E. Scrooge is alive and well and working in Iraq for your tax dollars

Whenever I hear pundits talk about how the Great American Company loves their employees and clients and just want to provide the best for both, I always laugh. Whenever you hear a news story about a company "controlling costs" you can bet that means cutting employee pay to help preserve and increase management (top management that is) pay and bonuses. I'm not being cynical here, I mean this as the truth. There are some companies that do try their best, there are always exceptions to the rule. But if you think I'm being a little overboard in my condemnation, just read or listen to this story about the other contractors in Iraq. If US companies could get away with that here, you bet they would. Or I'd bet on it that way, and I'd win. I may play the lottery somedays, but I always bet to win.

Work environments have gone down hill since I started working. Some people maybe confused why the UAW went on strike at both GM and Chrysler, I'm not. It's putting the employeers on notice that the employees have accepted all the cuts, and the horrible services and cut-rate benefits, all the disrespect (and if you don't know what I mean here, count yourself lucky), and all of the crap they're going to take. Workers were once considered important. Then they were delegated to "Cost Units" and treated no better than the office equipment and furniture. We're now on the slide to having the workers considered the same as the grease you use to lubricate the equipment and polish for the furniture.

There is an economic philosphy about how little quality is acceptable (why things break quicker now), where are the pain points in any transaction (where is the line when people will just walk away). Unfortunately business has adopted this as not the base-line level of quality and service to both customers and shareholders, but as the goal. This is not a good thing and upon the brow of this bastard child of economic research is written the word, "Doom."