IT is JUST A THOUGHT!

And so it goes with that line that I have been using to end my journals and my blogs for more than 2 decades.

It is more than just a thought, it is a process of thinking through our minds, and our thoughts to come up with either a story, or an editorial on life, or whatever it seems.

In this particular case, it is something that must be said publicly, or it will be something that will be buried, and swept under a rug and never thought about, and it could prevent others from falling into the same trap.

Oh there will be those who think that this is torching a bridge, or making waves, but the truth is, its protecting the public, and making those aware of their mistakes, and for others to avoid making them in the future.

In the case of a business owner, and I use that term a bit loosely here, but none the less, a person who has an office, and runs a business, and hires employees to do a job, but in the long process of this, he fails to pay that employee, and tells them that "its a start up business" or "we will have investors taking care of our payroll", or "if you can just be patient, we will take care of you"... YEAH and the sad part of this all, is we fall for it! HOOK- LINE- AND SINKER!

I did this, not once, not twice, but three times, with in recent years.  You would think I would learn by now, but ya know, they're good friends, or they come to you and ASK YOU to work for THEM!

Thats the real kicker, they make the proposal that you work for them, because they "NEED YOUR EXPERTISE" or "You're the PERFECT fit" for the company, or "WHY AREN'T YOU WORKING FOR ME?"

Well if could have looked into a crystal ball, and see that you didn't have funds for payroll, or to keep the doors open, or make the opportunity to make a go at it, and after two months, four months and in one case 7 months, one would think that they would learn from those mistakes!

Not this one! OH NO NO NO! Step right on up, and get slapped in the face again with reality, no one has YOUR best interest in mind!

We keep going to places looking for work, in retail, they offer to pay you, and this is no joke, $8.00 an hour, (which is just truly above minimum wage) for someone that has 30 plus years experience, AND to boot, they want someone that knows the business, but they won't pay for the experience or the knowledge.

Or how about this one, you are over  the age of 50, and they look at you like you are just this side of retirement, but the fact is, that you are still able to get out of bed every day, and come to work, and put in your 8 or so hours, and do the job, but they rather have a younger employee, because they don't have to pay them as much, and they get what they pay for. Someone that they have to train, and teach, and get them experience, instead of getting someone that hits the ground running!

Our society has changed, I remember when working for a company for 20 plus years was the norm, and that companies wanted those in place for a long period of time, we have loyalty to company and company to employee, they took care of their own, we used to go into job interviews and usually after the initial questions and answers about your background and such, the question would be asked "Do you have any questions for us?" to which would come, "What about benefits?", and in the days before all sorts of crap came down, we would be told about health benefits, and insurance, and retirement and vacation qualifications-- NOW... hell, you're lucky if you have ANY BENEFIT other than a PAYCHECK every other week!

There are no benefits offered to employees of small operations, you have to work for large corporations, and even that is suspect, because they don't want to pay those premiums! They don't want that cost!

I have a friend who is a CFO of a company and he just changed their carrier because he could get the cost lowered, but in doing so, the employees deductable went through the roof! $1500.00! Thats right, so unless I am in the ER for a few hours, I have to chew through that deductable-- and lets face it--the purpose of having benefits is to take care of your health so you can stay on the job!

Recently there was a case where I was asked to work for a operation, and they came to me and asked me to be a part of their team. Gave me a title and all, but the fact is, they didn't pay me, oh they gave me a token check in April, and then a smidgen of one in May, but nothing since then. worked through June, and then July up to the middle of the month, when I finally threw up my hands and said enough!

Problem with this is that since last NOVEMBER, I have been out of work, nothing full time, and nothing that can pay the rent or the bills, now this all sounds like me crying in my milk, but the truth is, it's not for lack of trying! Believe me!

So here is the bottom line to those of you that run business, and have a choice to make,... either CLOSE the damn doors, and go work for someone else, or HAVE YOUR OVERHEAD COVERED! Either way, you are a pebble in the water, and the ripple effect that you create when you drop that pebble into the water is what effect everyone around you.

YOU CHOOSE! Bottom line boys and girls, we are not here to be YOUR puppet, we are here to earn a living, and not just a minimum wage living either, if I was 16 or 20 years of age, maybe but not at 55 years of age! This is where we EARN our keep, and should have been earning our keep since we were in our 30's or late 20's.

I have had some terrific jobs, that paid a living wage, and they lasted a couple of years, but one thing  or another happened that ended the job-- sometimes my fault, other times circumstances that I had no control over!

Doesn't matter, those were salad days, and now they are gone!

SO STEP UP and don't be one of those that I have to spread the word about and make you look bad to others, because I can! I have! and I will!

Nothing like having someone talk the truth about you, and it happens to be bad, and then YOUR reputation is sullen but by YOUR actions, not by mine!

YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A CROOK! and by that, I mean you STOLE my time, my knowledge, and my experience and DIDN"T PAY FOR IT! 

Thats TEFT!

You live with THAT thought!

Because IT'S JUST A THOUGHT!