The reality of the average American's economic situation resembles something akin to serfdom. Instead of being tied to the land, we're tied to the system. In a practical sense the difference is academic. Where is my cake?
Serfdom is the forced labour of serfs, on the fields of the privileged land owners, in return for protection and the right to work on their leased fields. Serfdom involved work not only on fields, but various agricultural-related works, like forestry, transportation (both land and river-based), work in craft and even in manufactures.
Brilliant one Jeff G - I want chocolate cake for mine.
Not sure why, but I've the song "Do they owe us a living?" by Crass constantly running through my head. Maybe its just I'm feeling more militant, what with the mood in France and the demo in Los Angeles.
The one thing missing from that wonderful definition of Serfdom is that it was also the Serfs who got rounded up to go and fight and die in the wars of kings and land owners.
With the way things are going, an extra resevoir of 40 000 or so, should add nicely to the prospects of any large scale employers that are thinking of up-sizing. Especially when their employees aren't so much being laid off as dying on the job while they are making the world safe for capitalism.
Who needs people when you've got a monopoly on technology and endless streams of cash? Lucent's Patricia Russo, who eliminated 30,000 jobs at Lucent Technologies Inc., says she will move quickly to reduce the workforce when she takes over as head of Alcatel SA after [its] $13.4 billion purchase of [Lucent].
Russo aims to save $1.7 billion after three years . . . [by eliminating] 10 percent of the combined staff, or 8,800 jobs, after reducing the workforce by 50 percent at Murray Hill, New Jersey-based Lucent. Move over Rice, you've got serious competition!
Russo also sits on the board of New Jersey-based drugmaker Schering-Plough Corp. The woman controls the whole state! Russo closed factories and offices from Landover, Maryland, to Naperville, Illnois, and Columbus, Ohio at Lucent. Pacific Crest Securities analyst Tim Daubenspeck aid she may follow the same recipe this time and close plants in the U.S. first. Very simple. Decrease workers, increase PROFIT$$$. The combined company will be based in Paris, and Russo may have a tougher time shuttering locatios there quickly due to stringent labor laws. . .
Millions of French citizens are protesting a labor contract instituted by Prime Minster Dominique de Villepin that reduces job protection for people under 26. France's unemployment rate is 9.6 percent, twice as high as in the U.S. She can't fire workers in Paris because French politicians fear their people. Yet, here in America, it's OTAY! Remind me again why dogs lick their genitals? Because they can! About half of the savings will come as she pares back the 88,200 employees. Most of the reductions will come within two years.And it looks like most of the "paring" will be in the US![Russo's] pay last year including bonus increased 14 percent to $4.75 million.She gets paid handsomely to "pare" her countrymen. "The only negative thing I can say about Pat is sometimes she doesn't move quickly enough," Levy said [referring to Lucent's lag behind competitors Cisco and Juniper.]
The deal needed to happen after a flurry of takeovers among service providers, said Tony DeSpirito, a fund manager at New York- based Pzena Investment Management, Lucent's fifth-biggest stockholder. Who are the top four? Other bankers, no doubt. SBC Communications Inc. last year bought AT&T Corp. for $16.5 billion. The company, now called AT&T Inc., agreed in February to purchase Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. taking full control of Cingular Wireless LLC.
"It only makes sense for the vendors to consolidate as well," said DeSpirito, whose firm manages $20 billion. "You combine those two companies and it allows you to make some significant cost cuts." And so it goes. The inexorable result of a legal system based on monopoly and greed is more monopoly and more greed, until the whole grotesque system consumes itself.
Wakeup America. The next "cost cut" will be you.---------------------Related post at OK Now
4 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formYou can't spell "capitalism" with "countrymen".
Monday, April 03, 2006
The reality of the average American's economic situation resembles something akin to serfdom. Instead of being tied to the land, we're tied to the system. In a practical sense the difference is academic. Where is my cake?
Serfdom is the forced labour of serfs, on the fields of the privileged land owners, in return for protection and the right to work on their leased fields. Serfdom involved work not only on fields, but various agricultural-related works, like forestry, transportation (both land and river-based), work in craft and even in manufactures.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Brilliant one Jeff G - I want chocolate cake for mine.
Not sure why, but I've the song "Do they owe us a living?" by Crass constantly running through my head. Maybe its just I'm feeling more militant, what with the mood in France and the demo in Los Angeles.
The one thing missing from that wonderful definition of Serfdom is that it was also the Serfs who got rounded up to go and fight and die in the wars of kings and land owners.
With the way things are going, an extra resevoir of 40 000 or so, should add nicely to the prospects of any large scale employers that are thinking of up-sizing. Especially when their employees aren't so much being laid off as dying on the job while they are making the world safe for capitalism.
Monday, April 03, 2006
"making the world safe for capitalism"
that's a good one. 100% accurate.
Monday, April 03, 2006