I remember...

[Jim62]

...back when people running businesses large and small generally were honest, moral, and ethical people, and politicians were the only scumbags we had to deal with.

Wonder how we got so far away from that ?

 

[Jogeephus]

Greed, lust for power and loss of work ethic would be my answer to that.

 

[CattleHand]

Greed, lust for power and loss of work ethic would be my answer to that.

I agree with you there except for work ethic. Now and days the only people will to take risks and work seem to be horse traders that end up being CEOs. everyone else is okay will falling into line an doing as they are told.

But im a big believer that the biggest problem is ourselves. We support their products (the companies) and vote them in (the politicians) without really knowing anything about them. I know im guilty of just buying the best product for my buck. If the people dont like a company or the way its being runned then they shouldn't support them with their money by buying their products. Of course I dont know how that thought process goes to the automobile industry since the people weren't supporting their industry and they are still getting money. But i dont know enough about any of that. I think now and days most of us just turn the other way until it directly affects us.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think now and days most of us just turn the other way until it directly affects us.

That is so true. If you think about it, WE have a larger voice than we realize yet we just sit idley by while the barn burns. Look at how many are viewing cattle producers today. I'm sorry we have to harvest them but that's nature. Been that way for eons.

I still think lack of work ethic is a problem cause I don't think all of these CEO's got to their highest level of incompetance through hard work. If they did, I think they would show more empathy for their employees and their corporations.

 

[Caustic Burno]

...back when people running businesses large and small generally were honest, moral, and ethical people, and politicians were the only scumbags we had to deal with.

Wonder how we got so far away from that ?

You just described most of our nation, a lot of the problem has to do with doors not being opened.
Today one in seven attend church and you wonder why our morals are in the gutter.
As a nation we have turned our back on its founding principles.

 

[msscamp]

I think now and days most of us just turn the other way until it directly affects us.

If you think about it, WE have a larger voice than we realize yet we just sit idley by while the barn burns.

Why is that? That is called apathy, and it is a widespread epidemic these days. I do not believe that most of us intend to be apathetic, I think it is more a problem of not knowing how to reach out to others, and actually do something about the problems. If you doubt it, look at Washington DC. I know that politics are forbidden on these boards, so I will leave it at that and hope that I haven't gotten this thread locked.

Look at how many are viewing cattle producers today. I'm sorry we have to harvest them but that's nature. Been that way for eons.

We have allowed the tree huggers to have a bigger voice than we do. Couple that with the people who do not have an ethical approach to raising livestock, and we are paying the price. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about correcting the damage that has already been done to us.

I still think lack of work ethic is a problem cause I don't think all of these CEO's got to their highest level of incompetance through hard work. If they did, I think they would show more empathy for their employees and their corporations.

No, they didn't get there through hard work - they got there because of their ability to kiss ass and play office politics, but that could very well be construed as a 'work' ethic in it's own right in this day and age. They have certainly played it to the hilt. Haven't you ever heard of being promoted to the next level of incompentency? Now we are paying for it - literally, as well as figuratively. I heard on the radio the other day that all of these bail-out packages is going to cost each and every taxpayer in this country $28,000. I have a really hard time believing they didn't see it coming. Sorry, Jo, I don't mean to single you out. I'm just a little irritated and annoyed about the whole situation.

 

[hayray]

I really don't think people have changed so much as goverment has. Goverment has just gotten bigger and bigger and now has more non-tax payers voting to sustain themselves so there is no way those voters are ever going to vote against bills that increase taxes and increase handouts. I however think on the small business and customer service side that personel service has increased and became better. There are pleanty of examples in history of corruption so it is hard to say the good ole days were that good. I might be wrong but I am just looking at history.

 

[grannysoo]

I find that most people in small business are honest, hard-working people.

Big business and government however are one and the same.......

 

[Jogeephus]

No problem Msscamp, I agree with what you are saying. If you look at all the problems that the world is experiencing at the moment it can be frustrating. Like you say, I don't think we don't intend to be apathetic. We are just busy working and providing for our families and our futures. If you look at the demographics of the squeeky wheels in society I think you will see they have more time and in many cases, more money, to devote to their crusades.

While its frustrating, I think I see opportunity in this for producers. It has been said that "Bigger is Better". I don't think is so. Bigger anything degrades customer service, quality and breeds corruption and apathy. I really think the time is right for the Mom and Pop butcher shops and grocers to come back on the scene. I may be wrong, but I think people are beginning to grow concerned over these huge conglomerates who control, process and distribute our food.

 

[hayray]

Hey Jo, I see alot of that interest in helping the little guy with my business. I direct market all of my beef and that business has been doing really well eventhough my state has the worst economy in the nation.

 

[Jogeephus]

Hey Jo, I see alot of that interest in helping the little guy with my business. I direct market all of my beef and that business has been doing really well eventhough my state has the worst economy in the nation.

I think you are seeing the same thing I'm seeing. People want what we have to sell. Its just a matter of getting the message out. I just hope with the peanut butter debacle in Georgia they don't crack down and make it harder for us to enter the market. I think the regulations are tight enough as it is. The oversight and enforcement is the problem. Case example, the Peanut Corporation of America.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Hey Jo, I see alot of that interest in helping the little guy with my business. I direct market all of my beef and that business has been doing really well eventhough my state has the worst economy in the nation.

I think you are seeing the same thing I'm seeing. People want what we have to sell. Its just a matter of getting the message out. I just hope with the peanut butter debacle in Georgia they don't crack down and make it harder for us to enter the market. I think the regulations are tight enough as it is. The oversight and enforcement is the problem. Case example, the Peanut Corporation of America.

A lot of the problem with big corporations is the Fertilizer effect the guy at the bottom tells his boss this is BS
the next level up tells his boss this is feces and stinks. By the time it gets to the top they have good fertilizer they can sell.

 

[3waycross]

AI work for a fortune 100 company. For a period of 3 years we were forbiddin to use the word problem. We were REQUIRED instead to use the word opportunity. How's that for a large load of fertilizer?

 

[HerefordSire]

I ran into Charlie Sheen in Little Rock before this Oliver Stone movie came out (see below). This movie says it in a nutshell. Remember Blue horseshoe?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Michael Douglas won an Oscar for perfectly embodying the Reagan-era credo that "greed is good." As a Donald Trump-like Wall Street raider aptly named Gordon Gecko (for his reptilian ability to attack corporate targets and swallow them whole), Douglas found a role tailor-made to his skill in portraying heartless men who've sacrificed humanity to power. He's a slick, seductive role model for the young ambitious Wall Street broker played by Charlie Sheen, who falls into Gecko's sphere of influence and instantly succumbs to the allure of risky deals and generous payoffs. With such perks as a high-rise apartment and women who love men for their money, Charlie's like a worm on Gecko's hook, blind to the corporate maneuvering that puts him at odds with his own father (played by Sheen's offscreen father, Martin). With his usual lack of subtlety, writer-director Oliver Stone drew from the brokering experience of his own father to tell this Faustian tale for the "me" decade, but the movie's sledgehammer style is undeniably effective. A cautionary warning that Stone delivers on highly entertaining terms, Wall Street grabs your attention while questioning the corrupted values of a system that worships profit at the cost of one's soul. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
In this riveting, behind-the-scenes look at big business in the 1980's, an ambitious young broker (Charlie Sheen) is lured into the illegal, lucrative world of corporate espionage when he is seduced by the power, status and financial wizardry of Wall Street legend Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). But he soon discovers that the pursuit of overnight riches comes at a price that's too high to pay.

http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Street-Anniv ... 922&sr=1-1

Greed is Good....
[youtube]JaKkuJVy2YA&eurl[/youtube]

If you watched until the end, you also got to hear this line:

Greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but also that malfunctioning corporation called the USA.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/119392- ... e_sb_picks