Sorry to hear it :(

Hi Alex, so What's happened with getting back to college? I think that's the only real way you could do more tech work that you are able. I think it's gonna be dificult but I think that will worth it.

(From Alex: Spring 2005, that's been my plan for a while.)

OfficeMax! Dude, you could get a job as a Quality Assurance tester somewhere, or even a front-end web developer. Where do you live? Surely there have to be tech jobs around there.

BTW, I worked at OfficeMax as a Technology Supervisor, and didn't sell any MaxAssurance ;)

(From Alex: I live in Vallejo, CA.)

"You can't even ask the government to provide health care for everyone because of the funding required to pay for it."

On the contrary, here in the UK (and indeed most of europe) we have the NHS (National Health Service) and all health care is provided for out of taxes, although there are private options as well for those who wish to spend more money. While its not perfect by any means, it means nobody is without health care treatment (which in a developed country should be considered a basic human right) and I assure you our economies are not collapsing under the strain. I urge your country to introduce a similar scheme. But I suppose theres not much chance of that when you've still got a right wing lunatic for a president.

Good luck with your new job.

Neil Jenkins

(From Alex: No comment on our presidency. But I was relating the issue with taxes. If any congressman tried to run that through the legislature, they'd either be laughed out of the room, or recalled from office.)

Well in Europe they manage to provide healthcare for everyone... but we'd expect that from communist country, don't we? :-)
I've always been surprised that seeing the enormous salary difference between US and Europe, actually life in the US is not better (and for some points, I've to admit, worse), they have so much more free time than here that it is ridiculous...
See you, I've got to go back to work!