I was listening to NPR yesterday. You know, the taxpayer funded radio network that makes conservatives foam at the mouth because they can’t shut it up without an act of congress? I don’t know about everyone else, but I have noticed an overall dissatisfaction and thus depression amongst my fellow humans that I had figured was just a sign of the times. I mean, recession, war, and the such being so prevalent in our every conscious moments thanks to the media. Then this author starts throwing out statistics and theories on our entire culture being an environment where each and every one of us is leading a deficit existence. That’s where we are bombarded with advertisements that state we will not be safe or better or perfect or happy unless we own this or that. Of course very few of us can afford this or that so we run up huge credit card debt (about 8 grand each on the average) and mortgage our lives for material things that will never satisfy us. We are not only living in an economic deficit but also an emotional one. This is nothing new. I think quite a few of us have understood the pitfalls of a total consumer based culture. Maybe we are just pushed a little more over the edge. It’s great for the pharmaceutical industry. Behavior modification drugs abound. …Just another thing to mull around.

Message from HR

Well, folks. It’s time for our annual “Fuck with your Bennies” ploy. As usual, we will be making everything look rosy while we manipulate the process so you end up with more out of pocket expenses and we can give our upper echelon exec’s more money. Now the union (which by the way, you do not qualify to join) totally folded under fear pressure and bought our compensation package hook, line, and sinker. So now we have extended that standard to all employees. We also realize the amount of information you need to consume to make an informed choice is quite lengthy and confusing, but you get to try to figure that out all on your time, not ours. Of course, we are here if you have any questions. Please keep them short and only ask via our intranet site. We are not returning calls at this time.

Note from Management:

“We realize everyone has worked very hard in preparation for the turn up of your market. We also realize that the current delay due to unforeseen conflicts with the local Baby Bell who just so happens to own every last ounce of copper cable on the planet, whose rules and regulations could choke a blue whale on an empty stomach, and who really would like to see us fail miserably in the eyes of the community and God has caused us to put you in a position to not make your goals by years end. We have taken this into consideration and hope you do not see any shortfall in your perceived due bonuses as a reflection of a possible unhealthy company. Rest assured, we are just flexing our corporate dominance over your measly lives. Thank you for your support.”