From: ron.sam{please-remove}@cox.net   
      
   Lefty has a topic that seems to be a pet peeve of his - or at least I assume   
   it is since he has brought it to the table several times - that has to do   
   with the difficulties an ex-con has when it comes to securing gainful   
   employment - post incarceration.   
      
   Let me say right up front that this is an entirely legitimate issue.  He   
   makes extremely valid points.  How is a guy supposed to keep on the right   
   path if he can't even put food on the table for his family?   
      
   Let me also say that I think Lefty tends to exaggerate things just a little.   
   Lets face it, no one here probably thinks you are going to walk out of   
   prison and get the Head Teller job, or Loan Officer position at the bank.   
   You probably aren't going to get the job as Salesman at a reputable car   
   dealership.  No one is going to hand you your Journeyman Machinist card down   
   at the local union.  And I honestly believe Lefty's invisible wall is   
   basically keeping him from these types of positions.   
      
   But that does not mean there aren't menial positions that involve very   
   little trust on the part of the employer that he could do for 6 months to a   
   year that would establish for him a track record that allowed the employer   
   to overlook his past conviction - and might very likely lead to gainful   
   employment later on.  One of the things ADOC contracts with is a company   
   named Hickman's Eggs.  Billy Hickman produces 2% of this Nation's eggs.  The   
   guy who runs his entire production is one of my ex-cons, and the guy makes   
   about double what I make.  Guess where he got his start?  Shoveling Bird   
   Shit off the ground in hen barns that house over 300,000 birds each.  This   
   young man is a total success story.  There is absolutely nothing about his   
   demeanor or character that would lead anyone to believe he is anything but a   
   dedicated employee (and that includes those give-away stupid ass tattoos   
   that were so god-damned important to get while you were in - like they were   
   cub scout badges or some shit).   
      
   I do have one other concern though, and it is not just directed at Lefty -   
   even though he is the one that keeps getting the question posed to him.   
   Rather than complain and carry on about being unlawfully discriminated   
   against - rather than essentially demanding that employers be forced to hire   
   ex-cons - rather than make preposterous claims like, "we can wipe out   
   ghettos if we just hired all the crimms" - I have one simple question that   
   remains to be answered:   
      
   If you knew what you were doing was illegal.  If you knew that you might get   
   caught.  If you knew this would lead to a crimm record.  If you knew that a   
   crimm record was going to be a real handicap when it came to securing   
   legitimate employment.....   
   AND YOU WENT OUT AND DID THE DEED ANYWAY!   
      
   Please explain for me *exactly* how and why your current dilemma is the   
   employers problem/fault and not yours?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)