HI bob,   
      
   On Fri 2012-Mar-02 09:37, BOB BREED (1:123/140) wrote to RICHARD WEBB:   
      
      
    BB> I stopped pulling the lever. :)  Gotta save my energy for something   
    BB> productive.   
      
    RW> Yeah I know, i just won't stop, because if I pull the lever   
    RW> I've got a right to bitch, and I'll quit bitchin' when they   
    RW> put me in the oven or whatever they cremate you in.   
      
   BB> As long as you know it's just an exercise, that's fine.  But you'd   
   BB> have more luck pulling the handle of a slot machine - at least there   
   BB> you have a chance of winning. :)   
      
   YOu got that right friend!   
      
      
    BB> Not many jobs out there like that right now.  Even telco is slowly   
    BB> phasing out union represented workers.  It'll take a while, but the   
    BB> trend is there.   
      
    RW> Yep, and with all these service industry jobs we don't want   
    RW> to give the young universal health care, their employers   
    RW> don't offer a health plan, etc.  REtirement plan, what   
    RW> retirement plan?  Crime maybe/  WE expect them to raise a   
    RW> family with that sort of uncertainty hanging over them.  IF   
    RW> they decide to marry and reproduce at all they're insane!!!   
    RW> The heck of it is, if they don't reproduce who's gonna pay   
    RW> the medicare for the tag end of the baby boom?   
      
   BB> Good question, but above my pay grade. :)  Then when you read that   
   BB> 50% of the babies born by women under 30 are by unwed mothers.  Just   
   BB> another clue that tells you the younger generation is turning their   
   BB> back on marriage, probably driven by the high divorce rate.  Of   
   BB> course some of these women may be in a committed relationship that   
   BB> may work in lieu of marriage - time will tell.     
      
   Yeah, and at least they think they might have a chance with   
   kids to raise, maybe the state will take care of their kids, and via the kids   
   take care of them.  PRetty messed up!   
      
    RW> We can have all this amazing medical technology that'll help you live   
    RW> longer, if you can afford to access it.   
    RW> My poor dad, he looks at all this, he was able, like you   
    RW> were, to get a good job, union benefits, a good pensionplan, which was   
    RW> eroded still in his last few years, but it's still better than I've   
    RW> got, or my sister has I'm sure, and much   
    RW> better than my grandson will hope to see even if he gets a   
    RW> college degree.  i"m like bob Ackley, I'm trying to steer   
    RW> him toward electrician or hvac technician or something they   
    RW> can't outsource.  When i ask him (he's 17) what he plans to   
    RW> do he tells me he doesn't know, he's still not sure.  I   
    RW> haven't asked him that though for a year or so.  Maybe he'll decide   
    RW> grandpa's right after all and become an electrician.   
      
      
   BB> Anything tied to the medical field might work.  Learn to repair that   
   BB> stuff and I would think you would have a fighting chance at a decent   
   BB> living.    
      
   YEp, so long as they can't outsource it.  A lot of that   
   though, they just swap out a new circuit board or a new   
   component.  YOu can train a monkey to swap out boards and   
   components.  But, it's probably still better than being in   
   the cube farm answering the phone until the corporation   
   outsources your job to the next third world country looking   
   for an opportunity.   
      
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)