The Adventure that lasts a Lifetime
OK. So, the amount, that I have been determined to be owed by the federal government, for good faith service, that resulted in my being dis-abled to live and work as a regular human being, is not enough to live on. Every month I look at my bank balance increase by $427.00. This is not enough to live in America in the year 2001; ANYWHERE.
This leaves me several alternatives: I can take to a life of "occasional crime" (which may take it all away thanks to Timothy MacVeigh), I can embark on a process of upping my 40% rating (that is, two 10%ers and one 30%er) to 100% (or more), or I can find a job that will make up the difference.
I chose the latter. I have spent the past three years in pursuit of making circumstance.
re:this Ex-Hippie join the Twenty-First Century Version of the American Dream.
So far, it has not looked good.
Three years in working toward an Associate of Arts degree (a commonly referred to "two-year degree" by people whom never took the oipportunity) has left me 9 credit units from successful completion, of a program primarily designed to make the learning institution money. The college has decided to not give the classes required that would complete my program. I have now over 65 college credits that mount to squat. As they are, primarily, in Computer Programming, and the frigging bottom of the very-promising-when-I-started market has fallen completely out, I started to look for a situation that could meld my previous experience as a carpenter with the uptake on industry use of computers. NOT!
Paul Cox of Village Builders of Nevada, Inc. fired me this afternoon for "a lack of experience." This with knowlege that the feceral government would pay for the differentaiul between a fully-qualified person and an "entry-level person."
Going into this situation, I made it abundantly clear that my work in previous jobs has been more on the door installation than windows.
His company has the Northern Nevada franchise from Home Depot for installations of doors, windows and other sundry construction. (Village Builders of Nevada, Inc. {not to be confused with Village Builders of Moundhouse, NV} is a general contractor whose present business relies about one- quarter on Home Depot installation leads.
On the other hand, as a carpenter, I have been spending much of my time recently studying.
How about that?
I can bitch. He can bitch. What happens now is what is interesting. I hold no allegiances to Paul Cox or Home Depot. I signed no agreement to "not compete" against their organizations. I am free to use what I have learned in doing work for Mr. Cox and his contracting company in finding work for myself. I am also very aware of the "inside" organization and how it could be exploited within Home Depot. I know what is called for is a flyer campaign in those neighborhoods that bring these customers.
I have not decided what to do.
I look at Home Depot and Lowe's as a pox on the personality of America. While they offer advantages in choice and price to the consumer, they have, like Wal-Mart, eliminated the small business that traditionally provided products and services to neighborhood-level customers. Like the soda jerk, the specialty lumber and personal carpenter are dead entities, or dying very rapidly as these monolithic giants open more and more stores in developing neighborhoods. They fall short of any real personal service, as their volume sales creates depersonalized and take-it-or-leave-it choices for customers who are already paying real property prices astronomical to real value. I think that time constraints and the "baby boomer syndrome" are prime key considerations that will, eventually, play the string to its frazzled end.
It is pressures that politicize the choices and values given families with values and work situations. These are seen as traditionally righteous but are, in fact, abortions of greed and "social advantage", taken advantage of to the limit.
A home is the root of the American Dream. It has become feeding frenzy fodder to the mistaken soul whose social conscious is measured in a bank balance. I know, mine is.
This leads to disaster. I know it. You should know it. No government program or form will change it. People and a general change of social order will change it; eventually or through disaster. Hear me.