The point of the connection with the wrongful dismissal suits and the hiring of welfare recipients was that the firms wanted to dump some existing workers for no cause, so that they could chip in an contribute to the social good by hiring welfare recipients. With innovations like this, I hope that my chauvanism is not showing, the U.S. will certainly win the race to the bottom. USA. USA. USA. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]