Notlongnow, you are a business owner.

Do you, as a business owner, support E-Verify for all new employees?

buggyone,

The problem I see with the E-Verify is that the government already has a hard time doing a good job with the agencies they have now and this will just become another paperwork nightmare for the employee and the employer.

My wife is on the "watch list" for flying!! They said her name in simular to someone who is on a terrorist watch list. Now I am not going to give her name here but I can tell you it is a very common, non-terrorist type name.

She has spent years trying to get removed from it so she can get a pre-boarding pass with no luck.

This is what I see happening to people who would show some problem with their info not matching the federal governments info. It will take them forever to get it right with the government. To me it is just like TSA and everyone being a suspect to find the problem people. So the government decides that everybody has to prove they are a citizen to be able to work when it is not everybody that is the problem.
Plus I don't think that this admin. really cares about that problem, illegals.

Really, is everybody who gets on an airplane a possible terrorist?

I think the government needs to find a way to stop illegal entry into our country before all this busy work and paperwork that they have come up with.

So I guess, no I would not support it.

notlongnow - as a business owner - have you ever had the occasion to offer your employees some sort of incentive to improve their performance, a safety record, increased production - or do your employees just get paid every day for showing up?

Originally Posted by notlongnow

Like buggyone said,

I am a business owner and it has always gotten under my skin when I hear that people think that because they showed up for work, THAT THEY GOT PAID FOR, and did not take a sick day that they should somehow be credited or paid for it anyway.

I show up everyday and if I'm sick, I'm sick. No pay no credit no extra time at the end, nothing.
Why should you get credit for time you did not work? You did not work it, you were at work and got paid fot that day already.

I take it, then, that you don't offer paid vacations.

njbchbum,

as a business owner - have you ever had the occasion to offer your employees some sort of incentive to improve their performance, a safety record, increased production - or do your employees just get paid every day for showing up?

Yes, I give a bonus twice a year. That has nothing to do with sick leave pay or saving it up to be cashed in at a later date.
Did you look at your job as just showing up, I hope not. The benefit to the employee is to be EMPLOYED, not what can I get out of it.

If they increase their production I will give them a bonus, take them to diner, give them a day off, my choice. Sick leave is used as leverage to get something from the employer without doing anything.
If your sick, then take the days, if you are not sick good for you, come to work and do good work and "I" will give you the bonus not you take it.

And no, I pay my employees for the work they do not for showing up. If they do not want to show up then there are others that do.

I take it, then, that you don't offer paid vacations.

Why would you think that. They are not connected. One is vacation and the other is IF YOU ARE SICK.
Thank you for making my point even though that is not what I think you meant to do.

And yes I do offer it.

I do not offer healthcare.

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

So, who is receiving the money paid out in the farm programs in Iowa? Can you provide data please.

I don't know about Iowa, but a few years ago in Illinois, the person who got the largest amount of farm subsidies and payments, in several different forms and programs, was Scottie Pippen. At the time he was an all-NBA forward on the Chicago Bulls, earning a salary of close to $8 million a year. He was reported to have been "placed" in several investments which provided access to government subsidies, "price supports" and payments by his lawyer and financial advisor.

Yep, those farmers really do need the help.

Originally Posted by notlongnow

njbchbum,

Yes, I give a bonus twice a year. That has nothing to do with sick leave pay or saving it up to be cashed in at a later date.
Did you look at your job as just showing up, I hope not. The benefit to the employee is to be EMPLOYED, not what can I get out of it.

If they increase their production I will give them a bonus, take them to diner, give them a day off, my choice. Sick leave is used as leverage to get something from the employer without doing anything.
If your sick, then take the days, if you are not sick good for you, come to work and do good work and "I" will give you the bonus not you take it.

And no, I pay my employees for the work they do not for showing up. If they do not want to show up then there are others that do.

as i see it, if your employees do not show up - they do not get paid. if they show up and do their job - they get paid. if they show up and do a better job by increasing their production - they get paid AND they get a BONUS - and they are eligible for that bonus 2x/yr! - not just once a year nor deferred until they retire. you are using your offer of a bonus as leverage to get your employees to increase their production.

thus there IS an incentive for your employees to show up AND to do a better job. you choose to use increased production as your requirement for that bonus. other employers choose other requirements for the incentives they offer their employees...and some choose to use the career deferred payment of unused sick days at retirement as their incentive for keeping employees on the job and producing every day.

simply being employed is not always seen as a benefit by employees. being employed by an employer who offers a better compensation package than another employer is a benefit. money was not always my incentive for selecting an employer...i sometimes sacrificed salary for the benefits and perks which were personally more important to me at the time.

Just kind of curious, Notlongnow. Do you or do you not give sick leave to your employees? If an employee has the flu, you do not want him to come to work and spread it to others, do you? That would be counter-productive to productivity. Does that employee stay home with pay or without pay?

May I ask what kind of business you own, how many employees, and average pay for the employees? Not being over-inquiring, I hope.

Hey, back on track with VK. Yep, Scotty Pippen is not alone in the ranks of rich dudes who just put their money in investments and are able to collect government subsidies.

I am in favor of eliminating all government farm subsidies.

Originally Posted by buggyone

Hey, back on track with VK. Yep, Scotty Pippen is not alone in the ranks of rich dudes who just put their money in investments and are able to collect government subsidies.

I am in favor of eliminating all government farm subsidies.

buggyone - what does the nation risk by eliminating farm subsidies - a further dimunition of the farming industry? would the nation not be better served by better oversight and program administration? how many farm subsidy programs do we have? could we benefit by some sort of consolidation which might improve the oversight and program administration?

eliminating farm subsidies reminds me of the old adage - be careful what you wish for. in 'looking before we leap', perhaps we should first examine the impact of the action,

Originally Posted by waynet

stay on the subject. We are not talking auto-makers here,we are talking farmers and farm subsidies.

A subsidy by any other names is tax obligation absorbed by taxpayers. Set aside those who are truly are disabled. What right do our representative have to be free with our tax money? And what right did they have to the SS Trust Fund? If you look closer you will also see that the US is assiting the bailout ofEurope via payments to ECB.

Do you or do you not give sick leave to your employees? If an employee has the flu, you do not want him to come to work and spread it to others, do you? That would be counter-productive to productivity. Does that employee stay home with pay or without pay?

Boy, I am sorry buggyone for taking your thread so far off subject, my fault.

I do have sick leave but that is off of my point. I am all FOR using sick leave if you are SICK. No I don't want anybody to come to work sick. Funny that I have not needed a sick day in years, lucky I guess.
I think people should come to work and work for their pay and not for their sick leave.
I don't like the practice of a business using sick leave as a vacation/retirement benefit. If it is vacation you want, earn it, if it is sick leave you need, use it but one is not the other. If you need more time than that then take leave without pay.

I pay my employees market wages for my business which is a architectural home design firm which I started 30 years ago.
I employ anywhere from 4 to 6 people, plus my wife who is my partner and office manager. Hardly a large business but never laid anybody off and always made payroll for thirty years.
If I got paid for my sick days not used over the last thirty years I could quit today. Maybe I am the one who lost out!

Originally Posted by notlongnow

njbchbum,



Yes, I give a bonus twice a year. That has nothing to do with sick leave pay or saving it up to be cashed in at a later date.Did you look at your job as just showing up, I hope not. The benefit to the employee is to be EMPLOYED, not what can I get out of it.

If they increase their production I will give them a bonus, take them to diner, give them a day off, my choice. Sick leave is used as leverage to get something from the employer without doing anything.
If your sick, then take the days, if you are not sick good for you, come to work and do good work and "I" will give you the bonus not you take it.

And no, I pay my employees for the work they do not for showing up. If they do not want to show up then there are others that do.

notlongnow: You are spot on concerning E-verify and employees attitudes.

E-verify is in the news now but the I-9 programs has been around for a long time. employers were required to secure two types of ID's from prospective employees, their social security number and other information to establish that they were citizens or in this country legally. Based on news reports over the years it failed miserably...Guess why? Because it was all about political spin...something pols are good at .

As to employees many are really good but you do run across more than your share of employees who act as if they are doing you a favor for showing up.

On the other hand I have had employees whom single-handedly have outperformed production and quality wise several of their peers. give me a few people like that and I can rule the world...well almost

notlongnow good luck to you and your endeavors to retire here.

rubicon

On the other hand I have had employees whom single-handedly have outperformed production and quality wise several of their peers. give me a few people like that and I can rule the world...well almost

That is so true. I have a couple right now that I make sure are happy. They make my life much easier.

notlongnow good luck to you and your endeavors to retire here.

The world will have to end or worse for me not to make that happen.
Thanks
EB