[Rebels1972] (no subject)

[Fred Atkinson]

Tony, 

    What's so wrong with including the truckers in the same wage laws that the rest of us enjoy?  They seem to be the only folks that don't get that same protection.  As I previously pointed out, wage and hour does not apply to them.  But those of us who daily enjoy the fruits of their work are protected by it.  

    And what is so wrong with making it possible for them to get absentee ballots so they are respresented with the rest of us?  

    You aren't held into contracts where you have to repay thousands of dollars for training when you are getting low pay to begin with.  Try to interview for a job with a different line of work when you don't know where you are going to be the next day and don't have leeway to keep going to different interviews because you have little control over your schedule.  I found myself in that boat during the recent economic times.  

    You know, I'd have said the same things you are saying before I spent a year working as a trucker.  You stereotype a group and there is nothing good about them.  But once you are out there among these people and see the conditions they live and work under, and the caliber of people that many of them are, your views change dramatically.  It happened to me.  

    Regards, 



                                                                                                        Fred 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tony Nichols 
  To: 'Sansom Class of 1972' 
  Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 1:17 PM
  Subject: [Rebels1972] (no subject)


  Fred,

   

  I don't think you draw any support for having the government pass any laws to mandate wages for any class of occupation.  Anytime the government gets involved, they screw things up.

   

  Every profession has its problems.  Many doctors go to school until they are 35 years old or more.  You would think that that is why they make the big bucks.  However, many talented people are now choosing not to pursue a career in medicine because doctors are finding it harder to make a living due to the cost of insurance.  When enough people decide not to pursue medicine and there is a shortage of good doctors, things may change for the better.  However, it will not be the government that fixes it.  The problem is with the law-suit happy American public that wants something for nothing.  Our government makes them think that they have more rights than they have.

   

  I had a customer complain yesterday because I warned him that there would be a $150 charge for travel time on his out-of-town job.  I just explained that I was sorry but I couldn't accept work without being adequately compensated for it.  I have quit other jobs because I felt I was due more that the company was willing to pay.

   

  It kind of reminds me of the doctor who complained about a service bill that he had received from his plumber.  He said, "I'm a doctor and I don't even make that kind of money."  The plumber replied, "Neither did I when I was a doctor."

   

  You just have to decide whether the pay is worth your effort and if it is not, refuse to do the job.  I have considered being a teacher myself because I like kids so much.  However, if I did decide to pursue a teaching career, I would need to do so with the knowledge that teachers are underpaid and that is a fact of life.  It is a calling,...kind of like the ministry is to the minister.

   

  Anytime I hear a really good guitar player, I wish that I could play like that.  The dumb thing is that I could play like that if only I would practice.  Most people find a way to achieve the things that are REALLY important to them.  If a person wants out of being a truck driver, bad enough, he'll find a way to get the life he wants.  Most people enslave themselves.

   

  My 3-4 cents worth,

   

  Tony

   



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  Rebels1972 mailing list
  Rebels1972 at mishmash.net
  http://mishmash.net/mailman/listinfo/rebels1972_mishmash.net
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/rebels1972_mishmash.net/attachments/20060616/aeb39b46/attachment-0001.html