Convergence of Relevant Stuff

The CEO of AIG said that some of the people who received a bonus said that they would stay and try to help, but they turned around and took their millions of taxpayer dollars and walked out with our money.  In other words, they truly cared about their country and the American people.  This is absolutely ridiculous.  The folks at AIG do not have a clue and further do not care about American people who are suffering through layoffs, no food to eat, living in tent cities, their homes are being foreclosed on, and they have little or no hope of securing a job.

Wall Street has ruined this country.  Corporations are laying off older workers who make a high salary in order to please the hallowed share holder.  If you are an employee who has at least 2o to 25 years in the bank with one company and it is a publicly traded company, you are at risk of  being laid off in favor of keeping a younger workers who can be paid much less than the you the older worker.  Don’t get me wrong young workers deserve a job too and many of them have been laid off as well.  The point is corporations do not care about anyone; young or old. All in the best interest of the glorified share holder.

Companies are only interested in Wall Street and they could care less about Main Street. If you have never been laid off, let me enlighten you about what happens. You put in 25- 30 years of services to a publicly traded company. You worked harder than just about anyone at  your place of employment. Did not take vacation days. Performed your job over and above requirements;  then you get laid off. They tap you on the shoulder and tell you to go to HR, where you hear a speech that your job as been eliminated, it has nothing to do with you. It is not personnel, but you no longer have health insurance and we don’t care that you have a pre-existing condition (cancer).   That happened to me and that’s what corporate, and publicly traded companies do to  hard working Americans.

So yes AIG needs to get the money back from these greedy Wall Street executives and give the money back to the American people. They need it to eat. Buy health care and to feed their families.

The AIG  fiasco is an example of greed gone wild. This country is in the shape that it is in, because of mis-management such as this and the  greed that has run rampant in the country.  AIG needs to be held accountable for spending the tax payers money in such a reckless manor.   For these executives to take this money, knowing what this country is going though what could ultimately be a depression, is despicable.  This is an unheard of amount of money that they received as retention fee; especially when unemployment is running as high as 13.4% in this country.

Where is the compassion for Americans who are suffering and trying to make ? Yet these people take millions of dollars and take the money and run and think nothing of it.  Yes AIG needs to be held accountable and  the money must be returned.

Last night, President Obama recorded a series of national network and cable news interviews about the urgent need for an economic recovery plan. Watch the video and share it with your friends and family:

The economic crisis is growing more serious every day, and the time for action has come.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will jumpstart our economy and put more than 3 million people back to work.

I hope to sign the recovery plan into law in the next few weeks. But I need your help to spread the word and build support.

It’s not enough for this bill to simply pass Congress. Americans need to know how it will affect their lives — they need to know that help is on the way and that this administration is investing in economic growth and stability.

Governor Tim Kaine has agreed to record a video outlining the recovery plan and answering questions about what it means for your community. You can submit your questions online and then invite your friends, family, and neighbors to watch the video with you at an Economic Recovery House Meeting.

Join thousands of people across the country by hosting or attending an Economic Recovery House Meeting this weekend.

The stakes are too high to allow partisan politics to get in the way.

That’s why I’ve consulted with Republicans as well as Democrats to put together a plan that will address the crisis we face.

I’ve also taken steps to ensure an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Once it’s passed, you will be able to see how every penny in this plan is being spent.

You can help restore confidence in our economy by making sure your friends, family, and neighbors understand how the recovery plan will impact your community.

Sign up to host or attend an Economic Recovery House Meeting and submit your question for the video now:

http://my.barackobama.com/recovery

Our ability to come together as a nation in difficult times has never been more important.

I know I can rely on your spirit and resolve as we lead our country to recovery.

Thank you,

P.S. — If you can’t host or attend an Economic Recovery House Meeting, you can still submit your questions for Governor Kaine and then share the video with your friends and family this weekend. Learn more here:

http://my.barackobama.com/recovery

Sprint  announced layoffs of over 8,000 workers today across the board and across the country.   Sprint  one of the big three wireless companies continues to real from bad business decisions and bad customer service. The layoffs are the latest  result in the in Sprint’s attempts to  control the  business landscape and satisfy shareholders. Will it work?  It it will be difficult.

I believe most people take pride in what they do for a living. Yes compensation is a big factor and one must get paid in order to live, but the keys to job satisfaction are not necessarily based on pay alone. Most people look for good working conditions. They must feel safe in their working environment. The job must be satisfying and meaningful. Of course it helps if the job pays well and offers good benefits. It is good if you feel appreciated and respected for the work you do. In short people must feel motivated to do a good job and go the extra mile while at work.

Management style is important. If there is not a match here, personalities can and will clash and it does not matter how much you are getting paid if you are miserable in your job. It helps if you like what you are doing; this can help you to overcome a demanding work environment. If you are good at what you do, management style will not cause you to leave, even if there are conflicting personalities involved.

Fairness is important, this is at the top of the list. Are promotions determined fairly and the same for everyone? If you perceive that promotions are not fair, then they will be dissatisfied with the job, which will cause productivity to go down. The employee will feel more stressed and undervalued. It also helps if you work in a nurturing environment where management really does care about you, your feelings, and your opportunites for advancement in the job.

Most people have different primary needs from their jobs and if these needs are not met, they will be inclined to leave and go somewhere else. According to the the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, who conducted the 2006 General Social Survey, 27,000 people were asked questions regarding job satisfaction and general happiness. The survey found that the individual level of contentment affects the overall sense of happiness. The theory is that we are at work,more than any place else in our daily lives, so satisfaction in your work environment is key to your well being.

The survey found that firefighters, clergy and other professionals involved with helping and serving others, are more satisfied with their work and or more happier than others. This is a tall order for most companies to meet, with the high demands of share holders in the company. Trying to meet those demands can be challenging at best in today stressful work environment.

Clearly, pay is not the most important parameter for job happiness. Unfortunately unless you have one of the above special skills, you probably are not satisfied with your job. Only 47% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs.

Given this scenario, short of job hopping; which does not work. One must come to terms with what they expect from a job, find their niche and dig in. When you find a job that you really like everything else will falls into place. In this case it’s best to follow your heart and not your pocket book.

The economy has caused more than enough turmoil in the lives of people. Corporations have mismanaged funds and made many bad business decisions and workers are left to suffer. Many have been laid off and find themselves suddenly in the work force after many years of devoted service to their respective companies.  Companies continue to have a plan  before the layoffs and after.  The ultimate idea is to bring in less experienced workers  and to pay them at a lower salary, all to improve the bottom line. Nearly always the new employees  are brought in without benefits, and many times work as contract employees, saving the  company hundred’s of thousands of dollars.

Another ploy used by numerous companies is to eliminate positions and then distribute the work to remaining staffers. Most layoffs involve severance pay and benefits for a specific period of time. This is usually based on years of service with the company.  The problem is many workers are being laid off after age 50, which   leaves them in a dire position.   At age 50 or above it is increasingly difficult to find work; because employers are  reluctant to hire workers in this category.

How did we get in this position? There is not one clear answer to this question. Mismangement, bad management decisions, and one obvious culprit; greed. Corporate greed has spread across this country like a wild forrest fire and we are paying the price for it in plant closing, bankruptcies and layoffs.  We are in for a  very long haul to  improve a dire employment situation.

Email from President Elect Barack Obama Announces New Website:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting President-elect Barack Obama and Obama for
America.  Barack greatly appreciates the outpouring of messages he is
receiving from across the country and from Americans around the world.
He is deeply honored by the confidence the American people have placed
in him and in Vice President-elect Biden.  Please click here to see
President-elect Obama’s speech on Election Night:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGx3Kc

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are hopeful about the opportunities and
clear-eyed about the challenges our nation faces.  They look forward to
working with all Americans, regardless of who they voted for, in the
great project of American renewal.  Enlisting the energy and ingenuity
of the American people is the only way we will create the changes that
so many people want to see, so we hope you’ll be involved.

You have just contacted Obama for America, the Obama/Biden campaign
organization.  A new organization has been formed to facilitate
communication with the Obama/Biden Administration that will take office
on January 20, 2009.  If you have questions, suggestions, or comments
about the federal government, policy, or the coming Obama/Biden
Administration, please visit the online Office of the President-elect
for more information and to get involved:

www.change.gov

If you’re contacting us because you’ve been energized by your
participation in our grassroots movement, we hope you will remain
active in your community and involved in national policy debates.
Please continue to visit www.BarackObama.com
regularly.  We’ve built one of the most comprehensive nationwide
organizing networks in history, and our victory on November 4th is only
the beginning of the work we will do together.

The 56th Presidential Inauguration will take place on January 20th,
2009.  For more information, we encourage you to visit the websites of
the Presidential Inauguration Committee and the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

http://www.pic2009.org/

http://inaugural.senate.gov/

Due to the extremely number of messages we are currently receiving, we
may be unable to respond to your message individually, but we do
appreciate hearing from you and hope you’ll work with us as we build
America’s future together.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Sincerely,
Obama for America

———————–
Paid for by Obama for America

The high incidents of layoffs in America gives us all room to pause and reflect on the state of the economy and  where the job market is heading.  It is a  difficult and dreadful situation, and it is poised to get worse in the next few month.