Monday, June 13, 2005

What is wrong with us...

So I'm reading some article about some such and it mentions that the Norwegian work week is only 37.5 hours, and overtime is not only relatively unheard of, but highly discouraged among employers. And I'm pretty sure its not because they're cheap, as Norway has one of the highest qualities of life.

What the hell is wrong with America? I mean, I don't have a problem with the 40 hour work week, but when they expect 60 or in some cases even 80 hours a week, it gets a little ridiculous. But one employee starts working a few hours extra every day because he hates his wife (I don't know, why else wouldn't you want to go home) and then all the other employees look bad, so they have to stay late too.

That or wages are too low, so employees are forced to work more hours. Why are wages low? Because big business runs Congress through its Lobbyists.... but I digress.

I sometimes wish there was something I could do to help people understand that money isn't everything. That there's more to life than moving from a cube to an office. Someway I could just give America a big whack upside the head and say, "I mean, come on," and everyone would be like "Wow, thanks man, I don't know what happened there, but I'm better now."

I understand many people have to work two or even three jobs to put food on the table, but why? We live in a country that eats more per person than any other country in the world (we are also the fattest, thank you very much State of Texas!). We produce so much food that we have, in the past, paid farmers not to produce. We are the largest importer of food in the world. How is it that we have so many hungry people?

Plus, half of American's are now on a diet, where is the food they are not eating? Maybe that should be the new diet craze, give the food you normally would have eaten to the homeless.

So what am I trying to say here?!? I don't wanna work so much, so everybody else slack off too!

"Personally, I have nothing against work, particularly when performed, quietly and unobtrusively, by someone else. I just don't happen to think it's an appropriate subject for an ethic." -Barbara Ehrenreich
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