Rich Getter Richer And We Just Suck It Up

Well today is another day and time for my A.M. Rant. I talk to many people in my day and sooner or later the economy becomes a subject even if only briefly. Most however are simple conversations of how the jobs are gone for now and how one can make ends meet. Some more concerned with the drastic losses their pension plans have taken and how they are going to make it up. At this rate they may have to work a few more years to break even again.

I in many ways laugh to myself as to me the whole thing is by design. The governments that we elect to serve us are the same people that are screwing us over and they do it with a big happy smile on their faces and it just ticks me right off. I realize however that as long as we let them get away with it the more they are going to control us.

I best however change thought as I will end up off topic which seems to happen a lot to me as I get so angry and then off I go.

One thing I have always tried to do is put things in a simple perspective that everyone can understand. So here goes... another of my statements and then my posed question.

When I got my first job and let me tell you that was a long time ago it was as a dishwasher at the hotel that my mother managed. She felt I was thirteen at the time and was now old enough to start earning my own pocket money. I in fact loved the sense of freedom even though at that time. 1972 my hourly rate was a whopping $1.82/hr.

I remember clearly the first paycheck that I received and it was a handsome sum of $28.80. Wow I was ecstatic and did not know what to do with all my money... I felt proud and rich... Easy to do at that age. It was Christmas time and I decided to buy my mom and dad something nice for the season and purchased them their first blender. I know and yes that meant shakes so I did have an ulterior motive. None the less however they were happy with the gift and mom spent hours making every sort of concoction she could think of. It was awesome.

Those however were the days when someone of my age with a letter from parents could purchase cigarettes. I would merrily make my way to the store for my parents to attain their smokes and I remember clearly the cost of them. A large pack of kingsize cigarettes was 76 cents. A carton was $5.45. Wow... can you imagine.

Now I use cigarettes as an example as they are easily related to. There are many products that would work equally well and I use a few of them for comparison sake but these always seem to hit home with most people especially smokers.

So at 76 cents a pack for smokes and earning $1.82 an hour works out to be 2.39. So bottom line in 1972 earning a measly $1.82 an hour I could purchase 2.39 packs of cigarettes for my one hour of work. As I sit and look at different products some are more and some are drastically less. I look up old newpapers and check out prices in the advertising at the time and make my comparisons.

What I have noticed however is that certain commodities have had less inflation attached to them. Things like food and fuel for example. Now my mind again starts to click away and sees the association for certain products. Fuel is the lifeline of today's world and would if increased too much affect the entire economy which was have seen of late with all the test pricing etc. Food must remain as much of a constant as possible as people have to eat or do they?

Today however still being a smoker I purchase my cigarettes from the First Nation Peoples at a generous savings and thus can still afford this unhealthy luxury but should I need an emergency pack and treat myself to my normal brand that I will not mention I will pay from $10.25 to $10.85 for a pack.

Now here is the kicker. The minimum wage in Ontario now is $9.50 an hour. Did you get it already or not? Well here is the math... For my one hour of work today, I can only buy .9, that is point nine packs of cigarettes.

Now apply this ratio to a thousand different items that we buy each and everyday and then also look at the taxes that we pay what the hell is left for us?

Each year we are working harder and longer just to maintain a level ground and its not happening.

Is this also by design? I honestly believe that it is. Large corporations are given massive tax incentives to promote employment yet they are allowed to charge whatever they want. This really seems to be a North American trait.

I will go into the many avenues of price hiking and basically theft but those who have not stepped out of North America will not see it... That is all we know and we accept it and live with it even though we are taking it from behind without even a kiss.

So here is my question for today?

How can politicians put be proud to say they have "Raised minimum wages for the benefit of the people" when they allow the large corporations to do what they want and eat up any benefit we get?

And by the way, it is getting worse.