The Panda Bear on Debt, Politicians, and Work

The Panda Bear will be doing some short posts because she gets tired at night.    She had just read an article about how it works to the Capitalists advantage to work people long hours.   The Panda Bear actually thinks the economy would function better with more leisure because people would have more time to spend money.

However, the Panda Bear thinks that the Capitalists like getting people into debt where they are obligated to work to pay off their debts.    Also she thinks that politicians benefit by people going into debt because it provides the illusion that the economy is growing and that wages are rising which they have not been doing.   For better or worse in the post Keynesian era politicians are seen as being responsible the economy; consequently they do things to make the economy look like it is doing well.

Here is a link to  the article the forty hour work week which inspired this post. 

The Panda Bear on Shirley Chisholm, Longer Days, and Sucess

he Panda Bear was reviewing articles on the web and she came across a tribute to Shirley Chisholm who was a black congresswoman who ran for president in 1972 under the Democratic party.    The Panda Bear remembers Shirley Chisholm when she ran.   The Panda Bear admired her.   Here was a woman who had grown up disadvantaged and represented a poor community who was running for president.   She challenged the Democratic establishment.   Her motto was unbought and unbossed.   Contrast this to  some of women Democratic leaders now namely Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi who grew up in comfortable circumstances and are very establishment.   

The Panda Bear sometimes gets nostalgic for the Democrats of old.   She recently read a book by someone who worked for the Truman administration who supported a bill guaranteeing full employment to all Americans who wanted a job.   Of course, the Panda Bear  realizes that this would be a practical impossibility.   However, since 2008 its seems that the Democrats have been very tolerant of high unemployment rates and have done very minimal to help people get jobs.   She is not surprised that they lost the election.

What inspired today's post was not politics but rather the longer days.   It used to get dark at 4:30.   Now it gets dark at the late time of 5:09.   The Panda Bear used to get so tired at 6:30.   It had been dark for two hours and it seemed like it was the middle of the night.    Now with longer days the Panda Bear can stay awake later.   Furthermore, it seems that one day it will stay light until 9:00.   Oh joyous day!!

Furthermore, the Panda Bear has lost five pounds since January 1(her goal is to lose another twenty-five pounds).   However, at times she still feels somewhat down.   Part of it is probably the winter blues.   The days are short.   It is harder to get out to see people.   Furthermore, the Panda Bear is developing cabin fever from being inside so much.

For some reason the Panda Bear has been thinking about the nature of success.   The Panda Bear defines success as obtaining a goal.   She thinks of a quote from Oscar Wilde that went something like this:   There are two tragedies  in life.   One is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.

The Panda Bear thinks there is a lot of truth to this statement.   She thinks the reality often is a disappointment compared to the dream.   Usually the reality is a lot more work and not is pretty nor as glamorous as the fantasy.   On the other hand, the Panda Bear thinks(she thinks she got this idea from Buddhism), that in the long run we are happier in reality free from our illusions.  Part of maturing is exchanging the fantasy for the reality.

The Panda Bear on Obstacles, Newspapers, and the Ordinary Person

The Panda Bear Blog is a blog about an ordinary office worker who wants to change the world.

In a previous post, the Panda Bear had written about her New Year’s resolution to lose weight.   She even was so bold to state that she had lost a few pounds.    Well pride comes before a fall.    The Panda Bear unexpectedly had to have gum surgery. Because of the surgery she could only eat soft foods that are room temperature and because she had to restrictions on exercise she gained some of her weight back.    However, she now ia feeling better and plans to return to her diet(Here is an exercise tip -instead of exercising for an hour straight break it up into two half hour sessions.   It is just as much exercise and it is not as tiring as exercising all at once).

The Panda Bear mentions this because many events that we cannot predict can slow us down from reaching our goals.   Instead of beating ourselves up for not sticking to our goals we must simply forgive ourselves and start all over again.

Though this was not a New Year's resolution, the Panda Bear has started to subscribe to a newspaper and tries to read it every day.    She decided to start reading the paper not just because of the "fake" news.    The Panda Bear felt she was uniformed of some basic facts.

She like Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate had her Aleppo moment.   Like Gary Johnson the Panda Bear believes that the US providing the Syrian rebels with arms has increased the bloodshed in the area and is imperialist.    She also was not aware of what going on in Aleppo (though she did know that the civil war is destroying Syria).

However, it was really on a local ballot question that Panda Bear was truly confronted with hers and others ignorance of what is going on in the news.   In Massachusetts, there was a referendum question on whether to expand Charter schools in areas where the public schools are low performing The Panda Bear strongly supported this measure.   The public schools in city of Boston are a total mess and have been for the past fifty years,   The Panda Bear works with many people who live in the City of Boston and they use the Charter schools.

However, when the Panda Bear stated her support for the resolution to expand Charters schools on Facebook  many of the Panda Bear's friends disagreed.    What bothered the Panda Bear was not the disagreement but how neither she nor her friends were uncertain of the facts surrounding Charter schools.   Were they free?  Were they part of the "public” schools system?   Were they regulated? Well in reading today's newspaper the Panda Bear found out that the Charter schools are regulated by the state. (The Panda Bear believes Charter schools are free). 

The Panda Bear always heard growing up that the gold standard for news was newspapers-not radio or television.   Her local paper done some good investigative journalism and does contain opposing views.

However, it still perplexes the Panda Bear when newspaper editors discuss how they failed to understand public sentiment during this election.    The Panda Bear wishes to tell academia, the media and politicians that one trait of the ordinary person is that there are a lot of us.   We are not some rare species that has not been seen for decades.   Common people are like pigeons, squirrels and sparrows in the city.

If the common person is not seen by the press it is because they are not looking.

The Panda Bear on the Year 2016, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party

The Panda Bear Blog is a blog about a humble office worker and her opinions,   She is proud to live in a time when as President Obama complained that "anyone can call themselves a blogger".

This morning the Panda Bear was hearing and reading commentators stating that 2016 was a year of surprises and stress.  2016 was a stressful year for the Panda Bear.   She lost a job and had problems walking due to knee osteoarthritis.   

However, the Panda Bear has overcome the obstacles.   Her knees have improved.   More importantly she found a new and better job in a much less stressful line of work.

The Panda Bear succeeded in her job hunt despite her personal disadvantages which are that on personality tests her chief characteristics were honesty, kindness and loyalty.   The Panda Bear was crying when she read those test results and thought no one would hire her.  The Panda Bear feels that often those who succeed are cutthroat and ruthless.

However, when most people refer to 2016 as being stressful, they are referring to the US presidential elections.    The Panda Bear heard on the radio the editor of the New York Times state that he was not aware of the anger of the average person in this election cycle.   Clearly he had not being reading this blog which seeks to expose the lies of the establishment and the anger of an average office worker.

The Panda Bear did not vote for Hillary Clinton(and she supported her 2008 and Bill Clinton 1992).   She voted third party.    However, many political consultants might have thought Hillary Clinton might have appealed to the Panda Bear for these reasons:

1. They are both women.
2. They are both Feminists.
3. They both went to Seven Sister colleges
4. They both don't drive(Seriously, the Panda Bear would have considered a Clinton victory a triumph for people who don't drive).
5. They don't have flamboyant personalities.
6. They both can be a bit wonky.
7. They are short(authority is often seen as tall even in women),
8. They are both fair skin white people(Hillary is blond and the Panda Bear is a redhead).
9. They both use e-mail a lot

However, this last shared trait has made the Panda Bear loose all respect for Hillary Clinton.   The Panda Bear works in environments where they are laws about how e-mail should be used; furthermore, people could be fired or prosecuted if these rules are not followed.   As soon as the Panda Bear heard about Ms. Clinton's private e-mail server, Ms. Clinton lost the Panda Bear's vote.   The Panda Bear thought that Ms. Clinton thought she was above the law.

The Panda Bear believes, maybe naively, that in a constitutional form of government the ruler is under the law.   She also does not believe in two tiered systems in that there is one set of rules for one group of people and another set of rules for the other.

Also her campaign was hacked.   For the good of the country she should have been using the proper protocol in dealing with sensitive materials.

Though Russia was wrong to hack into the Democrats e-mail what they showed about the Democrats was not flattering.   The Democratic leadership seems to be oblivious to the rule that you don't put things in writing that you would not want to be published.   If you do have to write something that needs to be totally private it should not be on an e-mail but on regular paper where it is burned once it is read.

The Panda Bear on Election Stress, the Middle Ages and Health Insurance

This year the election has been stressful.    As this blog is intended as a relief from the stresses of life The Panda Bear will attempt to be nonpartisan.    However, the Panda Bear is saddened by the deteriorating nature of the American political system.    In fact the Panda Bear thinks the American political system is increasingly sounding like pre-Enlightenment European politics.    In these ways the Panda Bear thinks American politics looks more and more like pre-modern politics.

1) The election is more about the candidates rather than political issues.

2) This election resembles a war.    In the Middle Ages governing was about brute force, power and alliances.    In this election one feels the winning party is the one that can impose his/her will on the rest of us by a display of massive strength.    Rule of law does not seem to matter.    The candidates try to win alliances with certain groups.

3) It is election it one is seen as a traitor if one supports the opposing candidate.   The idea seems to be gone that one can be patriotic and loyal to this country but have differing world views.  The demonization n of the opposition is used to justify this warlike nature of the elections.

4)  Religion has become a key issue for both of the two dominate parties.   The Panda Bear grew up in the seventies where she was taught that in the United States after John Kennedy people did not vote for candidates based on their religion.    She also was taught Christians were trying to resolve their differences and become more united.   In this election, the Panda Bear has heard both Trump and Clinton state proudly that they were mainstream Protestants.   The Panda Bear thinks this is a step backwards for both political parties in terms of religious toleration and commitment to secular government.  The Panda Bear thinks the religious tome of this election resembles something of out 1600 not 2000.   

Meanwhile in her personal life, the Panda Bear will be starting a new job next week.   It is twenty hours per week.   The Panda Bear does not need the money from full-time employment.   To her the greatest luxury is an afternoon off.   More importantly, the Panda Bear does not need health insurance from work.   For the past twenty years the Panda Bear has gotten health insurance through Mr. Panda.    

Some people think it was an accident in US history that health insurance is employment based.   The Panda Bear knows of many people who work mainly for the health insurance.    As the Panda Bear hears of more people embracing the idea of Medicare for all, the Panda Bear realizes that this idea would be a revolution not just in the world of health care but in the world of employment.    It would be a drastic change in the nature of employment if people did not have to get their health insurance through work.    Probably this change would benefit small business.    However, the Panda Bear thinks this effect of Medicare for All on the workplace needs to be examined.

The Panda Bear returns to Blogging, Unemployment and the New Science of Job Hunting

The Panda Bear Blog, the populist blog of a humble office worker is back.

When the Panda Bear last wrote her last blog piece, she had lost her job and decided to go to school to upgrade her jobs skills.    She went under what is called Section 30 where unemployment lets you go back to school instead of job searching.   The Panda Bear successfully completed her program in August and since September has been job hunting.   She has learned much since she has started her new job hunt.

The first thing she learned that despite the official unemployment rate being at four percent, people are still unhappy with the job market.   The Panda Bear is surprised that so many people are still ashamed to say their unemployed, despite there being many layoffs and high unemployment rates(The Panda Bear thinks it is ashamed that so many people are still quiet about being unemployed.    These people are loosing some networking potential and it stops society from recognizing the extent of the unemployment problem.

The Panda Bear notices that two age groups have the hardest time finding jobs.   The first group are the young workers with no or very little experience.   Employers nowadays don't want to train people. The other group of workers that seem to be effected are the "mature" or not young workers(this group includes the Panda Bear).   Probably these workers are have more trouble finding work because of both ageism and this group can be costing companies more money earning higher salaries and being eligible for more benefits.

The unemployment office gives advise on how to get around age discrimination in the workplace.   The first suggestion is that one should remove dates on resumes of when one attended school and the work history should only go back ten to fifteen years.   Less obviously, the Panda Bear discovered that the fonts one uses could indicate age.    People should be using modern and contemporary fonts not the old fashioned Arial and Times Roman.

It is not without controversy about whether business practises are correct or outdated.    One young career counselor upset a lot of people in her class by saying that the use of the word "Dear" in cover/business letters had become outdated and suggested the person using it was old.   Many clients objected and said that using "Dear" was proper English.   The Panda Bear tried typing a cover letter and just addressing it "Hiring Manager" seemed abrupt.   However,  upon reflection that Panda Bear thought that modern cover letters probably are a shade more informal since they are uploaded into an application system rather than going through snail mail.   Also the Panda Bear has heard that the younger generation constantly abbreviates the language and many say they don't use proper English.   Therefore, the Panda Bear has decided to address cover letters to "Attention: Hiring Manager".

The use application(automated) tracking systems has in itself revolutionized the job hunting process.   The application is screened by a computer before it gets into human hands.    There is a whole series of strategies that one has to use to get it to clear the system sp the hiring manager sees it.    This
type of application does not bother the Panda Bear too much;  in her type of job one is expected to be good at computers.  However, even the simpliest types of jobs now require online applications which many people find difficult to use.

With the start of applying jobs, the Panda Bear has started to feel the beginnings or work pressure.   She has been surprised with how busy she has gotten job hunting.  

The Panda Bear on Vocational Training and College Education

The Panda Bear Blog is the blog of humble but kindly office worker who wants to reform the world.

As the readers of the Panda Bear Blog know, after a steady work history for twenty years, the Panda Bear lost two office jobs in two years.   She has recently been approved by Massachusetts Department o Unemployment to attend an advance office skills program which includes an internship.

The Panda Bear thinks that job training programs are very much needed nowadays even for people with job skills.   Organizations now want people to be up and fully functioning after the first week the employee starts.   Companies are now running very thin staffed so employees don't have time to train people.  With rising concerns about job security, many workers think that a form of job security is that no one else but you can do your job so they don't want to help other workers.     In additions, it costs money for companies to train people and nowadays employees don't stay long with companies.   When companies train people, they are taking a risk that employee may not be able to do the job.

However, the Panda Bear also thinks companies are being lazy in not training people.    Every company has a unique structure and culture which new employees need to learn.    Probably many employees simply don't know what they are doing and are afraid to ask.    In times of high unemployment jobs go unfilled because workers need a shorter training program.  (Also it is a source of job dissatisfaction for those that are working that the companies don't provide them with training and growth opportunities).

The Panda Bear in Massachusetts is seeing more joint industry and state educational ventures to give people job training that leads to jobs.   For example the Panda Bear is seeing industry-state bank teller training programs; banks used to to training in house but now they want experienced tellers.

The Panda Bear thinks that in the modern environment training is actually more important that "higher education".   Counselors at the Mass Unemployment Office(and from what the Panda Bear agrees from has seen) say that even if people with get college degrees the jobs are there for people with with very narrow skills.

The Panda Bear also thinks that companies not being willing to train people is leading to abuse of the practice of bringing on foreign workers on Visas.   There is no attempt to train Americans even if it is a very minimal training requirement.

The Panfa Bear on her Return, Personal Life Update and the Great Recession and the Arts

The Panda Bear Blog will be resuming publication.   The Panda Bear Blog is a blog by written by a humble office worker who is writes against the oligarchy.

During the years of her blog, the Panda Bear has seen a rise in anger against those in power.   The Panda Bear is most proud of the defeat of the plan to hold the Olympics is Boston.   The leaders who opposed the building of the Olympics said this was an example of a grass-roots effort rising against a plan put forth the make the Oligarchy rich.   The Panda Bear was proud to contribute her small social media presence  in opposing the plans to build the Olympics.

On a personal note, the Panda Bear lost her job after having it for a year.   Readers of the Panda Bear Blog will remember that the Panda Bear did not like her previous to last job.   The job the Panda Bear just lost she liked better.   The Panda Bear worked very hard at it and vowed to be totally positive about the job for as long as she had it.    However, hard work and a positive attitude did not stop the Panda Bear from losing her job.

The Panda Bear thinks the economy is in a terrible state-much worse than is mentioned in the news media(maybe because most big news outlets are owned by big business).    However, the Panda Bear finds it interesting that the poor economy is not making much of an appearance in popular culture(i.e movies, TV, fiction).    The book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is the only book recent book the Panda Bear has come across where the economic downturn of 2008 plays a role.   The Panda Bear wonders why the entertainment/popular culture and the arts are so afraid to take on the current economic downturn.

The Panda Bear on Her New Job, the Boston Marathon and the Olympics

The Panda Bear is the blog of a humble office worker who wants to change the world.   

In November, the Panda Bear switched jobs.   She likes her new job much better than her old job,   She will be learning new skills-this is the first time she has on the job training in about twenty years(the Panda Bear thins this is a major problem in the job market today is that employers no longer want to train people).   Unlike her old office, the new office is pro-plant and in general a much more lively place then her former position.   Furthermore, her new organization’s goal is to challenge the status quo in her industry a goal which the Panda Bear shares so she feels more of personal commitment to her job.

However, the Panda Bear has also learned that a job one likes is still work.   She still comes home from work tired.    Her employer acknowledges it is a high stress position and the Panda Bear expects to feel more stress as she gets more experienced. (In the Panda Bear's work life she has found that the two year anniversary on the job can be a high stress time.   She will be seen as fully trained and will have made some mistakes on the job ;).   Also the Panda Bear has found just changing jobs can be stressful.  It takes the Panda Bear a while to get used to the new routines and the new people.   In the past, the Panda Bear has underestimated how tiring job change can be.

Therefore, the Panda Bear will be posting less frequently then she has in the past.   She needs time to get used to her new job and some personal issues have come up to keep the Panda Bear busy.   (Note-this is a problem in modern life-people go from job stress to personal stress after work).

However, the recent events in the Boston area have made the Panda Bear take up her pen again.   The intense security measures that there are today because of the Boston Marathon and Red Sox games and the disruption this is causing many businesses and workers makes the Panda Bear think that it is absurd to have the Olympics in Boston.   She thinks only a few special interests will benefit from having the Olympics here.   Somehow, the ordinary taxpayer will have to foot the bill for a big part of the games.   In other countries where they have had the Olympics the Panda Bear hears about how ordinary people have to suffer to make more "pretty" the area of the games.

Furthermore, there is some evidence that most people in Boston don't want it in Boston.    The push for the Olympics is coming from the local government which is run by the political party the Democrats who are seeming more and more undemocratic.

The Panda Bear on Hillary Clinton and The Panda Bear's New Work Schedule

After the terrible snows of  the Boston area, the Panda Bear is having one her first "normal" evenings at home.   The Panda Bear's husband(Mr. Panda)  has gone to the YMCA.    It is the first time the Panda Bear has been at home in her apartment at night in several months due the snow and Mr. Panda's month off at the end of the year.  It is in these times of quiet solitude that the Panda Bear can write her blog.

The Panda Bear Blog is the blog of a humble office worker who wants to change the world.   She wants to restore the position of the average worker to that of respect for being the mainstay of the economy.

In November of 2014, the Panda Bear started a new job.   Her hours have changed; instead of working from 7:00-3:30(a schedule that she has worked for many years), she now works 8:00-4:30.   The reader may laugh and say that is not a big change in hours.   However, the Panda Bear has found these small changes make a difference particularly in modern times when there is pressure to do ev many things in short time frames.   One advantage the Panda Bear has found with working slightly later is that when she comes home it is dinner time.   On the earlier schedule, the Panda Bear wanted to have a snack after work than eat dinner.    The later schedule eliminates the need of a before dinner snack.

Today, in the Panda Bear's new humble office job, the Panda Bear heard on a television in office lounge Hillary Clinton's lame excuses for using personal e-mail for government business.   Now the Panda Bear supported Hillary Clinton in 2008 and thinks its cool that she has not driven a car for many years(the Panda Bear does not drive).   However, the Panda Bear thinks Hillary Clinton is in the process of self destruction; she did put herself in this bind not the evil right wing.

Hillary Clinton sounded like a teenager in her need to use personal e-mail.   She sounded like a dumb blond(which she is not) in the problems using two devices one for personal and one for the job.

However, national defense is a serious issue.   Even in the Panda Bear's humble job, she knows that work e-mail is more secure than personal e-mail and that work and personal e-mails should be separate.

Hillary Clinton had her own server in her house for her e-mails.  It appears that she never used her work e-mail.   The Panda Bear thinks it was very well thought out decision on Mrs. Clinton's part not to use the government e-mail in order to hide information.   Her releasing her e-mails is like Nixon releasing the Nixon tapes(and Hillary Clinton worked on the Watergate hearings).   Someone objective needs to go through the materials.

The Panda Bear is tired of "leaders" of all political stripes and organization types who think they are above the rules the rest of the world needs to follow.   Many of these rules came about for a reason.   The theory behind constitutional government is that a country is more effectively run when the rulers follow the laws.

Please Hillary don't run-let's get someone new.

The Panda Bear on Snow, Political Corruption and Hillary Clinton

Readers of the Panda Bear know that the Panda Bear lives in the Boston area which has been hit by enormous amounts of snow.   Life for the Panda Bear for the past six weeks has just been a struggle to get to work and back.   The snow banks are very high and the walking is difficult.   Cars are having time driving through the snow.    While the Panda Bear does not drive, she finds the walking difficult and frightening.   For the first time in her full-time working life of nearly thirty years all what she does is go to work and back home(rather than doing additional activities after work).

Normally, this time of year the Panda Bear would be feeling something like cabin fever.   However, this bad winter has made the Panda Bear not hurt but numb.   All of her energy has been going into getting to work and back.   She feels the large banks of snow will never go away.   The Panda Bear feels that people have been snowbound here for so long that it is effecting people’s physical and emotional health. The return to "normal" life will be like a person returning to "normal" life after an illness; it will be an adjustment.

However, the snow has also made the Panda Bear and others more critical of the corruption of government.    People feel the government could be doing a better job of removing the snow.   The mayor of Boston has proposed putting large fines for people who don't clean their sidewalks within a few hours of the snow stopping.  While the Panda Bear does see some sidewalks where the people have not cleared their sidewalks and probably should be fined, she still thinks the Mayor of Boston proposed fines smack of those in power making one set of rules for themselves and another set for those below them.  She thinks the city of Boston has not made snow removal a top priority and that the Mayor of Boston diverted some resources from snow cleaning to the Patriots victory parade this winter.

Of course, the major politician who has been in the news for breaking the rules is Hillary Clinton for using personal e-mail for high level government work.   The Panda Bear thinks she should not run for president; she has too much baggage.  The Panda Bear also thinks the Clinton e-mail scandal reflects negatively on President Obama who must have known about this arrangement.   Did he not promise to have an open and transparent administration?

In many ways the Panda Bear considers herself to be a "Liberal" but she thinks many "Liberal" leaders are corrupt and elitist.    Political corruption and elitism need to be confronted regardless of political party.

The Panda Bear on Christmas in the Office and The Poor Economy

The Panda Bear since she has started a new and better job has less time to blog.   However, she will continue to blog in the future.   She will begin a series of posts attacking the privileges of academia elite.   Not that the Panda Bear is against education but she things that academics often regarding themselves as a priestly elite.    The Panda Bear Blog is the blog of a common office worker.

One thing that the Panda Bear is glad in her new job that not much is made of Christmas.   The Panda Bear was raised that it was wrong to celebrate Christmas.   Until about 2001 the Panda Bear did not have problem with the office Christmas. What went on even in the office was basically secular though this was called Christmas+.

However, after 2001, though the name was changed to “Holiday”, for one month, the Panda Bear get barraged about the “Christian” nature of the holiday.   These messages have included managers of secular organizations.   Through the Christians at work, the Panda Bear has learned about the “Christian” nature of some ornaments that the Panda Bear once thought of as simply pretty decorations.

Though Christians are the overwhelming majority of the Panda Bear’s workplace, they feel angry and persecuted.   They feel oppressed if they cannot express their religion at work even though the institution they work for is secular and is located in a large diverse urban environment which the includes many religions and nonbelievers.

The Panda Bear believes Christianity is not well served in offices on the holidays.   It does not come across as a religion of hope, faith, charity, love and goodwill.   Rather it comes across and self-centered, militant and materialistic (endless discussions of shopping for presents).

The Panda Bear on the Democratic Loss, Unemployment and New Job

The Panda Bear is not at all surprised that the Democrats lost control of Congress.   The Democrats were defending in the position of defending a poor economy.   The Panda Bear would consider herself to be a progressive but she thinks the American Right has been more accurate recently about the state of the economy.  There is high unemployment and the lower nine-five percent’s income has dropped drastically in recent years.    People who have jobs are stressed out and feel discouraged by the lack of opportunity.   Probably many employees feel like indentured servants rather than free labor.

The Panda Bear knows first-hand about the high unemployment rate.   On October 10, she lost her job.   She went to several unemployment agencies where the staff said the unemployment rate was high in Massachusetts and people were having a hard time getting jobs (despite the Democrats asserting things were getting better).   However, the Panda Bear has heard Massachusetts is not as bad as other parts of the country.

The Panda Bear's period of unemployment will be short lived.   On November 17, the Panda Bear will starting and new a better job.   The Panda Bear will learning some new skills and earning more money in her new position. (The Panda Bear thinks it is a major problem for both employed workers who are getting stale in the jobs and for the unemployed who can’t get jobs that employers no longer want to train workers.  She can understand that training workers is a major expense for companies but lack of company training is creating problems for Americans). 

Of course, the Panda Bear would not have gotten a job so quickly if she had not been involved in an intensive job hunt since July 2013, when her old office banned plants at work.   In took the Panda Bear several years for her to work on her resume and she paid for a professional resume consultation.   (In the modern economy with jobs being so unstable the Panda Bear thinks everyone should be able to quickly produce a good resume.   Once when the Panda Bear was laid off very suddenly and unexpectedly, it slowed to her hob hunting process a lot that it took several months for her to develop a good working resume.)

For the jobs the Panda Bear's field of work, the internet is the prime source of jobs.   How, the job hunting world has changed from when the Panda Bear started in the working world!!  She remembers buying the Sunday paper (for the help wanted ads) and sending in resume and cover letter via snail mail.  However, even, the best job hunting web sites change.   In 2013, the Panda Bear was told that Monster and CareerBuilder were no longer the top job hunting websites; the best website to look for jobs was Indeed(in fact, this web site was where the Panda Bear found her new job).   However, in 2014, the Panda Bear heard that companies no longer liked Indeed but were recruiting from LinkedIn.   In fact, several employment counselors told the Panda Bear that companies were telling the State of Massachusetts that they wanted all employees on LinkedIn.

The hiring process can take a long time nowadays.   The Panda Bear applied for her job in as soon as it was advertised in July and she was offered the job on November 4.   Therefore, the Panda Bear thinks a person can be easily on unemployment for a year and be actively job hunting.

Of course, the Panda Bear getting her dream job and going to job heaven means that she will no longer be blogging about her current job.   The Panda Bear blogged about her old job more than was prudent but jobs are a big part of one's life and if one is unhappy with one’s job one can be unhappy with life.

Instead, the Panda Bear Blog will more focus on the problems of the world.   The Panda Bear recently read the Autobiography of John Stuart Mill, the famous nineteenth century philosopher.   She was inspired by John Stuart Mill's statement that his being an office worker contributed to his understanding of the world and enabled him to come up with ideas for critiquing and reforming the major institutions of his time.   He was also for expanding the power base of his time for which the Panda Bear admires him.

In the spirit of John Stuart Mill, the Panda Bear will continue to blog; a blog of an office worker who wants to improve the world and advocate for the lower 95 percent.

The Panda Bear on July 4th, the Office and Out-of-Touch Psychologists

Before the Panda Bear gets into her post she would like to offer prayers for world peace.   War is a terrible thing.   She can understand that countries need to defend themselves but she thinks war should always be a last resort.

 The Panda Bear would like to share this Op Ed piece by Mortimer Zuckerman in the Wall Street about how more and more people are only able to get part time jobs.  Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve also states that unemployment is very high.   The Panda Bear has heard political conservatives state the economy is bad and complain that there are not enough jobs for people.   The Panda Bear things that if these people think the economy is bad (usually conservatives blame the unemployed for their problems), the unemployment rates must by sky high.   The Panda Bear has always felt that it was terrible that the look term unemployed don't get counted in unemployment statistics.   Also the Panda Bear has always felt that government economists (since they are hired by the government) have something vested in making the current regime's economy look good whether it is a Republican or Democrat in charge.

 Meanwhile the people who have jobs (such as the Panda Bear are not happy with them.   Employers take advantage of the bad job market.   The Panda Bear has recently heard a psychologist state that if people feel negatively about their jobs should get new jobs.   Where has this psychologist been?  Jobs are hard to get now.  The Panda Bear has believes that the "market rate" of some jobs has actually declined.   It is hard to take a pay cut and one really has no guarantees about the new job.

 A more realistic idea nowadays is to have interests outside of work.   However, this can be hard to do as many people feel compelled to work long hours.   Where the Panda Bear works they hardly ever close early for the holidays anymore and that included this this 4th of July.   The lack of early closing makes people less like to celebrate the holiday.

 The Panda Bear sees the American Revolution as being a victory against economic exploitation of the British.   The Panda Bear heard a biographer of George Washington state that George Washington was getting tired of sucking up to the colonial rulers.   The Panda Bear can understand the feeling of being tired of trying to butter people up.

The Panda Bear has an American Flag at her desk.   The reasons are in part patriotic and in part to contrast the freedom of the US with the lack of freedom in the office.   The Lowell Mills Girls in the 1830's wrote many statements to point; the workplace is no democracy.

Whenever the Panda Bear feels upset at having to work she thinks of a strike song the Lowell factory girls used to sing:

 Oh! Isn’t it a pity, such a pretty girl as I

should be sent to the factory to pine away and die?

Oh! I cannot be a slave, I will not be a slave,

For I'm so fond of liberty,

That I cannot be a slave.

 More directly contrasting the freedom of the US with the restrictions of work here are some of other quotes:

Let oppression shrug her shoulders,

And a haughty tyrant frown,

And little upstart Ignorance,

In mockery look down.

Yet I value not the feeble threats

Of Tories[British] in disguise,

While the flag of Independence

O'er our noble nation flies

 Those who work in the mills[or offices]...ought not have the status of machines ruled by private despots who are entrenching monarchic principles on democratic soil as they drive downwards freedom and rights, civilization, health, morals and intellectuality in the new commercial feudalism.

 The Panda Bear fully believes that the principal of feudal hierarchy is alive and well in US Business and industry.  

 In the Panda Bear's office, not only is there no right to free speech but there is little opportunity to speak at all.   People have gotten reprimanded for talking to their coworkers too much.   Headphones are ok but not talking to each other.   Nowadays even if one works in an office (as opposed to working at home) there can be very little social interaction.   The Panda Bear herself got a reprimand in March 2014 for speaking too loudly which has intensified her job hunt.

The Panda Bear feels that the US economy is heading in the direction of no one being able to:

1. Find a job
2. Find a job at a living wage
3. Find a job where one is decently treated.

The US has had a reputation for being hard workers.  However, we are heading in a direction of people being unable to work or people being overworked at disliking their jobs.   This can’t be a good thing for the future of the US.

 

 

The Panda Bear on Friday Afternoons and Out of Touch Economists

It is a Friday afternoon.   The Panda Bear feels the work week increases in sneaky ways.   The Panda Bear remembers a time when employers on a regular basis let employees out early on Fridays and the long weekends.   Now the Panda Bear's employers never let their employers out early.   The Panda Bear feels this "bonus" free time could add up to two or three weeks of extra vacation days a year.    The Panda Bear also feels she was a much more enthusiastic worker when employers gave their workers additional time off and seemed to want them to have a life outside of work.    It's karma.  What comes around goes around.   Even the Panda Bear's boss admits that the office nickels and dimes its employees in terms of time.  The Panda Bear feels the heads of the organization set the tone.  If they don't give her anything extra, she won't give them anything extra.   The Panda Bear advises her readers to be careful about give extras to employers; some employers are just takers.   Your above and beyond effort may be a volunteer effort for them.  The Panda Bear has nothing against volunteering; this blog is a volunteer effort.   She just thinks that when one volunteers it should be clear that it is a volunteer effort.

 However, the Panda Bear wanted to draw to her readers attention to an article she found on www.alternet.org about how off economists were about the job market.   Indeed the Panda Bear since the Great Recession has started in 2008 the Panda Bear has a hard time believing what was being said in the news about the economy.

 Just this week, the Panda Bear heard on the Wall Street Journal's radio show, one reporter say almost in despair that Americans were still unhappy about the economy despite the stock market doing well, the low inflation rate and the low rate of interest.

The Panda Bear wishes to defend the American people to this reporter.   First of all, many Americans who aren't wealthy are not directly effected by the stock market.   Their major source of money is their paycheck.  Some workers (including the Panda Bear) who work for nonprofits that have endowments that are in the stock market probably are indirectly benefiting from the good stock market.   However, for the majority of Americans who need their pay check to survive the stock market is not a major concern.

 Also the low interest rates are not benefiting everyone.   Many people are being hurt in that banks are not paying much in the way of interest on bank accounts.   Not everyone wants to put their money in an investment where there is risk of losing the principle.   A lot of people have lost a source of income because the banks are not paying much in the way of interests on their deposits.

In regards to low inflation, if you are unemployed you would rather have a higher inflation and higher employment rate.   Also many employed workers have not gotten cost living raise in many years so salaries are not keeping up with inflation-even if the inflation rate is low.  Low salaries and high unemployment keep the inflation rate low because of the reduced demand for goods and surfaces and labor costs are not increasing.  

 During 2008, the Panda Bear was hearing economists stating things that sounded straight out of Orwell's 1984.   She would hear on the news the economy was improving because it was the rate was slowing in which the economy declined.   Then the economists stated the recession was over when large numbers of people were acutely suffering.   When the Panda Bear heard that statement she thought there were probably a lot of unemployed economists looking for jobs in the Obama administration.

 The Panda Bear wishes to enjoy the rest of her Friday by reading a good book.  She hopes to resume posting on her regular bi-weekly schedule. 

 

 

 

 

The Panda Bear on Unengaged Workers, Capitalistic Socialism, and Job Interviews

The Panda Bear has found an article from a learned professor and former CEO called Fixing the 'I Hate Work Blues' on the Harvard Business School website.   It describes how most first level workers feel overworked and underappreciated.     They feel micromanaged and are disengaged from their jobs.    The article says poor worker morale hurts the organization.   Managers need to learn how to lead rather than nitpick at their workers.

The Panda Bear Blog is a blog by a humble first level employee who agrees with the article as she experiences these problems in her work day first hand.   She feels that all her energies are going to a job that is stressful and has gotten stale.   She feels more workers need to come out and express their dissatisfaction for there to be a change for the better in the nature of employment.

 Many social critics have complained that the US has gotten somewhat socialistic in that there is an alliance between business and the government.   The Panda Bear thinks the US has gone socialist with a certain lower level segment of the workforce.   We aren't supposed to be working for our own advancement and welfare but for the "good of society".   Growing up the Panda Bear always heard the idea of working for the social good while sounded nice in theory did not work in practice; workers did their best when they felt they profited from own efforts.

 However many workers the Panda Bear talks to nowadays feel that projects that may improve things for the organization are nothing but more work for and pressure for them.   The Panda Bear might accept some idea of working for the good of the society.   However, the Panda Bear feels that the rewards that she is not getting in terms of money and respect are not going to the disadvantaged but to higher ups who make a lot of money and coworkers who don't treat her very well.

The Panda Bear got this joke on Facebook from the Occupy movement.    The question is how many capitalists (the joke also works if you use the term manager) does it take to change a light bulb.   The answer is none-it takes workers.    (Another statement she got from Facebook from the AFL-CIO she liked was "If you can read a book thank a teacher, if you can read a book at night thank an electrician."). 

 Of course the problems of the employed are made worse by the high unemployment rate.   Employers feel little incentive to change because turnover is low.  Employees are supposed to be happily (happy that they have jobs) unhappy (they don't like their job and don't want to be there).   In a previous post, the Panda Bear stated that a high unemployment rate benefited the military in that military gets a steady supply of recruits because they can't find other employers.   A high unemployment rate also benefits employers.  Labor costs are kept low.   Managers don't have to constantly be recruiting and replacing employees.   Salaries are kept down.   In the Panda Bear's experience, employers are much nicer to employees when there is a high turnover.

As readers of the Panda Bear Blog know, the Panda Bear herself embarked on a job search when the office forbade the workers to have plants (micromanagement).   The Panda Bear has not yet found a job but she has been getting interviews which she has heard some people cannot get.  The Panda Bear has been in her job for nine years.   In a good economy she thinks the shelf life of her job would be four to six years. 

 The Panda Bear has found some elements of the interviewing process have change in the past nine years.   It has improved in that there is an initial phone interview where in the past first interviews were always done in person which required the Panda Bear to take time off from work. 

 In the beginning of the post, the Panda Bear said employees felt unappreciated for the hard work they do.  When going for interviews, the Panda Bear has heard from managers of other organizations that the Panda Bear has a heavier than average workload for the industry.   However, the Panda Bear hears no praise for this when she is at work.   The managers somehow make one feel stupid for working so hard.   Instead of thanking the employees for their hard work, the managers say they will automate the process to make it easier making the Panda Bear feel like she is stupid for doing so much.

 Since it a tight job market, the Panda Bear is trying to interview with as many organizations as possible to get practice interviewing so she would seem more smooth(in the past when the Panda Bear had a job she could be somewhat selective about interviews).   This strategy appears to be working as last week the Panda Bear went on an interview where the manager said she seemed very relaxed for the interview.  

 The Panda Bear has heard that it is a terrible mistake to seem nervous at an interview.   In general the Panda Bear has heard that at work one is supposed to exude confidence.   However, the Panda Bear thinks she has discovered a major problem in US industry.   It is overly concerned with "approach" not with results.   The Panda Bear has seem extremely incompetent people say they know everything; they get jobs and fail.   Some highly qualified people appreciate the risks and know their limits but don't get jobs because they seem apprehensive.   To paraphrase Alexander Pope-fools can rush in where wise people fear to tread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Panda Bear on Pain Killers, War and High Unemployement

The Panda Bear apologizes to her readers for not posting for a month.   Right now the Panda Bear aims to post twice a month.   Mr. Panda had a kidney stone and was in a lot of a pain for about two weeks.  Hopefully, he has passed the stone out.  

For a while Mr. Panda was on different kinds of narcotic pain killers.    He was not himself on the pain killers.   The Panda Bear noticed that his judgment was effected but he was not aware that his thinking was effected so he got quite irritable when things did not get done.   The Panda Bear thinks her judgment has been effected when she was on pain killers.   She got extremely talkative on them which is not her usual self.   She has heard from other people that when they are on pain killers they have become have also become more talkative.   The Panda Bear wishes to advise her readers that people can act a little tipsy on pain killers and the people on them may not realize their thinking has been effected by the medication.

This week President Obama gave a speech on foreign policies.   As readers of the Panda Bear Blog know, the Panda Bear wants the US to immediately get out of Afghanistan and for the US to end all military involvements that aren’t directly related to its self-defense.   She was very disappointed to hear that US troops will remain there 2016.     While the Panda Bear truly feels sorry for the kidnapped girls in Nigeria, she thinks some of the interest of the US in Nigeria comes from it being a big oil producing country.   

To those critics who say it makes the US weak not to get militarily involved in other countries the Panda Bear wishes to say:

1. She does not care.   She would rather have Americans be safe, healthy and cowardly than dead and brave for wars that are none of the US’s business.
2. The US would not be in the position of being seen as backing down from foreign conflict if it minded its own business in the first place and did not threaten other countries with wars over concerns that don’t involve the US.

The Panda Bear remembers the Vietnam War.   She remembers hearing that terrible things would happen if we pulled out of Vietnam (also wasn’t it supposedly a security threat for us to leave Iraq?).  The Communists would think US was weak and take over the world is what the supporters of that war said.    When the US left Vietnam the Communists did not take over the world.    Instead in the long run the cold war ended and the influence of communism declined.

Of course what made the former Soviet Union collapse was serious economic problems.   However, the US has serious economic problems.   Do those who want the US to fight abroad consider the security threat to the US coming from its own economic collapse?
\Though the US is not an empire in the traditional sense of the word, look at all the great empires that have risen and fallen.    One theory about the collapse of world powers is that these world powers overextended themselves.   The Panda Bear thinks that over commitment is a potential security threat to the US.

Of course, the present high unemployment in the US aids the US war effort in that it gets and keeps people in the military.   While the US has no formal draft, high unemployment creates a greater financial incentive for people to join the military.   The Panda Bear is sure that the military would have more recruitment problems if the job market was booming (in contrast, wars can provide a distraction for problems at home).

The Panda Bear thinks Americans are being too passive in demanding that US government and business do something about high unemployment rates.   In future posts, the Panda Bear will discuss other segments of society that can be “benefiting” from a high unemployment rate.

 

  

The Panda Bear on the Boston Marathon , Large Crowds and the 3rd Blog Anniversary of her Blog

The Panda Bear wanted to take a moment to introduce her readers to a blog written by a friend of the Panda Bear,  saltyspring.   The address of the website is http://saltyspring.wordpress.com .   She writes on some similar topics to the Panda Bear.   However, unlike the Panda Bear she has lived many different countries.   The Panda Bear has led a very routine-some might say(including the Panda Bear) unexciting life.   

It is coming up on the year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing.   Just before sitting down to write this post the Panda Bear was near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.   Psychologically, September 11 was much harder on the Panda Bear than the Boston Marathon bombing probably because at the time of September 11 the Panda Bear was working near downtown Boston which some people felt  might be attacked that day.  After September 11, the Panda Bear felt that all large gatherings in urban areas were vulnerable to terrorist threats.  

The Panda Bear has heard there migh have been many more casualties and serious injuries during the Boston Marathon bombings had there not been a lot of medical personnel near the Boston Marathon finish line and the bombs went off near the time additional medical personnel were arriving because of there was going to be a change of shift.  

Now that the Panda Bear is in the area the Boston Marathon will finish she sees signs that the security is being tightened for this year's run and she sees more blockades and barriers than she has in the past   She has heard that more people will attend this year's Marathon than last year's to show we are Boston Strong.   Also there will be a baseball game that day which will also attract large crowds to the area.

While the Panda Bear is all for showing that Americans and Bostonians are strong and unafraid of terrorism that Panda Bear does not always feel that large crowds in urban areas show strength. Also in the case of the Boston Marathon bombing, it does not appear that there was a large terrorist network involved so there is no need prove courage to enemies..    Large crowds are hard to manage under the best of circumstances and can cause many problems.   Probably large crowds make it much harder to secure the area.

In addition many people have to go to work during the Boston Marathon.   The Boston Marathon occurs on a normal workday for most people.  Mr. Panda will have to go to work going  through the  Boston Marathon and he needs to carry some bags to go to work(bags will be checked for security reasons).   Both the baseball game and the Boston  Marathon can attract crowds that are a nuisance to people who don't go to these events.    To have two high crowd events on a normal working day plus it being the year anniversary of the Marathon bombing which may bring more people to Boston is too much for the city to  handle.   She wishes at least the Red Sox game could be cancelled.   The Panda Bear hopes a lot of people don't show up Monday.     Even without an terrorist threats, the Panda Bear worries there are going to be too many people in Boston one  day that and it is just going to make life difficult for people who live and work in the area.

This time of year is also approaching the third year anniversary of the Panda Bear Blog.   The Panda Bear Blog is a blog about a humble full time office worker who wants to challenge the corrupt American establishment.   The Panda Bear views one success she had this year was being a foot solider in the movement to prevent the US becoming militarily involved in Syria.   This movement appears to have been a success.    Next year the Panda Bear wants to push the US to do more to create jobs for Americans.   The Panda Bear believes the high unemployment is not hurting the rich so the politicians aren't putting enough emphasis on helping the economy.

Personally, the Panda Bear remains as humble as ever in her humble daytime office job.  Many people think that certain reforms don't happen in the US because people think they will be able to become part of the corrupt oligarchy.   The Panda Bear knows the oligarchy will not have her as member so therefore she will never be corrupted.

The Panda Bear on the New Year, Vacation Stress and Unemployment Insurance

The Panda Bear wishes all the best to her readers for the coming year.   2013 was a good year for the Panda Bear Blog.   The Panda Bear Blog has just past over 20,000 pages views and has 315 Twitter followers.    The blog has subscribers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Japan.    The Panda Bear feels this is very good for a blog by a humble and lowly office worker who is a mere amateur writer.

Since the Panda Bear is a critique of the cult of extreme business, she thought in this time of resolutions for the coming year to share this resolution the Panda Bear found on a meditation s website by a Zen writer:

 "This year, I am determined to be more unproductive. My goal is to do less and less – to move slower and slower until everything stops. I and the whole world will come to a sweet and silent stillness. And in this stillness, a great shout of joy will arise. We will all be free..." From the Ox and Window, by 17th century Zen master Hakuin Ekaku.

The Panda Bear wondered if instead of asking each other what we were going to do on the weekend we should ask each other what we are not going to do.   Maybe we should feel sorry for people who are doing something and praise people for doing nothing.

The Panda Bear went on vacation for the a few days at the beginning on the month.   People asked what she did during the vacation and the Panda Bear had the pleasure of saying not much.    Why should people are busy morning to night for most of the 365 days of the year not have a few days of nothingness?   Why do even vacations in our culture have to be busy?    Of course going away was stressful.    There was the packing and preparing to leave the apartment.  Getting Mr. Panda to go anywhere is a chore.   He is a home body.   Mr. Panda Bear told the Panda Bear he will only go places if he knows  exactly where he is going.   The Panda Bear told Mr. Panda if everywhere was like him there would be no one to explore new places on earth or outer space.

The few days away were relaxing.   Then coming back home and back to work was very stressful.   All the home chores remained.   The Panda Bear has the type of job that if you are off for the day it takes you a day to catch up with back work.

The Panda Bear believes that many of her other coworkers are also stressed out.   The source of this stress the Panda Bear believes is that work is no longer slow during this time of year.  In the Panda Bear’s line of work and for many other US workers the period between Thanksgivings to mid-January use to be slow.   No major changes happened during this period.  There was a holiday slowness.   Now the prevailing mood of the workplace to be business as usual for the holiday period.    Workers now have heavy workloads as well as the additional chores for the holiday preparation.   No wonder people are feeling so cranky.

Even a few years ago there was not much hiring or layoffs happened between Thanksgiving and Mid-January because of the holiday period.   This slowness no longer seems to be true.   The Panda Bear knows of people who recently have gotten laid off during this time.    In the Panda Bear’s line of work a lot of new people are starting between Thanksgiving and February which is keeping the Panda Bear busy.

The Panda Bear has some friends that are have some luck at getting job interviews during this period.   One friend of the Panda Bear’s thinks she may get a new job right now.   The job was posted in mid-December.   If this friend was to get the job it would probably start in mid-February.

In many lines of work the hiring process from posting the job, interviewing candidates, and making a job offer can take the managers two to three months if not longer.   The Panda Bear hopes the Congress extends unemployment benefits.   The standard unemployment benefit of six months is nothing if one considers the length of the hiring process even if the person is lucky in the job process.

 

 

 

The Panda Bear on Colds, Feeling Tired and the Federal Goverment Shut Down

Today at work the Panda Bear was feeling tired. A coworker said to the Panda Bear, "What is the matter with you-you are always complaining about being tired." The Panda Bear was upset; she did not think she had complained that much about being tired. True for the past couple of weeks the Panda Bear was more tired than usual. She found the time change difficult. The Panda Bear wishes there was daylight savings time all year. She would rather it stay light at the end of the day than have the extra light in the morning. The earlier it gets dark the earlier the Panda Bear feels sleepy. In addition, the Panda Bear had a cold over the weekend. She spent almost two days sleeping but is now feeling better. The Panda Bear used to have colds that lasted all winter.

The Panda Bear has learned to slow down when she has a cold; she does believe that this makes the colds shorter. The Panda Bear realizes that she is fortunate that she can take it easy for a couple of days. The Panda Bear Blog is about the right to be tired. It is a human and animal emotion. Recently, the Panda Bear has heard some hard working people complain that they have days that they feel tired and don't get much done. The Panda Bear feels everyone could use some down days from time to time. About ten years ago, the Panda Bear was feeling tired all the time and had colds that lasted a long time. She was working full-time at a stressful job and going to school at night among other activities. Finally, the Panda Bear realized she had to slow down. However, the sad thing is that no one told the Panda Bear to slow down. Indeed, the Panda Bear had to learn to say no to people. The Panda Bear never heard "Panda you work so hard-now just take some time off". The Panda Bear learned that the more you do the more people often expect from you. Now that the Panda Bear has slowed down she still feels tired SOME of the time which is better than being tired ALL of the time.

In some previous posts, the Panda Bear stated she had written to her US Representative and Obama requesting that the US immediately withdraw its military presence from Afghanistan. The Panda Bear received an e-mail back from her US representative stating he supported President Obama's policy. She has not received any acknowledgement from President Obama regarding her e-mail. The Panda Bear wishes to end this post by stating that she things the shutdown of the Federal Government was the greatest waste of government money ever. Many people don't realize that the Federal workers were paid in full for the period that they weren't working. Now as a taxpayer the Panda Bear the Panda Bear would much rather pay people to work then not to work. The Panda Bear thinks if the plan is for the Federal workers not to lose any pay, the US government should keep them working while it tries to resolve its budget problems.