The American Work Ethic

[wabmester]

Snipped from the article:

For a quarter-century you've worked like a donkey to boost productivity, and almost all the benefits have gone to your boss and his investors.

Why have we let this happen? Princeton University political scientist Larry Bartels asked just this question and concluded that, basically, we're dumb.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2004/0725/cover.html

 

[sgeeeee]

If you aren't part of the ruling, wealthy elite . . . you might as well retire early.

 

[azanon]

Great article. I'm "fighting back" right now at work by sipping my coffee and browsin/posting on these forums.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'm fightin' harder than you. I'm not even sitting up straight.

 

[unclemick]

Alive and well - just got back from Wal-Mart - one of my old jobshopper buddies is now working there(ex tool designer). Made the big bucks for twenty five years - four ex wives. Never recyled even one drysheet. Great place for a CAD tool designer.

Oh and one of my doughnut shop buddies showed up - back from Iraq with two cracked vertibrae - after finishing six power plants their convoy got shot up south of Mosul.

Some people are doing their best for the American work ethic.

Interesting morning - I think I'll relax this rest of the day to help balance things - perhaps a load of clothes with a recyled dryer sheet.

 

[Skylark]

I'm home sick (kof, kof) and slouching. The satanic mills keep grinding away w/o me.

 

[Telly]

I'm home sick (kof, kof) and slouching.

That sounds like a pretty bad cough to me. I think it would be very unwise for you to return to work with it. You could infect others, then they infect still others, you know, the chain reaction effect. Then the company's productivity takes a big dive. So I think it is in the best interests of your company for you to stay home until you are entirely well.

Yes, sometimes it's hard to be a company man, but you have to do what you have to do!

If anyone at your co. thinks you might be slacking, just tell them that your i-net doctor, Telly, examined you today and said that you needed to be isolated till completely recuperated.

 

[JonnyM]

SuperDitto

Here Here

Perhaps I should consider my break over now and get back to my "work related" surfing. Or I could do some online shopping in order to stimulate a sagging economy...

Why do you guys have to bring up that four letter W--- word when I'm at W--- anyway. Just to make me feel bad I'm still 2 years from FIRE?

OK off to micromanage the minions.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Alive and well - just got back from Wal-Mart - one of my old jobshopper buddies is now working there(ex tool designer). Made the big bucks for twenty five years - four ex wives. Never recyled even one drysheet. Great place for a CAD tool designer.

Hm... 4 ex wives, at least he knows how to catch them.

Let's see, 25 years as a CAD tool programmer, averaging, say $100K/year. That's $2.5 Mil that went into and out of this guy's pocket, and now he's working at Walmart? I hope he's just making some extra cash to tip the dancing girls.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Wabmaster, great find. I think this article in the Seatle Times is a more realistic explanation of the source of America's wealth -- the fear of being laid off and left with no pay and no health insurance, or a.k.a. Hell.

The article alludes to the fact that most younger workers are not loyal to their employer but rather to their lifestyle or the city in which they can practice their lifestyle. Amen to that.