Open Thread 3-10-23 - The importance of getting paid by bartering.
We have all worked, expected to get paid fairly. A tit for tat thing.
My parents paid black farm laborers to work cotton fields at the same rate as whites. Hoo, boy! Here comes the Sheriff and farmers gathering in our yard, Dad going out with a rifle, cocked and loaded, Mom at the door with same. Seems the black laborers would work for my parents first, then go to other farms. Other farmers said it was unfair, crops and harvest have a peak time. (No shit!)
The parents didn't get shot, didn't shoot anyone, black laborers found that other farmers started paying the same price as mine, so all ended well. I think I still have scars on my fingers from pulling cotton from those sharp pods. In the end, it was this: in addition to fair wages, my parents provided lunch to the workers. Mom stayed up late at night preparing food to pass out to the cotton pickers, all of them Afro American, except for me, my brother, my Mom, and my Dad. We were still first in line for the farm workers when it was harvest time.
And then, getting paid for legal representation by the general public in one of the poorest counties in the State of Texas is sometimes bartering. It has been interesting, not necessarily profitable at times.
As examples, these are instances where I just did what I wanted to do, what I thought was fair.
Example one: I was involved in an appeal on a murder conviction. The family of the convicted defendant gave me 2 dozen yard eggs to consider backing off the case for their safety. I did consider it, and I did ask the court to appoint another appellate attorney on the case.
Example two: The woman was an alcoholic. Finally put in prison for DWIs, then blew it all by getting another one while on probation. It so happened, she worked in a Hanes factory. My pay was lots of stockings. Her case was dismissed.
Example three: He lost everything due to his wife's drug use, and he wanted custody of his son. His oil patch job would pay great for 6 months, then lay him off for 6 months. I got him custody of his child. He built a fence at my office. He quit the oil patch, is now a fence builder, uses my office as advertisement.
Example four: The older lady was/is being attacked by a fellow member of a cemetery association. I am in the process of writing a mandatory demand to retract any false statements to set the stage for a defamation suit. When she walked in the door with no appointment, I said hello, told her I wanted her beautiful necklace as a retainer. I was joking. Before we concluded our consultation, she had taken off the necklace and the ear rings, put them on my desk. (I wore them to court today. Lots of kudos.)
Example five: A Hispanic, non-English speaking elder man was accused of injuring a cop who arrested him for public intoxication. (He bit the cop in the arm, broke the skin. Felony.) Well, a couple of men came to the office with a paper bag filled with ones, fives, and coins. It was a preacher and a deacon of a local church begging me to work for the congregants' fund raiser. ($235, more or less). The perp was indigent, spoke no English. A translator at pre-trial was able to help convince the judge the man, new here from Mexico, was terrified, had no idea what was going on. His case was dismissed.
Example six: I took a car for representation in a divorce. I gave the car to my parents. They needed something comfortable, as well as reliable.
I could cite many, many more examples, but this gives you all the basic idea that there is an incentive that drives us, the 99%, and it is not necessarily money. I bet every one of you has bartered, for want of a better word.
I started the day with my husband, getting me safely into the courthouse. I am ending the day being safe and sound, as is he. We wish all of you the same.
He loves the beautiful necklace, btw.
Losing thousands of bucks for an appeal sucks, for yard eggs I gave away. Stockings come, then go quickly. The fence is still there. Looks good. But it was a fraction of the cost he would have been charged by anyone else who took his case. When I die, someone will get the necklace, but may not know the story. And I much appreciated the congregants all showing up at the hearing, and many of them are my clients to this day, 30 years later. My parents used that car for years.
Bartering is fair, or not fair, depending one one's perspective.
Anybody here bartering?!
What is on your minds? War, famine, or, hey, music, art, a beautiful and loving pet?
This is an OT. Say whatever you want to say!
I want to hear all the rants, and all the sweet talk, and all of it is interesting.
Comments
Good morning, c99!
I am on my way out of town to appear in court.
I will catch up with you all a bit later.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning, OtC,
A walk down memory lane, bringing back many memories of growing up on Grandpa's farm: much enjoyed, thank you.
A famous theatre exits in the Appalachians, The Barter Theatre, where a A group of NY actors--influenced by the Group Theatre movement--led by Robert Porterfield opened its first production with this advertisement:
"With vegetables that you cannot sell you can buy a good laugh."
Happily, it's a regional theatre company today: https://bartertheatre.com/
What a great memory!
And a great idea for a theater.
Getting closer to eye surgery? I know it is something to dread, but the results will amaze you.
Have a great day and weekend, too!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hi Smiley - great idea and great story.
Glad to see that they "made it". Sure would've hated to do their books though something of a nightmare and minefield.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Hi smiley
How wonderful that the theatre company is still alive and providing much value to Appalachian communities.
What great vision and values they promote.
Hey otc
Reminds me of a story from Prescott, AZ. Had a shoestring landscape business on
the side while attending college studying solar energy and cabinetmaking.
This really old guy wanted a retaining wall built. He was a retired engineer who
made his buck by patenting a roof truss system for large structures like,
airplane hangers. His passion was building matched sets of violas and violins.
He would travel to the Black Forest to get special wood for these beautiful instruments.
We ended up trading my labors and materials for an amazing set of special tools
used in instrument making.
It was just railroad ties, decomposed granite and a lot of shoveling on my part.
Most of the special rasps, curved planes and what-not I gave to my friend,
as he was a fledgling luthier making guitars.
I still have some of his old flat planes and chisels.
Money tends to disappear over time, but sacred objects last forever.
Thanks for sharing your stories and good luck in the halls of justice!
question everything
Yeah, it is wonderful
to have some keepsake. You never forget the friendships when you can see some object that brings back old times.
I currently have two clients who are chefs. Every time they come in to have me look at a document, they bring food. One specializes in baked desserts, the other smoked barbecue. No keepsakes! The food disappears quickly.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Mass protests in Israel
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64866881
People are protesting the changes to judicial law in Israel. The article is worth reading. If you don't like the BBC, try searching for Israeli protests.
Bibi is so terrible
and is setting about to change Israel into a giant prison camp.
Thanks for the article, and I hope you are doing better than ever.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I love your stories!
These were all especially good. Heartwarming. Thanks.
I used bartering back when I was giving piano lessons. Got some lovely things. A friend who has a master's degree in the art of bookbinding took a beloved tattered family collection of children's stories and made it look lovely. From another, I received a large basket of fabric she had received as barter for helping an elderly woman. There is not much of it left. And a guitar student's dad gave me a bunch of hay.
If I ever start giving music lessons again, I will do it the same way.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
How wonderful!
I have a friend who was given stacks of fabric from a furniture store. It is amazing what she designs and sews using the free fabric.
Hope you do start teaching piano lessons again. I taught for about 10 years. Lots of my clients were my former students.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Too bad about Austin
Aaron and Max have a laugh about Austin turning into the antithesis of what drew people to it in the "old days". Now Austin is a joke. As the vid below explains;
Not to mention,
6th street, the music venue Mecca, is nowadays a great opportunity to get robbed or shot.
When I can, I drive around Austin on my way to Amarillo. If I must go through Austin, I just keep driving.
CIA at the big party, eh? What a downer!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc et. y'all. I don't affirm or deny
ever bartering and would generally never do so except as part of a hypothetical. I don't intend to give legal or tax advice, and don't think anybody should take any of this as other than an opinion piece, but I would avoid verifiable bartering except as part of an act of charity. For example. somebody providing legal or accounting services in circumstances such as the hypotheticals enumerated by otc could try to argue that they had determined to and were in fact providing services pro bono, when the recipients of such services gratuitously offered symbolic token remuneration which she felt constrained to accept lest she demean, humiliate and alienate them. Sadly, few except attorneys, doctors, shrinks and the like are ever in such positions. WHY?
Our country arguably may be deemed to have established laws and regulations concerning the taxation of barter transactions that would appear to screw all parties to the transaction.
. I'll not elaborate further.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Just call me bad!
Have a great weekend, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
She speaks for me
.
This is the hill we die on!
Okay now let’s see some accountability for Fauci and Francis and the others who censored people.
Putin isn’t going to make you homeless or kill you or deny you health care.
Your government will allow it to happen though.
She is bad ass!
Now what I expected from California!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
10:05 am - 5 band-tailed pigeons in platform feeder
This is a California endemic and the population is recently in decline, which is a matter of concern.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
May they thrive.
It haunts me that I have seen certain species that will be extinct in my life time.
All poachers killing rhinos for their horns deserve a special place in hell.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Markings - tail not visible, white neck blaze,
yellow bill and yellow feet
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Band-tailed Pigeon
Outstanding EL! A beautiful beast of a pigeon!
My brother and I just were just conversing about their estimated 65% or so population drop in 50 years. So then there are only a third as many around as when we were kids and they were all over the place if you were in the mountains. Hard to fathom. And many species are fairing worse! Some estimates of Cerulean Warbler and Rusty Blackbird are down 90% in my lifetime! It is unsustainable obviously. I guess I should not complain about how much seed dinky White-winged Doves eat.
happy feathers!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Hola Dysto. We've had singles in the yard before
and small flocks in some stands of trees a block away that are visible to our yard. They're vertical migrants and we appear to be on their routes.
Otoh, the White Winged Dove does have its own song. WW Dove, Borrego, 2008
The song:
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good gawd this is not good news for the mountain towns
that have already seen so much snow. This is in addition to what they already have.
Putin isn’t going to make you homeless or kill you or deny you health care.
Your government will allow it to happen though.
Damn!
That's one bad ass storm!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It looks like Tehachipi and Grapevine are still open,
so if southern San Juaquin valley doesn't flood, one can still get to Mojave, Barstow, and LA Basin.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Our crowd tends to trade labor...
I'll help you one day, and when I need help, I'll ask you. Many jobs around the homestead take two sets of hands. I still owe a friend who helped me plumb in a gas heater in the camphouse. He'll call on me when he needs my help. Trading and barter help to build community. Your stories are a good example.
Then there's trade day where I've seen all sorts of swaps...typically things like trade you this pocket knife and five bucks for your fishing rig.
Thanks for the memories and OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Things like you and your neighbor do
really creates what I call a "support system". It is a a comfort to know you can help, and be of help to your circle of friends.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Around here, anybody visibly working on a project will
attract offers of help
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I bet our resident lawyer can see why this is a problem
.
Department of Homeland Security should be renamed the department that will target and attack the citizens it’s supposed to be protecting.
More information here
DHS spying on Americans without lawyers consent
Sorry, Ben. Too many Americans say that they have nothing to hide so who cares if our rights have been violated?
Putin isn’t going to make you homeless or kill you or deny you health care.
Your government will allow it to happen though.
Looks like DHS coerces their
employees.
Where are these inmates' lawyers? Do they now know their clients were illegality interrogated?
What a corrupt government department this is.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
will play for beer
Hope all are well!
I looked for a favorite bartering song on youtube, and it does not seem to be there. It so perfectly expresses my sentiment. Will Play For Beer. It's a Texas band/artist, I have it on a cassette taped off of 'outlaw radio' here, need to make an MP as if I have a digi copy is a .wav file.
And when I get to Austin
I wanna make it perfectly clear
I won't play for peanuts
But I will play for beer.
I am hesitant to respond to the thread due to the concerns EL expressed above...
I knew a guy that heard of a guy that knew a guy that did a fair bit of horse trading. He sold signs that were half the price and twice the quality of local sign companies. So he had room to move shall we say. Need tires? Go sell a tire shop and give a couple hun for a new set. Clarion car stereo, microwave, nice watch for the wife, he sold signs to every kind of biz on the street and often a last hun or two or three of discount to get a deal now, was a barter. Once he drove home in Jersey with a load of fresh Tilefish and Bluefish, cause he sold a fish market. Another time in Texas it was enough booze to get arrested in most of the counties
we,the guy, was alleged to have driven through. Didn't pay for a haircut for ten years, he sold salons. There were guys in the company that specialized in used car lots and would get $1000 cars for a salesman without one, regularly. I hear the dude really misses those days...Thanks for the OT OTC!
Have fun, countin' on ya!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
My favorite trading song...
I learned it from Lotus Dickey.
The song reminds me of my friends story of their dad winning a car at a raffle and trading down to a lawn mower that breaks down....true story.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
It happens,
LO.
Barter should be looked at payback. You do something for, and I will do something for you.
Even Steven.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hilarious!
There is always some fun to find and claim as your own out there in the world.
I bet the guy six degrees of separation from somebody else loved bartering!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981