Questions for this decade of Amerians to answer

Stay Hungry - Stay Foolish

A quote that Steve Jobs liked from the Whole Earth Catalog.

Scott Pelley, CBS National News Anchor, presented a segment last night (10-17-11) on the State of North Carolina, Moore County, and the level of unemployment which is above 10%, due largely to the closing down of Townsend’s Poultry, laying off 1300 employees and threatening the livelihood of 15 growers and their families.

The poultry company was purchased by a Ukrainian billionaire, and moved outside of NC and outside of the US to a lower wage jurisdiction.  On the one hand, these low wage earners helps keeps the price of chickens down to American families; but, on the other side of the coin, this NC county has a high level of unemployment with several families on the verge of losing everything.  So, which way should we turn at this corner?

To make matters worse for Moore County residents, they cannot get financial aid from the Federal Government because this country is classified as a Tier 3 county or not financially distraught.  How can this be?  Well, there are so many retirees living in this country that their affluence over-shadows the rest of the county.  Plus, Moore County is the home to Pinehurst which is on the PGA Golf circuit and a golf resort and country club of the rich, wealthy, and famous.

So, what should North Carolina do?  Ask the retirees and other millionaires to leave so that Moore Country can be re-classified to Tier 1 and receive Federal assistance?  Of course not!  But, this is the kind of situation that is going to continue to present itself throughout the US during these economic times. 

We have retirees that are living in retirement as well off as they did when they were working.  We have retirees that are living worse in retirement and we have potential retirees that are continuing to work because, their savings and retirement accounts have suffered great loses.

While we have 9% of Americans unemployed and another 9% under-employed or have quit looking, we do have 82% of the workforce that is working who is not holding back purchasing new cars, clothes, going out to restaurants, purchasing foreclosed homes (that the unemployed had to give up), and buying up stocks at a good price.

What is one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.

But, this is not the end of the turmoil in Moore County, North Carolina or in the United States.  The hole that is being dug is deeper than first envisioned.

Kodak, a pioneer of the film age and industry, did not move into the digital age as quickly as they should have and now the giant is really struggling to make a profit.  Ordinarily, one might say that this is the "invisible hand" of the free market enterprise system at work; old companies die as new companies are formed.  And, the following quote is appropriate:

"If you always do what you always did then you always get what you always got."  For Kodak, following that rule is hurting.

So, why should the rest of us be concerned?  Well, for those employees of Kodak who are now retired and receiving monies, there is a good possibility that Kodak will not be able to deliver those monies.  If Kodak defaults on paying retirement, many of those retirees will be put “at risk” financially, especially those who still have debt to pay off.  Kodak’s management and Board of Directors, promised those employees these retirement benefits that now they may not be able to pay.

• What can those retirees do?  
• What can the Government do?
• What can the Wall Street Protesters do?
• What can the Tea Party members do?

BTW, General Motors is facing a similar situation with its retirees...  In fact, a few years ago, in order to continue to meet the obligations that GM promised its retirees, GM sold off one of its most profitable divisions, GM Finance.  But, what will GM do the next time around?   Who do we blame? 

The company’s management team or the union workers that refused to implement 6 sigma continuous improvement programs to reduce variation and produce a higher quality product because TQM (Total Quality Management) was not part of the Union’s contract?  Or, do we blame the union workers who put parts on backwards because they were angry at one of their supervisors?

As our economic situation worsens, not only will more foreign millionaires purchase American companies but more and more retirement programs could be facing default status.  More and more Americans will realize all the promises they heard were lies.

As more and more Americans continue to purchase gasoline for their automobiles from OPEC, more and more American dollars will go to financing terrorist activities designed to kill Americans.  When need to also make sure that our retirement years are protected by exercising our right to vote, and demand that our Government stop purchasing oil from OPEC.

After working 40+ years, Americans deserve the right to retire and feel comfortable that either their companies or the Federal Government will honor their promises like we honored our promise to use our minds and bodies to help "them" get rich or to agree to pay our fair share of taxes annually.

If you wanna dance, you gotta pay the band.  Mr. Gubmit, it is now time for you to pay the band. 

Americans, it is time for you to decide which of these questions do you want to answer first?

Addendum and Caveat:
The CDC reported on CNN this morning (10-18-11) that US employers lose $224 billion each year from lost productivity due to alcoholism among its workers.