yes risk and fear is what will hold many back and yet only a certain kind of individual is wiling to make the jump.  Many are content to go to work and come home after punching the clock. many are darn good at these jobs too!   We are all parts of the big machine so what ever path you chose comes with risk and reward.  many who own there own buisness dont take time off for many many years wile others chose a path that will give them X amount of vacation , benifits and more consistant hours.   There are advantages and disadvantages to both... For me im just trying to get my daughter threw her second year at UW Madison and i have a 16 year old son who still needs some backup.   In time i may chose to make a move in my own direction but for a wile yet my priority's are what they are.  lay low , get threw the next few years and go from there.   I also wish those from merc both corperate (in this wicked Market) and those employed durring this time making the tuff decision.  lets face it .. if the industry wasnt running on 40% production of what it was a couple years ago i would guess we would be looking at a different situation.. The Union members by the next contract would all but have retired and the changes would have been made to 401 k's and pay scales with the newer younger generation.  ya maybe not like the good old days of a strong union and plenty of money to be made by all but still a profitable pridefull operation could maybe have servived.  ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN!  We made our beds! the political candidates suported with union Dues and votes for years have supported an anti buisness climate in this state. On the other side of the fence the so called conservitive oposition has also turned out to be indivicuals who are not who they apear to be.   carefull considieration must be made over the upcomming years to make sure the individuals who have the stones to represent the people the way they want to be represented can servive the nomination process so we the people reguardless of what side of the fence you stand on can chose from a qualified representive rather than settle for the less of two evils which has become the norm today.  after re-reading all of the posts it is my conclusion that Merc was faced with little choice here and the emplyee's have little say either.  Looks like something that needed to be done based on servival and the fact that a turnaround in the market in the neer future for the industry is highly unlikly.   its just a darn shame and we are paying with with jobs and prosparity because if past decisions made by political opertunistic individuals thinking they can cut back on our fossil fuel production and force feed alternative methods of energy just a hair before its time.  things need to progress naturaly and with natural demand or you have a generation of K cars produced or the econamy can take such a hit that future tax revinue and budget demands will also have to be cut because there is no money being made to tax...  fine line we walk ah?  I have 100 bucks that says the county will aprove the sales tax even though Merc will be moving there corperate office anyway!   the offer from the State of ok is too good to pass up folks.   get ready for a sales tax increase fon du lac county because the opertunistic individuals in office will no doubt try to take advantage of this situation to gain support for the vote.