The future is now?

   Four years, two days ago I permanently became a grandfather. Apiphany was born and immediately out of the hatch she showed us that this was to be a very unique little girl.  These past four years Lisa and I have been able to spend a good deal of time around  her.  have witnessed many of the things that make her amazing.  But she is nearly 2000 miles away now and those times sadly will probably be shorter.

   Seems Danny is fed up with working months with few days off.  Graves backed up with swings and other nonsense conditions.  Specifically working in the tougher part of town.  Two events of late has kind of brought home reality for these types of jobs.  One, a few days ago somebody got shot in the parking lot resulting for whatever reason, the cops tend to not hang out as often.  Thus no longer brunting the odds of a robbery and the second, cleaning up a large amount of blood from a homeless man vomiting in the parking lot.  Pretty legitimate complaints for the pay.  Can't say I blame him.  So I offer to help and we spend a few days at Mcdonalds updating resume.  Gets one application in.  Called the next day and hired immediately after the interview with better pay and benefits.  Boy could sell an eskimo a freezer.

       
Getting older now I tend to confront the future and consider our outlook.  We probably can make it work.  But looking over my social security stuff as I am about to legitimately become a senior citizen, I noticed something most folks probably ignore.  That item would be in the past earnings column. Yup that's what I am going to talk about as it relates to something else.

   So, I'm taking an avid interest in,  something called cpi.  (Consumer Price Index)  There is a handy little calculator found here.   It's pretty cool, plug in the year and amount and fast forward for value in today's dollars, or any other year one might want to compare against..  Kind of provides a perspective of living on a fixed income for the next several years.

        So once again turning to my past earnings numbers, I discovered that directly after graduating from high school, I earned about 2700 bucks.  Not much by today's standards. Probably the reason I've never paid much attention.  I was only eighteen years old then after all. For some reason subsequent years earnings were cut by half during those muddling years after high school,  But that's another easy explanation.

       Out of curiosity, I plugged that amount in to get a comparison what that meant in 2016 dollars.  And holy crap, 2,700 bucks in 1973 is nearly fifteen thousand now in purchase value. Actually 14,500 to be accurate. Dementia is an insidious evil thing I was thinking.  I was going to college then and already earning the same monthly amount as a professional today.  Maybe as a  junior Engineer or Certified Public Accountant if I was just working those three months over summer. Five grand a month, whatever did I need college for?  I was bound for big things. Big things I say, just ask my teachers and football coaches enthusiastically praising my drive and work ethic.  Oh wait...

      Through my alcohol and thumped about old brain, memories of that time  churned  to the surface.   That time of my life really was not that unusual.   It just consisted of a steady $2.75 per hour typical construction job that lasted the summer and the following fall and winter, a popular pizza joint, (where I consumed most of my calories during the week in pizza and beer) and for some reason or other I was also entrusted to safeguard the lives of nearly eighty kids whom I transported to school each day. (Silly adults) Usually arriving late provoking some unnecessary reactions from them.  Really,  making me wonder about the quality of parenting they'd received.  Normally the first bell had already rung and the little varmints really had to dash for it in order to avoid being tardy.   Watching them scramble like that really made up for all the "You asshole, again ?"  queries (or words to that effect) blurting from young mouths as they hopped out. Followed up by my own cheery "See you again tonight (ya little bastards)" That last part under my breath.  Those jobs both lasted several months, overlapping each other.  Pay was a little more than minimum

So I really have to break this down here.  My memory is a little clearer now. During that summer, as an 18 year old, I earned 477 per month.  Roughly 1400 over the summer.  (2500 per month in today's dollars.  Who pays an 18 year old that kind of money now?) The next nine moths or so another 145 bucks per month.  Easy peasy. three years before I'd been making a buck and a quarter for moving sprinkler pipe.  Sometimes fourteen or so lines a day.   But anyway, at minimum wage for the day, 146.00 per month is just 20 hours a week.  Typical part time job. I think I worked less than that. Easy 14 or fifteen credits, with a couple of shifts a week.  Beer money left over.

  Oh, did I mention that amount equals the annual income of a full time minimum wage worker today.  And who are we fooling, they are working a lot more hours than that trying to make that 600 to 800 rent that is now a days considered "affordable".

But for me those were awesome times.  Bought a nine year old car for $200 .  Almost two weeks earnings.  A 2007 vehicle today for two weeks pay? (good luck with that).  Plentiful opportunities for lodging at 60 bucks a month.  Your own damn place for eighty or ninety.  And as I muddled around living in different cities finding myself , I'd eventually wander back to college and fork out the hundred and sixty or so dollars for tuition.  Saved me from a lifetime of "you want fries with that?", which I have done, or department store greeter. Something I have also done.  I blame the right wingers of course.  Who through greed or delusion want to keep wages as low as possible.  Problem with that thinking is, whether I like to accept that fact or not, the right wingers tend to love their kids just as much as I do.

And the kids, those amazing kids who are still making it.  Making it with every unnecessary roadblock ilk of my generation have thrown at them. But no fooling around, no sir.  Best get serious yesterday.  But again, speaking for myself, is that what we intended as parents?  Conservatives and normal folks alike?  Because I think we can agree they are getting screwed and screwed good.  The numbers look really bad that they will fare as well as we did.

So that leads to the one question I ask myself.  Knowing this why do we tolerate it?  And that's  the question for the ages cuz I sure as hell don't know why.  Especially when we are in a position to change it.

Stephen Hawking on Capitalism