The rise of unemployment and the small effort being made by our government toward resolving it in America, tells me, there is someone making money off this effort to keep Americans broke, unemployed and many homeless, etc.
I truly believe that all evil comes from the hands of men, men who do evil for the sake of money. Worst yet, their driving inclination is to think often that they are doing good, and in the end they have committed evil.
The Bible makes it clear that money is the root of evil, and as an former Investigator, and most will tell you, you have to follow the money, to find the real culprits.
A really good article about privatization of Social Services can be found here.
http://www.afscme.org/publications/1242.cfm
I worked for a company who has HUGE contracts for Social Services, who handle CHIP, TANF, FOOD STAMPS and more. I have seen the waste from within, the treatment of the employees for the bottom line of the dollar profit. I have seen their constant error and inability in providing appropriate services for those who are truly qualified for these needed services and often too many obtaining services oft times, that are not actually qualified to receive the services.
These private companies handling "welfare services" has become, a "I don't care industry" and for the employees that work in it, it has become obsessively overbearing upon them in performing the job for the "gods" at the top force the people who work in this industry to be perfect, causing tremendous stress on it's workers. I watched as the ambulance would come almost everyday to pick up another worker who suffered, dizzy spells, heart atacks, high blood pressure incidents, panic attakcs, etc. all so that these corporations can make huge profits, and obtain more contracts similar to the one the workers may be working under presently.
There is little to no governmental enforcement for the large percentage of these corporation on the laws of work hours and pay, disabled employees, other forms of illegal discrimination and labor laws overall.
These companies are on the in, with government whether it be State or Federal, and thus, for one of these companies to get in trouble by the very government that supports them would bring shame on those in government that awarded the contracts.
These corporations know that, though they may put all the paperwork out to a new hired employee to read and sign, regarding discrimination, labor laws, etc, seldom are they ever enforced against themselves when in violation.
Insider trading, yes, but only now because of all the former SEC cases that were filed and still being filed and the people going to jail for it. They seem to take more care on confidentiality then all the other laws, but these are easily passed off, as the corruption of a few individuals and not the company environment, or structure. It is best when faced with one of these cases, for the government not to admit a mistake in contracting with them but to seek only out a few individuals within the contracted corporation and prosecute them alone or if not the government the company will see to it, that only a few have to bear the guilt, rather then the corporation, besides, the corporation is a legal entity of it's own, and even if found guilty, what punishment can a non-human entity suffer? Some fines, a drop in the bucket to what they will earn and do earn.
It makes the government still look righteous in their decisions, overall in privatizing something that should never have been created in the first place with American tax payer money, enriching the rich once more.
Recent events have shown that to be more truthful then ever with government bailouts of billions of dollars, that created nothing, but nice vacations, and bonuses for the very dogs of the corporation who are responsible for the mess they were found themselves in the first place.
As in the link I provided for the article previously, this is what we often find:
"The history of privatized social services is replete with cost overruns and service breakdowns. Meanwhile, critical decisions affecting our society's most vulnerable citizens have increasingly been based on short-term private incentives rather than long-term public interests."
If you should dare mention as an employee or point out to those above you, mistakes or errors being made by the company that would step on their toes of quantitive production that they have found regardless beneficial to their short goals to earn maximum profits in the shortest time possible. In a short time you will be transitioned to a list as a poor worker, even a troublemaker rather then the good worker you may actually be. Regardless of the truth of your work record with that company or organization previous to those moments, they have ways to make it all come to nought and you will either be pressured to leave, or even fired. All the work and efforts previously accoladed by management, will suddenly in a flash be valueless in comparison to their need to get rid of you.
I speak of all these things as one who formerly worked for one of these companies, and while researching just moments ago, I read in the article while looking for excerpts for this one, the company I worked for is one of the companies mentioned in this article. I prefer not to say which one, but I will say, the things written there about the company are TRUE.
It was so bad there, that when I went through my hassle with them, the people who worked for the State, who were physically sitting not more then a stones throw from me in their nearby cubicles, individuals that I had come to know and to like very much were well of the lies and unfairness going on. To quote several of them, they told me not to let them do what they were doing to me, and if I did quit come apply to work for them, and they would assist me in getting hired. I did choose to quit before they had the last hand in ruining my work record, which had been fine until I happen to mention to a Manager, that a new policy they had put out, would violate labor laws on overtime pay. It wasn't long after that by manipulation of a networked system, they were able to create errors, that they said I made to discredit me, and wanted to write me up for them. I both refused to sign their trumped up crap and eventually after more then one attempt by them, I resigned and wouldn't give them the time of day to this day. They are in my opinion legalized CROOKS! I wouldn't waste my time taking them to court, do I have millions of dollars like they do, to spend on attorneys, no!. I spent some 20 years doing private investigations and in that, I saw how the rich and powerful can manipulate the court systems until the corporation literally drains every dollar from the one's suing them, until even good attorneys who may be doing something on a contingency basis for their client, get where they can't afford another dime to spend on the case for you. Dragging a case out forever, and asking for new court dates, new evidence, etc, will try the patience of an individual that may dare go against them. Their attorneys are not without work or reputation, while you may seek to gain yours back in a win. They can drag the case out, essentially until hell freezes over, and you finally say "uncle." They have millions set aside in legal defense just for those purposes and will pay that to avoid the damage a large win in favor of the employee, would cost them in the long run. It seems that when it comes to their legal defense they finally start thinking in terms of long run, instead of the short run goals they have.
I tried to offer this corporation some advice and help to avoid further law suits that they were already engaged in on this particular matter that had been filed against them by former employees for non-payment of overtime. I did so by pointing out to them a policy that one particular department manager wrote to all the employees in an email, which if taken to court, the very policy stated in email, might have won the court cases for these other ex-employees. First mistake, was I let them know something, that I knew about, that I wasn't suppose to know about or they feared would become known by all the other employees, that would make others think as well, of the violation of law they were being forced to work under and perhaps either strengthen the former employees law suit by numbers of new participants or would ruin the atmosphere of false morale they were constantly trying to push for with the employees. What they failed to look at, was I came to them, with the issue. I didn't go to the other employees not even my Supervisor. I spoke with another Supervisor first, then he told the Manager who was responsible for the email. The manager, went bonkers from that point on, and made sure my Supervisor who overall kissed this managers butt would see to it, that I was watched very carefully, what I call SUPER surveillance and to be notified of the slightest of mistakes in my work, so that it could be noted and recorded.
You start with, your Supervisors and all the other upper people telling you week after week what a great job you are doing, you receive little awards, etc, nice weekly reviews, and then everything goes to crap. You know exactly what is going on, I wasn't born under a rock! You also get punished by being disallowed in taking part to other activities that would benefit you to do so for promotion. Projects for example that you worked to get into, then suddenly find you are denied, for some minor infraction, like going to the bathroom more than once a day!
I have found knowledge is a dangerous thing to have, in regards to corporate dishonesty, and even if you are trying to help them avoid further dishonesty as either a whistle blower, or someone within that is warning them of things you see and their possible ramifications, they will find A WAY to be rid of you. Why? Because in most cases these type of policies have not been written according to the laws of the land, but according to those who wish to be laws unto themselves. The policies become not something in writing but you are verbally informed of, and often times pressured into in order to survive as an employee. They will be enforced upon it's employees without any regard to the laws of the land for as long as they can get by with it, until they get caught, then they just pass it off as just one bad egg, within the corporate or organizational hierarchy. In this case, I was trying to help them, the Manager wrote her rule out in an email sent out to employees, and in another case, this Manager actually sent a list out of all the "abusers of time" that was intended to go to her Supervisors, it went to every employee in our department. Talk about a violation of their own policies of confidentiality of your personal work records! This manager in one push of a button let everyone know who the bathroom goers were, and who they were watching, and who was under fire for it! One employee screamed back with an email to the Manager, who was still sitting on high throne, over the ability to send out the troops against a few stragglers, and awoke this manager from their stupidity, and they realized they had seriously committed an infraction that could cost them their job if any of us on that list, would have taken it to human resources or above. The manager needless to say, immediately sent out a "humble apology."
I find it very difficult to always accept that is a bottom line supervisor or manager who is to blame, though in the case of the above mistake, the pressure on this manager was coming from above I AM SURE. This Manager however had little to no concern for others welfare, but their own. God has a way of taking care of the selfish, and I learned later that He did with this person, but I don't glory in it, because I also know that other forces are behind any of us, when and if we act selfishly. I am sure, that many things and perhaps many others were the cause of the cause of the effect. We as humans all of us, can be very selfish, when the bottom line anyone or anything threatens our self esteem and especially our means to make a living, and provide for ourselves and our family.
I know from 20 years as both working as a Supervisor and Manager, that many to almost all decisions made by you must go through company notification of those above you and often someone above them before even an idea is initiated to increase productivity and especially before it is named policy and can be put out there accordingly to the ranks.
I would say, then every one at the top level should be fired, for failure to supervise the lower level managers. The sad thing in lower level management, the power is so thinned down, that unfortunately most individuals don't learn or are taught by their so called superiors but by their inferiors the employees, what will fly with them and what will not, and then and if you try to make the top dogs understand that, they tell you, shut up, sit down, make money! I watched Worldcom go to the bottom, I was once one of the Managers of one of the companies they bought out. I saw, the morale of the employees of mine drop from 125% to Zip in a short time because of new policies I was forced to put on them, all for the sake of the Bernie's in this world, who owning one Yacht and one home is never enough, they want five maybe ten! Whatever it takes, maximize my profits in the shortest time possible and "to hell with what they say I can't do" as long as I can get away with it, I will and I am... then boom they bring down their own empire on themselves, and their position as a "god" because of their own selfishness destroys them. God has a wonderful way to keep teaching men this lesson, and history proves it in all areas of life, whether it be finance, or politics or empires. They all fall down eventually before Him who is God!
The Corporate top dogs are paid high dollar salaries as it is their supposed responsibility to oversee every activity within their specified named job description and especially that the rules for maximized profits are kept first and foremost. The compliance officers and those overseeing policy are suppose to see that this is done within compliance of law, and ethics, their job seems to be the one that is most often not being done. Why? because they too are nothing more then a pawn piece of the corporate profits goal and whatever they are forced into making the gods of these corporations earn maximum profits in the least amount of time needed to do so. So, they under pressure of CEO's and their board members will also fail the overall good that a company could do in providing jobs and money that goes out of there to others as well as something themselves to live on and enjoy.
I don't see it happen whether it be a private corporation, a government entity, or even the military. No one at the top will take the blame, it will all be passed to the grunts under them. Enron was the epitomy of this kind of corporate functioning. The question goes back to “who is in charge” really? Well titles and salaries paid should have some meaning to them but they do not. Lower level managers face terrible pressures everyday from the top down. They oft times do make mistakes but not all the time. These mistakes are made because of the pressure, but policy, and administration are still two things, that should always rest and weigh on the shoulders of the top dogs, and not the lower level management people and especially not the employees on the bottom. They merely do all the real work, while others pretend to be doing work, between their constant coffee breaks, useless meetings, and travel. They say they ask for input from the bottom, but it is only as good as the bottom line is: PROFIT, and anything that doesn't seem to have that in the immediate short run is immediately criticized, rather then the value it may offer that will be greater in the long run for all involved in the entity from the CEO to the janitor. Companies run on the idea of quantity, no matter what lies they tell their employees, quality is the least of their concerns, unless legal problems arise from a situation, or contractual renewals or even contract loss, then at times, they will makes a few shifts but in time, again what is the purpose of any private company but to make money and lots of it, in the shortest amount of time, to maximize profits.
My wife has a favorite saying when I ask her why she works so much, She will tell me that she has been given the opportunity to make some money that wasn't available there before perhaps overtime being offered or an extra patient or whatever, but she always says, my grandmother always said, '”To make hay while there is sunshine”
With the competition of American corporations, especially to obtain government contracts, to do services for them, this is exactly what happens because in the coming year, there may not be a renewal contract or the next year to earn the kind of money they can do, right then and right there. So burn your laborers to the ground, and get quantity, now, before the money is gone. I have seen this failure in business for some 20 years to be thankful for what they have been given, work hard at it, to be the best in service and product, and don't extend yourself immediately beyond you capabilities, Build a reputation first and always with the client, the customer and most of all with your “capital assets' you employees, because regardless how smart, intelligent, and educated you are, without them doing the bottom line work, you can go home and live in poverty for a very long time, with no business, though you may have a great product, or service, who will perform it for you, yourself? In many cases that might be best for the companies that have failed to recognize, the importance of quality of service and product to those who purchase them and most of all to the companies employees. They after all are the blood, sweat and tears of your business. If you fail here, no matter how smart the suppose top dogs think they are, they are really but fools with a mortar board on their heads, a title alongside their names, and worse yet, a salary that far exceeds their value to contribute anything worthwhile to society, men, or governments.
I believe that the solution is not in government programs or government controlled or administered programs or private corporations when it comes to social services. The problem of all these costly operations, can and would be solved, if individuals took personal responsibility for everyone of their own family members, health, wealth and prosperity, by the elimination of personal greed and took all those extra dollars they waste on themselves, and used them for the good of those who don't have.
This can include a neighbor, friend, or family member.
The worst judgment standing against the so called “church” today, is that we even have such programs even in effect. I say this is especially true for America who likes to lay claim to the name of Jesus and the Bible as Christians. Where is their Christianity, when the Bible talks about taking care of the poor in more than 200 verses, and caring for the sick, the orphan and the widow.
I tell you where it is. Jesus said this to the Pharisees, and God said this to the Old Testament Hebrews.
Matthew 15:8
' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
Matthew 15:7-9 (in Context) Matthew 15 (Whole Chapter)
Mark 7:6
And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:' THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
My name is Joe Black, I am a Christian, and this is what God has put on my heart today to write about.
I stand corrected by Him for my past failure to serve Him with my heart and not with my lips
The QUESTION IS - --- DO YOU?
Dr. J.
No comments:
Post a Comment