Salad Pizza

My brother and his wife have been making their own pizzas for years; Friday night is pizza night in their house, so there is regular time to experiment! My sister-in-law presented a salad pizza for dinner a few years ago. While it seemed like an odd concept, it tasted so good!

We've caught on to the home-made pizza thing, and our 4 year old loves to contribute. We buy the pre-made crust from the bakery at our grocery store. Just cut the top off the bag about an hour before you're ready to cook, and the dough will do its second rise right there.

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made pizza dough
• olive oil
• dry herbs (italian blend or whatever sounds good)
• crushed garlic
• veggies (tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini...)
• shredded cheese
• lettuce & dressing (I prefer creamy dressing with pizza - poppy seed, ranch or sweet vidalia)

1. Remove dough from fridge one hour before prep. Either cut off the top off the bag or put dough in a greased bowl and leave on the counter
2. Heat oven to 400°
3. Combine in a bowl: herbs with olive oil and crushed garlic. Make enough to spread on the pizza dough.
4. Stretch the dough out on an oiled pan.
5. Cover with seasoned oil.
6. Layer with sliced veggies.
7. Top with cheese.
8. Cook ~:12

While the pizza is cooking, thinly slice or shred lettuce. Toss with salad dressing

Cut pizza into large, foldable slices. Top with salad, fold and enjoy!

The Scenery: a Union Strike

Every morning since September, I loaded my two boys into the car at precisely 8 am to drive the oldest, Jake, to school. The nearly half hour drive into West Cobb gave us an opportunity to share our thoughts, make up new songs, play "I Spy" and enjoy the scenery. For months, Jake enjoyed watching the construction of a new, high-tech bank: LGE Credit Union.

Then, the scenery changed. As we passed LGE Credit Union one morning, Jake called out, "Hey! What are they doing over there?!" Several men and women had set up a tent, put out some chairs and held up their signs. The Machinists Union was on strike.

The strike only lasted 13 days, but it seemed like for ever. (They probably only strike on "business days"!) Jake was so curious about what they were doing that I finally pulled over and asked on our way home from school one afternoon. And this is what he said:

• LGE stole our pensions and now they're worth 50% of what they were worth

• LGE has ended our automatic pay raise every 6 months and gone to merit pay

I just about lost it in laughter! This is why these people were on strike, costing their employer thousands of dollars? Because they're going to be held accountable for their efforts and their retirement money is in a viable retirement fund? Ha!

First of all, the facts play out that LGE converted their pensions to 401ks. They didn't "steal" the worker's pensions. How many people have lost money in their investments over the past 4 years? How would the Machinists Union be immune?

Secondly, merit pay is a basic American ideal. We're guaranteed opportunity but it's how we respond to the opportunity that determines our success. I will only work for merit pay. It's up to me to make big of whatever opportunity is in front of me. The harder and smarter I work, the more I will achieve.

So if you're not paid on merit, how are you paid?

Collective bargaining. Collective bargaining by a Union in which the workers are members. Collective bargaining and automatic raises are a lose/lose for employees and employers. Employees with drive and ingenuity are dampened by those working just enough to stay employed, which destroys overall work ethic. Employees have a pride in their union, not in their employer, which creates a chasm between the two. Employers treat everyone the same which fosters complacency rather than motivating excellence.

Politics is inserted into situations it needn't be. Many Unions and corporations have different goals, but that's a whole other subject worthy of another blog post...

And so, after two and a half weeks, the picketers were gone. LGE Credit Union did something you don't hear many companies doing - THEY REPLACED SOME OF THE PICKETING WORKERS! Way to go, LGE! Eleven workers were replaced, and so it seems that the man I spoke to just a few days earlier had wised up... it's better to have a job based on merit pay than a Union and no job.