| Posted: April 17, 2007, 2:12 pm - IP Logged |
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Maybe when you are in your 60s you will look back and reflect on this post, OldSchool. This has nothing to do with accepting personal responsibility.
"he stopped working in that capacity and retired to tend to his vegetable and flower gardens."
Good for him! But not everyone can retire at 60 or 65. Also, you might not realize it, but the above statement is very insulting. Sounds like .. "Let's take all the old people and put them in flower gardens to keep them happy." There are people saving lives at 75 and scientists still discovering cures for life threatening diseases. Reagan ran our country in his 80s. If I were from another planet and read your comment, I would get the general idea that people who live beyond a certain age in this country are no longer useful. Older workers are a valuable asset to our society and bring with them a wealth of experience and wisdom you can't get from your "better, faster, stronger" world. I'd hate to hear what you think about working with the handicapped.
Whether or not somebody can afford to retire has absolutely nothing to do with it. If you're a bilionaire and your employer discriminates against you then you have a valid claim. If you earn mimimimum wage and don't have a dime of savings and your employer doesn't discriminate you, then that's just too bad, and your only recourse is to take responsibility for yourself and improve your own life.
The story clearly says that all of the sales reps were asked to hang signs and all refused because they felt that it wasn't part of their job. Well, boo freaking hoo. Job requirements change all the time, and if the changes aren't unreasonable it's up to the employee to decide whether or not they still want their job. The requirement about the signs was clearly applied equally to all of the sales reps, and any sales rep with half a brain should expect that they may need to work with a variety of promotional materials including small signs. There's nothing else in the story to suggest a motive to get anyone to resign. Positions were lost so there's more work for each of the remaining employees. That's the only thing the story says about the increased workload. Nothing about having to work longer hours for the same pay. Nothing about having to meet sales quotes (higher or oteherwise). Nothing about having to do more work than somebody else in the same position. Until we have more information, all we have is whining by a couple of guys who don't want to put up some signs.
<< the above statement is very insulting. Sounds like .. "Let's take all the old people and put them in flower gardens to keep them happy.">>
If that's how you see it, perhaps you should look somewhere besides the intent of the author. Maybe you feel insulted, but the statement is not at all insulting. It's a simple factual statement about what one particular person chose to do when he decided that his job was becoming too demanding. As you say, there are plenty of people who do excellent work into their 70's or 80's (though I think you're in an awfully small minority if you think Reagan was one of them). There are also plenty of people in their 20's or 30's who can't do well even at simple jobs. What matters is whether or not somebody can do the job they expect to be paid for.
As far as the handicapped, they should be treated just like everyone else. They shouldn't be discriminated against and they shouldnt get special treatment (I'm not including reasonable accommodations in that). Nobody should be paid to do a job they can't do, regardless of the reasons they can't do it.If you became incapable of performing your job as a result of a workplace injury you deserve to be taken care of . If you become (or already were) incapable because of other events you need to look elsewhere for a remedy. If it didn't happen at work then it't not your employer's responsibility to solve your problems. In most cases it shouldn't be society's problem either, but too many people think it's up to others to bail them out. I expect that's what OldSchoolPa is referring to when he says many people don't want to accept personal responsibility.