Many of you know my stance on various topics because you’ve read my previous blog posts. If you haven’t, bookmark this post and go ahead and read them. I warn you, my opinions (hereafter referred to as facts) can offend some people. Read the lighter fare and decide if you want to risk this one. I intend to be blunter here. I intend to be honest and truthful, even if it paints me in a poor light. I even intend to back up my facts with a work’s cited at the end! Oh, joy!
Now to start out with, let me get this off my chest: I don’t care who you voted for, or who you supported during the election. If you voted, good on you! If you didn’t, hide your shame and do better next time. Donald Trump, with all his orange, er… colorful characteristics won the election according to the laws of this nation. If you stand up and claim that he is not your president, then you are either an illegal immigrant or intend to move out of the United States. If you’re sticking around, then he IS your president, like it or not. I didn’t like Obama and his politics, but he was still my president for the past eight years. I understand that Trump lost the popular vote, but our election system is based on an electoral voting system and has been for longer than anyone has been alive. “The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.” (What is the Electoral College? n.d.) If you don’t like that fact, then write your congressman or representative. Standing in a crowd and proclaiming that the legal winner of the election is not your president does nothing. Unless Trump is found guilty of some impeachable offense, he IS the President of these United States… At least until the next election.
I’m not saying that protesting is pointless, or shouldn’t be done. Rioting, looting, and breaking laws because you don’t agree with something SHOULDN’T be done. Legal protesting should happen, but done with intelligent action. Protest the election process, not the final result. Protest a law BEFORE it’s passed, not after it’s too late. Yes, laws can be repealed, but that’s like going on a date with a known killer. You know what could happen by doing it, but what’s the point in complaining when they’re holding a knife to your throat? Bit extreme? I’m not sorry.
I’ve heard and read many people saying that they hope Trump fails… Let me allow that statement sink in a little bit. They want the leader of this nation to fail, and thereby drag this nation down with them. This is the true height of folly and hubris. People are so upset that their candidate didn’t win, that they want the nation to fail. Make no mistake: the President of the United States is the leader of this country, and if he fails, we all fail. Like it or not, Trump is the man in that seat. This is like being on an oceanic cruise, and a fellow passenger shows you a tape of the captain making a sexist remark. Instead of disliking the captain, you want him to run the ship into an iceberg… Brilliant!
Don’t take that the wrong way. What Trump said in that tape YEARS AGO was sexist, misogynist, and is held in almost every high school locker-room across the nation. I’m not condoning it, but men talk like that when it’s just men, and they feel comfortable doing so. The small budget movie, Range 15 (Range 15), is a great example of how men act when they’re alone. Believe me when I say I’ve heard much worse during my time as a soldier. It’s not right, and it’s not appropriate, but if you want a man who has never spoken that way in his entire life or been a part of such a conversation, you’ll have to find one who has never been through puberty or one who was never alone amongst other men. I’m not proud of it, but even I have been caught up in one of these conversations, though I never said anything as crude as what was on that tape. I won’t defend my past actions, but I will say that in my house, the toilet seat gets put down, my wife’s needs supersede my own, and I believe in equality. Did I just contradict myself in that last statement? Maybe I should be a politician!
Let’s do a quick tally… At this point, I’ve probably pissed off the race-sensitive, insulted the brainpower of some protesters, torqued the religious from my previous post, struck a chord with the bleeding hearts, and inflamed the feminists. Who’s next? The minimum wage millennials, or the Obamacare fanatics? Heck, why not take them in order.
Let’s do some simple math. An employer needs to pay their employees a decent wage. That wage comes out of the business’s profits. When a person works hard enough to increase those profits, they deserve a raise. If an employee gets a raise, but there isn’t a corresponding rise in profits, that money has to come from somewhere. Either cut costs or increase the price of goods. Cutting costs could mean letting employees go. Increases the costs of goods does nothing for the employee, whose higher pay rate now goes to cover an increase in the cost of living. So… The minimum wage goes up, and either people lose their jobs, or the cost of living increases, making the whole thing moot.
“But wait!” you say? “The greedy employer should just cover that. Why should they make that money, when I’m the one working for it? They should be the ones to take the loss.” That answer isn’t as simple. A business owner is at risk and has put a lot of their money into building their business. Small business owners often have a very small margin that they take for themselves. They aren’t greedy, and they often work harder than any of their employees, making less per hour for their efforts. “Okay, okay,” you’ll reply, a sneer in your tone as you think you have me cornered. “But what about large corporations? They can afford to take a pay cut to make sure 16-year-old Tommy can make $15 per hour flipping burgers.” Please stop here for a moment and give me a second to stop laughing… … … …
Large corporations won’t do that. They’ll put in computers, or robots, or machines that cost a lot up front, but will be less expensive in the long run. Especially when you consider the cost of health insurance, Worker’s Comp, paid leave, etc. (Peterson, H., 2015) Gripe, and groan, and protest, but big business isn’t going to cut their profits. And now for my coup de grace on this subject: minimum wage was never designed for someone to make a decent living. It was designed for high school kids, and those joining the workforce to get their foot in and work their way up. Yes, I know this economy hasn’t been the best for that. I know many people would love to work their way up and earn a better income. I did that. Unfortunately, there is a large vocal group that wants to make more without earning it. The unfortunate trend shown in the media over the last few years has been a mentality of give it to me now, and I’ll earn it later. Good luck with that.
And let’s talk about that insurance. Here’s where I’m going to lose a few more of you. I mentioned near the beginning that I didn’t support President Obama or his politics, and his Affordable Care Act was one of those agendas I opposed. Before the pitchforks come out, keep reading. I’m not against affordable healthcare. Heck, in fact, I’m all for it! Many of you know my wife’s health issues, and there have been times when we couldn’t afford the medication that keeps her alive. My objections were with the way the wool was pulled over the American public’s eyes. They (Here the word ‘they’ refers to all the politicians that were trying to push the ACA through) stated time and again that it would not be a tax, though those that were fighting it claimed it would be. In the end, in order for it to pass the Supreme Court, it had to be classified as a tax… “The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax. Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.” (Supreme Court ObamaCare) And who could forget such wise nuggets of common sense like this quote, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” (Christopher, T., 2013) I understand what she was trying to say, but she failed miserably.
The ACA was something that had the right ideas behind it, but poor execution. My insurance premiums went up, making it harder for me to make a living and afford insurance. Insurance that I have to have, or get fined/taxed for not having it. I’m not saying the healthcare system was perfect—or even good before—but the ACA broke it for those who could afford healthcare, and caused problems for those needing to get it. So let me say once more, the ACA was a terribly implemented good idea, but there has to be something better. Too bad all we have are politicians to figure out what that something better is. I know more people have healthcare now than did before, but time will tell as the years pile onto the ACA. Will it be repealed, and replaced with something better? We’ll see….
The Gimme Generation that needs a safe place to be cuddled and swaddled in. I’ll make this one brief. Yes, you’re special, but you’re not a little snowflake. Grow up, and realize that the world doesn’t owe you anything. Go out and earn it! Don’t give excuses as to why you can’t! Come up with solutions. You’re tougher than you let on. Quit asking for handouts. Dang it, now I’m starting to sound like some self-help infomercial. The fact of the matter is, in this world, if you want something you have two choices: take it from someone who worked for it, or work for it yourself. Too many are starting to do the former, without even trying the latter. Listen, I get it. It’s easier to take than to put forth the effort and work for something. Unfortunately, you’ll never get anywhere other than being a bottom feeder with that mentality. Don’t take this as criticism of the entire generation. There are many good eggs in it. Take this as criticism of the bad eggs that are spoiling the rest of the bunch.
I think I’ll finish this rant with an eye on the gender confused. Whoa, whoa! Put down that organic latte, and listen to me. I don’t care if you were born a man, and identify internally as a woman. I don’t care if that last sentence is backward to your situation. I couldn’t care less if you’re a potato and identify as a strawberry. If you want to be a woman, become a woman. If you want to be a man, then do so. BUT, until you do, use the bathroom that matches your plumbing. If you’ve made the change, then your plumbing has been swapped, and you can use the appropriate defecation location.
Well, I think I’ll step down from this soapbox, and let you get back to your regularly scheduled life!
Works Cited
Christopher, T. (2013, November 17). The Context Behind Nancy Pelosi’s Famous ‘We Have to Pass the Bill’ Quote. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-context-behind-nancy-pelosis-famous-we-have-to-pass-the-bill-quote/
Peterson, H. (2015, August 06). McDonald's shoots down fears it is planning to replace cashiers with kiosks. Retrieved February 02, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/what-self-serve-kiosks-at-mcdonalds-mean-for-cashiers-2015-8
Range 15, www.range15.com, 2016.
Supreme Court ObamaCare | Ruling on ObamaCare. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://obamacarefacts.com/supreme-court-obamacare/
"What is the Electoral College?" National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.
