FAITH-BASED STARVATION
I have a feeling that, if George Bush wins this election, the average American workers may experience what could be called "Faith-Based Starvation". There are more than a million unemployed and many of those working just get a few bucks over minimum wage.
Minimum wage isn't even enough for a five pound can of coffee. So, it will take two hours of work to pay for the coffee, with a little left over for a gallon of milk. With coffee and milk in the cupboard, the next eight hour's wages can be spent on flour and sugar. Which doesn't leave a heck of a lot for paying the rent. Now, the CEO's of wealthy corporations take home millions of dollars in salary, plus bonuses, plus retirement packages. A little over five bucks an hour somehow seems miniscule in comparison.
It has occurred to me, that if this keeps up, American workers may be sneaking into Mexico to get jobs.
I guess outsourcing is the "giant sucking sound" Ross Perot used to warn about. Well, he's right about that. It sure sucks!
I have news for George Bush. Those Walmart jobs aren't all they should be. I have a friend who is a "greeter". Her job is to arrange carts for customers to use, hand out flyers, and smile at customers. She is also to lock the doors if an Emergency arises, for instance, a terrorist on the loose in the Shoe Department or something along that order.
I never have figured out why she has to lock the doors, if this happens. Most of us would rather escape as hastily as our legs would carry us. But who am I to argue with Walmart? I suspect that shoplifters, rather than terrorists, are the reasoning behind the locked door rule.
Anyway, my friend gets minimum wage for standing there, seventy six years old, with legs riddled with varicose veins, arthritic hips, a heart stint, bladder problems and a knee replacement. She says it is very difficult to smile. She needs the job and cannot greet Walmart customers with loud wails of despair.
This is what I mean by "Faith-based Starvation". You have to pray, brothers and sisters, and perhaps that can of tuna and loaf of bread will miraculously appear in your cupboard!
Minimum wage isn't even enough for a five pound can of coffee. So, it will take two hours of work to pay for the coffee, with a little left over for a gallon of milk. With coffee and milk in the cupboard, the next eight hour's wages can be spent on flour and sugar. Which doesn't leave a heck of a lot for paying the rent. Now, the CEO's of wealthy corporations take home millions of dollars in salary, plus bonuses, plus retirement packages. A little over five bucks an hour somehow seems miniscule in comparison.
It has occurred to me, that if this keeps up, American workers may be sneaking into Mexico to get jobs.
I guess outsourcing is the "giant sucking sound" Ross Perot used to warn about. Well, he's right about that. It sure sucks!
I have news for George Bush. Those Walmart jobs aren't all they should be. I have a friend who is a "greeter". Her job is to arrange carts for customers to use, hand out flyers, and smile at customers. She is also to lock the doors if an Emergency arises, for instance, a terrorist on the loose in the Shoe Department or something along that order.
I never have figured out why she has to lock the doors, if this happens. Most of us would rather escape as hastily as our legs would carry us. But who am I to argue with Walmart? I suspect that shoplifters, rather than terrorists, are the reasoning behind the locked door rule.
Anyway, my friend gets minimum wage for standing there, seventy six years old, with legs riddled with varicose veins, arthritic hips, a heart stint, bladder problems and a knee replacement. She says it is very difficult to smile. She needs the job and cannot greet Walmart customers with loud wails of despair.
This is what I mean by "Faith-based Starvation". You have to pray, brothers and sisters, and perhaps that can of tuna and loaf of bread will miraculously appear in your cupboard!
posted by Herma Snider at 10/19/2004 08:47:00 AM
Hi, you old bag....joining the blogger world, eh? Good for you, now I can use your URL as a link on my blogpage, that means if you ever say anything worthwhile, I can refer to your page and give people the link. That is, of course, assuming you will ever say anything worthwhile, which isn't likely.
If you need any help with HTML, or want to know where to go for some pictures or images, blah blah, let me know. I see you are using Blogger, so we'd go to the template there to add some stuff...whatever...on your page. It's absolutely none of my business, but who is your server?
Your (new) Blogger Buddy
~~~~~Lorraine
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