How Does It Feel to be Unemployed?

  
Ever since my first job as a newspaper delivery boy in the 60's I have always had a job.  After the paper, I worked for McDonalds fast food and then I had a job at a bike shop in Provo, Utah.  Following my mission for the LDS Church, I returned to McDonalds where I supported my wife and two sons while I attended college.  I can't forget the short stint as a research assistant at BYU.  Then came the REAL employment after I graduated from college.  It lasted nearly four years until my first layoff in 1983.  Within a few days I got another job with a higher salary and better benefits.  I stayed with that company for over 28 years until I was laid off last week.  They told me that my position "had been eliminated" and there was no need for someone with my skills.  Part of me was angry because I did not believe what they were telling me.  However, another part of me was excited as I wondered what the future would hold for me and my family.


Now I find myself among the ranks of thousands of other unemployed citizens of the United States.  I can now say from personal experience that I know how it feels to be out of work. 


As an engineering manager for over 25 years, I have witnessed dozens of layoffs first hand.  In all cases but one, the layoff forced the employees to make decisions they normally would not have made.  They were forced to take risks outside of their comfort zone.  And in all but the one case, the employees quickly were back on their feet, with a new job, with a higher salary, better benefits and a new beginning.


And so I share that same optimism today.  My family and I are excited about the possibilities before us.    We have even discussed the possibility of moving and even changing professions.  With this layoff we begin a new chapter of our life and we are optimistic about the future.       

   

"Bring Me Sunshine" - This will put a toe-tapping smile on your face!

Someone sent me this link a while back and I cannot listen to it without tapping my toes and singing along. The first part of the video shows the gloomy mood that exists in much of the world and then this guy walks  into this little cafe and opens up his Ukuleli and begins to sing a song which changes the world around him!

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXvJ8UquYoo

Chicago School Bans Lunches From Home

  
Big Brother is at it again!  Since Mrs. Obama and her husband's government know more about what is best for us than we do, they have taken another step towards total control of our lives.

Believe or not, an elementary school in Obama's city of Chicago has banned students from bringing lunches from home.  That's right!  No more homemade lunches at that school, unless you have a note from your doctor.  The school claims they are protecting the kids from making bad choices about food for lunch.  Read it yourself if you don't believe me:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-school-lunch-restrictions-041120110410,0,4567867.story

Gone are the days when kids carried their lunch boxes to school with a thermos full of milk or juice.  Gone are the days of peanut butter sandwiches made by loving mothers who wrapped them in wax paper or a plastic bag to keep them fresh.  Gone are the homemade cookies.  Gone are the snack size bags of potato chips.  Gone are the carrot and celery sticks.  Gone are the 1/2 pint cartons of milk for 5 cents.  Gone are the bologna sandwiches on whole wheat bread.

After all.....Mrs. Obama and the liberal government know better what you should be eating.

When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles, only the rich kids could afford to eat in the cafeteria at school.  Back then it cost 35 cents to eat in the cafeteria.  I never ate in the cafeteria because we couldn't afford it.  I remember once when my mom was in the hospital and my dad was sick in bed.  Each day my dad would give me a quarter and a dime so I could eat at school, since he was in no shape to get up and make a lunch for me.  I remember standing in line for my lunch with all the rich kids.  My poor friends were so envious of me as I held my 35 cents while the line moved slowly towards the cafeteria door.  Finally I get inside and received a plastic tray with my meal, a paper napkin, and my eating utensils.  I remember so well the "wonderful" meal that I sat on my tray before me.  I remember the square block of red or green jello, the block of some type of casserole, a spoonful of green beans and a glass of milk.  Then on Friday we had fish sticks, and I never knew the reason why.


Normally my mom would send me to school with my metal lunch box which contained a peanut butter and honey sandwich, a couple of homemade cookies (if I was lucky), and an apple or other piece of fruit.  Sometimes I had pieces of carrots or celery.

Today things are different, especially in Chicago.  All the kids have to go through the cafeteria which provides wholesome food selected by Mrs. Obama and her liberal government friends.  Their meal choices include wonderful and healthy dishes such as tofu, pasta and veggie balls, minestrone soup, mung beans, and lentils.  Yum, Yum!

Human Ventriloquist Dummy - Very Funny!

Check out this very funny video (see link below) about a ventriloquist who uses a guy from the audience to act as his dummy.  The guy is very good and the video is a crack up.

http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=27735&page=1
  

"Better Performance For Higher Pay"? Unions say NO!

We have still not heard the final outcome in Wisconsin, but the ideas presented by the Republican leadership there are resonating in other states as well.  In Ohio for example, the government recently promoted a law which would limit the bargaining rights of government unions in that state as well.

In the referenced article below, one spoiled government employee in Ohio, named Leo Geiger (34), is a sewer inspector in the city of Dayton.  He expressed grave concern that this new law "gets rid of automatic pay increases, and replaces them with merit raises or performance pay. "  What a strange concept?!@#  Can you imagine someone paying you more for being a more productive employee?  And even worse...  Can you imagine the nerve of your boss to penalize you or pay you less when you do a lousy job?


WHERE DID WE COME UP WITH THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE PAID THE SAME DESPITE DIFFERENCES IN ABILITY AND PERFORMANCE?


It is creeping into the school system as well.  Some liberal educationalists claim it hurts a child's self esteem to give them a "C" grade when others are getting "A"s and "B"s for better performance.  Our idiot president, Obama, said this week that schools should reduce or eliminate testing and instead reward students for attendance or participation.   Heaven forbid that a kid get rewarded for studying more or working harder than his lazy friend.


But then this is understandable when our children see their parents complain about not getting an "automatic pay increase" or hear them complain that they have to demonstrate competence at work.

Employee unions that promote this type of lunacy are destroying our country and pushing it towards economic ruin.  They must be stopped.  The states of Wisconsin and now Ohio are brave to be the first to challenge these powerful entities who are backed by powerful politicians like Obama and his corrupt buddies.

VOTE THEM ALL OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND SAVE THIS GREAT COUNTRY!

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/8459870/37915862/Ohio_bargaining_limits_prevail_unions_vow_fight