Ivory Tower Nonsense

Rick, Knut, Gary, Vicky, Mark, Kelly, Doug, and Larry.  These are the people who I have laid off during the past 2 or 3 years.  Each one was an excruciating decision, followed by  a few weeks of anguish.  As lay off day approaches, anxiety increases.  The days before "Tell Day" day offer little sleep.  Then "Tell Day" arrives and stress level goes off the charts.  Each employee is greeted by the angel of death (me) at their cube doorway asking them to follow to a conference room.  Once there, I notify them of a company decision to reduce workforce, and those decisions have impacted them.  Most are shocked.  A few cry.  No one has shown anger.

After delivering the message, I explain their severance package and we move to their cube to collect personal belongings.  One person expected the lay off and was already packed.  From notification to building exit only 5 minutes elapsed.  Most require 15-30 minutes.  It is a difficult and awkward time for both of us.  Once all notifications are delivered and former employees have left, I gather the survivors together and announce the job actions I have taken.  This is the time I worry most of angry demonstration, but no incidences so far.

Occasionally, I follow up or hear from a laid off employee.  Even after they are no longer part of my team, I remain concerned.  Gary was a new father.  Mark was planning to marry within a few weeks of the lay off.  Kelly was a college hire the company had committed to train for 3 years, then reneged.  Larry was a 50+ white male with little chance of recovering his former income level.

It feels very odd to reach out on facebook to someone I have laid off, but I have twice. Both times the former employee responded with an update on their new careers.  Both found employment quickly.  One is now making more than they did in their old job.  Both seem happy about their change.  Neither harbored ill feelings towards me.  I have heard of others that acquired good jobs before their severance ran out.  It usually works out, even in these bad economic times.

Until yesterday, I was able to wrap my head around the reasons for each lay off.  The economic and business environment was such that any well run company was forced to reduce expenses to remain in business.  In most companies, labor costs account for the majority of expense spending.  In this economy, if a company is serious about remaining in business, hard decisions must be made.  The manager is merely one cog in the machine that carries out these decisions.  I am fine with that.  I don't enjoy it and would worry if I did.  But I understand it.  Lay offs happen.  Laying off a few people to save the company and remaining jobs is better than letting a company go bankrupt.

Yesterday I added one more name to my list of lay offs.  I let Melody go.  She was an average employee on a team of high performers.  The amount and quality of work she did was adequate.  Over her 14 year career she had always been an effective contributor.  So did I need to reduce expense in order to support company profitability?  I did not.  This lay off was a result of an Ivory Tower desire to follow the principals of Jack Welch.  Jack said that you reward your best performers and replace your worst.  The anguish, anxiety and stress leading up to this "Tell Day" was higher than any other.  Even though I have known it was coming for some time now, I could never justify it in my own head.

An executive who acts on that principal without adequate forethought, is completely unaware of the carnage they create.  Bad behavior through the entire company ranks is result.  Employees quickly understand they need to perform better than their peers, or make their peers look worse than they do.  Managers begin to look ahead to the next round to make sure they have a below average employee to sacrifice.  Morale and job satisfaction decline.  Everyone loses the company loyalty that is so important in maintaining high performing teams. 

Melody will be fine. She will likely land on her feet and obtain a good job for a good employer.  My worry is now the 23 employees I did not lay off.

Seperation of Church and State

Localities are sued for displaying the Ten Commandments, Christmas trees become Holiday trees, prayer is banned from public schools, and recently a congress woman omitted the words "under God" when leading Congress in the Pledge of Allegiance.  The omission was apparently on purpose.  Why do liberals go to such lengths to remove any mention of religion?  Is it becasue of that pesky seperation of church and state language in the U.S. Consistution? 

I don't think so. While we are led to believe that our Constituion restricts mixing religion with the public business, it does not.  In fact, there is no mention of a seperation in the document.  The language of the Constituion is extremely clear.  So clear it really doesn't need a Supreme Court to interpret for we, the great unwashed. 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."

That is all it says.  So in modern English, I interpret this to mean that our elected doofus' in CONGRESS cannot pass a law establishing a national religion, or prohibit the free exercise of an individual's religion.  It says nothing about how local govenments should act, or that any mention of a religious term or person cannot be uttered..  I realize there are many other letters and writings of our founding fathers that hint at a "wall of seperation", but the text above is lifted directly from the consititution.  Any other ideas that conflict should be disregarded.

Now Christine O'Donnell is being ridiculed for stating the obvious.  Don't these liberals realize how ridiculous they seem with their complex meandering auguments on how the Constitution says what is obvoiusly does not say? 

Thanks Charles

Thanks to my friend Charlie for forwarding the following cartoon.  He's a long time friend, a fellow conservative and an all around good guy.  He'd be perfect if not for his adoration of the Kansas State Wildcats.  Charlie is feeling pretty good about his team during this football season.  His team is also favored over my Jayhawks this year in basketball.  But as certain as the sun rises in the east, March will come and I predict the Jayhawks will be ranked higher than his Wildcats. 

Charlie needs to remember that a long tradition and consistency over many years makes a dynasty, not a couple of good seasons.  KU has beaten Kansas State 32 out of 34 meetings since the Big 12 was established, including the last 5 straight.  Overall KU holds a 180 win, 90 loss advantage.  This year is likely to be more of the same.

I really loved the cartoon.  It summarizes why America will be firing a lot of democrats next week.

Whoopi and Bill

When I first saw this clip of Whoopi Goldberg and Bill O'Reilly on The View, I considered it just another example of liberal elitism.  Whoopi is a big liberal and I haven't agreed with her often.  But later that evening, I watched her explain her behavior and was swayed.  She showed contrition for walking off the set, but her reason for becoming upset has merit.

She was offended by O'Rielly saying that Muslims killed the people in the World Trade Center.  Muslims is a big word.  There are 1,820,000,000 Muslims worldwide.   O'Reilly should have been more precise.  Nineteen specific Muslims did commit the crime, not the entire Muslim faith.  Whoopi stated the way he said it was like saying that "Blacks like fried chicken", or "Italians are in the mafia".  Okay, point taken.

O'Reilly should have said the 19 people who killed 2,752 people in the World Trade Center attack on 9-11 were Muslim.  The other 1,819,999,981 Muslims just smiled and cheered. 

I'm thinking that I probably won't be asked to be a guest on The View.

Freedom of Speech? Your fired

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

-- Juan Williams

National Public Radio to Juan: "Your fired".

 


Duane Hammond, a union stagehand who was part of the crew that built the platform for an Obama event, came to work early on Friday wearing clothing that says "George H. W. Bush". Hammond's son is in the Navy, currently serving on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H. W. Bush.  That didn't go over well with his union supervisor. Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home. He refused.
Union supervisor to Duane: "Your fired".

I guess that freedom of speech is a right reserved for the politically correct.

I Like to Listen - The Incredible Machine

Earlier this week, Sugarland released their fourth CD.  I am a Sugarland fan.  Heck, I practically discovered them.  Their first CD was a brilliant Country/Pop record that established Jennifer Nettles as one of the best vocalist from any genre of music.  Subsequent CDs continued to highlight her vocals.  Air play featured their commercial Pop recordings, but each CD had a treasure of pure Modern Country songs.  I had learned to disregard the tunes heard on Country radio knowing the best songs were the ones they didn't play.

So last Tuesday, I visited the local Best Buy and bought their latest CD, The Incredible Machine.  As I usually do, I rip the wrapper from the CD and deposit it in the Best Buy trash can as I exit their store.  Once back in my car, I pop the CD in the player and turn my attention to the linear notes.  Jennifer and Kristian wrote every song.  So far, so good.  I always give extra credit when artists write and play their own stuff.  Only 11 cuts, that is a little light for a Sugarland CD.

1. "All We Are"
2. "Incredible Machine"

First couple of songs play and I am thinking, this must be their Pop/Rock stuff.  Seems to be a little more to the Rock side than normal, but that's okay.  I like Rock music too.

3. "Stuck Like Glue"

This song has been playing the Country stations for several weeks.  Didn't like it much when I first heard it, still don't.

4. "Tonight"
5. "Stand Up"

Okay, this is getting serious.  Five tracks into an 11 track CD and not a Country tune yet.
6. "Incredible Machine (Interlude)"
7. "Every Girl Like Me"

Alright, cut six was the first song they have ever released that did not feature Jennifer Nettles vocals.  That was interesting.
8. "Little Miss"

Cut eight, that sounded familiar.  I finally found a modern Country song.  Pretty good one too.

9. "Find the Beat Again"
10. "Wide Open"

Back to the Pop/Rock.

11. "Shine The Light"

I spotted this one quickly when scanning the linear notes.  Shine the Light is a song written by Jennifer Nettles and recorded by her alone.  Just Nettles singing and playing the piano.  After 9 of the first 10 cuts disappointed, I hung my hopes on this last ballad to justify the CD purchase.  Reminiscent of "Stay", Shine the Light delivers.  I expect to see this song performed at all the live awards programs in 2011.  Great song, great performance.

So now I'm wondering, who will play songs from this CD?  Did Sugarland just walk away from their Country fan base and completely cross over to Pop?  If this CD is what we can expect in the future, the answer is yes.  The Country music stations continue to play Stuck Like Glue, but I am not sure why.  Maybe they were as surprised as I was by the new release.  Or maybe all you need is a southern twang to be considered country by them.

The Incredible Machine is a good CD.  The music is upbeat and energetic. Jennifer Nettle's incredible vocal talent is featured on all but one track.  It will get a lot of play on Pop radio stations, and the Country stations that play a lot of cross over music.  The CD may even get a few awards next year.  Shine the Light might be the grammy for best song.  But Johnny Cash will turn over in his grave if this CD wins an Academy of Country Music award.  This CD ain't Country.

Deluded

“We must win, and we will win, this election”

“The Republicans say if they took over, they would take us back to the exact same agenda. We are not going back. We are not going back,”

“In this election, let’s continue to take America forward,” she said. “We’re not going back to the failed policies of the Bush administration.  “We all know that not enough has been accomplished. We need many, many more jobs.”

These are recent quotes from the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.  Surely she must have been briefed on how dire her party's chances are to retain a majority.  Yet, she still stands in front of cameras and does what she does best, lie.  Maybe she is just following  a policy of not admitting defeat before the battle is over.  But, it is over.  From the woman who told us we could see what was in the health care bill once it was passed, absurd statements are nothing new.

Or maybe she believes that all of America is as liberal as her home district in San Fransisco?  That a currently uninterested and unmotivated liberal base will rise up to save the democrats from the coming catastrophe that will occur on 11/3/2010?  Or is she that delusional?