The logistics of politics can be so complex that politicians themselves don’t even understand all of the ramifications. They have layered staffs of legislative experts and seasonal interns to help brief them on the most important issues that they’ll encounter. Businessmen, alike, struggle to find a connection between all parties affected by the legislation. Lobbyist work to find common ground; yet work towards their respective objectives. Truthfully, the general constituency isn’t clear on how most of it all works. Grade schools don’t altogether teach people how to file taxes, about interest rates on college loans, buying vs. renting, state vs. federal laws and how it all goes back to the political hemisphere. It takes real life experience to apply these things and a multitude of different experiences to decipher the best plan for us all. Hence, politics. People are confused and conflicted by politics. It’s subjective and objective in its own right. Our ignorance to some political statutes is bliss most days, months and years even, but it's not when it’s time for us to vote. We seek to understand issues better, and we hope to hear 4-8 term year solutions to problems. We hope to obtain this information by all means necessary: social media, news, debate parties and more. Do we get what we are looking for? During many election seasons, we still don’t get the depth we need to vote efficiently or even at all. Therefore, I compel you to just vote. Vote based off of whatever correlation you find your conscience conforms too. The first time I voted at the young age of 18, it was a symbolic choice. I didn’t care how my vote would affect my healthcare choices, tax status or educational advancement opportunities. Honestly, I didn’t know enough to have even derived a thought that way. I’d listened to my peers, watched a few debates and studied history. That’s how I made my choice. As children, we gravitate towards a happily ever after. I knew when I voted for the first time, for our first black president that it would serve as a good ending to a fictional story that never had such a protagonist character before. We all won when the world was able to see the value of the educated, dynamic black family. Regardless if President Obama’s administration could help me personally, I knew he could help the world in need of a visionary. He turned out to be more than that. So, I voted. And, I will vote again not solely for these reasons because my life experiences have taught me I should be concerned about much more. But, I will tell you that I’m really excited about having another happy ending symbolically if nothing else; a woman president. Hillary Clinton. I’m with Oprah, when she told T.D. Jakes, “She’s not coming over to your house — you don’t have to like her. Do you like this country? You better get out there and vote. Do you like freedom and liberty? Okay. Do you like democracy or do you want a demagogue?” So with this blog, I urge you to vote your conscience this time too. If you don’t altogether understand how your taxes and health care are affected by politics, that’s okay. Again, politics are complex. There’s not enough research done and not enough time in the day to do it. You should vote on the premise of what compels you to vote. We’re all compelled to some direction so don't say not anything entices you to vote. CNN recently wrote an article entitled, “ Too Young to Vote, but not too young to hope?” It was about a group of adolescents who were asked what issues they would’ve liked the candidates to talk more about. Perhaps, some of us should take notes on how these students correlate their interest and how they would vote if they could. Rebecca Davenport, back in May, said she may be too young to vote but she wasn't too young to worry about climate change. "I don't think it was in any way addressed like it should have been, even less so than I expected it to be," said Davenport, a senior. "The fact that that hasn't been addressed is so detrimental to the future of our country." Ana Caravela, a junior, who lost her uncle in the September 11 attacks, said the nation's security and protecting veterans should be the top issues for the next president. (Her brother is attending the U.S. Naval Academy.) She feels the candidates could be talking more about what they would do to help veterans. "I think we need to focus on them (veterans) a little bit more than on focusing on people who aren't even in the country yet," said Caravela. "The people that are fighting for us we should be focusing on because they're trying to support us, so I think they deserve the best."
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A job is a job, right? However, every job's benefits, tasks list and more are all so different. So what constitutes incentives on a job? In most cases, it’s the service or the work ethic behind which tasks are executed. In corporate America, you may get a certificate or a free cup of coffee. In education, you may get a pat on the back or an apple for your reward. In industrial work, you may get a free box lunch or to pull a snack from the break room leftover box. You get the point. True rewards and monetary ones specifically are limited. Bonuses are few and far between. Wage increases are rare. Therefore, some jobs, especially in the food and beverage industry, almost require a tip, even if it’s for take-out. But there is a discrepancy here, why don’t all jobs get tips. A job is a job. Why is it the workforce’s problem to compensate the workforce’s labor? Why are we not taxing companies with this responsibility? I’ve gone into juice bars, coffee shops, ordered takeout and more from places of business that are seeking a tip before they ever even hand me my goods. Baristas have intensely watched me fill out my receipt or edged their tip jars a little closer to me in order to force the notion. Each time, I feel pressured to leave a tip. Actually, I almost always leave a tip. However, when I go to more traditional fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds, Taco Bell and more, no one’s edging their tip jar towards me for the cup of Joe I've just ordered. I’ve found it to be an interesting concept, so I took it to social media to give some insight on how other people felt about this issue. When asked if one should tip for takeout, the majority said, no. This audience included votes on Twitter and Facebook. A few year’s ago CNBC’s digital team took a poll where the answer was also majority no. They even talked to an expert on the matter. "I do not tip for takeout at restaurants even though the workers want tips and many other people do tip them," said Michael Lynn, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University who's done research into tipping, via email. "Why don't I tip them? Because the service they provide (bagging food and handing it to me) is minimal and standardized. I don't think they deserve a tip." The issue made me want to delve into a discussion on the matter. When is the appropriate time to tip? What do you do when someone is coercing you into leaving a couple of dollars? What’s a couple of dollars in addition to your already average-costing meal of $12.17? P.S. that is more than what some people make in an hour. In my own opinion, ordering takeout patterns a meet-you-halfway methodology. The consumer made the call using their cellular data. The consumer drove there to get the goods. The consumer paid for the food and services through a set price. That price set by a company includes an array of budgetary items. The laborer took the order. The laborer gathered the order. The laborer rang the consumer up. If it is sure to cause to leave a tip in the food and beverage industry, why not leave one for your mailman too? As a former mail clerk while in college, I can tell you that they do in fact sort mail individually, transport the mail and deliver it specifically to your house. As do many other jobs entail above and beyond service. So again, why are we responsible for certain places employment's compensation to their workforce? There are people like teachers, firemen and more who work their souls with no reward. I’m not telling you not to tip for takeout. My aunt always says bless somebody else. I agree if you have it. It should not be mandated or innately forced. I almost always tip. If you happen to be on the service side of this issue, this is not to antagonize you. It is to make you aware that earnest people come into your establishment, perhaps with just enough money to get food. Perhaps they don’t have anything extra to give. I encourage you all to examine both sides and make the best decision. Moreover, there are more components to the rewards culture that we should all be conscious of as more and more industries are starting to solicit tips: hair stylist, nail techs and more. There are still quite a few who don’t get tips: mechanics, receptionists, janitors, police officers, nurses, marketers, bankers, grocery store clerks and more to name a few. What does their reward look like? But a job is a job, right? Think about it. See more from my inquiry on Facebook here. |
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July 2017
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