Jobs in America

Now I know, I gave a list of things that I was going to write about, but since I listen to talk radio instead of music, I felt like this was important. Glen Beck is a conservative (like me) and mentioned several things that I listened to on my ninety minute commute home from work this evening. Now, if you are a liberal, then I don't hold that against you....but....I do hope that you will think upon this with the utmost importance.

I want each and every one of you to check out your wallet. What is in it? A bunch of plastic and a little bit of cash if you are like me. Well....Take good note of what you are able to purchase with that money. I only say this because based off the way we are heading, you will most likely only be able to purchase half as much in a few years with that same money as you can today.

Think about it in basic economical terms. If we "bail out" several corporations with "money", then what is that money worth. Well, we don't bail them out with gold, diamonds, pearls, or platinum.....instead, we bail them out with paper. Now, the last time I went to Office Depot, I bought a case of paper for roughly 46 dollars. I also can go to Toys-R-Us and buy a Monopoly game for about 12 dollars. So, I have the paper, I have the monopoly money, and I have a scanner on my printer. Well....what the heck....just keep on printing monopoly money. I'm rich, rich, rich......Until I actually have to buy something and they tell me my money is worth nothing.

......And....That is exactly what flooding the economy with printed money will do for us. We feel great because we have money in our pockets, but when we find out that it will take a wagon-full of money to make a purchase rather than the few bills we have in our wallets.....that's when the crap hits the fan.

In retropect, the best thing that you can do is to work your everloving ass off. I mean, work your ass off. Don't feel that any job is "below you". Be the best at what you do. My first job included cutting up squid and dead cigar minnows. I smelled like holy hell, but I still had a good time because I got to spend time on the water. So, keep on keeping on and work your butt off, and, God will do the rest.

So.....Hang on to every dollar you have.....because.....in a few years, what you have now may not be enough to buy a pack of gum.

Take care, and God Bless us All,
William Polk

Tackling Some of the Hardest Issues as a Christian

While I am a huge sports fan, and one of the "best" sports talk programs is by Jim Rome, I truly don't like him. However, I will steal a tag line from his show....."Here is what I'm burning on".

So....Here is not only what "I'm burning on", but also what I will blog on in the near future.


Great flood: Discovery Channel vs. Bible

Dinosaurs: My viewpoint

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction

Job (the Biblical Man…not your occupation): Reality vs. Fiction

Kicking Butt and Taking Names vs. Taking Names and Kicking Butts

If I Messed Up as Many Times as a Meterologist, I Would Have Been Fired Five Times This Week

.....and many more things to ponder on in the upcoming weeks.

You see, while I have very little time to write because of my job, I want for everyone to understand a few things when I do have time to write....and ponder upon my thoughts:

I am not the person I once was, and I hope I am not anywhere near the person I will be.
I am a Christian, but at the same time, I am a sinner saved only by God's grace.
I look for the truth in man, but hold my faith in God far above my hope in man.
I have no children, but was once told by a very famous person, "If you want to know the best thing you can do for your children.....never let them question how much you love their mother."

.....and so.....read on in the next few weeks, and you just might learn more about me....and your relationship with Jesus Christ....as I am doing on a daily basis.

Take care...and God Bless,
William Polk

Economy in the Terms of Forrest Gump

In these tough economical times, I wonder this....How do you run a business that has more destiny for demise than hope for survival? Here is my plan....Be just like Forrest Gump in the shrimp boat industry. Hugh??? Here is how.

If you've seen the movie.....which I am sure most of you have.....Forrest Gump had no idea how to be a shrimp boat captain. He failed miserably at first, but only had pitiful success the longer he tried. Still, in the end, he was more successful than anyone. How did he achieve this prosperity? Of course....a natural disaster.

Now, in the terms of the movie, it was a hurricane that wiped out the rest of the shrimping industry in Bayou LaBatre'. While what I have to work with has nothing to do with a natural disaster, it does in fact have to do with an economical disaster. In other words, while you might try to be the best at what you do, sometimes trying isn't enough. In fact, sometimes it requires taking advantage of what other people have done before you to lay the groundwork for your success.

I'm using the success of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. to help me out. Forrest Gump didn't see success until the rest of the shrimping industry was destroyed by a hurricane. Me....I feel like we can weather the storm of the economy based on our name and strong economic history in order to be one of the few corporations left that have not filed bankruptcy and when customers do have money in their pockets to spend on the goods we sell.......we will be one of the few companies left with money left in our pockets to sell the goods to those who want them.

Adam Smith wrote a book that involved the economy of principles. While he might have been the most advanced person on economical principles, I don't think that he would have ever imagined the plight that is upon this very country right now. So....Here is what I did to make myself less vulnerable from these very tough economic times that we are facing.

I was supposed to hire 40-50 people for our strong sales times during the Christmas season. Me....I only hired 15. My thoughts on the matter were this. Hypothetically speaking, if you HAD to get rid of some of your staff, who would you hire that could replace them in a manner that was better than what your old staff served you. So, I looked for the best people I could find. I interviewed no less than 80 people, and I settled on 15 that would do me the most good. I am damn glad that my decision was this because I have many people on my staff who do me the most good in these tough economical times.

So.....just like Forrest Gump......Whether the storm.....and GOD will do the rest.

Thanks to all who read this,

William

P.S. If you have any good pictures of nature (and nature only) showing GOD's greatness of what he created....please email me with them so I can add them to my facebook picture category showing the greatness of what GOD created @ polkwill@bellsouth.net/

Thank you all, and God Bless.

The Life and Times of Me

My life in a few hundred words or less. Born in Millbrook, AL; Grew up loving the water and everything about it; Hate swimming in a pool, but love the salt water; Definitely had a fat stage where I wore husky jeans (age 11); Thankfully grew up and thinned out; Maxed out at a grand old height of 5'9"; Played baseball, but not very well; Played football, but not very well; Played golf, not to bad at golf;Tried playing basketball in Junior High; White men really can't jump; Actually got my ass kicked more often than not in football as I was a linebacker; But I could kick pretty well;Was voted most likely to succeed my senior year and still waiting for the perks to kick in because it hasn't happened yet (Although I have learned that there is much more to life than monetary advancement); Certified in scuba diving; Dove some great wrecks on the Panhandle of Florida and have had some dives that I would just as soon forget; Had a fellow diver play with a Moray Eel (nitrogen narcosis); Went to Auburn right out of high school; Bad Idea; Pulled a Jimmy Buffett while he was at Auburn; This means I made the deans list; Wrong dean's list; Although, Jimmy once quoted Mark Twain in an excellent book that states, "I have never let my schooling get in the way of my education". Still, I had a lot of great times;Laredo Mexican Restaurant-Thanks for all the nights where I didn't make it to class the next morning; While on the subject of J.B., I love all of his music; Had a class where I sat next to Tim Hudson; He is making way more money than I am (His fastball is just a little better than mine, but I have a feeling my knuckleball is better than his....I can still run that thing up at a whopping speed of damn near fifty mph....don't laugh....it dances like Emmit Smith when he was on "Dancing with the Stars"); Got married to the wrong woman; Now happily divorced from the wrong woman; Now found the right woman. Thank God. Tracy is the best thing to EVER happen to me. Spend every moment I can on my boat; No love boat or speed boat, just a nice fishing boat; Nick's is the best seafood restaurant in Florida; If you have ever eaten there then you probably ate some of the fish I caught; If you ate blue crabs, well then thank Trey; Give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine (Tin Cup Chalice); Although, the beer has since had to stop and I don't eat the oysters as much as I used to....Damn the whole family trait for high cholesterol; Love Auburn sports of all kinds; Take AU football way too seriously; Watch Braves baseball every chance I get; Pull for the Green Bay Packers every Sunday; Posed as a pirate once in Hooters restaurant (The waitress actually believed I really was one-Yikes!); Support our troops wherever they are; Currently writing a book that my mother should never read, but my father would love; Beach Bum stuck on the mainland and waiting to live by the sea; Love my Hawaiian shirts and flip flops; Maybe I really want to move to an island; Thought I was merely a Republican, but now realize that I am a Conservative; Conservationist, but not a "Tree Hugger"; Christian, but a sinner; Believe in life, love, and the pursuit of a solitary beach with a lot of fish; War Damn Eagle!