15 Dollars an Hour

[dickiedeals]

Recently, I went to McDonald's and I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets.

I asked for a half dozen nuggets.

'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter.

'You don't?' I replied.

'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.

'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'

'That's right.'

So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets
(Unbelievable but sadly true...)
(Must have been the same one I asked for sweetener and she said they didn't have any, only Splenda and sugar.)
(And they think they are worth $15.00 per hour)

[willtill]

Recently, I went to McDonald's and I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets.

I asked for a half dozen nuggets.

'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter.

'You don't?' I replied.

'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.

'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'

'That's right.'

So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets
(Unbelievable but sadly true...)
(Must have been the same one I asked for sweetener and she said they didn't have any, only Splenda and sugar.)
(And they think they are worth $15.00 per hour)

Your pulling our legs. Are you? :shock:

[dickiedeals]

Your pulling our legs. Are you? :shock:

Nope, its absolutely true...

[willtill]

Nope, its absolutely true...

The intelligence of the current crop of American youth.... completely astounds me. :icon_doh:

[Bryster]

Lol...

Reminds me of this, guy said his name was 'It's Stephen, that's with a 'ph.''


And his receipt was this...

18900

Still cracks me up... :icon_lol:

[shooter]

They can't even give you the right food. Can't read and comprehend the screen above their heads. You have to check your bag to see if you got a fork or spoon. They hand you two sodas , unmarked , and can't tell you which one is the Diet Coke and which is the Dr Pepper. Good thing wife and I don't mind each others germs. I could go on for days. $15 dollars an hour? That's a joke. They aren't worth minimum wage. There is a small percentage of today's youth that has their shyt together. These few , when they hit the job force , will command respect and a large salary. Since I believe that most of us on this forum are of above average intelligence our kids should do extremely well in the job market. If you've raised your kids to have common sense and above average intelligence , congratulations. You have beat the odds.

[stroguy]

My 3 sons have been working since early teens. Middle kid did the standard car wash crap job, bus boy crap job, waiter crap jobs. Youngest has been a golf cart boy at the local country club for going on 2 years. They want him in the pro shop because he's smart, respectful and not a douchebag like so many other youth. Shooter, you are right, they will command it and demand it. No freakin handouts. I personally hope they do succeed in the $15 min wage. Fast food will go the way of the kiosk and it will be harder to screw up your order. The robots are just waiting for the tipping point of cost to go their way. $15 should take care of it. Then we will need smart kids to fix the robots and the losers that can't spell hambunger will hang out at the corner store.

[jm21ddd15]

Our steel fab company has a general knowledge test, which new people must pass before getting hired. Just plain common sense questions, and some basic math. Kids fresh out of high school, were great at computer skills, but couldn't read a tape measure. The question was, "show the correct picture of 13/16". Then there is 4 pictures, which they have to choose the correct answer. Nope! Too hard for these computer kids. And ask them to read a dial caliper? If it's not a "digital" caliper, they are lost. :icon_rolleyes:

[Steve 0080]

The intelligence of the current crop of American youth.... completely astounds me. :icon_doh:




Laugh all you want...they will vote in Berney then what....

[shooter]

That's the bad thing. You should have to pass a profiency test before you can vote. And you should be a taxpayer. Not a taxtaker.

[VaBob]

I was at a dinner part just this last week where this exact topic came up. I was the only person at the table that though it was ridiculous that a pimpled faced kid, or part time retiree makes almost as much as I do. :jerkit:

[willtill]

Laugh all you want...they will vote in Berney then what....

No laughing here. Just a veil of sadness... our future is in the hands of idiots. Whom will vote in idiots. :shhh:

[BEIST]

You think you've seen uneducated? This absolutely astounds me! Silver is worth $15.30 an ounce today and rising. $153.00 and exchangeable right there behind them at the coin shop. He even offers to verify it to one of the buffoons. A $2.00 chocolate bar!?! What is the world coming to?


http://youtu.be/bYhTFz_SGw0

[jkelley]

I been hiring people for years for our plant. None of this surprises me. I think everyone deserves a living wage for reasonable work but in all honesty, the quality of applicants is sadly lacking among those even willing to work. Then you get the entitlement attitude, and attendance / punctuality issues. IF I could automate all of the people out of the processes I would! Sadly people are the biggest problem across the board.

[Bob Penn]

Who do you blame, the kids or the $60,000 a year teachers? Or maybe it's the over educated school administrators who pull down more than $100,000 a year. Who really didn't earn their pay the kid who probably never heard the terminology "half dozen" or the educator who was too busy teaching trigonometry (that I've never used since school) to teach basic day to day terminology.
As far as $15 hr goes; I retired 8 years ago and was starting to get a little bored so I went looking for a job more for entertainment and socializing then money. What I found was the nearest available jobs were 26 miles from my house. Which meant I would be burning almost 4 gallons of gas or about $15 (at the time) just to commute. That meant I would be working the first hour and a half for nothing. The second hour and a half paid the federal tax man and the third hour fed the state tax man. In the end I would be working 8 hours for 4 hours pay. So at the $ 10 hr they offered me meant my take home would be $40 a day or less than what I was paid for an hour on my last job. I decide my day was better spent working on my bike and surfing the web; sort of like what our teenagers do today. Unfortunately we really don't learn as much useful information on a computer as we think. Worse yet the kids today become so disillusioned they just don't care or see a future.
IMHO the real problem today stems from the average family earning $53 k a year.
To prove my point I'll use a car as an example. When I graduated and entered the workforce a nice car had a sticker price of about $2700.00 and I started out making $11,000 a year. The car cost only 25% of my income. Today with an average family income of $53 k it cost one half of a families annual income. That same example could be used for a pound of butter.
Not long ago the American worker was the highest paid worker in the world. Today we are in the twenties!! And it all feeds up.

[shooter]

Bob you can't expect the schools to raise the kids. I come from a family of teachers. I'm telling you its the parents fault. They believe little Johnny is perfect and they have no rules and don't check to see he does his homework and don't help him. When my kids were in school I was at the kitchen table every night helping with homework. I raised a nurse and an IT geek/ SharePoint Administrator. Both those kids are hard workers and have no problem keeping a job. They both make good money. I spent thousands of hours helping those kids. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No , it all starts and ends at home.

[Spanky]

Answered him" quarter of"
he then looked at me and said, what's that?
I asked him how old he was, he proudly said "eighteen"
then I showed him my analog watch, with no numbers, he could not read it, then stormed away, saying all he wanted to know was the damn time....

We are doomed.

[Retired Army]

Is 1/2 a dozen new math?

[wjduke]

I think a huge problem is single parent households. Mostly absentee fathers. Teachers aren't perfect, I have no affiliation, but it's definitely a home/discipline problem. They don't know basic things. My 32 year old son even mentioned it to me last week. I learned a lot from my father with his business and all. I try to pass it on. That isn't there anymore.

[Bob Penn]

Bob you can't expect the schools to raise the kids. I come from a family of teachers. I'm telling you its the parents fault. They believe little Johnny is perfect and they have no rules and don't check to see he does his homework and don't help him. When my kids were in school I was at the kitchen table every night helping with homework. I raised a nurse and an IT geek/ SharePoint Administrator. Both those kids are hard workers and have no problem keeping a job. They both make good money. I spent thousands of hours helping those kids. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No , it all starts and ends at home.
You get no argument from me on the importance of parents. Today with addition of so many single parents trying to make it on $10 Hr. Is it any wonder parents have to be working 60 - 80 hr work weeks and have little time to parent. Somebodies got to do the laundry
However, I was raised in a family that had 2 working parents working hard to pay the bills. I can't remember ever getting any help from them on my school work.
The one thing I did have going for me was the school system I attended and the teachers I had. They made sure my homework was done and I understood the work at hand. And this was at a time when the WW II baby boomers were in the schools, 34 in a class was the norm not the exception.
True my parents insisted I follow the "college prep" curriculum through high school that was their dream. Those teachers of the time had me so trained that I was bored for the first 2 years of Rutgers. It seemed like a review of my last 2 years of high school.
My last job was working in a school system upgrading to Windows 2000 and upgrading their entire systems. I worked on problem computers in class rooms. where I witnessed 1st grade teachers with PhD's pulling down $100,000 + a year supervising coloring book classes. The coloring books were bad enough but if I told you what was on those computers you'd understand my stand on why our kids are so dumb.

[opas ride]

Another absolutely true story that happened to me a couple years ago on a road trip...Stopped at a MacDonald's to get a breakfast sandwich. Girl asked if she could help me and I said yes, I'll have an Sausage Egg Mcmuffin to go..She replied we don't have that sir..I insisted it was on the menu as I get one a few time a week...Again she said no, but we do have the Egg Mcmuffin with Sausage!!!!...True story!!!....Apparently the button on the cash register listed only the latter.....This is no joke.....Again, the youth of America are the ones that will lead our country in future.....Who is to blame, I don't know.....Ride safe

[shooter]

You get no argument from me on the importance of parents. Today with addition of so many single parents trying to make it on $10 Hr. Is it any wonder parents have to be working 60 - 80 hr work weeks and have little time to parent. Somebodies got to do the laundry
However, I was raised in a family that had 2 working parents working hard to pay the bills. I can't remember ever getting any help from them on my school work.
The one thing I did have going for me was the school system I attended and the teachers I had. They made sure my homework was done and I understood the work at hand. And this was at a time when the WW II baby boomers were in the schools, 34 in a class was the norm not the exception.
True my parents insisted I follow the "college prep" curriculum through high school that was their dream. Those teachers of the time had me so trained that I was bored for the first 2 years of Rutgers. It seemed like a review of my last 2 years of high school.
My last job was working in a school system upgrading to Windows 2000 and upgrading their entire systems. I worked on problem computers in class rooms. where I witnessed 1st grade teachers with PhD's pulling down $100,000 + a year supervising coloring book classes. The coloring books were bad enough but if I told you what was on those computers you'd understand my stand on why our kids are so dumb.

Bob both my parents worked and my wife and I both worked. My brother and I stayed by ourself in the afternoon a couple hours from about 10 on up. Neighbors kept an eye out. You can work and still raise your kids.

[jaygollner]

Is 1/2 a dozen new math?

I often ask people to give me half a handful, but only the wife knows to give me three when I do.

[junkyarddog]

I gave a kid a $2 bill for a dollar item one time and they called the cops on me for trying to pass counterfeit bills.:icon_doh::banghead:

[edgeman55]

Who do you blame, the kids or the $60,000 a year teachers? Or maybe it's the over educated school administrators who pull down more than $100,000 a year. Who really didn't earn their pay the kid who probably never heard the terminology "half dozen" or the educator who was too busy teaching trigonometry (that I've never used since school) to teach basic day to day terminology.
As far as $15 hr goes; I retired 8 years ago and was starting to get a little bored so I went looking for a job more for entertainment and socializing then money. What I found was the nearest available jobs were 26 miles from my house. Which meant I would be burning almost 4 gallons of gas or about $15 (at the time) just to commute. That meant I would be working the first hour and a half for nothing. The second hour and a half paid the federal tax man and the third hour fed the state tax man. In the end I would be working 8 hours for 4 hours pay. So at the $ 10 hr they offered me meant my take home would be $40 a day or less than what I was paid for an hour on my last job. I decide my day was better spent working on my bike and surfing the web; sort of like what our teenagers do today. Unfortunately we really don't learn as much useful information on a computer as we think. Worse yet the kids today become so disillusioned they just don't care or see a future.
IMHO the real problem today stems from the average family earning $53 k a year.
To prove my point I'll use a car as an example. When I graduated and entered the workforce a nice car had a sticker price of about $2700.00 and I started out making $11,000 a year. The car cost only 25% of my income. Today with an average family income of $53 k it cost one half of a families annual income. That same example could be used for a pound of butter.
Not long ago the American worker was the highest paid worker in the world. Today we are in the twenties!! And it all feeds up.

Bob all well said.The middle class worker in this country has lost pace with everthing cost wise over the last 30 years.All the while CEO's pay has risen a 1000% over the floor worker.All capitolism has become is greed.Use to be a day when so called trickle down worked because the owners of large corperations looked at the long range and understood if you pay your workers a good livable wage they would buy there product.They took less profit and kept workers here in the good Ol USA.My wife who is 56 years old has been a Medical supervisor for 25 years and worked her way up the ladder the old fashion way with good work ethic.She was making around 70K a year and had 15 years with the hospital she was with.Well last year they walked in and she and 173 others were given notice,all the while the CEO of the hospital took his 900K salary and gave himself a 400K bonus for saving the hospital costs.She took 8 months to find a job as a receptionist for a small medical firm at 13,00 a hr.Only job she could find as she was told her age and what she use to make were problems.She is pulling down what I made 31 years ago in the Utility industry as a Tech.Like you I am retired and went to look for some work to stay busy and all I could find was a 11.00 a hr pay job at Home Depot.Would of been a 40 mile round trip to work.Hell I make more with my pension pay.As far as the dumb kids thing and our future is in there hands I know a lot of smart driven kids in our area who would like a bright future but they see there parents working two jobs and falling behind trying to keep a house and food on there plate.It can be fixed as the country has seen worse times years ago and my hope is some of these smart driven kids will help do it.I'll get off my soap box now.You guys can go back to your doom and gloom talk:popcorn:

[ths61]

Recently, I went to McDonald's and I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets.

I asked for a half dozen nuggets.

'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter.

'You don't?' I replied.

'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.

'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?'

'That's right.'

So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets
(Unbelievable but sadly true...)
(Must have been the same one I asked for sweetener and she said they didn't have any, only Splenda and sugar.)
(And they think they are worth $15.00 per hour)

I once asked a female fast food worker where she kept her condiments. She gave me an immediate, curt, intense, nasty look as if I assaulted her and said nothing.

I then realized I had to rephrase the question with the terms "mustard, ketchup, relish, salt, pepper, etc.". :yikes:

[ths61]

I gave a kid a $2 bill for a dollar item one time and they called the cops on me for trying to pass counterfeit bills.:icon_doh::banghead:

Did the cops arrest you ?

[wjduke]

Did the cops arrest you ?

If they were in their 20's, I'd guess yes :icon_biggrin:

[shooter]

Bob all well said.The middle class worker in this country has lost pace with everthing cost wise over the last 30 years.All the while CEO's pay has risen a 1000% over the floor worker.All capitolism has become is greed.Use to be a day when so called trickle down worked because the owners of large corperations looked at the long range and understood if you pay your workers a good livable wage they would buy there product.They took less profit and kept workers here in the good Ol USA.My wife who is 56 years old has been a Medical supervisor for 25 years and worked her way up the ladder the old fashion way with good work ethic.She was making around 70K a year and had 15 years with the hospital she was with.Well last year they walked in and she and 173 others were given notice,all the while the CEO of the hospital took his 900K salary and gave himself a 400K bonus for saving the hospital costs.She took 8 months to find a job as a receptionist for a small medical firm at 13,00 a hr.Only job she could find as she was told her age and what she use to make were problems.She is pulling down what I made 31 years ago in the Utility industry as a Tech.Like you I am retired and went to look for some work to stay busy and all I could find was a 11.00 a hr pay job at Home Depot.Would of been a 40 mile round trip to work.Hell I make more with my pension pay.As far as the dumb kids thing and our future is in there hands I know a lot of smart driven kids in our area who would like a bright future but they see there parents working two jobs and falling behind trying to keep a house and food on there plate.It can be fixed as the country has seen worse times years ago and my hope is some of these smart driven kids will help do it.I'll get off my soap box now.You guys can go back to your doom and gloom talk:popcorn:

Edgeman I agree with a lot of what you say especially the part about corporate execs. The part about both parents working and falling behind trying to keep a house going can be true also. But , more often than not a lot of those parents smoke and drink. They have three or four kids and can't afford one and are paying 20% interest on $15,000 in credit card debt. They make the minimum payment each month and will end up paying $30,000 interest on the $15,000. I'm not buying the poor me. If anything the poor and oppressed have more opportunities than I do. I wasnt born with a silver spoon. I worked for what I have just like my dad did. I married a good woman that worked hard also and we raised two great kids that had household chores and jobs when they got into college. My son worked three jobs and made the deans list every semester. Both kids graduated with no student loans. We come from middle class families. Nobody gave us anything. We worked for it. Everybody has their hand out now. I'm tired of other people throwing in the towel and jumping on the entitlement train. I've successfully run my family business for the last 27 years. When things got tough after 9/11 we worked more hours and cut our pay. Our employees never missed a check. There are choices that can help you through life. Most people aren't willing to lower their standards choosing instead to shift their burden to others. I'm tired of carrying others burdens. The load is just too heavy.

[valkmc]

It's funny that stories of kids like this are so popular and we never hear about the other side so here is one. I coach wrestlers at a large high school. Two of them will graduate with their AA degree one week before they graduate from high school. They take college level physics and math courses, practice 2.5 hours a night and compete in large wrestling tournament on weekends. One plans on being a Dr and the other is following his religion and plans on going to a thrid world country to honor the god he follows. On yea both worked part time at McDonalds last summer and I assure you they can make change with out a computer. There are lots of great kids doing what they are suppose to everyday they just don't get the attention the screw ups do.

[gray rider]

I had a computer technology intern assigned to me for a 10 day period. This was a few years ago at the end of my career when I was completely in control of all aspects of my job. The first morning the kid sat down and tried to log onto my network to read his personal E-mails. He had been on duty for two minutes. I told him that we were in an inventory cycle and it was going to be all shoe leather, barcode scanners and flashlights for the next month. I had, give or take, 100 million in capital asset equipment to find, scan and verify location. The kid literally told me he wasn't going to leave the office. Trust me, he did but never returned after lunch. He left and filed a complaint with the university that our expectations were unreasonable and had nothing to do with his agenda. He could not comprehend that computer data is more than data in a drive and that it represents, in many cases, real world systems, equipment and products that allow the human race to function. The front half of my job was loading and managing history, maintenance and depreciation of the asset property into a massive rather complex data base. He didn't last long enough to gain any insight into the total program. He is probably ceo of a gaming company or flipping burgers.

[leroysch]

Laugh all you want...they will vote in Berney then what....

A fighting chance, my guess....

[wjduke]

It's funny that stories of kids like this are so popular and we never hear about the other side so here is one. I coach wrestlers at a large high school. Two of them will graduate with their AA degree one week before they graduate from high school. They take college level physics and math courses, practice 2.5 hours a night and compete in large wrestling tournament on weekends. One plans on being a Dr and the other is following his religion and plans on going to a thrid world country to honor the god he follows. On yea both worked part time at McDonalds last summer and I assure you they can make change with out a computer. There are lots of great kids doing what they are suppose to everyday they just don't get the attention the screw ups do.

I've bragged about my bosses kids since they graduated from high school in the 90's. Two boys with their parents on their butts, catholic schooling. Today, one works for a Pharmaceutical company....he made almost $900,000 last year. His older brother is the head of pharmacy at Martha's Vineyard hospital. He started at $100,000 a year at least 15 years ago. These two had drive and knew what they wanted at a young age. I never had that and from what I've seen, it's rare. As valkmc just said, they're out there.

There were screw ups when I was a kid. I hope most of what we see is from being the older generation. True or not, Socrates supposedly once said, " I don't know what the future will bring with this young generation". Maybe there's hope...there has to be, right?

[Old Ryder]

Being the witty prankster that I am, I decided I would always order a "Diet Water" to break the ice and maybe get a chuckle from the waiter or waitress. I had to quit because they would never catch the joke and ALWAYS brought me a diet soda--obviously of their brand choice--because I didn't order it. I guess my humor was over their head.

[BEIST]

Being the witty prankster that I am, I decided I would always order a "Diet Water" to break the ice and maybe get a chuckle from the waiter or waitress. I had to quit because they would never catch the joke and ALWAYS brought me a diet soda--obviously of their brand choice--because I didn't order it. I guess my humor was over their head.

I use to like teasing waitresses by ordering a Virgin Martini = I wanted the ice water with lemon shaken not stirred = quickly found out that this joke goes over like a fart in Church. :moon:

[valkmc]

There were screw ups when I was a kid. I hope most of what we see is from being the older generation. True or not, Socrates supposedly once said, " I don't know what the future will bring with this young generation". Maybe there's hope...there has to be, right?

This reminds me of my dad (now 80) and my grand father (passed away) sitting at our kitchen table complaining about how worthless kids were. They both grew up on farms and could not understand how they could not find kids to hire who knew the farm industry. I used to say to myself, under my breath of course, I wish I did not know how to milk cows, plow a field, or mow hay. I believe part of what we feel about the youth today is the same thing past generations felt about the youth they dealt with.

[Bob Penn]

Yep, I read a book in high school, back in 1962, the writer was complaining about the action of the youth seems they were letting their hair grow, wearing jewelry, growing facial hair, talking their own language, promoting love and wearing funny cloths. Remember now this was in the 1960's when the hippies ruled.
The only problem was the book was written in Russia in 1865.

[3Chief]

They can't even give you the right food. Can't read and comprehend the screen above their heads. You have to check your bag to see if you got a fork or spoon. They hand you two sodas , unmarked , and can't tell you which one is the Diet Coke and which is the Dr Pepper. Good thing wife and I don't mind each others germs. I could go on for days. $15 dollars an hour? That's a joke. They aren't worth minimum wage. There is a small percentage of today's youth that has their shyt together. These few , when they hit the job force , will command respect and a large salary. Since I believe that most of us on this forum are of above average intelligence our kids should do extremely well in the job market. If you've raised your kids to have common sense and above average intelligence , congratulations. You have beat the odds.

Unfortunately despite my best intentions my son is one of those useless youth...He is highly intelligent...and a lazy waste of life...

[wjduke]

Unfortunately despite my best intentions my son is one of those useless youth...He is highly intelligent...and a lazy waste of life...

My son is 32 now and I wish I could sit here and brag on him. He chooses his path. He has many artistic and musical talents and won't pursue anything. Very lazy. I maintain a decent relationship, we get together often for dinner. He has a job but barely gets by. I'm tired of pep talks, and he probably is too. Sometimes, you can only do so much. Hope there's a chance for your son to make changes.

[stroguy]

Nobody tires of pep talks thrown at them. Never stop, the day will come when you you are at the end and you will never regret that you always tried.

[shooter]

Guys I'm not trying to talk bad about anybody or their kids. A lot of the problems can be attributed to society. Kids in the city that don't participate in after school activities have nothing to occupy their time. Other than managing a small farm for a neighbor or working for my Dad I didn't have an official job till I was 19. My Dad worked long hours at his business and he depended on me to take care of the cattle , hogs , horses , chickens , and the dogs. Every day after school I came straight home to my job. During the summer I had grass to mow and a big garden to care for also. I enjoyed it. I liked working with the animals. It just seemed normal. I believe most kids would benefit from being raised on a farm. There is no shame if your kids didn't turn out the way you wanted. You can only do your best. Sometimes it just don't work out. I know we have enough deadbeats in our family. My Dad has two sisters and a brother. About half of my cousins and their kids are useless. I have one cousin that is 50 that has never had a taxpaying job. Instead he has mooched off his dad his whole life. No guys , it is all around us. I think that for those of us that are over 55 it is the most apparent. And like Stro said , don't ever stop trying to encourage your children. Maybe some day it will "click". Notice I said in my post above basically if you have raised your kids to be productive citizens that you have beat the odds. Its tough now days. Schools don't allow prayer and they burn the flag in campuses across the country. If you don't respect God and Country , what is left. God bless America and say a prayer for our kids.

[wjduke]

My son was brought up in a split home, but I was always there and he knows that. That's one thing I mentioned earlier. So many kids today don't have their father. In my case, hey, he chose to be lazy and he hasn't changed much. I'll go out knowing I was there at least. He's a good kid. It's the lazy that gets me. Don't know where it came from...his mother! Ya, that's where!

[shooter]

Duke , I guess I was lucky. Both of my kids were out of high school when the wife and I split. Trevor was just entering the workforce. My ex was a hard worker so the kids had a lot of positive reinforcement.

[wjduke]

Duke , I guess I was lucky. Both of my kids were out of high school when the wife and I split. Trevor was just entering the workforce. My ex was a hard worker so the kids had a lot of positive reinforcement.

I won't get into my ex...most would think I was bitter...my son knows. We split when he was 1-1/2, so he doesn't know the difference. He saw right through her at a young age. I'll keep my mouth shut about the rest of the story.

[junkyarddog]

The wife and I have a 33 year old that started stealing at 7 and has never quit. He's been locked up for at least half of his life. He chose the drugs and stealing path for himself. Had 1000 chances and blew 1001 of them. We're hard working and always have had a job. We set a good example for him to follow but I guess the temptation was to much. He's in the pen now for what I don't even know. It's all lies anyway from him. Bottom line....he's still our son and maybe one day he'll understand but I wouldn't bet my bike on it.

No guys, I did not get arrested for the $2 bill thing. The cops explained to the kid it was legal tender. Hopefully he learned something. :icon_redface:

[stroguy]

The wife and I have a 33 year old that started stealing at 7 and has never quit. He's been locked up for at least half of his life. He chose the drugs and stealing path for himself. Had 1000 chances and blew 1001 of them. We're hard working and always have had a job. We set a good example for him to follow but I guess the temptation was to much. He's in the pen now for what I don't even know. It's all lies anyway from him. Bottom line....he's still our son and maybe one day he'll understand but I wouldn't bet my bike on it.

No guys, I did not get arrested for the $2 bill thing. The cops explained to the kid it was legal tender. Hopefully he learned something. :icon_redface:

MTV psychology will have your kids fully believing you are the blame and no other device, source or person.

[junkyarddog]

Unfortunately stro, you're probably right. I just know we did our best and I can be OK with that.

[shooter]

And that's just the way it is sometimes dog. You see it every day. My best friend in school ended up that way. I renewed my ccw last week and I was in the sheriffs office. His picture is on the bulletin board as one of our counties 10 most wanted. His mom and dad are great people. They are well to do and it just kills them. I can't believe he is 56 years old and still doing that stuff. Guy had it made and screwed it up. 40 years later he's still screwing up. Its a shame.

[RickJ]

MTV psychology will have your kids fully believing you are the blame and no other device, source or person.

A good rehab (or not) and a good 12 step group will make it clear whose the fault is, who can get him straight, and who has to continue to take responsibility for his behavior and who has to make restitution to people he hurt. WHO=HIM

any shrink worth their salt will tell him they have limited ability to help without his doing those things...unfortunately a lot of shrinks aren't worth their salt!

Junkyard- there is nothing more painful to see someone you love go down the tubes and realize you are powerless to do anything...other than what you have done...cut them loose and love them! Hopefully the story isn't over yet...I've seen unbelievable recovery. Good luck to you.

[wjduke]

Back to the OP for a minute....it happened again tonight.

I swear I do this for entertainment purposes only. BK for supper. Bill comes to $9.18. I tell the kid that I don't want a pocket full of change, so I'll give you .23, along with a ten dollar bill, and get back a nickel for the change.....yup, just got the nickel back. I tell him, hey, you still owe me a dollar. He had to get the manager to open the drawer again.

[junkyarddog]

Thanks to all...I still have my dogs. Between them and the wife, (even though she rides a Harley) I have it made. No worries. :dog::biggthumpup:

[shooter]

Dog that's a good lookin tribe you have in you're sig pic. That Harley ridin wife? I don't know about that.:joke:

[junkyarddog]

Once the cars are paid off, I see a Harley trade in and a wing trike in the future. She's absolutely sold on the 1800. There's one more we won't have to worry about.

[Dirtstiff's F6B]

My take is good kids are like good dogs in that they both are only as good and successful as the time we invest as parents, in them.
My kids are great; that aside, my wife is a teacher and it is pathetically clear that many parents send their kids to school with nothing contributing to their success.

No self respect, esteem, moral value, discipline, or even a sense the parent is invested or involved in their success.

Our country needs to get back to taking care of business here as a priority.

Jim

[shooter]

My take is good kids are like good dogs in that they both are only as good and successful as the time we invest as parents, in them.
My kids are great; that aside, my wife is a teacher and it is pathetically clear that many parents send their kids to school with nothing contributing to their success.

No self respect, esteem, moral value, discipline, or even a sense the parent is invested or involved in their success.

Our country needs to get back to taking care of business here as a priority.

Jim

AMEN.:icon_goodpost:

[RickJ]

My take is good kids are like good dogs in that they both are only as good and successful as the time we invest as parents, in them.
My kids are great; that aside, my wife is a teacher and it is pathetically clear that many parents send their kids to school with nothing contributing to their success.

No self respect, esteem, moral value, discipline, or even a sense the parent is invested or involved in their success.

Our country needs to get back to taking care of business here as a priority.

Jim

I'd like to agree completely...but I can't. Sometimes good kids get caught up in stuff that is stronger than they are. Sure, good strong family, values, maybe even church and scouting, are strong factors that can have great effect in insulating kids from evil...but it isn't 100% successful- anymore than a bad upbringing is a guarentee of a bad life- it just makes the odds better! The only reason I'm taking slight issue, Dirt, is that I've seen good parents heartbroken and blaming themselves when a GROWN child goes down the road of self-destruction...at some point the addict, criminal, alkie...whatever, has to take total responsibility for what they become...because, in fact, in spite of the correct upbringing, they chose the wrong path.

EDIT I just reread YOUR post- you never said anything was 100%...agreed!! I just had to insert some of my relevant observations. Hope ypou don't mind. rick

[BEIST]

Unfortunately despite my best intentions my son is one of those useless youth...He is highly intelligent...and a lazy waste of life...

My father never turned his back on me and I was an absolute waste of life. Whenever we would talk, which I always tried my best to avoid, he would lecture and scold me and then say: "Okay, that's enough about that, let's talk about something brighter" and we would quickly change over to a more cheerful conversation. Then he would always let me know that he was praying for me. Afterwards, I would often reflect on some of the hard criticisms that he had made about me and my poor character traits. Fortunately he never quit telling me his honest opinion and eventually it had a profound affect on me.

My father passed on to "The Pearly Gates" (his term) more then four years ago. Before he died he told me that he was proud of me. Because he had been so brutally honest with me, all of my life, this simple statement really means everything to me now. His unconditional love carried me through some very hard times. I hope to repay him by trying - just a little bit harder - to be a better man. I am certainly in no position to lecture anyone on faith but I would encourage you to ask God to give your son what he deserves. Let Him figure it out. Then just sit back and watch.

[willtill]

Back to the OP for a minute....it happened again tonight.

I swear I do this for entertainment purposes only. BK for supper. Bill comes to $9.18. I tell the kid that I don't want a pocket full of change, so I'll give you .23, along with a ten dollar bill, and get back a nickel for the change.....yup, just got the nickel back. I tell him, hey, you still owe me a dollar. He had to get the manager to open the drawer again.

:icon_lol:

[nvmyf6]

Is 1/2 a dozen new math?

Is a 1/2 dozen 6 and a half ?

Maybe they are teaching the kids that a dozen is 13. Maybe the teachers are ex bakers.

Who came up with a bakers dozen anyway, 13 :shrug:

[VaBob]

In the 1260s, British breadmakers were notorious for shorting customers with skimpy loaves. King Henry III was so irked by the problem that he implemented a new law to standardize the weight of a loaf—selling puny loaves could result in beatings or jail time. Since bakers wanted to stay on the right side of the law, one common trick was to give 13 loaves to any customer buying a dozen. Even if the loaves were light, the extra would cover the shortfall. It was an easy fix for bakers, and since low-carb diets were still seven centuries away, customers rejoiced.

copied from Mental Floss

[Bob Penn]

Thank you VA !! At least now I can say I learned something today.

[shooter]

Me too. They say you're never too old.

[stroguy]

You're too old.

[shooter]

You're right , I'm too old. But I'm still badass and the ladies still whisper and giggle when I stroll past. My bike is sexier than yours and I can still outshoot you. Other than that you got me bro.

[Bob Penn]

You're right , I'm too old. But I'm still badass and the ladies still whisper and giggle when I stroll past. My bike is sexier than yours and I can still outshoot you. Other than that you got me bro.

Yea, the ladies still whisper and giggle when I stroll past too. Thankfully they hold the belly laughs until I round the corner. I love my bike but I've never thought in terms of sex with it.
Opps, I shouldn't be commenting on the comments of a man with a gun!

[wjduke]

Especially a crazy redneck like shooter!

[Willl]

Shooter has come a long way since his release :shhh:

[shooter]

Bob I'm full of shyt too. But I'm not letting Stro get the best of me. And Will I only did 3 years of a five year sentence. That's not too bad.

[stroguy]

When do we split the gold from that heist?
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Was I not supposed to mention that?

[shooter]

I have got to get a new running buddy. If they read this I may have to do the whole nickel.

[stroguy]

I could be a character witness.

[shooter]

Yeah that could work. Witness for the defense and the prosecution. Oh boy.......