Wow- you sure do see the world through some convoluted eyes

First lolumad, actually, you’re the one who has an “idealistic” view of the world around you-
I’ve been in the workforce for 24 years- believe me when I tell you; my ideology of the working class is far from idealistic and a lot more realistic than yours

There is no such thing as a “dead end job” – this is the most asinine cliché I hear from the new generation job seekers- It’s the cliché one tells himself when he lacks the ambition to seek new opportunities, or simply don’t have the motivation to take control of their own destiny.
Every job presents opportunity, wisdom and insight- be it flipping burgers or delivering newspapers- some people see it and move on, and some people don’t, and continue making excuses why the world around them is keeping them down.

The Mexican factory worker you speak of is at one end of the spectrum- there are just as many, if not more “former” Mexican farmers & factory workers who came to America with little to nothing, who are now middle class suburbanites.

Lolumad- you’re completely missing the point and way off base.

examples-
My brother & I lived with my mother the first 15 years of our lives in a 2 bedroom apartment- my mother was an orphan, and we were living on food stamps and welfare.
My brother & I were both “latch-key” kids from grades 3-6.
20 years later…. My brother is a medical doctor, a cardio / pulmonary specialist at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Nj- put himself through Villanova University & med school byway of grants and student loans- I joined the Marines and spent 8 years building a knowledge base of the world around me. Many years later I was laid off from work- I had maybe a few hundred in my pocket and truck payments, rent and utilities to pay-
Failure not being an option- I traded in my pickup for a crappy box truck and started a business "Four Seasons Small Engine, LLC" - with zero education in business or economics; I taught myself via books & internet how to manage a business… To make a very long story short, I sold that business to a guy in Wisconsin a few years later for just under $100k- That guy has since sold the business model to other’s in the area and now has a franchise. I started that business with practically nothing…

Please don’t tell me how perfect & idealistic my view of this world is. I'll wage a bet that it's a lot more realistic than yours

“surplus value” ???? Do you mean “profit?” Incase you don’t know, people begin a business to make money…and profit. The business owner(s) hires employees to run certain aspects of that business- at no point in time do any of those employees become partners or co-owners of that business unless the owner of that business specifically states they will be in a contract. Those employees have no right to any revenue “surplus value / profit.” They are paid a salary, and if they prove to be an asset (making money for the business) they will get raises and other benefits at the owner’s discretion.

Being an employee at a business means you follow directions- it’s a dictatorship. The person who owns the business calls the shots… If at any point in time any of those employees don’t like certain aspects of that business- they can leave and go work in another business, or start their own.

If you're hungry and want to eat, than get off your lazy *** and get productive!
There are endless opportunities out there, everywhere-

hell, I know a kid "Zac" who's a senior in HS, He want’s to be a cop- he’s constantly volunteering his weekends at the DPW just to get noticed by the town workers- Think you’ll ever see him holding up a sign at an off-ramp “can’t eat starving, please give me your money so I can eat”? nope.

You get out of life what you put into it- Welcome to the real world.


Lolumad, why do you believe that everyone around you is responsible for your well being? If you fail in this life, you have only yourself to blame. Aside from diseased and mentally handicapped people, there is no excuse for anyone else to be indigent.
It’s laziness, undisciplined, depressed people who find more pleasure in having someone else give them something for nothing then they do finding pleasure in merit and making a contribution to their community.

You have a lot to learn about this world.


Also- this is a moot point, but since it’s there I’ll comment. Breathing is about as effortless as it gets unless you have a disease. It takes more muscle and energy to “not” breath, than it does to breath.

 

I've worked for minimum wage. I've had (and do now) more than one job. I've been to college.

All of those were by my choice. And now I'm at the upper pay scale of my profession. It wasn't because someone was robbing me, it's because I busted my ***.

If all you're willing to put in to your job is telling people to pull up to the second window, you deserve what you have.

How many success stories do you hear that start out with, "I had nothing, did nothing, and gained nothing"?

There are many programs out there to assist people. First step is getting off your ***. BTW, those programs told me I didn't qualify when I was needing help. So I guess it can be done on your own.

 

I've seen enough of the generation "Y's" and "Millennium" youth during the past few years that came through my old shop to see a different attitude on work ethics,the drive to learn versus past generations. Granted not all are like this,but seems like quite a few don't have the patience,persistence,and willing to sweat a little if it takes this to get ahead. No such thing as entitlement as far as I'm concerned. I forced my son( A Generation X kid) to work with me every summer at the shop from the age of 10 until 16 until he could work part time after school at a job of his choice. This helped instill in him at least a knowledge of what work is and now at almost age 34 has been working at the same job for almost 12 years and isn't afraid to work! Doing better than his old man has ever done and is working his way up in his company. Point is I really believe this starts at an early age to instill this in a child and from then on it's up to him/her to try to get what they want out of life. Whether it's having your own company(usually with a mixture of blood ,sweat and tears) or working for others,the choice is theirs. I really believe this is missing in a lot of the younger generation.Could be from what they have witnessed with today's economy,parents loosing jobs with years of dedicated service,or some may just feel "entitled" to get more from life than they try to put into it. This is a very,very smart group of young adults. Still I believe a "little push" has to be instilled at an early age on many of these and and a lot of it starts at home. Just an old baby boomers again. OPT

 

x2

all I hear are college kids whining about not being able to find a good paying job-
at this very moment, I'm about to leave my microbiology position at abbott bioresearch (last day is on tuesday) and start another position at another company geared more towards metrology- I have zero formal college education in the field- and I even secured my position at abbott labs without any formal education in biology... I started as a lab tech wiping down benches and washing glassware 6 years ago at genzyme (with zero experience and education) and worked my way up. Why'd I change positions? because abbott labs is splitting and I felt my career was no longer stable- and now I'm even making more money with the new job.

seems like today's kids can't figure out a damned thing unless someone takes them by the hand and spells it out for'em!

hehe- every time my father heard me complain about being bored- he'd throw a broom at me and tell me to go sweep the driveway- and when I was finished with that- to go sweep the sidewalk- and after that... go dip pine shingles in a bucket of stain- it never ended! I learned not to bitch about being bored around my father, and I found I could make more money by walking around the neighbor hood mowing lawns and delivering newspapers

 

It's 4 against 1 here, so all due respect, I'm going to have to stop this. It takes too much of my time (which is admittedly almost worthless, about 7.60 an hour ) to read all these long responses, and neither party stands to gain anything.

I work hard for what I have, way too hard. I have to work 6 hours to put gas in my tank. It almost isn't even worth my time to go into work, the only reason I do is because I don't mind the job, and I like my coworkers; and so I wouldn't want to let them down.

It's easy to talk about how it was when you were growing up, things have changed dramatically. With any luck, this generation will fight for real equality, but we'll see. I hear adults talking really often about how lazy this generation is. I grew up with this generation, I can tell you they are strong willed, and will do what they have to to secure what is theirs.

This went better than the other thread I was in, so thanks for that. I like hearing everyone's thoughts. Beergut, thanks for being reasonable, and keeping a mostly cool head, I don't get that often.

 

I dont think your generation is much different than others. If anything I feel your generation may have it a little tougher with the crappy economy. If you only make 7.60 hr and dont quit because you dont want to let your coworkers down, that speaks volumes to me.
As Iam sure you know nothing in the real world is equil or fair. Find a line of work that you enjoy and get your foot in the door. After you learn the ropes get aggressive and start gunning for your bosses job. Think outside the box and bring a level of intensity no one can match. After a few years you will be making much more and have respect from your employer.
I have been with the same company for 16 yrs. My first week employed for the company I worked 80hrs in 7days. I have framed custom roofs 50' up, in the dark with only the headlights of our trucks , just to meet deadlines.
Employers pay good $ for smart, hard workers. The rest who just punch the clock get held down by "the man". As they should.

 

And, as Jgar can tell you, chug 5 Hour Energy all day long for that extra kick.

Ride, Mr. Intensity, ride!

 

I dont drink 5hr energy at work, only when riding. Its not easy to take my ex the hard way all the time.
I bring the same level of intensity to my job sites. Its what sets me apart from the rest and it leaves a memorable first impression.

 

I find it interesting that the Democratic Party is advertising on an ATV forum. This is only a guess but I'm willing to bet over 90% of ATVers are going to vote for anybody but the Obummer administration. Between his Interior Department, and EPA there are a lot of reasons to want them gone from an ATVer's point of view. Just a random thought.

 

They're shaking in their shoes-
I'm 75% confident obama is outta here- and they know it.
Desperation is leaking out of ever corner in the obama club house