Questions for my conservative friends

a reply to: Teikiatsu

Depends on your definition of decent living. I know a lot of union workers at my place of work who have a high school diploma and two houses, new cars, etc. My company trains them for what is needed. They show up with basic literacy, the ability to lift 50lbs, the ability to follow directions and play nice with others. My company takes care of the rest. Meanwhile I have a college degree and I'm still paying off student loans, my mortgage, and a used car.

First off, I am going to call BS on this, 2 houses and they only pass basic literacy etc.?,

Second, IF this is true, then this is an issue with your company, or maybe your "college degree" isn't worth as much as these other workers

originally posted by: mymymy
a reply to: Teikiatsu

Depends on your definition of decent living. I know a lot of union workers at my place of work who have a high school diploma and two houses, new cars, etc. My company trains them for what is needed. They show up with basic literacy, the ability to lift 50lbs, the ability to follow directions and play nice with others. My company takes care of the rest. Meanwhile I have a college degree and I'm still paying off student loans, my mortgage, and a used car.

First off, I am going to call BS on this, 2 houses and they only pass basic literacy etc.?,

Second, IF this is true, then this is an issue with your company, or maybe your "college degree" isn't worth as much as these other workers

Call it B.S. all you want, no bother to me.

The requirement for employment as entry level union is that they have a GED or HS diploma and no criminal record. We write all our procedures so that a person zero technical skills can operate the equipment needed for production. They aren't expected to understand the intricacies of biological fermentation and environmental monitoring, but they are expected to follow instructions to monitor the user-friendly bioreactors and maintain an aseptic protocol.

With no college loans to pay off, combined with the entry-level union salary, quite a few of them have paid off their first homes and purchased secondary homes in surrounding rural areas for the purposes of hunting, fishing, etc. Some of them with about 10 years in the company have saved enough to purchase land and build their own homes from scratch. Granted this is all taking place in a non-urbanized area with low cost of living.

I won't argue that the 'perk' of a college degree has become overcosted. I get an annual bonus, decent health care, supervision of employees, etc. I'm just now starting to turn the corner on loans and other expenses. But don't fool yourself that their education is worth more. The difference is that the company continues to contract with a union that has argued for these benefits. There are also temporary workers earning half as much and able to perform the same procedures. The problem with the union is that we cannot recognize the employees with complementing skills, talent and work ethic above and beyond the standard. All that matters is how long the employee has been in the union, not how productive or dedicated they are.

a reply to: ketsuko

True, the hunters in my area that raise a ruckus when logging is expanded on national Forest land.

Our role as consumers? We are citizens, taxpayers, and hopefully voters, but only corporate interests see our identity as consumers. At small businesses, we are still just customers, not consumers.

On the health care pricing you mentioned, I think that no insurance would turn doctor's visits into a luxury for those who can pay, and turn into medical loans for the rest of us, who already have to pay through loans for mortgages, car notes, and student debt. My half a million dollar NICU baby might have been only 100k if insurance didn't hike up prices, but I would still be paying him off until he graduated high school.

I disagree with you on most stuff, but you don't spout rote slogans, so it's food for thought.

a reply to: Teikiatsu

Of course they're loaded. 😁 Would I start a thread to conservatives and ask dogs or cats? Wayne & Garth or Bill & Ted?