From: orville%weyrich@tnet.com (Orville R. Weyrich)
Subject: Re: Why do Americans get so little vacation time?
Reply-To: tnet.com!weyrich!orville
Organization: Weyrich Computer Consulting
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 04:02:17 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.171922.9825@leland.Stanford.EDU> cjb@vega.stanford.edu writes:
>In article <1992Aug27.141150.27657@Princeton.EDU>  
>egnilges@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Ed Nilges) writes:
>> In article <1992Aug25.151053.274@weyrich.UUCP> tnet.com!weyrich!orville  
>writes:
>
>> >If I wanted to live in a European country I would move to Europe. 
>> 
>> NOT yourself.  The EEC would not make it easy for you to work in Europe.

Probably.  But beside the point.

>> >a month of vacation I would look for another job.
>> 
>> Well, the fact that you're a dull chap who does not know how to have a
>> good time is not, in itself, an argument.

Only that I have my own ways of pursuing happiness and would prefer that
you leave the free market alone so that I can continue to pursue my
happiness. If someone else wnats to argue for political action to
destroy another chunk of the free market, I have just as much right to  
argue to preserve it.

My  idea  of a good time? International Folk Dancing or American Folk
Dancing. Great way to spend an evening. Go to a "coffee house" and listen
to some folk/jazz/blues/country. But it's hard to find a non-smoking
coffee-house, however and I have allergies. 

You may find these dull, however :-)

Maybe we need a mass movement to petition the government to force
employers to sponsor Folk Dancing  for a month each year? Just kidding.

>>
>> >paying some tourist trap my hard-earned money so that I could  
>"vacation."
>> 
>> Other folks might spend their vacation building a home, taking care of

I would certainly enjoy that -- but could not do it in a month, and would
have difficulty getting a loan to do it -- banks are sticky enough giving
their money to professional builders.

>> their kids, or in volunteer work to help the environment.  Point is that

Kids? Yes, sure I've got one. Would like more if I wern't in a tax bracket
where I and my wife make too much to get anything FROM the government and 
make too little to have anything left AFTER paying for everyone else's family 
[or inexcusable total irresponsible lack of a unit thereof.]

Environment? Yes, sure. Do something really useful and spend weekends helping
recycle something. A low level of persistent work would be more useful than
one month a year.  I'm sure that it will do a lot more for the environment
that hopping in a car to tour Utah [maybe you don't hear all the ads for Utah
in your part of the country].

>> spending your vacation at Disney World is only one way of spending your
>> vacation,

Actually, IMHO Disney World (and Disney Land) have always been one of the 
best quality amusement parks and are a dynamite value -- if only there
weren't so many other people that thought the same way :-)

>> 
>
>What ever happened to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"?


1) Some people enjoy their work. [I do, as long as it is in a smoke-free
environment].

2) I have absolutely no confidence in my government's ability to generate
tax revenues adequate to sustain me in my old age. The Social Security 
system will evaporate just like the Soviet Union. While I am young and able
I intend to "make hay while the sun shines". There WILL be a time when
I am unable to work productively and will be forced into a permanent 
vacation called "retirement". To paraphrase a song "Tomorrow may rain,
so I'll work in the sun."

Nor do I trust any company or government to keep me educated and 
up-to-date or to give me a gold  watch.  I do that myself, and all I wish 
is that educational expenses were tax deductible.

I've taken my kid to Disneyworld, the Chicago museums, and most everyplace
else that I can think of of value. [The  DC museums and the  AF museum in
Dayton are still on my list, and maybe Marine Land, but I could do them
all in  less than one month total.] I personally have seen Europe, Canada,
and Mexico, and was treated more like a 'pidgeon' than an 'Ugly American',
so now I can say things like "The Atlanta subway system is just as nice
as the Paris Metro, but smaller and I think that they should expand it"
and "I like Italian cooking better than French cooking, but I don't care
for Italian Pizza" and "Montreal is cleaner than Memphis, but the people in
Memphis seem to understand me better". I don't need a month a year for 
the rest of my working life to do this.

3) I DO favor some form of "family leave" for sick kids, etc. 
But that is not the same as mandated employer-paid 1 month vacations.

4) The government is too big already, and if  it tries to improve life, 
liberty, or happiness by increasing direct regulation of the workplace
it will only decrease productivity, competitiveness, the standard of
living, and flexibility of the employer and employer to accomodate
mutual interests. A good example is the uniform standard minimum wage
that the U.S. government inflicts on the citizens of places like NYC
and rural Arkansas [The minumum wage is too low to be useful in NYC
and too high for unskilled labor in rural areas.]

5) Labor Unions are not the answer either -- unless our government
degenerates to the level of ineffectiveness that the former government
of Poland did [i.e. it hasn't happened yet]. Labor Unions are only effective
when there is a class of workers that you can exclude and relegate to the
ghetos -- if everyone is a Union worker you just get run-away inflation
as everyone demands a greater increase in income (or decrease in working
hours) than the growth in the GNP (or GDP) will support. I do not 
support the relegation of anyone to the ghetos -- everyone should have
the opportunity to "be all that they can be" and unions inherrently must
be constantly trying to improve the lot of their membership at the expense
of the non-members.

6) If I am *GOOD* I can write my own ticket to get whatever vacation
I wish. If I am not that good yet, then the best thing that I can do is to
increase the diversity and frequency of my work experience 
("If you want to increase your success, then increase the rate at which
you experience your mistakes"). In other words, get another job.

7) I have no desire to go to the beach -- I've been there and got burned
(literally). I enjoy a weekend in the mountains, though. But a  MONTH?
My ambition in life is to make enough money to be able to afford a 
mountain cottage and to get enough experience to be in sufficient demand that
I can telecommute from that cottage. 

[Sorta like the mythical Frank Borland -- except I don't want a mule
named sidekick :-)].

In the mean time, 1 month vacations do not suit my purpose.

Have a good day, and strive for a goverment and employers that will
treat us all as individuals rather than as victims of "one size fits all"
laws, regulations, and union negotiations. :-)




orville

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Orville R. Weyrich, Jr.                          Weyrich Computer Consulting
Certified Data Processor                       POB 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
Certified Systems Professional                      Voice: (602) 391-0821
Certified Computer Programmer                Internet: orville%weyrich@tnet.com
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