Hell, I've been screaming recession from a mountain top since the beginning of 2007! Hmmm, seems that is still ahead of what the Feds are finally fessing up to. Either I am brilliant or they lie too much... maybe a little of both.
I guess as someone who was cut loose from gainful employment 4 times in the past 24 months and 5 times overall since 2003, I have a pretty different perspective from most folks when it comes to being out of work, down-on-yer-luck, and just putting the nose to the ol' grindstone when I do have a job. Had a conversation this morning with someone who hit the proverbial nail on the head... "I feel happy just to HAVE a job right now!"
I was part of a BBC radio show a few weeks ago that some folks may have heard... I plastered it all over my Facebook page... Talk about a whole “OTHER” perspective!!! I was the unique person on the call because I had been through so many layoffs. And not just being laid off... I mean, I was right in the thick of the “Sub-prime Tsunami” as my pal Darrin likes to call it. I worked for Fremont Investment & Loan, the first company the FDIC really came in and just flat-out shut down. I think worked for IndyMac bank who suffered a similar fate and is now being controlled by the Feds...
I then went to a division of Bear Stearns and we all know they are now a branch office of JP Morgan Chase. And now of course JP Morgan Chase is laying folks off here in the Tampa area! Good thing I didn't go over there, huh!!!
Finally, Robert Half cut me loose (well, I cut them loose technically but I only just beat them to the punch I bet) and I hear now that the entire division I was a part of is Adios!
As crazy as it seems, all of those failed companies crashed for similar reasons, and all of them had too big of an ego to realize they were in trouble. I was in meetings and conference calls with ALL of these companies that sorta went like this:
Or specifically in the case of Bear Stearns: “We've made a profit for 87 consecutive years!!! We're not going under!!!”
No lie, by the time I left Robert Half in August I could lead the conference calls myself. I heard the same ridiculous, egomaniacal rants from so many executive levels folks that I just couldn't even listen half the time. NONE of them would come to the table and say, “OK, times are tough... here's what we are going to do to weather the storm and ensure you still have a job”.
Sadly, many of them are STILL out of work. As I said before... “I feel lucky to have a job!!!” and it's the sad truth!
The good news is, the new job I have is great! I am a computer geek again! WAA HOO!!! I had a guy say to me a month ago... “Well, I feel safe because no one ever lays off IT people!!!”
hmmmm... it was all I could do NOT to punch the guy in the nose. Talk about having yer head buried in the sand!
***
But back to the BBC thing... some food for thought...
The unemployment in the US is still below 10% (actually, just looked online and US Dept of Labor says 6.5%)... one person on the round table discussion said that the unemployment in his country (I want to say it was Ghana or something) is in the neighborhood f 75%!!!
Imagine if you and you entire family were all out of work and no prospects for work in the next 12 months... seriously, that is how much of the world is!!! There was a caller from China on the show... here's what he had to say (paraphrasing a bit here):
“It's a foreign concept to us here where there are no 'rights'... no right to work, can't vote... I mean, just the thought that you just selected your country's leader is mind-boggling”...
I've always been one to keep things in perspective, I guess. Even though I have been through the ringer over the past 5 years, it could be MUCH, MUCH worse... I could be out of work AND have no one to blame but myself??? hmmm... not sure I like the sound of that.
…
In other news, the Chicago Bears severely suck ass. Anyone that saw the ass-whuppin' the Minnesota Vikings laid on them Sunday night realizes that. Of course, one person still with his head in the clouds is head coach, Lovie Smith. After halftime (and mind you they were losing at the half) the sideline reporter informed the nation that Lovie is officially on crack:
“...Lovie Smith said that the Bears really dominated that first half...”
OK, again I paraphrase a bit, but that was the gist of what she said. So riddle me this... if you dominated, how are you losing? The Bears got whupped in ever aspect of the game... our defense played well, but then collapsed at key moments (like the 99 yard TD pass!!!)... the Offense was mildly productive (rookie RB Matt Forte played well... just don't expect him to score from the 1-Yard line) except for when it was self-destructing.
My buddy Dave hit the nail on the head... the Bears should have traded Devin Hester last season. He's a waste of space right now. He caught a pass early in the game and took it all the way for a TD but then dropped 4-5 passes and did nothing at all returning punts. For the amount of money he is making, anything short of a TD a week is a waste of time.
Well, I resisted the urge to throw a temper tantrum and just drank another beer. Needless to say, Monday was a rough day.
Alright... back to the video games...
Peace out...
Heitz
No comments:
Post a Comment