Reminds me of a sign I read..

"If you are mean, obnoxious or simply a jerk, there will be a $10 surcharge just for dealing with you"

:D

Michale....

Yer preachin' to the choir on that. I am in complete agreement..

But I also try to look at it from the business's point of view..

Especially in light of my own experiences with obnoxious customers.

While the axiom "The customer's always right" does have some validity, sometimes the customer is a dick. And I have no qualms about telling them that.

If business has obligations to the customer, then it stands to reason that customers have obligations to the business...

Michale.....

It's entirely appropriate for the owners to be concerned first and foremost for their own bottom line. But likewise it's appropriate for the workers and customers to be concerned with theirs.

The question is what makes sense for how outsiders should evaluate the whole thing.

From that perspective the purpose of a firm is to provide value to the customers. Workers aren't entitled to pay if they don't do anything of value. Owners aren't entitled to a return on their capital if they hand it to managers who use it to just dig a hole and fill it back in all day.

Of course, people can make a deal to have someone else bear their share of the risk that the firm will fail. Owners of capital can lend money, protected by adequate liens, and have other owners hold the equity. Workers can (if they organize and negotiate effectively) get a contract with severance pay. Management can get a deal for a golden parachute, and often does at large firms. But the risk is there for all of them, until and unless they pay someone else to bear it for them.

Of course, even though owners and managers are concerned with maximizing their own take, a focus on serving the customers can be the best way to do so. That does depend on stuff like how much repeat business there is.

Not really.

Conventional business wisdom states that a business must be concerned with the bottom line, first and foremost...

My OWN personal philosophy is more in keeping with what you say.. My "business" philosophy is that if you take care of your customers, the bottom line will take care of itself.

It works for me because I have a loyal customer base and am "small town" where there isn't much competition..

Large business conglomerates don't have a loyal customer base to fall back on, so they have to worry about the bottom line more..

Michale.....

A firm's role in society is to serve the customers, not the owners.

Costs are costs. Why do we expect firms to try to minimize the cost of labor (wages), but maximize the cost of capital (profit)?

(There is an answer to that question, but it's not "that's capitalism, the rich are just inherently entitled to get richer for no reason".)

RE: "Weigantidisestablishmentarianism"

I think my spell checker just barfed. Heh.

-CW

"That was easy...."
-STAPLES ad

:D

Michale

I heard 'beer', then what?? :D

Michale.....

Not just Weigantism or Weigantianism, but Weigantidisestablishmentarianism.

reality-based political commentary shall NOT be removed from our government, although presumably there'd have to be some there to begin with...

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlla/marines-storm-reddit-after-occupy-oakland-shooting-of-scott-olson_b43369

Of course, if the Oowzers in Oakland had obeyed lawful orders to disperse, Scott Olsen would still be unhurt.

Alleged Americans who label the actions of the Oakland Police as "fascist" should be completely and utterly ashamed of themselves....

Michale.....

Anything I can do to further Weigantianism!!! :D

Michale

The problem is that "fair" to the Oowzers means everything that hardworking people worked hard to earn, is simply just handed to the people who don't want to put in the time and effort...

That's not what "fair" means to the REAL 99% of Americans...

Michale.....

OK, one vote for "protester". I have to admit, it feels easier to type, if that makes any sense. Sigh. I guess I'll have to drag out my copy of the OED and look up the word's origins and transformation.

I just knew I'd get a response to that final note, here. You guys are an erudite bunch, I have to admit!

Michale and dsws -

"Fair" is a word which resonates with the American public. It's one of those fuzzy words which mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but it tests very well with political focus groups, no matter what issue "fair" is slapped onto. I'd say that "fairness" is a pretty good slogan for OWS, for the reason that most Americans agree that "fairness" (undefined) is a "good thing." Which is probably why they're using it.

-CW

That's the spirit! Plug the meme!

Heh. Had to admit I laughed out loud when I read your comment...

:-)

-CW

Are we going to open up the whole Journey / REO thing again? Heh. Never thought about REO grammatically before, but you're right, and I had to laugh at your phoenetic "any long-Grrrrrrr" since it did indeed cause REO singing to bounce around in my head for a few seconds. But REO was popular for the same reason a lot of cheesy music is popular -- the songs stick in your head until you have to apply head to brick wall repeatedly in an effort to drive them out. As for word endings, the worst song in history (as far as I'm concerned) for killing the final syllable would have to be "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by... um... Gordon Lightfoot? "sons and your dott-urrrrrs..." (shudder).

Fun fact: "REO" were the initials of Ransom Eli Olds, whose name also lives on in the "Oldsmobile" (do they still make those?).

I will chalk you up as one vote for "protestor"...

:-)

-CW

PS. But really, Men At Work? Really?

OK, now that was funny!

:-)

-CW

Of course, I don't automatically let commonness rule my word choice. On the merits, if you're just sticking a suffix onto a verb to come up with a word for the person who does it, the default is -er. One use of -or is for words with a more specific meaning, such as serving in a professional capacity. If you just happen to advise someone about one thing, you're the adviser in that situation. But that doesn't mean you're an advisor, as a job-title. Another use is to mark words as being derived more directly from the Latin, or at least having a Latinate feel to them.

I don't even believe in fair.

Perhaps you don't. But the Oowzers apparently do.. Their entire message, everything they do is apparently based on some childish notion of "fair"...

Witness their form of "government"... The epitome of this childish version of "fair"...

They are finding out quickly that there is a reason why the phrase "Life ain't fair" is so dead on ballz accurate...

Michale.....

Wrong. I don't even believe in fair. "Fair" somehow always seems to favor the person in question. Does it mean same amount, same percentage, same opportunity? No, it means nothing, so just feel free to swap in whichever details seem likely to favor you.

Taxes should be allocated for least harm, not according to someone's notion of fairness. Likewise, the problem with a broken financial system that runs by inflating bubbles selling bailouts in advance is that it's harmful, not that it's unfair.

If a dysfunctional financial system harmed everyone exactly the same amount (or percentage or whatever), it might be fair, but it would still be bad.

If they seriously cared about anything of consequence, then they would find out what is really happening around them.

What in particular do you claim we should find out about, that would enable us to see that there's nothing to protest?

Where were these people two and half years ago when Wall Street did everything but send out invitations to occupy their turf?

I can speak only for myself: I was writing letters to the editor and holding signs on the street corner, pretty much the same as now.

I really don't see much difference between REO and Air Supply.. :D

Michale....

Poop is poop. Unless you work for the "liberal" media. Then you can only call it poop if it won't offend your corporate advertisers :)

Don't you mean "moose poop"??? :D

Michale.....

I blame the band REO Speedwagon for this. No one had shittier diction than lead singer Kevin Cronin.

Sure diction was headed for hell when Cronin stepped in, but he put a slick, glossy wall of sound over shitty diction that somehow had the calming effect of kittens on the masses. Listen to him linger un-ironically on his "Rs"

"When I said that I love you I meant that I love you foreverrrrrRRRRRRR"

"I can't fight this feelin' any long-Grrrrrrr"

Now conservatives may accuse me of being jealous of Cronin's success. To which I respond, this is a pile of horsepoop.

There are plenty of melodramatic pop bands who have been wildly successful who I adore: Journey, Van Halen, Men at Work, to name just a small few. None of these destroyed the English language like Kevin Cronin.

I'd rather be trapped in a phone booth of mosquitoes and honey badgers with nothing but Air Supply to listen to on my iPod than to have to listen to Kevin Cronin.

He turns splendor into splender. Collector into collecter. Honor into Hon-eeerrrrr. If anyone could turn propellor into propeller, it would be Kevin Cronin. Pretty soon even candor will be cand-eerrrRRRR.

As part of the 99%, I pledge to do everything in my abilities to end the reign of terrer foisted on us by the likes of REO Speedwagon!

-David

p.s. Really enjoyed the column and have many thoughts, but first I have to drown out the incessant whining of Cronin in my head (who I also believe is responsible for the adoption of "-in'" as in "I'm gonna keep on lovin' you").

That's kinda in keeping with what I was saying at the outset.. The Oowzers were all like, "Wow, it's so kewl to be protesting, eh!?? Look how awesome we are..."

Then they found out that they actually have to have some responsibility like actually having to clean up after themselves and having to provide security and the like. NOW it's not so much fun any more.... Hence the enthusiasm slide we have been seeing.

Movements need to denounce all violence -- no matter who causes it, the cops or their own ranks -- in the strongest possible terms. It needs to be made absolutely clear that such tactics are not sanctioned in any way by the protest itself.

So very true.. Unfortunately a good part of the Oowzers DO favor violence, as we saw in Oakland...

The problem for the Oowzers is, in a violent battle between protestors and cops, the cops will always win...

But Oowzers can take heart.

In a battle between protesters and testiculary-challenged politicians, the protestors will win every time...

We ALSO saw that in Oakland... :(

Michale.....

That's so dead on ballz accurate, it's scary!!! :D

Dead on, Liz... Kudos...

Michale.....

i agree that the protesters are mostly not too well-informed. but then, that's yet another thing they have in common with 99% of americans.

don'cha think?
~joshua

My take on the woefully ill-informed Occupy Wall Streeters has not changed much. If anything, my opinion has solidified.

If they seriously cared about anything of consequence, then they would find out what is really happening around them. But, that would take some serious effort on their part and, besides, they're too busy protesting.

Where were these people two and half years ago when Wall Street did everything but send out invitations to occupy their turf? Are the protesters experiencing some sort of delayed, post-traumatic stress reaction? I don't think so.

If the Arab awakening had not taken shape over the last several months and become as prominently covered throughout all manner of the American media as it has, I would wager that the OWS crowd would still be carrying on with their lives in blissful ignorance ... we just wouldn't have to witness it every night.

Maybe after reading this column I'll have a change of heart but time does not permit a careful reading right now ... I'll be back! :)

CW, would ya mind?? :^/

Michale.....

While I would agree that this is a step ( a very VERY small baby step) in the right direction, it will have absolutely NO effect on the economy.

The average student loan recipient will save about 5 bucks a month or so.

And who foots the bill for the reduction in set limits?

Taxpayers...

This is nothing more than re-election pandering...

I agree with your assessment though, that the Oowzers should acknowledge Obama's efforts.

However, considering the utter selfishness the Oowzers have displayed to date, I think they will write the action off as more "shiny beads and shallow flattery" from the Obama administration.

Ironically enough, in THAT particular case, I would have to agree with the Oowzers...

I mean, com'on!! 5 bucks a month!???

Michale....

It just hit me what the message of the Oowzers is...

"It's not fair"....

That's it.. That's their ENTIRE message.

It's not fair that some are richer than others.

It's not fair that some have more than others.

It's not fair that people should have to pay for higher education.

It's not fair that people should actually have to work to earn a living.

It's not fair that some people can be leaders and others have to follow.

Life. It's not fair.

That's their entire message..

And, it frankly shows that the Oowzers really need to grow up..

This country doesn't owe the Oowzers a living.

Michale....