Kids, I'm going to try very hard not to make this more of a rant than it has to be. Believe it or not what I have to say here today is not said to make some kind of political statement / rail against the libtard-in-chief, etc.
What I've got on my mind is there because of actual concern over a couple of issues that are probably not going to work out the way the people that are pushing so hard for them expect them to and it's going to be rough on a lot of folks if it goes down that way.
The first thing I want to discuss is this whole $15 an hour minimum wage push. For those of you that listen to us weekly on The Y Factor on 107.1 The Talk Station here in Morehead on Thursday nights, you've no doubt heard my counterpart Riley Lewis and I rail back and forth against each other on this issue and its effects. I'm not going to use this space right now to debate the issue but rather let's just make the assumption that it goes into effect immediately. There are a number of people that feel that once this happens business owners are simply going to raise prices along with a minimal staff cut to compensate. My concern over this issue is that this is not going to be the case. I've talked to a number of small business owners over the course of the last several months in a variety of business sizes and fields and unilaterally their response to this has been the same: if it comes to a decision between my business remaining profitable and continuing to allow my family the lifestyle to which we're accustomed due to my hard work and keeping employees on, there won't be a question. Simply put, despite what "statistics" say and how hard the word greed gets tossed around, business owners will make decisions based on financial realities when push comes to shove and that means cutting jobs instead of raising prices and angering customers. The sad fact is that we can argue this in theory all day long but the actual reality of it, I'm afraid, is going to be a rash of instant unemployment that no one wants to talk about just before midterm elections.
Secondly, I want to talk about this notion of white privilege.
Go ahead and call me a racist now if you'd like and get it out of the way.
I'll wait... Better? Now then, moving on.
I'm fairly damn sick of people apologizing for being born white or thinking that being born white somehow gives them an unfair advantage. Maybe it used to but I just don't see it as the case. Before you start waiving statistics at me and such, remember that I'm writing this as a measure of concern not to start a fight. Personal experience has shown me that no matter what color your skin is, if you're a dipshit, you will live accordingly. If you work hard and are willing to fight to get and keep what you have, you will do well regardless of what color your skin is, what's in between your legs, or who you like to rub privates together with. Everything else is beginning to boil down to an excuse. Sorry, but there it is. And as for this notion that we're all supposed to be equal, well, I guess that's all well and good until finances come into play. Folks, I hate to tell you but eventually the haves get tired of paying for the have-nots. There is an end to the gravy train for those of you out there gnawing a government tit funded by my tax dollars because you're able to work but would rather stay home and watch Jerry. Look at St. George's community outside of Baton Rouge. They've filed paperwork to secede from the city to form their own entity because, according to their argument, they want control of their schools and resources. Depending on the source you read, that area (which is predominantly white) accounts for between 60-70% of tax revenues for the city. Of course the whole cause is labelled racist - BUT - how long would you be willing to foot the bill and force your child(ren) to suffer substandard educational experiences and the like when you know better can be done? The sad part of this situation is that there are now "fair share" protests in the works when, statistically, only one side is paying the lion's share. Folks I really hate to say this but the problem with pushing and stomping on the upper 1%, hell even the upper 10%, is that eventually some of them are going to decide to push back... and what's worse is that it is already happening!
And finally, continuing to offend probably everyone but still speaking my mind out of concern, is the whole issue with the Islamic faith in this country. I KNOW IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THAT NOT EVERY MUSLIM IS A TERRORIST! I KNOW THAT THERE ARE AMAZING PEOPLE IN THIS FAITH THAT LOVE THIS COUNTRY AS MUCH AS I DO. Sadly I also took time to re-read the Koran recently, for my own education and to ward off a little ignorance. Kids, I'm sorry to say that I still did not find a religion of peace contained within that book. It's just not there. What I did find is a blueprint for a theocracy that would want me dead for being different and not believing as they do. The sad situation here folks is that radical Islam is everywhere, not just on the news or overseas. Sharia law is not compatible with Western life, it's just not, and if we don't stem this tide folks we're going to see blood. The tragic part of all of this is that there are a LOT of people on both sides that want to see that happen and that's just ludicrous. I have personally talked to people that want to see Islam "stand up and prove its might" in this country and believe that violence against those of us who don't believe is warranted. They have every right to "believe" that, as we all have rights to all of our varied faiths, but when you're willing to take that right into action is where we have to draw a line kids. It's a rough world we live in people. We have to stop sugar coating things and call them as they are. Terrorism should be called just that, not workplace violence. Those that wish to aid terrorism should be prosecuted as such. It is not, and I repeat, NOT racist or discriminatory to want to protect me and mine from a radical faith that wants me dead because I find Aloha Snackbar jokes funny. Those that wish to ignore these things or call those of us who are concerned by them racists are, as much as I hate to say it, unfortunately in for a rude awakening one day. Just ask the two Austria girls that ran off to join ISIS...
People we live in a different world now than we did twenty years ago. I know I may lose a few of you as readers by expressing this stuff by you know what, it's a calculated risk. Sometimes all it can take for someone to "wake up" a bit is to hear or read an idea. More than anything else kids, I want you to think about these things and think about them critically. Don't take a politicians' word for it, take your own word for it. Remember, I didn't write this to start a fight. I wrote this to share my concerns.
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