Monday, November 19, 2007

In New Brunswick????


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Originally uploaded by Oldmaison
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

McDonald's

So horrible to work at they'll pay you 75 cents over minimum wage.

They'll probably keep it at $8 once the rate goes up to $7.75.

We're destroying our culture one soggy, stale, e-coli covered big mac at a time.

Anonymous said...

Those lucky people!Can you imagine how liitle tax they have to pay?
OH YES,they still have to pay!

Anonymous said...

I see no problem with working at McDonald's. What is wrong with everyone that they are "too good" to work for 8$ an hour. No, it's not great wages but it's a start and it will give you opportunities. I worked fast food through university and after I graduated until I got a career. It helped jump start my career because it gave me a reference. It was an OPPORTUNITY. My god, of all the people on the streets and those out of work, you think someone might want to work - even for a measley $8/hr @40/wk or $320 a week - and being in the lowest tax bracket, that's better than welfare. Come on people, the research shows that education is linked to income, so start somewhere and get educated and move on. Always an excuse.

Anonymous said...

"so start somewhere and get educated and move on"

Ah - that's pretty much what we've done; in great numbers. We've gotten educated and moved on (out of the province). If you followed the University debate, they came up with an interesting solution to stop this from happening.

Of course, their* proposed technique was to cut education, rather than increase the number of jobs your career oriented sorts have come to expect. Not that there aren't plenty of plush jobs for their own kids and incestuous brethren.

However, the capitalist pyramid scheme breaks down so obviously on this point (unless you're willing to openly print tons of new money) the number of low-level workers required to support one mid-level manager's pay scale is obviously greater than our system can maintain. In fact, the entire growth model behind our current debt-slave system if fundamentally unsustainable.

In order to maximize profits for the people at the top, the system requires exponentially more people in the bottom rungs, leading to permanent underclass and eventual stagflation of the economy You can argue anecdotally all you want about your buddy X, who works at Irving company Y, making good coin. However, there's about twenty people around town who are being pricked to death with taxes while they knock endlessly on the old glass ceiling.

It seems like the idea of making it to the top after pulling yourself up by the bootstraps is greatly promoted in our society. Unfortunately, we often turn to blame and accusations against each other, rather than acknowledge the mathematical impossibility of our success.

Granted, our can-do mentality sometimes provides hope in times of danger, it often just provides a bigger fall as one comes to understand the real structure of the system.

Even worse, it also gives the upper class a way out - as they can point to their nouveau rich buddies as examples of why they deserve their cake and ours too.

To address your points more specifically,

One, for a person who seems to be promoting work at McDonalds, you sure wanted to get out of there fast. Why not try to progress through the McDonalds food chain, or could you see yourself worn out and spent by the end of it?

Second, What sort of disdain will you have for colleagues who don't make it out of the grind?

Finally, You really think your McDonald's reference would have been a positive if you hadn't been working there while finishing your degree?

These jobs might be billed as temporary, but they are a life-long reality for many hard working New Brunswickers. For us to thrust their productivity and time away, into the void of a global behemoth goes against any sort of Maritime community I've ever heard expounded.

Anonymous said...

WOW,Who will agree that this is a beautiful piece.
What can I say.
Nothing would be best,along side this sensible and factual poetry in motion.
Naturally you are too sensible and intelligent,that we would ever have the chance to vote for you.