Can you remember your first job? No, I am not talking about things you did around the house like make your bed and take out the trash to earn an allowance. I am talking about your first paid job for something outside of the house. If I had to guess, I would say that a fair number of kids and teens do not have the experience of a first job until later in life these days. Mom and dad fork out the cash so the kids can just hang with friends whose parents do the same. It might be surprising to learn just how many young adults could go all the way through college before experiencing their first real job.
My first job was working on my father’s chicken farm in central Illinois. I was paid a wage of $30 a month. My cousin and I were expected to gather eggs every day and pack them for shipment. I learned that chickens did not stop laying eggs because of holidays or birthdays. They did not stop laying eggs because it was freezing cold or over 100 degrees. Just like dairy cows, they kept right on producing a product every day, rain or shine. In the summer, it was hot and smelly inside the chicken houses. Flies and dust were in the air. In the winter, the eggs would get so cold it was like picking up ice cubes, unless you happened to pick up a freshly laid egg...ah.
When I was paid at the end of each month, I thought I was rich. My parents never let my sudden wealth go to my head, however. They opened up a savings and loan account and each month we made the trip into town so I could make a deposit. They instilled in me the idea that we saved our money for those special things we might want to buy. It was our money...but we had to be careful how we spent it. They taught me the value of a dollar. My “special thing” was a guitar. It cost me two months wages as I recall. I took a few lessons but never learned to play. I hated to practice.
Looking back on my first job, I am glad I had the experience, but I also realize that I missed out on hanging with friends and having more time to just explore and be a kid. Unlike many kids today, I learned how to handle money at an early age. I learned that sometimes you have to wait and save up your money for those things you really want. The concept of a charge card, credit and instant gratification was a long way off.
I held my first job of “egg collector” for about 6 years. When I turned 16, my family moved to the suburbs of Chicago. There, I found that the privilege of driving was expensive so I started my next in a series of jobs. What an interesting collection of occupations in my lifetime... egg collector, pumping gas, selling newspapers, babysitting, customer service, regional sales service, buyer, purchasing agent, senior buyer, technical writer, tour guide, freelance writer, author and historical interpreter. None of these jobs had anything to do with my college degree. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in biology at the University of Illinois. I was “supposed” to become a dentist, but life had other plans for me. And so it goes.
Care to share your first job(s)?
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Iraq: Five Years and Counting
Five years ago, my mother was still alive. Five years ago, Lisa and I were still living in a small one-bedroom apartment in Chicago. Five years ago, the United States was still respected and feared in the world. We had friends and allies who mourned our loss after 9/11, sent their condolences, and shared our outrage. Five years ago, our economy was still sound.
Five years ago, we could hardly imagine the impact of the creation of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, domestic spying, suspension of Habeas Corpus and the sanctioned torture of terrorists in violation of international treaties and conventions on our own constitutional rights and freedoms. Five years ago, we had no idea our economy would be crashing, our dollar dropping, the price of oil and gas skyrocketing and that our national war debt would be approaching billions and trillions of dollars. Five years ago, nearly 4,000 young, American men and women were still alive and cherished by their friends and families. They had not yet learned of IED’s and the horrors of war.
It was five years ago that I sat in my brother’s living room watching his big screen TV. We were focused on the nighttime skyline of Baghdad in Iraq. Bush’s deadline for Saddam had passed and the whole world waited to see if our country would actually invade Iraq. It was history in the making. Our new president was talking tough. I wanted to believe that we had no other options than to go to war. I wanted to believe that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. Bush and Cheney had convinced us of the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. As a nation, we were scared and angry. We wanted to see someone pay for our national pain and humiliation. We wanted to show the world that we were still the most powerful nation on the face of the earth and that if anyone dare attack us...there would be consequences.
And there were.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Five years ago, we could hardly imagine the impact of the creation of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, domestic spying, suspension of Habeas Corpus and the sanctioned torture of terrorists in violation of international treaties and conventions on our own constitutional rights and freedoms. Five years ago, we had no idea our economy would be crashing, our dollar dropping, the price of oil and gas skyrocketing and that our national war debt would be approaching billions and trillions of dollars. Five years ago, nearly 4,000 young, American men and women were still alive and cherished by their friends and families. They had not yet learned of IED’s and the horrors of war.
It was five years ago that I sat in my brother’s living room watching his big screen TV. We were focused on the nighttime skyline of Baghdad in Iraq. Bush’s deadline for Saddam had passed and the whole world waited to see if our country would actually invade Iraq. It was history in the making. Our new president was talking tough. I wanted to believe that we had no other options than to go to war. I wanted to believe that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. Bush and Cheney had convinced us of the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. As a nation, we were scared and angry. We wanted to see someone pay for our national pain and humiliation. We wanted to show the world that we were still the most powerful nation on the face of the earth and that if anyone dare attack us...there would be consequences.
And there were.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Texas 2-Step
Lisa and I participated in the “Texas 2-Step” last week. Down here in Texas, we get to vote twice. Texas also has this great idea called “early voting” where you have two weeks before Election Day to cast your vote at ANY early voting site (not necessarily your regular polling place). Therefore, in Texas, if you cannot find the time or place to vote at least once...you should be horsewhipped!
First, we voted in the Texas Primary. Since we voted early and our polling place was at our local library (in walking distance from our house), voting was a breeze...no lines...in and out. We used touch screen voting machines that let you review and change any of your choices before it is submitted electronically. My only problem is that there is no paper ballot created in case of a challenge or a recount. I have to have faith that my vote really does count and that it cannot be altered or lost, but that is a whole other issue. What amazed me was that despite having two weeks to cast their votes, many Texans waited until the last minute to vote on Election Day. Because of the huge interest in the Democratic Party race, there were long lines at the polling places and people were complaining about having to stand in line. Some left and did not vote out of frustration. Well, hello people! You had two weeks to vote!
Second, we learned that not all of the Texas delegates would be chosen by voting in the primary. Texas also has a caucus system after the polls close on Election Day. The caucuses choose 1/3 of the total state delegates. Apparently, it is a holdover compromise when Texas went to the primary system 20 years ago. Texans do not give up their old ways easily, especially when it comes to politics.
Lisa and I arrived at our polling place around 7 pm just as the polls were closing. Because so many people turned out, there was a long line out the door and into the library parking lot. By law, anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote and the caucuses cannot begin until the last person votes. We made our way through the line of people still waiting to vote in the primary and into the caucus crowd gathering in the Children’s Section of the library. We looked for our precinct number on one of several tables and stood with others already gathered there. It was pretty much wall-to-wall people and very noisy. Any Republicans were invited to attend their own caucus at the other end of the library. Volunteers circulated and called out for anyone who was willing to help fill out forms and verify identification at each precinct table. It was hard to hear what was going on and it took a while to get enough people to help.
Finally, sometime after 8 pm, we were told that the last person had voted and that the caucus could begin. We were told to form lines and approach our precinct tables in an orderly manner, but there were so many people that lines were hard to discern. Eventually, we approached our table and produced our driver’s licenses and voter registration cards. Once our information was checked, we were allowed to fill out the next line on the multi-line form. You could see everyone’s name, address, phone number and his or her candidate’s choice before yours on the large sheet. So much for privacy! We finally made our way out of the library around 9 pm after two hours of being on our feet. Some caucuses at other locations finished even later with far more confusion and even a few fistfights according to the news. It was an interesting process, but I am not sure I would participate again.
The next morning, we learned that Hillary had just barely won the primary, but that Obama looked as if he might win the caucus vote and take the majority of the total delegate count for the state. The caucus votes will not be officially determined until the State Democratic Convention in June. All I can say is... what a system! The news media was excitedly reporting that this election exceeded all expectations and that the Texas vote had been a “record” turnout. The last I heard the statewide voter turnout was around 33% of all the registered voters. So that was the Texas 2-Step.
Looking at this whole party primary/caucus delegate selection process nationwide and state-by-state, I have to wonder...what the hell is going on! The Republicans have winner take all states and the Democrats choose delegates proportional to the popular vote. Some states have caucuses, some have primaries and some (Texas)...have both. Two states have been stripped of their Democratic delegates because they violated party rules by moving their election dates ahead of other states to gain more influence on candidate selection. Now how can you hold a national convention and not allow delegates from two of the 50 states of the union to be seated? If you do allow them to be seated, Hillary’s name was the only name remaining on the ballot in Michigan, while both their names were on the Florida ballot. The other candidates removed their names per National Democratic Party rules. (Why was THAT allowed to happen?) What a giant mess!
A lot of this “political monkey business” could be avoided if we had a National Primary Vote on one day (or each party could choose another day of their own, if they wish to foot the cost of two separate elections). We would have a larger choice of candidates to vote for and spend far less time and money on a primary campaign where the perceived front-runner receives the flow of cash to keep their campaigns running and bankrupts others. Our current system virtually assures that the candidate with the most cash wins. The cost of each successive election is skyrocketing such that only the wealthy and the politically well connected can hope to hold office and govern.
Does America have the guts to make the changes needed to insure that we have a government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people? I wonder. Perhaps we need more than 33% of the registered voters to participate.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
First, we voted in the Texas Primary. Since we voted early and our polling place was at our local library (in walking distance from our house), voting was a breeze...no lines...in and out. We used touch screen voting machines that let you review and change any of your choices before it is submitted electronically. My only problem is that there is no paper ballot created in case of a challenge or a recount. I have to have faith that my vote really does count and that it cannot be altered or lost, but that is a whole other issue. What amazed me was that despite having two weeks to cast their votes, many Texans waited until the last minute to vote on Election Day. Because of the huge interest in the Democratic Party race, there were long lines at the polling places and people were complaining about having to stand in line. Some left and did not vote out of frustration. Well, hello people! You had two weeks to vote!
Second, we learned that not all of the Texas delegates would be chosen by voting in the primary. Texas also has a caucus system after the polls close on Election Day. The caucuses choose 1/3 of the total state delegates. Apparently, it is a holdover compromise when Texas went to the primary system 20 years ago. Texans do not give up their old ways easily, especially when it comes to politics.
Lisa and I arrived at our polling place around 7 pm just as the polls were closing. Because so many people turned out, there was a long line out the door and into the library parking lot. By law, anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote and the caucuses cannot begin until the last person votes. We made our way through the line of people still waiting to vote in the primary and into the caucus crowd gathering in the Children’s Section of the library. We looked for our precinct number on one of several tables and stood with others already gathered there. It was pretty much wall-to-wall people and very noisy. Any Republicans were invited to attend their own caucus at the other end of the library. Volunteers circulated and called out for anyone who was willing to help fill out forms and verify identification at each precinct table. It was hard to hear what was going on and it took a while to get enough people to help.
Finally, sometime after 8 pm, we were told that the last person had voted and that the caucus could begin. We were told to form lines and approach our precinct tables in an orderly manner, but there were so many people that lines were hard to discern. Eventually, we approached our table and produced our driver’s licenses and voter registration cards. Once our information was checked, we were allowed to fill out the next line on the multi-line form. You could see everyone’s name, address, phone number and his or her candidate’s choice before yours on the large sheet. So much for privacy! We finally made our way out of the library around 9 pm after two hours of being on our feet. Some caucuses at other locations finished even later with far more confusion and even a few fistfights according to the news. It was an interesting process, but I am not sure I would participate again.
The next morning, we learned that Hillary had just barely won the primary, but that Obama looked as if he might win the caucus vote and take the majority of the total delegate count for the state. The caucus votes will not be officially determined until the State Democratic Convention in June. All I can say is... what a system! The news media was excitedly reporting that this election exceeded all expectations and that the Texas vote had been a “record” turnout. The last I heard the statewide voter turnout was around 33% of all the registered voters. So that was the Texas 2-Step.
Looking at this whole party primary/caucus delegate selection process nationwide and state-by-state, I have to wonder...what the hell is going on! The Republicans have winner take all states and the Democrats choose delegates proportional to the popular vote. Some states have caucuses, some have primaries and some (Texas)...have both. Two states have been stripped of their Democratic delegates because they violated party rules by moving their election dates ahead of other states to gain more influence on candidate selection. Now how can you hold a national convention and not allow delegates from two of the 50 states of the union to be seated? If you do allow them to be seated, Hillary’s name was the only name remaining on the ballot in Michigan, while both their names were on the Florida ballot. The other candidates removed their names per National Democratic Party rules. (Why was THAT allowed to happen?) What a giant mess!
A lot of this “political monkey business” could be avoided if we had a National Primary Vote on one day (or each party could choose another day of their own, if they wish to foot the cost of two separate elections). We would have a larger choice of candidates to vote for and spend far less time and money on a primary campaign where the perceived front-runner receives the flow of cash to keep their campaigns running and bankrupts others. Our current system virtually assures that the candidate with the most cash wins. The cost of each successive election is skyrocketing such that only the wealthy and the politically well connected can hope to hold office and govern.
Does America have the guts to make the changes needed to insure that we have a government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people? I wonder. Perhaps we need more than 33% of the registered voters to participate.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Three Trillion Dollar War
I heard an interview recently about a new book on the cost of our war in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Three Trillion Dollar War, by Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes. Joseph Stiglitz was chief economist at the World Bank and won the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics in 2001. Linda Bilmes is a lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. They put the likely total cost of this war at $ 3 trillion dollars. The only war in our history that cost more was the Second World War when 16.3 million U.S. troops fought a four-year campaign at a cost of $ 5 trillion (in 2007 dollars, after adjusting for inflation). The cost per troop in today’s dollars was less than $100,000. Compare that cost per troop in Iraq at upward of $400,000.
On the eve of our war with Iraq, President Bush’s economic adviser and head of the National Economic Council, Larry Lindsey, suggested the cost might reach $200 billion. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and OMB director, Mitch Daniels, projected a much lower cost in a range of $50 to $60 billion. They assumed that much of the cost would be shared by other countries and that increased oil revenue would pay for the cost of postwar reconstruction. Larry Lindsey went on to say that, “the successful prosecution of the war would be good for the (U.S.) economy.”
Unlike our other wars, most Americans have yet to feel the real costs of this conflict. As far as the cost of lives, this war is being fought by a voluntary military and by hired contractors. It has been financed entirely by borrowing. Unlike other wars, taxes have not been raised to pay for it, in fact this administration cut taxes on the wealthiest Americans thereby increasing the amount we need to borrow. Some 40% of the money we borrow comes from outside this country, with China being one of our biggest lenders. The cost of all this borrowing will be born by future generations of Americans, our grandchildren and likely their children.
The book points out that there are hidden costs not reflected in the official total. Each soldier that dies in the war represents a $500,000 cost to the Pentagon ($100,000 death benefit and $400,000 life insurance), but the U.S. Government values the life of a young man at the peak of his future earning capacity at $7 million when it comes to health and safety regulations. Using the government’s own regulation guidelines, the unrealized cost of 4,000 American troops killed in Iraq comes to $28 billion rather than $20 million in benefits paid to families of soldiers. In fact, the official number of American deaths reported are underestimated when you consider that the Defense Department’s casualty statistics focus on deaths from hostile (combat) action rather than “non-combat related” deaths that happen all the time in a dangerous war zone.
Another big hidden cost to this war is the soldiers who have been wounded, injured or suffered from disease. While the official casualty list is posted on the DOD website, to get information on the nonfatal casualties of this war you will need to request it under the Freedom of Information Act. The Pentagon keeps two sets of books. The data shows that there are twice as many wounded and injured as killed in this war. Thanks to modern medicine, many more soldiers that would have been casualties in other wars are now saved. These wounded and injured soldiers now come home to long, expensive rehabilitation and care. Many will never be productive citizens again. We are only beginning to realize how many soldiers are also returning with not only physical injuries, but devastating mental injuries and trauma, like post traumatic stress syndrome. Many of these soldiers will become homeless with alcohol and drug addictions based on our experience after Vietnam. Their long-term care and cost to our society cannot be ignored. It is part of the hidden cost of this war.
The authors of this book looked at many things in calculating the real cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They looked at the cost of continuing to use emergency funding requests and borrowing, multiple sets of books on costs and continued underestimation of resources required to fight this war and made some very conservative assumptions and calculations. Their figure based on current spending (reported and hidden) and amounts likely to be spent to conclude this war arrives at more than $3 trillion for the Iraq and Afghanistan War. They also point out that figure ONLY represents the cost to the United States. It does not reflect the huge cost to the rest of the world or to Iraq and Afghanistan itself.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time getting my mind around a million of anything, let alone a billion... or my God... a trillion.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
On the eve of our war with Iraq, President Bush’s economic adviser and head of the National Economic Council, Larry Lindsey, suggested the cost might reach $200 billion. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and OMB director, Mitch Daniels, projected a much lower cost in a range of $50 to $60 billion. They assumed that much of the cost would be shared by other countries and that increased oil revenue would pay for the cost of postwar reconstruction. Larry Lindsey went on to say that, “the successful prosecution of the war would be good for the (U.S.) economy.”
Unlike our other wars, most Americans have yet to feel the real costs of this conflict. As far as the cost of lives, this war is being fought by a voluntary military and by hired contractors. It has been financed entirely by borrowing. Unlike other wars, taxes have not been raised to pay for it, in fact this administration cut taxes on the wealthiest Americans thereby increasing the amount we need to borrow. Some 40% of the money we borrow comes from outside this country, with China being one of our biggest lenders. The cost of all this borrowing will be born by future generations of Americans, our grandchildren and likely their children.
The book points out that there are hidden costs not reflected in the official total. Each soldier that dies in the war represents a $500,000 cost to the Pentagon ($100,000 death benefit and $400,000 life insurance), but the U.S. Government values the life of a young man at the peak of his future earning capacity at $7 million when it comes to health and safety regulations. Using the government’s own regulation guidelines, the unrealized cost of 4,000 American troops killed in Iraq comes to $28 billion rather than $20 million in benefits paid to families of soldiers. In fact, the official number of American deaths reported are underestimated when you consider that the Defense Department’s casualty statistics focus on deaths from hostile (combat) action rather than “non-combat related” deaths that happen all the time in a dangerous war zone.
Another big hidden cost to this war is the soldiers who have been wounded, injured or suffered from disease. While the official casualty list is posted on the DOD website, to get information on the nonfatal casualties of this war you will need to request it under the Freedom of Information Act. The Pentagon keeps two sets of books. The data shows that there are twice as many wounded and injured as killed in this war. Thanks to modern medicine, many more soldiers that would have been casualties in other wars are now saved. These wounded and injured soldiers now come home to long, expensive rehabilitation and care. Many will never be productive citizens again. We are only beginning to realize how many soldiers are also returning with not only physical injuries, but devastating mental injuries and trauma, like post traumatic stress syndrome. Many of these soldiers will become homeless with alcohol and drug addictions based on our experience after Vietnam. Their long-term care and cost to our society cannot be ignored. It is part of the hidden cost of this war.
The authors of this book looked at many things in calculating the real cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They looked at the cost of continuing to use emergency funding requests and borrowing, multiple sets of books on costs and continued underestimation of resources required to fight this war and made some very conservative assumptions and calculations. Their figure based on current spending (reported and hidden) and amounts likely to be spent to conclude this war arrives at more than $3 trillion for the Iraq and Afghanistan War. They also point out that figure ONLY represents the cost to the United States. It does not reflect the huge cost to the rest of the world or to Iraq and Afghanistan itself.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time getting my mind around a million of anything, let alone a billion... or my God... a trillion.
FOOD for THOUGHT...
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