Ahh, Free at La -- Oops! Time's Up

The Washington Post ^ | 072703 | Joe Robinson

[Archangelsk]

Ahh, Free at La -- Oops! Time's Up

By Joe Robinson

Sunday, July 27, 2003; Page B01

SANTA MONICA, Calif.

"How do Americans do it?" asked the stunned Australian I met on a remote Fijian shore. He had zinc oxide and a twisted-up look of absolute bafflement on his face. I'd seen that expression before, on German, Swiss and British travelers. It was the kind of amazement that might greet someone who had survived six months at sea in a rowboat.

The feat he was referring to is how Americans manage to live with the stingiest vacation allotment in the industrialized world -- 8.1 days after a year on the job, 10.2 days after three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Aussie, who took every minute of his annual five weeks off -- four of them guaranteed by law -- just couldn't fathom a ration of only one or two weeks of freedom a year. "I'd have to check myself into the loony bin," he declared.

Well, welcome to the cuckoo's nest, mate -- otherwise known as the United States. In this country, vacations are not only microscopic, they're shrinking faster than revenues on a corporate restatement. Though it's the height of summer, I'm betting you're not reading this while lolling on the beach. A survey by the Internet travel company Expedia.com has found that Americans will be taking 10 percent less vacation time this year than last -- too much work to get away, said respondents. This continues a trend that has seen the average American vacation trip buzzsawed down to a long weekend, according to the travel industry. Some 13 percent of American companies now provide no paid leave, up from 5 percent five years ago, according to the Alexandria-based Society for Human Resource Management. In Washington state, a whopping 17 percent of workers get no paid leave.

[Archangelsk]

Two comments:

1. Nobody on their death bed ever said, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."

2. Get back to work you lazy dock monkeys.

[kms61]

Don't worry...with all that outsourcing, Americans stand to have a LOT more free time on their hands.

[Archangelsk]

Yeah, then maybe they can visit their former jobs in Fiji.

[Archangelsk]

Ping

[Skooz]

Hmm....On one hand we have the greatest, most powerful nation in the history of the world--and getting more powerful all the time. On the other we have a few has-been nations who saw their prime just after Napoleon was exiled.

Wouldn't be that pesky Puritan work ethic would it?

There is a REASON we run this planet. We work.

[Archangelsk]

No, we have the largest economy in the world because we have cheap energy. That Puritan work ethic is a bunch of BS, because most of the time the so-called "work" being done is wasted energy.

[q_an_a]

"In fact, Europe had a higher productivity growth rate in 14 of the 19 years between 1981 and 2000, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. "

A lot can be said for the idea of the Euproean time off, but using a stat like this shows the left is in control. Any dope knows that Americans are more productive and have a better life style than Europe. People in the lowest 20% of America earn more and live better than most people in France or England.

When the BBC ran the story, in 1986, about the terrible life of the poor in America and then passed it on to the Soviets, the majority said, "I would like to live in a counrty where even the POOR look well feed. How can the poor look like our rich people in our cournty?"

In twenty years Europeans will look at life in America like their military officers look at our GI today. They will ask "what have we, Americans, done to live such a good life while they are worse off than in 2003?" The answer is we give everyone an equal chance to succeed and we work hard.

[Pikamax]

"Europe chose the route of legal, protected vacations, while we went the other -- no statutory protection and voluntary paid leave. Now we are the only industrialized nation with no minimum paid-leave law. Europeans get four or five weeks by law and can get another couple of weeks by agreement with employers."


http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/02/nyt.germany/
"No less a person that the minister for labor and economics, Wolfgang Clement, seemed to be suggesting a couple of weeks ago that they were; he told journalists from Stern, the picture weekly, that the Germans, who get 6 weeks off each year, plus another 9 to 12 single-day holidays, ought to work more and vacation less."


>>>>> of course the original article has NONE of the debate going on now in Europe about shorten vacation time and working more since their social programs are in freefall.

[Gabrielle Reilly]

It is amazing though that I vacationed and traveled around the world up to 5 months a year prior to moving from Australia to the States and could not have imagined taking less than 1 month vacation per year. Now I barely have taken ONE DAY off since 9/11 and could not imagine taking even a week off. What happened? I assimilated... Hmmmmmm.

[saminfl]

It used to be that companies considered their most important asset to be their employees. At some time, I think business and accounting schools began teaching that was wrong. Now, whenever a company is run by an accountant or business school graduate, they consider the employees to be lucky to have a job. Of course the companies are not as good as they used to be.

[AIRFORCE76]

And of course, their socialist utopia is in free-fall, and likely to continue as long as Jacque and Gerhardt are in charge. One other thing to consider: where else but the west do the poor have cell phones, color t.v., cars, $100 sneakers?

[Skooz]

No, we have the largest economy in the world because we have cheap energy. That Puritan work ethic is a bunch of BS,

Nonsense! We would have ZERO cheap energy if oil field workers were not willing to bust their butts in hot oil fields day after day.

The Puritan work ethic made this nation. Period. The unprecedented and phenomenal growth in the US economy 1800 - 1860 had nothing to do with "cheap energy" and everything to do with an ethic that placed a high value on a hard day's work.

The snivelling little Eurosnots are just jealous that their socialist Utopias are sinking into oblivion as the USA has become the greatest superpower the world has ever known.

[MonroeDNA]

Employees ARE lucky to have a job.

[Archangelsk]

One other thing to consider: where else but the west do the poor have cell phones, color t.v., cars, $100 sneakers?

You are connecting things to quality of life? Let's examine this:

cell phones

The greatest marketing scam ever conceived. Two years ago, I jettisoned my cell phones and beepers and have not missed them at all. My voice mail takes messages when I'm not in the office and I return them promptly. My work has not suffered one wit because of a lack of "wireless". Furthermore, most of the snippets of conversation that I've caught in the last couple of months have been nothing less than vapid conversation that borders on inane. For this we pay all that money?

color T.V.

The great time waster of all time soon to be taken over by the Internet.

$100 Sneakers

You must be joking if you think this is an advance.

Unfortunately, the poor are more susceptible to brainwashing and are convinced these items improve the quality of their lives.

[Skooz]

I think you missed the point of AIRFORCE76's post. His point, I believe, is that even the poor in the US have an affluence that would qualify them as middle-class in most of Europe. That is unassailably true.

[MonroeDNA]

There is no contradition in managers believing employees are your most important asset, and employees believing that they are luck to have a job.

I work at a startup, and am a manager. I hire. We seek the best and brightest, and pay them well. 4 weeks vacation, too. Not to attract every resume, but to show our appreciation of those few we do hire.

To a person, they are greatful for being employed at my company. Including me.

P.S. Slackers and union folks need not apply.

[Archangelsk]

The Puritan work ethic made this nation

No, it, didn't. Violence made this nation great and I embrace and believe in that concept wholeheartedly. If you have any doubt, then do some research into coal, oil, and steel industries. America was born and grew great in a hot cauldron populated by violent men.

[squidly]

[Consort]

The Purolator made this country great.

[Archangelsk]

I spent a decade in Europe courtesy of the U.S. Army. Trust me, the Germans, Austrians, Italians and, yes, even the French look at the "affluence" of the poor here as a facade. With that said, I love my country for everything it has given me, but I also know that luck plays a very large part in whether someone becomes successful or not. (I've personally seen good, hard working men never succeed because they weren't in the right place at the right time. And I've seen absolute scoundrels succeed because they were).

[Skooz]

No, it, didn't.

Yes, it did. Ask any reputable economic historian.

America was born and grew great in a hot cauldron populated by violent men.

America was born and grew great in a hot cauldron populated by violent, hardworking men.

[Just_de_facts]

Another self righteous prig.

[Archangelsk]

[Just_de_facts]

Are you being facetious?

[Archangelsk]

No, just being funny. :-)

[AIRFORCE76]

The next poster got my point, sorry you didn't. Regardless of your opinion of any individual product the simple truth is that the poorest in this country live like the wealthiest of other countries. You don't have to go very far to the south of our border to see destitution. Mexico, much as I love the people and the country, have suffered under 70 years of socialist mismanagement of the economy and all their resources, animal, vegetable, or mineral.

[Just_de_facts]

Okay, I hear a lot of negative comments on this board about unions and almost all of it is simple minded rhetoric from people who don't know any better.

[Archangelsk]

You said Europe originally. Mexico is a horse of an entirely different hue.

[ikka]

Violence made this nation great and I embrace and believe in that concept wholeheartedly. If you have any doubt, then do some research into coal, oil, and steel industries.

You are nuts.

[MonroeDNA]

Longshoremen (union, of course) make an average of $120,000 per year, in LA.

Free money. Nobody pays for that. Nope. Not even the "Destination charge" applied to your new car. Nope.

[Archangelsk]

Maybe, but I'm very right. Here's a couple of examples:

Coal
Bonus Army (Oh, and before you get all sensitive on me, I consider McArthur, Patton and Eisenhower role models)
Draft Riots
Steel Mills

[Skooz]

Wait a minute......Corporate Fat cats pay for all that. Just like they pay for all the taxes leveed against them. They don't pass those expenses to the consumer. Nope.

[Skooz]

Amazing how our history is so violent, and yet the rest of world history is violence free.

[Archangelsk]

You forgot the sarcasm tag.

[Just_de_facts]

Are you aware that union people are some of the best paid and best insured workers in America , thus making them the ideal candidate for the heart pump? They are the people who will purchase the products that you sell and the ones who will pay the taxes for the government grants and loans that funded this technology. They are the end user for your product and you insult them even as they support you. Do you belong on this forum.

[Skooz]

The sarcasm was so obvious I didn't feel I needed one.

If violence is the only thing that made the US great, then Europe should be many times as powerful as America. Not only has European violence far outstripped anything in US history, but they got a running 15 century headstart.

[boxerblues]

Don't worry...with all that outsourcing, Americans stand to have a LOT more free time on their hands.
until someone in the US needs someone from the "new" outsourced job and realizes they are on holiday everytime they are needed. We've had several jobs come back to our company for this reason

[Ukiapah Heep]

Out of curiosity, how much time off do our Indian subalterns get? Their calendar where I work seems to be chock full of holidays, and they apparently get a month of vacation. They never come in to work early. Overall, they aren't the big deal that has been heralded in terms of continual coverage. They also don't assign enough resources to the projects I've been on.

I thought the big deal with them was that there were supposed to be millions of 'em working for a crust of pizza and all of them the equivalent of MIT.

[MonroeDNA]

They can buy it or not. Or their insurers. We'll sink or swim. What is it worth to you, if you are dying?

Do you want me to applaud coerced protectionism, so that I can make a profit? No, thanks. If the $120,000 a year longshoreman gets one, somebody is going to pay. Not him, apparently.

No government grants or loans funded us. That is why we will succeed, where others have failed.

We are greedy, non-union capitalists, and are creating life-saving technology from our brains. Why? Because we want to get rich.

And in return, people will live longer.

Fair trade?

[boxerblues]

I dont know about the Indians,we have only recently started outsourcing to them. The Company I work for was bought by the Sweds 5 years ago so we work with a lot of Sweds & Germans who get somewhere around 6 weeks. The whole month of July and August is pretty much shot in the arse as far as productivity. The whole work ethic is different, timely replys and deadlines are not something they seem to care about unless it works in their favor.

[Old Professer]

Maybe it depends on what sort of service one gets at the office; eh, Monica?

[Old Professer]

You assimilated!!??

Tell me, was it painful?

[Old Professer]

Unmatched pair?

[Old Professer]

I spent a boring month in Vapid once, it was so close to being silly.

[m18436572]

PUH-LENTY! & love every minute of it!

[m18436572]

So do ants.

[Old Professer]

What, exactly, is it that you do that will allow me further breath?

[Skooz]

Yep. We are the ants to the Euro-grasshopper.

[m18436572]

If they're still around...

[Monte Smith]

Not every American has to be an robot for us to generate a remarkably productive economy (and thus run the world, bwahahaha).

One reason we have an advantage is we are always open! Think of it. Have you ever tried to get a sandwich in a European country at midnight? Or get a check cashed during siesta in South America? Forget it. Read the sign: closed.

America is open for business 24/7. So no, we can't take all the vacation time in the world. But we do our workaday routine in a country that is a paradise of freedom compared to most places--so every day is a vacation. True, I'd rather be sporting with the nude lovelies on the French riviera than slogging thru an interminable meeting. But I'd rather have the opportunites the USA offers than be stuck in the slow lane of other countries. That's just me.