01 wage slave

Time to Launch

2011-11-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

Been busy the past few months. Work on the farm is never ending and with the weather turning cold earlier than I expected, I've had to postpone a few projects. The blogs have been neglected as a result.

Will post a 'new' video YouTube today. I made it a couple of years ago, but held off on releasing it.

Either way, I hope all the citizens out there who now realize how out of control our social systems have become will use some restraint in their actions to right the situation.

Time to launch my revised edition of "Going Dutch, Trials of a Wage Slave", put the billing for the judgment against my former company on line and release the public service announcement for the benefit of those who are now looking for jobs in this 'jobless recovery'.

Remember, it's your life and all the time you spend at work can never be recovered. Find a career you love or just be a wage slave all your life.

More Wage Slaves, Less Pay

2011-09-08T11:33:00.001-07:00

You thought it couldn't get any worse, right? Time to think again.

There are more people unemployed, marginally employed and just play disgusted and not looking for a job than there has ever been before in this country.

I've been working on some projects which I'll be unveiling over the next few months.

This will include videos, essays and information about our current state of affairs related to the so-called "job situation" in the USA and the world.

I'll be commenting on how employers and corporations use the law to enforce their agendas, while denying rights to employees.

Remember work harder, not smarter. The boss is the smart guy in your group.

Anyhow, you need all the overtime you can get, since your money buys less now than it did last month.

The NEW WAGE ORDER

2010-05-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the New Wage Order.

You can work yourself to death, just don't die in the lunch room.

Otherwise, don't worry, be happy. You should be glad we let you slave here.

You too, can be hired to work for 10% of your true, employment worth. That's right, get in on the ground floor and stay there, by being a New Contract Worker of America!

Get downsized, right-sized, laid-off or just plain FIRED. Then be rehired for less benefits, less security and more, free STRESS. You're gonna love working with your old co-workers, who might still be on the 'full-time employee' list, but they shouldn't be too smug.

After all, in most states in this great United States of America, you can be fired without cause, or reason. Some call it "Employment at Will", others "Right to Work" there are different, polite sounding phrases which all boil down to this:

You're gonna get canned when the man decides he doesn't need you any longer.

Keep telling yourself that it's not that bad. After all you could be one of those poor drones who works for government.

Where everyone is guaranteed a pension, health care, benefits and some even have shopping privileges!

BE ADVISED: THE ABOVE IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM A COMMENT ABOUT OUR MILITARY. YOU SHOULD HAVE HALF THEIR GUTS!

THEY DO THE JOBS THEY DO WITHOUT GETTING THE SUPPORT THEY SHOULD RECEIVE.

So, keep working at being the nice person in the office. They usually fire them last. It doesn't hurt to rat out your co-workers. Never know when kissing up to the boss will come in handy.

Just expect the same to happen to you. What goes around, comes around.

Don't worry, it won't be in your contract.

All the Happy Workers

2010-03-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm back, the novel is finished, now to find an agent.

How's the unemployment where you are? Still believing those 'facts and figures' of about 9-10%. Of course, that figure doesn't take into account those people who have been out of work for more than 6 months.

I spoke to a local university department head last fall. At that time, the unemployment rate in Jackson, TN was 18%.

It's worse now, due to the two 'bads', the weather and the economy.

Hang in there, everything's going to get better with the Spring weather. At least you can go back outside and be depressed, instead of watching whatever your favorite video poison might be.

If you haven't figured it out, it's time for you to start your own business. I hear that people with jobs still need banks. There's an idea for you!

Just think how happy you would be, taking and 'guarding' other people's money for them!

Taking the Kids to School

2009-03-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

You have to wonder what they teach in school these days.

From reading blogs and checking out the news on the Internet (I don't watch TV, haven't for years), it never ceases to amaze me. Did anyone learn anything or are you all robots?

Here's the short course:

Corporations and the government lie to you.

They do this in their best interest.

They don't care what you do, as long as you continue to believe them.

Please continue to watch TV, do your job (if you're lucky enough to have one) and pay those taxes.

Otherwise, stay stoned, drunk and stupid. We don't need anyone complaining about how things are screwed up.

Those of you who are unemployed, don't worry. You'll be back at work in about a year or so.

Expect lower wages, less benefits and probably less hours.

Shut up and be happy that you have a job.

I'll go into the probabilities of getting rehired later.

It won't be pretty.

As for you 'kids' out there, experiencing your first or second lay-off/termination/whatever term you use for being fired...

You have a lot to learn.

Stick around, school's about to begin.

The Squeaky Wheel

2009-03-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Gets the grease.

Old adage, new times. I've found a blog that's written by some of the newly unemployed. It's hilarious for those of us who have had to deal with unemployment and economic downturns in the past. The angst is underwhelming. Other than that, it's a very good blog.

They do a great job with their blog layout, very professional. All the graphics, videos, links, etc. Their marketing efforts have paid off.

Tania Khadder was on NPR (National Public Radio, for those of you who only listen to whatever it is you listen to) on Monday, 16 March. According to their blog, they have been interviewed by one of the local (San Francisco) TV stations. After doing all of this, Tania got the job she was worrying over in her NPR commentary. After 4, that's right 4 grueling months of being unemployed!

John Henion, well, he's still doing the blog thing.

I made some comments on their blog. Probably sound a bit rude to many of you.

Tough shit.

These are much tougher times than these two can imagine.

You won't have to worry about me changing this blog anytime soon.

I don't have the hours to spare, doing graphics, etc. There are other issues, such as lack of broadband out here in the sticks.

I won't be changing my tone either.

You want politically correct, there are plenty of other blogs that will play nice.

So, enjoy Tania and John's blog:

http://unemploymentality.com/

It always gives me some laughs.

Unemployment As HOT TOPIC

2009-03-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! WHO KNEW?

Being unemployed is now a really big deal in the good ole USA!

It's everywhere, on the radio, TV, Internet, your local street corner...HEY! Maybe even in your house!

If you're not unemployed, you must be either management, a politician, a crook/drug dealer or a wage slave. Hey, one out of four ain't bad. Just think you could be a crooked politician who used to be in management or maybe a crooked manager who used to be a politician! The possibilities are endless! Of course, as a wage slave, we will read you your rights, if and when you are caught doing something you aren't supposed to be doing. Which we will be sure to insure by writing the rules and regulations in such a manner that you can't possibly do your job and not break one.

I got my eye on you, boy/girl!

Just remember, just 'cause you got a job today, don't mean I'm gonna pay you tomorrow.

Employment and the Social Contract

2009-02-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

When I wrote “Going Dutch, Trials of a Wage Slave” my intentions were twofold; give some guidance via my experiences and make some funny comments about my former employers.

Almost everyone who has been laid-off/down-sized/out-sourced/right-sized or any of those other palliative terms for getting fired has probably had some negative thoughts about their former employer. They might have even got mad about it.

You know what they say about the road to Hell, right? Paved with good intentions. So far, I’ve been successful with only one of the two mentioned intentions. Most of the people who have read the book didn’t need to, they already had enough experience in the world of work to know what to look for and how to avoid getting to into bad situations. For them, it was light entertainment.

On the other hand, I’ve not quite succeeded with being funny about my former bosses. You can only be so humorous about losing a job, even if the boss is completely clueless. Some of my friends and former work colleagues questioned my spending time on the book.

They think that I should just forget about how much headache, time and money my former employers have cost me. Many have counseled me to ‘move on’ with my life. Easy thing to say, when it’s not your life. You lie down and let them run over you, they’ll get used to doing it and try to do it to everyone.

Those who seek justice in this world never have an easy time of it. That’s what I’m seeking, as ordered by a court, in compliance with the contract that was signed by me and my former company, called “Ordeals” in my book.
The truth is about to come out.

In future posts, I’m going name the company, how they have treated not only me, but other employees and how they work with their clients. I’ve had seven years to gather information about this company and the way they do business.

You will be reading my opinion. Which is based on my knowledge of the company. All based on facts, which I can prove. As I have done in court on three different occasions.

When a company gives you a contract, breaks it, loses in court, then refuses to honor the court judgment, do you know what you are dealing with?

Why would you want to work for them, much less do business with them?

Our country is based on a social contract. You get my labor in exchange for the security and income from the profits of our work. When a company decides to override or ignore this, then you have a lack of respect, not only for the individual, but for the law.

If you don’t respect me, why should I respect you? You break the law, I should let you?

That, in the long run, leads to the breakdown and collapse of society.

Which is where we are now.

Listen to Your Body

2009-02-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

It’s not obvious. You can hear what the interviewer is saying, but when they ask you the questions or answer your queries, something doesn’t feel right.

A job interview is much more than just a question and answer session about wages, benefits and qualifications. It’s a chance for you to get a feeling about how the company you are about to join affects you. In more ways than one.

It’s normal to be nervous, especially if you haven’t done an interview in a long time or if it’s your first one. Anxiety is part of the game. Your body though may pick up on things that your eyes and ears might miss. Those subliminal messages could be the most important of all.

I’ve been through my share of interviews. Quite a few more than the average person. One of the best jobs I ever had, the interview went well, even though I wasn’t completely ‘smooth’ in my responses, at least from my point of view. No one is perfect and you won’t be either. If you do come across as if you’re replies are a pre-recorded tape, someone might wonder if you’re faking it.

My ‘dream job’ interview is another example, at the other end of the spectrum. I’ve always wanted to write for a living. An opportunity to interview for a technical writer position came up. At the time, my body was screaming at me, but I was too enthralled with the idea of getting the job to notice.

Rather than the typical nervousness, I was literally sweating bullets. So much so, that the personnel manager asked me if I was OK while we were walking around the cubicles where my future co-workers were laboring away. I assured him that I was fine, just a bit nervous. Talk about ‘fight or flight’ response, I should have been running out the door.

Although I loved doing the work, the company and the job turned out to be one of the biggest headaches of my life. I learned a great deal, but the downside was just as steep. When they terminated me, I was a physical wreck over worrying about the job. They could have cared less.They had another body filling my position in no time. Who was ready to quit in two months.

Which is why you have to look for the signs. If few people, if anyone at all is smiling and in a good mood, you should wonder about the atmosphere.

It might be toxic. Take a deep breath and get out of there.

It’s not the only job in the world.

It is though, the only life you have right now.

Terminated You, The Day After

2008-12-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

It's now a day later.

You get up, everything seems the same. The sun still shines, rain is wet, the dog did what you didn't want it to do where it isn't supposed to do it.

Another day, yet it's different. You're now an ex-(title/position/doormat) of the ChumpChange Corporation. All your self-respect is as flat and dead as roadkill.

Your anger boileth over. Various thoughts of macabre revenge seep into your usual benign brainwaves. You really don't want to become a Ninja at this stage in your life. Way too much physical training.

Now is the time to cool out. Take a walk and contemplate the future, without that albatross of a company around your neck. There are much better ways to lead your life, try them.

Yes, there will be bills to pay. You might have to take a lesser job, do things you don't like. Just as long as you don't consider them to be the long-term answer to your situation.

Go back to school, even if it's online or at the library. Turn your hobby into a money-maker. Explore life.

You could sell everything and start off on a trip around the world.

I had a friend who walked across the USA. The entire distance. Didn't take any rides, even in the mountains and deserts. People were amazed that he would try something like that. It took almost a year, but he had experiences that will last a lifetime.

The main thing is to not get down on yourself. You might have brought on this termination or it might have been dropped on you by bad business practices or office politics.

The cause doesn't matter. What you do from here, that's the important thing.

As for ChumpChange Corporation?

They'll get their due, sooner or later, one way or another. Nothing, not even the biggest company, lasts forever.

You though, can now get on with your life.

Make the most of it!

(In a previous post, I suggest, jokingly, to call your boss on the following Monday and thank them for terminating you. It's probably not a good thing to do, what with companies all paranoid and tape-recording everything. They might use it against you in the future. It's a sad fact of life that you almost have to use your previous employer as a reference. Who can then 'spin' things. It's something that gives those HR managers the feeling that they can control your life.)

The Day Your Career Stood Still

2008-12-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, it seems like the world has come to an end.

It has now come crashing down around you. Don't worry, it hasn't, it's only your temporary perception of it. Emphasis on 'temporary perception'.

You just got the news. They might have given you fair warning. More than likely someone showed up at your desk, gave you a few minutes to clean it out and pack up your personal effects, then you were escorted to the door. Jackboot to the seat of your pants, optional.

The shock might not have worn off yet. You’re still in a bit of a daze.
It’s OK. You’re OK. The world has not ended, just your job.

If your work is your world, as it is for many people, then you’re devastated, completely crushed. The problem is the realization that the so-called security of any job is an illusion. Nothing is promised or guaranteed. You’ll have to deal with it.

On the other hand, if you know that life doesn’t revolve around a job, but more importantly the work that you really love, you’ll be better than OK.

You’ll be free.

Free to do as you please, try those things that you didn’t have time for while you were obligated to show up and work for someone else.

No matter how you view this situation, as long as you get up in the morning and get to work, doing something you love, you’ll be fine.

If you think that you can go down to the unemployment office, have them sign you up and give you another security blanket, you’re only kidding yourself.

Respect yourself, be responsible for yourself and find something that you love to do, so you can enjoy your work.

Any job you do that’s a pain is not a career, it’s a prison.

Break out!

Take the chance and taste the freedom.

Give them that pink slip back, it doesn’t look good on you anyway…

Or just have some fun.

Call the ex-boss in a couple of weeks, first thing on a Monday morning.

Tell them, “Thanks for getting me out of there”.

Be polite.

It’ll drive them nuts wondering what you’re up to.

Don't worry, your former co-workers will be calling you, asking what the hell you did to freak out the boss.

Then go do something you love.

Teams Work or Don't: A Chapter from the Ordeals File

2008-12-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Teams are the big thing. Major buzz word in business. It’s easy to say, much harder to put into practice.

While an employee of Ordeals, I got to hear the sports jargon bandied about, cheer leading for the drones. On Sunday they watch a game, on Monday, they play the game. All rah, rah, rah for the old coach/boss/gypper, but performance? That might be another matter. Sugaring up the boss doesn’t count as work, nor does it appear on the bottom line. It does keep incompetents in their jobs.

The irony is that the concept of a ‘team’ is really rooted in the basic social structure, that of the family. Everyone needs to be able to work together, whether it’s to keep the house running or the business booming.

How well the specific team ‘performs’ is due to the management. Doesn’t matter if it’s a mom and pop shop or a Fortune 500 behemoth, bad management, bad decisions, usually equal bad return on investment. Failure is in the future.

To keep things going, you have to have all the team players buy into the goal. You get a slacker in a key position or a glory hog, whoops there goes the ball game!

How many people have you met that say they do a lousy job? Probably few, if any. Everyone tells about how hard they work, what rigors and trials they go through.

We all do it. Part of it’s recognition, the old ego-feed, having others acknowledge our work. Which is OK, as long as we don’t get obsessive about it. The other is self-satisfaction, knowing that you did a good job, without the need of public or company recognition.

No problem on either side. The problems come in when you have office politics. People saying, doing or creating situations strictly for their own advancement. Team first? Hah, not if they can figure out a way to make themselves look good. Who cares if it sinks the project?

They might, in the long run, when the client packs up their wallet and takes the job to a competitor.

An example of how dysfunctional a team can get, from the Ordeals File.

I needed a printer due to the volume of work I was churning out. When I used the office printer, it would bog down the work of the 30+ engineers in the office. Printing out a small 30 page manual wasn’t too bad. Cranking off a 300 to 400 plus page book could tie up the printer for an hour, if not longer.

After checking with my boss in the USA, I was given the OK to look for a new printer. Found one that would do the job, priced it and told the company. They balked, someone came up with the idea of shipping me an old printer from the USA. I was told to check with the local service company, find out what I would need to use it in the Netherlands.

The printer service rep told me that he wouldn’t touch the printer. It wouldn’t work, due to the different electrical configurations in Europe. I double checked it on the Internet. He wasn’t kidding, even the printer company website said it was a ‘no go’.

After relaying this info back to my boss, including the Internet link, I figured that I would receive authorization to get the new printer.

Nope, not going to happen. They wanted me to find out about getting a transformer to run the 110 volt printer on the 220 volt European system. They didn’t want to hear about the 50 and 60 Hertz difference. Which makes all the difference. Not to mention that the transformer was only about $20 less than the new printer.

Fast forward about a month. A large box is delivered to my desk. Inside is a ratty printer, stuffed, literally, with plastic peanuts. Whoever had packed it, probably the IT department, had not wrapped it in plastic and had gone so far as to stuff plastic peanuts into the delivery tray and into cooling slots.

My Dutch co-workers shook their heads in disbelief. For the next two hours, I took the printer apart and cleaned it up. Thanks for the ‘help’, computer support group. All enabled by cost defective management.

About 6 weeks after this, my boss and the project manager arrived for the annual ‘Spring Tour’. This consisted of meetings, eating, shopping and sightseeing. Rubes on tour, with maybe a little business thrown in, to make it a 'business expense' write-off.

After a meeting one afternoon, my project manager wanted to see the printer. He asked why it wasn’t hooked up and working. I was using it as a fifty pound paperweight and storage shelf.

My project manager stared at me and demanded, “You haven’t been saying bad things about our company, have you?”

I looked him in the eye and told him, “I haven’t said a word. People around here can see how things have been handled by ‘our company’.”

He then wanted to know why the printer wasn’t being used yet. I told him no one would provide service for it. I had a letter from the local printer service company to that effect. When I showed it to him, he ignored it.

He began to browbeat me about not following the orders of our company’s vice-president. I had been told to install the printer.

My reply was that the printer was a potential electrical hazard, due to the voltage and frequency differences. He didn’t like my answer, but he dropped the issue.

You don’t want to get into this type of no-win situation. My mistake was not going ahead and buying the transformer, hooking up the printer and either frying it or setting the office on fire when it burned up. That wouldn't have been my fault, would it?

This might not have happened, but at least I would have been following the ‘orders from on high’ of those who didn’t have a clue about what they were doing in this case.

In my opinion, the best way to handle a boss who is the armchair quarterback, but is in charge of running the team is to document his orders. Do as he says and when it comes unglued, talk to his boss, the big coach. Have a line of defense in place, witnesses help.

If that fails, read the message. It’s time to find another job. Too many people are working against you, not with you.

It’s not teamwork, it’s a gang slaying.

You’re the target.

(All examples in the Ordeals File are taken from my book, "Going Dutch, Trials of a Wage Slave")

The Ordeals File

2008-12-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Starting this month, I’ll focus on working outside the USA. This will be a series based on my experiences working in the USA and Europe for a company that I’ll call, ‘Ordeals’.

This company sent me to the Netherlands to work on a contract they had for outsourcing technical manuals for a client.

I was working in the client’s facility, in direct contact with people who had lost their jobs due to my company taking the literature contract. I didn’t make the decision to outsource the work, their management did. There was more than a little residual animosity.

My job was to get these people to help me do their company’s manuals. At the same time, I had to get my company to support me, from 3,000 miles away. Which was a bigger problem than working with the client’s downsized employees. The general consensus at Ordeals was that I was on vacation in Europe.

I must have missed that part, what with the 60-80 hour work weeks I was putting in at the site.

My aim is to keep this series humorous. It happened to me, but I don’t want it to happen to you.

Hope that you enjoy the laughs.

To Turkeys, With Laughs

2008-11-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

I read this on the Fortune site and thought that it was pretty funny!

http://askannie.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/11/24/the-biggest-turkey-i-ever-hired

If you work in more than one place in your life, you'll probably get to work for some turkeys. It can't be avoided, they're everywhere.

Allow me, on this turkey day, to give you some examples.

I worked as a service writer in a Porsche-Audi dealership. The service manager knew nothing about cars, he was a retired Army sergeant*.

A mechanic cut out a large chunk of an Audi's body to make it easier to remove the engine. This weakened the car's body. I reprimanded him. The service manager backed him up and fired me!

Long story short, the customer sued, the mechanic got fired, the service manager lasted another 90 days and Porsche-Audi pulled the dealership franchise. I think the customer got a new car, but I'm not sure.

* I'm a military brat and have the utmost respect for those in uniform. He was in the wrong job at the wrong time.

I was hired to help open a new '$99.95 Car Paint'. One of the pay incentives was a production bonus for turning out more than a specific number of cars in a week. As assistant manager, one of my jobs was turning in the weekly production figures.

For a couple of weeks, my boss, the owner, told me that he had went ahead and done the paperwork for me. Which helped him cover up the fact that he was doing paint jobs on his friends, relatives and neighbors cars, without them going on the franchise records. Still, I felt sure that we had made bonus production.

When I opened the shop one Saturday, I couldn't find the copy paper for the copier. When I found the copier paper, I found the certificate from the franchise company with my name on it for making the bonus. I made a copy, put the original back. Never got paid for the bonus.

I quit the next month and went to Hollywood with my first screenplay.

If you go to the Ask Annie site, check out the link where employees get to talk about HR managers.

I don't know if it's posted or not, but I wrote about my experience with 'Ordeals', the tech writing company in my book.

IF it makes the Ask Annie blog, great.

IF NOT, then I'll write about it in the next post.

I don't know if HR stands for Human Resources or Helpless Rejects

Tactics for Employees - Keeping Records

2008-11-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

You get hired by the company. It’s exciting, your first day on the job. Eager to make a good impression, you don’t want to anger anyone or make a mistake.

Don’t make the error of thinking that you shouldn't be covering yourself.

One of the most important things you can do is to keep a record of events.

You don’t have to note down everything, but the major stuff could help in the long run.

Keep a private record of your time.
Buy a notebook, even if it’s a small pocket one. DON'T use company materials.
Get in the habit of daily logging your hours.
Note anything unusual in the operation of the business.
Log instructions or comments by your co-workers or boss that could be considered illegal, immoral or anything else approaching questionable practices.

DON’T TELL ANYONE AT WORK YOU ARE DOING THIS!

Many companies will fire you for this type of activity. It’s very easy to get terminated without cause in many states.

When I worked as a technical writer, I used to keep a log of all the work I was doing on my desk. It was the only way I could track the different books, art requests, phone calls, etc. that was necessary for writing the books. Keep emails for at least a year after the project is completed.
I had one save my job and my company over $26,000 in rework when it proved that the client’s project manager had dropped the ball on giving me the proper title for the book I wrote for them.

When I was illegally fired, I took all my log books to court. It made the difference in my winning my court case. When the company appealed the court verdict, I won again in court.

As long as you keep your records, take them home with you and don’t use them to intimidate or harass co-workers, you will have a good line of defense.

Now, if you do lousy work, goof off and expect to have the records somehow clean up your act, you have another problem.

You’re dreaming.

NO BUCS

2008-09-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is posted on my other sites.

I'm more than a little angry about this 'bailout' deal!

NO BUCS!

Welcome to the roller -coaster ride of Wall St. No suicides, homicides or bailouts allowed. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car, sticking your neck out is optional. Just as long as it’s not mine.

Remember, that it’s all about your perception of ‘credit‘. None of the ‘money’ on Wall Street is real, it’s all paper tiger trash. All tangible assets will still be there tomorrow. Your house and city won’t disappear overnight.

This ‘financial meltdown’ is being done to keep you from real issues; lost jobs, wage, health care, and pension erosion, immigration and the wars on drugs and terror. All of which have contributed to this credit, mortgage and bank dilemma.

The root causes of this crisis is deregulation by the government.

There is a simple solution to this problem. It’s listed below and will pay for itself.

1) Immediate levy of an 80% tax on all incomes over 10 million per year.
Tax rate to adjust down to 30% per $100,000. These rates to be in effect for the next four years. If you made big bucks, you should pay big bucks, no exceptions.

EXAMPLE: Rush Limbaugh will have to ‘get by’ on about $27 million from the $105 million that he’s paid. Either amount is ‘lottery’ money to the average American.

Big actors will ‘take home’ 4 million out of their usual 20 million movie salary. Tough, but they’ll survive. Sell a yacht or an extra house. Taxes were higher than this in the 1950’s for millionaires.

2) Immediate 10% reduction on all government contracts. No exceptions. ‘No-bid’ contracts to be reviewed for revision and imposition of limitations.

3) Immediate 10% reduction on all elected officials salaries in the government (Executive, House of Representatives and the Senate) Since they can’t do their jobs, they deserve a pay cut. They’re lucky we can’t fire them outright.

4) Immediate yearly bonus cap for ALL employees, agents, managers or officers of companies, not to exceed 10% of annual salary. No adjustments or exclusions. This to include shares of stock or any other investment instrument.

5) Price gouging fine of 25%, minimum, on all excess profits from market manipulation for any ‘vital necessity’; such as: energy (oil, gas, propane, coal, electricity, etc.), food, health care and products, and clothing. A temporary price cap to be put into place as penalty for a 3-6 month period.

6) 90 Day moratorium on mortgage rates, to be extended as needed, on a monthly basis. This will allow the market to stabilize over the winter, which is a slow time for sales.

7) Minimum 50% equity share in every business that requests assistance from the government. Government to be first to recover investment when asset is liquidated or there is a return on profits.

8) Immediate freeze on stock market. Declare a ‘stock market holiday’ until 6 October for legislation to be enacted, based on proposed actions listed above.

IF no action is taken on a fair and comprehensive restructuring of the financial system, then:

ALL AMERICANS SHOULD STAY HOME ON 7 OCTOBER 2008 TO REMIND THE COMPANIES AND THE GOVERNMENT WHO REALLY RUNS THIS COUNTRY!
IT’S ‘WE THE PEOPLE’!

October 7, 2008, is the 243rd anniversary of the Stamp Act Congress.
One of the first attempts to insure the rights of citizens of America. Look it up, read about it, learn our history.

TAKE ACTION TODAY; CALL, EMAIL OR WRITE CONGRESS!

We trust in our government to manage our money and provide for our security. When they don’t, we the people must assert our rights to demand proper service.

The proposal above is not perfect, nor complete. It’s an outline of what needs to be done, without putting the entire burden on the average American.

NO BUCS!
NO BAILOUT for UPPER CLASS SWINDLERS!

Please forward this email to all your friends!
30 September 2008 Thomas L. Segerson

01 Wage Slave

2008-09-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the fun!

Everyone works at something, whether it's play or employment. Some are lucky enough that their employment is more play than work. Others, finding that they have obligations, allow themselves to be saddled and ridden into the ground. They never find that strength to bust loose and follow their star.

This blog is for all those who have become slaves to a wage. Working to keep things together, food on the table and heat in the house. It's difficult for all of us. Some of us have found a way out of this quagmire, too many will give up, allow themselves to sink into it.

Don't give up hope!

That's the key thing that I can tell you. In the darkest days of my life, I've always fought back, trying to build from whatever shred was left of my dream.

Look at the small things in the universe.
The power that comes from splitting an atom.
The life that is created from an egg and a sperm.

Each has their own, special energy to them.

Destructive and Creative.

What will you use your energy for?

No matter what place in society you occupy, you serve someone, some group or an ideal.

The leader of the most powerful nation on Earth serves his country and his people.

Determine that which is worth dying for because to live your life for nothing makes it a lost cause. Only you can determine what is of value.

Slaving for a wage, doing that which you hate, is no way to spend your life.

I've done it. I don't recommend it.

When you like your work, you enjoy your life.

It's a balancing act. Your own personal high wire routine.

You can't lose, even if you fall.

Because no matter what, you did it your way.