Layoffs

Got this email from my son this morningL

Yesterday I got back from a SQL conference that LEGO paid for me to go to... it was in Vegas.  Today I have no job because LEGO abruptly shut down our entire office and laid off over 100 people. 

I not only lose my job, but I lose my job on my wife's 40th birthday, the same day we went to a friends wedding.  Not to mention that I also lose about $15000 worth of 401k that was going to be vested next year.

And now, I get to try to find a Senior DBA job in a economy that totally sucks.  Yay me!


I hate layoffs.


In my careers, I was laid off five times.  Twice at a young age in the defense industry. So when I got into high tech, working for IBM, I felt safe from the shock of hearing that your way of making a living was gone. Then, 20 years later, I was laid off three more times. Later in my career,  I also was involved in deciding who got laid off. I hated it. 


My last layoff forced me out of my high tech, high paying career.  I was too old to compete in a weak market.  It forced me to adjust to living on 30 % of what I use to make, I had to work in career I hated - sales.  Now, I work 50 hours a week in my full time job and when 10 to 20 hours a week at my two part time jobs. Oh, I also collect social security.   I now make about 40% of what I made over ten years ago


Lately, there are demonstrators in many cities who are basically demonstrating about the wealth, greed and unfairness. Latest statistics show that in the last fifty years, the top 10% of income earners that use to hold 1/3 of the nation's wealth now hold 1/2 of the nation's wealth.  


For the past five years, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, over 150,000 employees get laid off each month.  Many months, the number exceeds 200,000.  My son's story, my story and those of hundred of thousands are very similar. We loose, the companies gain.


As my son's company lay off 100 employees in a decision made by some unreachable person, the company posts record breaking profits:


Pretax profit leaps nearly 70 pct....


Where is the Fairness in that, where is the Accountability,  whose Interest are they watching out for, why is this Right?  The demonstrators know things are not FAIR.  


And the hundred of thousands every month get told, Ah... tomorrow, your way of making a living is gone.  

I don't have the answers, but I do know letting 10% of the people in a nation to own over 1/2 the wealth and make decisions that impact hundred of thousands each month is not my idea of being FAIR!


It is not democracy.  It is not what our forefathers wanted out country to be. It is not a system that will last.  The 90% of us who basically support the upper 10% will not allow it to go on forever.


It is time for some Fairness, Accountability, our Interest to be considered, and doing what is Right.


It is time to be FAIR.


I don't take a solid position on any political party. I don't believe in trickly down economics. I don't believe the government should be as big as it is. 


I think the system is broke, wrong, and self serving. 


It is stupid for a country of 200 million people to instill the power of running the country in the hands of people who are selected by their ability to raise money, say whatever needs said to get votes, and put down their opposition with dirt, negative advertising, and misleading statements.  This is the most stupid way to select leaders I know. How does this qualify anybody to solve some of the most complex problems we know?  How can slinging dirt at your opponents help in solving poverty How can making promises that you know you can't keep make you qualified in solving global warming How can spending the most money on advertising make one qualified on building peace with nations who want us dead? 


Where is representation, accountability and fairness?


Where is the fairness of an executive to make millions of dollars  a year to decide to lay off 10, 20, 30% of his work force?  Let's see ... profits are heading down by a few million dollars, so let's cut our spending by laying off 10,000 hard workers who make 50K per year. That will save us  


What have we allowed to happen?


Isn't it time we take back the power we gave to these idiots?    


Enough!


Now, I'm ranting.


I just wanted to plant a thought:  Maybe, just maybe we need to change things.


Go. do it!