The Weekly Rant

The Weekly Rant
                                A Guest Post by Larry D. Smith

I am saddened by the recent posts comparing the working poor’s desire to make $15/hr in comparison to the military. First of all, we all have different backgrounds and experiences that make us who we are. It seems to me it's very self-serving to publicly beat your chest and extol your superior virtues for having flipped burgers at some point in your life, but now look down on those who now work two jobs just to get by.

Make no mistake, I have made decisions that were not in my best interest; however, I learned from my mistakes and gradually moved on. As a Vietnam era vet, I can tell you first hand that this country has not always appreciated military service to the extent they do today. It is, at least, comforting to know that, sometimes, things change for the better, but, at the same time, it amazes me how so many of the 1% stick their chest out and say "that used to be me". I think it even goes further than that..." I have kicked, scraped, and clawed my way to the top and have no intentions of ever looking back". If you subscribe to trickle-down economics then everything in the world is as it should be, except that, "adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage is currently 20% less than it was in 1967--which is why so many people still eat at McDonald's".

By the way, what exactly are Conservatives saying with their post? Screw the poor, give the military a raise? I don't care about bottom-rung workers who are encouraged by their employer to work two jobs and provide NOTHING in their theoretical budget for heat? All this advice comes at a time of record profits. McDonald's CEO, Donald Thompson, was awarded a compensation package totaling $13.8 million in 2012. Company jet, stock options, etc. but no heat in the employee budget!

While I'm at it, I would like to point out that there is a shopping list of additional pay our service members receive. While accurate, the misleading post that references the lowly private E1's starting pay as $18378/year ($1531/month) is incomplete. For service members who are deployed to combat areas there is Special & Incentive pay that includes up to $150/month depending on Quality of Life (fox hole vs. more secure area), an additional $225/month for Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger, $800/month Assignment Incentive Pay (involuntary extension), $150/month for Hazardous Duty Pay (Parachuting, ordnance demolition, etc, a housing allowance for when married service members live off-base ($1686/month), clothing allowance, relocation expenses, a family separation allowance of $250/month and finally, a family subsistence supplemental allowance that is meant to help lower ranking enlisted with large families avoid food stamps. So, for all the folks who instantly lap-up the Conservative disinformation, think again; with the additional pay cited above, our troops can easily exceed $15/hour.

 I strongly support every penny the military receives, especially the lower ranks; however, the disingenuous nature of the post, to which I am referring, only leaves one conclusion...screw the poor. In fact, if you look at the stats, the McDonald's workforce is increasingly comprised of FAMILIES, not just single teens. Oh, and FYI, McDonald's workers are being paid $14.50/hour in Australia! Let's be honest about this...the minimum wage isn't going to double over night. There are still some states in the south that have NO minimum wage, while some like California and Washington have voluntarily gone to the $10 minimum mark. Many states have increases planned for the next couple of years that will get the minimum to $10/hour. So, for the 1% who can't fathom an almost livable wage of $15/hour, I say, where is your compassion for your fellow Americans? Would the increase in the price of a burger prevent you from buying that new car? I doubt it. In fact, I suspect that most of the people sharing the referenced post don't even eat at McDonald's. As far as I'm concerned, the mask is off, many of those who have dug themselves out of poverty with hard work have, in fact, forgotten their roots. There is a big difference between being a lazy benefit seeker and working two jobs that still won't get you to a basic level of subsistence.

There is still plenty of unemployed who were once managers making a comfortable upper middle-class living. Because the economy tanked due to sub-prime mortgages and "too big to fail", the layoffs hit with a vengeance. A situation, from which, we still haven't recovered. By Conservative standards, all those workers are now fodder under their heels. They have had their unemployment benefits extended how many times? Many still can't find work and have stopped looking. So, where are we? We now have an even larger base of McDonald's class workers that the right wing doesn't care about (at least as evidenced by the original thinly disguised "patriotic" post).

So, as an Independent and a moderate, I say to you, go ahead, post on, but rest assured, there are plenty of us sitting on the fence who have seen the true face of the greedy. I challenge all the "Constitutionalists" to explain how the taxpayers should be saddled with the debt and resulting economy created by private investment companies. According to what I've been reading and hearing, the same scenario may rear its ugly head again in the not too distant future; but that's OK, at least those McDonald's workers were held in check.