//';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[19]='"';l[20]='|109';l[21]='|111';l[22]='|99';l[23]='|46';l[24]='|110';l[25]='|111';l[26]='|115';l[27]='|97';l[28]='|101';l[29]='|114';l[30]='|64';l[31]='|108';l[32]='|108';l[33]='|101';l[34]='|104';l[35]='|99';l[36]='|116';l[37]='|105';l[38]='|109';l[39]='|46';l[40]='|115';l[41]='|105';l[42]='|114';l[43]='|104';l[44]='|99';l[45]=':';l[46]='o';l[47]='t';l[48]='l';l[49]='i';l[50]='a';l[51]='m';l[52]='"';l[53]='=';l[54]='f';l[55]='e';l[56]='r';l[57]='h';l[58]=' ';l[59]='a';l[60]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> (310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90034 (310) 391-2245
advertisements GA_googleFillSlot("left1"); GA_googleFillSlot("left2"); GA_googleFillSlot("left3"); GA_googleFillSlot("left4"); GA_googleFillSlot("left5"); Print|Email Myths About Capitalism Confronting the biggest lies about American business AudioPlayer.setup("/media/swf/player.swf", { width: 290 }); // Listen to Audio Version (MP3) ').show(); AudioPlayer.embed("outloudaudio", {soundFile: data.audio, titles:"Myths About Capitalism"}); }else{ //$("#outloudopinion").html('Listen to Reason.com articles on OutloudOpinion
'); } }); // ]]> GA_googleFillSlot("inner1");I won 19 Emmy Awards by reporting a myth: that business constantly rips us off"”that capitalism is mostly cruel and unfair.
I know that's a myth now. So I was glad to see the publication of The 5 Big Lies About American Business by Michael Medved.
I invite him on tonight's Fox Business Network show to talk about that.
"You can only make a profit in this country by giving people a product or a service that they want," he says. "It's the golden rule in action."
Medved used to write about the movies, so he's familiar with the businessman as villain. I'll play a clip from the movie Syriana, in which an oil tycoon makes this ridiculous speech:
"Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street."
"What's interesting," Medved commented, "is that in the old days, Hollywood would have businesspeople who were very positive: George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart character, is a banker in It's a Wonderful Life."
No longer. Today's movie capitalists are criminals or playboys. Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women.
"In school, we all studied a book called The Theory of the Leisure Class, which ... indicted the leisure class and these people who were out there exploiting other people and really had nothing to do except sit on their yachts and go to their swimming pools and their vacations."
In real life, that's nonsense.
"The higher up on the income scale you go, the less leisure time you have. You make money in this country by working hard."
Medved's second myth is that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. This is the old zero-sum fallacy, which ignores that when two people engage in free exchange, both gain"”or they wouldn't have traded. It's what I call the double thank-you phenomenon. I understand why politicians and lawyers believe it: It's true in their world. But it's not true in business.
"If you believe that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, then you believe that creating wealth causes poverty, and you're an idiot," said Medved. "One of the things that I hate is this term 'obscene profits.' There are no obscene profits ... . (The current economic downturn shows) "that when the rich get poorer ... everybody gets poorer."
Myth No. 3: Government is more fair and reliable than business.
"Remember the last time you went into Starbucks, and then remember the last time you went into the DMV to get your license," Medved said. "Where did you get better treated? And it's not because the barista is some kind of idealist or humanitarian. She wants a tip. She wants you to come back to the Starbucks ... ."
But the left doesn't get it.
"This is the suspicion of the profit motive"”the idea that if somebody is selflessly serving me, they're going to treat me better than somebody who wants to make a buck," Medved said. But "(i)f you think about it in your own life, if somebody is benefiting from his interaction with you ... it's a far more reliable kind of interaction than someone who comes and says I'm in this only for you."
Myth No. 4: The current downturn means the death of capitalism.
"Capitalism is alive and well," Medved said.
I'm also bugged when people argue that today's problems prove that capitalism "failed." What failed? We had a correction. A bubble popped. But from 1982 to now, the Dow rose from 800 to 11,000. Had it happened without the bubble, we'd say this is one of the great boom periods.
Medved added: "This is one of the biggest lies"”the idea that because of capitalism, we're all suffering. ... Poor people in America today, people who are officially in poverty, have a higher standard of living in terms of medical standards, in terms of the chances of going to college, in terms of the way people live, than middle-class people did 30 years ago. It's an extraordinary achievement of technology and of the profit sector."
John Stossel is host of Stossel on the Fox Business Network. He's the author of Give Me a Break and of Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. To find out more about John Stossel, visit his site at johnstossel.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
StumbleUpon| Digg| Reddit| Twitter| FacebookTry Reason's award-winning print edition today! Your first issue is FREE if you are not completely satisfied.
See all 182 comments | Leave a comment //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[10]='"';l[11]='|109';l[12]='|111';l[13]='|99';l[14]='|46';l[15]='|111';l[16]='|111';l[17]='|104';l[18]='|97';l[19]='|121';l[20]='|64';l[21]='|108';l[22]='|97';l[23]='|112';l[24]='|111';l[25]='|114';l[26]='|114';l[27]='|111';l[28]='|122';l[29]=':';l[30]='o';l[31]='t';l[32]='l';l[33]='i';l[34]='a';l[35]='m';l[36]='"';l[37]='=';l[38]='f';l[39]='e';l[40]='r';l[41]='h';l[42]=' ';l[43]='a';l[44]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 12:04PM|#"Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women."
So what's the explanation for golf?
reply to this liberty_equality_solidarity|4.22.10 @ 12:54PM|#Those are business trips! You see with all the hours they put in they deserve to make 1000X what the 80hours a week janitor does.
reply to this MWG|4.22.10 @ 1:23PM|#Janitors work 80 hours/week [citation needed].
reply to this k-y|4.22.10 @ 2:53PM|#My experience with shitty hourly jobs is that you need signed approval (which you almost never get) for any work over 39.5 hours.
reply to this Ï?|4.22.10 @ 3:41PM|#Depends on what skills the hourly worker is supplying and what kind of worker they are. If the skills are difficult to come by, and the worker a real driver, he can practically set his own hourly wage and will be lucky if he can ever get few hours off. At least that has been my experience working for hourly wages in the past.
If this isn't the case, then yes, 39.5 is often the rule.
Supply and demand dictates value. I see no reason why someone content to do work anyone could do (huge supply vs. modest demand) should expect to be paid or treated as if they were supplying a valuable service.
This is why I've been so intensely hated by union workers, most are fairly well paid (vastly over-paid in my opinion) only because of the union strong arming. When I'm called in it's because there is no other choice. And it usually is quickly apparent a better job could easily be accomplished if I was to replace several employees. That can be very threatening to these people, causing them to become very upset and aggressive towards me. In most cases I've been able to smooth things over with assurances that once my contract obligations are fulfilled I have no intention of doing anything other than moving on to the next one elsewhere.
Sometimes it pays to leave some things unsaid. No doubt the flames would be fanned if they knew I was being paid several times their highest salary. And that I firmly believe a more fair approach would be to prevent them from standing between me and their employers in any way. We both want to do business, and would do much more of it to both of our benefits if not for union possessiveness of that which is not rightfully theirs.
Of course creating unnecessary difficulty by upsetting the union gold-brickers would only cause their employer problems, thus reducing my value to their employer. It's all very political, sufficient tact is a must.
reply to this //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[10]='"';l[11]='|109';l[12]='|111';l[13]='|99';l[14]='|46';l[15]='|111';l[16]='|111';l[17]='|104';l[18]='|97';l[19]='|121';l[20]='|64';l[21]='|108';l[22]='|97';l[23]='|112';l[24]='|111';l[25]='|114';l[26]='|114';l[27]='|111';l[28]='|122';l[29]=':';l[30]='o';l[31]='t';l[32]='l';l[33]='i';l[34]='a';l[35]='m';l[36]='"';l[37]='=';l[38]='f';l[39]='e';l[40]='r';l[41]='h';l[42]=' ';l[43]='a';l[44]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 4:09PM|#Thanks for bringing up (apropos of nothing) the mere 14% of the workforce that's unionized, but what does this have to do with GOLF?
reply to this liberty_equality_solidarity|4.22.10 @ 3:45PM|#Well, I wasn't trying to imply that those hours were at one place (your point being entirely correct ) which is why they have multiple jobs. Basically, every Hispanic immigrant I've ever known has worked hours like that (across multiple jobs), really they would be better off if there was no over-time since they wouldn't have to get from job to job.
reply to this Myths About Capitalism Confronting the biggest lies about American business AudioPlayer.setup("/media/swf/player.swf", { width: 290 }); // Listen to Audio Version (MP3) ').show(); AudioPlayer.embed("outloudaudio", {soundFile: data.audio, titles:"Myths About Capitalism"}); }else{ //$("#outloudopinion").html('Listen to Reason.com articles on OutloudOpinion
'); } }); // ]]> GA_googleFillSlot("inner1");I won 19 Emmy Awards by reporting a myth: that business constantly rips us off"”that capitalism is mostly cruel and unfair.
I know that's a myth now. So I was glad to see the publication of The 5 Big Lies About American Business by Michael Medved.
I invite him on tonight's Fox Business Network show to talk about that.
"You can only make a profit in this country by giving people a product or a service that they want," he says. "It's the golden rule in action."
Medved used to write about the movies, so he's familiar with the businessman as villain. I'll play a clip from the movie Syriana, in which an oil tycoon makes this ridiculous speech:
"Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street."
"What's interesting," Medved commented, "is that in the old days, Hollywood would have businesspeople who were very positive: George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart character, is a banker in It's a Wonderful Life."
No longer. Today's movie capitalists are criminals or playboys. Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women.
"In school, we all studied a book called The Theory of the Leisure Class, which ... indicted the leisure class and these people who were out there exploiting other people and really had nothing to do except sit on their yachts and go to their swimming pools and their vacations."
In real life, that's nonsense.
"The higher up on the income scale you go, the less leisure time you have. You make money in this country by working hard."
Medved's second myth is that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. This is the old zero-sum fallacy, which ignores that when two people engage in free exchange, both gain"”or they wouldn't have traded. It's what I call the double thank-you phenomenon. I understand why politicians and lawyers believe it: It's true in their world. But it's not true in business.
"If you believe that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, then you believe that creating wealth causes poverty, and you're an idiot," said Medved. "One of the things that I hate is this term 'obscene profits.' There are no obscene profits ... . (The current economic downturn shows) "that when the rich get poorer ... everybody gets poorer."
Myth No. 3: Government is more fair and reliable than business.
"Remember the last time you went into Starbucks, and then remember the last time you went into the DMV to get your license," Medved said. "Where did you get better treated? And it's not because the barista is some kind of idealist or humanitarian. She wants a tip. She wants you to come back to the Starbucks ... ."
But the left doesn't get it.
"This is the suspicion of the profit motive"”the idea that if somebody is selflessly serving me, they're going to treat me better than somebody who wants to make a buck," Medved said. But "(i)f you think about it in your own life, if somebody is benefiting from his interaction with you ... it's a far more reliable kind of interaction than someone who comes and says I'm in this only for you."
Myth No. 4: The current downturn means the death of capitalism.
"Capitalism is alive and well," Medved said.
I'm also bugged when people argue that today's problems prove that capitalism "failed." What failed? We had a correction. A bubble popped. But from 1982 to now, the Dow rose from 800 to 11,000. Had it happened without the bubble, we'd say this is one of the great boom periods.
Medved added: "This is one of the biggest lies"”the idea that because of capitalism, we're all suffering. ... Poor people in America today, people who are officially in poverty, have a higher standard of living in terms of medical standards, in terms of the chances of going to college, in terms of the way people live, than middle-class people did 30 years ago. It's an extraordinary achievement of technology and of the profit sector."
John Stossel is host of Stossel on the Fox Business Network. He's the author of Give Me a Break and of Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. To find out more about John Stossel, visit his site at johnstossel.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
StumbleUpon| Digg| Reddit| Twitter| FacebookTry Reason's award-winning print edition today! Your first issue is FREE if you are not completely satisfied.
See all 182 comments | Leave a comment //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[10]='"';l[11]='|109';l[12]='|111';l[13]='|99';l[14]='|46';l[15]='|111';l[16]='|111';l[17]='|104';l[18]='|97';l[19]='|121';l[20]='|64';l[21]='|108';l[22]='|97';l[23]='|112';l[24]='|111';l[25]='|114';l[26]='|114';l[27]='|111';l[28]='|122';l[29]=':';l[30]='o';l[31]='t';l[32]='l';l[33]='i';l[34]='a';l[35]='m';l[36]='"';l[37]='=';l[38]='f';l[39]='e';l[40]='r';l[41]='h';l[42]=' ';l[43]='a';l[44]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 12:04PM|#"Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women."
So what's the explanation for golf?
reply to this liberty_equality_solidarity|4.22.10 @ 12:54PM|#Those are business trips! You see with all the hours they put in they deserve to make 1000X what the 80hours a week janitor does.
reply to this MWG|4.22.10 @ 1:23PM|#Janitors work 80 hours/week [citation needed].
reply to this k-y|4.22.10 @ 2:53PM|#My experience with shitty hourly jobs is that you need signed approval (which you almost never get) for any work over 39.5 hours.
reply to this Ï?|4.22.10 @ 3:41PM|#Depends on what skills the hourly worker is supplying and what kind of worker they are. If the skills are difficult to come by, and the worker a real driver, he can practically set his own hourly wage and will be lucky if he can ever get few hours off. At least that has been my experience working for hourly wages in the past.
If this isn't the case, then yes, 39.5 is often the rule.
Supply and demand dictates value. I see no reason why someone content to do work anyone could do (huge supply vs. modest demand) should expect to be paid or treated as if they were supplying a valuable service.
This is why I've been so intensely hated by union workers, most are fairly well paid (vastly over-paid in my opinion) only because of the union strong arming. When I'm called in it's because there is no other choice. And it usually is quickly apparent a better job could easily be accomplished if I was to replace several employees. That can be very threatening to these people, causing them to become very upset and aggressive towards me. In most cases I've been able to smooth things over with assurances that once my contract obligations are fulfilled I have no intention of doing anything other than moving on to the next one elsewhere.
Sometimes it pays to leave some things unsaid. No doubt the flames would be fanned if they knew I was being paid several times their highest salary. And that I firmly believe a more fair approach would be to prevent them from standing between me and their employers in any way. We both want to do business, and would do much more of it to both of our benefits if not for union possessiveness of that which is not rightfully theirs.
Of course creating unnecessary difficulty by upsetting the union gold-brickers would only cause their employer problems, thus reducing my value to their employer. It's all very political, sufficient tact is a must.
reply to this //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[10]='"';l[11]='|109';l[12]='|111';l[13]='|99';l[14]='|46';l[15]='|111';l[16]='|111';l[17]='|104';l[18]='|97';l[19]='|121';l[20]='|64';l[21]='|108';l[22]='|97';l[23]='|112';l[24]='|111';l[25]='|114';l[26]='|114';l[27]='|111';l[28]='|122';l[29]=':';l[30]='o';l[31]='t';l[32]='l';l[33]='i';l[34]='a';l[35]='m';l[36]='"';l[37]='=';l[38]='f';l[39]='e';l[40]='r';l[41]='h';l[42]=' ';l[43]='a';l[44]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 4:09PM|#Thanks for bringing up (apropos of nothing) the mere 14% of the workforce that's unionized, but what does this have to do with GOLF?
reply to this liberty_equality_solidarity|4.22.10 @ 3:45PM|#Well, I wasn't trying to imply that those hours were at one place (your point being entirely correct ) which is why they have multiple jobs. Basically, every Hispanic immigrant I've ever known has worked hours like that (across multiple jobs), really they would be better off if there was no over-time since they wouldn't have to get from job to job.
reply to this //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[12]='"';l[13]='|109';l[14]='|111';l[15]='|99';l[16]='|46';l[17]='|111';l[18]='|111';l[19]='|104';l[20]='|97';l[21]='|121';l[22]='|64';l[23]='|101';l[24]='|103';l[25]='|108';l[26]='|101';l[27]='|119';l[28]='|107';l[29]='|116';l[30]=':';l[31]='o';l[32]='t';l[33]='l';l[34]='i';l[35]='a';l[36]='m';l[37]='"';l[38]='=';l[39]='f';l[40]='e';l[41]='r';l[42]='h';l[43]=' ';l[44]='a';l[45]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 3:53PM|#I'm at the bottom of the income scale, and I've never worked more than two jobs. Of course, I am lazier than most immigrants. There was quite a while when I was earning tips that I actually worked less than 40 hours a week! Being poor isn't that bad. It just means that you have less options, but also less responsibility. I could call in sick anytime that I wanted, and pretty much come and go as I pleased. I party every night and chill every day.
Sure, a CEO can take the yacht out for a spin and take vacations in Monaco, but he/she also has a lot more of a daily headache than I ever want to put up with.
reply to this //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[12]='"';l[13]='|109';l[14]='|111';l[15]='|99';l[16]='|46';l[17]='|111';l[18]='|111';l[19]='|104';l[20]='|97';l[21]='|121';l[22]='|64';l[23]='|101';l[24]='|103';l[25]='|108';l[26]='|101';l[27]='|119';l[28]='|107';l[29]='|116';l[30]=':';l[31]='o';l[32]='t';l[33]='l';l[34]='i';l[35]='a';l[36]='m';l[37]='"';l[38]='=';l[39]='f';l[40]='e';l[41]='r';l[42]='h';l[43]=' ';l[44]='a';l[45]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == '|') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i]));} //]]> |4.22.10 @ 3:54PM|#"and I've never worked more than two jobs."
Should say that "I've never worked more than one job."
See, I told you that I'm lazy.
reply to this3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90034 (310) 391-2245
I won 19 Emmy Awards by reporting a myth: that business constantly rips us off"”that capitalism is mostly cruel and unfair.
I know that's a myth now. So I was glad to see the publication of The 5 Big Lies About American Business by Michael Medved.
I invite him on tonight's Fox Business Network show to talk about that.
"You can only make a profit in this country by giving people a product or a service that they want," he says. "It's the golden rule in action."
Medved used to write about the movies, so he's familiar with the businessman as villain. I'll play a clip from the movie Syriana, in which an oil tycoon makes this ridiculous speech:
"Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street."
"What's interesting," Medved commented, "is that in the old days, Hollywood would have businesspeople who were very positive: George Bailey, the Jimmy Stewart character, is a banker in It's a Wonderful Life."
No longer. Today's movie capitalists are criminals or playboys. Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women.
"In school, we all studied a book called The Theory of the Leisure Class, which ... indicted the leisure class and these people who were out there exploiting other people and really had nothing to do except sit on their yachts and go to their swimming pools and their vacations."
In real life, that's nonsense.
"The higher up on the income scale you go, the less leisure time you have. You make money in this country by working hard."
Medved's second myth is that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. This is the old zero-sum fallacy, which ignores that when two people engage in free exchange, both gain"”or they wouldn't have traded. It's what I call the double thank-you phenomenon. I understand why politicians and lawyers believe it: It's true in their world. But it's not true in business.
"If you believe that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, then you believe that creating wealth causes poverty, and you're an idiot," said Medved. "One of the things that I hate is this term 'obscene profits.' There are no obscene profits ... . (The current economic downturn shows) "that when the rich get poorer ... everybody gets poorer."
Myth No. 3: Government is more fair and reliable than business.
"Remember the last time you went into Starbucks, and then remember the last time you went into the DMV to get your license," Medved said. "Where did you get better treated? And it's not because the barista is some kind of idealist or humanitarian. She wants a tip. She wants you to come back to the Starbucks ... ."
But the left doesn't get it.
"This is the suspicion of the profit motive"”the idea that if somebody is selflessly serving me, they're going to treat me better than somebody who wants to make a buck," Medved said. But "(i)f you think about it in your own life, if somebody is benefiting from his interaction with you ... it's a far more reliable kind of interaction than someone who comes and says I'm in this only for you."
Myth No. 4: The current downturn means the death of capitalism.
"Capitalism is alive and well," Medved said.
I'm also bugged when people argue that today's problems prove that capitalism "failed." What failed? We had a correction. A bubble popped. But from 1982 to now, the Dow rose from 800 to 11,000. Had it happened without the bubble, we'd say this is one of the great boom periods.
Medved added: "This is one of the biggest lies"”the idea that because of capitalism, we're all suffering. ... Poor people in America today, people who are officially in poverty, have a higher standard of living in terms of medical standards, in terms of the chances of going to college, in terms of the way people live, than middle-class people did 30 years ago. It's an extraordinary achievement of technology and of the profit sector."
John Stossel is host of Stossel on the Fox Business Network. He's the author of Give Me a Break and of Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. To find out more about John Stossel, visit his site at johnstossel.com.
COPYRIGHT 2010 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Help Reason celebrate its next 40 years. Donate Now!
Try Reason's award-winning print edition today! Your first issue is FREE if you are not completely satisfied.
"Apparently, Hollywood writers think it's plausible that CEOs have lots of time to sip cocktails and chase women."
So what's the explanation for golf?
Those are business trips! You see with all the hours they put in they deserve to make 1000X what the 80hours a week janitor does.
Janitors work 80 hours/week [citation needed].
My experience with shitty hourly jobs is that you need signed approval (which you almost never get) for any work over 39.5 hours.
Depends on what skills the hourly worker is supplying and what kind of worker they are. If the skills are difficult to come by, and the worker a real driver, he can practically set his own hourly wage and will be lucky if he can ever get few hours off. At least that has been my experience working for hourly wages in the past.
If this isn't the case, then yes, 39.5 is often the rule.
Supply and demand dictates value. I see no reason why someone content to do work anyone could do (huge supply vs. modest demand) should expect to be paid or treated as if they were supplying a valuable service.
This is why I've been so intensely hated by union workers, most are fairly well paid (vastly over-paid in my opinion) only because of the union strong arming. When I'm called in it's because there is no other choice. And it usually is quickly apparent a better job could easily be accomplished if I was to replace several employees. That can be very threatening to these people, causing them to become very upset and aggressive towards me. In most cases I've been able to smooth things over with assurances that once my contract obligations are fulfilled I have no intention of doing anything other than moving on to the next one elsewhere.
Sometimes it pays to leave some things unsaid. No doubt the flames would be fanned if they knew I was being paid several times their highest salary. And that I firmly believe a more fair approach would be to prevent them from standing between me and their employers in any way. We both want to do business, and would do much more of it to both of our benefits if not for union possessiveness of that which is not rightfully theirs.
Of course creating unnecessary difficulty by upsetting the union gold-brickers would only cause their employer problems, thus reducing my value to their employer. It's all very political, sufficient tact is a must.
Thanks for bringing up (apropos of nothing) the mere 14% of the workforce that's unionized, but what does this have to do with GOLF?
Well, I wasn't trying to imply that those hours were at one place (your point being entirely correct ) which is why they have multiple jobs. Basically, every Hispanic immigrant I've ever known has worked hours like that (across multiple jobs), really they would be better off if there was no over-time since they wouldn't have to get from job to job.
I'm at the bottom of the income scale, and I've never worked more than two jobs. Of course, I am lazier than most immigrants. There was quite a while when I was earning tips that I actually worked less than 40 hours a week! Being poor isn't that bad. It just means that you have less options, but also less responsibility. I could call in sick anytime that I wanted, and pretty much come and go as I pleased. I party every night and chill every day.
Sure, a CEO can take the yacht out for a spin and take vacations in Monaco, but he/she also has a lot more of a daily headache than I ever want to put up with.
"and I've never worked more than two jobs."
Should say that "I've never worked more than one job."
See, I told you that I'm lazy.
Has anybody else on this blog worked for less than 20 grand a year for the last 5 years, while also living on their own, or with other poor roommates? Or is everybody else here a business owner or something? I'm just curious.
TK,
You're not alone. I'm not quite as lazy as you, but pretty damn close. I just don't care about living an extravagant life. My time is much more important to me than money.
I supported my wife and child for 2 1/2 years making about 27k. We didn't have much, but we had enough. We built good credit and now that she's working, we've bought 40 acres of land and are in the process of starting a vineyard. My own research (internet, library) has shown that it's a young but growing market in my state (OK). I hope to be able to quit working for anyone else by the time I'm 40. Then I'll join the ranks of the "evil." ;)
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