Fred, I don't have a problem with any road tolls as long as I have some belief that the money goes for maintenance and building new roads.

I-540, just north and west of us, has a new section will automated toll collection (NO booths), but I did some math and calculated that the per-mile tariff is something like three or five times what "it should be" AND they're going to make the rest of the northern loop a toll-road in the future, too. Just another source of funds that we don't get to vote on or see financial reports for... As one of My Laws puts it, "the only reason for putting a tax on something is that the transaction must be measurable." Virtually no other justification is ever offered.

But they do keep the road(s) in pretty good shape, here.

re: plusaf,

I had forgotten about the toll takers, but another great example. by the way, what ever happened to the promises by the politicians that after a time the tolls would be removed. I've never heard of any toll road or bridge cancelling the toll after they've been paid for.

how do you know when a politician is lying? His lips are moving.. there's a reason why that's the same truth about lawyers, because most politicians are lawyers.

Fred Speckmann
commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com

I read the whole article, which was too long by the way. He never really sets blame on anyone, or more importantly gives a solution. If this man wants to be a congressman, he needs to come up with answers to the problems he saw not just relay them. WE NEED fixers in congress, people who have real world ideas and answers to problems we face. This dude is just talk.

Good rant! Keep in mind what Milton Friedman and Ken Fisher would say about "student debt"... "if there's TOO MUCH OF IT, it's TOO CHEAP!"

Hm?

Like when I lived in NJ and often used the Turnpike and Parkway...

Whenever the toll collectors struck for higher pay, you KNEW they were going to raise the tolls, and they did... until they also automated most of the booths and fired those sorry-assed moochers!

He commuted over 70 miles one way to a low-paying job? In what? His F150 or his SUV?

and http://www.ronleach4ky.com/meet-ron/ ... he's got six kids, two college degrees and can't find anyone to hire him where he's worth more per hour???

Oh, wait... now he wants a Public Service Job...
must be the last recourse for moochers...

http://www.plusaf.com/falklaws.htm#5th

And many folks have replied that their idea of "enough" and "wealthy" are way higher than what I wrote way back when... :)

And if the company hasn't offered any raises in umpteen years, maybe it's because the loaders haven't been worth any more to the company on a per-hour basis over that time, too?

A great candidate for innovation and automation!

"inconcistency"?

That article is another bleeding heart example of progressive thought.

First of all Mr. Leach doesn't seem to understand the concept of "entry level" job. He mentions a co-worker with an Aerobaautic degree, you don't get paid for that type of degree when you are a basic laborer pulling cargo pods onto and off aircraft.

Entry level jobs are not meant to be for married people with children but for young inexperienced individuals in order to provide necessary labor and learn a work ethic. Once that has been aquired, then it is expected that one improves his skill levels and therefore rise in the work environment. Business can not function with imposed artificial costs like a minimum wage. There is always a response to artificial wages, usually by discharging employees. All businesses have a limited pie to work from and labor and management enter into these arrangements by free will. If you want more money, increase your skill level.

Many years ago, I had a front who worked the betting ticket windows at a racetrack. The workers went on strike wanting an increase in pay. My answer to him was that since he had worked at the track for over 20 years, how had he improved his value to his employer that would warrant a pay increase. he had no answer and that was no surpeise.

Fred Speckmann
commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com

I believe it is to recognize where mistakes have been made and as much as possible keep a government hands off approach, minimize the mixed market approach and practice as much laissez-faire as possible. It is the approach that made this nation the most powerful economic force in the world once upon a time. We have now dropped to 12th place in the economic freedom rankings according to the Heritage foundation and WSJ study.
http://rt.com/business/america's-dwi...

There is a lot of good work for mech Es in the Midwest.

I agree about avoiding debt.

IMHO America still has amazing opportunities for people who approach work with a desire to serve customers and solve their problems.

Sir I have a MS in MIS and have a similar story. What you have said is sadly prophetic.

I work two jobs. In the day I'm a mechanical engineer. I graduated from the finest engineering school on the left coast many years ago for that. When I found that, alone, wasn't going to cut it I went back to school a couple decades later. I now spend my nights and weekends working in securities. If I need to graduate from astronaut school to be able to put my kids through college or buy that house on the beach I'll do it. I'll become a brain surgeon if that's what it takes. Given what has happened to America it may just take that if I plan to do it here.

And, one more thing. I know of engineers who will work for free. That's right. Zilch. Idiots...

Add to all of this that the new norm in America is to graduate from college buried in debt and you have a recipe to create the most educated slave class in world history. People need to start working harder while also standing up for themselves.

Sorry to rant....

What we need is what we don't have: a free market. No government "protections" of any kind, but a profusion of private consumer services, similar to the way Duncan Hines rated good restaurants. That way if I, say, am an employer and I choose to not use a particular consumer service to help advertise my wares, no problem. I would still need to subscribe to some sort of well-known consumer service that covered my particular field, or people who didn't know me would have no confidence in trying out my products or services. Right now, such consumer services are primarily a monopoly called "the government." You have no choice about using it. Government licenses are absolutely necessary for insurance purposes upon entering ,many professions nowadays.Does a government license guarantee that a particular doctor or lawyer really understand the business? I think not.

At least I agree with you about this. A myriad flaws in reasoning, accounting, and false correlation are scattered throughout. A huge one is that he complains about only 5 hour shifts, but later states the union requires overtime pay for shifts over 5 hours. Doesn't he see the rational response to that rule drives UPS to 5 hour shifts?

Then, "Another fellow crew member has an Ecology and Environmental Science degree" may actually say more about the value of the degree (or University) or his work ethic than about any value as an employee? I would be willing to bet that were UPS to advertise ALL of these working positions the pool of applicants would exceed the available openings. If so, then the jobs are NOT paying too little.

both schmoth

And the solution is... to go on distorting the market with more government intervention?!?!? No. It is to realize that government intervention is what sent the manufacturing and spin off middle class jobs to oblivion. Fools create the problem then exacerbate it with more intervention instead of recognizing what has been done only made it worse and re-evaluate. 'Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.' Einstein... origin of quote now in dispute...

That depends on the version on English that you want to use. And if Barbara Billingsley (Airplane!)was still available, she could translate!

Just what we need, another leech in congress.