Politics and Culture

Money, along with many things, is relative. To some, you’re poor and to others, you’re rich. Most likely, you think you have barely enough. But, whatever your salary or level of prestige, you almost assuredly contribute to the wonderful state of affairs in this nation. We should be grateful to each other this labor day.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many people decide to do an excellent job for an hourly wage barely more than what you spend on your Starbucks latte? I’m constantly amazed at fast food workers who inconvenience themselves to make sure that your order is correct or warm your morning with a smile and “thank you;” the people at hotels who don’t steal the stuff you probably forgot you had; the ladies who give haircut advice when you don’t even ask for it; the janitors who clean your office and house; those who install your cable; farm workers; God bless all of them. They toil so that they or their children can reach the middle class whose teachers spend an extra hour to plan a great lesson for your children even though they won’t get an extra nickel and the students probably won’t volunteer their enthusiasm when they get home; the government employees who take time off their lunch break to help the next in line; those poor, stressed-out store managers who work 60 hours a week to make sure you don’t have to guess the price on your gallon of milk; the policemen, firefighters, and soldiers who risk their lives for a sense of duty that others mock; the plumbers, electricians, and mechanics who fix the things their brothers in the factories make day after day for…

…the working wealthy who can live comfortably, but choose to use their expertise to keep creating, innovating, and investing.

God bless them all.

Danger: Polemics below:

“I’d rather clean cat butts than ask for money”
-Roberto Guirado

All of which brings me to a couple pet peeves of mine. I often hear “advocates” for some workers say that their clients need a raise or some other benefit in order for their clients to have "dignity" and "respect." But, think about it: Do you respect people for the amount of money they make? Do people have dignity only after they attain health benefits or a retirement plan? I respect people based on how hard they work and how decent they are. If people’s circumstances gives them a salary well below average, they can still inflate their chest with pride at working as hard as they can and being kind to others.

It’s the American way to ask for more, but don’t disgrace yourself by confusing money for dignity.

My father, Roberto, working for 50 years strait: That's dignity and that's worthy of respect.

My second pet peeve is the term, "working class." It's a PC creation meant to replace "middle" and "low" class. But, doesn't the doctor who works a full week and then spends much of his free time catching up to the latest research, work? What about the incredibly stressful work performed by stock brokers, business owners, and attorneys? They don't work?