The Official Rant of the Day

[SharkHat]

I found out yesterday that there are some interesting promotions happening in the department that I left a year ago. Two people who were my peers when I started in that department 4 years ago are now 3 pay grades above me.

Both benefitted from me carrying their teams' workloads when they didn't have anybody technically competent enough to do the work on their teams.

Both are completely lazy and spend more time socializing in the office than they do working.

 

[Tadashi70]

It's like someone died in the office. Very weird feeling! I feel bad for those guys, not how you want to start anyway especially a Friday.

Sucks to hear that Freddie.

Damn Dean, doesn't give you a lot of confidence. I bet they say it's time for lunch in about 15 minutes.

Sorry to hear that Tad.

It sure does and with the new tax changes being put into place, its only going to get worse. Hard to believe in an election year that things are going to get worse.

yea, I have a hard time dealing with this in an election year.

Those days suck.....and it seems to be happening more and more these days.

we had a lean event the week before last and they decided to do away with a hole department. Accounting cut the brightest of their bunch cuz he was last hired. He is smarter then the whole team and they let him go....sucks I tell you.

 

[mikedean441]

LOL, true this doesn't fit here.

yeah its bad enough I gotta hear it all day here, THP is my getaway

 

[JB]

With taxes in business already being as high as they are, adding costs such as more training for unqualified individuals is not the right way to go about things in my opinion. While many businesses may have great plans for veterans, its not a "flat rule" that works for all business owners. So the tax break that is offered, is not always as helpful as it could be.

 

[#Cookie]

we had a lean event the week before last and they decided to do away with a hole department. Accounting cut the brightest of their bunch cuz he was last hired. He is smarter then the whole team and they let him go....sucks I tell you.

Yep, that's just plain stupid right there. Luckily, my company has a decent record of "retaining the top talent" regardless of how long you have been employed here or in your current role.

 

[JB]

Yep, that's just plain stupid right there. Luckily, my company has a decent record of "retaining the top talent" regardless of how long you have been employed here or in your current role.

Im glad to see some companies still work this way. Tenure unfortunately does not always equal quality.

 

[sharkwrestler]

Sorry to hear Freddie. Not a good way to start the weekend being uncomfortable in the office.

 

[mhachtx]

With taxes in business already being as high as they are, adding costs such as more training for unqualified individuals is not the right way to go about things in my opinion. While many businesses may have great plans for veterans, its not a "flat rule" that works for all business owners. So the tax break that is offered, is not always as helpful as it could be.

And I agree with a good portion of what you're saying, but I disagree on whether it is the right thing to do. One of our big problems is the sky rocketing unemployment rate for recent vets and its easier to ignore the problem, just as it was easy for the average American to ignore the wars they were fighting. I think I will bow out now, and wish I was in Austin so we could discuss this in person. I think you and would agree on a lot politically we would just disagree on how to get there haha.

 

[Kobey]

That's it, I'm going golfing. When I get back I will lots of new rants to overpower the political ones.

 

[JB]

In case some have not noticed, we have had skyrocketing unemployment in general. Not just one sector. Being told there is a tax cut to hire said sector, does not eliminate the issue that the cost of training falls on the employer and that they cannot hire anybody else outside of a veteran and get the same break. It is like being told that I can only hire a white guy that is from Delaware to get a tax break even though he may not be the most qualified.

Im all for programs to help veterans and do so as much as possible. However lets remember that there are millions of others looking for work and they are not less of a person because they did not serve.

 

[JB]

That's it, I'm going golfing. When I get back I will lots of new rants to overpower the political ones.

The rants are about taxes, not really politics.

 

[Kobey]

The rants are about taxes, not really politics.

That's even worse, now I'm gonna have to leave early and hit a bucket first.

 

[mhachtx]

In case some have not noticed, we have had skyrocketing unemployment in general. Not just one sector. Being told there is a tax cut to hire said sector, does not eliminate the issue that the cost of training falls on the employer and that they cannot hire anybody else outside of a veteran and get the same break. It is like being told that I can only hire a white guy that is from Delaware to get a tax break even though he may not be the most qualified.

Im all for programs to help veterans and do so as much as possible. However lets remember that there are millions of others looking for work and they are not less of a person because they did not serve.

This is part of the problem, for the last ten years we have been involved in two wars, and the average American hasn't had any skin in the game. We implemented blanket tax cuts at the start of the war, and told our citizens to go shopping while he had Americans fighting in the streets of Fallujah and Kabul. If these wars were important enough to fight, then the country does have an obligation to its service members. Now where should that come from? I can guess your answer to government programs, because that may result in the need to increase taxes. And you seem resistant to the idea that the private sector should have to share the burden.

You're right being a veteran doesn't make one person better than another, but it does make them different. Your comparison to a random white guy in Delaware doesn't really apply. The random white guy in Delaware had the opportunity to serve, but he chose not to making him ineligible for this program.

People are quick to slap a yellow ribbon on the back of their car and say they are supporting the troops, but in my mind that doesn't cut it.


Now on to my rant. I am trying to get all my homework done for school, but I still haven't received my econ text book! I found a great price online but didn't think it would take this long to get here.

 

[SW]

With taxes in business already being as high as they are, adding costs such as more training for unqualified individuals is not the right way to go about things in my opinion. While many businesses may have great plans for veterans, its not a "flat rule" that works for all business owners. So the tax break that is offered, is not always as helpful as it could be.

There is so much truth in this statement it should come with a warning. Coming from an organization that is almost handcuffed to hire veterans over other applicants I can give countless instances of the more qualified person not being hired in favor of the vet. I'm all for doing what we can to help veterans get back on their feet after their service but at the end of the day hiring needs to be about putting the right individual in the right position. Hiring a vet who knows nothing about a position over someone who has done the work and performed at a high level is a slap in the face to hard work.

We had a position come open here and a person put in for it who was incredibly qualified and brought some very good ideas to the table, instead a 10 point veteran was hired, now everyone else's workload had risen to pick up slack. It is not a sustainable practice.

 

[JB]

This is part of the problem, for the last ten years we have been involved in two wars, and the average American hasn't had any skin in the game. We implemented blanket tax cuts at the start of the war, and told our citizens to go shopping while he had Americans fighting in the streets of Fallujah and Kabul. If these wars were important enough to fight, then the country does have an obligation to its service members. Now where should that come from? I can guess your answer to government programs, because that may result in the need to increase taxes. And you seem resistant to the idea that the private sector should have to share the burden.

You're right being a veteran doesn't make one person better than another, but it does make them different. Your comparison to a random white guy in Delaware doesn't really apply. The random white guy in Delaware had the opportunity to serve, but he chose not to making him ineligible for this program.

People are quick to slap a yellow ribbon on the back of their car and say they are supporting the troops, but in my mind that doesn't cut it.


Now on to my rant. I am trying to get all my homework done for school, but I still haven't received my econ text book! I found a great price online but didn't think it would take this long to get here.

No offense here, but in my opinion you are dead wrong. We want to be so quick to say we must help those that are less fortunate through government programs. We cant then say wait, you can only help this sector first. People NEED help. There are millions of unemployed people in this country right now and millions more that have just given up that are not even part of the statistics. You said the white guy in Delaware had the choice....SO DID THE VETERAN, and guess what, it was a noble choice and one that they were paid for their choice by those same government programs the people help fund. Now they made another choice and that was to leave the military (in some cases) and they are getting another program to help them find work (im not against that). But I am against someone being penalized because they did not have the ability to go into the military.

 

[JB]

There is so much truth in this statement it should come with a warning. Coming from an organization that is almost handcuffed to hire veterans over other applicants I can give countless instances of the more qualified person not being hired in favor of the vet. I'm all for doing what we can to help veterans get back on their feet after their service but at the end of the day hiring needs to be about putting the right individual in the right position. Hiring a vet who knows nothing about a position over someone who has done the work and performed at a high level is a slap in the face to hard work.

We had a position come open here and a person put in for it who was incredibly qualified and brought some very good ideas to the table, instead a 10 point veteran was hired, now everyone else's workload had risen to pick up slack. It is not a sustainable practice.

Its happening a lot and while its great for the short term to help the veterans that give us so much in this country, there are way too many people looking for work to be selective and not being able to choose the most qualified.

 

[mhachtx]

No offense here, but in my opinion you are dead wrong. We want to be so quick to say we must help those that are less fortunate through government programs. We cant then say wait, you can only help this sector first. People NEED help. There are millions of unemployed people in this country right now and millions more that have just given up that are not even part of the statistics. You said the white guy in Delaware had the choice....SO DID THE VETERAN, and guess what, it was a noble choice and one that they were paid for their choice by those same government programs the people help fund. Now they made another choice and that was to leave the military (in some cases) and they are getting another program to help them find work (im not against that). But I am against someone being penalized because they did not have the ability to go into the military.

Then what should be done?

Edit: I'm talking about the veteran problem specifically.

 

[staticline]

I don't see why the tax rate can't be what it was when Clinton was in office. Never heard these kind of problems then, and we had a surplus, not a deficit.

Then what should be done?

Edit: I'm talking about the veteran problem specifically.

I am a vet.

No one should get a job just because they are a veteran. I never got a job because I was a vet. When I got out, I busted my hump, picked up the phone, knocked on doors and sold myself in interviews.

But, if all things are equal, meaning a non-vet and vet have the same skillset, I would give the vet preference.

Living in this world is about choices. EVERY choice you make will have an impact at some point in your future. Yes, unemployment is high. But, I see "hiring" signs everywhere. But, people think they deserve a job in the field they want to be in at what they want to get paid. It's easier to get a job when you have a job, I know. But, sometimes you have to get a job in a field you don't like. Then, during lunch, after work and on the weekends, you need to work on getting a better job somewhere else.

 

[the_paulo]

Just found out my department have a consultant starting on Monday, to implement an asset management and inventory strategy that I've been tasked with doing the spec for on 3 different occasions. Each time I've been told there was no budget for the software I was proposing. Now they're paying consultant fees and just for one more kick in the stones, they'll be using and buying one of the pieces of software I was pushing a year ago.

I'll be having a great weekend. Then I'll be back in here on Monday and going tonto at them.

 

[mhachtx]

I am a vet.

No one should get a job just because they are a veteran. I never got a job because I was a vet. When I got out, I busted my hump, picked up the phone, knocked on doors and sold myself in interviews.

But, if all things are equal, meaning a non-vet and vet have the same skillset, I would give the vet preference.

Living in this world is about choices. EVERY choice you make will have an impact at some point in your future. Yes, unemployment is high. But, I see "hiring" signs everywhere. But, people think they deserve a job in the field they want to be in at what they want to get paid. It's easier to get a job when you have a job, I know. But, sometimes you have to get a job in a field you don't like. Then, during lunch, after work and on the weekends, you need to work on getting a better job somewhere else.

And I agree that the overall burden is on the vet. I just did 6 years, decided I wanted to do something else and now I'm a full time student with a part time job. I don't know what MOS or job you did, but these infantrymen and other combat units that get out are effectively punished for having missed that time, and it is hard for them to catch up. But back to my original question, where should the help come from?

 

[JB]

And I agree that the overall burden is on the vet. I just did 6 years, decided I wanted to do something else and now I'm a full time student with a part time job. I don't know what MOS or job you did, but these infantrymen and other combat units that get out are effectively punished for having missed that time, and it is hard for them to catch up. But back to my original question, where should the help come from?

Wait. So I am genuinely curious here. You said that they are punished for the choice they made to serve their country (and be paid) because of lost time and experience, yet instead right now they are being rewarded twice, both by getting paid for serving and again for making it easier to find work. Could you not say the regular unemployed guy that didnt serve is the one being punished? Where is the help for him and where should that come from?

 

[staticline]

And I agree that the overall burden is on the vet. I just did 6 years, decided I wanted to do something else and now I'm a full time student with a part time job. I don't know what MOS or job you did, but these infantrymen and other combat units that get out are effectively punished for having missed that time, and it is hard for them to catch up. But back to my original question, where should the help come from?

For school, as you already probably know, the help is: Pell Grants, GI Bill, Financial Aid.
For work, it's the same places as the non-vet unemployed go....Dept of Labor offices, I think, where they do some basic computer training. But, in reality, lots of getting a job is also "Who do you know?", not "What do you know".

I was a Parachute Rigger, very little cross-over back into the real world. But, I also went to college before the military. That goes back to my above statement about "Choices". For the kid that goes 11B (Infantry) right out of h.s. I hope he made a choice to get good grades in h.s. and not, instead, be some kind of worthless juvenile delinquent. Because, when that kids get out of the military and goes back to his hometown, all of the business owners and managers with hiring authority are going to remember what the kid was like and that will impact their decision making. If someone was a punk in h.s., graduates, gets drunk and visits a recruited to "kill commies", he has made a decision that will effect the rest of his life. The is no cross-over into civilian world for that person. They can get out of Active Duty, join the Reserves or National Guard and drive a forklift, probably.

There is no black/white solution.

 

[c_ault]

Wait. So I am genuinely curious here. You said that they are punished for the choice they made to serve their country (and be paid) because of lost time and experience, yet instead right now they are being rewarded twice, both by getting paid for serving and again for making it easier to find work. Could you not say the regular unemployed guy that didnt serve is the one being punished? Where is the help for him and where should that come from?

Probably going to regret this...How many years of unemployment did he accept and how many jobs did he pass up?

In general, Federal Gov't programs are bad, m'kay

 

[mhachtx]

Wait. So I am genuinely curious here. You said that they are punished for the choice they made to serve their country (and be paid) because of lost time and experience, yet instead right now they are being rewarded twice, both by getting paid for serving and again for making it easier to find work. Could you not say the regular unemployed guy that didnt serve is the one being punished? Where is the help for him and where should that come from?

I think part of the problem we are having is that I view it as a continuing obligation, and you don't.

The guy that has made several war time deployments, and chooses not to stay in is missing time that he could have used to improve his skills in the civilian sector. You argue that he could have stayed in and would still be getting paid, but sometimes people get tired of going to war. I know it's an inconvenient fact, but we have been at war FOR TEN YEARS. People have made 5+ deployments for their country, so yes they do deserve a boost.

In my mind, no the regular unemployed guy is not being punished, what sacrifice did he make that earns him that boost?

 

[JeffReedMO]

Not to break from the policy discussions, because as a political operative, I actually enjoy getting kneed in the nuts. *I am honestly surprised I have steered away from political discussion at THP as long as I have*

But here is my rant. Selling an item on eBay. Two hours before my auction closing, a dude sends me a message wanting to buy my item, for $60 less than I have it listed for. I feel like messaging back, "Shall I f***ing drive it to you, as well?"