Saturday, March 20, 2004

I take it all back

At least I have a job, in fact more jobs than I know how to manage.

An older gentleman walked into the Inn yesterday. Well dressed, well spoken. He had been well educated and worked as a consultant in the area of financial planning, projection, something like that. His entire life savings had been invested somewhere, and whoever did the investing ran off with it. His car was repossessed. He had no money to pay bills, much less groceries. He came to beg for a job from a man he'd met as a business associate once, and hoped could help him. He didn't want a handout. He needed work.

How ungrateful do I feel for griping so much about my jobs?

*The gentleman came back this morning trying to get an employment application. I gave him one, and directions to my church which has a deacon's fund for these types of emergencies. I hope there is someone at the church... it's saturday, and there are no receptionists on...why don't I think of these things? I got more of his story, too. There was an add in the paper for $8,000 off a new car with a trade-in. As it turned out later, the new car promised was actually a used car, with a huge downpayment and another huge monthly payment. Of course, if you were late in paying, there were huge fees and the threat of reposession. So he has no recourse. How do companies get away with stuff like that?