Why get a job at all? That big nut we all have to crack.
Where are those damn "regular person" jobs? A not particularly motivated person could always get a job. There was toll taker, now it doesn't exist. Call center/telephone operator, gone overseas. Store clerk or retail support: Fox Business calls it a "retail apocalypse", 23 big retailers closing stores, i.e. Abercrombie & Fitch is closing 60 stores, Payless is closing 800 stores, and many more have filed for bankruptcy. Then there were taxis and pizza deliveries (driverless cars will make that obsolete according to the news today). You could get a job taking ads in the local newspaper. Oops, gone.
As certain things die in the 21 century what is there to take their place? Specialized computer jobs are not a fit for most of us. Of course the steel and aluminum industry will be booming as we get into a trade war. Even the sugar industry has automated most of its farm jobs. We are automating our jobs away, and our thirst for bargains on-line is killing the brick and mortar stores (where PEOPLE worked).
What do most of the industries spend their money on? Figuring out how to get rid of humans and bust unions. Let's give businesses more tax breaks so they can do that better. The Transit Union in Miami is getting a raw deal right now, they can't get a contract.
What have the disaffected, under-employed - mostly men - turned to: Playing Video Games and reading WAAAY too much crap on-line. Others are binge watching TV.
America is now going through the slowest job growth in 6 years according to MSNBC.
The question is, how do you you earn that $56,378 nut (remember that is 2016)?
In Miami most jobs for regular people pay under $15 an hour. Let's base it on $14 which is $560 a week -- not take-home of course. But if it were take-home, that would still be only $29,120 a year (working all 52 weeks). That is hardly enough to afford that $56,378 needed to live an average life. And those low paying jobs are not even a dime a dozen anymore. They are disappearing. Where are the jobs, jobs, jobs? I know that is growing, making violent video games.
Miami Herald gave up on having opinions on Saturday...we took up the slack.
HUDSTEAD (HOMESTEAD)
"Homestead Bob" lost his battle with cancer. He was a Veteran of the Vietnam war with a purple heart and he had his share of battle scars. Bob was a loving, sharing guy. I have known him for years and have shared a few dinners and lunches many at The White Lion eating enormous slices of cake iced in pastel colors. Although I spent time with him, I never remembered his last name. Let's face it, going to Homestead is very far for most of us but we texted a lot. He is "Homestead Bob" on my contact list.
I just know he is at peace now because he is such a good soul. He loved the cat he was a allergic to and he loved life. He also liked the Sci-Fi Channel. Not a bad bone in his body.
And now we have other Hudstead news. Former Steve Shiver will be making $150,000 at his new job as City Manager in cash poor Opa Locka. Watch out for the triangle Steve. Sorry, I mean go hang out in the triangle (The Triangle is an area known for violence and drug use. It is bounded by State Road 9 on the south, Northwest 17 Avenue to 22 Avenue on the east and west portions and Northwest 151 Street on the north in the City of Opa-locka).
LETS GET PERSONAL
I need to share at least a few pictures from my Italy trip.
Guy Excavating Pompeii
Sign Outside Assisi Bathroom...
Some hilltop town on the West Coast. (Only normal tourist photo here)
Germany Airport - Old World meets IPad. What is that she is drawing? A butterfly?
Our Rock-Mining Disaster - The Lake Belt - Looking North from the plane. These lakes were created by Strip Mining rock in Miami Dade County and putting our aquifer in jeopardy.
CAPITAL ONE VENTURE CREDIT CARD SUCKS
Okay, while in Italy I bought $450 worth of groceries at Winn Dixie. At least I tried to according to Capital One Venture Card (did I say they suck?). I have never charged groceries on the Capital One Venture Card ever. When I got back my credit card was on hold. I found out at Starbucks when the card was rejected. I called them. The call center in some foreign country asked about whether I tried to charge coffee at Starbucks. I said: "yes." They said okay we will take the hold off. Wait a minute Capital One Venture Card! When I questioned them about my last charges I found about the attempted Winn Dixie grocery charge. Then I questioned them further and found out my phone number and address were changed. They said they would send a new card and make the address correction.
I checked to see what they were doing in a call yesterday and this time I got someone from Florida fraud. "No, we are not sending you a new card, we reactivated it." "No we did not change your address." What???? Captial One Venture Card left the fraudsters with an active card? I told them about my call to the foreign call center and their promises. They didn't seem to care nothing was done, they said they would take care of it. I even have a password on the card and a chip. Anyone who ever worked in a doctor's office or a department store has access to the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number.
I was told by the Florida Call Center for the Capital One Venture Card that I called them (while I was in Italy) and made changes to my account including putting my password on (they told me I never had one before which I did). I said "Do you really think I am going to call for a $1 a minute to do stuff for an account while in Italy?" I did make a charge in Italy while all this fraud was going on in Miami. They kept accusing me of doing stuff (I hope someone listens to the recorded call to see how customers are treated by fraud prevention), so I shut down the Capital One Venture Card account. Apparently all you need to change an address is your birth date so keep putting that on your Facebook page fools.
JOBS FOR GRANTS: THE BIG FAT LIE
According to the Miami Herald, Miami Wilds the stupid water theme park they want to put near the zoo, promised 2,800 jobs for a $13.5 million grant. Now they are promising 400 jobs for the same grant. Sounds like the same empty promises we got from the Wet Dream American Mall. They got public land not grants.
The $75 million of our hard earned money, earmarked to bring businesses with jobs to the county - it was an Economic Development Fund - is being thrown down the drain (SkyRise Miami is getting $9) on insane, phony jobs projects by the Gimenez administration and the County Commission.
Ho hum, the Mayor's new mantra is Jobs. Always he starts off with Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Where ever he goes it is jobs because it polls well. He says jobs but what he really means is menial jobs not good jobs. He fired librarians and other workers doing meaningful things, people happy in their jobs, and replaced them with part time people with no job security. Carlos Gimenez is a GOOD job killer not creator.
People, don't get old you will be out on the street. You will have to then do the hiring of some young person to do your texting, as your arthritic hands will be too swollen to do much of anything.
Exactly what is a job? Most people spend more time at their job than they do with their families. What does this mean? It means a job can't only be about money because life becomes meaningless, especially when the job pays a wage you can hardly scrape by on. It has to be a job that gives one pride, accomplishment and self worth. I am sorry, most Mall jobs are not going to give you that. You might as well be invisible. Without some sort of training, technical or otherwise, you are headed for a shit mall job. So when Mayor Gimenez says JOBS: What he is really saying is shit jobs. He is not bringing in jobs that one cares to boast about to others. He is bringing in jobs that people are forced to take to survive. Service jobs like wiping the ass and diapering some old lady in a nursing home for $9 an hour. Have you every seen an old lady ass? I am still having nightmares having seen my mother-in-law's. It was frightening. So, I don't want to hear about jobs from Mayor Gimenez. He is not talking about careers, just illusions of $9 an hour windfall work that you wouldn't want to do on your worst day. And imagine doing it for about fifty years. And that is if you are lucky.
When Barbara Jordan questioned the owner of the American Wet Dream Mall about jobs, he was pretty honest WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW DAMN IT.
Bored, wasted talent.
Faceless, unnoticed by everyone.
Store Clerk? She is there, all the way in the back on the right near the yellow shirt. She might as well be invisible.
Mall Kingpin.
The Ghermezian Patriarch didn't promise 25,000 jobs at the mall he is building, as Gimenez wants you to think, somehow that number even got in the newspaper. Listen to how Ghermezian complains when the subject of jobs comes up. He says in relation to jobs, don't create any problems for me (Hit on the video).
In fact, in the contract to get the land, Ghermezian promised 12,500 (NOT 25,000) "part-time" and permanent jobs by 2030. That is 15 years from now folks.
Ghermezian did not want anyone looking over his shoulder to guarantee those jobs -- as Jordan was requesting. He got pretty excited about not guaranteeing anything about jobs. Nothing, nada.
Do we want these kinds of jobs for our County citizens? Most, Gimenez is talking about, offer no security, low pay, no self-esteem and no sense of accomplishment. And, let's face it, most of the better mall jobs are reserved for the young and attractive. What they do is, offer you an air-conditioned work space for an unspecified time to be bored out of your mind. Can't we do better than that? These are the type of jobs that cause our college graduates to flee Miami. Adding retail jobs is like telling college graduates that this place is not for you. Mayor Gimenez brags about cutting professional public sector jobs, jobs that require education and training and provide a career opportunity, while he goes about dumbing down our workforce. Expect the "brain drain" to continue to separate families as the "kids" seek greener pastures.
Adding to the brain drain, the County is now implementing succession planning for senior staff and they are bringing the replacements in earlier to train them. So lets say you are retiring in 2017, they are advertising your job now.
Other cities that increased their minimum wage are doing better than those that didn't. We fall down in every aspect of real jobs for real people that want to work and be proud of what they do.
Do you know where you can stick your job mantra, Mayor Gimenez? And as a former union man, now making hundreds of thousands of dollars, you have a lot of nerve criticizing unions. You should be ashamed. They provide dignity to a worker.
Don't be fooled again!
MAKE SURE YOU READ MY SATURDAY EDITORIAL TOMORROW!!
Helen Ferre and Frank Nero: Interview about jobs and game changing projects for Miami. I hope the Mayor is listening...Nero believes education is a big factor in choice of relocating companies.
I always say "Watch the damn video (this is a short one for a TV show - 9 minutes).
I got an email a few days ago, and the person said: "By the way, I watch the damn videos."
Frank Nero is a good guy, smart, too smart maybe for our County Government. Maybe that is why many think he had a superiority issue. He had contempt for the dumb such as Lynda Bell and the Mayor and he didn't try to hide it. That is why Nero was forced out.
I read this yesterday and thought how can they expand with no money...
...and today my question was answered: By eliminating jobs.
That is almost 2,000 jobs they have cut from Jackson Health Systems since 2010. Aren't we supposed to be getting people jobs? Call that good for nothing Governor Scott and tell him about all the people that won't GET TO WORK. Mr. Mayor, tell Mr. Migoya we can't leave people without jobs and expand at the same time. And, firing people with benefits to replace them with part-time personnel is NOT okay. This sucks, I am boycotting Jackson. Maybe Millie Herrera can do something (see post today).
Creating jobs is one thing, creating a job that someone wants is quite another. And, creating a job you can afford to live on...well that might be impossible. I remember when I lived in Southampton, New York. They had to bus people in from up the Island because no one locally wanted to work in the Burger King or McDonald's. And, they brought in Mexicans to work the farms.
So when I hear create jobs I think of for who, out of work Kennedy Space Center Engineers, lawyers and managers? Or are we going to just create low level jobs at minimum wage and create projects, putting manual laborers temporarily to work. You will remember we sent all our call service jobs overseas, and also our mid-level computer jobs. Even some of our engineering and accounting jobs are now overseas. How many tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs are overseas? If we want to create jobs people can afford to live on, lets bring all these decent jobs back home, and revive the old campaign: Buy American!
All of the people clamoring for jobs, do you really think they can create one to suit you, one that will give you enough money to pay for your mortgage, car, health insurance and other incidentals? Don't despair, if you know how to drive a dump truck, maybe you can get a job in rock mining -- or as I like to call it, strip mining the Everglades.
In the Miami Herald this morning, regarding the Army Corps issuing new Rock Mining Permits in Miami's Lakebelt:"This is an important development, not only for our industry, but for creating jobs in Florida," said Kerri Barsh, an attorney for the Miami-Dade Limestone Products Association. (Yep, the promise of 'JOBS' softens the blow of destroying 7,300 acres of wetlands...maybe in her wrong-head.)
According to Miami Today Miami Dade County got $230 million dollars to create jobs. So far, 49 jobs have been created and 38 of them were through contractors: That is $4.7 million per job. This has to be a Believe it or Not classification in our index. The paper says that Florida has received $402 million, of $6.78 Billion awarded, as of Oct. 30th. County Manager Burgess says about Miami-Dade job creation:
"Eventually, the jobs impact in Miami-Dade will include increases in hours, shifts from part-time to full-time employment, temporary positions for young people, and increases in wages."
I don't think that is what they had in mind, didn't they want job creation? Is that why the Mayor's Top Aide Dennis Morales has two jobs? Are we trying to increase his $206,783 wages without touching the stimulus money?
