Income inequality?

Inequality? Income gap? Actually white collar workers and particularly CEOs or business owners may work 60-70 hours a week, some with no vacation for years if they are owners of small businesses. Why are they demonized by this President? Years ago when a $60,000/year salary was pretty good money for a new college graduate, I knew a young woman in the investment field and thought she had it pretty good--and she did (and still does and now makes 6 figures with a stay at home husband to watch the kids and manage the household help and investments), however, she was working 70-80 hours a week at 21 for that salary and sharing a tiny apartment in New York with 2 other  women. The Wall St. company brought in catered meals--entry level workers didn't even get a break for lunch or dinner. Her annual income today should not be compared with other women who have made different choices, like working part time, or a 37.5 hour week, or 10 months a year so they can be home in the summer with the kids, or going into the arts or becoming a pastor. Oh yes, the first job for this honor student was below minimum wage as a summer resort waitress working for tips.

Monday Memories--So what else is new in the labor market?

My cousin sent these stats--I'd just seen them Saturday in another communication. Then I started counting my own work experience, and came up with ten jobs plus two unpaid positions by age 21.

"The U.S. Department of Labor says that: “Today’s learner will have 10 to 14 jobs by age 38.”

First (paid) job: babysitter, Forreston, IL, 11 years old, through teen years

Second job: corn detasseling, DeKalb seed, Polo, IL, age 14

Third job: Mt. Morris Public Library, student clerk, age 16

Fourth job: Foxbilt Feeds, office clerk, age 16

Fifth job: Zickuhr’s Pharmacy, counter, age 16-20, high school, then college breaks

Unpaid BVS summer volunteer, age 17, Fresno, CA

Sixth job: Manchester College Library, Librarian's student assistant, age 18

Seventh job: Green St. Pharmacy, Champaign, IL, counter and cashier, age 19-21, various times, undergrad and grad, University of Illinois

Eighth job: University of Illinois Library, student assistant, age 19

Ninth job: General Mold and Engineering, Indianapolis, secretary and payroll, age 20

Tenth job: Russian Language and Area Studies, office clerk, age 21

Unpaid student teaching in Spanish, Urbana, IL high school, age 21

Eleventh job: Graduate assistant, Dept. Sociology, U. of I. translator of Soviet medical newspapers, age 22

Oops. Thought of another one. I had a paid paper route for about 13 homes (2 farms) in the SW end of Forreston when I was age 7. It was a very long walk, especially on Sunday morning when the papers were very heavy and the snow very deep.



1961 and ready to enter the "real" world of work as a college graduate