Saturday, May 22, 2010

A little respect goes a long way

Several days ago, I wrote about "Mr Rude." Today, I am writing about a far better experience that I had with a person in a screening position.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a human resources recruiter who said she no longer bothers to ask people why they were laid off or what they've been doing since losing their jobs -- two standard HR questions. She said layoffs are so common and unemployment rates remain so high in her state that it's not even worth talking about in interviews with job candidates. I also suspected that she's probably a decent human being, sensitive to the plight of those who are looking for work, and didn't want to put me in the awkward position of having to explain the current gap on my resume.

This recruiter saw that I had worked for 29 consecutive years and wasn't some unstable, unqualified person. I appreciated not getting interrogated about the last 18 months, though I was fully prepared to explain my circumstances. The conversation was respectful and even humorous at times. I wish more people in hiring and screening positions were as positive and treated experienced professionals the way this recruiter treated me last Friday.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Regulation isn't always a bad thing

Republican proponents of the trickle-down theory believe that if government stays out of the way, the wealthiest in our society will use a portion of their profits to create jobs and bolster the economy. They are against any kind of government-imposed regulations, which makes me wonder how they come to terms with one of the hottest and most-regulated economies in the world.

For all of China's faults and crimes against its own people, there is no denying that it is prospering at a record rate. In a world where few countries currently have healthy economies, China's financial success is worth noting.

I think the trickle-down theory works, but only for a limited time. It gives a sense of false hope, as it did during the Reagan-era when we didn't really know any better. Didn't really know about the long-term damage that massive deregulation can do. We just wanted to find our way back after some tough years under Jimmy Carter.

Human nature takes over when profits reach obscene levels because of a lack of rules. The rich start looking for ways to get richer, which often means they share less while padding their own bank accounts. That eventually hurts the economy. Jobs are lost so that public companies can report bigger profits. Eliminate a thousand jobs and Wall Street applauds that company.

In bad times, like we're in now, the richest five percent rarely get hurt that badly. The only thing that trickles down is economic pain for the rest of us.


I have no love for China. I knew a Chinese woman who was tortured by the government when she was a young girl. She told stories that were horrific. China is a country that along with Japan is paying poachers to slaughter endangered animals in Africa. China's pollution is infamous. And while they are moving to greener technologies, they aren't doing so out of the goodness of their hearts. The government has finally realized that pouring toxins into the air and water isn't good for the economy or national security. So they are pursuing greener innovations that they will eventually sell to the rest of the world while we try to stuff mud and old tires into an oil well that is destroying the Gulf of Mexico and the economies in those states.

The trickle-down theory is naive and short sighted. It relies too heavily on people in power always doing the right thing. Power often corrupts. In time, when enough CEOs and boards of directors do the wrong thing, the entire economy collapses. We need regulations to avoid the wild roller coaster rides we've been on in the last 30 years. I support certain regulations because history proves that we need them in order to keep the air clean and the power plants safe. We need certain regulations about outsourcing jobs. We've lost entire industries, like the garment industry, because no one regulated how many jobs could be exported to countries like China.

Well-formed, targeted regulations can work just as well in a democracy as they have in China. Each day lost debating the merits of financial reform in Washington is another day lost to the Chinese. We don't have to copy China's formula, but we should stop with the old, tired arguments about government regulations always being a bad thing. This isn't the Wild West. We need some rules, some laws and some regulations.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Flag waving while denying the facts

I really can't stand this man. Unfortunately, I have to acknowledge that he has a large following. So when he says something like he did today on his syndicated radio show, that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is no threat to Florida, I can only hope that his listeners take statements like that with a grain of salt.

Rush Limbaugh has become more radical and less compassionate over the years. Essentially, he's a shock jock -- a wealthy showman with a destructive, selfish agenda. I recall listening to him in the late 1980s when I was living in Connecticut. He was entertaining. He didn't spew hatred towards groups doing good work -- like the Sierra Club -- the way he does now. I worked with a guy who was a borderline communist, and even he listened to Rush for amusement in the early days.

But I am not laughing anymore. I hope Limbaugh's followers realize that much of what he says is probably scripted to boost ratings, similar to the way professional wrestlers script matches for maximum dramatic effect. If the majority of Limbaugh's listeners actually believe and support what the radio talk show host says, we're in pretty bad shape.

Rush, stop denying the facts. The longer this oil continues to leak, the more Florida and other states are at risk. You don't have to be a scientist to understand that concept. You're showing that you have lost all objectivity if you think this environmental catastrophe is being exaggerated for political purposes. Waving the flag via your microphone isn't going to stop the leak or clean up the gulf.

Unemployment remains No. 1 problem

New claims for unemployment benefits are up. That shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention to the job market, let alone folks who have been out of work for a long time. While politicians and casual observers with an agenda like to point to any trickle of positive news about recent job-creation trends, those who have no reason to spin the statistics know that nothing much has improved in the real world.

The people who I know who have recently landed new jobs already had jobs. Some who didn't have jobs have had to accept lesser positions outside of their fields -- often having to relocate to do so. Many folks haven't found work and have or are close to exhausting their unemployment benefits, which probably means more foreclosures are on the way as savings accounts collapse.

It's still dismal in unemployment land, particularly for older workers. The lack of quality employment opportunities remains the biggest threat to our slipping back into a major recession or even a depression.

The unemployment problem is a national emergency and needs to be treated as such. Our economy is closely tied to our national security, and with so many people out of work, it actually makes us more vulnerable as a country. Yet, the sense of urgency this problem warrants is still not evident. Unemployment needs to be attacked on several fronts, by the government and private sector, through the mass media and educational institutions. And it needs to happen soon.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Voters speak again: The system is broken

Tea Party people and conservative radio talk-show hosts are claiming victories this morning after yesterday's primaries. They believe that their particular version of Tea Party principles is what is turning the tide.

What they fail to accept is that their rhetoric about President Obama being a socialist and Sarah Palin being a savior isn't the driving force behind recent election results. Tea Party rallies and talk show hosts might have something to do with getting certain candidates elected, but that's just part of the story.

I believe middle class Americans are fed up with incumbents in both political parties. Why? Well, it's not so much about health-care reform or the rising deficit. It's more about an underlying feeling that the system does not work for the average American anymore -- the guy who wants a fair crack at a decent job or the woman who has to tighten the family budget while empty suits from bailed-out businesses continue to collect hefty bonuses.

I don't think Obama is a socialist but I do think he wants to level the playing field -- a horrible notion to those who are rolling in cash. I believe some of the Tea Party messages are skewed by silly tactics and transparent slogans. Those messages are further manipulated and distorted by those with not-so-hidden or honorable agendas. This is why I separate myself from movements like this.

I am not sure why Tea Party people, who oppose corporate bailouts, are so supportive of certain politicians who would surely be more prone to give greater perks to big businesses. We've tried tax cuts for corporations and we've deregulated ourselves right into a massive oil spill and housing crisis. Those policies did nothing but drive us into the ground and widened the gap between what the guy in the corner office earns versus what people on the production line make. How is that liberty? Fact is, we need certain regulations to prevent abuses of power so that the average Joe doesn't get trampled by the suits from BP or the guys on Wall Street. Here's another fact: We should tax the rich more. In my mind, these aren't socialist concepts.

It appears that things are so bad in this country that voters want to strike out against anyone who is part of the system. Change for the sake of change. Maybe that's not a bad idea, but I would still like to give Obama a bit more time to fix things. Time and support. He's made mistakes, like dedicating nearly his entire first year in office to health care and foreign relations. But he's a smart man. We elected him for four years and hopefully he will correct his missteps and stop getting derailed by issues that aren't of much concern to average Americans.

As I have said in previous posts, if Obama and other incumbents don't focus on restoring hope, jobs and the economy, they will be voted out in future elections. Party affiliation will become less important to voters. I believe that's a good thing, as I have never understood why anyone would be anything other than independent.

Americans want to feel they have a fair shot and that this isn't just a country for those in the most powerful positions. The backlash from the middle class will continue until people have opportunities and reasons -- not just labor department statistics -- for sustained optimism again.

I don't think the Tea Party represents the entire middle class, but it is tapping into something that Americans are feeling. A rebellion against a broken system. Politicians need to pay attention to that underlying vibe and begin to fix things, not just because it will help them get elected, but because it's the right thing to do for the country.

Read more about yesterday's primaries and the movement against incumbents here.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Nix the federal income tax, reduce consumption

Some economists and financial commentators are quietly pointing to an underlying culprit responsible for our economic woes. The villain is a familiar one to environmentalists. It's consumption.

Our insatiable desire for material things, obscene profits, McMansions and disposable goods led to our financial collapse, say some experts. It's a complex explanation that has to do with over dependence on imports, good old-fashioned greed and our quest to find happiness through shopping.

Of course, environmentalists have known for years that these behaviors are filling our landfills beyond their capacity. Spiritualists point to the moral destruction caused by corporate arrogance and the public's obsession with buying a new house or car every three years. And now some economists are saying that if we don't get our consumption under control, we will eventually end up in a far worse depression.

All I have to do is look out my window on garbage-collection day to see how much stuff Americans consume. From TVs to toasters, everything apparently has a shorter shelf life than it did 30 years ago. Some neighbors consistently have long rows of junk sitting by the curb while others with more moderate spending habits might have one trash can or garbage bag awaiting pickup. The heavy consumers are buying and trashing all kinds of merchandise at a far greater rate than most people, and they aren't always the large families with more mouths to feed and bodies to clothe.

Of course, if people can't control their own desires to shop until they drop, there is one way to reel in consumption. Tax people more heavily on what they buy.

Now before you accuse me of being a tax-and-spend liberal, let me explain my viewpoint.

I am a proponent of getting rid of the federal income tax. It is a failed and highly unfair system. It leads to wasteful spending by the feds and hampers people's ability to keep what they earn, which leads to misguided political movements like the Tea Party and costly government agencies to collect income taxes.


What we need to start doing is taxing stuff not income -- taxing it heavily while getting rid of things like inheritance and capital gains taxes. Let people invest and save what they earn while discouraging the constant flow of junk that comes into our lives and ends up on curb.

A federal sales tax (food and certain other essentials would be exempt) will hurt businesses in the short term but create a better economic foundation in the long run. It will reduce consumption. And all kinds of positive things will come from that, including a reduction of the deficit.

Sadly, I know a federal sales tax won't fly in America. Lobbyists and credit card companies will fight it and politicians won't push back. Most Americans probably won't be able to stomach paying $75 in taxes on a $100 iPod, regardless of whether it could ultimately save them money.

We will continue along in our pursuit of sales and consumption of fossil fuels. Advertisers and lenders will tempt us into spending money we don't have and eventually we'll end up in a depression. The cycle will repeat itself until we finally realize we need a complete overhaul of how we live our lives and pay our taxes.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Retired journalist still asking good questions

A former colleague of mine is asking good questions about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including how a hurricane could potentially spread the oil inland.

Now retired from USA Today, weather guru Jack Williams shows he still has an inquisitive mind. Reporters should note the kind of questions Jack is asking in his blog. These are questions that I haven't heard asked by media types, let alone answered by officials or experts. They are evolving and important questions about what might turn into the biggest story since Sept. 11, 2001.

Jack proves what most media managers should know but sometimes forget. Insightful reporting, instincts to ask the right questions and polished professionalism can't be replaced in newsrooms by shortcuts and technical wizardry. When guys like Jack leave the business, journalism suffers, knowledge isn't passed down to younger reporters and consumers of news get a less substantive report.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

WWII Memorial transforming into a playground

You're not likely to see the World War II Memorial in Washington looking like this. The memorial has been transformed into a overcrowded wadding pool/water park by tacky tourists visiting the National Mall.

I went to the memorial yesterday. The weather was spectacular. However, the reverent vibe of the memorial that opened in 2004 has been replaced by a county fair-like atmosphere, where cotton candy-fed families seemingly don't grasp what it represents. They treat this memorial like other tourist attractions -- a place to let their kids run around while they try to search for some zany spot for a Kodak moment to show the folks back in Bugtussle.

Everything that the nearby Vietnam Memorial is the World War II Memorial isn't. The Vietnam wall remains a place for quiet reflection -- even tears. Its profound simplicity seems to attract a better grade of tourist. There is nothing to climb on, sit on or dangle your feet in. It is a thinking and feeling-man's attraction. It is well guarded by park police and those honoring the fallen.

There is nothing wrong with the World War II Memorial's design except for the fact that it attracts too many people for all the wrong reasons. Situated between the Lincoln and Washington monuments, it seems to serve as a rest stop for the juice-box, hot dog-eating crowd. A place to cool down in the fountains or to let the kids run around between the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. The prominence of its location and the concept of its design are magnificent. But unfortunately, the planners who conceived of the idea overlooked one thing -- human nature. Put a fountain in the middle of a serene structure and you're going to get certain families acting like they're at Disney World. Yes, there are signs that prohibit wading, climbing and so forth. But bad habits combined with temptation have a way of trumping rules.

On occasion, one might spot a veteran deep in thought at the World War II Memorial, but overall the intent of the memorial has failed because tourists can't seem to control their kids or themselves in what should be a solemn, quieter place -- a place like the Vietnam wall. I have been to this memorial a few times, and the atmosphere there has gotten progressively worse each time. I feel badly for the veterans of WWII who go to "their place" trying to soak in what most of us will never understand while families overrun the memorial like it's a Wet 'n' Wild attraction.

This monument is a cathedral. It should be treated as such. It represents history and extreme sacrifice. It should be respected as symbolic art and as a place to honor those who paid a severe price for their country. It's not a playground; not a place to be loud and obnoxious.