Working hard to get ahead [Makers and Takers]

  • Thread starter Thread starter rlg94086
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
vern_humphrey said:
Bad business owners don’t stay in business. It’s a self-correcting problem.
Click to expand...
And it’s really annoying when you find you have been working for one. The fact that certain idiots are going to be out of business by September doesn’t help my particular present situation.
 
vern_humphrey said:
No. When badly-run businesses collapse the net effect is beneficial. True, some employees lose their jobs, and some investors lose their money. But the net effect is to cleanse the industry, making it more efficient.

Bad business owners don’t stay in business. It’s a self-correcting problem.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily, vern. About 4 years ago, a huge global broker was found as doing several illegal things, one of which was known as bid rigging. I work for its competition, and we were lumped into the same category, and we were not and never have bid rigged insurance policies. So, in theory, you’re right, bad/corrupt businesses, when they go under (the company I mention didn’t go under, just laid off 3000 ee’s) it should cleanse the industry, but the modern day consumer doesn’t look at it that way. They lump everyone together in an industry, and make buying decisions based on that. What happened to us, is that we survived obviously…we’re doing great now,but back then…many clients went to regional/local brokers, because they viewed the ‘big 3’ as all being cut from the same cloth.
 
jmcrae said:
And it’s really annoying when you find you have been working for one. The fact that certain idiots are going to be out of business by September doesn’t help my particular present situation.
Click to expand...
are you talking about middle market, or small business owners?
 
whatevergirl said:
are you talking about middle market, or small business owners?
Click to expand...
Let’s call it a small independently managed branch office of a large company. (I don’t want to get specific, because I have a chance of a job at a different branch of the same company - which I am led to understand is being better managed.)

To be fair, it’s not the manager himself who is an idiot, but he is getting bad advice from someone who I think has a particular agenda to cut customer service, in order to force a need that a relative of his can fulfill.

What’s actually going to happen is that after I’m gone, the customers are going to go elsewhere - they aren’t going to wait for this guy’s relative to get up to speed on their needs, etc.
 
jmcrae said:
And it’s really annoying when you find you have been working for one. The fact that certain idiots are going to be out of business by September doesn’t help my particular present situation.
Click to expand...
Just like someone finding a cure for a disease after you die of it doesn’t help you – but it helps others.
 
whatevergirl said:
Not necessarily, vern. About 4 years ago, a huge global broker was found as doing several illegal things, one of which was known as bid rigging. I work for its competition, and we were lumped into the same category, and we were not and never have bid rigged insurance policies. So, in theory, you’re right, bad/corrupt businesses, when they go under (the company I mention didn’t go under, just laid off 3000 ee’s) it should cleanse the industry, but the modern day consumer doesn’t look at it that way.
Click to expand...
The “modern day consumer” is woefully ignorant of economics and heavily propagandized by populist politicians.
whatevergirl said:
They lump everyone together in an industry, and make buying decisions based on that. What happened to us, is that we survived obviously…we’re doing great now,but back then…many clients went to regional/local brokers, because they viewed the ‘big 3’ as all being cut from the same cloth.
Click to expand...
Yes – which is why the failure of our public school system has hurt us so badly. Kids are not being taught economics, business, or critical thinking.
 
vern_humphrey said:
The “modern day consumer” is woefully ignorant of economics and heavily propagandized by populist politicians.

Yes – which is why the failure of our public school system has hurt us so badly. Kids are not being taught economics, business, or critical thinking.
Click to expand...
I have friends and family who attend private religious/Catholic schools, and they didn’t learn economics or business…I think that the media has a way of editorializing rather than reporting sheer facts anymore, so the consumer reads things, and without giving it further thought, jumps on the bandwagon in protest.
 
whatevergirl said:
I have friends and family who attend private religious/Catholic schools, and they didn’t learn economics or business…I think that the media has a way of editorializing rather than reporting sheer facts anymore, so the consumer reads things, and without giving it further thought, jumps on the bandwagon in protest.
Click to expand...
Oh, I agree – although when I attended Catholic schools, we learned about things like “buy day-old bread. It’s just as nutritious as fresh bread, but cheaper.”

But the politicians and media have convinced the people it’s all a conspiracy.
 
vern_humphrey said:
Oh, I agree – although when I attended Catholic schools, we learned about things like “buy day-old bread. It’s just as nutritious as fresh bread, but cheaper.”

But the politicians and media have convinced the people it’s all a conspiracy.
Click to expand...
Buy day old bread.:eek: I can’t imagine it.😛

Agree re: the media.
 
whatevergirl said:
Buy day old bread.:eek: I can’t imagine it.😛

Agree re: the media.
Click to expand...
When my oldest daughter went to high school, she brought home a note informing us the class was going to the State Capitol, and they should dress appropriately, “This means no jeans except designer jeans.”:eek:

The school taught the kids that jeans aren’t appropriate – unless you pay $80 a pair for them.:rolleyes:
 
vern_humphrey said:
When my oldest daughter went to high school, she brought home a note informing us the class was going to the State Capitol, and they should dress appropriately, “This means no jeans except designer jeans.”:eek:

The school taught the kids that jeans aren’t appropriate – unless you pay $80 a pair for them.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
All this and most of the kids coming out today can’t spell. Government run schools and now some are advocating for government run health care system. I bet our founding fathers are spinning in their graves.
 
LCMS_No_More said:
Well said. Funny how right-wingers who operate from greed throw envy at people who merely point out their greed and wish to place a minor check on it.
Click to expand...
Looking at your sigline, I would call your post simplistic. In fact, it borders on being uncharitable in a Christian sense.
 
mary_bobo said:
All this and most of the kids coming out today can’t spell. Government run schools and now some are advocating for government run health care system. I bet our founding fathers are spinning in their graves.
Click to expand...
If you listed all the problems we have in this country, and researched them one by one, you’d find government caused most of them.
 
mary_bobo said:
All this and most of the kids coming out today can’t spell. Government run schools and now some are advocating for government run health care system. I bet our founding fathers are spinning in their graves.
Click to expand...
No doubt! I marvel how the young aspiring execs coming out of college cannot spell basic everyday words…that are more than 1 syllable.:o
 
Fitswimmer said:
My years of volunteering with food pantries and with organizations that assist pregnant women have left me with a perspective on society that differs from many here. I have met so many people who would dearly love to be able to have even the smallest house or apartment and feed their families without having to resort to assistance. I’ve seen how government programs can both help and trap people. I’ve never met a “welfare queen” nor have I ever seen that mythical person buying steak and lobster with their food stamps. I have met people who work multiple jobs to keep their families together, to have and keep babies rather than aborting them and to keep their children in good schools. I’ve met people who did all the right things-worked hard in school, went to college and got good jobs and they still ended up needing help due to illness or layoffs.
/QUOTE]

Fit - I’m sorry - but your reasoning sounds like envy. If I was mistaken, I apologize.

BTW - I have met both types of people that you describe above. Both the good working poor, and the spongers. If you’re ever in IL, I could arrange it so that you CAN meet them - I have some of them in my own family - it’s disgusting, frankly.
Click to expand...
 
Fitswimmer said:
If you look at the people who keep politicians in those nice jobs, you’ll find Big Pharm, Big Oil and Big Agriculture. If they want to keep those nice jobs, they’re going to keep those folks happy. The little people with our tiny donations aren’t keeping them in power.
Click to expand...
Money does play a part, no doubt. But… we all have our own vote. One thing I learned in a political activism seminar was that incumbents win because to get people to vote for someone new, you have to convince them that the prior votes were a poor choice.

That’s mighty hard to do.
 
whatevergirl said:
Truthfully, he makes better use of it than the gov’t would.:o Maybe he looks at it this way. He can’t change the system, so maybe he gives so much away, to compensate.
Click to expand...
Or perhaps he is simply a hypocrite, advocating for other people to pay more taxes to support Big Government but unwilling to send a check into the IRS himself.

I opt for the latter, but your mileage may vary.
 
Sheeniac said:
Money does play a part, no doubt. But… we all have our own vote. One thing I learned in a political activism seminar was that incumbents win because to get people to vote for someone new, you have to convince them that the prior votes were a poor choice.

That’s mighty hard to do.
Click to expand...
Gerrymandering is the engine of incumbency.

People continue to vote for politicians who pander to them, particularly when they can vote money out of other people’s pockets.

This is why such a large number of Americans pay no income tax whatsoever, and why the definition of “the rich” drops lower and lower while the poverty line climbs higher in inflation-adjusted terms.

Meanwhile, Big Government never, ever, ever gets smaller.

You’d almost think they’d planned it that way. 🤷
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top