Muscatine

one point that i want to clear up though when Hons wages dropped, almost every company in this town cut wages. Hon is just the one that everyone talks about.

Economic reasons force companies to do what they have to do. But with that said,the big companies in this town do alot for our community, and thier members. I have seen hon do alot for its members. My understanding is they have a fund to help its members in time of need, and ive known members who've recieved help from these funds.

No disrespect to your understanding intended. But in all honesty I am way ahead of you there. Term limits are about all we can call for and as you said, we cannot just fire them. The founders of our land/framers of this great constitution did consider it among certain other misteps regarding safeguarding the new nation. We can petition governors and other representatives to impeach any member who violates the oath of office or fails to honor his/her constituancy's expectations. In other words, you are correct. They get voted out or resign in shame through some shameful activity. Both parties are loaded with history there. But give the drive and need, we can affect thier removal sooner or later.

I sound like a lib. at times and on the other hand a conser. I am totally in the center and carfully weigh the case for iether before I decide. I am just fed up with them doing what they want to do and then.........they actually try to blame the consumers for all the woes we are facing. If you drink, gamble, party, buy what you don't need, do dope, waste and piss away your paycheck, well then sure. But come on, the suits in the boardrooms control the market, they control our politicians, they control what lands on the shelves, and they control our employment base. Once it's all out of our hands, then we have what has happened in the last 14 years right under our very noses. As you stated, we are nearly powerless once the process has been concluded. All we have primarily, is what little faith we have once they take the oath. Too bad if they stick us in the back.

I completely agree also, that they never fear losing that job unless they are facing another elction. It's why Jim Leach held his seat for so long. I was surprised when he lost. He was an honest rep. Not always a party clone and I respected him deeply for that. I wrote Jim many times over the past 20 plus years.  Also if they don't show for a vote, they shouldn't get paid and actually should be fined. McCaine has been one of those super no shows voting only 35% of the time this year and Obama better but not much with 54% voting. Biden voted 69% of the time THE WINNER!!!! But as I said if they don't do thier jobs don't pay them. If they had to live as we must(95% of us) they wouldn't be so careless with our money and time. And WE THE PEOPLE need to take control of thier bloated pay and benefits.

I understand,

Without picking on any one co. as you say, most all went the route of ask for more and offer less. I read the old and new contracts that GPC offered. It was a bit one sided at some points but then you have to ask what kind of profits has this poor little corp. actually been keeping quiet about? My soon to be ex brother in-law is a maint. wheel there and he says the co. has been a bit greedy but so have the workers. Well be that as it may, they really cannot build in Mexico so they are off the hook at this point for this discussion.

Hon?  Now that's a great example of how to cut back, reduce overhead, drop wages, build massive storage capacity and outsource when and where possible. Uncle L as we'll refer to him, laid it all out one Thanks Giving afternoon, after he was handed a nice severence, a cheezy watch, and a "good luck" pat on the back after 26 years of excellent service. Of course he wasn't alone that day. He saw it coming the day those efficiency experets arrived to review departmental reports. I understand this "Temp" mentality along with greater output and lower"Happy to get it" pay. It just surprised me even after Uncle L told us that they were building in Mexico, that this icon of industry was taking the low road after all these years of faithful and trusted community service, not by them, but by all those who stood at those lines all these years and helped make Hon one of the nations largest fortune 500 s'. I give Hon credit though, they have been able to keep alot of people emplyed and reasonably stable in spite of the recent "Rich get richer" mentality. It hasn't been just one area, it's been the entire nation that's cut and killed in every way possible. I'll never forget the day my husband came home with the news from I.H. We occasionally drive by that massive vacant complex and spit out the window(well I wanted to) on the way to E. Moline. It's so sad and at that time frightening. But we know now where the industrial sector has been headed since then. Even Japan has disapeared from our shelves since Corp. America decided even the Japanese were asking too much to build our toys and radios. But, at risk of sounding redundant, it started in the boardroom and fundraisers and ended at the oval office, Now we are short nearly 10 million good jobs and counting. If we do not get it fixed soon, the whole country will be thrown back to the thirties and look like Detroit from caost to coast.