A Bunch of Ding Dongs

Well, my weight has remained stable and I feel good.  This week I've had several 45-60 minute workouts.  On top of the physical improvements, I've also noticed mental improvements.  My concentration and memory are noticeably better with an appropriate amount of calories and multiple food choices.

This week I've been reminded again of the greed that is rampant in America--a land of plenty.

We are in a dilemma here.  Our workers don't trust our owners/corporations because they often see the rich get richer at their expense.  But our business owners and corporations are constantly being nagged for more by the sense of entitlement that is perpetuated by the unions.

This week we watched an American icon, Hostess, succumb to the demands of those who felt entitled--even though the company was obviously already in financial trouble.  No, they didn't give the striking workers what they wanted.  They couldn't!  You can't pay workers with money that you are not making.  Instead, they had to close down.

Now we will have 18,500 more workers standing in line for unemployment. Apparently, handouts are more attractive than trying to earn a living. (And those handouts won't compare with the salaries that these employees were making.)

A better alternative? Maybe it would've been to suck it up and work hard to try to pull the company through the process of rebuilding. Maybe it would've been to seek another job where the worker felt more appreciated.

But here we are. Everybody loses...the company, the union, the workers, the taxpayers. All of us.

Why? Greed. Plain and simple.

I've heard union strikers say in interviews that they hoped to force the company into bankruptcy so that the business would be forced to liquidate. Their logic is that someone else will come in and buy it, hire all of the workers that forced Hostess to close, and be successful.

Really? I wouldn't hire any one of the people who helped caused the demise of a business that I seek to emulate.

Am I over-simplifying the matter. Why yes. I'm sure I am.

But the fact of the matter is, we no longer trust one another. We are all out for ourselves.

More money! More benefits! More vacations! In this case, the workers were demanding no cuts even knowing that company would be liquidated without them. We, a land of people who are wealthier than 98% of the world's population, feel entitled to more. And we better get it or we're bringing down everyone else with us.

Are unemployment benefits available to workers who refused to work for less and so destroyed the company for which they worked??

Why yes, yes they are. Come and get it.

What's wrong with this picture?

There are millions of people in this world who would gladly work for a small portion of what these workers were making. And they would been grateful.

Don't believe me? Ask my friend at Hawker Beechcraft who lost his job when the company sent it to Mexico. He actually had to go down and train the workers who were replacing him. Your Nike shoes weren't made here. Want a list of more? Well, here are a couple of others for you.

Our greed is going to kill us if we can't get it under control. I'm talking about corporate greed as well as union greed as well as individual greed.

God help us.