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Take this job and love it
Jeff Miklos
Updated: June 11, 2012 8:09AM
I, like many other Americans have been unemployed or underemployed since the end of the Cheney administration. My former company was bought out by another, and along with several of my colleagues, I was laid off. At first, I was thrilled. The new company was horrible and I was glad to leave. For a few months, with severance and unemployment, I made more than when I was working. Then the economy tanked.
Gainful employment seems to have gone the way of the dodo and the eight track tape. Fortunately I have always been frugal, or as my friends like to call it; cheap. But my thriftiness had saved up a decent amount in the bank, which though dwindling has helped my through these past few years. Along with the occasional temp job, I made extra money doing odd jobs; yard work, painting, nude modeling, selling plasma and writing the occasional column. (Sadly this is my last. Unless someone wants to hire me on full time. Hint, hint)
Finally last fall, a friend’s father told me of an associate who had an opening. Not the best job. It pays about half as much as my old job, and I wasn’t making all that much there. I can almost pay my bills. There’s no insurance, sick days or vacation. On the plus side, it’s less than a mile from home, so I can save a bit on gas. It’s not an overly difficult job, though it can be tedious, frustrating and my hands have begun to hurt from repetitive stress.
The most annoying things are the little ones. There is an overabundance of florescent lighting so I often need to shade my eyes to avoid a migraine. The average temperature in the office in the winter months is 80 degrees. It wasn’t until the outside temperature got over 80, that the inside temps went below. There are no breaks. Aside from a half hour lunch, I’m allotted 15 minutes daily to do whatever I may need to, including using the restroom. Needless to say, I avoid having chili for lunch.
But, I’m glad to have full time employment. Gone are the days when fed up employees can speak the words of the ironically named Johnny Paycheck: “Take This Job and Shove It” Now we’re obliged to take whatever job we can, and love it.
Supposedly the economy’s on the rise. Unemployment is down. Though that’s more likely due to the amount of folks who’ve already reached their limit or simply thrown in the towel. Fortunately the job creators are busy creating jobs for the masses, in India and China. There are a few jobs left for the 99 percent of us in back in the U.S., as their personal valets and tax accountants.
So, who’s to blame? The GOP blames the Democrats and vice versa. It seems to me the problem is that somewhere over the last 30 to 40 years the letters USA have come to stand for the United Shareholders of America. What was once a government by the people for the people has become one by the corporations for the corporations. Not long ago, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people! There are probably more lobbyists and special interest groups in Washington than there are senators and congressmen.
Many government officials are former executives from the very companies they are supposed to be regulating. A sovereign nation was invaded because Halliburton wanted a new contract! Ralph Nader said of the 2000 presidential election campaign; “The only difference between Bush and Gore is the velocity with which their knees hit the floor when corporations bang at their door.”
So what can be done? It is an election year. Nowhere is it written that we have to blindly vote for one of two parties regardless of the lunkhead they’ve thrown on the ballot. We have choices. We just have to make them. Vote for the nation, not the corporation. Maybe vote for someone other than a Democrat or Republican? Some will say “you’re throwing your vote away.” If we all think that way, things will never change. There’s no reason we can’t have three, four, or ten different lunkheads to choose from. The only way to get change is to make it! Food stamps for thought. Until then, we’ll just take their job and love it. Whether we like it or not.
