I've been meaning to write for days now but every time I think of what I want to write, I am either not near a computer or don't have the time - or sometimes both. Additionally, a lot of what I want to write about is a rant on something ... anything. Sometimes I get so frustrated with people and society. I often feel like so few people in the world today think at all, or if they are thinking, I'm really concerned what it could be about.
This guy on the floor of my dormitory in college used to wander around getting in people's faces screaming, "You don't care." He was a really weird guy who ended up developing an ulcer after his freshman or sophomore year. This was really tragic, however, it did get him to tone back his obnoxious behavior significantly. Sometimes, though, I feel like that kid on the inside.
For example, I hate that people do not get paid enough. My friend and I came up with a theory that everyone should make $80,000.00 per year. As theories go, this one doesn't really seem too terrible. It's a nice number. Not too much, not too little. Should cover most unforeseen expenses, and would probably make life just a little bit easier. So many people I know have financial problems that contribute to their unhappiness, the breakdown of their relationships, or the necessity that they take jobs that they absolutely cannot stand, or it prevents them from doing something with their talents that would allow them to better give back to our society. For example, I wanted to work for AmeriCorps as an attorney after I finished law school, but because of my debt to income ratio, there was no way I could afford to take the job I was offered.
Teachers do not get paid enough. (I once engaged in a debate to the contrary with a teacher, but that was more because I was mad at my girlfriend at the time. I didn't know that when it all transpired, of course. I just knew that I was really annoyed and she had made a unilateral statement. The one thing I learned how to do in law school was rip apart a unilateral statement for fun and amusement. So to work I went.) We do not budget enough for our schools at all. We build parks and churches and stadiums and multi-million dollar opera houses, but we do not set aside enough for our children - you know the ones eating some of the worst food available in the U.S. on a daily basis. Mmm, school lunch does a body good.
It really bothers me when I drive around a new town, or even my own town, and I see beautiful ornate houses of worship and all sorts of governmental buildings and subsidized construction projects to make these amazing structures and then I drive by these dilapidated looking buildings with trailers as classrooms sitting outside of them. What the hell? I know the arguments for why these other buildings are more important than our schools or how they will revitalize the community - helping to generate more money for the city as a whole, and therefore generating more money for the schools. However, I just do not see it happening. Any additional money that is garnered is generally thrown into more pet projects and never makes it to the classrooms that so desperately need it.
Every teacher I know has worked their ass off to make things better for their school. Often shelling out thousands of dollars of their own money each year to make up for the gap between what they are given and what they actually need to educate our youth. All of this selflessness, generally, goes wholly unappreciated. Terrible.
The outsourcing of U.S. jobs, bugs the hell out of me. And what is the main company that has helped create this kind of culture? Well some might blame Wal-Mart, but it's more than just Wal-Mart. It's the people that shop there. However, at the point, it doesn't matter anymore. Almost all of the American manufacturers have been driven out of business.
I watched an entire documentary regarding the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs. Wal-Mart changed the model by making it so that all of the manufacturers wanted or needed their product to be placed in Wal-Mart. As such, Wal-Mart was given the ability to tell them how much they would be allowed to charge for their products - reducing the price more and more. Eventually this had the effect of forcing manufacturers to look for cheaper labor overseas, and in some cases. In some cases, manufacturers said Wal-Mart even made the outsourcing of jobs a part of the overall deal to get their product placed in the stores.
The argument from The Cato Institute is that this outsourcing of American jobs should not be a concern because the jobs that are outsourced with better jobs. However, in a lot of the manufacturing towns that get the hardest hit, the only real jobs opening up are at the Wal-Mart's opening up, which do not often pay as much as the jobs that were outsourced.
I'll leave my rant on the U.S. Supreme Court nominee for another day.
This guy on the floor of my dormitory in college used to wander around getting in people's faces screaming, "You don't care." He was a really weird guy who ended up developing an ulcer after his freshman or sophomore year. This was really tragic, however, it did get him to tone back his obnoxious behavior significantly. Sometimes, though, I feel like that kid on the inside.
For example, I hate that people do not get paid enough. My friend and I came up with a theory that everyone should make $80,000.00 per year. As theories go, this one doesn't really seem too terrible. It's a nice number. Not too much, not too little. Should cover most unforeseen expenses, and would probably make life just a little bit easier. So many people I know have financial problems that contribute to their unhappiness, the breakdown of their relationships, or the necessity that they take jobs that they absolutely cannot stand, or it prevents them from doing something with their talents that would allow them to better give back to our society. For example, I wanted to work for AmeriCorps as an attorney after I finished law school, but because of my debt to income ratio, there was no way I could afford to take the job I was offered.
Teachers do not get paid enough. (I once engaged in a debate to the contrary with a teacher, but that was more because I was mad at my girlfriend at the time. I didn't know that when it all transpired, of course. I just knew that I was really annoyed and she had made a unilateral statement. The one thing I learned how to do in law school was rip apart a unilateral statement for fun and amusement. So to work I went.) We do not budget enough for our schools at all. We build parks and churches and stadiums and multi-million dollar opera houses, but we do not set aside enough for our children - you know the ones eating some of the worst food available in the U.S. on a daily basis. Mmm, school lunch does a body good.
It really bothers me when I drive around a new town, or even my own town, and I see beautiful ornate houses of worship and all sorts of governmental buildings and subsidized construction projects to make these amazing structures and then I drive by these dilapidated looking buildings with trailers as classrooms sitting outside of them. What the hell? I know the arguments for why these other buildings are more important than our schools or how they will revitalize the community - helping to generate more money for the city as a whole, and therefore generating more money for the schools. However, I just do not see it happening. Any additional money that is garnered is generally thrown into more pet projects and never makes it to the classrooms that so desperately need it.
Every teacher I know has worked their ass off to make things better for their school. Often shelling out thousands of dollars of their own money each year to make up for the gap between what they are given and what they actually need to educate our youth. All of this selflessness, generally, goes wholly unappreciated. Terrible.
The outsourcing of U.S. jobs, bugs the hell out of me. And what is the main company that has helped create this kind of culture? Well some might blame Wal-Mart, but it's more than just Wal-Mart. It's the people that shop there. However, at the point, it doesn't matter anymore. Almost all of the American manufacturers have been driven out of business.
I watched an entire documentary regarding the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs. Wal-Mart changed the model by making it so that all of the manufacturers wanted or needed their product to be placed in Wal-Mart. As such, Wal-Mart was given the ability to tell them how much they would be allowed to charge for their products - reducing the price more and more. Eventually this had the effect of forcing manufacturers to look for cheaper labor overseas, and in some cases. In some cases, manufacturers said Wal-Mart even made the outsourcing of jobs a part of the overall deal to get their product placed in the stores.
The argument from The Cato Institute is that this outsourcing of American jobs should not be a concern because the jobs that are outsourced with better jobs. However, in a lot of the manufacturing towns that get the hardest hit, the only real jobs opening up are at the Wal-Mart's opening up, which do not often pay as much as the jobs that were outsourced.
I'll leave my rant on the U.S. Supreme Court nominee for another day.
you can't pay everyone the same... that's just silly. productivity would go down, and the cost of living would go up. if minimum salaries went up to 80K, costs would rise too. besides, people who make a lot of money often have worked really hard for it, and why begrudge them for that?
ReplyDeletechurches are privately funded, btw. not funded by any government money.
i agree that more money should be allocated to education, but unfortunately, there's too many government programs that pay for things like, people who don't feel like working and instead sit on their butt and collect welfare. that's why you can't pay everyone the same, because of people like that.
Actually, I've thought about that and I don't think prices would go up because the amount everyone would be making would not be "SO" much. It would be a standard, and there would still be just as much spending going on as before, not more. In fact, the overall wealth of people may actually decrease with such a spread. But I'm not certain. In any event, I think the fear of inflation is misplaced. And I know far more people that didn't work any harder for their wealth than people that work just to get by than I know wealthy people who worked hard enough to deserve it. For example, I think almost everyone that worked as a low level employee at Enron deserved their money more than Bernie Ebbers.
ReplyDeleteI know that churches are privately funded. My point is everyone gives their money to them but no one everr thinks of giving that same money to their local schools. And why aren't the churches giving some of this money out to the schools? I think it sucks that it all goes to fancier organs and nicer stained glass windows than the church down the road.
Actually, I think the money would not have to come from welfare to fund schools. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other places it could come from. It's also a local state and county tax issue in many cases. Whereas, welfare is often federal. And I also disagree with your point about people on wlefare. My friend's and my idea involved everyone making the $80k for the job that they do. If they just sat on their butt, they would not have a job and wouldn't make anything. I'm not saying it's a perfect idea, but it definitely isn't bad as far as one line ideas go.
Haha I haven't left the blogging world, I just don't know where to begin with a new post! So much has happened! I'm staying pretty busy too, so my time in front of a computer is limited.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear what you have to say about Alito. Can you make a podcast about it?
ReplyDeleteA podcast? That's ambitious. I need to be in a ranting mood. I'm close, but not quite there.
ReplyDelete