Paying incompetent losers is just wrong!

[SaraSara]

I know you were referring to a specific case, but I just wanted to say that I know a lot of extremely hard working people in Uruguay. And they don't play the system as much as they seem to here.

I do have to say though that a large percentage of public employees there are bums. They sit around chit-chatting, drinking mate, snacking on medialunas while you are standing there waiting in line.

In Colonia, the best reference anyone can give about an employee is that he did not sue his previous boss.

There are many more strikes and work stoppages over there - they may be justified, for all I know, but often people don't seem to know where they strike. One of my caretakers works part-time at the local meat-packing plant. At least twice a year an order comes down from Montevideo and they go to "paro". He never knows why, but regards those days as vacation.

I got lucky with my second set of caretakers - the first one sat in the galeria all day staring in the distance. But the current couple is hardworking, polite, and very smart. They are the ones who complain the most about a lack of work ethic in their town.

 

[soulskier]

In all fairness, these Argentine road workers are on par with those of my home state of California.

Note the Cal-Trans lean and the hand-on-the-hip postures, very internationally recognized.

 

[SaraSara]

Same goes for road-repair crews everywhere: one guy actually working and four other just standing around.