morality vs. greed

At what point does a company find itself valuing the bottom line over the bottom employee that helped them get there? Enron vs. a Wells Fargo of sorts. At what point does a company consider the employee inferior to their own objective right to profit? Greed exists in business only when the disconnect happens. A point occurs when a company no longer sees any value beyond what they currently provide them. They and I wish I had a better term), find value and inefficiency in the same employees. The finite difference in a valued employee and an inefficient employee is when they become dissatisfied and when the the valued becomes inefficient. They then become dispensable. The valued has no upward movement available to themself and no longer sees a value in themself in trying harder to increase their development. Therein lies the problem associated with business as I know. The business environment should constantly reward the intellectually challenged for wanting to learn more. But it seldom does. Instead of the old business model of being satisfied with the triangle way of doing things, the flattened out business model should take affect, if only to further the broad knowledge that many unknown people seek. View the underlings as valuable assets that can be replaced in their jobs, but not in what they know about the overall structure and what insight they can provide. Corporate greed may sometimes be about money, but it usually tied to the fact that they don't listen to the people that make them that money.

The mentality of Chinese culture

Why does the average american fear that china, and for that matter every other developing nation, pose a threat to our livelihoods? China will be around for a long time, just as they have always been around for a long time. China and others are taking away our jobs, they say. China, everyone is agreeing is not as sophisticated or smart as we are. Why do we feel threatened? I will tell you why. China is developing and we are supposedley developed. If we are developed, why do we sit in the shadows of our current jobs and not aspire to learn more, or to develop even more. China is not the obstacle that our way of life has to deal with, our way of learning is our obstacle. Just because we have been used to the same job description for 20 years, shouldn't mean that we should find that lull to retire to. As a developed ecomony we should be constantly reinventing ourselves. Challenge our current roles. China will take over many roles that as a developed society we should not want. The problem is that us as a society should redevelop our society. Our society is content with developed and doesn't want to further that. We should want every opportunity to advance even further. Does developed mean that we can no longer, or wish, to no longer further our minds. America will always be the leader in my lifetime, but it should be the leader in wanting to learn and explore. If you have read the book "the world is flat" by thomas friedman, then I commend you. I couldn't finish it. It was about the idea that we need to sacrifice our lower end jobs to others. We will as a society, just as every other society, need to have those people. It is ireversible that, that will ever not happen. We will always need the tom, dick , and harry's. We also need tom, dick, and harry to read and become more educated and advance our society. China will never take away all of our meaningless jobs, but we should make sure that the jobs they are capable of performing lead us to better more sophisticed jobs that we want and learn.

War, what is it good for

Gas prices are now sliding to relatively low prices. However, 2.49 a gallon still seems high. So what has this war against babylon and the modern day enemy accomplished for the general US of A public. Nothing of a tangible reference for us. Except that we as a people have the opportunity to criticize every move and option that our government decides and chooses. Are we less of united country because of our infighting about Iraq. I feel that we as a country have grown stronger. Yes, we may be more divided than ever since the civil war. But America has more history than war. Divisiveness is what we are about, and how we prevail as a society, not a government. The most dominant term about Iraq in the administration's viewpoint is democracy. Our strength and courage as a country, no, as a civilization, has to do with our ability and expressed right to argue our thoughts. While are heroes can sometimes be as trivial as baseball players and hollywood stars, we should focus on the broader picture. We, as Americans, (a term that some in the Western hemisphere dispice) should feel proud of what we have accomplished. Every American citizen should step back and realize that the reason we interfere with other countries, is too give the opportunities that we completely take for granted. We as a country realize that our freedom of expression is so great that maybe we should extend that to other people. Al queda may call us a greedy self loving people , but I believe we may be the furthest thing from that. Disagree with the war in Iraq or me in general. That's the right I hope that you have; and want.
eric
whoisamerica

bicycle helmets and safety belts

At what point did safety of children become our priority as a society? Bicycle helmet were for the kids with obsessed moms. Now they are called MILF's. Safety belts in vehicles are now the airbags. And I thought that was science fiction from the Challenger. I realized that parenting became important when Johnny Gosch was kidknapped. History lesson? Johnny Gosch was kidnapped in West Des Moines and the world in which I enjoyed was shook up. No more going to the park on my own. Safety became, and still is, an obsession. No longer can a kid skin his knee and not know how. We as country have become a sensitized nation. Too easy to jump to conclusions and not think that maybe kids will be kids. A kid cannot be a kid without the stipulation that a pedophile lerks next door. I want to see that same type of free spirit and easygoing nature that I think that I once had. The world is complicated, but I hope that it shouldn't be that way for someone young and oblivious to what is to come their way.
Eric,
Who is America

F.R. Anderson, Papa Hans

Nobody names their kids in initials anymore, but maybe they would become greater people if they did. F.R. was papa hans to me. A truly remarkable person that I wish I would have known today. A self made guy who overcame the odds to become who he was. If ever a definition of the pauper becomes the prince, he defines it. Although, technically it's the pauper and the prince, but papa hans describes both. My grandfather had amazing stories and altruistic american tales. Born poor, he rose to the occasion through many adversities, many unknown to everyone. I hate the term "The greatest generation" as it was coined by a baby boomer, Tom Brokaw. Is that a fair statement, or did that era just exemplify what we all are deep down. That generation, and my grandfather, managed a better way to show their incredible sacrifices, and they seem extraordinary to us. Although we all should look up to our own Papa Hans, we also need to understand that our own generations and sacrifices should not be forgotton. History is trivia, but in no way should our history be any less trivial than one generation or another. Just because I have never had a victory garden, or gone through a Vietnam protest, shouldn't mean that 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan should mean anything less to history. History is written currently, but understood and appreciated much later. F.R. Anderson was a great part of my history and what he did as a person, but who is to say there are not many more F.R.'s like him right now or between.
F.R. Anderson, I wish you were still here but you still serve a part of my history
Eric

The rap sheet

Love is free of all obstacles, right? I guess not. True.com is not true to its advertisements. True offers the chance at love, but respects the right to deny anyone based on their past record. Who would have thought that I am considered a bad guy by anyone, let alone a cheesy love, true, website. Evidently I don't pass the test for them. Very eHarmony like. Very selective. I had nearly forgotton about my criminal record until today. My criminal record 5 years ago was a clear indication that I am not compatible with anyone out there. Evidently no one who is worth a shit ever got arrested while attending college and getting a degree. I guess I'm a loser for that. After all I do have a b.s. degree. All along I thought thought that eHarmony was too selective in criteria, and now I find out about True.com's criteria. Do they know the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony, I doubt it. Do they ask the difference, or the charge, no. Is that True? no. It's interesting that they advertise love on the internet, yet love should have nothing to do with college hijinks. Pretty restrictive morals. I guess I won't know my True love after all. Oh well, I'm proud of who I am and where I have come from, even if I have had my fingers printed in a criminal database.
Eric,
PS Its not the end of the world, everyone should feel that sensation of being cuffed, because you won't want it again, just like I felt it. Once and only.

My own home?

I am embarking on a new adventure now, my own home ownership. Yes, I bought a house now. I'm afraid now of this house. It is totally mine and no one else to bail me out, yet no one to tell me how things should be. I'm excited but nervous. I love the freedom of me, but afraid of the undermined. It's my place, whow, how exciting. Can I say whow again. I'm not sure I can say that without misspelling it. That is the American dream. And hopefully I represent America,
Eric,
the excited mispeller, if that is a word