America is contract crazy.\u00a0 Want to watch TV?\u00a0 Sign a contract.\u00a0 Want to buy a phone?\u00a0 Here’s your contract.\u00a0 Use a parking lot… we have a contract.\u00a0 Hell tons of people are stupid enough to live in neighborhoods with a covenant agreement which is no more than a contract promising to pay monthly dues and mow your grass or a group of strangers (those people you call neighbors you’ve never talked to) can foreclose on your house.\u00a0 That’s brilliant.\u00a0 These are often the same people who complain about the evil government dictating their lives while they sign up for their neighbors to tell them what color their front door must be.\u00a0 Then complain about it.\u00a0 Here are a few more stupid American contracts people feel obligated to sign so their pride and prominence in society won’t be tarnished.<\/p>\n
Mobile Phones<\/strong><\/p>\n How about this level of ignorance: a cell phone contract.\u00a0 Most people carrying a cell phone are truly this dumb.\u00a0 Sure it’s their choice.\u00a0 They chose to commit to at least $69 a month, often much more, for two years so they can enjoy $200 off the cost of an iPhone 6 or Galaxy S5.\u00a0 If you don’t sign up for a AT&T, Sprint or Verizon then you must have bad credit, right… or a little mathematical competency and some fucking common sense.\u00a0 $299 for an iPhone 6 and a two year commitment with AT&T for unlimited (6GB) data and voice.\u00a0 That’s an easy $119 a month alone.\u00a0 Probably around $79 a month on some family share plan.\u00a0 What a win!\u00a0 Nope… you’re a financially challenged poser who just hasn’t realized many are way ahead of you.\u00a0 How many? The the majority of the planet including all other industrialized nations.<\/p>\n You can go to many prepaid mobile phone carriers and for $199 or less you can get a Galaxy S4 on a truly “unlimited” voice and data plan for a firm $50 a month, get this…. without a contract<\/strong>.\u00a0 Cancel any time without penalty.\u00a0 Choose another phone without paying $600 for the privilege.\u00a0 The data plan is truly unlimited because Virgin uses Sprints network which I’ve found is as good or better than Verizon where we live.\u00a0 My wife carry’s a white Galaxy S2 so she must live in a trailer park without any credit or she would have an iPhone 6, contract and an absurd bill right?\u00a0 Prepaid phones are for two types of people:\u00a0 People with bad credit and people who are smart enough to know better than to sign up for AT&T, Sprint or Verizon extortion.\u00a0 I can’t include T-Mobile because they recently saw the light and dumped contracts.<\/p>\n TV and Internet<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately these contracts are hard to avoid.\u00a0 No real way at all to avoid them if you accept the introductory pricing.\u00a0 I actually do know a couple of people who have abandoned TV contracts entirely.\u00a0 Instead of Time Warner, satellite or AT&T U Verse they are opting for rabbit ears.\u00a0 Yep, HDTV over the air.\u00a0 Combine it with a contract for internet access and a $8 a month Netflix subscription for a lot more content than we had at the dawn of cable TV.\u00a0 There are even options to get the broadband internet access without a contract as well.\u00a0 If you want a full lineup of premium channels so you won’t miss Game of Thrones on HBO you can get service from Time Warner without a contract but the will be giving you introductory pricing.\u00a0 AT&T, Verizon and most satellite providers are still clinging to the old early termination fee model if you cancel before paying their contracted ransom.\u00a0 All in the name of revenue protection and projection.<\/p>\n Employment Contracts<\/strong><\/p>\n These may work great for high level executives, athletes, Hollywood and some union workers but for the typical job seeker they are usually just a contract to make someone else money.\u00a0 Recruiters, headhunters, what the hell ever you want to call them have literally taken wages away from many workers by playing the HR middle man.\u00a0 They are middle men on the dole too.\u00a0 When someone signs up to work for them a new level of evil begins.\u00a0 The headhunter gets a commission or finders fee.\u00a0 The flat finders fee is not necessarily a bad thing.\u00a0 The whole practice should stop right there.\u00a0 Find an employee with specific skills, match to an employer for a permanent position…. done.<\/p>\n But no says the employment agencies. We need a model where 40% or more of what a W2 contract employee is being paid to go to the staffing agency.\u00a0 So if an IT worker is getting $35 an hour the staffing agency is usually clearing about $70 an hour.\u00a0 Granted they are paying a few benefits but they are typically weak compared to those offered to permanent employees.\u00a0 Staffing agencies make a fortune off these middle man employment contracts.\u00a0 Furthermore it states that employer believes the position the contractor is working in is worth $70+ an hour.\u00a0 When a permanent offer is made they cut that rate in half “benefits” being the argument.\u00a0 I’ve worked with payroll and benefit numbers.\u00a0 While many companies are paying half the cost of health care plans it still does not take 50% of someones salary to cover benefits cost.\u00a0 This is a perverse lie repeated by the staffing industry to justify their outrageous hourly rates.\u00a0 It’s a lie told by employers to suppress wages.\u00a0\u00a0 No matter how you cut it the rates charged by staffing companies for contract employees is a farce wrapped in a profitable lie.<\/p>\n Business Contracts<\/strong><\/p>\n These might not hurt individuals or consumers…. or do they?\u00a0 Payroll…outsourced to a contracted service provider.\u00a0 Everything from janitorial services to company parking lot attendants are outsourced.\u00a0\u00a0 These all mean more contracts.<\/p>\n The Small Print<\/strong><\/p>\n More contracts means more lawyers.\u00a0 Lawyers cost money.\u00a0 That cost is passed on to consumers.\u00a0 As more environmental laws, accounting laws, copyright, patent, tax laws are passed the more disclaimers, contracts between manufacturers and consumers, are required.\u00a0 Entire industries and law firms are in business of finding risk and creating billable hours by rewriting contracts to negate these risks.\u00a0 Create a problem, charge for a solution.\u00a0 Then there are email and website legal disclaimers, ticket stub small print reading “the holder of this ticket agrees to…”.\u00a0 What?\u00a0 Don’t remember agreeing?\u00a0 It’s right there in the contract sir.\u00a0\u00a0 Check out what Charles Green has to say about the expanding use of commercial contracts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Less we forget many businesses today have so many contracts they actually employ contract management departments.\u00a0 Would fewer contracts mean fewer jobs?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" America is contract crazy.\u00a0 Want to watch TV?\u00a0 Sign a contract.\u00a0 Want to buy a phone?\u00a0 Here’s your contract.\u00a0 Use a parking lot… we have a contract.\u00a0 Hell tons of people are stupid enough to live in neighborhoods with a covenant agreement which is no more than a contract promising to pay monthly dues and … Continue reading Welcome to America. Sign here.<\/span>