lower the high horse and give credit due

[veronica_rich]

Happy Labor Day to Americans on this part of the continent and our two outlying states. To anyone who is or ever has been an employee: Your employer would not be in business without your help and capabilities. You deserve a livable wage for helping attract revenue, time off to recharge your brain, the ability to be treated when you're sick so you can get back to work and life, and an education so you have the best chance of matching your talents to the right employer (and they, to you, for maximum business earning potential). And even if the job you're doing is menial or simple, you doing it means somebody will be helped; it'd be a lot less pleasant an existence if nobody picked up the garbage or stocked grocery shelves to make food easy and quick to find and cleared out the expired stuff.

Comments

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

We should also give credit this Labor Day to those who make it possible for fruits and vegetables to get to the grocery stores. Many illegals do the jobs which too many Americans think they are now too good to do or which do not even pay minimum wage since the illegals can't protest their work conditions or pay. They are Laborers as well and instead of deserving our disdain, they deserve our respect. While I wish they could take legal routes to come here, America has created this vacuum in which they are needed and we have only ourselves to blame.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

That is true. I wouldn't do it for what they're paid. But, we want cheap food (and I for one have a black thumb, for a garden). So what do we do?

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

Pay EVERYONE a livable wage. Minimum wage is not even livable for born & bred Americans. Divide the CEO's salary by how many workers the company employees and add that to their wage. I don't care if it's only once a year. If we did that instead of doling out yearly tax refunds to people who have kids, everyone would be able to have a higher standard of living.

Think what a different world it would be if every worker, even CEOs earned the same amount of money. Never going to happen in a million years, but I've watched too much Star Trek to not believe someday we'll get our heads out of our asses and wake up to the devil that is money.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well, it won't happen without regulations; not under hired hands we have today. Company originators tend to take some pride in what they've mostly built and credit those who help keep it going - but not later managers, usually, and certainly not people whose stated goal is to buy up what SOMEBODY ELSE BUILT and liquidate it for all the sweat earned.

[keechakatt.livejournal.com]

Paying everyone a livable wage is ideal, but then what is a livable wage? What I desire in life, such as a few concerts a year or a movie fest, may be quite spartan compared to an opera lover or fine wine connoisseur.


What I make in CA vs someone in the Midwest can also vary.

I don't think Americans would turn their nose up at hard work. It's the unacceptable wages they are paid. One can hardly rent a room on the horrible wages. Americans are not accustomed to living ten people in a small house. I don't believe they are being elitist, though some may. It's just culturally you don't have three generations under one roof anymore. Now, if you're living with mom and dad, and your own child. You would be considered having committed epic fail somewhere. Even with this economy people would rather sleep in their car before moving back in with mom or dad.