180 Degrees

I had to laugh, and wonder sometimes how/why I was ever a Republican (well, other than the fact that my parents were). I read this legal blog (Above the Law - which is mostly about "Biglaw" firms in NYC, but it has some relevance to Philly so it keeps me informed) and they have this guest writer who has been writing about being unemployed.This person quoted her father:

"Having lived through all Grandma and Grandpa's Depression stories, I know that this has nothing do with anyone's worth. I agree with mentioning your situation to everybody and most emphatically with not hanging your head in shame. That was one of the multiple things I learned from Grandma and Grandpa, who had a hell of a lot of experience with unemployment, and taught me that what one earns, or does not, in a capitalist society is ABSOLUTELY NO MEASURE of one's intrinsic worth intellectually, spiritually, or in any other way."

I loved the quote. It just struck me as so true when I read almost everyday in my local paperabout people who are earning millions of dollars in salaries for jobs that I think most people can do, but these people got the job, not because they are good (and many times, they aren't that great, just look at allthe failed CEO's of business that routinely get golden parachutes at one company, only to simply move on and becomea CEO of another company), but IMO, solely because of WHO THEY KNOW. I've become convinced that the CEOs of many businesses,the deans of many schools, the so-called "business/political consultants/lobbyists", higher-ups in professional sports,media personalities and others get their jobs because of connections. They really aren't any smarter than most other people, but they knew someone, or knew someone who knew someone, or was in the 'right' greek (or other 'secret') organization. and for that, these people earn millions of dollars while the rest of us, who work just as hard, and many who work harder, scrape by on five figure salaries.

I read somewhere that in the 1970s, the top 1% of our nation's taxpayers earned 9% of our nation's wealth. Now its 22%. and that top 1% has grown as well, just like the bottom 99%. Its just amazing to me how much some people get paid for their work, but "its ok" because "everybody does it." Like a tv news caster here in philly earns $800,000 a year. for what? I'm sure they do some investigation, but probablynot that much more than what I do in my work as an attorney. Seriously who needs that much money? Its people that kept earning these huge sums that helpedblow up housing values so high that people had to lie to get mortgages (and the bankers earning their six figure salaries let them). Sometimes I feel like I've gone a complete 180 from my college days. Hell, socialism isn't that bad of word to me anymore.