Over the weekend another fringe-edge
wacko went out and shot a slew of people at a Walmart. I cease to be surprised
both 1) because of the frequency of gun violence in the US, and 2) disparity of
America’s reneging on its promises to people.
Yeah, those Life-Liberty-&-pursuit-of-Happiness
ones. Virtually every young person I know with a job is working more than 40
hours a week in order to earn a 40-hr a week salary, and some are doctors,
lawyers, engineers, health technicians and mid-level managers.
While the French expect the month
of August off, most Americans, according to the statistics, don’t even take the
two weeks’ vacation they are entitled to. Other experts question whether
Americans ever leave work given the realities of cell phones and email.
So much for the pursuit of civil life, not to mention
happiness.
Financial types are still
equivocating: there appears to be some evidence that wages are going up, but it
is muted and for the most part, immigration and other influences keep minimum
wage right where business want it—well below a level that would even allow people
in big cities to live where they work, forcing them into expensive,
time-consuming commutes.
Meanwhile, stopping to smell the
flowers is hardly an option, now is it?
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