brooklyn-camera I Loc: Brooklyn, NY

I'm out of here, didn't know that this UHH was some type of forum for people's agendas and political views. WOW...just think of there was something on here about photography, now that would be different.

duck72 Loc: Laurel Ridge, PA

The "Planet" is trying to take better images. Whatever you read into clown images in (non-image-taking) comments is up to you. Be done. (Who is "You"? - in the clowns)

gessman Loc: Colorado

I don't believe, nor do I think anyone can show me, where it is stated in any law of the U. S. that an employer has to hire a particular person and cannot be selective as to who holds what job in any company. The idea that a person has to be given a particular job of his/her choice in a certain company just because they want that job is something I've never seen done in my 80 years most of which was involved in entrepreneur activities and owning/operating businesses. I have never heard of a company having to hire by quota. I do know that the government gives companies tax breaks for hiring certain people in certain situations but I've not heard of a company being penalized if they chose to not take advantage of those "incentives." Once the incentives are in place, Human Resources managers will opt to hire a particular class of employee in order to feather his nest for that yearly bonus for taking advantage of those tax incentives for his company. In the mid '80s for sure, the government began offering companies tax incentives to hire more people in order to create more jobs so the President could get on TV and brag about how many jobs had been created. Well, the government underestimated the craftiness of the people running the big corporations.

The offered incentives for a company to create more jobs were compounded if they'd hire a member of a minority race or a female and compounded even more if they'd hire a female of a minority race. The companies wanted those breaks so bad that in the case of Pizza Hut, owned by Pepsi, they would not hire anyone for a entry level job unless they qualified for public assistance and would sign a declaration of poverty affidavit to that effect. Naturally, the most likely hire for them became a minority, especially minority females.
That is what began the slide that brings us to where we are now with low pay, entry level jobs - they either fired or converted all low level full time employees and broke the jobs up into two or three part time jobs thus creating double or triple the number of jobs and the companies got that amount of credit in tax incentives. This all occurred under Jimmy Carter who, while this was happening, sat on his hands and let the prime interest rate go up to 21% and nobody could or would borrow any money so all construction and the opening of new businesses ground to a screeching halt.

That's when everything really started falling apart for our young people who were previously full time minimum wage employees who not only lost their jobs or were forced to go to part time status but those companies who participated in the incentives also took away all of their previous company benefits that had accrued to full time employees. No more paid vacations, no more retirement, no more hospitalization or life insurance - job benefits were suddenly all gone. Bolstered by their newly found ways to "make money" those and most other companies took away paid benefits from employees who still had benefits and started making them pay for their hospitalization, pay for their retirements or on a "shared expense basis," effectively "making more money by saving those expenses and the government sat there and let them get away with every bit of it. That's the most disastrous case of negatively impacting low level employees by government meddling in private business that has occurred in my lifetime of which I'm aware and apparently it still goes on - those incentives to hire more people for the sake of "creating jobs." I've been hearing President Trump talk about over a million jobs have been created under his presidency.

I'm wondering where those jobs are coming from. Has Pepsi, et. al., broken up more part time jobs even, or what. Our work force would be much better off if all those newly created part time jobs were returned to full time status so young people who had one of those jobs could at least make enough to afford a place and wouldn't like many, many employees of our biggest business, Wal Mart, who cannot make enough to live independently, have to be on food stamps and housing assistance at the expense of the rest of the taxpayers. In Denver, it takes four people making minimum wage to combine their income to live together at the poverty level. All this has developed out of the President having the ability to stand up in the State of the Union message and brag about how many jobs he's created. He should be required to explain how many lives he has ruined to get that done.

I apologize for my long-windedness. I shall stop here, well, maybe.

gessman Loc: Colorado

There are plenty of other threads just about photography on here and some things need to be dealt with but feel free to turn your back on some serious problems if you don't care about your fellow citizens or where exactly these issues may take you if you're not careful. It's ok. Oddly enough, I don't have a political agenda and am not going to be here long enough to feel the full effect of what I've shared in this thread but you owe it to yourself to at least know about what's about to hit you in the butt unless you, like me, are old enough that it's not your problem.

duck72 Loc: Laurel Ridge, PA

Yes. Brooklyn is getting it. 9+ pages of "advance your photographic skills," and learning more about various UHH participants is good.
What's going to "hit me in the butt?" I'm fairly old. I've read the tread.

wesm Loc: Los Altos CA

Just to twist your whiskers a bit: does this mean that, if there is overwhelming evidence, DoL will file a frivolous lawsuit?


I understand what I think you meant that you said.

gessman Loc: Colorado

LOL. Poor ol' Brooklyn. The final end result of all these issues that have been mentioned in this thread have not hit yet. When it does, it isn't going to be pretty. You may, like me, be fortunate enough to miss the final impact. I had a 16 year old son who couldn't get a job at Pizza Hut because we weren't on food stamps. These issues have come back to bite two of my three sons who are in their 50s now. It's going to hit a lot more people very hard, this manipulation of employment practices that tends to favor the few over the many. Cheers.

RRS Loc: Not sure

Learn to read, pick and decide if you want to go there. If you do and it's not what you like then go onto another subject. There are a lot of very informative links on this site that don't include politics but can be and are very helpful in helping with buying gear or help on how to fix something. Even with everyone offering their opinions as to Nikon/Canon or etc., you still have to sift through the info. Good luck.

duck72 Loc: Laurel Ridge, PA

Only took 4 years? These days, that's an election cycle. There are "regulars," and others who want to help with taking/cooking better images. Stay tuned. Or not.

RRS Loc: Not sure

If you write the book, I'll buy it. So much fact and sad too that our government has moved over time to where they are today. But wait, the government took over a whore house and it went broke. Anything and everything that our government gets it hand on gets screwed up. Why, because they never have had to care about the bottom line. Raise more taxes and spend. This comes to haunt me because I had thought one time that our government should have been run more like a business. Not so sure anymore but I hope that the fact that a President and a CEO don't and can't operate the same way will make it to Washington DC in time. If you write a book on how to run a successful business the government will ban it. Thanks for your insights on business.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Typically I don't get involved in this stuff. It's pretty unpleasant. I prefer to stay on the subject of photography but there's some folks in uhh who are pretty hard to ignore and others get sucked in. I'm done for the night.

duck72 Loc: Laurel Ridge, PA

When I joined UHH, an older, savvier participant warned me to stay away from the politics/B*it stuff - But/yet, sometimes it's too good for some chuckles.
I'm done for the night too. getting sucked-in sucks.

duck72 Loc: Laurel Ridge, PA

"Grew up" for years with NikonF, Nikko-Nikkor-Mats. Hasselblad, Leica, and such. Worked for years without them (pop-up flashes) as well. Know how to sync/slave multiple flashes - so your point is ... here we are with our cameras. AND, yes, the feds *never ever* lose. Unless you beat them at their own (no clue) game.
Thanks for staying "on topic." Do you have family members that you'd like to photograph in less-than-ideal lighting conditions? Without huge attachments to your camera?

MTG44 Loc: Corryton, Tennessee

How much of the settlement did the lawyers get!

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

The shysters always make a fortune on suits like this.