Gunn and Gus..astute observations made on the plight of the contractor, good topic to work off of. As far as government involvement in contracting let's look at what they already do for the contractor. First as a contractor or sub, consider yourself a small business. You'd think that with all the well written and well meaning dialog set before you by the higher ups that being self employed would be encouraged and supported by the govt. Wrong! There's the self employment tax for one and the absolutely absurd requirement to either carry an astronomically expensive workers compensation insurance policy or opt for the "waiver" which puts you in jepardy of having no medical benefits should you get injured on the job. Of course you can have your own medical insurance but again the cost factor comes into play not only for yorself but your family should you have one. Cable companies have thrived for years on having contractors do the majority of their installation and construction work and yes they pay out the highest dollar but it's always been contingent on the current trends. While work is abundant and workers are scarce the money is up, on the other hand while work is scarce and workers are abundant then of course the money is down. I've seen this scenario play itself out a couple times in the last two years.
A smart contractor or sub, someone that has experienced the peaks and valleys of the trends, knows that while the income is good to save it and live off only what he needs to get by with for himself and family. You have to consider yourself a small business at this time. I know of one person that only allowed himself $700.00 for expenses and leisure no matter how much he made and most of the time his pay was in the thousands. He survived and even though nearly unemployed now, he still has resources to keep his family afloat. On the other hand I've seen so many, that after getting into higher dollar incomes, have bought the "toys", the Harley's,
the boats, the cars, the more expensive houses..basically living beyond their means and becoming scared sh**less when work takes a turn for the worse. It is a shame to see grown men suffering for the sake of thier own poor decision making and my heart goes out to them even though I know that this delimma is of thier own making. Contractors don't need government involvement but there has to be a solution to provide for the needs of so many that work hard and are frugal. The smell of the word union is rising but that is a bit drastic. I can't provide answers, I'm an uneducated pecker head that can only observe and comment. Keep in mind there is strength in numbers and there are many out there that would like to see change in the system for the benefit of all.
Re: How does Catv compare to other jobs??
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