One of the great pleasures I have when I am in the United States is listening to National Public Radio while I am working on other things. It is wonderful to discover that even here in Switzerland, I am able to get podcasts of at least some of my favorite shows. National Public Radio (NPR) and its sister network, Public Broadcasting System (PBS) are literally the only two electronic communications systems in the US that actually provide worthwhile news coverage and in-depth analyses of issues, in my opinion. Our much vaunted "freedom of the press" has in too many ways shown itself to be wholly subservient to corporate bidding. Unfortunately, our knowledge and understanding of much, if not most, of what is actually happening in the world has been literally dumbed-down and biased as a result. The most blatant example of right-wing bias, in the opinion of many, is the Fox News Network, also known in the blogosphere variously as "Faux News," "Faux Noise," or even simply "Fux," among others.
Even NPR and PBS have not been immune to some trending to the political right since the 1980s, however. Censorship to some extent also exists there. But they still broadcast many programs that give me hope that we will someday find our way back, if not to the ideal, at least to what we used to take for granted. In my opinion, re-establishment of the "Fairness Doctrine" would help immensely. But I will most likely not see that in my lifetime because too many powerful and moneyed interests oppose its return.
One NPR program that HWMBO and I both particularly enjoy is the Kojo Nnamdi Show. Kojo covers a broad variety of topics in order to better educate his listeners. Most make for fascinating listening. But I found one recent broadcast to be quite shocking. That broadcast occurred on 13 January and gave a "back of the house view" of the Washington restaurant scene.
What shocked me is that the guests on the program asserted that the wages paid to most restaurant staff in Washington, DC amounted to little more than USD 2.00 per hour. !!!??? What is supposed to happen is that patrons are "expected" to tip 20 per cent of the bill, to make up the difference between the staff salaries and a "living" wage. Of course, since most patrons consider a tip to be an indication that they have received good service, those who do not consider that they have received good service, or who are simply mean-spirited in general, don't tip at all. All of the nameless persons who serve "at the back of the house" are then stiffed.
Nor do most restaurant staff receive sick leave or vacation days. Health insurance or retirement benefits? Fuggettaboutit!
When I was a university student in the 1960s, like most of my working-class colleagues, I was able to afford tuition costs by supplementing my parents' contributions towards my education with a combination of academic scholarships, student loans, summer work and university work-study programs. I worked as a salesclerk at the largest department store, known by a rather grandiose name, "The Paris of Montana," in the small city where my school was located. In addition, I was a waitress and a switchboard operator. As a salesclerk, I earned the then-minimum wage of USD 1.50 per hour. Under the university work study programs, I earned USD .85 per hour. The university was private and therefore was allowed to pay me less. But I also had the advantage of not having to commute to work for those jobs because I lived on-campus. Income and social security taxes were deducted from my paychecks, so my actual take-home pay was much less than the gross per hour amounts. But I was a student at the time and those jobs were always intended to be temporary. As a student, I also had health insurance coverage.
In those days, everything also cost a lot less. For example, when I received my Bachelor of Arts degree, my total student loan indebtedness was USD 500. At the time, it seemed quite a lot. The amount is farcical in light of student costs today.
What has happened in the United States that we seem to have literally gone backwards in time? From being one of the most prosperous, vital, energetic and optimistic countries, in many ways a role model, we have regressed to conditions that resemble those in some developing nations, nations that we simply refuse to acknowledge have progressed at least to our level. And many of those nations even have universal health care. The US does not. Arguably, health conditions in those countries may not be the most desirable, but people are at least getting treatment there without having to go bankrupt.
While having lunch with Healer Sis and Sis-In-Law at a trendy little DC establishment, I mentioned having listened to Kojo's program and they too were shocked. They couldn't believe it. Healer Sis called over a young waiter, who looked like a college student himself, and asked him what the salaries there were. He readily answered that they were a little more than USD 2.00 an hour. My companions were stunned. He chuckled when he saw our faces and said, "I'm from San Francisco. They pay USD 10.00 an hour there ... a living wage."
There was no question of anything less than a 20 per cent tip after that.
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. But slavery clearly exists in America today.
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