[speaker001:] Hello?
[speaker002:] Hello.
[speaker001:] How you doing?
[speaker002:] Fine.
[speaker001:] I'm Lee with, uh, uh, I'm over here in Plano, Texas.
[speaker002:] Okay. Let me ask you something, can I run a minute and shut my radio off?
[speaker001:] Oh, sure.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] [Sniffing] [cough] Oh.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] Where are you calling from or
[speaker002:] Arlington.
[speaker001:] where are you at?
[speaker002:] Arlington, Texas.
[speaker001:] Arlington.
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] Well, there's a lot of s-, stuff going on in Arlington these days.
[speaker002:] Yes, not all good stuff.
[speaker001:] Are you involved in any of that?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] No.
[speaker002:] No, I'm not, not personally.
[speaker001:] [Inhaling] Well, uh, [breathing] what benefits do, now, do you work?
[speaker002:] I'm going to school right now.
[speaker001:] Oh, you are?
[speaker002:] I can tell you about my last job or
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] whatever you want to talk about that or my husband's or what I think.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I've got a lot of,
[speaker001:] Because I, I work for myself
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and so, uh, [sniffing] there's a lot that I, that I guess I do miss, uh, a lot of benefits from working for a big corporation. I miss, uh
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] insurance and
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] uh, the steady paychecks that come.
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] But, uh,
[speaker002:] Yes, I've been in my own business, Mary Kay, in fact, I'm selling in out now to go to school full time and
[speaker001:] Oh, is that right?
[speaker002:] I enjoyed the freedom of having that, you know, go to work when I wanted to or not
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but, you know, the benefits weren't there.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] I, uh, I own part of a roofing company.
[speaker002:] Oh, do you?
[speaker001:] In the, in the Dallas, Fort Worth area.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh, you know, unfortunately we, we were part of a, of a bigger, bigger company
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and they, uh, you know, we, we had all the benefits there and, and I do miss that.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, but, uh, on the other hand, I, I, uh, I enjoy having the, the time
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] that I have with my family and
[speaker002:] Yeah, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] being able to, you know, work when I want and,
[speaker002:] I think today the thing that I, uh, would appreciate the most, uh, because my husband gets,
[speaker001:] [Sniffing].
[speaker002:] his medical through his company, but we have
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] to pay for mine and we're the only one, I'm the only one that's being insured and
[speaker001:] Oh, is that right?
[speaker002:] and we pay the same amount that someone over there that has four children has, I mean, [LAUGHTER] so it's kind of,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And I would, I really, and the way medical expenses are
[speaker001:] It's,
[speaker002:] I think that's probably one of the biggest
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] benefits
[speaker001:] It, it,
[speaker002:] to ha-, you need to have.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I'll tell you what, that is the single most
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] uh, benefit that I, that I enjoyed, and I do miss because I looked into picking up some, uh, medical insurance for my, just for my family, you know, just, and it is unbelievable
[speaker002:] It's out of sight.
[speaker001:] how much you have to pay for it.
[speaker002:] Right, it's out of sight.
[speaker001:] And, uh, yeah,
[speaker002:] Even at a group rate, I couldn't believe how much
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah
[speaker002:] is our,
[speaker001:] even at a group rate. Uh, it's, it's unbelievable and, uh, the amount that you have to pay for, you know, for kids and, and if you want to add dental to it, I mean, that's
[speaker002:] Right, it goes up.
[speaker001:] that eats even more.
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] So, yeah, I guess what, the other benefits that, uh, that I, uh, that I miss, I guess is, uh, you know, some of the bonuses and stuff that
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] that goes on with just being involved with a big company, you know and [inhaling] course, these days, you can't count on that because [breathing] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] uh, you know, I feel bad for the people that are involved in that, uh, G M deal there in
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] in Arlington and I'm sure it will be, you know, quite a few people are affected by that so,
[speaker002:] Right, it's going to hurt the city, although, uh, I will personally tell you, I used to work at a bank, and I would see the G M people come in when they were, they would shut down to retool.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] They were paid that whole time and I don't know, if you're aware of this r-,
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] Yes, they come in there, just, they go off fishing and stuff and come in and, every Friday, and go to the safety deposit box, and I'm sitting there making a hundred dollars a week, you know and,
[speaker001:] Is that right?
[speaker002:] And they had all these gr-, I, I really believe they have done this to themselves, in a way, because of the unions being so stocked.
[speaker001:] The union, yeah.
[speaker002:] And right now, anybody's that's laid off from G M will have a full year's paycheck. I just read this in the paper the other day.
[speaker001:] Is that right?
[speaker002:] Plus probably an additional six months through the, the worker's stuff that they have at, at, uh, through the company so I'm sor-, you know, I'm sorry it's happening
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] because it's going to hurt, but I don't feel as sorry for them,
[speaker001:] Well
[speaker002:] If my husband
[speaker001:] really the,
[speaker002:] were laid off tomorrow, we'd get one more check and that would be it.
[speaker001:] Yeah, really the ones it's going to hurt is, is actually the, the businesses around
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] in that area.
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah, that's already
[speaker001:] You know, that's the ones that
[speaker002:] hurting.
[speaker001:] that that's going to hurt because they depend on that, uh,
[speaker002:] But I think there's a case,
[speaker001:] [Sniffing].
[speaker002:] where benefits have gotten, they voted them in and they got so good, I mean, like two dollars for a prescription
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah.
[speaker002:] no deductible on the medical, all these things, you know
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and it made the prices of cars go up and
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and, you know, the, I, we, I believe in unions, but they went too far.
[speaker001:] Well, I'll tell you, I
[speaker002:] I mean, I can't make eighteen dollars an hour.
[speaker001:] I've had my fill of unions [LAUGHTER]. I,
[speaker002:] I mean, I know someone out here that makes eighteen dollars an hour.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah.