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Ariah's response to the person holding this sign is spot on.
Click to see Ariah's post on Facebook.
I couldn't even afford college. The "30+ hours at barely above minimum wage" thing absolutely did not work out for me. Eventually it became a 40+ hours a week, full-time job that I had to take so that I could have health insurance and I could afford to NOT live with three other dudes. I worked that knee-wrecking job for 10+ years. Every three years, I'd have a nervous breakdown because our Union contract would be up for negotiation. I was ready to strike, and often voted against ratifying contracts that I felt were absolutely unacceptible. But, I was terrified because I was still only able to live paycheck-to-paycheck, especially if I wanted to save any money for retirement (by this time I was nearing my 30s).
After 10+ years of seeing the company (desperate to increase share holder value) constantly expect more and more work, from fewer and fewer people, and fight during contract negotiations to reduce our already minuscule "cost of living" raises and demand that we pay more out of our checks for healthcare, I had to do something. I was in my van at work one day, at the end of a 12 hour day working in the snow and mud, and I realized that if I put in 12 hour days doing something that I loved, there's no telling how much success I could achieve.
I took the penalty and withdrew the money from my 401k. I had a modest home recording studio. So, I took that and my savings and opened my own recording studio business. From there, I also started an independent record label. So, now I own two businesses and work way more than 40 hours per week. And, my businesses are both struggling because of this economy.
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My wife has a very good job. She works in the healthcare industry. But, she's one of the good guys. She's bringing hospitals into the future. She's implementing Electronic Medical Records, which will make healthcare safer and less expensive. But, anyway, she's got a great job and the money she earns can pay our living expenses. But, we're nowhere near the 1%. We pay a shitload of taxes and we damn sure can't get any elected politicians on the phone.
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My businesses, however, are still operating month-to-month. It's very hard. And, it's because of this god damned shitty economy!! There aren't a lot of people these days who have a lot of money to make a record. Hell, there aren't a lot of people these days who can afford to buy a record! In fact, the only industries doing really well these days are those that provide necessities. Oil. Healthcare. Everyone gets sick. And, the current system makes that very expensive... and, very profitable. Technology. It's 2011. The internet is necessary. And, people have to hustle so hard to earn a living that they're tethered to their job by technology. Food. Corporate farms are doing A-OK!
I really hate to sound like some nutty conspiracy theorist, here... But, it sure looks like keeping us all as poor as possible eliminates any sort of disposable, or as the Republicans like to say, "discretionary" income. What this does, is it actually DESTROYS small businesses. And, it further concentrates wealth into the hands of titans of those various "necessity" industries. So, we're all working harder, making less money, and giving most of it to the corporations that own the politicians who make the policy that keeps things that way. It's fucking robbery. It's destroying communities and culture. It's turning us against each other. It's maddening.
From the money we have left, we have to surrender a (often) higher percentage than the millionaires and billionaires, for taxes that will then be spent embarrassingly disproportionately on things we don't even believe in, like wars for profit and bank bailouts.
I'm a small business owner. I can see very clearly that the corporate agenda has NOTHING AT ALL to do with helping small businesses. I know what we're up against. A level playing field should be our demand. WE are the 99%.
