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jane11's comments:
on A Good Place to Work?
What any savvy business should take from your comment is that you are the better risk to hire. Why? Because you clearly want to work. Those who are happy to work for below-market wages are likely to be less motivated. My experience has been that many businesses and organizations aren't motivated enough to succeed. When they hire me, they should expect me to work hard, meet deadlines and do good work. But they don't expect or demand it. The conclusion I've come to is to be a consultant and have the majority of your clients out of state.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on A Good Place to Work?
As an independent consultant in a creative field, I've barely raised my rates in 10 years from what they were on the east coast. Even taking into account the bad economy and the difference in wages from the east coast, this shouldn't be the case.
The lack of ambition expressed by the earlier caller is so true. That's fine for any one person, but because the less ambitious are happy to work for below-market rates, the reality of what services cost is skewed.
A job shouldn't only be a way to pay bills. It doesn't matter how simply you live, there is no social safety net. There is nothing unsavory about wanting not only a living wage but a wage that provides you a secure future.
posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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on The Meaning of Marriage
What if a married couple can't or don't want children? Do they not have a marriage? It's pretty limiting to define a family or a marriage as one in which children are present.
Let's open our minds a bit. After all, so many marriages end in divorce. The heterosexuals haven't necessarily done a great job bearing the flag of marriage. Gays are hardly going to ruin it even more. Perhaps they'll improve it.
posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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on The Meaning of Marriage
While I don't disagree with Maggie's comment that parenting is easier with more than one parent, it can't be ignored that many couples who don't have good dynamics but choose to have kids anyway, are inflicting on their kids anxiety and confusion about relationships. I would argue that kids are better off witnessing a healthy relationship between 2 same-sex parents than an unhealthy one between heteros.
posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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on Obama's Popularity
A recent poll showed that only 26% of Americans thought the tax cuts should continue for everyone. That's an impressively low number. So I ask, does that not represent the American people that the Republicans keep talking about who gave them a mandate?
Nearly every economist has said that these tax cuts won't create any jobs. And they've been in place for 10 years.
Worse than the Republicans being out of touch, it seems like the entire Congress is. How many of them are truly able to imagine the lives of the have nots when they make legislation? Few, I imagine.
When it comes to healthcare for example, every member of Congress has a platinum healthcare plan for life. And these people are making policy on whether someone with a sick child can get even basic health coverage? It's frightening.
posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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on Tea Party
Your earlier guest glossed over the question of where the Tea Party was when we started two wars and Bush got the country in to debt. He turned the question back, which was not only immature, but he missed an opportunity to clarify the big headscratcher about the contraditions in this movement.
I would also add that there must be tea party followers who lack health insurance or could lose it if they lose their jobs. This is just one issue. And the question is, where are their solutions? Where are the Republican party's solutions? They can't deny that we have massive problems. But I haven't heard any solutions that take into account the present realities. You can be against something only for so long.
posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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on Limiting Fertility?
You have a partner and a kid. I have neither, nor do I have money for in-vitro. And though I think kids are happier with one healthy parent than two fighting ones, I've always struggled with the idea and stigma of knowingly bringing a kid into a single household.
I guess we all have to take our lumps where we get them. Imagine not being able to create any family at all. Probably brings perspective to one's situation.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on The Changeover: Farms, Food, Forests, Fuel
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Necessary Roughness?
Since I moved here 8 years ago, this continues to fascinate and frustrate me. I will say that though I so miss east coast personalities, I will admit that just because east coasters tend to be more direct and forthright, that doesn't mean they're being honest.
That being said, there's a big difference between clinging to a passive-and-nice-as-virtue concept and jumping down anothers' throat.
Civility here, in terms of strangers talking to each other, little honking at lights, general friendliness is wonderful. What your wife is likely talking about though is when she can tell that a person is smiling and acting superficially "nice" but she's picking up on a vibe that is far from it.
Yes, not everything on one's mind needs to be spoken. But the "nice" person isn't necessarily kind. And the fear-of-confrontation person might not defend, say, a person being unfairly treated in a group setting. I would. And that would make people fear me a little because they'd imagine I'd call them out in public, too. What they'd be missing is the intent of my actions as opposed to the surface-level behavior.
If enough peoples' outward behavior doesn't match their interior intentions, motivations, feelings you end up with a strange place.
It's too easy to dismiss it all as being "nice" versus being a jerk. This view allows people to not have to examine how and why they behave as they do.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Tax and Stimulate
I know there are many theories about what stimulates the economy. But it's a twisted society that rewards the very wealthy who pay tax rates in the teens on the majority of their weath (investments) while the wage-earning stiff pays a tax rate in the 30s.
And the argument that corporations should pay lower tax rates because they can then afford to hire people seems thin these days. As we already know, CEOs are looking out of themselves.
I don't need my taxes lowered. But I do think fair is fair. Corporations and the wealthy should be paying their fair share. It will never happen because they have a voice and the people don't.
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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on Where Bikes and Cars Intersect
But that difference shouldn't release a cyclist from responsibility.
I have seen more often than not, the same cyclist acting like a car on one block and a pedestrian on another block. A driver is already being vigilant about jaywalking peds, traffic signals and responsible cyclists.
No sane driver wants to mow down a cyclist. But often I think cyclists assume they deserve a protective bubble around them.
posted 5 years ago
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