What is the Number one industry in the fine state of Arizona? I believe it is the prison industry (heard this on the radio)! So it then follows that large numbers of under-payed people are working these dangerous jobs (you could not pay me enough). Big Lots (couldn't find the figure) of people doing time in the prisons of Arizona too. So It would probably be wise if you didn't ask the Tattooed face man with the two foot long Chinese ponytail, who is in your home killing the poisonous insects, what he was in for . . . (if you want to live).        The number one cash crop in Arizona? Cotton (radio info also)! People No Can make any money there either! No jobs in the newspaper about anything cotton.       So follow me now, somehow the poor educational system (second to last), this states "right to work" status, The drugs flowing in from over the border, The illegals (from where ever, not just Mexico) working for cheap, The masses of retired people needing to re-enter the working world (soon after George W. was elected we had the dot-com stock market bust . . . not that it was W. fault, I'm quite sure it's someone much higher up who decides to pull the plug on the stock market), downsizing in all of it's mutated forms, All these factors and more seem to be mystically working in concert . . . almost by design, forcing the Arizona wages and benefits down low! And with this unknown high percentage of people failing in Arizona (like selling drugs or stealing cars or breaking and entering) then ending up in prison (and then getting out),  it won't be very long before they have the prisoners picking the cotton for free (if they don't all ready).         So what is left for us then? We can all finally just "BUY A JOB". One in four working Arizonians is self employed (radio again)! A great many of these are called "INDEPENDANT" Contractor's. What does this mean? Does it mean that huge corporations are trying to sell us a giant pile of poo, yet make it look like a potential bucket of sparkling gold? Lets find out! In the Phoenix area, There are hundreds upon hundreds of grocery stores! This should be a huge market for potential job seekers who want to pursue this type of work . . . Like delivering . . .  bread to these stores! Yet instead company's like Sara Lee, Bimbo, Holsum, SELL these jobs to the people who need to do this for a living! They sell the routes divided either by territory or by store and the value of the route is determined by past bread sales in said stores (weekly sales times 13% up to 19 %). Now figure in the cost of truck and trailer (sometimes they will graciously take this right out of your settlement check). And An independent must also pay for fuel, health insurance, truck insurance, oil, tires, break downs (towing) and maintenance , and any additional employees that they may require to service the stores on their route! The bread man must order the bread, load the bread onto truck, deliver bread,  remove stale bread  (not a penny for to the independent for stale bread), and then take bread back and unload it. After all this there are federal, state and self employment taxes! A good portion of which are eliminated by the the cost of funding your own benefits! THE BOTTOM LINE . . . Is the reason for this shift for any and all company's to.     1. Eliminate employees and then eliminate expenses and put them on the worker! which also ties in with the companies not wanting to be accountable/responsible for anything, including bread shortages or any other company screw ups! The independent contractor takes the heat. And also there will never be any labor issues like STRIKES, because when the worker signs on the dotted line . . . they (their lives) pretty much become the property of the giant bread company's. Seven days a week . . . sometimes all night/day long . . . stuck between trying to fulfill the requirements of their company contract and the demands of the grocery stores (who don't actually ever pay them a dime)! Basically They are they are modern day versions of American SLAVES (although their are some who do make good money and are therefore well payed slaves)! But for the ones who don't or can't make ends meet, there are few ways out (now that they have changed the bankruptcy laws).          So the next time you are shopping and see a grocery store manager acting like a S.S. Nazi pig towards a hard working American store vendor! And you wanna do a good thing . . . Tell them that you won't shop in a store WHERE THEY TREAT PEOPLE LIKE THAT!       And finally when the next wave of California home buyers floods into Phoenix, Arizona again (AND THEY WILL) . . . It may be wise for some of us to EXODUS EAST! Take the house money and run! Before the smoke and mirror Phoenix economy cracks in the sun and blows us away in the hellish desert winds! To ultimately get out of this prison-like maze state, where the pot of Gold is sometimes reachable . . . only most likely it just might be full of smelly corporate poo! An exit to an eastern better economy (Nashville and Atlanta are booming) might be the only real Independent way to go.           Prometheus - part time investigative reporter signing out! back soon with a look at Federal Express