Salaries

In the message below this one, I discussed the model of teamwork, and how much success it has achieved.  Today, I thought about the money that these players make.  I know, the dollar amounts are ridiculous, but the only reason that they can make that much money is because their franchise makes that much money.  The reason the franchise makes that money, is because Americans become bored very easily.  I'm not looking to talk about their salaries, I'm going to talk about something else.

In every corporation, every company, every shop, there is an unwritten rule.  You are not supposed to share your income, be it salary or wage, with you're co workers.  In fact I accidentally showed my hourly wage to the foreman of a job that I did with an electrical contracting company.  He said, "You might not want to let that get out."  The question in that situation was, "Am I making more than the other workers?  Or am I making less?"  If I was making more (I don't think I was...$20 an hour for a licensed electrician is not a decent wage) then he wanted me to hide my wage from the other workers.  If I was making less, maybe he didn't want me to talk with others and find out how much more they were making than me.  The foreman didn't seem like the type to care how much the company lost by paying its employees, but if I was making more than the rest, how the hell did anybody stay with that company?

There is always much inequality between co-workers in the office.  For one man to find out that he has been working harder than John Doe, but makes less money would be detrimental to the profits of the company.  Would you accept less pay than a co-worker if you knew that you worked harder than him?

Getting back to sports.  It is reported by the media every contract that is signed for every player on every team.  So if you were a valuable player to a team, you could find out how much money another player in your position was making.  That sets market value.  If you are a top notch quarterback, and making $9 million dollars, you might not mind.  Unless you learned of another quarterback who was making $10 million.  So then you find out that you are underpaid in regards to that other quarterback.  So why do sports franchises allow the money they spend on their players to be public knowlege?  Wouldn't they want to keep those numbers in the dark?  It would help them to sign the next guy without worry that he knows what he is actually worth.  So why do these numbers get out?

If I were to guess, I would say it was the players' agents.  They stand to make money if they can secure their client more money.  Maybe they are the ones who leak the info, so every player can know what his co-workers are making. 

So maybe, everybody should share their income with their co-workers.  The people that make a lot of money might not want that information to get out, but how are they to know?  For all they know, they think they have a cushion job for lots of money, but then realize that they don't even make as much as others.  If they did that, what in the world would the owners do?  They have their payroll in effect, but if the co-workers suddenly showed what they are worth, the owners empire would crumble.

Where do the lies, the corruption and all out deciet end?  Should we be for the players?  Or should we be for the owners?  Do the owners make more money per year than any single player?  Figure stadium attendance, memorabila, shirts, hats, endorsements, and other avenues of money coming in, and tell me if the idle owner deserves what he has.  We don't empty our wallets for the owners, we empty our wallets for the players.  Without the players, the owner is nothing.  (See: NHL)

Stupid sports, but excellent message

The New England Patriots have devised a plan, they’ve devised a system that seems to be working. In this day of sports, it’s obvious that many men look to promote themselves to become stars. Others go to work and let their actions do the talking. Sports are an entity of competition. One man trying to be better than the rest. The New England Patriots have used an idea. An idea of teamwork, and no division among the classes of players. This team is a model for every man and woman. This team is a model for humanity, and how working together can achieve much successes.

Week to week, the Patriots prepare. They study the task at hand, and come up with a plan to succeed. To a man on this team, not one of them believes that they are the sole reason this team is winning. When you talk to Bill Belichick, he will always give the credit to the players. He won’t treat them as subordinates. He looks up to them. On the other hand, none of the players feel they are the only reason for victory. They thank their fellow players, and the coaching staff. They don’t talk trash, they just go to work. They realize the importance of working together, and how many teams have been destroyed by the hype. The Indianapolis Colts have an explosive offense, but not much defense. The team is centered around, first Peyton Manning, second his receivers and running back, and third a brotherhood of camaraderie. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a team that relies on a dominant run game, and a dominant defense. In fact, Plaxico Burress complained after losing the AFC Championship game. He complained that he wasn’t getting enough of the ball. Why would he want to get the ball more, when the system led them to a 15-1 season? It is because he wants a little more notoriety, a little more credit for the success..

In opposition, Corey Dillon of the Patriots doesn’t care about notoriety. He had notoriety with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the story in that town. He broke records, and all the credit would go to him for his rushing yards. That bred discontent in the offensive line. They knew that he would be nothing if they couldn’t create holes in the defense for him. This was the first step in dividing the offense, and turning them against each other. When Dillon came to New England, he came with hope…he came with the opportunity to play within a team. He has been exceptionally well-behaved. The family that he entered has instilled in him the natural spirit of mankind. Ithas showed him that being the star wasn’t as important as accomplishing a goal. Not only has he not faltered in behavior, but he has seen, heard and spoken no evil.

So what is it about this team, and how are they a model of teamwork? Not a single member of this team wants to stand out as the reason the team is successful…To a man, they all say the same things. “I couldn’t have done it without those other guys.” The coach says, “The credit goes to the players.” He doesn’t think that he could do what he is done without them. So he effectively brought himself to be an equal to the players. He knows that he can devise a game plan, and the players can do what they can do to execute this plan. He is not better than them. He knows, and they know this to be true. They work together, and if there is a problem, they discuss the plan’s effectiveness. If one member of this team tries to be above the team, the rest of the team will tell him this. Whether it be with a joke, or a stern talking to. They realize that they are nothing without their teammates. The only way that another team is going to be better than the Patriots, is to practice these same values.

Now turn your attention to everyday life. Look around you right now. Maybe you are in your living room or dining room. You see furniture, electricity, phone lines, and the latest technology. All of these luxuries that you can afford were built by society as a whole…as a team. Whether it was the building of these luxuries, providing the materials to build these luxuries, or building the tools (which required their own materials), to the intellectual man who discovered how to make these luxuries, everything you see would not be possible without the working blue-collar masses. All the men and women it took to produce these luxuries tend to be the least financially secure. Unless they have slaved and saved to gain capital. Then they can find a way to make free money with the money they have. While they worked hard (I tend to enjoy hard work, but not everybody does) some other people have exploited the hard work by others for their own benefit.

We do not get to choose our parents, so we succumb to our position. This in itself breeds discontent. This discontent is what has waged war on opposing ideas, turned men into criminals, and held the poor as captives to their position. Meanwhile, those who were fortunate to be born by the proper parents get spoiled, and continue the system because it worked for them, all the while believing that stepping on your fellow man is the way to get ahead..

These people are unwilling to give up their power, but it is the power that corrupts. They are more willing to exploit the people that made all of their luxuries, and then they look down on them. They fail to realize that if this system allowed equality, then all of the workers would be in their position. When that happens, who is going to do the real work of the world?

It is only fitting that the Patriots and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl this year. Both are teams that have strived on teamwork, versatility, problem solving, and preparation. Both teams are named after the spirit of America. If it wasn’t for New England, and Philadelphia where would this country be? Native Americans would probably not even enjoy the wealth from their reservations and casinos. Finally! In the face of the extravagance of sports and pop culture, the benefactors of the economy of entertainment have thrown material possession to the wind, and have learned how to play as a team. It has worked extremely well for them, hasn’t it?

We need to learn a lesson from these teams. Yes, they make a lot of money, whether it be one million or fifteen million dollars, but they continue to work together and stay together out of solidarity. Players have taken less money to be involved with a brethren that seeds itself in the heart much stronger than money ever will. As long as we fight each other for a good life, the whole of humanity will suffer. If one part of society suffers, the whole of society suffers. The same way that a personal ailment in your body can lead to other problems. Every system of government that we have tried so far has led to exploitation. It’s time to try a system which has never been tried. A system that doesn’t hurt us when we stop our everyday lives to help our brother out. A system that doesn’t discriminate, and doesn’t turn one class of people against the other. Slowly we evolve into this kind of system stemming from brutal slavery of the ancient past to constant coercion of society today. Freedom is freedom, and nothing else. All men should enjoy freedom, and it is this freedom that will free a man’s instincts to shine through. We are a social creature, and we have learned that helping each other makes life much easier. We just don’t always help another, because we have to be worried about our own interests.

The Patriots are a model of society. They work together, they work hard, and they don’t attempt to benefit personal gain by believing that they could be who they are without the help of somebody else. When a member of the Patriots thinks only of himself, he is short lived to be a part of that winning team. We have seen how even the simplest organization grows strong through solidarity and team work. So we must learn to put this into practice in our every day life.

Help your fellow human. When it could possibly cost you the money that you seek out, speak to the giver of this money. Tell them that you couldn’t let another human being suffer. Tell them that we need to stick together to make this beautiful life better. United we stand, divided we fall.

The illusion

From your waking breath

To your fate of death

It’s an illusion

When you learned to walk

When you learned to talk

It’s an illusion

The teachers, the schools

The kids that were cool

It’s an illusion

The air you breath

The webs you weave

From your fingertips

To what you worship

It’s an illusion

From the smell of a flower

To the government power

What’s on TV

Believing you’re free

It’s an illusion

Follow the rules

Be their tool

You do the work

By hands or by clerk

It’s an illusion

Pouring the tar for the roads, the cars

Sports, pop culture and A-list stars

Media, elections and advertising

Corruption, agenda and all the disguising

Hooking, crooking, arraignment and booking

Prisons, parole, the hiding, the looking

Building, producing, creating the profits

The wealthy, the idle, you let them live off it

The bone to the dog to the blue collar cog

Enforcing, outsourcing, the blood that is coursing

Splitting the classes, the key is the forcing

Ideas on the world, from cities and towns

Clowns with a plan, while the masses frown

It’s an illusion

You have the power

Do what you can do

I’ve been sent to you

So you can view

The illusion

a portion of a report from the AP

Most advertisers are keeping their spots under lock and key, hoping to create a sense of anticipation and mystery. That tactic worked wonders a generation ago for Apple Computer Inc., when it introduced the Macintosh computer during the 1984 Super Bowl with an iconic ad featuring a runner hurling a sledge hammer against a giant image of Big Brother.

Anheuser-Busch, which again will be a top Super Bowl advertiser, purchased 10 of the 30-second commercial spots, but isn't saying what it plans to do. It also will have what's known as "category exclusivity," meaning that competing ads from Coors, Miller and other beer makers will be shut out.

 

OK...so I guess there is some way to shut out your competition.  Isn't that a monopoly?  Isn't a monopoly illegal?  The hub-bub about last years super bowl was about Janet Jackson's nipple (and yes, I'd love to see it again...maybe even put my tongue on it...sorry)  The argument that the Super Bowl is a family event, a comedian pointed out this...The Super Bowl is filled with ads about beer and sexual enhancement drugs....

Or am I just going to get in trouble for saying Super Bowl, instead of saying, "The Big Game?"

Please recognize hypocrisies and don't say, "That's life."  If I spend less time pushing money and paperwork around, and spend more time trying to figure out the solutions to the problems that we all complain about, It doesn'nt mean I'm smarter than anyone.  It just means that I have the time to examine these things without the worries about a possible childs needs (Children are awesome.).  It doesn't make me better than you...and it doesn't make you better than me.  Get my point?

Don't accept the problems as worthwhile...because the problems will always cause more problems...and when I haven't stayed awake for way too long...I will write more on this subject.  But for now, what is most important is this.  United We Stand, Divided We Fall...have you ever thought about what this actually means?  If not...stay tuned...haha...sorry, I couldn't resist.

Your complaints are valid

   

     So this is the situation. You may take it however you please. I'm on the brink of being 30. So if you want to call this some sort of quarter life crisis...you may. A lot of you may dismiss what I say as "an unwillingness to grow up." That is fine, but consider this. I have already done the things that require "growing up." At one time I was the manager of a restaurant, and the asst. supervisor of six others...at the same time. Before that I was considered the best employee to a small time delivery business. And before that I was the asst. manager of a pizza delivery store at the age of 18. I always fought for justice amongst the employees. I was the one in the position that I did not have to worry about losing my job. But that position allowed me to point out the injustices that I saw amongst my fellow employees. Even when I was the manager, I refused to let the company put my employees in a bad position. I rolled up my sleeves to help my employees. There were times that I had to use my intelligence and organizational skills to help my employees do what needed to be done in times of urgency. At the same time, I was busy cooking, taking food orders, or even scrubbing the dirtiest parts of the store. My bosses condemned me for it. Saying that I needed to make the employees do the job, so I could secure my boss’s profits. Never once did my bosses consider the fact that, without those employees, they had no wealth. Never once did they give those employees the credit they deserved. That was the reason my employees were so good. Because I stood up for them.

     When I came to Massachusetts I had a vision. At the time though, my vision was selfish. I wanted to get out of the doldrums of the New Mexican economy, and get out of the boring social life that exists there as a plain worker. When I got to Massachusetts, my uncle Dick was kind enough to let me help him in his business. He was more easy-going than I had heard, and he even introduced me to the electrician that I would soon begin to work for. At the same time, I had applied for a job at Home Depot. I got the call from the electrician and from Home Depot within a week of each other. Wanting to be an electrician, obviously my interests were firm. But I went to Home Depot anyway, and told them that I didn't want to blow them off. I had found a job, but I was willing to put a few hours a week of my time to help Home Depot. The Home Depot manager asked how much I wanted per hour, and I said $10. He said, "Done...when can you start?"

     So I went to the orientation and they explained that Home Depot survived on the "inverted triangle" where the workers were the most important people, and the so called management was merely there for support. As I spent time with Home Depot (a job that I found extremely fun) I realized that there was no such "inverted triangle." The managers were still managers, to be held in a higher regard then our fellow employees. The employees had no say regarding matters of the day to day operation of the business. To me, it seemed that we, the workers should have been able to dictate who needed to work, and when they needed to work, and how often they needed to work. But hours were regularly cut for many employees. I don't believe that everybody deserved the hours, but I certainly didn't see why some of the better workers had to suffer to keep the profits of Home Depot in the black.

     Easter Sunday one year, we were told that instead of getting overtime pay for working on a Sunday (mandatory in Massachusetts for retail businesses) we would receive an extra days pay. So instead of time and a half, we were to get double time. Here was the catch. Full time employees got eight hours of "holiday time" and part time employees got four hours of holiday time. I was a part time employee, but every shift I worked consisted of six hours. And I intended on working six hours on that Easter. So I started spreading this to the other employees until I was called into the manager's office. They tried to berate my actions by bringing up the fact that I had parked my car right in front of the store for a few minutes, but eventually they had to discuss the real issue. I explained to them that every hour worked on that Easter Sunday should be rewarded. In the end, they said it was a misunderstanding and that "of course you get as many hours of holiday pay as you work on this Sunday."

     My point in all of this is that I have fought against these injustices since I joined the work force, and now more than ever I see what is truly wrong with our system. Some people are not cut out to help bring people out of this tyranny, and some don't even believe there is this tyranny I speak of. But in plain and simple language, much reading and observing, and most importantly, communication with those of us whoare subject to this slavery (which is a large majority of this and any other country) I have realized that there is an oppression over humanity, and that most people have become blind to it. We feel like we are in control of our own lives because since birth we have been taught that this system is correct. Yet we see that the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Police spend 5% of their time investigating crimes involving assault, murder, rape and such. You can't stop crime in the manner that we are trying to do it. All crimes fall into two categories...crimes of passion (in which the soon to be criminal doesn't care about the law or the consequences) and premeditated crime (in which the criminal looks to skate the law with clever tactics.) Furthermore, if crime indeed disappeared, how would the policeman feed his family? It's not even in his best interest to stop crime.

     I have two rules in life...and they are the only two rules that I wish to follow. #1 The golden rule (I hope you know what that is) and #2 take responsibility for your actions. At the present moment, the so called government, church, and especially insurance companies will not take responsibility for its actions, as they are afraid to admit they are wrong. Not just the war in Iraq, but day to day issues that affect us all. My car insurance was canceled for being $130 behind...yet when they canceled me, they sent me a check for $180 for overpayment of my insurance. The Town of Holbrook specifically told me that I had failed to pay my excise tax when I bought my Explorer. So I asked them how much do I owe to clear this up...they gave me a number, and I wrote the check. Before my driver’s license expired I got a notice saying that I hadn't paid a traffic citation, and that I hadn't paid a parking ticket. The traffic citation was for an incident that the police made more dangerous than my actual infraction did, but that's another story...I went to the RMV and paid the ticket. The parking ticket was in the Town of Waltham, a town I'd never been to. But when I went to the Town Hall to find out the deal, they said I could pay the ticket, and they could look into it, but if it was found that I wasn't at fault I wouldn't get my money back. Is this the glorious government that has saved us from the world? When I went to renew my license, I was told that I still owed the Town of Holbrook for my excise tax. Why wasn't this on the notice that informed me of possible problems in renewing my license? They had two years to put it in the record. Shortly thereafter I was pulled over for speeding (my fault) and my car impounded. I know I'm not a saint in the whole ordeal, but am I a sinner? They don't have to take responsibility for their mistakes, but I have to pay them? This may seem crazy to you, whether you agree with me or not...but weren't Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and the others crazy when they tried to get rid of the government and create a new way of living?

     The more I talk with people, the more I realize the feeling of hopelessness against this system of robbery. Most are afraid to stand out. Most have their own interests to protect, even though they don't realize that their basic will to survive is shared by the rest of us. As I said before, I am not afraid to stand out. I am not afraid to speak up. I believe that we need to do something about this situation. This country was founded on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Well, our government kills people by war or execution...so they aren't about Life...the country is divided between the rich people and the poor people, so there is no equality...One has a better chance at being rich if he is born into the right situation (we don't get to choose our parents...I love mine, God help them.) So there is no liberty. We are only allowed to follow the paths that they present us. If your true instincts and inclinations won't make you enough money to survive, you must choose another path. So we have no Pursuit of Happiness.

     As scary as it is, I intend to find the best ways that human life can exist. I don't depend on blind following. I don't depend on "my way or the highway" I don't depend on only my own thoughts. I just implore you to realize the situation that we are in, and the rise of revolutions in the recent centuries. The more I come together with people, the more I realize that we are being suppressed. I'm sure you have many questions by now, and I am fully capable of answering them. If I'm not, your questions will help all humanity find a way to turn this world into the planet it was meant to be.

     I love you all. Not one of you can say that I don't. I just want you to realize that this country is divided. United we stand, divided we fall. We can't make everybody live life the same way, and we shouldn't. Our individuality is what has made this world great. Many men's hands have built all the wealth you see every minute of every day.

     Last but not least. I used to dislike the Union. Not because I was against the idea, but because I felt like so many fell into the Union because that is where the money was. I now realize that as useless as the Union is by itself, the Unions getting together can control this world. And that is what we want. For the people who have ability to enjoy life, as well as, if not better than the idle class. Those being the men who need us to drive them around, clothe them, feed them, build their mansions, and what not. Where there is a will there is a way. So everything that you think might disappear with the government will be upheld by the men and women that care about the situation. If you are the only one that cares about those situations, then you will do what you can to keep it going. Humans are social creatures, but our kindness has been taken away from us, because there is no money in helping your fellow human.

I hope that you at least thought about this...we are not alone...we are just insecure about these thoughts.

A thought from a friend.

My friend is going through some changes.  He has had one business going, but is trying to launch a different one.  In the meanwhile, he might have to conform to society's wage system.  His thoughts of life have reflected his realization of what could or could not be important in his own life.  Here it is.

Talk to the right people, talking to a wall doesn’t help, (if the people u talk to have their own issues and are not dealing with them)

 

Always compare yourself to people ahead, not to people behind, don’t forget that they are there though.  “people out there have it so much worse than me… look out for number one… sounds selfish, but in the end it will in-turn help others.

 

Issues need to be remembered whether or not it hurts, forgetting may help in the immediate, but will only cause more problems in the future.

Sub conscious will remember no matter what, so if u consciously make the effort and succeed at forgetting then there is miscommunication and arguments between the conscious and subconscious.

Anxiety and other symptoms of this are just that, SYMPTOMS, it is your body telling you something is wrong, just like when u get a cut and your body sends messages to your brain in the form of physical pain.  If these symptoms are ignored then there will become an infection, which is a lot harder to deal with then the original burst of pain.  The longer u let it fester the greater the damage will be, but everything can be overcome, and help is good.

 

Strength in numbers

Good help works

Talking, Talking, Talking

 

Bully has big issues, communication with LOVED ones is the key.

 

Every little thing effects who you are, so even if u think that an issue is dead, that is a lie, it may have been overcome, but knowing and not forgetting is very important to stay on top of it.

Everyone has issues, everyone, it’s the people who deal with them that win, and they do that with help, fighting anything is easier with help.

Everyone knows the symptoms and when someone is being affected,

Talking about it shouldn’t be EASY, if u just talk and don’t mean anything then that’s worthless (she talks to everyone and its “no big deal”) that is lying to yourself, the issue is bad and its okay to be upset, its good to be upset.

PROJECTION

V with control, because she is out of control with one thing that is causing her pain, and when she was out of control before it caused her serious pain

J with openness, he has many deep things that he is not willing to share with anyone, so with everything else he is open

J with being serious, because many serious issues from childhood bring hurt and discomfort

Open—everyone is looking for that special person, that “normal” person, u have hear dit before, from men, “girls r not normal”, from girls the opposite, well here’s the news, no one is, that’s for sure, so then, if everyone is not “normal I guess everyone is normal.

 

I know this is a little more personal than my usual "all encompassing" talk.  What are your thoughts about this man's plight?

Old wisdoms

No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.
— Franklin Delano Roosevelt  

or this society, for that matter.

More propoganda

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (Jan. 5) -- President Bush pressured Congress Wednesday to pass legislation limiting jury awards for medical malpractice, saying the legal system favors attorneys who file baseless cases that drive up the cost of health care. Source -AOL News

 

This is the first paragraph of the news report, you can find the rest online.  The problem I have with this idea is that the cost of health care isn't what is going up.  It is the cost of insurance that is going up.  As usual the insurance companies and the government are hand in hand.  If insurance was a struggling business, I might understand why they would need help.  You know, and I know that insurance is one of the biggest companies in the country.  They have so much money that we could all sue them for $100,000 and it wouldn't cost any of them even a limosine, much less than food and shelter.  Under the guise of health care, George W. Bush is trying to scare you into believing the hospitals will not be able to help you if malpractice suits continue.  What he should be doing is denouncing insurance companies for amassing large profits.  Insurance is a necessity in todays world, yet there are no regulations limiting the capital that they gain.  Boo-hoo, the insurance companies are not making as much money...they aren't losing money.  This robbery is going to lead to our destruction.  If an insurance company wants my sympathy, why not suspend billing for a while?  Just sit atop the money that they have already amassed, and wait for the day that it needs to be used.  Why is the passing around of money have anything to do with keeping people healthy?  Don't they realize that their own robbery depends on working Americans be healthy?  What if only the rich can afford health care?  Who is going to be alive to do their dirty work?  Who is going to write their speeches?  Who is going to build their limosines?  Who is going to build their mansions? 

The foolish notion that we all have an opportunity to be rich is a joke.  Even if all the masses were to bring themselves to the level of the capitalists, and high paid politicians...There would still be people that were enormously more wealthy.  We could drop the price of everything by 50% and we'd still live the same.  We could double the price of everything and we'd still live the same.  Double the employees pay, double the price of food, double the price of gas...We'd still be living the same.  So why do we so willingly accept inflation?  Because we feel like we make more money anyway.  The larger the dollar amounts, the larger margin between the rich and the poor.  Five percent of everything you buy in Massachusetts goes to state taxes.  So if you are paying $10,000 for a car that's $500 in tax.  If you pay $20,000, that's $1000.  The more we pay for everything, the better they make out.

It is this thinking that has gotten us into this trouble, and it is the law-suits that are the battle ground for the fight against the system.  They have been robbing us for years.  Frivolous lawsuits are like unions.  They hurt the system, but they will never bring it down.  That is not to say they should stop because it is important training to help citizens band together to try to stop this madness.