Meditations

[borys610]

You know, in Poland it's sometimes better to get pension for unemployed, then really working.
It's good if you have no education. And very unfair too.

[Oleander]

That's the messed-up part, Vurn: There are people working, mostly as waiters and waitresses (in the U.S., at least) who are making LESS than minimum wage and thrive on tips.

They aren't making less than minimum wage, they're just getting their pay from two different sources.

[Isobel The Sorceress]

I wouldn't want to work in a place where my pay depends on tipping. If some douche decides not to tip, I don't get full pay. Even though I could make more if someone tipped more than usual.
(We don't do tips here in Finland, btw.)

[Oleander]

I wouldn't want to work in a place where my pay depends on tipping. If some douche decides not to tip, I don't get full pay. Even though I could make more if someone tipped more than usual.
(We don't do tips here in Finland, btw.)

The manager still has to make up for the difference if the tips don't add up to minimum wage, and even then, the employer has to pay an additional amount of around 2 dollars an hour.

[Isobel The Sorceress]

^ Oh, didn't know that.
Doesn't sound too bad now.

[Rooster5man]

Didn't sound that way to me until I read this:

If the waitress for the table was bothered, she didn't show it. But another waitress took a picture of the receipt and posted it Tuesday on Reddit, adding her own response: "I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries."

Missouri's minimum wage is $7.35 per hour, a dime more than the federal standard. For employees like waitresses, bartenders and pizza delivery drivers who receive tips, the state minimum wage is $3.63, though employers must make up the difference for those who do not earn the state minimum in any given hour.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-575 ... nt-online/

That waitress who was fired seemed to be saying she makes less than minimum wage, which she is, but I see now.

Edit: By the way, the waitress's comments I'm referring to aren't in this article.

This is the article where she comments: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutche ... ltdown.php

[Oleander]

I'm a bit confused about what that quote is saying. Is minimum wage 7 dollars or 3 dollars?

[Rooster5man]

Minimum Wage is $7, except it's $3 for those who work in the food industry, for reasons beyond my knowledge.

[Redafro]

I'm finding the reactions from those of you who are not in the USA very interesting. So I guess it is mainly the US that is so corrupted by greed. I feel in our country we have quite literally made greed a virtue: You primary goal is to make money, and dishonest ways of doing so is fine so long as they are not blatantly illegal (and your not caught) because that is "just business." This attitude has a powerful grip on every aspect of our society. Our politicians raise millions of dollars to run for office, most of which comes from our mega-corporations, who in turn thus influence policy. Furthermore the "4th branch of government," being the press, is largely owned by the same mega-corporations which will not publish information which is too at odds with the interests of the mega-corps. Furthermore, every sense the Vietnam war, the press has been highly controlled by the military as to what they can show the public, and thus Americans have no idea just how bloody and violent our war is against "terrorists." This has gotten even worse as the government has gained even more secrecy powers, they've gone crazy with the power and make thousands of things secret which are merely embarrassing to politicians and their supporters: things that would in other words keep the public well informed so we could be good voters who are justly enraged when government doesn't do as it is suppose to. My favorite podcaster, Dan Carlin, has called it the very velvet glove of oppression: it is so soft and gentle, so subtly blinding, you don't even know you are being controlled.

The first thing to remember about all this is that the major media sources are being controlled, so you have to investigate and make your own decisions. The second is that this is no a conspiracy theory about a group of evil people trying to control the world: it's just the natural flow of power in a greedy system. No one has set out to repress the American people, it has happened in small subtle steps by thousands of individuals who are merely looking out for their own best interests without considering the systemic whole picture. Thirdly, this continues because most Americans are too lazy to spend time researching these things and think for themselves, and too invested in their own self interest to care much.

Think of our freaking national debt for crying out loud! Trillions!!! Our medicare is a joke, and Social Security has been hacked into by the politicians as another source of tax revenue leading me to believe I will not have social security to retire on when I am old enough. Prisons are overrun by non-violent offenders like drug users where they are mentally and physically tortured by the conditions of the prison rather than educated and reformed humanly. In spite of our national debt loud, we are the #1 currency in the world, the backup currency of almost all other countries??? That is like finding a bank with the worst credit score and saying "you're our guy!" Why does this continue, why haven't nations called us out on the debt? WE also have the largest and most well equipped army in the world. ... I hate this country sometimes...

If you do some research in your own country and find none of this to be true, well shoot, maybe I should move there. Because my country is a bit screwed right now.

[The Abacus]

I'm finding the reactions from those of you who are not in the USA very interesting. So I guess it is mainly the US that is so corrupted by greed. I feel in our country we have quite literally made greed a virtue: You primary goal is to make money, and dishonest ways of doing so is fine so long as they are not blatantly illegal (and your not caught) because that is "just business." This attitude has a powerful grip on every aspect of our society. Our politicians raise millions of dollars to run for office, most of which comes from our mega-corporations, who in turn thus influence policy. Furthermore the "4th branch of government," being the press, is largely owned by the same mega-corporations which will not publish information which is too at odds with the interests of the mega-corps. Furthermore, every sense the Vietnam war, the press has been highly controlled by the military as to what they can show the public, and thus Americans have no idea just how bloody and violent our war is against "terrorists." This has gotten even worse as the government has gained even more secrecy powers, they've gone crazy with the power and make thousands of things secret which are merely embarrassing to politicians and their supporters: things that would in other words keep the public well informed so we could be good voters who are justly enraged when government doesn't do as it is suppose to. My favorite podcaster, Dan Carlin, has called it the very velvet glove of oppression: it is so soft and gentle, so subtly blinding, you don't even know you are being controlled.

The first thing to remember about all this is that the major media sources are being controlled, so you have to investigate and make your own decisions. The second is that this is no a conspiracy theory about a group of evil people trying to control the world: it's just the natural flow of power in a greedy system. No one has set out to repress the American people, it has happened in small subtle steps by thousands of individuals who are merely looking out for their own best interests without considering the systemic whole picture. Thirdly, this continues because most Americans are too lazy to spend time researching these things and think for themselves, and too invested in their own self interest to care much.

Think of our freaking national debt for crying out loud! Trillions!!! Our medicare is a joke, and Social Security has been hacked into by the politicians as another source of tax revenue leading me to believe I will not have social security to retire on when I am old enough. Prisons are overrun by non-violent offenders like drug users where they are mentally and physically tortured by the conditions of the prison rather than educated and reformed humanly. In spite of our national debt loud, we are the #1 currency in the world, the backup currency of almost all other countries??? That is like finding a bank with the worst credit score and saying "you're our guy!" Why does this continue, why haven't nations called us out on the debt? WE also have the largest and most well equipped army in the world. ... I hate this country sometimes...

If you do some research in your own country and find none of this to be true, well shoot, maybe I should move there. Because my country is a bit screwed right now.

In my opinion it is the corporations, companies (and politicians, depending on the circumstances) who are most corrupted. They often oppose to what is right simply because they are making money and they want to continue making money. As a result they don't care much about (or sometimes not even at all) what is morally right despite knowing perfectly what they are doing and knowing that it is wrong.

the very velvet glove of oppression: it is so soft and gentle, so subtly blinding, you don't even know you are being controlled.

How unfortunately true.