During the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in the United States workers were not treated very well, nor paid very well, nor did they have very safe jobs. Nevertheless they were jobs. Workers were paid $0.15/hour and had to work 14 hour shifts, 6 days a week. People worked 84 hours a week and made $12.60 on their paychecks on a "minimum wage". But people were happy they had a job. People worked for a living no matter if they came home tired and perhaps hurt and they were happy to have a job. People worked without unions and contracts and without job security and they were happy to have a job. No workman's comp, no benefits, no 401ks, no stock options, and people were happy to have a job. Children sometimes had to pick up the slack to make ends meet for their families, and they were happy to have a job. People had to work without health care and they were happy to have a job. And by the way, no one asked the government and other tax payers to take the bill. They were dignified and earned their living.
Today? People get paid $7.25/hour and do not want anymore than 40 hours a week. They make $290 a week at minimum wage at McDonald's. People get paid $30/hour at some factories without an education and bring home $1200 a paycheck if they are in a union. They have job security with unions (even if they are lousy workers). They get benefits. They have options with their retirement funds. Children no longer work which means competitive wages for adults, driving up the minimum wage. Those who have full time jobs have health care. But the main difference? People aren't happy they have to work.
Sure, child labor laws are for the better and wages would be great if we could keep them up. Sure, jobs are safer and most are secure. Sure, labor unions got some of these things done for the American worker. Sure, retirement funds are a great asset in our old age. It all seems golden.
Health care for all would be great but health care is not a right. It is a privilege. Neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution proclaim it as a right. We have dug ourselves a hole (thank you FDR, America's first socialist president) for the last 70 years and expect others to give us stuff. Many things we don't deserve and then get mad when we do not get it. We have lived off of each other for too long. We have expected to get higher pay for remedial work and don't take jobs that only pay minimum wage and complain we are out of work while the immigrant is "stealing our jobs".
If we don't get the things we want, it must be other people's fault, especially George Bush's fault. Thank God, Barack Obama came along to get us out of this mess. All we have to do is give our paychecks to him and the government and we will all be okay. Somebody will pay for all of us. Because let's face it, we are a country of moochers.
5 comments:
Both Socialists and Evolutionists have given us a legacy of "You owe me" and "If it feels good, do it" and "I'm not responsible for my actions."
Well, I think we should all just tell our employers that we want to work for less and thanks, but no thanks, we don't need those benefits! Why did the unions come into being? Because the people WEREN'T happy - they were dying young and many lived on the streets or in shacks - you've seen historical pictures.
Seriously, I think we should thank "greed" for much of the problems we face now economically. Prices for everything are so ridiculous you have to make $30/hour (by self or per couple) to afford a house not in the projects. To heat an ave. size house cost about $200/mo. (ours 2200 sq. ft. set at 64 degrees can hit $350, h2o about $100/mo., car insurance $100/mo.(we as a nation are insurance poor - something they didn't have back in the day), house payment $800/mo., food for a family of 4 - $150/week, regular phone $60/mo.....it goes on and on. A pair of jeans $20-$30 - $.67 for an orange - $5.67/lb for chicken, school fees for an elementary child $55 and about $45 for school supplies - which does't include all the little fees here and there. In fact we just paid $65 for one book for a public high school. So many companies expect to get record breaking profits every year and if they don't they claim they are "losing" money. They charge 200-400% to bloat their profits. What happened to competition helping to keep prices reasonable?
And the "mooching/entitlement" problem is from the way we raise our young generations. For example: "I can't possibly make my older child babysit thier siblings for free. It is not their fault they have siblings." or "My kids are just too busy with their extra cirric. and friends to do chores - they should have fun while their young.". We set the younger generations up for feeling entitled. Haven't we given them everything they needed and alot of what they didn't need, (like cell phones at 10), and ask nothing in return...well why should we, they didn't ask to be born! We also give them excuses for their behavior: "They have it so hard today...much harder than we had it." Many of todays teens go around blaming thier parents and others for all their problems and actions - and we accept ALL the blame gladly! Every generation of teens faced huge stressors, but most older generations didn't feed into their "poor me parties" like we do. I don't think their stressors are exponentially worse than what we faced - just different - they fit the times....they have some bad stressors, but also have alot more positives than we had.
Anyway, just my opinion.
Benefits are great. No one should be complaining about them and that is the point. We still do. As you have noted our generation today do not know how to live like people in the day.
they have some bad stressors, but also have alot more positives than we had. They have stuff today that no one could dream of 20years ago and yet they feel they don't have enough. People in the 30's had to live in times of trouble and probably complained less. Jobs were difficult and dangerous and workers were treated like crap, but I bet they didn't have smoke breaks, or manditory uninterrupted lunches. Yet, we complain if we don't get one today. Work is a privilege and duty not a guarantee.
I think we are pretty much saying the same stuff but with a little difference on unions. Yes union were created for the worker's protection but they really have overstepped their boundaries and act worse than the large companies use to. Some tell their workers who to vote for, dictate who gets fired and/or laid off even though seniority doesn't necessarily mean better at their job. Some tactics unions use are criminal such as when replacement workers (NOT SCABS) come in while some chose to go on strike and the unions workers had gone to a hotel room they thought was a replacement worker and practically beat them to death only to find out they had the wrong person anyway. True story from my neck of the woods.
In any case, your comment has value and needs to be weighed by people. Thank you for your opinion and information for us to decide. Take care and keep coming back.
We do agree on most of this, but the unions. Maybe we can do a post on just that. We work for one and can really set some of the false rumors straight. We don't like everything that goes on - but if we didn't have one we would be much worse off. I am happy that somewhere a blue collar worker can still support a family. There are corrupt people everywhere - unfortunatly even big churches, but we don't call all churches bad. Anyway, have a great week! Thanks for the blog!
Amen. I will step back and rephrase, not all unions will do this.
Do we agree that we are spoiled people? The things we "need" today are not what we "needed" 50 years ago, as you said why would a 10 year old need a cell phone?
Thank you also for putting something in my head. Thank God for the blue collar worker!!!! The backbone of our nation! Both my grandfathers worked in these kinds of jobs. Technically I am the first generation to step out into the white collared world in my immediate family. And I thank my ancestors for the hard work they have put in to give me this chance.
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