wasmi.net

On the origins of WASMI: There once was a company that used to be. In the present tense in the past, this company was well-ordered and productive. Everybody worked well together, and played nicely. Along came a giant IS-eating monster and consumed the well-being and morale of the company, as well as (eventually)the well-being of the customers and finally the jobs of most of the employees. The few who were left, left. THE END.
The evil monster in the case of the WASMI-verse lied about the reasons for some of the layoffs. I was told by the president of the company that I had been retained while another staff member was laid off because I was "more qualified." Right now, I would be spewing obscenities at this if you could hear me over the deafening roar of the internet. The fact is, the other staff member was actually the most productive, most experienced, and hardest-working member of the staff. She RULED, and I drooled! I could only ever walk in her shadow until the end of time, she was so efficient and her greatness in the workplace is undisputed.
There was only one small problem...or, in the monster's eyes, a BIG problem: her salary was bigger than mine (deservedly so, I might add.)
The bottom line was, she got canned, and I stayed (briefly. Until I could get the hell out of there.)
Well, I keep reading about this type of scenario. Today, there was another one in the news, this one by Circuit City. Except they at least didn't lie about it, they came right out and said, "We are canning all of our older, experienced salespeople because they make too gosh-darned much money! We're gonna replace 'em all with young whipper-snappers who'll be glad to work for us, cheap!"
A model-horse acquaintance told me that she had been laid off from Circuit City today after having worked there for twelve years! One of her co-workers was also let go, at age 70 after also having spent twelve years there.
I have just one question for our government, both state and federal: Who the heck is going to be buying the stuff that places like Circuit City sells, and the cars that companies like Ford and GM build? Everybody is being downsized or replaced by cheaper, less-skilled labor(sometimes provided overseas so that the recipients of the wages aren't even in the United States.)
I have long said that every low-wage service worker in the county in which I live is being supported financially by somebody else who has a "real" job(be it their parents, a spouse, boyfriend, etc.) The cost of living is much too high for anyone who works for these low wages to live on without assistance. What is going to happen to all of the people in the U.S. when everybody is forced to work for service-sector pay because there are no other jobs available? There will be nobody left to buy fast food or electronic gadgets because it will all cost too much. Then, of course, those jobs will go away, as well and it will all be anarchy because people will be starving in the streets.
okay, I'm done with my rant.