Leica employees & Stephen K Lee

[jaapv]

Not to mention the plain white trucks that turn up at the larger but more remote villages in most countries in Africa during sporting events and hand out free packets of two hundred cigarettes to 10-12 year old children.
I have seen it and am appalled that I should ever have to use my cameras to photograph it but then for me thats one part of what I do and thats what the cameras are for.
It also appears to be part of 'modern life'. So I'm told.

Cigarettes are bad enough - although they will probably not earn enough as adults to buy them - the "testing" of untried medicines is even worse.

 

[parsec1]

Cigarettes are bad enough - although they will probably not earn enough as adults to buy them - the "testing" of untried medicines is even worse.

Yes indeed it most certainly is although as adults probably ' not being able to earn' enough money to 'buy ' cigarettes will not deter most from getting them.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Fred

In Canada we are a little behind you as generally sometime in mid June is our tax freedom day. That is only if you believe the methodology used by The Fraser Institute to come up with that answer. I guess the extra two weeks or so could be accounted for by having a national health care system. Inset smiley if you want. Taxes are high no matter where you are situated it seems.

Bob

 

[Ronald M]

Here in the US they said no more social security raises for next two years because there is no inflation. Then they raised the medicare deduction from ss the same time. Someone is fibbing.

For those outside the US, Social Security and Medicare are forced ponzi schemes we must participate in. Then the government robs the trust funds to pay for daily operation all the while exempting themselves from participation.

Executives get paid way too much and it is a mutual admeration society between them and the board of directors, they set each others pay. Guess what happens. You get two and they first one does not count. Now if they were so good and the big corps made hugh profit that was the result of their management skill, that would be ok. Such is not the case. Even when they screw up, they walk away with more more than I will earn in a hundred lifetimes.

In the US the top 1% of wage earners get 25% of the income. I would say this is an out of balance condition suitable for a banana republic somewhere.

 

[excellent]

Even here in 'Socialist' Scandinavia, deeply unionised and egalitarian, wage cuts are now common. For the ordinary employee, that is. Management often goes free. This will hit 'the economy' in the end. I would never have made a major investment in buying my home, summer house or all the cars I have owned up through the years if I could not trust that my salary was something I could trust would come in every month, uncut. It seems to me that quite many employers use this crisis for all that it is worth to make a better profit. By this they make the crisis even worse. Only the fear of wage cuts prevents people from making major investments.

I feel like this entire recession BS is just a reason to make more profits. It sucks for people who actually have to work.

 

[Olsen]

I feel like this entire recession BS is just a reason to make more profits. It sucks for people who actually have to work.

It is obvious that just too many companies/employers make it worse by cutting salaries and firing staff just too eagerly. By this they create even more uncertainty. Which eventually increases the the crisis.

When we look at - particularly the unemployment figures, it is obvious that it will take a long time before we are out of this mess. It is frightening to think of that last time this happened, it was solved by sending a generation of young men to the front.