So what was left for them to administrate but my attitude?
Which was sorely tried. I felt like a criminal waiting to be discovered. The whole setup bore an unfortunate resemblance to a parole board hearing.
I knew I was a fraud, participating in a charade for which Adam Smith should have ordered the whole lot of us taken out and shot. At the same time, I was taking lightly the principles that provided not only their livelihood but the justification for their existence. Trapped between my conscience and the wrath of scorned bureaucrats, my future appeared foreshortened.
Still, the first part of the meeting reduced me to a con-fused state of complacency. I'm used to competing for jobs, not being helped over the finish line and shown how to fill out payment requisitions. The nice people explained the advantages of being a WOB in such a way that it hardly seemed a boondoggle. After all, they told me, the contractor has to be able to perform the work; getting one's company on "approved vendor" lists is no different from any other form of marketing. Marketing, they explained, is the use of various methodologies to promote one's products or services. They paused for questions.
I'm familiar with the concept of marketing, I told them.
Oh yes, they said, recalling my hundred years in the sign business. They were amazed, they said, by the age of my company. The vast majority of WOBs and MBEs, they told me, are start-ups.
"You don't say," I said. Lulled by all the baby talk, I failed to see where this might be going.
Then came the stumper.
"Why didn't you do this before?" one of them asked me.
"Do what?" I asked, feeling the trap closing.
"You could have applied for this program nine years ago," she said -- rather menacingly, I thought. "Why did you wait until now?" Six expectant pairs of eyes, the whole Rainbow Inquisition, awaited my answer.
That's it, I thought. The jig is up. I'm busted. Trapped. The word will go out to all the banks, and I'll never get another bank job. Or a letter of credit. Or an ATM card. How will I explain this to Jimmy and the boys in the shop?
Then, revelation! I know what I'll do, I thought: I'll come clean. Tell the truth. Throw myself on their mercy. (They may like that.)
"In the past, I was philosophically opposed to it," I admitted carefully.
"And now?"
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time.
Pingback| 10.28.09 @ 2:38AM
Where Are The Teacher Unions When We Need Them? - EndH1B.com Blog - End H1-B links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 10.28.09 @ 9:51AM
Louisiana Hiring Filipino Teachers, Firing Americans—Where Are The Teacher Unions Whe links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
nfl jerseys|11.8.10 @ 3:10AM|#
ndtht
David Simmons|5.11.11 @ 4:01AM|#
All over the world there are concessions for certain groups of people, grants available, help to be found. It's good to see something being done to create opportunities for people who may otherwise hit that glass ceiling. It's a shame they make it so difficult to join though - 8 months, that's a long time to get a certifictae!
Mandy Allen|5.11.11 @ 4:02AM|#
It's great to see something being done for women that will benefit them in the long run. Too many times it's a case of 'jobs for the boys'. Grab the advantage while you can.
Jeremiah|9.7.11 @ 10:04PM|#
"But WOB isn't just about tangible benefits. It's so much more. I now feel a part of something larger than myself: the great chain of being that tumbles from the well-meaning, through the impractical, to the absurd -- replacing the dismal script of capitalism with a delightfully random set of entitlements and rewards."
I admire how you embrace sexism with such open arms. Women seem to be pretty good at that, as long as it's in their favor. Men, on the other hand, actually naively fought FOR women's rights.