_Damian S_ wrote:

I think it works much better if people basically have an unlimited number of sick days available, but require a doctor's certificate each time they take one.

In the U.S. this would be a nightmare. The already geometrically-increasing insurance premiums we have to pay would go through the roof if everyone wanting a valid sick day had to go to the doctor for a note. There are 3 people in my family (myself, my wife, and my son who is 7 years old). I pay nearly $600 per month in insurance premiums already, and that number increases each and every year (regardless of the fact that we are nearly never sick). Not to mention the fact that some problems simply don't require the attention of a doctor, but are bad enough to keep you out of the office. Have some dodgy Kung Pao the night before? You won't need to visit your doctor, but you may need to visit your toilet every 15 minutes for the remainder of the day. Our health care system is obviously problematic, but you don't move a free market economy to pseudo-socialized medicine overnight. The government will find themselves having to pay back a LOT of student loans for doctors who invested that money with the understanding they'd be earning $200k annually in their future. Those docs certainly won't be able to afford their med school loans when socialized medicine limits their earnings to around $60k per year. Personally, I would GLADLY take a cut in pay to have [substantially] more time off each year. Some say "Time = Money", but not to me. To me, "Time > Money". We spend too much time perfecting our work and not enough time allowing our work to perfect us. But that's another conversation...

Antony M Kancidrowski wrote:

Given the statistics more people die crossing the road than jumping from an aircraft.

That's not so much the issue as how many of *those* survive after their chute failed to open ;)

Affan Toor wrote:

Is there any way to set a password or lock its contants so that only my application can open and retrieve/stote data in it and no one else should have access rights to it.

I can't tell from your question if mean "can I do this in a programmatic fashion", or "can I do this at all", so I'll answer the general case. I use PGP encryption for all of my sensitive information. You simply install a PGP app, create your own PGP key pair, then encrypt files like they're going out of style. I keep a small PGP executable distro on my thumb drive, just in case I need to access my senstive information from a system that doesn't have PGP installed. Pro: You take that plain-text document and scramble it up nice and good so people without your key can only see cyphertext. The NSA might be able to decrypt it in a few hours, but your nosy neighbor will need a supercomputer and a lifetime. Con: You have to decrypt the file before you can use it. Furthermore, you're royally screwed if you lose your key-pair or forget your passphrase :)

JazzJackRabbit wrote:

You can always find a new job should you employers not be satisfied with your 40 hour a week performance, however you cannot find new family just as easy.

Amen to that. I'm living proof of it as well. In 10 years time I've worked for 6 different employers. I don't mind collecting W-2's, and 401k's roll over. I have no problem letting my home phone ring, my cell phone ring, and my inbox fill up when it's not between the hours of 8am - 5pm. I know people who actually seem to have a Pavlovian response to telephones. The moment it rings they believe the world is going to end if they don't answer it. As far as I'm concerned, CallerID and answering machines are two of the best additions to modern life ever invented. I've been known to sit in front of the television and not even LOOK at the caller ID when the phone's ringing. Simply put, I don't care. If it's an emergency, then obviously they'll leave a message and I can get back to them. But that's just it: *I* decide what an emergency is for *me*. I don't give other people that power. I exist on this planet to enjoy life. And for me, that is defined as having time with my family. Any and all other considerations are secondary to that. In a conflict between my job and my family, my family will always win. I've had 5 different employers in my son's 7 years of life. But I've never missed a single event of his. I don't care if it's "crunch time" either. My son's 2nd grade play so greatly outranks any deliverable schedule as to be a laughable comparison. I've been fired before. It's no longer a mystery to me. Life goes on. There will *always* be another employer right around the corner for people with marketable skills.

Mike Ellison wrote:

We just got back from a weekend trip to Parowan, Utah, a little north of Cedar City and the Utah Shakespearean Festival theater company. It was really nice to get a change of scene (we live in the Las Vegas area) and though we didn't catch a play this time, we had fun with the Greenshow.

I have to say I'm really jealous! I'm from Northern Arizona, originally, and I used to make the drive up there every year to see the festival. I know what you mean, too. There were many times I just stopped in to see the Greenshow (they used to have a master falconer there every year). I haven't been back in about 12 years. I wonder how much has changed?

There are almost too many factors to consider in coming to a reasonable answer to your question. All of the following play into it: - Location - Industry (If your company specializes in writing software for the aviation industry, then YOU are in the aviation industry. All of the business factors that play into your salary and benefits are derived from that industry.) - Experience - Skill set The list goes on and on. Speaking for Americans, you will generally earn more money working for the "private sector" than you will working for the government. In many ways this is even true of government "contractors", unless you agree to spend time "downrange" (in a war zone). To put things in perspective, I've spent most of my 10-year career in central Texas (broken by a 3-year stint in Germany, working for the U.S. Army). I began my career with zero experience and a *technically* unrelated degree (Philosophy). I was hired at $25k per year. Now, 10 years later, I don't even interview at a company that's thinking about offering less than $95k. And I typically pull over $110k when I'm doing contract work (less when I'm an "employee", but that's usually counter-balanced by better benefits). I reached a personal all-time high earlier this year at $125k equivalent, but the contract only lasted 3 months. I was offered $350k by Northrop Grumman to spend a year in Baghdad. I refused (I'm not single anymore). After 10 years I'm thoroughly convinced of one point: Software Engineering does not a millionaire make. I could probably make more money in sales or as a doctor. But with a "C" in biology, you don't WANT me as your doctor ;)