Because this week's episode might be a little lengthy, I have decided to cut the week in review a little short. Besides, nothing much has changed this week; President Mush Brains is still a bumbling fool, Harris is still a commie, cancel culture shows no signs of slowing down, and corporate America is doubling down on wokeism. And now, the American worker.
For those of you who have been following along, you know that I have been pushing for America to compete against China, not being passive partners with them. But am I right? Are we capable of producing superior products compared to China? We know we cannot produce the same products cheaper than China, well not until we allow our own manufacturers the use of sweatshops. We have already established that we do not morally oppose sweatshops or even slave labor. Everytyme I buy something made in China, I am proudly saying “Thank you, slave labor for providing me this good at an affordable price. All hail communism!” Even if we did allow sweatshops would it be a better-quality product as opposed to our Chinese counterparts? I do not know.
Up until 30 years ago “American Made” meant something. Does it still? I argue that if it did, we would not need services lyke Angie’s List. Without any proof whatsoever, I claim that for every quality worker, there are 10 shitty ones. Did I mention that sometymes I have a tendency to exaggerate? I would lyke for you to think for a couple of minutes about how many tymes you have been asked or asked yourself about “an honest mechanic or a reasonable and quality roofer”. A few years back the same people who did “To Catch a Predator” did a similar show busting repair guys. It was unbelievable what some of these guys tried to get away with. We could list example after example of these rip-off artists, but what would be the point? We need to figure out how we got here, and how or more importantly if we can correct the ship.
Before we start talking about, well back in my day, we need to realize that we all romanticize the past to a certain degree. In the 1940’s Knute Rockne movie, Knute was asked why college sports mattered, and his reply was similar to what you would expect a coach to say today. He said that Americans were soft and that sports build character and toughen up our youth. I added that quote in here just to show that every generation thinks their kids are soft. I say all that just to say, Americans are soft and have little pride in the things they do.
We could try to do some pop-psychology and determine that people who weren’t hugged enough as a child, turn into shitty employees. Then we could all get together, sing kumbaya, hug it out, and all turn into productive worker bees. Thank you, and good night.
There are a bunch of contributing factors to the decline of the American worker. I believe a big one is value. When people do not believe that they are of significant value to society, they put little pride in their work. I think it's a cop-out. It's bullshit and we should not accept it, but I can see how someone would try to use it. Does it really matter if the McDonald's employees claim that their milkshake machine is always broken? In the grand scheme of things, it does not matter, but it should. Having a working milkshake machine is not going to end wars, but it will show society that you respect them enough to do your job. When society respects you, you see value in yourself.
For whatever reason, we have been conditioned to look down on certain jobs. Society as a whole has been marginalizing the working class for decades. We love to complain about people not working and just suckling the government teat, but when someone gets a job flipping burgers, we say that they should grow up and get a real job. What kind of nonsense is that? Most jobs in the private sector provide a need. Sure, some owners create a position so their worthless offspring can get a paycheck, but for the most part, all jobs are needed. Notice I said private, there are many government jobs that we can and should eliminate.
Here is where I am a walking contradiction. Society valuing all jobs would help workers realize their self-worth. It’s true, but it’s also bullshit. No one’s self-worth should depend on anyone. You define how others see you, not the other way around. We need to teach our kids this.
We also need to recognize that jobs, careers, and passions are different. It is wonderful if you can find a job you’re passionate about, but also rare. Sure, people who love their job are more likely to be more productive, but it isn’t required. Even if your job is not something you lyke, you should be passionate about doing it well. Most of us do not do this. If 40% of the American workforce did this, we would become the standard again.
We also need to put this livable wage non-sense to bed. In my humble opinion, minimum wage equals minimum effort. I started several jobs at the min. wage, but never stayed at that wage for long. It is easy to do; all I do is work for the pay I want, not the pay I get. Years ago the poster child for a livable wage was a guy that worked for McDonald's in Chicago for many years, and never got paid more than minimum wage. That tells me, he did just enough not to get fired. Should we automatically reward someone just for showing up? Hell no! Lots of people do just that. If you wanna be some nameless cog in the wheel, go right ahead, but don’t expect to be rewarded by doing the bare min.
Luckily the $ 15-hour wage has been thwarted for the tyme being. The Demo-nuts know that $15 hour is bad for the economy, but since they have been promising it for years, they are going to pretend to fight for it. They love that the Republi-cants will fight it, that way they can make them the bad guys. It’s a great strategy until the hens come home to roost.
Why am I so hell-bent against the federally mandated $ 15-hour min. wage? First, states should determine this. Let the states compete with one another, plus every state has different needs. The cost of living varies from coast to coast. Second, it devalues education. Catholic school teachers in New Orleans make roughly $16.50 an hour, depending on years in service. Let's face it, kids are retarded, but if they see that they could drop out, flip some burgers, and still almost make what their teachers make, what do think will happen? Some parents will even be on board, so their kids could help contribute. What about those employees who worked hard to get to $15 an hour, and now all of a sudden, those minimum effort people are on their same level? Will they get a bump, to add some separation? Probably not.
Next week we delve deeper into the psyche of the American worker and also look into unions. Spoiler alert, I think they are bad and are probably the biggest reason American workmanship is shit.
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Peace!