That aside.. great post! As an Atlas Shrugged fan, I’m really concerned about the what’s going on with corporate welfare lately – particularly with some of the verbiage coming from our political leaders. Instead of survival of the fittest we are subsiding failure. I don’t know if you’ve seen this already, but Larry Flint and The “Girl’s gone wild” guy have requested a federal bailout.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/07/porn-bailout-larry-flynt_n_155878.html

I agree. The average joe is going to have troubles whether the government bails out the industries or not. Either way it’s not looking pretty. By bailing out failing industries, we’re simply prolonging the inevitable. The people who work for these companies will lose their jobs eventually. They should have seen the writing on the wall years ago. Hopefully this crisis gives them the wake up call they need so they start retraining themselves and looking for jobs in new sectors.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Thanks for your comment and great point about the unions. I forget about them sometimes because I’ve never been in one. But it’s a great point.

Additionally, well done. You voted with your job, and I’m proud to know another person who’s done that. So, you know exactly what I’m talking about here.

Thank you for your well thought out comment.

1) A colleague of mine worked for an aforementioned “Big-3″ as a supervisor. The company he worked for stressed keeping the chassis line clean for obvious reasons. He, having seen a discarded paper on the floor, did what most everyone in their right mind would do: He picked up the trash. He noticed someone following him for several minutes after doing this. The trailing man eventually told him that if he saw him pick up another piece of trash, he would report it to his manager and fine him. Why? Because he calculated that it had cost the janitor, a union worker, .10 hours of work. Tame example when considering an idled car factory still has to pay all of its workers. The workers literally come in and watch T.V. all day.

2) Personal experience. I work for a large newspaper. My notice has been turned in and I’m scheduled to leave by the beginning of next year. While they executed several layoffs, I noticed that those making decisions (still wet-behind-the-ears execs) were eliminating key personnel who many agreed were pivotal/unreplaceable individuals. This generated a culture of bombasticism. Those who spoke loudly and brandished grandiose unviable ideas kept their jobs despite their general ineptitude. I’m fortunate enough to see this actually bite them now :). I decided despite all economic odds that I would bail ship. The company I work for didn’t seem to make sound decisions and that would eventually lead to some disastrous demise (although it’s not too late to correct). I know that I come across as us-versus-them, but such is not the case. Simply, I couldn’t tolerate the hubris of people who’ve made terrible decisions and can’t reconcile facts with ego while manipulating the culture into what it is now. oof. The people they let go of actually worked. Learned. Evolved. and pushed the company (in profitable ways) for quite some time. But to reinvent the company, they concluded that an out-with-the-old approach is the way to go. They forget that the companies knowledge/experience of pitfalls and opportunities also goes out with the old. Nevertheless, the point is, I didn’t BELIEVE in my companies decisions anymore. I still love it, but I couldn’t cope with seeing it strangled by those who talk more than work.