Heenan, Lambert
Lambert.Heenan at AIG.com
Fri Feb 18 11:03:02 CST 2005
Hmm. I see the RNC propaganda machine is doing a great job.
"Universal healthcare" = "Die outside the hospital".
The British health system is in a mess right now because Maggie Thatcher and
her cronies did everything the could to kill it off during 15 years in
power.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [SMTP:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 11:48 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
> Universal health plan? Does that mean where NOBODY has decent medical
> coverage? In countries with "universal" medical, you get in line for
> health care. If you're wealthy, you can jump the queue by paying for
> your care. If you aren't wealthy and you die before it's your turn for
> the transplant, pacemaker, dialysis, whatever, too bad.
>
> Charlotte Foust
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Lawrence [mailto:accessd at shaw.ca]
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:40 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
>
> OT: Totally
> Hi John:
>
> Do you think they will have a 'universal' health plan in place in US in
> the next ten years like some 'Democrats' have been talking about?
>
> Jim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John W. Colby
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 7:58 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
> Yea, the days of working for IBM for 40 years and retiring at X% of
> salary and full medical are over. The kid graduating from college today
> will likely have at LEAST 5 to 10 jobs over 40 years and in the not too
> distant future will be damned lucky to have any medical, even while
> working.
>
> I was reading on the internet (MSNBC) the other day that the company
> average cost of medical per worker covered was $6000 / year in 2000, and
> is now $12000 5 years later. That is a double in five years and the
> projection is that it will continue into the foreseeable future.
>
> Hmmm... $24,000 in 2010, $48,000 in 2015, 96,000 in 2020...
>
> Seems rather likely that only the company execs will have medical
> coverage by 2015.
>
> I am an independent contractor. I pay $700 / month for just my wife and
> I. I would pay an addition 200-300 if I had children. Will I be able to
> pay for medical in 5 years? Maybe, but my rates will be a LOT higher.
> In 10 years? No.
>
> I do have a plan though. I will pick some thing that happens to me,
> blame it on a deep pocket, sue and retire on my 1/2 billion dollar
> settlement, and SCREW the rest of you guys. ;-)
>
> John W. Colby
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
>
> Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
> http://folding.stanford.edu/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Lawhon, Alan
> C Contractor/Morgan Research
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 10:38 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
>
> Randall:
>
> Good luck on getting reemployed. I've been down the exact same road as
> you, (i.e. laid off by a defense contractor), so I know where you're
> coming from.
>
> After I was laid off, (along with a group of about 6-8 other people), it
> took me nearly four months to get re-employed, during which time I
> managed to drain nearly all of my savings. The strange thing about
> being laid off was that this particular job was my first "professional"
> job after I had graduated from college - and it only lasted about six
> months - so I was blown away when the manager called us all into a small
> office and told us the bad news. I remember thinking at the time, while
> he went on and on about this not being "a negative reflection on any of
> you or the job you have done," ("Yea, right!"), thinking to myself "Hey,
> this is NOT what I spent six years struggling in college for - to be
> unceremoniously dumped!" Fortunately, I was unmarried, so I didn't have
> to go thru the stress of explaining to a "better half" that there was
> going to be a drastic slowdown in the income stream.
>
> I've been lucky since then in that I've managed to stay (more or less)
> gainfully employed, but the business we're in is very up and down. As
> one boss once told me, "Alan, in government contracting it's either
> feast or famine. If you've got a contract, it's feast. If you don't,
> it's famine ..." (In government contracting, if you're a "worker bee"
> doing mundane technical work - like computer programming or run-of-the-
> mill engineering work - it's a mistake to ask for [or demand] too much
> money. They'll just hire a younger worker willing to work for less. The
> reality is that on government contracts neither the contractor (or the
> government) wants the most efficient and/or "productive" workers. They
> want the "cheapest" workers. (Nobody ever acknowledges this openly, but
> a defense contractor maximizes profit by hiring workers as cheaply as
> possible since the government pays a fixed hourly rate for each "labor
> category" - irrespective of the competence and skill of the
> interchangeable "worker unit" that is plugged into the slot.) It's
> really just a game ... <End of rant>
>
> I've never forgotten the experience of walking the streets ("pounding
> the
> pavement") trying to get a job interview where everybody you talk to
> says, "Sorry, we're not hiring ..." (Just make sure that you have a new
> job lined up before you make any "career change".) I long ago realized
> that there is no "security" in life. Even Albert Einstein, the great
> physicist, once complained about the "constant struggle" people have to
> go thru just to keep food in their stomachs.
>
> A funny thing about being suddenly (and unexpectedly) unemployed: You
> find out (real quick) who your friends are ...
>
> Alan C. Lawhon
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Randall
> Anthony
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:29 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
> Steve,
> I find myself in a position similar to yours, unfortunately I got laid
> off in the process (lack of contractual funding, natch).
>
> 1. I was very much immersed in developing and maintaining dbases and
> applications from Access2.0 through A2K, using SQL and ASP pages for
> some.
>
> 2. As the work slowed down, my access to developing new apps
> disappeared. Consequently, when push came to shove, my skillsets
> deteriorated.
>
> 3. The company I worked for was a division of a defense contractor with
> a small IT department. Last I heard that division's IT department is
> getting smaller.
>
> 4. So, during this "sabbatical", I decided to bite the bullet. I've
> got one class left, SQL Server 2K Implementation and Administration. I'm
> now an MCP in ASP.Net development, I'm studying to pass the SQL
> Programming exam next week, then I have two exams left to get my MCDBA.
> If I had achieved this while working, that company would have given me a
> bonus and a pay raise, however, even if I had accomplished this with
> them, I still would have gotten the axe.
>
> I have spoken with a number of professionals in the field when I was
> contemplating getting my Masters degree. Most concurred that a Masters
> would be beneficial if you were aiming for management type positions
> within the IT world, but the return on investment would be negligible if
> I wished to remain technical. Ergo, the next best thing to separate
> oneself from the pack in IT is to get certified (in my humble opinion).
>
> I'm starting to get more positive replies from companies I have
> submitted a resume to, and I feel fairly confident that I will be
> affiliated with someone soon. I think that could be attributed to my
> obtaining certification.
>
> Randy.
>
>
> Dear Group,
>
> Could you indulge me in a little survey?
>
> 1) What's your main line of work these days? Access development, SQL
> Server administration/development, VB, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP...?
>
> 2) How does your work today differ from what you were doing a few years
> ago? Is it only that you're using newer versions of the same tools, or
> are you doing entirely different development work?
>
> 3) Are you independent or do you work for a company? If you work for a
> company, what's the size of the company and where do you fit in?
>
> 4) Do you have any Microsoft Certifications? If so, do you keep current
> with them, and/or have they made any difference in your current
> position?
>
> Thank you very much. I'm approaching a career crossroads with the
> decision to stay in business as an independent developer or not. I have
> picked up a fair amount of .NET knowledge (the hard way -- is there any
> other?) but I have no Microsoft certifications.
>
> Regards,
>
> Steve Erbach
> Scientific Marketing
> Neenah, WI
> www.swerbach.com
> Security Page: www.swerbach.com/security
>
>
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