping socialism takes its place

because capitalism moves only in one direction: fascism.

I was out of a job for a while. It left me numb. My face and body were literally numb. I realized that in this country, unlike in Europe, when you're out of a job, you are SCREWED. Unless we are rich, here in the U.S. most everyone is but one step from homelessness.

And that's how Repukes like it. Nice and savage.

[FLDCVADem]

32. You keep wishing for socialism

And I'll keep favoring capitalism. Variety is the spice of life.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

33. Capitalism only moves in one direction, and it's not towards more equality nt

[FLDCVADem]

42. I'm in favor of equal opportunity

which doesn't necessarily equate with equal outcome. You obviously believe differently.

I'm fortunate in that my skills and experience make it possible for me to have a well compensated job. When I was a cashier in a grocery store, I didn't have those skills and that experience. Should I have expected to be paid the same for ringing up groceries and cashing payroll checks as I make now? I don't think so.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

43. That's why capitalism is such a bad idea, because equality does not exist with it nt

[FLDCVADem]

50. Thank God for that

I'm not interested in working my ass off for an education and gaining valuable skills just so that I can make the same pay I made in high school with no skills and not even a high school diploma.

If equal pay for unequal work is what you want, I would suggest that you'll be waiting a lifetime.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

53. I get the feeling you're my brother-in-law, the Republican. nt

[FLDCVADem]

54. Nope, not a man and not a Republican

But I bet you're a hoot a family gatherings.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

55. I'm very funny at family gatherings, but my entire family is lib. Unlike you. nt

[FLDCVADem]

56. Ah, got it

Anyone that isn't a socialist isn't a true liberal.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

66. How come I get the feeling you're not even a Democrat? Just a hunch, ya know! nt

[FLDCVADem]

73. I guess simple thoughts for simple minds n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

82. You wouldn't be the first nor the last right wingnut to pose as a Dem on DU

so don't go giving yourself importance.

[FLDCVADem]

84. Keep believing what you like

I know what I am, and I'm pretty sure now I know what you are.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

86. Uh-huh. nt

[Forkboy]

67. You should see Sarah's reasoning on what makes a Repub.

3rd graders would be embarrassed by it's simplicity.

Here's how I look at it:

1) If the person focuses mostly on attacking Obama and seldom (or NEVER!) on attacking Repukes, they're a Republican.

2) If the person has ever mentioned Nader in a positive light, he's a Republican.

3) If the person spends more time talking about Israel than about the plight of the homeless, they're Republican.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7326412&mesg_id=7326436

[Raineyb]

125. What makes you think that poor people don't work hard?

That's Right wing bullshit logic. I think you took a wrong turn somewhere.

[FLDCVADem]

127. And I think you have a reading comprehension problem

Nowhere did I say that poor people don't work hard - I've never believed it and would certainly never say such a thing. You need to stop projecting your own insecurities into other people's posts.

What I did say, and I stand by it, is that I would be pissed off if, after working my way through college, getting a degree and spending lots of time and effort building my skillset, I was still making the same amount of money that I made as a 16 year old high school junior, using a scanner to ring up groceries and rubber stamping paychecks.

If you can't see the difference between those two things, then you're the one with the problem, not me.

[Raineyb]

139. First off, you certainly don't read well enough to know what I think about myself

but your meme comes across loud and clear even when you are denying it. So you say you worked hard to get the degree, you think that 16 year old at the scanner isn't working hard? That's the implication YOU made when you make a big deal about the alleged efforts you put in as opposed to the grocery worker who by your own comparison didn't put in any effort at all. Only you have no clue what kind of effort that person put in. And not all people who work at jobs such as retail jobs are there because they didn't bother to put in any effort to work hard at getting a degree and building their skill set which is exactly what you implied in your denial.

You clearly have a problem with class, you just don't seem aware enough to know what it is.

[FLDCVADem]

142. Have you bothered to read what I wrote?

"So you say you worked hard to get the degree, you think that 16 year old at the scanner isn't working hard? "

Of course I know that 16 year old is working hard - I WAS that 16 year old. But you can take a 16 year old off the street and teach them to run the scanner and cash register in less than a day. You can't get a degree or gain the skill set I have now have in a day - it takes years. Why shouldn't my compensation be greater than what it was when I was a cashier? It's supply and demand.

"as opposed to the grocery worker who by your own comparison didn't put in any effort at all."

I call bullshit - I never said that nor did I imply it. The work takes effort, but it certainly doesn't take a great deal of skill. Don't attribute what you assume to me.

"Only you have no clue what kind of effort that person put in."

Actually I do have a clue, because I did that work for 8 years. Did you even read what I posted before you started spouting off about it?

"You clearly have a problem with class"

And you clearly have a problem with reading the written word without putting your own words and thoughts into it.

[Raineyb]

170. Yes I did. Did you?

Seriously you can't imply something and then get mad when someone calls you out on it.

So when you talk of your hard work and compare it to someone who is merely "scanning items" you're not trying to say something about the level or amount of work of the other person?

Perhaps you should go back and retake an English class. You apparently have don't understand the concept of implication.

[FLDCVADem]

182. I didn't imply anything

I've said, and will say again, that the grocery clerk scanning groceries is indeed working hard. Physically (and emotionally, dealing with customers all day), that cashier is working harder than me, no doubt about it. But the skill set and education level involved in being a cashier is nowhere near what I have to have in order to do my job. Why shouldn't I be compensated at a higher level?

I believe it is you that has a problem with the concept of implication - I implied nothing that you've attributed to me. You have however inferred these things on your own, or in other words, pulled them out of your ass.

[Raineyb]

214. Yes you did.

But since you are unfamiliar with the concept there's no reason to yet again explain where it came from. You obviously don't read.

[FLDCVADem]

215. And you obviously don't know the meaning of the word imply

No need to be angry at me because you have reading comprehension issues.

[haele]

173. Agreed, you should receive more compensation for taking the extra steps with training, experience..

But there's no reason why someone who's skills, understanding, drive, or just luck isn't as good as yours shouldn't be paid at least a wage they can put a roof over their heads with and pay for the essentials.
I'm not talking about 30 year old stoners who never moved out of mom's basement working part time as grocery baggers being able to buy a new Lexus and live in a mini-mansion on their salary, here.
I'm talking about the general handymen, the LVN's, the auto mechanics, the journeyman welders, the cooks, the front desk people who work necessary jobs but because wages have stagnated over the past 30 years and there are just so many management or lead positions available being able to at least keep the family clunker running and rent a reasonable house or apartment in a safe neighborhood and raise their families without having to take a second or third part-time job.

The situation that most people who have "made it" and have separated themselves from the general community tend to forget - over 60% - perhaps 70% - of the work force in the United States are not going to have the opportunity make it much past retail clerk, driver, wait staff, or front desk, no matter how hard they try or how much education they strive to get. Granted, most of those jobs are "second" jobs - the job the spouse has to take to supplement the income of the primary job that in the 1970's could allow enough of a comfortable living that one parent to stay at home even if there was a mortgage to pay or kids to send to college.

The entry and median wages for skilled labor - for the average worker, in that matter, have not risen with the cost of health insurance, with fuel and utilities, with housing prices, or with any of the other costs that are critical to the quality of living.

In most corporations, Upper Management has seen huge raises for slashing payroll over the past 10 years or so, but as they tend to be divorced from their communities at large, they don't see the stresses that profiteering is putting on the majority of the work force. And I'm pretty sure that most of them are too caught up in their own worlds to pay attention to history - in the 30's, the horrors of the Russian Revolution were still fresh in the minds of many policy makers, who knew what would happen when there's a lot of idle, hungry adults sitting around fighting to survive.

Personally, I think the Europeans have the right approach. If you're going to have a pretty much permanent exploitable underclass because there just aren't that many posh jobs around, you figure out ways appease them without too much patronization so they don't feel they have to go all Bastille on you...and if you have to got the Democratic Socialist route and have safety nets and strong government regulation on potentially predatory corporations and have at least a modicum of class mobility that keeps the frustration to a manageable level.
If that means taking just a bit more - not a lot, just a bit - from someone profiting in the five - six figure range to insure that a "slow" single parent who's only marketable skill is with a cash register can keep his or her family housed, healthy and able to get a good education - I'm with it.

That's the best way of insuring that my ass and the asses of family members (a couple of whom are profiting in the upper 6 figure range on a yearly basis) doesn't end up against an alley wall when the greater under-employed start looking for the "parasites" who they view as keeping them poor and desperate.

Again, there are only so many management or "lead" jobs available. And most self-employed are just one quarter away from homeless as it is, so how we treat those "undeserving who need to own their poor choices" becomes important the harder it is to get a good paying job with benefits.

Pure, unregulated capitalism tends to corporate feudalism. A small group of monopolies with their secret handshakes and social networks, and everyone else has to play their game or starve. No small businesses, no competition, no innovation unless it benefits the corporation.

Haele

[Jamastiene]

198. Dupe n/t

[Jamastiene]

199. Funny, that is EXACTLY what happened to me in my hometown.

Even with a degree, that won't change for me. Our major employer here, thanks to NAFTA, is Wal Mart. So, after going through college, the only jobs I can get here are the same exact crappy minimum wage jobs available to teenagers still in high school.

Something tells me wherever you live, you have way more opportunities than many of us do. Must be nice.

[Synicus Maximus]

76. Can you explain why there should be equality of outcome?

Equality of opportunity yes...Equality of outcome how? Some people work harder than others, some are smarter than others and yes sometimes some people are luckier than others. So how can there be equality of outcome?

[FLDCVADem]

93. Good luck getting an answer

I haven't seen answers from her, just ad hominem attacks.

[booley]

107. except it doesn't work like that

In a corporation, most of the hard work is done at the bottom, most of the money is spent at the top. And the status quo generally limits opportunity. So the top always starts off with an advantage that those below can rarely hope to match, regardless of how hard they work . Workign 60 hours a week just to pay your bills isn't going to magically age you backwards so you can then go to an Ivy League school.

So "equality of outcome" is a straw man. We aren't talking about everyone getting the same outcome. It's about getting an outcome that equals what you put in. It's also about getting an outcome that will allow one to survive.

That's probably why it seems you guys are getting nothing but "ad hominem attacks". Your argument rests on a false premise to begin with.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/14/new-economics-foundation-social-value

[FLDCVADem]

114. Again, like it or not

and you obviously don't, labor is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Lower skilled jobs are always going to be lower paid because the supply of people that can do that work is larger. Higher skilled jobs are always going to pay more, because the supply is smaller.

I just can't wrap my mind around the idea that there are so many people that want what someone else has, despite the fact that they haven't earned it.

[booley]

202. Another straw man

"I just can't wrap my mind around the idea that there are so many people that want what someone else has, despite the fact that they haven't earned it."

Wow you didn't read what I wrote at all. Your statement is just another straw man.

It's not getting what others have that you haven't earned.

It's about others exploiting you to get what they have and leaving you with nothing.

CEO's aren't getting more money because they are highly skilled or even because they are good at their jobs. They get more money because they control their own salaries.

[SharonAnn]

218. No, labor gets paid as little as management can connive. Slavery is preferred.

Employers will connive and manipulate and do anything they have to do to pay as little as possible. That's why there is the need for labor laws.

We'd be back to slavery in the United States if employers could get away with it.

[FLDCVADem]

117. And you might want to read Sarah's posts

She most certainly is in favor of equal outcomes.

[Odin2005]

217. That is why there should be a guaranteed minimum income.

Everyone should have a decent standard of living, anything beyond that should be based on merit and only merit. But you Social Darwinists seem to think that people only work hard if they fear starvation and homelessness.

[mahina]

110. I think it's the Fundamental Attribution Error, from communications research.

The tendancy to think anything good that happens to us ( like keeping his job, in this case) is due to our inherent awesomeness, and anything bad that happens is due to external circumstances.

I hope things stay good for the OP, and pick up for all. Read you on the trust thing...

[greytdemocrat]

102. I can't help that. Jealous?

There is just so much I can reply to your post.

[Brickbat]

No.

I'm a freelance writer and editor and I work from home.

[Brickbat]

133. Dupe.

[sandnsea]

6. How do you feel about NAFTA, Chinese labor, and the Marianas?

I was born in St Louis - welcome to DU!

[greytdemocrat]

91. Thanks! Moved here 2 years ago,

Chinese labor? It's a natural. Did you really think you'd pay
what you do for the products you purchase daily??

I know some will call me a Freeper for that but it's the truth.
Most know it, few will admit it.

[sandnsea]

98. And NAFTA? And the Marianas?

Do you really think it's right to outlaw slave labor conditions here, and export it overseas?

And do you really think it's okay to pay less for items because labor isn't paid adequately, and then turn on the employees because they can't buy food or medicine with their meager wages?

[Cleita]

7. So what are you going to do the day you get laid off because your

job went overseas and you no longer have union protection or even the law on your side? This is what is going on with corporations these days. They don't care about you once you have outlived your usefulness to them.

[Lorien]

13. "They don't care about you once you have outlived your usefulness to them."

No, they don't care about you if your job can be done for less overseas. You may still be perfectly useful and infinitely more qualified than someone in India or China, but if you won't work for $20 a week they'll dump you for someone who will.

[SoCalDem]

95. My son was sent to Singapore a few months ago.. why?

to set up the department THERE, that will replace his department HERE..
He still has his job, and will probably be slid in somewhere else in the company, but over the last few months, he has had to lay off about 14 workers he supervised..

he works from home and makes a 6-figure income, but he knows his days are numbered:(

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. It's a game of cat and mouse. Some days you're the cat, some days you're the mouse.

Loyalty on either side is a thing of the past.

[asdjrocky]

8. I am self-employed and have been most of my life.

Spent about 6 years in outside sales, working for "the man". Yuck. Played in and managed a lot of bands, worked in radio for 8 years, fired twice thanks to Telecommunications Act, DJ, door man and nightclub owner/manager. Owned a business for about 10 years doing mobile sound, weddings, corporate and social events.

Now I'm a happy medical farmer, enjoying a different kind of life. I could never see myself working for someone, least of all a major corporation, it's just not me.

[greytdemocrat]

106. Good on you dude.

Things work out in different ways for different people.

[HipChick]

9. IT Consultant..My clients can vary

from Federal govt to Fortune 50...bashing if warranted,doesn't bother me

[femmocrat]

10. Public school teacher.

You have been very fortunate. Others have not and of course they have a different perspective. That's all--- don't take it personally.

[greytdemocrat]

45. I don't. N/T

[leftstreet]

11. Wait...what? So this is a pro-corporatism thread?

uh....so do we rec if we love corporations, or unRec if we don't like corporations, or rec if we like people who love corporations, or unRec if we don't like people who love corporations, or

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. Spending pension checks.

[rwheeler31]

14. I work

The whole structure is out of kilter.

[greytdemocrat]

87. Good for you! n/t

[safeinOhio]

15. Retired for 8 years with a pension thanks to

my union the UAW.

[greytdemocrat]

74. Nothing wrong with that. n/t.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. I'm a paralegal that works for a company hired by the fed govt nt

[greytdemocrat]

96. That's nice. May The Force be with you, N/T.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

Believe me, when I got a job I was happy. I was out of a job for months and it

hurt. There are so few jobs left in our country after the decades of Repukes suctioning jobs out to other countries.

[pipoman]

169. I wish it were the Repukes..

maybe then I could overlook HCR, war spending and generally no difference from the last admin.

[Xicano]

18. Longshoreman, and labor comes BEFORE capital.

In order to get capital in the first place LABOR has to create it. Therefor never forget that capital is more indebted to you than you are to it.

n/t

[Quantess]

27. Excellent point!

:toast:

[Xicano]

47. Cheers Quantess

wOOt for labor!

:toast:

[gmoney]

19. When they ship your IT job to India, will you still appreciate your employer?

Corporations aren't uniformly bad -- it's essentially just a tax status. The tiny company I work for is a corporation, and I don't think we're particularly evil.

But there are a lot of corporations that serve only their shareholders' short term profits, with no regard for their employees, their customers, the communities in which they operate, this country, or humanity in general. I think they're the ones being vilified around here.

You're fortunate that your position is still here, as IT is one of the first jobs to be outsourced (or insourced with imported workers).

If your company decides to do so, will you stoically say "oh well, they have to do what's in the best interest of the shareholders" as you clear out your desk?

[greytdemocrat]

35. Unlikely...

I can speak English and can be understood.
The peeps from India...not so much. :sarcasm:

"as IT is one of the first jobs to be outsourced"

You might be surprised, there are a lot of business owners
that won't trust "India" with their IT software ideas and property.

And to answer your last question...

Yes. Do you even attempt to live in the real world? It's a situation
that no one wants to come up against but it does.

[Lisa0825]

38. Believe it or not there are english schools for people geared for

those who work in call centers servicing American businesses' customers. They not only learn the English language but also idioms, cultural topics, current events, etc so that they can even make a personal connection.

And BTW, most other countries have a much higher proportion of people who also speak English than the US has people who speak any second language. That comment about Indians not speaking English was pretty lame.

[lpbk2713]

22. Please take note of my sig line.

I've been using it for a long time.

And I will continue using for a very long time to come.

Have a nice day.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JNelson6563]

23. I manage a chocolate shop

and am the on-site chocolate chef at our shop. I work under the name of a very famous chef and am honored my work goes under his name. I manage the shop as I said so it isn't all fun and chocolate creation. Sometimes I have to work with customers and share all our delicious treats with them. It's murder I tell ya! :-)

I am fortunate too that the owners of the company I work for are very progressive. Very.

Julie--who thinks nobody should buy chocolate from Walmart

[femmocrat]

24. We always patronize our local chocolatier!

Their chocolate is better than Godiva! We stopped buying commercial chocolate when Hershey's moved to Mexico.

[greytdemocrat]

51. Cool!

I love chocolate! Long live coco!

[StarfarerBill]

26. A few hours a week drawing for an architect, and unemployment compensation.

And I agree with those who say that "Labor is entitled to all it creates", which is all usable wealth.

[quaker bill]

29. Environmental Scientist

I enforce environmental law for a living.

[BoneDaddy]

30. Don't you know this is kindergarten logic in DU

All corporations are bad.

[greytdemocrat]

52. LOL!!! n/t

[Walk away]

34. I am a dog trainer and a small dog specialist.

I love what I do, I work on my own and for the past ten years I have made a salary above the mid-level corporate job I hated.

Last year I had a major injury and couldn't work for months. Since I have a mortgage and upkeep on my home, my friends kept trying to prepare me for going back to a desk job. I knew I would be making crap and hating working in a machine again. I decided to tough it out, go through the pain a risk and reinvent what I do into a "small dog only" business. It worked. I'm on my way back up after a scary year. I still have my house and business that I adore.

I always thought my biggest risk in choosing to do this work was the loss of my business due to injury. Now I know I can work until I die and do what I love. No one can fire me because I'm old or don't fit their image.

[Thickasabrick]

138. I wish you lived near me....the mutts really need training but they

are probably too big anyway.

Cool job!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. I suck off the government tit

Your taxes pay my salary. If the corporation you work for doesn't dodge taxes, it pays my salary too.

[greytdemocrat]

64. I Love you!!!

I really do.

[proud2BlibKansan]

79. Love won't pay my salary

[greytdemocrat]

88. Life sucks. n/t

[walldude]

39. Independent contractor.

I'm a self employed roadie. While your experience with the company you work for may be great, it's not like that everywhere. I had worked for the company I left to go solo for 16 years. 16 years of my life, I was the lead technician, when I started there they had 10 employees, when I left they had offices in NY, Colorado and California.

After 16 years I was making 15.70 an hour. Now that may sound like decent money but 6 months after I left I was making TRIPLE that. Now I make even more. My last Christmas bonus from that company was... $100. After 16 years, oh and they took taxes out of it as well.... Not all companies are good and not all are bad.

[treestar]

41. It's the way other people make a living that is wrong

On DU, whatever the poster does is the most important job, and the poster should be protected from all competition, but if that prevents others from working, well too bad. :sarcasm: If you work for an insurance company, your job should be immediately eliminated regardless of consequences. :sarcasm: If you work for a corporation, your job should be eliminated because your employers are so evil trying to make money for stockholders. If you work on Wall STreet, you are doubly evil. :sarcasm: You shouldn't be selling anything to those evil entities, either, nor should you be investing in any of them. :sarcasm:

The entire economy should be shut down. And yet none of it should be moved to India or China or anywhere else, either. NAFTA screwed us all over so we are all unemployed. :wtf:

This is DU, which at times can seem like a crazy fantasyland.

[bbinacan]

44. I negotiate and secure easements for

infrastructure like natural gas and oil pipelines, electric transmission lines, etc. Though I work for a great small business, our clients are some of the biggest corporations in the US and world.

[apocalypsehow]

46. Manage a Hooters. n/t.

[greytdemocrat]

70. WOOT! N/T!!!!

[Walk away]

90. Consider coming in on new effort.."Hung Like A Bull Burgers"

We just need a liquor license.

[rucky]

48. Are they hiring Product Managers?

I'm available.

[greytdemocrat]

58. Sorry, no.

[elocs]

49. Well, I never confuse who I am with what I do to make money

for a "living", which is different for each of us. Myself, I don't live to work, but now I only work as much as I need to work to pay the bills which are fortunately small. I do well and have all I need considering I am considerably under the poverty line. But as the song goes, "I love to work at nothing all day" and I look forward to the day in the future when that is all I will be doing (hopefully within 9 years).

Any work that I have done in the past and any work I do now I perform to the best of my ability. My employers have always been satisfied. When I quit one of my last full time jobs, even without giving notice, my boss was sad to see me go but he told me, "You know, it's only a job. The important thing is to be happy." And that is my goal.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

57. I suck off the Federal Teat. Retired postal worker.

[greytdemocrat]

59. Ok...

Maybe Al Gore can help ya.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

65. Help me do what? Get a raise?

[ipaint]

60. I am a member of the majority working class aka wage slaves.

Corporations are my enemy.

If corporations and their mid management toadies disappeared tomorrow I would be just fine.

[FLDCVADem]

61. Where would your pay come from? nt/

[Edweird]

62. Corporatism:

the promotion of the interests of private business corporations in government over the interests of the public.
Mkay?

It isn't about you working at a corporation. It's about privatization.

[conspirator]

68. 47 posts? And telling us how to behave. I hope they hire some H1Bs so they can lower your salary nt

[Lisa0825]

75. pssst.....

look at some of his past posts... they aren't any more "left" than this OP is.

[SammyWinstonJack]

186. +1

:evilgrin:

[DesertFlower]

69. i no longer work. my husband works

for an international computer company. he's been with them 40 years. at one time they were a wonderful company to work for, but over the years they have changed. so many of their jobs have been outsourced to india, china and brazil.

if he didn't have a special skill they would have let him go a long time ago.

[greytdemocrat]

85. I appreciate your response...

It's funny, I have over 20+ years of IT experience and not one person
I know has been outsourced to India or any other phone hell hole.

In fact, all the business owners I've worked for haven't trusted
their intell property to people "over there". Simply bidness fact...

[DesertFlower]

89. the people haven't been sent

to india -- the jobs have. they've also brought them here to work for less than 1/2 of what they pay our people. it's not just my husband's company. a lot of big companies have done the same thing.

[greytdemocrat]

94. Yes...I realize that.

I assume people realize that US companies aren't out to unemploy everyone
in the US. That would put a serious crimp on buying power for the products.

[notadmblnd]

124. Let me ask you a question?

What do you know about the exploitation of human beings? Are you saying it is okay to force children as young as 6 to work 20 hours a day, live in an hovel and suffer abuse just so you can have access to cheap goods and services? Are you even aware that there are people, fishermen for example that are held as slaves and forced to work on the docks in India? Are you aware that 11 and 12 year old boys are kidnapped in Africa and forced to become soldiers and kill against their will? Do you know how many Chinese (including the children)that are underpaid and exposed to unfathomable poisons and health hazards so you can spend your paycheck at wally marts? I won't even bring up the forced sex trade industry. You're ignorant and should keep quiet till you learn a thing or two. If you already know it and don't care, then shame on you!

You're pretty smug now and think you are superior in your philosophy, however, your day will come. Then we'll see who is the smug one.

[greytdemocrat]

192. Smug? Not at all.

And I don't think I'm superior to anyone but I'd say from your reply you're a
know-it-all who likes to put down anyone who doesn't agree with your idea of a
perfect world. Close???

The first 3 sentences of your reply are wild attacks based on nothing I've said.

There are all kinds of evils in the world today, do YOU think the average person
knows about the slaves in India?? Do you think the average poster here on DU does???
Who's being smug and superior??

I'm ignorant...yeah...sure there buddy.

[notadmblnd]

197. I do think the average poster on DU is aware and it is one of the reasons why people are against .

free trade. I asked you questions. Are you feigning ignorance? If you interpret it to be an attack, no wonder you are so confused.

Yes, it is real easy to blame walmart

[notadmblnd]

184. here's just one photo of deformed children

Enjoy your shopping now, you hear?

[mahina]

100. One of our two major airlines shipped their entire IT division to India.

It sucks. They can't tell Kahului from Kahuku on the phone. No aloha spirit. It's gotten better lately, but it's rough on the people. For two years local IT people out on their cans. I worked with one of them. He just got an IT job again, finally.

The other airline went broke.

[Johnny Harpo]

171. Good For You!!

I've been in IT for over 40 years myself, the last 25 in consulting. I've had so many 'employers' I have to read my own resume to remember some of them.

I don't know what 'special skill' your husband has but Kudos to him for being able to dodge the bullet for so long.

A word of caution though.

Now is the time for him to be VERY careful. Keep his head DOWN. Keep his mouth CLOSED.

Many that have been lucky enough to last that long walk around daily with a target on their back, and never even hear the bullet that gets them.

[Synicus Maximus]

71. I agree with you.

[Quantess]

72. I farm hair and I hug trees for a living.

I shoplift all my material goods from big-box corporate stores, and I get there by hitchhiking. I squat illegally in a foreclosed house, and a pack of feral cats keep me warm at night.

Is that the answer you were hoping to read on DU? :rofl:

[greytdemocrat]

78. Congrats!

I don't think anyone will beat that one.

My wife liked it too...:evilgrin:

[mahina]

Thanks for the giggles

good one!

[bridgit]

81. There are several regional & seasonal moving parts, as an IC I'm glad when they all come together...

When they are supposed to :thumbsup:

[kdragon1010]

92. United States Army

And a registered republican, but to be honest I dislike the far right as much as I do the far left.

[mahina]

103. Welcome to DU.

[bigwillq]

111. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[natrat]

206. welcome,honest people are a breath of fresh air and there are serious crooks on both sides

[booley]

97. I don't see any problems so they must not exist

I haven't been screwed by my employers so all those millions who have must be lying.

I haven't personally seen environmental degradation so it must not really be happening.

I have never had a conflict between my conscience and my pay check so it can't' possibly happen.

I haven't had my employer use my job to control me so again, those that have had this happen must be lying.

I haven't noticed that my productivity far exceeds what i get back, so the two things must be always be equal for everyone.

And so I am getting sick and tired of people not accepting my one anecdotal example as the norm instead of testimony from millions of people, centuries of history and what can be plainly seen if one bothers to look.

Since I don't see literal chains, there must not be anything holding me down.

:sarcasm: in case anyone couldn't figure it out.

[SammyWinstonJack]

187. +1

:thumbsup:

[NoPasaran]

99. The DLC pays me to monitor DU and unrec threads

I meet Rahm Emanuel once a week in the parking lot of the 7-11 and be hands me a paper bag full of cash and the Message Discipline talking points for the week.

[Regret My New Name]

165. Did you find that job on monster.com?

Do they pay better than the GOP and Karl Rove? I need at least $450 per post to survive and to buy new shit that goes really fast and makes loud VRRRROOOOOOM-VROOOOOM-like noises..

[pipi_k]

101. I own a traveling flea circus...winter is the slow season

Had to lay off some of my fleas, but expect business to pick up in the spring

[Quantess]

151. It's hard to compete with the other bloodsuckers.

[pipi_k]

185. snicker....

:7

[W_HAMILTON]

104. I work for a corporation.

And I despise them. I am currently going back to college so that I won't be stuck working here. They have treated me like shit for several years. Because of working there, I am now, and most likely will forever be, suspicious of corporate life.

Corporatism is bullshit.

[mahina]

105. I sell exclamation points!!!!

ON THE WEEKENDS I SELL CAPITAL LETTERS and on the side I sell question marks???

[greytdemocrat]

108. LOL!

Smartass. Obama needs your product.

[mahina]

109. Why Obama???

I'll slide you a kama'aina discount too!!!

[pipi_k]

112. Any chance of getting a handful of parentheses and a couple of semi-colons?

You know how it is...you let people borrow something and they never return it.

x(

[Arctic Dave]

113. Corporations don't pay your salary. You pay the corporation profit on your labor.

I don't know of a single company that gives its employees money.

Knock yourself out with the talking points.

[FLDCVADem]

116. Now I've seen it all

You're right, corporations don't give us money, we earn our pay. But the bottom line is that some work is of more monetary value than other work, and that isn't the fault of the corporation.

[Arctic Dave]

188. Never said someone's labor is more or less valuble.

That was not the subject of the OP.
What I wrote is still true either way. That is how any business operates.

[booley]

203. Fire isn't to blame when it burns down a house

But it's still a good to make sure that it doesn't do so.

I keep seeing you making these straw men that it's about punishing success or corporations or whatever.

It's not.

The animus you see towards corps is the realization that there is a social cost to letting corporations do what they want unsupervised and unchallenged.

And this is social cost may not be something we can afford anymore.

[Odin2005]

219. We have a right to 100% of the value of our labor. Corporations steal most of it from us.

Why should we accept this parasitism?

[Greyhound]

118. So your position is that your corporate employer treats you well, therefore what?

Some corporations are good?

Which corporation is it and/or how do they treat all the employees/vendors?

There are good companies that are incorporated, but they are more and more the exception.

[FLDCVADem]

119. What would you define as as a "good" corporation? n/t

[Greyhound]

162. There are any number of small incorporated companies that produce

quality products or services and treat their employees, partners, and suppliers well.

I think the key to what I think we are talking about is whether or not a corporation is publicly traded. Until "The Street" owns a company they are free to so right.
:shrug:

[greytdemocrat]

146. What do you mean...therefore what?

Are you thick? The company I work for is OK. They care about their
people.

Some company's are good. I assume the best about people, not the worst.

How the hell would I know how they treat all the employees/vendors??
You think I'm clairvoyant or something???

[Greyhound]

161. Trying to see if there was any point to your post.

Apparently not.

[Webster Green]

120. I'm a chimney sweep.

Great job! I get kind of dirty though, but make pretty good money.

[Raineyb]

121. I worked for a major corporation

But I was never fool enough to think that what was in its best interest was mine as an individual. I don't care how much the corporation pays you it doesn't give a shit about you and if it could find a way to get the job done for cheaper it wouldn't care if you died in the process.

Seriously we're posting OP's in praise of the rapacious nature of corporations now?

WTF is going on here?

[HughBeaumont]

177. Flamebait. It's apparently for breakfast.

These low-post trolls like the OP and the other libertarian-leaning "Democrat" littering this thread above can't flip over themselves fast enough to pick fights with low-hanging fruit, and it seems to be a fast-growing phenomenon here. Their agenda is just subtle enough to fit in the confines of the "big tent" without getting detected. The bullshit isn't thick enough for most to see it right away.

Maybe we wouldn't BE so anti-corporation if they didn't mostly treat and view their employees as disposable, oxygen-theiving pieces of dryer lint.

[greytdemocrat]

190. Hmmm.

I'm not picking any fights here, just the opposite. But people like you who
make sweeping statements like: "Maybe we wouldn't BE so anti-corporation if they didn't mostly treat and view their employees as disposable, oxygen-theiving pieces of dryer lint." appear to be all the rage.

It's always easy to knock a company here on DU, in fact I'm sure if I had started a "I hate Wal-Mart"
thread the recs would be in the double or triple digits. Defend a company that has done me fairly
well and you get called a low post count troll.

It's no wonder Democrats get called anti-business or can none of you see that???

[HughBeaumont]

200. How exactly is it a "sweeping statement"?

Maybe it's YOU that isn't looking at what's happening outside of YOUR little bubble. Have you seen Capitalism: A Love Story yet? People are hurting. MASSIVELY. Bewsh's whiskey-throttle Reagan-redux brand of capitalism left us short on living wage jobs and long on debt, mostly because wages have not kept up with the cost of living since the 70s. There is so much evidence to back this up that it's beyond dispute.

These workers that are getting laid off en masse in the '00s aren't the ones with "outdated skills" that these Friedmanites claim. They're college graduates. Long-time employees. Masters degree holders. Graduates in graphic design, physics, math, science, CIS, etc. Skills that workers were TOLD to get and got the shaftola anyway. What happens when the laid-off worker was the single bread-winner? Not all of us are fortunate enough to have two-earner families.

Since the "major shareholders first and only" mantra of laissez fail corporatism took the American workforce under permanent hostage starting in the early 80s (or 220 years before, depending on which historian you ask), workers can do just as great a job that they're expected to do and get fired for no apparent reason anyway. You cannot just brush this random stoning off as "that's simply the way the ball bounces". What you call corporate fairness just does not WORK for the majority of us who worry night after night after night knowing that you can work as hard as humanly possible, spend hours away from your home, do whatever you can to better yourself and skill level and still get the axe.

Corporations, SINCE the 1980s, don't view employees as an important part of their long-term plans any more. They view long-termers as "complacent" and "stagnant", as if merely surviving and working without complaint is simply too much to ask for anymore.

So pardon me if I'm not bending over backwards to praise the vaunted "Corporations" for screwing Americans out of wages, health care, job security, peace of mind, opportunity for free enterprise, social safety nets that are worth slightly more than a poverty-pittance and a stable and semi-comfortable future.

You're the one labeling us "anti-business", which isn't the same thing as being "anti-laissez-fail", which most of us ARE, rightfully. Corporations are LONG in need of biting some bitter pills and stop treating their employees like a bag of ass. You think America is going to survive another 8 years of corporate crappiness, you need to think again.

[jillan]

122. I retired from one of those 'too big to fail' banks.

I can tell you that they used to be a great employer - they knew that the people that worked in the branches were their bread and butter. We used to have fun contests - get great prizes, even bonuses....and then one day they turned. They treated us like whatever we did was never enough. They tried to teach us to say no to the customers. It got to the point that I dreaded having to go there.
The day I left was one of the happiest days of my life.

[PacerLJ35]

128. Good 'ol Department of Defense...

Been doing it for over 18 years...

[Lucky Luciano]

129. Trader/quantitative analyst at some big nameless I-bank.

Most people here would probably call me a bankster, but I am really on the same side as many people here fir a lot of things - except that I want to continue to earn my income.

Got some IT skills, but not really an IT guy at all. Good withh c++ and numerical programming forpricng and trading equity derivatives. Most of the IT skills I picks up were on a need to know basis since trading is FAR more interesting to me.

Incidentally, we will hire an superstrong IT people out there, but you have to be good with real time millisecond sensitve latency n a multithreaded environment. If anyone cares, let me know. The pay is very good.

Note this was typed on an iPhone and lkely is loaded with weird typos!

[Terra Alta]

132. I work for Wal-mart.

In March it will be five years since I started working there. I started out as part time but last year I somehow lucked up and got full time status(I was basically working FT hours anyway). It isn't the greatest company to work for but it's a job and I'm thankful to have one in this economy.

[Thickasabrick]

135. No shit! How do you feel about all the posts wanting people to

boycott?....I never thought about a DU member working there.

[Terra Alta]

144. I respect their decision.

Although if there is a boycott, it doesn't seem to have any effect here. I live in a small, Southern town and Wal-mart is the only place many people have to go to get what they need.

[Thickasabrick]

150. That is very cool of you....in so many towns now especially the rural areas,

there really is no alternative anymore. When there is an alternative, the difference of $10-20 dollars a week that people save by shopping there is a really big deal.

[Thickasabrick]

134. Category/Strategic Insights Manager for CPG Industry. Code for

data analyst.

[Historic NY]

136. I get checks to stay home...retired on disability.

[dysfunctional press]

137. retired, on SS disability, due to adult onset of a previously mis-diagnosed autoimmune disorder.

in my early 20's i was incorrectly diagnosed with 'reiter's syndrome', because it has the same genetic marker(hla-b27) as the condition i actually had/have- ankylosing spondylitis...which is MUCH more serious than reiter's syndrome. the AS really started to manifest itself about 10 years later, a correct diagnosis was made, it progressed rapidly, and i became permanently disabled, along with a lifetime of chronic pain. i'm 48 now, and i've been taking 50-70mg of methadone every day for the past 12 years, with no reason to expect that i will ever stop taking it in my lifetime.

:shrug:
it's a...living(?)

[greytdemocrat]

149. I'm sorry to hear that DP,

That is an unfortuante turn of events.

[dysfunctional press]

155. one more unfortunate turn to the story...

when i finally got my finding of disability- i went in to have my benefits chat with the SS officer...and it turned out that i had been screwed by one of the companies i had worked for in my 20's('national pre-cast' -i was a union laborer on an pre-cast concrete erection crew with union ironworkers). they had never paid into fica the money that they had deducted from my checks over a two-year period(including an almost 4-month stretch of six 12 hour days-per-week on a soldier field reconstruction project in chicago). overall it amounted to over 12% of my 'lifetime' wages that my benefit amount was/is based on. and because the company was by then long gone and bankrupt- i was informed by the SS officer that i would receive no credit for the non-payments, and that i had no recourse in the matter- i.e. i was/am shit outta luck, and my monthly check would be/is that much lower as a result.

also- by the time i DID get a proper diagnosis- i had already left the union and the trades, so i had no pension or disability coming from them. i finally gave it up due to pain from the non-disabling condition i had been mis-diagnosed with- had i known what i actually had at the time- i would have stayed in the union and had a MUCH better disability pension.

live and learn...:shrug:

[mitchtv]

140. I sell "dead peasant" insurance policies to Corps

It pays

[Thickasabrick]

152. Really? Is it as bad as it sounds?? nt

[mitchtv]

153. odds favor the benficiary $1m per dead employee

they take it out when you join. But I am lieing

[Thickasabrick]

156. Oh thank goodness....I am really hoping someone outlaws those things.

:hi:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

141. I'm a regulatory affairs dweeb - but do alot of things

I work for a legal and accounting firm that specializes in representing foreign companies operating in the United States and American companies operating internationally.

My area of expertise is free trade agreements and their implications on foreign investment.

Other than the fact they have me working in two different countries concurrently, I love it here.

[riderinthestorm]

147. "It was a good deal for all...it depends on US shippers...aren't doing that great"

And then you say "It's real easy to blame big places like Wal-Mart"... and then blithely absolve them of all responsibility.

Look, US business shipping transactions especially are impacted by major box stores like Wal Mart. In my area, US shipping policies are a major problem. MAJOR. I dare you discuss livestock shipping with me....

I'm a small biz owner, a real anachronism making their way in the big box-store marketplace. I am horrified that anyone like you can profess "horror" at small biz owners whinging about "corporatism".

Either you REALLY ARE a shill, or you are completely fucking ignorant. Please. Go ahead. I dare you. I really double dog dare you to engage me in corporate ag policies vs. small organic farmers for example (my particular area of expertise).

[waiting for hope]

148. Right now the State of North Carolina is keeping me

afloat - job market here sucks at the moment, been unemployed since March.

[1awake]

154. I work for a right wing entity,

I get paid to come on DU and spy.. and when possible, slant conversations either to the right, or foster animosity between various left leaning sub-groups here. I was kicked off of DU once already for voicing my dislike of cats, and secretly love walmart and the olive garden. But according to numerous members here, there are approx. 100 other such people here (just watch.. people get accused constantly.. its rather funny) who do the same thing!




Before someone takes this seriously.. because someone will.... :sarcasm:

[Regret My New Name]

166. BS! I've never seen you at any of our meetings.

oops

[baldguy]

157. There's nothing wrong with corporations. Most mean well.

But they're like a dog. If you don't train it properly, then let a dog have total control of your home, the dog with destroy everything it can lay its paws on in your home.

Corporations should be taught to sit, stay, fetch & heel on command. THEY should serve US, not the other way around. Walmart is a perfect example of a corporation running amok. It's ripping up America's furniture, crapping in the master bedroom & pissing all over the living room. Walmart needs a time out in it's crate and a heavy schedule of discipline, then we can work it cleaning up the mess it's made.

[Forkboy]

158. A lawyer for Dewey, Cheatum and Howe.

[Bombero1956]

159. union firefighter

starting my 32nd year of service in February.

[Mari333]

160. well, some of these responses proves one thing

having a lot of money does not buy you an ounce of class.

[Doremus]

163. I work for myself. We're a company of 2 and I'm sick and tired of watching

megaconglomerates get every advantage while we small fry get a kick in the teeth.

The founders of our country didn't take kindly to megaconglomerates either. In fact, they pretty much did everything they could to make sure they didn't exist. There's a reason for that, and if you can pick yourself up off your knees long enough to consider it, you'll probably figure out why.

[MrMickeysMom]

164. Well, it's nice to work for salary or hourly, and appreciate it, but ...

... the meaning of what it means to contractually (with or without union) labor for a company has twisted itself up and become dysfunctional in America. Balance in this relationship has been taken away long ago and labor is no longer seen as a factor in making products or service in America what it once was.

The reason it's easy to blame Wal-Mart, or other corporations is because of how these corporations have not seen labor as anything other than an inconvenience, rather than an asset. Invest in an employee? Hmmph...

You never see a lot of employers "invest" in employees. If you ever do, pay-back is an investment in spades. If you treat workers as an inconvenience and don't attempt to be fair in labor practice, what you end up with is the North American Free Trade Agreement, which basically allows for UNFAIR labor practices and competition for the lowest wage. Eventually, the people who make your ranges and big kitchen appliances have to work a year's salary to afford them. Meanwhile, dead chickens lay across the landscape from unsafe soil management and maquiladoras without worry of tarrifs continue to dot the landscape between Texas and Mexico. We have lost the manufacturing base of this country due to that kind of "corporate management".

Bigger is not always better in a company, they say. As a respiratory therapist for 35 years, I certainly see health care costs spiraling up and I'm getting the worst pay ever given what I do, and people who are not interested in my background, education and experience as they once were don't have to be now. They can afford to tell me to kiss their ass. In fact, their bonus probably depends on it.

[Common Sense Party]

167. I work for a big, evil insurance company--not health insurance, but life

They're a damn good company with a great reputation.

But around these parts, they're considered evil swindlers who should be put out of business.

[Regret My New Name]

168. I make "I H8 Corporatism" buttons at a button factory that's owned by 'Buttons 4 U Corp"

That's lame... I'm lame.


*cries* Actually, I make websites... Sort of like the one in the link for my signature (but better...no, not really. They all suck like that one)

I'm sure your opinion will be different when they lie and jump though loop holes just so they can bring in some guy/gal from India so they can get a similar skill set at half the price. :D

[LeftyMom]

172. I'm not.

[Mendocino]

174. I work in a factory that makes

miniature models of factories.

[TheWatcher]

175. Delete.

Not worth it.

The Blind cannot see.

[Thothmes]

176. Retired after 25 years in the U.S. Navy. Went to work as a

non nuclear test engineer for Northrupt Grumman Newport News, VA since 1994.

[NNN0LHI]

178. About how much is your yearly salary if you don't mind me asking?

Just curious what kind of money people are pulling down these days.

Don

[mainer]

179. Self-employed, incorporated. One employee: me.

So I AM the big, bad corporation. And my boss is the most hard-driving, demanding, perfectionistic jerk around.

[Cetacea]

180. I guess the expression" It's not what you know,

it's who you blow" wouldn't have any significance for you.

[superduperfarleft]

181. I work as a consultant for a large insurance/financial services/investment brokerage.

And neither I nor my employer have any illusions about "loyalty" to one another.

[Lucky Luciano]

183. "And neither I nor my employer have any illusions about "loyalty" to one another."

True - in the financial industry, the employee is always willing to jump ship for the bigger better deal - and of course, the corporation is the corporation - but they do pay a good wage while they retain you (in finance).

[greytdemocrat]

189. It happens. Everyone's situation is different. n/t

[Mari333]

191. I am the Queen of England

[greytdemocrat]

193. LOL!!!!

That's cute Mari.

[jtroy]

194. I do loans

I do Mortgage purchase loans refinance and short sales as well as modifications/restructuring loans

[Sisaruus]

195. I work for a Food Bank.

I'm responsible for fundraising and communications. I've been working since the 70s and have always worked in the nonprofit or public sector.

[Lucian]

201. Oh waaah.

[paparush]

204. I'm a software developer for my local county govt.

[graywarrior]

207. Film editor for non profit cable station.

No benefits. P/T. But, I dig it.

[quiller4]

208. We are retired and live off my husband's Teamster pension, his Social Security

and my TIAA/CREF.

[Touchdown]

209. I work for the evil nasty phone company.

Doesn't matter which. The secret is that they're all (networks) connected together. That's the only way it works.

A few here questioned my principles when they learned of my job... as if I had any choice, say, vote profit or benefit to the NSA wiretapping thing.

If you got through to your calling target... You're welcome.

[GreenTea]

210. I steal hubcaps.

[H2O Man]

211. self-unemployed

[moondust]

212. Plutocrat.

I made millions in salary and bonuses while I gambled away the public's money trying to become super "successful" on Wall Street's terms, helped precipitate a global recession, asked my friends in Washington to bail me out with taxes paid by the guys who pick up my garbage, and now I am again making millions in salary and bonuses...

God Bless America.

[Tailormyst]

213. I work for a small company and directly for the owner, who is also a lib dem

Love my job, love my employer. I left the corporate work 10 years ago and will never go back to it.

[Odin2005]

216. I work through an job placement company for the disabled.

I'm currently a janitor for a church.

I also get SSI, Section 8 rent assistance, and food stamps.