"Our Times..."

This morning I stopped at the gas station that typically sells its gas for one cent less per gallon than the next lowest priced station.  Its location on "the other side of the bridge" reduces its usage. During the last two weeks when I entered to pay the weekly-changing employee (for the lower cash price), I've interrupted their sleep! "How's business?"  "SLOW!"  The station has sold twice to new foreign buyers this year, and was hailed a few years before (when gas was two dollars per gallon less!) when its new owner had acquired and remodeled it, as a full service "neighborhood" convenience and service station.  The sign on the door, said "In order to maintain our lower prices, we have eliminated our attendant positions...Pay by credit card at the pump only".  Note: by paying with credit card, you pay a higher per gallon price!

 

Next to this service station is a restaurant.  It has been rented by three different operators already this year...a grill, an  Italian, and a sushi concepts. For the most recent last few months it had been empty with a "For Rent" sign again.  This week, it had a new banner..."Thai restaurant coming"!  I wonder if each attempting operator had paid first, last and security for the $5,000 per month rent, with their individual dreams of success!

 

One of the corporations that owns a number of the large national restaurant chains, Has cut all of its full-time employees from forty to thirty hours per week...hence a 25% income reduction.  This was done to avoid our new national health care mandate of paying for health insurance for all full-time employees!

 

A year before, our largest local grocery chain had reduced its full-time employees' hours from forty to thirty too.  Due to the "frozen food" competition from "big box" discount chains; and due to the incredible cost escalation of groceries over the last few years, business had reduced! 

 

As a substitute teacher in Westchester, New York in 1978, I was paid $120 per day.  In 1990 in Palm Beach County, I was paid $96 per day.  Current County substitute teachers are paid $78 per day!  And this is gross income, before taxes!!!

 

But, I have noticed an apparent boom of new jobs that would substantiate our latest national government increased employment figures' claims...the "banner  people"!  All along the major roads, people stand in bright outfits holding advertising banners to stop and purchase here...Buy your mattresses, your massage, your pizza, your Halloween costume, your "you name it" here!!!  And these people receive an average of $50 per day, tax free!  This is certainly less stressful than having to spend a day keeping order with our current unruly, undisciplined, children in a classroom!