42 replies to this topic

[Rogerdodger]

Help Wanted Ads Go Unanswered in West
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The owner of a fast food joint in Montana's booming oil patch found himself outsourcing the drive-thru window to a Texas telemarketing firm, not because it's cheaper but because he can't find workers.

Record low unemployment across parts of the West has created tough working conditions for business owners, who in places are being forced to boost wages or be creative to fill their jobs.

John Francis, who owns the McDonald's in Sidney, Mont., said he tried advertising in the local newspaper and even offered up to $10 an hour to compete with higher-paying oil field jobs. Yet the only calls were from other business owners upset they would have to raise wages, too. Of course, Francis' current employees also wanted a pay hike.

"I don't know what the answer is," Francis said. "There's just nobody around that wants to work."

Unemployment rates have been as low as 2 percent this year in places like Montana, and nearly as low in neighboring states. Economists cite such factors as an aging work force and booming tourism economies for the tight labor market.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 26 August 2007 - 11:18 PM.

[wyocowboy]

In case you think that is an exageration, it is not. Skilled labor (welders, pipefitters, miners, mechanics, electricians, etc.) are in tight supply, and demand is very high. Starting wages for fast food restaraunts is 9.50, and any workforce experience is higher. Housing is in short supply, and housing prices are through the roof. This is the third energy boom in my lifetime, and all have run counter to the economy at large. When business here starts to sag, the national economy will pick up pace. When the bust comes, you will be able to pick up real estate at a 50% discount. Whether or not this applies to the economy at large is unknown.

[humble1]

it's the obesity epidemic: have you seen how many fat, very fat, obese and morbidly obese people there are around these days ? they can't fit into chairs or pass each other in aisles or stand for very long. they can barely squeeze into their cars, which tilt sideways. it is BECAUSE of mcdonald's that many of these people are SO FAT !!!!!

[Rogerdodger]

it is BECAUSE of mcdonald's that many of these people are SO FAT !!!!!

I disagree. You can eat anything you like in moderation.
That's a bit like poor people blaming Walmart cause they spend all their money there and save nothing.

People SHOULD be responsible for their own mouths.
But they blame McDonald's for their fat @ss.

And they sue cause the coffee's too hot.
They sue cause the coffee's too cold.
They sue cause the coffee's coffee.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 27 August 2007 - 12:11 AM.

[humble1]

whatever; i don't entirely disagree with you. but if the pigs don't have too much slop placed in front of them they won't be as fat. of all the challenges facing us, the biggest and the only one which i do not see a solution to is the depressingly number of OBESE people we see everywhere we go. i talked to a friend who had no better sense than to go on one of the cruises we see advertised. he said it was full of FAT people who spent most of their time EATING from the HUGE BUFFETS. when i see them i sometimes go "oink, oink". my wife whacks me when i do, but it is worth it.

Edited by humble1, 27 August 2007 - 12:13 AM.

[stocks]

Shrink-a size me: Losing weight eating only McDonalds?

http://www.azcentral...onalds0712.html

AN 84-year-old British couple who have eaten at their local McDonald's every day for the past 17 years have spent nearly $50,000 on hamburgers and fries.

Lee and Mary Humphrey have scoffed the same meal - a double hamburger each with a shared large fries - more than 6000 times and have never dined out anywhere else, Metro.co.uk reported.

The couple have their own table at the fast-food outlet and moved house two years ago to East Sussex so they could be within walking distance.

They admitted that McDonald's supplied the bulk of their diet.

"We don't eat big when we come home. We like to sit down in the afternoon and watch Deal or No Deal with a Magnum chocolate covered ice cream," Mrs Humphrey told Metro.co.uk

http://www.news.com....5013016,00.html

[ed rader]

it is BECAUSE of mcdonald's that many of these people are SO FAT !!!!!

I disagree. You can eat anything you like in moderation.
That's a bit like poor people blaming Walmart cause they spend all their money there and save nothing.

People SHOULD be responsible for their own mouths.
But they blame McDonald's for their fat @ss.

And they sue cause the coffee's too hot.
They sue cause the coffee's too cold.
They sue cause the coffee's coffee.

the same thing applies to loaning money and buying homes but if people have no common sense or restraint and it ruins the economy that really shows them right ?

ed rader

when i see them i sometimes go "oink, oink". my wife whacks me when i do, but it is worth it.

my wife calls me "the fat police". and she says "no one likes the fat police."



ed rader

Edited by ed rader, 27 August 2007 - 01:54 AM.

[Sentient Being]

Good News, Dunkin Donuts is dropping transfats. Now we can all indulge in that special food made up of Flour, Sugar, and regular Fat.

[humble1]

ed rader/sb: kindred spirits. thanks to the gods, i was getting kind of lonely !

[calmcookie]

They're about to ban panhandling in Austin, Tx, so maybe some of these people will have to get jobs flipping burgers. I have mixed feelings about banning panhandling, but it's really gotten out of hand in this city. You cannot stop at a red light without being swooped upon. And as far as the obesity topic ... Roger, you wrote that everything in moderation is fine ... but the problem is that many people are compulsive overeaters ... one has to ask WHY this occurs. You (Roger) may not be genetically susceptible to the cycle of overeating, but many ARE. It's caused by a combination of hormonal, biochemical and psychological issues. If you had insulin resistence syndrome and ate a lot of high fructose corn syrup (blocks the satiety hormone, leptin - and is contained in hundreds of packaged foods ... everything from simple tomato sauce, to chili and jam), then you might also know what it's like to be unable to stop eating. The whole issue is far more complex than just saying "eat in moderation" ... or just saying that people are "weak willed." There ARE solutions, but just telling people to eat less doesn't work. Best to all, C.C.

Edited by calmcookie, 27 August 2007 - 06:37 AM.