Month: December 2017

In addition to being an incredibly witty blogger, I am also a small business owner.  I have all of 4 employees.  If I had more, I might have to shoot myself.  I need not look further than my own small enterprise to see what is, in part, wrong with America.

We have become a nation of pathetic employees.  For the most part.  I have to qualify the first statement because I have had and do have a couple ‘keepers.’  I pay them very well for their position, better than my competitors in business.  I have had this business venture for about 5 and 1/2 years.   I have had over 45 employees in this time frame.  Most of them were pathetic.

The sad part about their brand of incompetence is that it is totally within their control to change.  At least half of my former employees could not show up on time.  Ever.  Not late every now and then.  More like on time every now and then.  I fire people for being late.  I realize this is not popular.  I don’t care.  I don’t want apologies. I want you to be here on time.  I don’t care about your personal life.  I want you to be here on time.  I don’t want you to get me breakfast on the way to work.  I want you to get here on time.  By ‘on time’ I mean before we start work.  I once had an employee, who knew he had to be at work at 6:00am call me at 5:57 to say he was on the way.  I reminded him that we started at 6:00am.  He replied, ‘That’s OK because my GPS says I will be there in 8 minutes.’  I think he honestly thought it was close enough.  I eventually fired him.  That was his second day at work.

Another favorite of the hapless employee is ‘I’m trying my best.’  I don’t care.  If your best does not meet my standards, then you cannot work for me.  Period.  It is not my fault and this is not a participation sport.  This is real life.  Trying don’t get it done.  Getting it done gets it done.  This has earned me several comments that I am the worst boss they ever had.  I don’t care.  I care about doing the job right.

If they last past starting time, I often find that employees feel like they can rewrite the rules at whatever job they have.  Hmmm.  I know I gave specific instructions.  Some people who go to work seem to think a boss’s instructions are merely suggestions and if they do something similar, but not what was actually asked of them, it’s close enough.  Yeah, not here.  I get blank stares and more comments of me being the worst boss they ever had when I rightfully complain that they did something I did not instruct them to do.

I am a woman.  I was born a woman.  I don’t like to hire women generally.  They can be the worst employees.  Or they can be your best employees.  Most often, they are the worst.  I can say this, because I am a woman and know how women are.  Women, when criticized, often start crying.  Some do this out of frustration and have no control over it.  Others do it for sympathy.  I am not a sympathetic person.  Remember, I don’t care.  In fact, if you are a woman and cry when I call you out for anything, expect me to get worse, not sympathetic.  If you are a woman and want equal pay, then quit acting like a pussy when you are in the wrong.  Suck it up and get over it.  Women also frequently have children.  They use these children to get off work early, come in to work late, not work holidays, ask for extra money, take extra long breaks, you name it, they use their kids to get it.  If it was legal to never hire another woman with a child, I would do it.  Unfortunately, I can get sued for avoiding some of the least productive employees out there–women with children.

Smokers should not apply for jobs.  They are usually only 10 minutes from needing a smoke break all day long.  They sneak out to smoke every chance they get, leaving their nonsmoking colleagues to do most of the work.  I call them on it and harass them constantly about their stupid habit that costs them ungodly sums of money and costs me valuable time.  Most of them are women with children.  Go figure.

The problem with most employees these days is that they think the employer owes them something.  We owe you only one thing–pay for work.  We do not owe you a better life.  We are not responsible for your life outside of work.  We do not have to do anything but pay you for work.  Your life is yours, not your employer’s.  Unless employed by family–always a bad move–your employer doesn’t really care about your problems.  They have problems of their own.  They have their own families to take care of . They have their own bills to pay.  They don’t expect you to fix their problems.

So, if you want to be a good employee and succeed.  I have a few suggestions that will guarantee you success at any job.  First, get there on time.  If you smoke, stop.  Don’t bring your personal concerns and issues to work.  Follow instructions.  It’s that simple.  Do those things and you will be successful anywhere.

So, I was born white.  I never really considered that this fact gave me any particular advantage in life.  This may be because I grew up around other white people.  They were my competition.  I had to compete against other white people for everything I wanted.  I never really worried about my whiteness until recently, when I was informed over and over that the mere act of being born white is, in fact a crime.

Imagine my shock when I found out that, even though I am not in any way affiliated with or even sympathize with white supremacists, that I am somehow one of them because I am white.  Actually, I am like most white people and we are really more of a pinkish-tannish-yellowish color.  I have seen some really white people and they are kind of frightening.  Now, I don’t know my exact heritage.  I haven’t sent in my DNA , so I can’t learn the customs of my forefathers because, well, I just don’t care all that much……and anyway, I’m white so I must be Nazi spawn or something similar.

Growing up I felt neither privilege or oppression.  I was raised to live with the cards I was dealt.  I was raised to think I could be whatever I had the ability to do.  And that is important.  I was not raised to think I could be anything….that’s not realistic.  Being 5 foot nothing and a little pudgy, I seriously doubt that runway model or basketball player is in the cards I was dealt….although Spud Webb did kinda disprove the height limitation once upon a time.  Now, imagine my surprise when I read that I was born into something called white privilege.  Really?  And what exactly is that ?

White privilege is supposed be a social status I have gained by the mere fact that I was born white and that I don’t deny being white and that I don’t claim to be anything but white(but again, my DNA was never sent, so who knows?).  I evidently won the lottery for social status and opportunity.  Could’ve fooled me.  My white privilege evidently meant I was guaranteed success because everything was rigged in my favor—and yet I am not a super model or basketball player, so go figure.  My privilege is something I should be very ashamed of.  I should admit it sheepishly and apologize for having the nerve to not reorganize my DNA inutero to make sure I was born some other color.  But, alas, bad me just came out white…maybe because my parents were white, but it could also be because I am a racist and chose to be white.

I was born with privilege.  I was born in a country where I could pursue whatever path I wanted to…but I WAS  smart enough to not try the supermodel or basketball thing.  I decided to go to college, like many others and actually completed several degrees and now work in a field of my chosen final major.  It’s not important that you know what major, it could be anything.  I was so privileged  that I had to work my way through all 3 degrees I hold.  I was also privileged enough to borrow the rest that I couldn’t come up with by working in a factory at night and going to school during the day.  I hope you all reading this realize that I am NOT being sarcastic.  I do consider it a privilege to be able to do these things.

So, am I- you may wonder- going to apologize for my whiteness and offer up my job to someone less qualified and less white?  Ah, that would be a big fat no.  I would also not expect any black or brown person to give up what they worked for simply due to the color of their skin.  No decision should be made concerning anything in someone’s life based solely on the color of skin.  No decision.  Period. Is that not the very definition of racism?  To make decisions based solely on the color of skin?

I actually read an article that Farmer’s Markets were designed to force people into ‘white eating habits.’  What? I don’t know what a white eating habit is.  I grew up in western Pa and then moved down South.  Food in western Pa is vastly different than in Georgia…..and guess what?  I found different things in the Farmer’s Markets down here than I did in Pa.  Whether or not the food up here vs. down here is white or not, I’m not sure.  What is it about a Farmer’s Market that says it’s for white people?  Was there a sign?  Is it stamped on the vegetables?  I don’t really understand all this ‘white’ bashing.

I get that perhaps a few more white people are successful than some of other colors.  There are still, however, white people in this country that live in abject poverty.  Where exactly is their privilege?  Why isn’t it considered Black Privilege for Beyonce to be as successful as she is?  Aren’t we unabashedly reminded often that white people have less musical ability or rhythm than black people?  If this is really true–and just ask most black people, they will tell you it’s true–isn’t that a privilege?  Since the NBA is populated with mostly black athletes, because white men can’t jump, isn’t that a privilege?

What they whole issue nowadays boils down to is not black and white, it’s jealousy.  When you look at other people who have more than you, you can a couple of things.  You can angrily say it’s not fair and cry yourself to sleep and wake up the next day with nothing more.  You can lash out the person who has more and make their life miserable.  You can steal what they have so that you now have it.  Or, now here’s a thought, you can find out how they got what they got and decide whether or not you are willing to do what they did to get there.

I think all of us in this country are born very privileged.  It’s up to you what you do with that privilege.  Whining and crying because someone has more than you is a losing venture.  Someone will ALWAYS have more than you, just as someone will ALWAYS have less.  If you can’t be happy with what you have, look in the mirror to determine why, at least here.  There are places on this earth where privilege does exist between groups of people and where you can never succeed unless you were born into this privileged group.  That is just not the case here.  Here, we are all blessed with American privilege.

Do you have health insurance?  It’s a valid question these days.  And, if you do have health insurance, does it cover your expenses?  Chances are, if you are gainfully employed in the middle to upper income brackets, the answer to the first is maybe, and the answer to the second is a resounding no.

I do not have health insurance.  For two middle aged adults with no current serious health issues, the premiums 3 years ago for the Bronze(ie crappy) plan was over $20,000 a year with a $7,500 deductible each.  I passed.  I have paid a fine every year.  So far, it has been a good decision because I have not gotten sick.  My husband went to the hospital a couple of months back–uninsured, for chest pain.  It turned out to be nothing, but the bill was still around $3,000 all told.  It would not have met the deductible, so we paid out of pocket.  They gave us a discount because we did not have insurance and could make a down payment…..yes, a down payment on chest pains, you heard that right.  Luckily, we are frugal, and although not rich by USA standards, we do keep emergency cash around.  So, even with last year’s fine of $2,600, I didn’t pay out what I would have for the deductible of 3 years ago.

After checking prices 3 years ago, I didn’t check again. Why should I?  Things have only gotten worse.  By now, after increasing my income by a modest amount, I have little doubt that I would have been charged even more, with an even higher deductible…..I will not do it.  Perhaps, it will ruin me.  It certainly could.  If I get cancer or have a bad accident, I will be wiped out.  I will have worked for 40+ years for nothing.  I have to take the chance though, because I refuse to pay what surely is now $30,000 a year in premiums.

So, meanwhile, there are people in this country who have never worked, or at least never paid taxes and they can get subsidies to reduce their premiums to something they can afford.  Those people are dwindling as well.  Insurance companies are learning that the ACA is a lose-lose.  They are leaving.  They are jacking up rates.  They cannot offer different levels of coverage like they used to.  They can only offer the all inclusive plan the government requires…..whether we need it or not.  Very soon there will be places in this country where nobody can afford health insurance.  And then what?

What is this.  Let’s just pay the doctors and the hospitals.  Let’s go back to a day before the ridiculous idea of insurance.  It was never meant to help us.  It’s not in the best interest of the insurance company to pay for everything.  It’s in their best interest to pay for less than we pay in premiums.  It’s a business.  Businesses must make money.  Everything has to pay for itself.  It’s ok to make money.  I don’t fault them.  It worked for a while, but not if you really got sick, then the companies got stingy.  Go figure.  We all had a false sense of security with our low premiums until we got sick.  Now, nobody has any sense of security except for welfare recipients and illegal aliens….go figure.  Even Medicare recipients have to pay premiums….wait, what?  Don’t we have money deducted from our paychecks every week to pay for our health care when we are old…go figure.

We used to hear about tort reform.  Not so much anymore….those lobbyists did their job.  You can sue any drug company or hospital for anything you want and probably win a settlement.  This is why aspirin in a hospital costs $100 a tablet.  It’s not because doctors and nurses are overpaid.  It’s not because hospitals are overstaffed, just the opposite.  It’s not because of the gourmet meals they serve.  Go figure.  When Duey Suem and Howe blow into town and win a $50 million dollar settlement for a supposed ‘bad drug,’ who do you think pays for that?  The drug companies?  Bwahaha..they just raise the prices.  The malpractice insurance companies?  They just raise the premiums.  No, the person who pays for these money hungry lawyers is the consumer.  Many of these class action lawsuits have thousands of people involved.  The lawyer has you sign a paper consenting to be a party to the lawsuit.  Say they have 50,000 people who all agree and the total settlement awarded is 25 million dollars.  Sounds like a lot right?  To the law firm it is….say 50%.  12.5 million to them.  To the 50,000 people, $250 each.  You read that right.  So, who was really helped????  Certainly not the people who are part of the class action.  Class action lawsuits aren’t like the movie Erin Brockovich.

Americans need to realize when they sit on these juries and award these big judgments, they are helping the law firms mostly.  Maybe, every now and then and individual gets a big settlement.  Then the company declares bankruptcy and nobody gets anything…..go figure.

So, lets just pay the doctors and hospitals.  You are allowed to do that.  Call them up.  Tell them you don’t have insurance but you do have money.  Save that premium money.  Not in some ridiculous government controlled HSA…which limits what you can spend it on.  Save it in a jar or a box or a savings account you control.  Understand that it may be a disaster.  There is always that possibility.  Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even good health.  Most of us will be fine.  And you will feel much better not worrying about if your insurance company will pay for things.  You sure as hell won’t be able to come out of pocket for your healthcare if you pay the premiums, you will be broke.  The best way to fix this broken system is to kill it.  Euthanize the whole screwed up system and have a novel idea…..lets just pay for what we use.  How ’bout that?  What a novel idea.  Go figure.