I lost my job ... * long rant *

[no_rat_race_for_me_thx]

dag.

i trained for nearly 2 months w/ this company to do W@H tech support. legit company, the whole shabang.

they weren't exactly paying a king's ransom, but who is? school's coming up, the weather WILL eventually get cold in Mich., and i was greatly anticipating being able to walk my daughter to the school bus (starting 1st grade! ) and walk back into my apt. sans. pajamas., make a pot of coffe and get to work.

nearly 2 mos. in, just passed the rigorous nesting / training phase - i hate being listened to / monitored while taking calls - yeesh.

this past friday, i'm instructed by my team leader to log off the phones and call the HR manager. "dum-duh-dum-dum!!!" i already know from previous exp. in lower wage globalized, bottom feeding, tech support environments like this that the only good news from HR is no news.

so i call the HR manager lady on friday morning - scared crapless ...

i wait the entire weekend and hear nothing.

not until i log back into the company's system and complain to the team lead abt not yet hearing anything + being on pins and needles do i get a call back this morning.

i got the can. she claims that i falsified documents abt. my criminal record.

i have no felonies. however, i do have a 2 year - old misdemeanor.

too shocked to speak, i could only muster up an "okay, thanks".

where do these sh*t jobs get off anyway? and what type of idiot goes around checking "yes" on applications b/c of misdemeanors? ever since the economy caved in, the power has gone to the employer and the workplace is now nothing more than a circus of flaming hoops. soon McDonalds & the FDA will require a DoD clearance to flip-burgers.

such is the post 9/11 economy me + my fellow gen x-ers have inherited ...

i have my own theories abt. what really happened. yet none of that changes the fact that i'm unemployed again !!!

i really hope the best things in life ARE free, b/c i'm gonna need a lay-away plan...

moral of the story: count your blessings / hug your wife + kids

[jeffweico]

That sucks. I can see employers not wanting to hire someone who is a rapist or a murderer, but for a misdemeanor?

That is what happens when you have more than 10 years of people advocating for "zero tolerance" policies. They are BS! Sorry, but they lead to some absurd results. Like an 8 year old expelled from school for sexual harrassment for kissing a girl on the cheek. Or one guy in California who got a life sentence for shoplifting a VHS video tape (it was his third offense, and California has a "3 strikes" law).

Punishment should fit the crime. And judges should be able to have discretion so they can consider the circumstances of a particular case. If we cannot trust judges to make good decisions, then why are they judges in the first place???

Now of course, I don't know what the misdemeanor is in this case, but to bar someone from a lower level job like that? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Good luck.

[teedon]

I am sorry to hear that,US government should do something for you,i never imagine this thing happen to usa which is a very very strong country in the world.

[no_rat_race_for_me_thx]

Originally Posted by teedon

I am sorry to hear that,US government should do something for you,i never imagine this thing happen to usa which is a very very strong country in the world.

@ teedon: indeed the U.S. is a strong country which presents many opportunities to its citizens and foreigners.

under the veil of equality and american dreams lie an often corrupt system which has fostered slavery, segregation, containment camps, and relegated its native - american founders to reservations.

once the bald-eagle is scalped and the american apple-pie gets cold one quickly realizes that the U.S. runs according to the "golden rule":

"He who has the gold, rules."

i've seen the best and the worst of this country - and the only thing i'm certain of is this: it is my home.

[jeffweico]

In the USA we have the BEST GOVERNMENT THAT MONEY CAN BUY!

And that is PRECISELY the problem.

BOTH political parties are completely corrupt. They distract everyone by pushing issues like abortion, gay marriage, drug use, immigration, and a million other things. ANYTHING to keep us from talking about the REAL problems that we face.

FACTS:

The rich hold more money as a percentage of all weath than at any time in history since the Great Depression. The middle class is shrinking. Foreclosures are at an all time high. Homelessness and unemployment levels are at epedemic proportions. Social Security is running our of money MUCH FASTER than anyone had previously thought. Medicare is running out even faster. If you divide the total federal debt by the population, every man, woman and child in America owes $174,000 to our nation's creditors (don't believe me? See the link, below). So much has been promised to so many that it will be IMPOSSIBLE for the government to honor these promises.

I love this country, and those facts scare the crap out of me. But when I turn on the news to see if anyone is offering any solutions, all I see are stories about whom Britney Spears is dating, illegal immigrants, gay marriage, abortion, and the ultra-liberals and ultra-conservatives screaming at each other about total nonsense.

But the ONE THING you CAN COUNT ON, is that tomorrow the rich will be richer than they are today. And the day after that, they will be even richer than they will be tomorrow. And if anything comes up that looks like a threat to that, the Congress will IMMEDIATELY pass new laws to make sure that the system is maintained. And on the way home, they will stop somewhere to make passionate speeches about the fact that Mark and Steve want to get married. And THAT will be the big news story of the day!

It is hard to believe that this is happening by coincidence.

Social Security and the Federal Debt: Why You Should Be Worried - CBS MoneyWatch.com

[GreenBean]

Sing whatever praises one likes about the USA but the only people looked after well are the rich. And that very often means corrupt.

The average man will be raped because of this. Fact of life. Has been since Independence was gained and will be always.
God Save America, yes
but who helps the man in the street?


Two words: Bernie Madoff

[jeffweico]

GreenBean,

So, umm... Do you suppose there is some room in AU for me and my cat?

[GreenBean]

@jefffweico, you can have my place,sure.

[jamblix]

Originally Posted by jeffweico

In the USA we have the BEST GOVERNMENT THAT MONEY CAN BUY!

And that is PRECISELY the problem.

BOTH political parties are completely corrupt. They distract everyone by pushing issues like abortion, gay marriage, drug use, immigration, and a million other things. ANYTHING to keep us from talking about the REAL problems that we face.

FACTS:

The rich hold more money as a percentage of all weath than at any time in history since the Great Depression. The middle class is shrinking. Foreclosures are at an all time high. Homelessness and unemployment levels are at epedemic proportions. Social Security is running our of money MUCH FASTER than anyone had previously thought. Medicare is running out even faster. If you divide the total federal debt by the population, every man, woman and child in America owes $174,000 to our nation's creditors (don't believe me? See the link, below). So much has been promised to so many that it will be IMPOSSIBLE for the government to honor these promises.

I love this country, and those facts scare the crap out of me. But when I turn on the news to see if anyone is offering any solutions, all I see are stories about whom Britney Spears is dating, illegal immigrants, gay marriage, abortion, and the ultra-liberals and ultra-conservatives screaming at each other about total nonsense.

But the ONE THING you CAN COUNT ON, is that tomorrow the rich will be richer than they are today. And the day after that, they will be even richer than they will be tomorrow. And if anything comes up that looks like a threat to that, the Congress will IMMEDIATELY pass new laws to make sure that the system is maintained. And on the way home, they will stop somewhere to make passionate speeches about the fact that Mark and Steve want to get married. And THAT will be the big news story of the day!

It is hard to believe that this is happening by coincidence.

Social Security and the Federal Debt: Why You Should Be Worried - CBS MoneyWatch.com

Nice, let's hear some truth! You should be on CNN.

[jeffweico]

Originally Posted by jamblix

Nice, let's hear some truth! You should be on CNN.

Are you kidding? I'd be shot dead in fifteen minutes or less!

[teedon]

Do you think usa president Obama can change this?as he always say he will change many things when he try to become offical president before.

[xl_The_Jackal_lx]

Originally Posted by teedon

I am sorry to hear that,US government should do something for you,i never imagine this thing happen to usa which is a very very strong country in the world.

This is pretty much "business as usual" for the so-called "freest of all nations."

I could add more but Jeff pretty much summed it up.

I mean, uh, GOD BLESS AMURRICA.

(Hopefully I don't end up on any watch lists.)

[oompaloompa]

Originally Posted by teedon

Do you think usa president Obama can change this?as he always say he will change many things when he try to become offical president before.

obama, ahahahaha.......

most countries have a big wealth divide, very few flat systems, Scandanavia springs to mind, maybe Tibet??!! Shall I tell you the worst thing about not having money, not being able to say FU when you dont want to do something....

[imjustme]

I'm sorry to hear that :( Hang in there, though. The first days are always the darkest. It's like when you lose an eBay account, it feels like the world is falling apart, but then you start seeing the bright side and new opportunities. There's always a new chance for something better, just waiting to be found

[no_rat_race_for_me_thx]

@ imjustme - thanks thats just the optimistic outlook i needed. those first few days were tough, but i'm beginning to see the bright side of things. =)

[imjustme]

I have it every few months when something goes wrong with eBay or PayPal. I worry, get headaches, can't sleep ...then after a few days it gets better as you start finding solutions to the problems and notice that there's always a way to get through something

[art888]

ooh man i feel bad for you hang in there everything would turn out good. Remember "everything happens for a reason" i cant imagine the stress that might have cause, i am not a father but i know i would be going nuts by now, but like we all said above hold on everything is gonna get better! good luck man i mean it and keep us posted