WHERE ARE YOU, NOW THAT I NEED YOU

[mikeydv]

Not only a GREAT song, but a good question for the past few days...So few people chatting on the forum..SO WHERE DID YOU Go AND COME ON BACK!

[Dianne]

Mikey...good question....and deserves an answer that I don't have. Personally...I'm thinking maybe people are testing the waters....is the coast clear???? Whatever that means. There is more to the forum than just small talk....books for one!! The DK and MAB books have caused some to back off from discussions...some of the contributors to these books are forum members. Any suggestions how to break the ice?

[Theodomus]

It's getting busier again - Probably most people were just busy the past days.

Most forums have those phases once in a while.

[Debbi Austen]

It seems like when school starts up and people are back in college, there is less conversation. (Although I think most of the people here are older than that).

[miss maxwell]

I'm still here - just some busy times as everyone said. Greetings to all -

[Jas1]

I love that picture Miss Maxwell - Doris looks about 30!

[Dianne]

Yes Miss Maxwell, love that photo!!

I also think a possible reason forum visits might be down is that we Americans might be a tad more concerned, and even more so lately, with preserving what wealth we have left -- glued to the MSM -- yep, we ARE in TROUBLE. IMHO, bailouts are only a short term fix -- this $700B bailout, if passed, will only intensify the problem for probably the next decade. This country has been hooked on "credit crack" for too long....withdrawal will be painful, but for God sakes, no pain, no gain -- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/fina ... l-out.html

[suzie]

Diane , you are absolutely right , couldnt have said it better myself. I hope they dont bail them out, let them go bankrupt,and be out of bussiness, its obvious they didnt do their job right in the first place. Its nothing but pure greed that got them into this pickel in the first place. Okay im off my soap box for now anyway .

[John M]

I hope they dont bail them out, let them go bankrupt,and be out of bussiness, its obvious they didnt do their job right in the first place. Its nothing but pure greed that got them into this pickel in the first place. Okay im off my soap box for now anyway .

True, but sadly they won't be the ones who suffer without a baillout. It will be all the average people who have invested in them, or bank with them, or have mortgages through them, or insurance with them. These CEO's will still get their Platinum Parachutes and take home BILLIONS of dollars collectively no matter what happens to their firms. But the average American consumer could lose everything they have in this mess: their life savings, their homes, insurance coverage they've paid for for years will suddenly be worthless. It's truly frightening.

There needs to be MAJOR changes in the financial sector, and major oversight to keep the corporate greed in check. We went through this in the first half of the 20 Century to prevent this from ever happening again, then Reagan, Bush and Bush Jr have been undoing all those safeguards claiming they were "bad for business," therefore "bad for America." Well, guess what? We're practically right back where we were in the 1930's. We're supposed to LEARN from history, but we rarely do.

And don't even get me started on Outsourcing!

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now.

[suzie]

John, as always you are the voice of reason,and right to. I see this happening and your right its always the average joe, who ends up with the short end of the stick, and it makes me mad . Im so glad the F.B. I. is investgating the entire situation, If it were a small bank in little town U.S.A , heads would be rolling .
Outsourcing is really happening up here in michigan, I work for an auto company and we have parts coming in from all over the world..we are told its cheaper, however having saved all that money , they are constantly on us to hurry up and get our work done as fast as possible , so they can save money on our labor. I cant tell you guys how many times a day doris' song from the P.J . game, HURRY UP , WHEN YOUR RACING WITH THE CLOCK..... goes through my mind lol. I dont blame them for wanting to hurry us up ,its just that , they want more work for less pay. If we build 500 cars a day , then they want 510 cars the next day, and once again it called GREED folks... They are never content and always want more. Okay , sorry guys for venting I feel better now , anyone want the soap box now ? Your turn.

[rt]

The cost of living would spiral in the "developed" world if not for outsourcing. Let's be honest - how many of us would make the extra effort (and pay more) to shop at independent retailers as opposed to supermarkets?

Re: employment - many off-shore jobs would be difficult to fill with the local populace.

Just some observations - am not disagreeing with anybody.

It's past 0130, I have to get the 0706 train to work - goodnight!
Rum

[webmaster]

It must be an even more worrying time (financial markets) in the US than in the UK - I don't really understand what is going on - in fact, I don't understand at all. They say that the average debt per person in the UK is about £20,000 - I don't have any debts so at least one person must owe £40,000!

Apart from the end of civilisation as we know it, I've been really busy but almost finished and looking forward to some quality time with Doris and all of you on here - sharing stuff and being creative.

[John M]

Rum, you make some good points that really sound right on paper, but at least here in the U.S., they haven't translated into reality. The cost of living is far higher here today than it was before we started outsourcing, and we have much higher unemployment with the people who have been outsourced out of their jobs. Because the reality is the "savings" are not passed on to the consumers, but are pocketed directly by the corporate honchos. That money is not going back into the economy as promised in the early days of the outsourcing debate. Just another example of CEO greed masquerading as free enterprise and capitalism. But India and China are booming, so I guess that's all that matters.

There are 2 great books I heartily recommend to anyone wanting to read up on all this: Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington deals with corporate greed and the government protections they enjoy, and Take This Job and Ship It by Senator Byron L. Dorgan deals with outsourcing in particular, but also with the culture of corporate greed.

[rt]

Hi John, your posts are always very thoughtful and interesting.

There is some unhappiness about call centres being in India etc. We hear a lot of comments re India and China booming in the UK as well. ( They've been stolen from for generations - so I suppose it is pay back time, now.)

It is a competitive world, I don't pretend to understand the corporate sector - it is much too complicated for me. In a capitalistic society - isn't it money or the want of money that drives many policies. The majority in the Western Hemisphere would choose capitalism over communism/socialism - so I guess we're stuck with the negatives as well.

It looks like there will always be inequality - like in the story of the talents..........

I'd love to read and understand more - some time in the future..........

There was a comment in a paper re this being the IPOD generation: insecure, pressurized, overtaxed/overworked and debt-ridden. That does describe some of our lifestyles!!!!!!

Rum

PS. Are there too many emoticons

[suzie]

Just got out of work today, two hours early..Gave them a full days amount of work and lost two hours worth of my own money. Dont mean to complain, I know ive got it better than alot of folks do, but I just was told today that my LINE at work is going down to only ONE person, and guess who that is ??? Yep, its me. I now have to produce the same amount of cars all by myself as I did with a partner. The cost savings WONT go towards keeping the doors open as they always claim, it will go directly into bonuses for the big shots. (I dont know that for a fact , but im pretty sure thats where it really goes.)
It is a frightning thing for the entire world, because what happenes here in the states, usually has the same effect on the rest of the world. If people here cant buy products here in the states because of this, then china and india will get the trickel effect of this situation and will have to cut back on their production of goods.
Something this serious effects everyone , not just a few. With all that being said, MR. BRYAN JAMES , thank you so much for this forum, where we can all talk about how we feel about things and share are love and admiration for our darling doris. This forum helps me deal with the stress of my job, by being able to come home and relax and enjoy sharing with you lovely people... WHAY A GOD SEND THIS FORUM IS ...
P. S. John, I just saw the senator from north dakoda on the tube and you are right what a great guy. He was the ONLY person who made any sence at all on this situation. (senator Dorgan )