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|    MEMORIES    |    Nostalgia for the past... today sucks    |    24,715 messages    |
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|    Message 23,018 of 24,715    |
|    George Pope to JOE MACKEY    |
|    Re: Insurance    |
|    28 Nov 21 12:01:51    |
   
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   MSGID: 1860.fido-memories@1:153/757.2 26091d73   
   REPLY: 1:135/392 f0765b9d   
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   TID: SBBSecho 3.14-Linux master/27dfa4f6b Nov 18 2021 GCC 11.2.0   
   BBSID: TRMB   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
    > I recall when I first started in parking, in 2002, I had a sergeant as   
    > my super. (Remember, I was working for a large security company and   
    > contracted to the university). It was in mid January and my super gave me   
    > one hour   
    > of inside training (going over th   
    > I found out later the "important" work she had to was playing games on   
    > her computer.   
    > She would only go out when the weather was nice, in the 65-78 range and   
    > sunny. Even then it was only for an hour or so.   
    > One day the chief of police was in our office "suggesting" Debbie go out   
    > and ticket. She replied she would and kept on playing. He told her a   
    > couple of more times she should do something, each time more sternly.    
    > She finally grabbed a ticket book, stomped out and returned an hour   
    > later and back to her games.   
    > She is the one I replaced and few were sorry to see her leave.   
      
   I've been lucky to not have a boss like this; well, had one who liked the   
   bottle, my boss said, but she was generally able to answer the phone   
   overrnight, which few were willing to do.   
      
   This was when I learned there can be a difference in sexes as managers. I've   
   hgad many male managers who always respected & appreciated me. If I screwed   
   up, as can happen, they'd chuckle, point it out & that's the end of it, & never   
   would I repeat it.   
      
   She, however, with me was fine, mostly a flirt. But another guy, highest in   
   seviority & a good mnonewty earner for our company, as he communicated well   
   with our Chilean partners, & kept them on board. Our big boss'(owner) rule   
   always is we do things as we find comfortable & effective, like how we answer   
   the phone; she dfecided we should all answer a cerrtyain, extended way; I   
   pers9nally foujnd ity srtuy7pid, as people are caling with medical urgencies; I   
   typically answered with conmpany name & "George speaking" (the minimum for   
   courtesy); I adjusted to here 'paragraph' because I didn't really care that   
   much, & it seemed importtan to her to be able to flex muscle as an operations   
   manager. The other guy(far senior to anybody else save the big boss), though,   
   he dug his heels in, & refused to "comply."   
      
   She ended up firing him over it; big boss had already promised he'd never   
   interfere with her decisions as OM.   
      
   I had a job where I missed two shifts in a row(same day) because I got drunk &   
   pasrtied with some girls & my boss just told me to cash out & he paid me for my   
   full 12 hours!   
      
   She would've likely fired me, & then been scrambling to fill shifts daily ever   
   after. My boss, who was owner, understood my value in being there opening to   
   closing 6 days a week, & my being cross-trained & well-practiced for every   
   role.   
      
   This OM, now long gone, went with emotion over calculation, to the tune of a   
   loss of thousands, maybe even as much as $100K or more by now.   
      
   The big boss pointed out an error I made that put a $200K contract at risk,   
   wshen I was still wet behind the ears in the job, & upon my profession of "it'd   
   never happen again," was happy, as he knew I'd learned what I needed to. It   
   was still up in the air if we'd keep that contract (we did).   
      
   I mistakenly mentioned a 3rd party we outsourced a job to. (giving our   
   principal a thought, possibly, that what do they need us for, when they can   
   skip up a level & save one middleman's markup)   
      
   My primary job now is finding doctors who we can directly contact, thus we can   
   stop paying middlemen their markups & fees. I'm doing well enough, negotiating   
   terms favorable to us, then if they're happy to, locking us into a working   
   agreement type contract. If they want a signature, I, by courtesy, pass it up   
   to my boss (the GM); I organise GM to GM/owner conferences, too, & am usually   
   copied in for info on the discussion & final terms.   
      
   Especially with Japan, I'm not going to insulty an owner or higher management   
   by engaging in a serious conversaruion/negotiation, especially as my initial   
   signature ID'ed me as an assistant manager.   
      
   I tutored my boss on these intricacies of culture for the Japanese businessman,   
   & he plays his role correctly.   
      
    > > It's all about respect.   
      
    > Yep.   
      
   Sad that it's mostly a memory, now, except for our own practice of such, of   
   course. . . :(    
      
    > > Kept him physically healthier, gave him a close-eye on the cons to be   
    > > aware of problems before they hapened,   
      
    > I feel the same way. Being out in the field I have a good idea what's   
    > going on in general.   
      
   Even if you're not officially in charge, you know it'll make your job easier in   
   the long run, eh?   
      
    > Old Henry Ford was like that with his Model T. While some long gone   
    > companies were happy selling a handful of expensive cars, he made money (and   
    > stayed in business) selling lots of less expensive ones.   
      
   The thing Ui remember best of him is how his goal in choosing a pay rate for   
   his workers was so every one there could afford to look after their home/family   
   AND buy a Ford car. & the rest, as they say, was history. . .   
      
   Funnily enough, with his & Sam Walton's examples before them, the corporate   
   world is now all about quick & easy maximum revenue, no matter the longterm   
   cost.   
      
   Ford & Walton were tyghinknig in terns of their grandchildren & beyond, not   
   only to the next quarterly report & a blip in the profits they've cashed in on   
   to the tune of 7+ figures.   
      
    > I'm on the payroll.    
      
   I could do it either way, but I appreciate the convenience of the deductions   
   being done for me. Then my wife does our return each ytear getting 100% of it   
   back, plus an extra $1K(incentivization bonus) for my working, in spite of   
   having a disability.   
      
    > My company used temps at one time when lots of people needed for a   
    > special event. They were paid cash for the time they worked, with paperwork   
    > they signed they would pay the taxes due. Then it was up to them to report   
    > those earnings, with a copy of the    
    > No idea how that worked out, but the boss was covered. :)   
      
   Yup, that's CYA in actuion; likely saved ghimn a bunch, too, in employer   
   contributions (do you have that in your SS pension or other things)   
      
   We have our national pension (CPP) plus Employment Insurance (EI, formerly UI)   
   that both employee & employer contribute to.   
      
   Some guys are collecting welfare or EI & like under the table cash jobs (fraud   
   by any other nmame) at the same time.   
      
   Welfare Cheats & Pogie Cheats--both get caught eventually as every bank account   
   is opened with a SIN (equiv. to your SSN) giving goverbment top access to info   
   they are permittred, by law (signing to request assistance includes "I allow   
   the government to check on these statements/details, /by any means/"   
      
   I actually know several ways I can bypass all this & double dip easily, but I   
   don't/won't, so I just keep the details quiet, as I don't want to   
   encourage/tempt others.   
      
   I've met enough characters in my traveling(hitching) years to have learned a   
   lot of tidbits on many a topic! But also met a like number of people who, by   
   virtue of who they were, taught me virtue, too. (NPI)   
      
    > > Do they automatically stop deducting for SSN or do you still pay at the   
    > > same rate as everyone else?   
      
    > Yep. Federal/state taxes, city user fee (actually a tax for working in   
    > the city, just not called a tax), unemployment, SS, and the list goes on.   
      
   So you get taxed by akll 3 levels of goverbment?! I'm trying to get it so my   
   city can raise money by taxes other than property & gas, as is allowed in our   
   Constitution. (our federal evel is not allowed to raise money by income taxes   
   nor sales ta=xes,. yet does both with impunity, & even the Supreme Court   
   cooperates in the scam)   
      
      
    >    
    > > We have Emplyment Insurance up here you pay into from each paycheque.   
      
    > > If you make it to age 65 without having ever made a claim, you get a nice   
    > > lump sum payout(not 100%, I think).   
      
    > No such things here I'm aware of. When one retires the state keeps the   
    > money.   
      
    > I don't have a lot invested and frankly don't recall what the money is   
    > in. Half is in bonds. Pays little but safe, and half is in the market.   
      
   Mutual Funds via your bank?   
      
      
    > In early 2020 with lockdowns and all, that was wiped out, but recovered a   
    > few months later.   
    > One has to be in for the long haul and not get jumpy when the market goes   
    > up and down like it does. Just hang on and enjoy the roller coaster ride.   
    > :)   
      
   That's my understabnding, & per a fiend who is going grewat guns, began with   
   buying US properties for taxes, fixing them up & renting to the government for   
   Section-8 housing, or selling in bulk. He's puit some money into stocks &   
   they've done well.   
      
   He uses Warren Buffet as his adsvisor & iomitates what Warren does. Warren says   
   when you get a big gain, cash out 90% & it;'s your money, reinvest, or leave   
   the other 10% gains. If you reinvest some of the 90%, then count it as a new   
   investment, out of money you've earned (it's not "free money")   
      
   He's in gold, too, likewise on Buffet's example. . .   
      
    > > > Boy, its getting deep in here. You've been hanging around with Daryl   
    > > > too much. :)   
      
    > > Is he in the Mutual Admiration Society, too?   
      
    > More of the Suck up to the Mod Society. :)   
      
   I never suck up to anyone (on purpose, &/or knowingly)   
      
   If you get praise from me, it's sincere.   
      
    > In May and June 2019 I took a six week vacation and traveled around the   
    > country seeing things and visiting friends. One of the people I visited was   
    > Daryl.   
    > I found it humourous when telling people here I was going to visit some   
    > people I only knew on line. They reacted like the online people where all   
    > ax murderers or something. :)   
      
   IKR? I get that from people, too. ("They asren't real, you know, & you now   
   nothing about them"); I can't just reply, "I know some better than you & trust   
   them more." as that would be impolite.   
      
    > (Why anyone would murder an ax is beyond me).   
      
   I've never got that either. . .   
      
   I've used a few axes in my day; I got nothing but respect & appreciation for   
   them! (I just haver to picture hauling an unsplit 20" chunk of trunk through   
   the woods to the truck to reaffirm this--much better to have 8 sections I can   
   huckj ahead of me in relays, to save walking/tripping while burdened amongst   
   old growth roots & undergrowth. Somne times my dad went deep to get the wood   
   he wanted, & I had a liong way to haul the wood he cut(chainsaw) & sectioned.   
      
   He had a license to take all the deadwood & alder he wanted for free from any   
   undevelloped provincial land; keupt us in firewood & provided him lots to sell   
   by the truckload(Ford F150) for additional funds for the family's needs.   
      
   This was my model -- he'd work a 3rd job before my mom had to work one.   
      
   Makes me rather contemptuous of this generation who might brag they took a job   
   to save their wife takling a 4th. (not sure what they think they're doing, but   
   bragging sure ain't it)   
      
   But I'm just the old fuddy duddyt who has no clue how things workm intoday's   
   world. I do & that's the sad thing. . . because I know better, but nobody   
   cares to hear it -- I'n sure you've had the same problem, almost 20 years   
   longer than I have!   
      
   Nice tyhing about this echo is we can chat like this, preaching to the choir &   
   the rare new gen who wants to, can read & be inspired by our war stories :D    
      
   (We can only hope)   
      
   Overall, I stopped getting mad about it, now I just gets sad & feel bad they   
   missed out on the great parenting I had! (no-nonsense, no BS & to-the-point)   
      
   B'regards,   
      
   /George   
      
   Your friend,   
      
   <+]:{)}   
   Cyberpope, Bishop of ROM   
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