That Sound You Heard Was My Idealism Breaking
My maternal grandfather worked his way up. He started out when it was Tennessee Coal & Iron and it grew to be U.S. Steel. His tenure with the company and his work ethic allowed him to move pretty quickly up the corporate ladder. He retired with them. Gold watch and everything.
My paternal grandfather started his own business. Kind of an H & R Block, but local. He purchased season tickets to the minor league teams in our city because he thought it was his civic duty. He treated his employees well, too. If they did a good job they were rewarded financially and with other benefits the longer they were there.
Now, businesses are doing something called "freezing pensions." Actually, this has been going on seriously for about three years, but now the major corporations are basically cheapening benefits for their employees...saves money, improves the bottom line, keep jobs secure. You know the drill.
Really, I see both sides of it. Business is business and business must grow...everybody needs a thneed. I mean, the workers are free to get a bigger & better deal if they don't like the way they're treated, or they can start their own business. And, I see the employee side of it, too. I mean they signed on under different rules. Capitalism has a way of shaking these things out, however.
But I think it's one more evidence of the Baby Boomers forgetting where they came from. They're the ones making the decisions. They grew up in a different America and benefitted tremendously from that, and now they are focusing on their own well being.
Again, can't blame them...it's their turn to make decisions and they will live and breathe with the consequences of their choices. Like we all do. And, yes, the state of things is a mess. But it's always been a mess. I don't think there really were any "Good Old Days" except in our own minds (but isn't it funny how we can block out all the negatives of high school at the 10-year reunion?). It's just people living life and doing the best they can in the circumstances they are in.
But, for some reason, I like the idea of 40 years with a company and a retirement dinner and a gold watch. I like the idea of an entrepreneur with minor league baseball season tickets for their employees in section NN, row 1, seats 1-4 at Rickwood Field. I like the idea of workers and managers on the same page.
It's tough being an idealist in today's world.
My maternal grandfather worked his way up. He started out when it was Tennessee Coal & Iron and it grew to be U.S. Steel. His tenure with the company and his work ethic allowed him to move pretty quickly up the corporate ladder. He retired with them. Gold watch and everything.
My paternal grandfather started his own business. Kind of an H & R Block, but local. He purchased season tickets to the minor league teams in our city because he thought it was his civic duty. He treated his employees well, too. If they did a good job they were rewarded financially and with other benefits the longer they were there.
Now, businesses are doing something called "freezing pensions." Actually, this has been going on seriously for about three years, but now the major corporations are basically cheapening benefits for their employees...saves money, improves the bottom line, keep jobs secure. You know the drill.
Really, I see both sides of it. Business is business and business must grow...everybody needs a thneed. I mean, the workers are free to get a bigger & better deal if they don't like the way they're treated, or they can start their own business. And, I see the employee side of it, too. I mean they signed on under different rules. Capitalism has a way of shaking these things out, however.
But I think it's one more evidence of the Baby Boomers forgetting where they came from. They're the ones making the decisions. They grew up in a different America and benefitted tremendously from that, and now they are focusing on their own well being.
Again, can't blame them...it's their turn to make decisions and they will live and breathe with the consequences of their choices. Like we all do. And, yes, the state of things is a mess. But it's always been a mess. I don't think there really were any "Good Old Days" except in our own minds (but isn't it funny how we can block out all the negatives of high school at the 10-year reunion?). It's just people living life and doing the best they can in the circumstances they are in.
But, for some reason, I like the idea of 40 years with a company and a retirement dinner and a gold watch. I like the idea of an entrepreneur with minor league baseball season tickets for their employees in section NN, row 1, seats 1-4 at Rickwood Field. I like the idea of workers and managers on the same page.
It's tough being an idealist in today's world.
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