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Marc2b -> RE: Minimium Wage Rant (8/10/2009 7:56:08 PM)
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That's OK, Marc. I have a harsh side as well. This isn't directed at you-- I want to say that up front, as I'm about to vent a spleen that is nigh unto overflowing at this point. See, I've always considered myself to be geared towards smaller government, less intervention, and fewer intrusions onto the individual expression of existence. I've championed the Free Market, and lassaize-faire government for almost three decades, but the past several years have jaded me.
I’d be jaded too if I had expected anything remotely resembling a Free Market from the Republicans. They rigged the game in their favor, now it is the Democrats turn to rig the game in their favor. The Republicans will eventually get another turn. And the whirly-gig goes on.
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Reality has finally sunk through my thick skull. After two doctoral degrees (for which I worked 3 jobs to keep myself fed, sheltered, and pay for my school with no grants or federal aid -- though I did earn 3 merit scholarships which helped pay about 1/2 of my undergraduate education),
That’s quite the accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself.
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13 years as a military wife while my husband served this country, only to be brushed aside by the private sector because he wasn't trained in the 'latest technology' when he was released during the draw-down of forces, and 20 years self-employed as a midwife, paramedic, web developer, and medical writer, it only took me six years as a corporate drone to figure out that a broad swath of human beings are greedy, selfish, bitter, lazy, and foolish, and that the further up you follow the dollar, the deeper the corruption eats its way into the corporate psyche. Perhaps it is just a fact of human existence that we tend towards the "Landsman/pauper" dichotomy, even when we scream "all men are created equal" at the top of our lungs.
Okay, here’s a perfect example of what I am trying to get across. Your husband has a problem. He’s not trained in the latest technology and it hampers his job search. Companies (composed of those greedy, selfish, bitter, lazy, and foolish people – I am in complete agreement with you on the shortcomings of the human race) probably don’t hire him because they don’t want the added expense of training him, not when there are plenty of people already trained in the latest technology. What is the solution to this problem? Some people would say that the government should pay for his retraining.
Actually, in the case of the military, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. The military is a unique institution in which its members (government employees) willingly sacrifice certain rights while putting their life on the line for the rest of us. I would have no problem with the government giving a ten thousand dollar scholarship to every military personal who completes their term of service honorably, good toward any college or technical school of their choice. Risking having your head blown off deserves at least that much of a bonus. It’s the kind of stimulus plan I could get behind.
That aside, what about someone from the private sector? Should the government grant them such a boon? Some would say yes but you still have to take the money out of the private sector, you have to take it from somebody. You also create further disincentive for companies to train workers. Why should they if the government is picking up the tab anyway? Necessity isn’t just the mother of invention; it is also the mother of action. If you have to train workers yourself then that’s what you will do. Otherwise why bother?
You say that humanity tends toward the landsman/pauper dichotomy but I would broaden that to say that we are a hierarchal species. Where ever humans go and whatever we do we form hierarchies. But that’s another whole area of debate for other threads.
You say that we scream all men are created equal. You right, we do. Then we proceed to scream at each other because we can’t agree on what “equal” means. Sigh. And the whirly-gig goes on.
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Not every pauper is lazy, in fact few can afford to be,
I’m making no such claim. Quite the contrary. Growing up I spent much of my summers in Cuba (I still get down there on the weekends) and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and playing with Hicks. I consider myself half Hick because of it (and before anybody jumps on me about it, they call themselves Hicks – they are quite proud of being Hicks). They are by any monetary reckoning very poor. But they work hard to grow and hunt their own food, sell crafts like hand created furniture and pottery, do odd jobs, etc, and actually live quite comfortably and quite joyfully.
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The game is rigged, and the people who scream most loudly about how -unfair- it is to throw the paupers a bone are the very ones who have a vested interest in retaining their station and justifying their greed. Most of the truly lazy, ignorant individuals I've met in my life have actually had every opportunity and have padded their way to the top of the heap on the backs of anyone with whom they could get away with it. It is profoundly discouraging to find myself in this place, but at least now I am aware, and can prepare my younger kin for the reality of making their way in the world.
I’m just questioning where we get the bones we are tossing from.
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