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Archive for March, 2008
« Previous EntriesHere’s why Wal-Mart doesn’t have to take Debbie Shanks’ money
Sunday, March 30th, 2008Yesterday, I made pretty clear what I think of Wal-Mart’s suit against a former employee, Debbie Shanks, to recover medical insurance payments that Wal-Mart’s health insurance plan made to Ms. Shanks after a serious automobile accident. This morning, one of my regular readers opined that I had been too hard on Wal-Mart. She pointed out [...]
So much for corporate responsibility at Wal-Mart!
Saturday, March 29th, 2008You really have to wonder what evil genius at Wal-Mart was responsible for suing the company’s former employee, Debbie Shanks, to recover health insurance benefits paid to her as the result of a traffic accident that left her brain-damaged, confined to a wheelchair and living in a nursing home. Ms. Shanks and her family sued the trucking [...]
Are tougher mortgage regulations really the ticket?
Thursday, March 27th, 2008As the press continues to dig into the subprime mortgage crisis, I’ve been appalled to learn that lenders have been allowing would-be home owners to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars based on their unsubstantiated representations about their salaries and, in many cases, without requiring even modest down payments. We now discover that, in all too many instances, people [...]
Make overdue apologies part of your spring cleaning
Monday, March 24th, 2008Now that spring is finally here (although the folks who are still suffering through lingering snow and winter floods may not quite believe it yet), many of us will be turning to spring cleaning. It’s time to throw open the windows, sweep out old dust, sort through the clutter, and get a fresh start.
Although Americans [...]
Why are employers so unwilling to apologize?
Friday, March 21st, 2008A friend of mine – let’s call him Carl – recently had a very bad experience with his new company. A skilled professional with lots of industry experience, Carl was hired at a salary that was well above what his predecessor made (and considerably more than other employees at the company received). Carl’s pay and other personal [...]
Bear Stearn has been bought out - but what about its employees?
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008Well, it’s been an interesting week in the business world, and it’s only Wednesday morning. Remember when Bear Stearn’s Chief Executive Alan Schwartz went on record last week to tell investors that his company was doing just fine despite the subprime mortgage mess? Mere days later, we learned that Bear Stearn was being sold out [...]
Personal tragedy shouldn’t pass for entertainment
Monday, March 17th, 2008A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Rome for a few days. One of the most memorable points of the trip was a visit to the Colosseum, the enormous arena where decadent ancient Romans once gathered to watch gladiators slaughter wild animals, slaves, prisoners and one another for gold and fleeting glory. The [...]
What would have made Spitzer’s apology a perfect 10?
Thursday, March 13th, 2008Eliot Spitzer delivered an exceptionally well-crafted apology yesterday when he announced his decision to step down as Governor of New York. It was straightforward, unflinching and totally devoid of excuses. So, why isn’t everybody buying it?
Some people think Spitzer should have been more specific about what he did wrong. Come on, folks – the man [...]
Bravo, Governor Spitzer, for a frank apology!
Thursday, March 13th, 2008By now, it’s old news that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned earlier today in the wake of allegations linking him to a pricey prostitution ring. Having witnessed Governor Spitzer’s exit from office, I have to commend his apology to his family and the citizens of his state.
What did Spitzer do right?
For one thing, he [...]
Note to Governor Spitzer: “Nice” matters!
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008In my last post, I observed that disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer deserves credit for his crusade to curb corporate corruption when he served as the state’s Attorney General. By now, the seamy details of Spitzer’s alleged escapades with a high-priced call girl are all over the news, and pundits are lining up to [...]
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