I am collecting stories about people working minimum wage or below poverty level jobs. My purpose is to provide a counter argument to the ignorant meme found in my last post. Please feel free to send me your story, as well.
Claudia's story:
My story?
I was raised in such a way that my choice was to either be married to someone who was independently wealthy (next to impossible) or be a charity case. I'm determined to not be option B and option A is very elusive.
So I went to college, got two 4-year degrees and spent the first 3.5 years after graduating with said degrees flipping burgers for minimum wage. I did so just as enthusiastically as is humanly possible. I used my brains as much as I could possibly use my brains to flip burgers. I contributed as much to my work experience as my employers would allow me -- which was basically, "Come to work, do your job and get the hell out of here when we tell you to leave."
I did all of it with the desire to work to the best of my potential and to do a good job. In the last 15 months, I've worked a job that I enjoy, which pays slightly more (but is still barely over minimum wage), at which I'm not allowed to use my brain at all.
My coworkers who have associate's degrees get offended if I "spout off" too much -- which basically means that if they hear my voice regarding anything they feel is "their" job, [even if it relates to mine], they flip out, tell the boss and I get to have a nice little meeting with the boss.
Once again, overqualified, and in their eyes, over-enthusiastic and over-achieving. It sucks. I AM planning on staying with this job though, because I enjoy the majority of my job (as long as I'm not in the office), I have benefits (YES! This is the first time I've ever had those), they are very accommodating with my school schedule, and it is VERY good experience for my future career. And, even though it's barely more than minimum wage, it pays more and is steadier income than any job I've ever had.
And the benefits? Fantastic.
Look at this image traveling around the internet - posted on an ignorant Facebook page, The Comical Conservative.
There is nothing comical about this meme, whatsoever. Conservatives yell so loudly that saying "the rich don't pay their fair share" is inciting class warfare, and then they put out something like this.
I get it. It's wrong to talk about rich people paying taxes but anyone and everyone who are struggling - well...that's fair game!
Well guess what?! There aren't many people who make the federally mandated minimum wage of $7.25 and hour (only about 2% of the working population in 2012), but that doesn't mean a larger percentage doesn't make just above that. But, do those people fit the profile in the above meme? Are they all lazy? Do they have minimum skills? Motivation? Do they provide a minimum contribution to society? Ha! Hardly.
My wife owned a daycare for a while and we became intimately aware of many types of people making minimum wage. Enough people didn't even come close to fitting this profile that I reject it out of hand. This type of language does nothing to lift people out of the struggles they are in.
What's worse, I'm sure that the people who created this meme have no issue with negotiating a raise with their own place of business - aware that they need more money, every year, to make ends meet. But they want to make foolish arguments about holy corporations being forced by an imperial government, to do things that they don't want to do.
The sad narrative is that the people who make minimum wage will be the first to help these assholes when they are down for the count. It's a well known fact that poor people give more. Will they spit in their faces then?
Please send me your story about your minimum wage life (or close to minimum wage, anyway). I'll publish it here. Click on the Contact Me tab at the top.
Love,
I. C.
Recently, my boy, Bryan Fischer (okay...not 'my boy'...he'd probably shoot me on sight, but I like to pretend that I can piss him off a bit by calling him a pet name) got all excited about a correlation he felt was reasonable, where he excitedly stated a perceived inconsistency between President Obama's hesitation to let his own hypothetical son play football and sending "your daughters" to get "shot to pieces" on the front lines of battle.
You can watch it here...
While it makes for great radio, Bryan Fischer gets it all wrong.
First, President Obama lending his support behind the Defense Department's abandoning most bans on women fighting in battle is not akin to forcing "your daughters" to go and get "shot to pieces" on the front lines. Last I checked, the military was still a volunteer organization. If you sign up, male or female, I think an individual who doesn't expect to be put in harm's way, isn't really well versed on what the military does. If you are allowed in combat positions, you get to shoot people and, in turn, they get to shoot at you - man or woman.
So. Let's recap.
1. A woman can volunteer for military service.
2. A man can volunteer for military service.
3. Bullets do not discriminate by gender. Both men and women on the front lines can be "shot to pieces".
4. Signing up for the military is largely the decision of the woman. No father is being forced to send his daughter to war.
5. Why isn't it a tragedy that we send men to the front lines to be shot to pieces?
Second (and arguably a more important point), Bryan Fischer never asked President Obama how he would feel about his own daughters going into the military.
Military service is a tough sell to any parent. Some are honored by it, seeing it as a tradition in their family, a sort of stepping stone to adulthood. Others see it as a bounded choice. They can't get a job, see no way of going to college, and end up deciding on the military. There are other scenarios that bring a young man or a young woman into a recruitment office, ending up signing on the dotted line. But, as a father myself, I don't think that any mother or father would not think about the potential deadly ramifications of military service. Many welcome it while fearing it. Others weep, while hugging their child, who is now an independent adult.
Again, Bryan Fischer did not ask President Obama about how he felt about his daughters going to war.
And the final point (arguably, the most important). Women have been clamoring for...what's that word? Hmmm... Let me see. Oh yeah! That word that Bryan Fischer and his ilk yelled from the mountaintops during the Affordable Health Care Act (better known as Obama Care) debate. What was it again. Fr...hmmm...freed....dammit...it's not coming to me. Oh yeah!
FREEDOM!!!!
Yes. That's exactly what this is about. Independent women who desire the CHOICE to be able to say, "I got this! I'm going to sign up for military service and fight in battle."
Yeah. That freedom. They have been asking for it for many years. The military granted THEIR wish. Now, these women have the opportunity to sign up for it or decide against it (which many will).
It's time for old white men who think they know everything that a woman is supposed to do, to shut up and let women make their own decisions, no matter how stupid they think they are. After all, most of the doomsday crap they scream from behind their bully pulpits never comes to pass. They simply rely on the short memories of their followers.
