Such Is My Life

obama, religion, christian, stupid,
I'm going to deal with this stupidity now, because I just know it's going to turn into a massively popular email forward very soon. You can read it for yourself, but basically, a legal secretary that used to work where Obama used to work accuses him of being a big meanie.

First of all, I would like to explain what working at a law office is like. First, the pecking order:

Partners











Associates
Clerical Staff
the Receptionist

Partners are gods, and get whatever they want, no matter how unreasonable it is. I once spent my entire lunch hour (which I don't get paid for, btw) scouring the mall for crystal salt and pepper shakers because my boss didn't like the plastic ones in the lunch room.

Associates are about a half-step above the clerical staff in the eyes of partners, though not in the eyes of associates. Associates get paid significantly more than the clerical staff, but trust me when I say to you that partners don't treat them with much more respect.

The clerical staff is lucky to be allowed time to pee. I come in early (unpaid), stay late (unpaid) and I think I've left for lunch on time twice in the last two years. That's just the way it is. I get blamed (and screamed at) for things that aren't my fault all the time. In fact, I frequently get screamed at for doing what the partner told me to do (after he realized it wasn't a good idea).

We're not allowed to leave work for doctor's appointments. Guess the last time I saw a doctor. The managing partner recently abolished personal days because he got sick of not knowing where people were. He once threatened to fire a woman while she was in the hospital because she was missing too much work. This was the first time she'd called out sick in 3 years.

Why do I stay? It's a job. Unemployment in my area is around 20%. I don't get paid much, but I do get more than I have or would anywhere else.

So I'm not taking too seriously some woman whining that Obama didn't demand, as a lowly associate, better pay and benefits for the clerical staff. The fact that her friend was frequently kept late doesn't strike me as odd, either. Oh, and the fact that the firm didn't encourage prayer and religious discussions on premises: she didn't work at a church, she worked at a law firm. Get over it.