For the few who know mw know I've been out of work for about 2 1/2 months. Well now as Paul Harvy say now for the rest of the story. For the past couple of years i have lived with real serious back problems first diagnois in 2005 as 3 compressed and bulging discs, surgeon recommended stomach buy pass surgery because a 5'8" I weighed over 365 lb's any way I spent almost an entire year jumping through hoops and got the surgery in Feb of 06, I now weigh 245 lb's and the back has gotten worse. now 2 copmressed and bulging and 2 degenerated discs. despite this I continued to do my checking job at King Soopers a Division of Kroger despite my pain I continued to do my job. But I was still a liabilty to the store. Now go back to 3 months prior to March 15th. The stores Deli counter started a self service soup bar., with 3 different flavors of soup each day. I ask the Deli Manager if I could get samples of the different type of soup, he says "Sure that what it's there for". So for the next 3 months almost everyday while I worked on breaks mostly I took half a ladel full of soup in a styrofoam cup and drank it. Store security filmed me for 3 solid months then on day I'm called to the office and I'm informed I'm being terminated for shop lifting. I say WTF and they say the samples were not permisable
not only did they take my job they took away my vacation and sick leave and cancelled my health insurance. Additionally they gave me a Letter of Restitution of payment of $250.00 to be sent to the companys Attourny with in 10 days or faqce further leagal action then they called the citys police in and had me ticketed for petty theft. When i applied for unemployment I was turned down due to termination. I have had to go to the state and I'm registered as an indegent to receive health care an medications for high blood preassure and diabetes. The state will not pay for my opain meds, Percocete and muscle relaxers every 6 hours and and Morophine every 12 hours. I have to pay this to the tune of $250.00+ dollars every month with out any form of income. Now 2 and 1/2 months after I see human sevices on Monday for food stamps, Tuesday I meet with the Union Rep and Arbitrator and a Rep from King Soopers to appeal my wrongfull termination and attempt to get my job back, Wednesday I meet with the Unions Attorney and we face the states Labor board to try and get my unemployment benefits re-instated. How have I lived all during this time my 82 year old mother has supported me from down in Texas. They scariest part of all if I get my job back I just found out a new rule has been instituted and if something heavy is stacted on the bottom of the buggy we are forbidden to ask our sackers (Young Teens) to pick it up for us if we do we are written up. do we see a pattern forming here. When talking with the Countys assistance people they inform me I'm not the only on ourt of work it is hitting epidemic proporssions. At this rate I'm better stay out of work then take the extra hits of getting my job back. Which doesn't sit well with me that is not how I was raised. I beleive in getting honest pay for an hopnest days work. but 51 year old males with bad backs don't have a lot of emoployment options. Sad but true. And as i said now you know the rest of my story. PS I did mange to plea deal a defered judgement on my ticket so I will not have a criminal record , MY NAME IS CLEARED

Wendell: Keep your chin up, man. We're all sending positive energy and prayers your way. Something will pan out, and you'll be better because of it. Like someone said, use this lay-off as an opportunity. A lof of what determines success or failure is someone's attitude.

Rush: Your situation is retarded! Shame on Kroger for not at least issuing a you a "No more soup!" warning or something. Even if I told a sexually explicit joke to a lady at work, I'd get a reprimand or warning before being terminated. No one said anything to you? They just went all Rent-a-Cop on you? Somebody may have had it in for you a long time. I don't know that I would want my job back if the people I'm supposed to trust treated me that way. Screw 'em! Office politics -- even if you're not working in an office -- is the worst. I'd hate to know what my employer really thinks of me. Nobody stays in my position as long as I have. Most of my peers are ten years younger than me. Management probably thinks I'm lazy and not promoteable, or else it would've happened by now. There's just nothing else in the company that I want to do, which is why I'm going to school to change careers soon.

Good luck to both of you!

Thanks all for your kind words of encouragment, God doesn't shut a door without openning another, my faith will see me through as it allways has. The offer to come to Austrailia sounds inviting, I'm afraid it wouldn't be the same without good ole Steve Erwin, God rest his soul ha ha. Do they need dozer operators in the bush? I could do a walk about, "man", that does sound fun. Australia is one of the countries that I've allways wanted to see as well as Israel.

Rush, I don't feel near as bad after hearing your story, thats sucks. All over some soup that they hand out in soup kitchens every day for free, not that krogers is a soup kitchen, but you get my point The older you get the harder it is to get jobs, thats a fact. I'm 48 with a few health issues myself, however not as bad as yours. Back pain is a terrible thing and can be crippling at times. Were you able to keep you kj through all this? It's not the most important thing by any means, I was just wondering. I worked at the same company 20 years and figured to retire from there. Was laid off in 03 and have had 4 jobs since at 4 different companies. I have skills to get another job, I just get depressed from having to change again. You make friend, get comfortable with thier ways and then have to start over again. In the good old days you could work one job for life, now you about have to keep changing jobs and the older you get the harder it gets to be. My dad worked for ford for 30 years and retired and lives good. I have to change jobs, no retirment, SS is going broke, it's sorta getting scarey. The Lord has blessed me with a good wife who has a good civil service job with the schools, I have health insurance through her, so I'm better off than alot of folks. I will pray for you Rush, GOD BLESS AND GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND.