Minimum Rage!

Justice for Fast Food workers? What? Fast food workers are striking over minimum wage?  They want it raised from $7.25 to $15.00 an hour.  Um....what?  For flipping burgers and taking orders, asking "do you want fries with that" (which they get wrong a good percentage of the time, hence the $7.25).  I am not trying to belittle the job so relax.  Historically these positions are filled by teenaged high school students who are just trying to make a few bucks to score some beer on the weekends.  I know that this isn't true for every fast food employee and that the average age of fast food workers is on the rise however, if you are not happy with the wage that your job pays, work harder to move up or move on to another.  I believe that the argument, "it's not that easy", is flawed.  People just need to be willing to learn a new trade because, I guarantee that there are plenty of people who will gladly take the $7.25. 

Back when I first started working I made minimum wage which was about $5.00 an hour.  I knew that if I did what I was supposed to do and made sure that I was at work on time that I could potentially get a raise and make more money.  That's what happened, I worked hard and eventually got a raise made some more money and that cycle continued.  I never dreamed of demanding more money without proving my worth.  I've never made minimum wage since because I continue to work and the harder you work the better you do and the more money you make.  In general, that's how it goes.  How about you try doing what everyone else in the work force does.  Work hard, get promoted or move on to another job.  

These people are not just demanding a higher minimum wage, they want it almost doubled and that is ridiculous.  I don't know if they realize that if they raise the minimum wage, the cost of goods are going to rise.  That's going to make your new minimum wage useless.  You don't go on strike and demand more money for working at McDonald's or Wendy's.  Also, the hand outs people get will only last so long.   Once they start making more money won't they become ineligible for government assistance?  I'm sure that will cause more demands and just another reason to strike. You can't have your cake and eat it too.  It's all about working hard and creating income. 

A great example of  how things fail when you make demands is what happened with Wal-mart in Washington DC.  They were going to build four stores, creating more jobs for people but, there was a demand that they pay a minimum wage of $12.00 an hour to start.  This is much higher than the minimum for DC. so, the stores decided not to build.  That cost hundreds of potential jobs for the District but, people complained that Wal-Mart was wrong for making that decision.  What? That's absurd.  They are a business and if those demands effect their plans then they have every right to reconsider and move elsewhere.  That's what happens when you demand more money. 

Here's something that maybe, just maybe these people should consider.  The basic pay for a military member in any branch starts at $16,091 annually.  That comes out to roughly $7.73 and hour if they worked 40 hours a week but, we know that is not true as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines rarely work a regular schedule and there is NO OVERTIME! If anyone should be bitching about being over worked and under paid it's them.  Give me a break!  Be thankful for the job you have, if you don't like it either move on or suck it up buttercup!

Memorial Day

As we go into this holiday weekend enjoy your friends and family, your burgers and hot dogs, ice cold beer and all of those sales.  Have fun and relax a bit because all too often we forget to do that in our busy lives.  I have no problem with people enjoying the extra time off for this day but, please do not forget the true meaning of this holiday.

Memorial day is not about supporting our Veterans or the troops currently serving.  We have Veteran's Day for that and honestly, you should show your support daily if you ask me.  It's not a day to thank the troops and their families serving worldwide who continue to make sacrifices everyday.  This day is about remembering and honoring our fallen throughout history.  It's about making sure that those who have gone before us and paid the ultimate price are not forgotten.  As a society we must not allow our fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, & Marines to have died in vane.  It is up to each and every one of us to continue living free and making the tough choices and doing what is right in life.  We all must take on the responsibility of teaching our children how to respect our freedoms and not trample on them as the cost was very dear.  This is how we honor them.

Also, we must not forgot those Police, Fire and EMT workers who have died in the line of duty.  These are truly some of the real unsung heroes in my eyes.  They put their life on the line everyday to insure that we can go on living in a safe community, enjoying the freedoms that so many of those military members died to preserve.

I just ask that you take a second sometime this weekend and truly think about all we have.  Put politics aside, forget about left or right.  Forget about the bills, work or how high the damn grass is again.  Relish the fact that you can have a cookout or go to the boardwalk or beach.   But just, if for a short moment, cherish the fact that we live in a free society because of those who paid the price.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

We're sending money where?

This just in.... "The Obama administration is providing $100 million in new Syria aid, U.S. officials said Wednesday, but the money is for humanitarian purposes only and not linked to any decision on arming Syrian rebels."  I can't help but think of the SNL Weekend Update skits with Seth Meyers, "Really?"  Our county's debt is over $16 trillion  and though I realize that $100 million is just a drop in the bucket, Really?  Anti-American sentiment in Syria has been growing there of the past 21 months due to this administrations inaction so, NOW (after crossing the "red line" with the suspected use of chemical weapons) you're going to offer up some hush money? Really?

 This has been such a sore point with me for a while.  Sending billions of dollars overseas to countries where an anti-American attitude is the norm is mindboggling.  I know that every administration sends aid to different countries worldwide, I get it.  But, in this day and age when our country is in such dire straits economically and our deficit is exploding upward can we really afford to "help" others before we help ourselves? Here are just a few statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau that may make us want to reconsider this policy:

·       Approximately one out of every six Americans is now living in poverty. 

·       More than 146 million Americans are either "poor" or "low income".

·       Approximately 20 percent of all children in the United States are living in poverty. 

·       Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are currently living in homes that are either considered to be either "low income" or impoverished.

·       In Detroit alone, 60 percent of all children in are living in poverty. 60 PERCENT!!!

·       More than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. 

·       More than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government.  And that does not even include Social Security or Medicare.

·       An all-time record 47.79 million Americans are now on food stamps.  (That number is up by about 10 million since 2008)The number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of "Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming."  If you look at it that way, it's pretty eye opening.

These are just a few numbers from the Census Bureau.  I'm not even going to get into the entire government spending issue.  It is simply ridiculous.  I am all for assisting other countries around the world.  That is a responsibility that has been thrust upon our country since we became a superpower.  However, let's be at least somewhat responsible with how we go about doing this.  At one point we must take a look at the big picture and take care of our own business first.  If not, sooner or later we are not going to have the ability to assist other nations.  

 Now, I know what the typical argument will be here. "It's this guy's fault or he's the one who started this" (this modus operandi has become so old ).  Well, the blame game has gone on long enough.  It's been over ten years since the war in Afghanistan started.  Again, I get it..wars cost money but, regardless of one's position on the wars, it doesn't change the fact that they exist.  Blaming past administrations will only get you so far so, we need to deal with the here and now.  We spend approximately $70 billion dollars in foreign aid annually. Yep, a mere drop in the bucket but, when you're putting American workers on furlough, cutting $40 million per year from defense and over $2.5 billion from education....that $70 billion looks a whole lot different doesn't it?

Caught in a lie?

Opps! You got me!

From the Congressional report on the events that took place on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya.

During 2012, in numerous communications with the State Department, officials from the U.S. Mission in Libya stress both the inadequacy of security as well as the need for additional personnel.

The following cables address this issue:

~March 28, 2012, Ambassador Cretz sends a cable to Secretary Clinton requesting additional security assets.

~April 19, 2012, The response cable from the Department of State to Embassy Tripoli, bearing Secretary Clinton’s signature, acknowledges Ambassador Cretz’s request for additional security but instead articulates a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including the Benghazi Mission.

I found this to be rather interesting but, not earth shattering in the least.  Anyone with half a brain could see that something fishy was going on right from the first response that was issued by the White House.  I know that politicians lie, it's what they do.  I get it.  Point very well taken.  Where I have a problem is when they lie to cover up something so egregious as the deaths of Americans that may very well have been prevented.  I would have been quite impressed if the administration took at least a minute fraction of responsibility for their imprudence.  Would I still have been critical? You bet but, I would respect them a little more. 

To make matters worse, Secretary of State Clinton goes on a rant during her testimony (under oath mind you).  I certainly can understand her being defensive and I do not fault her for that.  That's what happens when someone gets called out and has no truthful retort.  Again, I get it but, she said two things that really pissed me off. 1.) "I had no prior knowledge of a request for more security" and 2.) "What difference does it make?"

Well, it makes a huge difference and even more so now knowing that you knew about it, lied and then attempted to cover it all up. You see it's all about accountability.  I like to think that I was taught better than that.  I was taught that if I screwed up, which I've been known to do from time to time, I am to man-up and take responsibility for my actions.  Don't try to hide it by lying and covering it up.  What kind of example does that set?  In the long run it only makes matters worse for one but, more importantly people lose respect for you and your word then becomes meaningless.