I made the decision to accept a job at my local library this past June. It is a part-time position, and so far I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I'm still working at my other job, but have reduced my hours to 24 hours a week and combined with the library I work a total of 44 hours a week. Unfortunately, the library doesn't pay as well as my other job, so I'm working more hours for less pay. I'm pretty sure that's not the way it's supposed to be, but my husband came to the rescue with the following statement, "Think of it as a paid internship." I was having a bit of a crisis at the time for reasons still unknown to me. I had called him at work to tell him I accepted the job and was freaking out because of the pay cut. For years, my husband and I earned roughly the same amount of money, but he has since been promoted and has finally received the recognition he deserves along with more pay. He put his time in, and is finally getting the rewards that patience and marking time in a company should pay off.
I'm still mystified as to why I'm bothered by taking a job for minimum wage makes me feel like I'm somehow sponging off of my husband. He has done nothing or said nothing to make me feel that way, and it's just my imagination working overtime. I keep hearing my mother tell me (from when I was a kid) that I should pay my own way in life, and that I should never be beholden to anyone. I think what is spurring this is the fact that I chose, freely, to reduce my hours at a good-paying job to take a not-so-good paying job (but one that is giving me valuable experience) when there are roughly 10% of the country's population would would take even half of what I gave up and be happy about it. Or is it something deeper? Have I gotten so comfortable in my current position that upsetting the apple cart, so to speak, yanked the rug out from under me and made me once again a learner instead of a teacher? Even though I've been back in school for three years now, in my job I'm considered the person of last resort and problem solver. It's hard to change that back to having to ask questions a zillion times a shift and being looked at like a newbie who doesn't have a clue.
I've also switched work environments. Going from health care to library services is a night and day difference. The attitudes of people are very different too. I prefer the library setting as I'm no longer the bad person trying to collect "my money". However, I still can't get the feeling of dread to go away that at some point, someone is going to over-react to a situation and at some point I will hear the words, "You'll get YOUR money!".
However, that doesn't explain my reaction to accepting the position. Maybe it's because when the interview and offer happened, it was very sudden, during a time that I had so much going on, or that I knew it would mean I was leaving a secure job environment to be low person on the seniority pole. I had applied for the job and didn't hear back for a few weeks. In the meantime, I had just finished my spring semester, and was starting my summer class, working full-time, the Bead & Button show was starting and I had signed up for classes (more on that in a bit), my friend Kathie and her husband Steve were stopping by for a quick visit before returning to Ohio, a house to clean, and at some point study. Because I signed up for two classes at the B&B show, I needed to miss my Wednesday night summer class. I took Intro to Film, and I had to get the movie Casablanca from the library. When I went in on Wednesday morning to get the movie, I inquired if the positions had been filled because I had not received a call for an interview. I assumed that I wasn't going to get the job and that was confirmed when the librarian at the desk said she thought the positions had been filled. With a huge feeling of disappointment, I left with the movie I needed to watch, and left to go to the B&B show. It was a long day and night and I didn't get home until 1am. There was a message on the answering machine to call the library. When I called later that morning, I was asked if I could come in for an interview later that day. I did, and was hired the next day. I didn't even get a chance to really discuss the actual position with my husband, who knew I had applied, but because our schedules did not mesh at all that week, only knew what was up when I called him somewhat freaked-out and hysterical and told him I had accepted the job. We hadn't said more that 10 words to each other because neither was home when the other was for most of that week.
Now that I've been at the new job for two weeks, I'm a little better and not so freaked-out. Scott is right, it's like a paid internship, and what I'm gaining in experience makes up for the lack of pay. Now, if I could only get that nagging little voice in my head to quiet down about the stupidity of reducing hours and money lost at the higher paying job. All of my friends are happy for me and agree that it's a great opportunity to get experience. I agree, but that voice just keeps reminding me that I'm turning my back to good pay. For years I always thought that pay was important, but ultimately, happiness was more important. I'm happy with my new job, I like it quite a bit, but something just keeps me from full-fledged embracing of it and I'm guessing it's that stupid little voice that jolts me back to the reality of what you like to do is not necessarily going to pay the bills. Hence, my guilt feelings of sponging off of my husband, especially when I go to pay tuition and books for my classes. Why should I get to enjoy my job (one of them anyway) and he doesn't? I think he likes parts of his job, but given a choice, I don't think it's what he would do to make himself happy in a career. Why do I get to change careers and he doesn't?
I have three semesters left at UW-Sheboygan. My plan is to transfer to UW-Milwaukee for the newly named BSIST program. Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology degree. Quite a mouthful. But, of late I've been plagued with doubts about pursuing this program because I don't necessarily want to get into the technology part of the program. I'm not interested in programming computers and issues like that, but I do see the importance of learning how to use computers for resource information and storage. I guess the lesson to learn from this is that sometimes you can't ala carte life. You have to take the bad with the good, the money with the no money, and take classes that you don't want to take in order to get the degree to get the job to get the pay you want. It's going to be a very long haul of classes at part time, but I just have to keep reminding myself that I will get old no matter what. Time will continue to march whether I make good decisions or bad, or make a lot of money or just enough. I can be old and have regrets, or I can be old and be happy that I tried to get rid of regrets.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Once again....
I find myself angry at yet again references to "Happy Memorial Day". I blogged about this before, but I feel it stands repeating. Memorial Day is not, I repeat NOT a HAPPY Holiday. It's not a holiday at all. It's a day of solemn remembrance for our war dead, not another trashy excuse for a shopping spree. I am disgusted by retailers and customers alike reducing something that should be at the very least observed into the "start of summer" and "let's go shopping WOO HOO!". I received an email from Andrew Toyota in Milwaukee hoping I am "enjoying my memorial day". Two things are wrong with this statement. How does one "enjoy" a day that reminds me of my WWII veteran father, who passed away in Oct of 2002? Or the hundreds of thousands of war dead around the county and buried on foreign soil? What makes retailers think I "enjoy" Memorial Day? And the second thing wrong? They didn't capitalize Memorial Day. So, not only do they have absolutely no respect for the men and women who died in the service of OUR country, but they can't even use proper punctuation and grammar?
The gloves are off. The next time I get wished a "happy Memorial Day", I will not hesitate to tell the person why, exactly, they are an idiot. And maybe suggest they look up the word Memorial in the dictionary. I'm done with being nice about this. There is a reason why Taps is played at the observances and cemeteries, and it's not to signal the start of the shopping summer season.
The gloves are off. The next time I get wished a "happy Memorial Day", I will not hesitate to tell the person why, exactly, they are an idiot. And maybe suggest they look up the word Memorial in the dictionary. I'm done with being nice about this. There is a reason why Taps is played at the observances and cemeteries, and it's not to signal the start of the shopping summer season.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
End of semester
Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but I'm guessing that no one has noticed (or read my blog judging by the lack of comments left). The spring 2010 semester is drawing down to a close and will soon be a distant memory. I enjoyed my classes this semester; I took mass communications and American Literature. The Am Lit class was online and the mass comm class was at campus. I've been aware since going back to college that my age is roughly double the traditional student. I usually don't think all that much about it as after a few classes it isn't really relevant to what I was learning. However, with mass comm, I became acutely aware of my age. This class was a walk down memory lane and thankfully, the teacher was just a little bit older than myself so I didn't feel like a complete fossil. He made jokes of how old he was, but at one point in the class the age of 30 came up and one of the girls made an exclamation of sticking out her tongue and saying "yuk, that's so old".
Ah, youth. I can remember being a kid and wanting to be older. Of being a teenager and wanting to be "legal". But at some point, probably around my mid-20's I stopped wanting to be older. It was such a gradual shift in my thought process, I don't even fully recall stopping the wish-process of aging. I know that my 20's were probably the busiest time of my life. I graduated from MATC and was recruited for my first full-time job, I met and married Scott, we moved twice, we bought a house and all the accouterments that go with it, we bought a new car, my mother and uncle passed away, and I started quilting. In re-reading my list, thankfully most of it is happy and experiences that people usually look forward too. But in my mass comm class, I became aware of how disadvantaged I truly was.
For starters, the concept of cellular phones was pretty much a military application and maybe some people in very large cities (New York) had them. And they were HUGE. Like bread box huge. You could only place a call and don't even think about texting or taking pictures, let alone surfing something called a web. I got my first cell phone in 2003 way after it had become a way of life for many people. I was out of my 20's by then and only used it for making phone calls of an urgent nature. I didn't (and still don't) like using cell phones because of the poor sound quality and lag times. However, every where I go on campus (and in life) someone has a cell phone stuck to their head or hand. It is an extension of their body like clothing.
When we got to the topic of computers and the internet, the impact to society was lost to the generation that has never known a time without either. It's always been there for them, they have never known a time when accessing a computer for whatever they need wasn't available to them. The closest they come to that now, is a dead cell phone battery in a power outage. But as the teacher tried to impress upon them the miracle of technology that is a way of life now, all he got in return were bored looks and silence. I was their age when the world wide web was catching on like wildfire and the common masses were turning to cyberspace (haven't heard that term in awhile, I bet) for entertainment and information. There were no commerce sites yet, so no shopping. Unlike TV and radio where my parents and grandparents marveled at that technology, it doesn't change much. Both are pretty much one way signals and for years never really changed. But the internet evolves and with each technology jump becomes something that the 20 somethings of today expect instead of marvel at.
So, that's another semester down on the long journey of my college career. I'm still amazed at how many students text while in class. At one point, a student was texting her boyfriend during class that she was mad at the professor because he said something unflattering about Disney. She is a self-admitted fanatic of Disney, and defends any and all aspersions cast about said company. So, when the professor said he couldn't understand why food has to cost so much at a Disney park, she argued with him and then said she was texting her boyfriend that she was mad at the teacher. And she did. Cell phone in hand, she texted away. I was stunned at the level of impertinence and self-absorption that prevented her from waiting until the end of class to tell her boyfriend all about it. Nope, it's got to be told RIGHT NOW. Patience and courtesy. More casualties of the internet.
With that thought, I need to post my blog and go online to do my American Lit homework.
Ah, youth. I can remember being a kid and wanting to be older. Of being a teenager and wanting to be "legal". But at some point, probably around my mid-20's I stopped wanting to be older. It was such a gradual shift in my thought process, I don't even fully recall stopping the wish-process of aging. I know that my 20's were probably the busiest time of my life. I graduated from MATC and was recruited for my first full-time job, I met and married Scott, we moved twice, we bought a house and all the accouterments that go with it, we bought a new car, my mother and uncle passed away, and I started quilting. In re-reading my list, thankfully most of it is happy and experiences that people usually look forward too. But in my mass comm class, I became aware of how disadvantaged I truly was.
For starters, the concept of cellular phones was pretty much a military application and maybe some people in very large cities (New York) had them. And they were HUGE. Like bread box huge. You could only place a call and don't even think about texting or taking pictures, let alone surfing something called a web. I got my first cell phone in 2003 way after it had become a way of life for many people. I was out of my 20's by then and only used it for making phone calls of an urgent nature. I didn't (and still don't) like using cell phones because of the poor sound quality and lag times. However, every where I go on campus (and in life) someone has a cell phone stuck to their head or hand. It is an extension of their body like clothing.
When we got to the topic of computers and the internet, the impact to society was lost to the generation that has never known a time without either. It's always been there for them, they have never known a time when accessing a computer for whatever they need wasn't available to them. The closest they come to that now, is a dead cell phone battery in a power outage. But as the teacher tried to impress upon them the miracle of technology that is a way of life now, all he got in return were bored looks and silence. I was their age when the world wide web was catching on like wildfire and the common masses were turning to cyberspace (haven't heard that term in awhile, I bet) for entertainment and information. There were no commerce sites yet, so no shopping. Unlike TV and radio where my parents and grandparents marveled at that technology, it doesn't change much. Both are pretty much one way signals and for years never really changed. But the internet evolves and with each technology jump becomes something that the 20 somethings of today expect instead of marvel at.
So, that's another semester down on the long journey of my college career. I'm still amazed at how many students text while in class. At one point, a student was texting her boyfriend during class that she was mad at the professor because he said something unflattering about Disney. She is a self-admitted fanatic of Disney, and defends any and all aspersions cast about said company. So, when the professor said he couldn't understand why food has to cost so much at a Disney park, she argued with him and then said she was texting her boyfriend that she was mad at the teacher. And she did. Cell phone in hand, she texted away. I was stunned at the level of impertinence and self-absorption that prevented her from waiting until the end of class to tell her boyfriend all about it. Nope, it's got to be told RIGHT NOW. Patience and courtesy. More casualties of the internet.
With that thought, I need to post my blog and go online to do my American Lit homework.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
That's only fair....
As I was driving to and from my daily obligations the other day, I had a thought enter my head that left me wondering about it the rest of the day. What is fair? Most of us have been taught from little on to treat others "fairly", but on whose standards of fairness do we draw from? Some things are easy to make fair. You can divide money evenly, land, food, and (sometimes) possessions. But what about things you can't cut, split, or physically divide? The thought at the time occurred when a driver in fancy car cut me off at freeway speeds because he didn't feel he needed to merge when he was supposed to. It was a rare day because my blood didn't immediately boil, but the fairness thought entered my head instead. Was it fair that he drives like that without regard to consequences because he can and did get away with it? Technically, the only thing he did wrong legally was not using his signal light to tell me he was changing lanes. In my opinion it was reckless driving, but as there was no accident; no harm, no foul, right? But was it fair? Is this (supposedly) rich man so used to getting every thing he wants that his standards of fairness are gone? That he no longer considers himself part of the common mass, but because he can't have a private road going where he needs to go, he has to lower himself to drive on the common freeway with people who drive econo box cars? Does he rage because he feels it's not fair to have to mix with the rest of us common folk who just want to get from point A to point B without being killed?
What about standing in line? What happens when someone cuts in line or cuts up to the front of the counter? If those of us had lasers in our eyes that person would be toast. We deem it unfair for people to skip and cut in line. We've been taught this from kindergarten on. But do we say anything? I was at a large warehouse store and was standing in line at the concession bar waiting to get a drink. A man with two small children walks up to the counter and when the employee taking orders finished with his current customer, the line skipping customer proceeded to commandeer the employee from taking my order to take his. It irritated me, and I challenged the man by staring at him. (again, good thing we don't have lasers in our eyes) He looked at me, with a smirk on his face but when I didn't look away, smile, or otherwise give him a "pass" for what he did, the smirk disappeared and he began to fumble with his money and then started talking very loudly to his kids about finding a seat. I wondered at what point he lost the stand in line like every one else because it's fair rule, and what is he teaching his kids? They learn by our example, and if Mr. line jumper teaches them it's ok to just walk up and get what you want, it's only a matter of years before same kids are cutting people off on the freeway because they feel they are entitled to do so. Waiting is for schmucks, right?
So, again, what is fair and why can't we agree on it? Mr. line jumper thinks it's fair that he doesn't have to wait a few minutes to get his cheap food and drink. Yet, the worst I could do was to give him a death stare and not say a word. He knew he did something wrong, yet I never said a word to him. Oh, yes, my face probably said quite a bit to him, and he must have realized he did something wrong because he couldn't keep eye contact and busied himself with his money and kids. But did he learn anything about the fairness of waiting his turn? He knows he'll never see me again so why should he bother with societal rules? Standing in line has to be one of the oldest society rules, yet so many people fail to learn it.
If we can't even manage to master the easy, simple, and elementary rules of fairness, how in the world can we learn to deal with fairness issues on a much bigger scale? When did it become the norm to not only disregard what is fair, but to scheme to get as much as possible for yourself? Whether it's time or money, why are now some people grabbing as much as they can thinking that it's fair to act like that?
What about standing in line? What happens when someone cuts in line or cuts up to the front of the counter? If those of us had lasers in our eyes that person would be toast. We deem it unfair for people to skip and cut in line. We've been taught this from kindergarten on. But do we say anything? I was at a large warehouse store and was standing in line at the concession bar waiting to get a drink. A man with two small children walks up to the counter and when the employee taking orders finished with his current customer, the line skipping customer proceeded to commandeer the employee from taking my order to take his. It irritated me, and I challenged the man by staring at him. (again, good thing we don't have lasers in our eyes) He looked at me, with a smirk on his face but when I didn't look away, smile, or otherwise give him a "pass" for what he did, the smirk disappeared and he began to fumble with his money and then started talking very loudly to his kids about finding a seat. I wondered at what point he lost the stand in line like every one else because it's fair rule, and what is he teaching his kids? They learn by our example, and if Mr. line jumper teaches them it's ok to just walk up and get what you want, it's only a matter of years before same kids are cutting people off on the freeway because they feel they are entitled to do so. Waiting is for schmucks, right?
So, again, what is fair and why can't we agree on it? Mr. line jumper thinks it's fair that he doesn't have to wait a few minutes to get his cheap food and drink. Yet, the worst I could do was to give him a death stare and not say a word. He knew he did something wrong, yet I never said a word to him. Oh, yes, my face probably said quite a bit to him, and he must have realized he did something wrong because he couldn't keep eye contact and busied himself with his money and kids. But did he learn anything about the fairness of waiting his turn? He knows he'll never see me again so why should he bother with societal rules? Standing in line has to be one of the oldest society rules, yet so many people fail to learn it.
If we can't even manage to master the easy, simple, and elementary rules of fairness, how in the world can we learn to deal with fairness issues on a much bigger scale? When did it become the norm to not only disregard what is fair, but to scheme to get as much as possible for yourself? Whether it's time or money, why are now some people grabbing as much as they can thinking that it's fair to act like that?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
What a year it was....
It's that time of year again when people begin to compile lists from the past year into the best of/worst of comparisons, and also the celebrity death lists. I've never been a fan of the best/worst lists, but I understand why people have a need to list their likes and dislikes. I'm always at a loss for words when someone asks me what my favorite movie or book is, because I have so many I like, and some for very different reasons. It's agonizing for me to list things in order of favorites, and mostly I never do. I read other people's lists and usually shrug my shoulders because they hardly ever agree with what my likes and dislikes are.
AFI came out with a 100 best movie lines this year, and I keep thinking about who makes these decisions, what about films of the future, why were most of the lines from recent (within 20 years) movies, and how do you make an objective decision about which lines get included and which don't? If I didn't care for a particular movie, chances are I'm not going to pick a line from it that I consider one of the "best ever" lines of cinema history. The same goes for AFI picking the best movies. Shouldn't the title be: AFI's Best Movies (So Far...).
The other thing that bugs me, is the celebrity death lists that come out. I find it incredibly depressing, and although I understand there is a fascination with it, I personally find it distasteful and tacky. When the "memorial" is presented at the Academy Awards, or the Oscars, I know why the presentation is done, but unless the audience is prepared to attend a funeral, it seems schlocky and half-hearted. Kind of like "hey, we know you're having a good time celebrating, but let's bring this down a notch and watch pictures of all your friends who are now dead." When the camera pans to the theater, most people are talking, not paying attention, on cell phones, or just plain gone from their seats. I'm also guessing that the majority of the viewing audience at home is in the kitchen for a snack, gone to the bathroom, channel-surfing, or talking on the phone.
The published death lists seem just as bad to me. A member of my family handed me a newspaper that had a death list in it, and I tried to explain why I didn't really want to read it. She took it back, but I felt like for some reason I offended her. Almost like I was disrespecting the dead, which I don't feel I was. She's never spoken of it again, and this year didn't try to give me the paper, so I'm guessing I probably did offend her and she's covering it. I guess I feel that when I first read of a person's death, and then the obituary, that is enough for me. I now know they have passed on, and I don't need to be reminded of it in some year-end list where the public just kind of reads through it and blazes through to the next section of the paper. It seems rude somehow, an "aw, that's a shame" and move on moment.
Don't misunderstand me and think that once a celebrity is dead and buried I forget about them. Quite the contrary. Every time I see an actor who has passed away, it registers in my head they are no longer with us. I think of Jim Henson every time I see a Muppet. Movies that were directed by master filmmakers and I wonder if we'll ever see talent like that again. Writers who will never write a favorite book for me and musicians who will never sing again; it all registers with me at the time of their death. I don't need some popularity list at the end of the year reminding me in some trite way the level of their popularity based on how big of a page spread they get. Or corner blurb.
So, as 2009 draws to a close, I will not watch all the shows that every network puts out addressing "the year that was" and other condensed bits of trivia that get fed to the public in these last few days. It is still a free country (for the time being anyway...) so those of you who love the death lists and best ever lists, have at it. Just don't complain to me when your favorite movie doesn't make it on someone else's idea of the best...movie...everrrrrr!
Happy New Year!
AFI came out with a 100 best movie lines this year, and I keep thinking about who makes these decisions, what about films of the future, why were most of the lines from recent (within 20 years) movies, and how do you make an objective decision about which lines get included and which don't? If I didn't care for a particular movie, chances are I'm not going to pick a line from it that I consider one of the "best ever" lines of cinema history. The same goes for AFI picking the best movies. Shouldn't the title be: AFI's Best Movies (So Far...).
The other thing that bugs me, is the celebrity death lists that come out. I find it incredibly depressing, and although I understand there is a fascination with it, I personally find it distasteful and tacky. When the "memorial" is presented at the Academy Awards, or the Oscars, I know why the presentation is done, but unless the audience is prepared to attend a funeral, it seems schlocky and half-hearted. Kind of like "hey, we know you're having a good time celebrating, but let's bring this down a notch and watch pictures of all your friends who are now dead." When the camera pans to the theater, most people are talking, not paying attention, on cell phones, or just plain gone from their seats. I'm also guessing that the majority of the viewing audience at home is in the kitchen for a snack, gone to the bathroom, channel-surfing, or talking on the phone.
The published death lists seem just as bad to me. A member of my family handed me a newspaper that had a death list in it, and I tried to explain why I didn't really want to read it. She took it back, but I felt like for some reason I offended her. Almost like I was disrespecting the dead, which I don't feel I was. She's never spoken of it again, and this year didn't try to give me the paper, so I'm guessing I probably did offend her and she's covering it. I guess I feel that when I first read of a person's death, and then the obituary, that is enough for me. I now know they have passed on, and I don't need to be reminded of it in some year-end list where the public just kind of reads through it and blazes through to the next section of the paper. It seems rude somehow, an "aw, that's a shame" and move on moment.
Don't misunderstand me and think that once a celebrity is dead and buried I forget about them. Quite the contrary. Every time I see an actor who has passed away, it registers in my head they are no longer with us. I think of Jim Henson every time I see a Muppet. Movies that were directed by master filmmakers and I wonder if we'll ever see talent like that again. Writers who will never write a favorite book for me and musicians who will never sing again; it all registers with me at the time of their death. I don't need some popularity list at the end of the year reminding me in some trite way the level of their popularity based on how big of a page spread they get. Or corner blurb.
So, as 2009 draws to a close, I will not watch all the shows that every network puts out addressing "the year that was" and other condensed bits of trivia that get fed to the public in these last few days. It is still a free country (for the time being anyway...) so those of you who love the death lists and best ever lists, have at it. Just don't complain to me when your favorite movie doesn't make it on someone else's idea of the best...movie...everrrrrr!
Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Right or Privilege?
I've been hearing ads on the radio and seeing ads on TV for something called Safelink phone service. It is a government sponsored plan that gives FREE OF CHARGE a cell phone, along with what goes with a cell phone (voice mail, minutes, caller ID, etc.) to eligible people. I went to the website to learn more, and the program is run in conjunction with Tracfone Wireless. There's no other phone service company to choose from, the only choice is TracFone. But that's not my big problem with this program.
At what point did it become the government's responsibility to make sure everyone has a cell phone? Or any telephone for that matter? I don't remember free phone service being offered before, even before cell phones. If you didn't have the money, you didn't have a phone. TracFone believes that having a cell phone is a RIGHT and that no matter what your income level, you have a guaranteed right to have a cell phone.
"TracFone Wireless believes that cell phone ownership is a right and an important tool for individual success in today's world. Everyone should have a cell phone without the need for a contract or a high credit rating." https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/about_us.aspx
Why? Why are my tax dollars being wasted on this program? Why are my dollars being used for something I don't see as a constitutional right? Having a cell phone is not a RIGHT. It is a privilege and a luxury, not a RIGHT. You have the RIGHT to free speech, but you don't have the RIGHT to get a cell phone in order to have free speech. The government had it's fingers in phone service for years until deregulation came along, but they never gave away free phones. Having a phone, whether a "land line" or a cell phone is nothing more than pure privilege, not right.
And why should I have to pay for someone to have a cell phone? No one pays for my cell phone. There are a lot of things we need in life, but almost all of them are not RIGHTS. They are privileges. Luxuries. Things we WORK for. I might be on board with this cell phone giveaway if, and only if, the phone only called 9-1-1 for emergencies. And, if the person didn't have an emergency, they would be charged for the call and given a ticket for making false 9-1-1 calls. But this program doesn't restrict the use of the phone. So if Chatty Kathy wants to annoy every driver on the road telling her BFF about the latest gossip, she can. At tax payer expense. Oh, the website does mention that if a person runs out of minutes, they can purchase more TracFone cards to buy more minutes. What? If they can afford the extra minutes, why can't they afford the phone in the first place? TracFones are $10 bucks at Big Lots the last time I checked, and are around the same price at Walmart too.
In a government system run amok with spending, this is the straw for me. Having phone service is not a RIGHT and anyone who thinks so is wrong. Just flat-out plain wrong. It is not the governments business to make sure people can chat with their BFF's. And what good will that phone do when they have used up all the minutes doing so and then complain they don't have any phone service for the rest of the month? What then? At some point, some sue-happy People's Flower Power group is going to sue for unlimited minutes because, after all, you can't restrict free speech if you are going to give it out to begin with. At what point, do we just turn every single aspect of our lives over to the government and like the zombies we are destine to become, let them choose every aspect of our lives from cell phones to clothing?
Will we work just for "living credits" instead of a paycheck? Hey, you worked 5 hours this week! Yeah! Good for you! You can have a gallon of milk or a cell phone. But, don't forget, for every hour you work, you also have to support the ones who won't work, so you'll get a half gallon of milk instead. Sorry about the cell phone, maybe next week.
The sense of entitlement in the country is growing at an alarming rate. I do believe we need to take care of a slice of society that truly can not work or support themselves for various reasons. Disabilities, retirement, veterans, and to help people get back on their feet; a temporary help, not permanent. Food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. But not a cell phone. Or a computer, or TV, or car, or vacations, or anything else that seems so silly, and just as silly as free cell phones.
Where is this money coming from anyway? Don't we hear about all the short falls the government is experiencing, and yet something as frivolous as a cell phone gets money from said broke government? What truly needed program was cut off so that BFF's can waste the money chatting about the game? Or the soaps? Or the neighborhood gossip? How many of the people who get the free phones will actually use them for emergencies or something productive? I do not consider gossip productive.
This is a stupid program. Plain and simple. And yes, I know there is a lot of government waste and stupid uses of money, but do we really need to condone this behavior? And, at what point can I start saying I have a right to (fill in the blank) and therefore the government should supply it to me. It's my right after all.
At what point did it become the government's responsibility to make sure everyone has a cell phone? Or any telephone for that matter? I don't remember free phone service being offered before, even before cell phones. If you didn't have the money, you didn't have a phone. TracFone believes that having a cell phone is a RIGHT and that no matter what your income level, you have a guaranteed right to have a cell phone.
"TracFone Wireless believes that cell phone ownership is a right and an important tool for individual success in today's world. Everyone should have a cell phone without the need for a contract or a high credit rating." https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/about_us.aspx
Why? Why are my tax dollars being wasted on this program? Why are my dollars being used for something I don't see as a constitutional right? Having a cell phone is not a RIGHT. It is a privilege and a luxury, not a RIGHT. You have the RIGHT to free speech, but you don't have the RIGHT to get a cell phone in order to have free speech. The government had it's fingers in phone service for years until deregulation came along, but they never gave away free phones. Having a phone, whether a "land line" or a cell phone is nothing more than pure privilege, not right.
And why should I have to pay for someone to have a cell phone? No one pays for my cell phone. There are a lot of things we need in life, but almost all of them are not RIGHTS. They are privileges. Luxuries. Things we WORK for. I might be on board with this cell phone giveaway if, and only if, the phone only called 9-1-1 for emergencies. And, if the person didn't have an emergency, they would be charged for the call and given a ticket for making false 9-1-1 calls. But this program doesn't restrict the use of the phone. So if Chatty Kathy wants to annoy every driver on the road telling her BFF about the latest gossip, she can. At tax payer expense. Oh, the website does mention that if a person runs out of minutes, they can purchase more TracFone cards to buy more minutes. What? If they can afford the extra minutes, why can't they afford the phone in the first place? TracFones are $10 bucks at Big Lots the last time I checked, and are around the same price at Walmart too.
In a government system run amok with spending, this is the straw for me. Having phone service is not a RIGHT and anyone who thinks so is wrong. Just flat-out plain wrong. It is not the governments business to make sure people can chat with their BFF's. And what good will that phone do when they have used up all the minutes doing so and then complain they don't have any phone service for the rest of the month? What then? At some point, some sue-happy People's Flower Power group is going to sue for unlimited minutes because, after all, you can't restrict free speech if you are going to give it out to begin with. At what point, do we just turn every single aspect of our lives over to the government and like the zombies we are destine to become, let them choose every aspect of our lives from cell phones to clothing?
Will we work just for "living credits" instead of a paycheck? Hey, you worked 5 hours this week! Yeah! Good for you! You can have a gallon of milk or a cell phone. But, don't forget, for every hour you work, you also have to support the ones who won't work, so you'll get a half gallon of milk instead. Sorry about the cell phone, maybe next week.
The sense of entitlement in the country is growing at an alarming rate. I do believe we need to take care of a slice of society that truly can not work or support themselves for various reasons. Disabilities, retirement, veterans, and to help people get back on their feet; a temporary help, not permanent. Food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. But not a cell phone. Or a computer, or TV, or car, or vacations, or anything else that seems so silly, and just as silly as free cell phones.
Where is this money coming from anyway? Don't we hear about all the short falls the government is experiencing, and yet something as frivolous as a cell phone gets money from said broke government? What truly needed program was cut off so that BFF's can waste the money chatting about the game? Or the soaps? Or the neighborhood gossip? How many of the people who get the free phones will actually use them for emergencies or something productive? I do not consider gossip productive.
This is a stupid program. Plain and simple. And yes, I know there is a lot of government waste and stupid uses of money, but do we really need to condone this behavior? And, at what point can I start saying I have a right to (fill in the blank) and therefore the government should supply it to me. It's my right after all.
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