People were crying at my workplace yesterday.

[kentuck]

They got the news that our entire manufacturing dept would be shut down and moved to Kansas City. It affected about 100 people. Some were offered jobs in our call center. Others were offered assistance with their resumes. Most will get severance. But it was traumatic and a shock to those that had been there for over 20 years. Now their jobs are gone. On the first day of the new Obama Presidency. And today we hear that Microsoft is laying off people. No one is safe?

[seabeyond]

1. no one. bushco and greedy corp and wallstreet have truly fucked up our nation. n/t

[npincus]

2. terrible.

My husband was upset because he didn't get a raise this year; i told him i was thankful he still had a job.

[MorningGlow]

3. That's a shame

There were rumors at my husband's workplace (health care company) that the management would announce layoffs on Tuesday because the news would get buried in all the inauguration coverage. Didn't happen, but it still likely to happen in the near future. :scared:

[calimary]

4. Damn.

That completely sucks. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

This is so bad. God, I hope we can start climbing out of this pit soon. The pit-digger-in-chief is finally GONE, at least. Nice to see that at least he is unemployed, too.

[Fresh_Start]

5. My husband is getting the axe today

really scary time for most Americans

[Kajsa]

6. That is awful,Kentuck!

No, no one I know of is safe from the layoffs.

I am sorry to hear this bad news.

:(

[Warpy]

7. No one is safe

and that's the main reason 2009 is going to suck. We're going to see stores failing and closing daily. Unemployment lines will grow and phone systems will continue to crash. People who have good jobs will stop spending, too, except for absolute necessities.

This is depression psychology at work. Because no one feels safe, no one will spend and that will cause more bankruptcies and unemployment.

Things are going to have to get significantly better for the demand side before this economy picks up at all, and that's with banks continuing to clamor for relief as they're stuck with more and more bad debt.

The country as a whole as well as the individuals within it are going to be learning a very hard lesson: you can't run an economy on debt.

Maybe this time the lesson will stick and the next Milton Friedman to pop up and re formulate conservative snake oil will get laughed at instead of given the Nobel.

[Dennis Donovan]

8. The giant Ponzi scheme that our economy has become is collapsing...

...before our eyes. I fear we're going to see things get dramatically worse within the next month.

Batten down the hatches...:(

[radfringe]

9. nope - no one is safe

they had another lay-off last week at my work place. Don't know how many were let go in the production area.

[KittyWampus]

I am so sorry. This is really REALLY tough.

[supernova]

10. I'm so sorry Kentuck,

that your colleagues are hurting.

Sorry to say that it has been like this for a long time. I've been laid off THREE TIMES from IBM. Obviously, I'm done with them. Permanently. But I am casting about for a way forward from here. Hope you find yours.

:hug:

[KoKo]

11. I'm sorry to hear that, Kentuck.....

What a mess the Bushies left us.... And, I hope one day all of them...and their Wall St. cronies will be held accountable. It's hard to be anything but numb these days, waiting for the next shoe to drop on our heads.

[undeterred]

12. No one is safe.

[racaulk]

13. That's so awful. They're talking about layoffs at my company as well.

You're right, I'm not sure that anyone is safe. My fear is that things are going to get significantly worse before they get better. :(

[krispos42]

14. My place had layoffs two weeks ago and cut everybody's hours down to 32

This happened last year, too, but my deptartment was spared. Not this time, though. :-(

[midnight]

15. Why are they moving Co. to Kansas City?

[kentuck]

18. They say they are saving about $700,000 in transportation costs...

Who knows for sure? They are a corporation.

[TahitiNut]

16. One of the most self-destructive illusions of any economy is that it's OK as long as it only happens

... to the "other guy." Social economics are NOT "win-lose" ... and only "win-win" or "lose-lose." When the "other guy" loses, so do ALL OF US.

This lemming-like suicide march happens almost all the time in the corporate world. When people are fired for whistle-blowing, for example, their co-workers typically find just about any supposition or conjecture to paint them badly ... as though letting them be eaten by the wolves is somehow self-preservation and it's "their fault" they got eaten. It's folly. It's a syndrome that corrupt management will exploit. After all, it's a "meritocracy" isn't it?

When we choose to spend our dollars employing child labor in China instead of our next-door neighbor, we're INVESTING in the creation of a world of child labor. (The means BECOME the ends.) Every action that we choose to serve some end will become an action that's part of that future state.

Our economic "system" SHOULD be designed to reward working together. To the degree it serves 'ownnig the labors of foreign slaves' we create a world of OWNED LABOR. The system has been increasingly corrupted to treat human labor as a commodity -- that's the objectification of human beings -- you and me, NOT just the guy behind the tree. Every small way in which we serve that corruption is self-destructive.

[Monk06]

17. All corporate tax exemptions and tax holidays should be eliminated if a company cuts jobs.

If a city provides tax incentives to attract
industry and jobs then the company should live
up to its hiring commitments as part of the deal.

[azmouse]

19. Every place I've ever worked in the past has closed or moved overseas.

This country is so screwed. I feel bad for all those people at your workplace.