©Copyright1998 Greg Kaiser "Marked for Extinction" A downsizing is in progress. Costs must be cut. It's the way to attract wall street attention and get the stock price up. That's what the owners pay the CEO to do; what makes his stock options so valuable. But who should be marked for culling. It can't be one of the fraternity brothers. It doesn't matter which fraternity they're all good old boys. Even if many of them are alcoholics, incompetents and non-contributors to the corporation, they will be protected. They are dead weight but born lucky. You on the other hand are a social drinker, hard working, never sick and a skilled producer. But you don't have good connections. You'll be the last to know. That's how it starts. The word leaks out from the top. People start treating you differently. You may not know what's going on. You'll start feeling depressed and won't be able to work as efficiently. Maybe you'll start drinking more than usual. Now they've started to get a real case on you. If you confront them they'll tell you you're paranoid and have one more reason to get rid of you. Maybe you'll believe them and give them some hard evidence by visiting a company psychologist. By the the time you get to the soup kitchen you'll be convinced of your utter worthlessness. But you needn't worry about that for too long a time. The average homeless person survives three to five years on the street. Shelters provide exposure to athlete's foot, body lice, drug resistant TB, AIDS and peers who will teach you the benefits of substance abuse, violence and other life shortening occupations. I used to wonder what happened to people after their Workmen's Comp. ran out and they dropped from the count of the unemployed. Is this corporate amerika's solution to over population?