Phone calls

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Phone conversations

It seems that 75% of people with mobile phones value an actual phone conversation, but that 92% mainly use their phones for internet access.  Long rambling phone calls are on the out, declining yearly.  Extroverts prefer face- to- face conversations, which they find energising.  Introverts, of which I am one, use the phone mainly for utilitarian purposes and generally don’t chat.  It is the teenager who does, screening out the nagging Mum and grumpy Dad and the annoying brothers and sisters and gossiping about the kids they have been with all day at school.

Now we are told that even teenagers are using text and the internet more, and long, rambling voice calls less.

My comment:   We still have a landline, which probably identifies our approximate age.  I don’t have a mobile at all ( my wife does), mainly because I have better things to do than check the phone every 8 minutes, which is apparently a bang-up-to- date, genuine statistic.   My stance is often greeted with disbelief.  How do you receive a text message?  Good question.

A fine mess you have got us into ( No.1)

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Some things are almost beyond parody.

Lord Frost says the (British) government will hire an external adviser to identify post-Brexit opportunities.  “We have high hopes of outside input into this process,” he says.

The government of the United Kingdom, almost five years after the Brexit referendum, wants help on identifying post-Brexit opportunities!  (Truly! Ed)

The natural response to this is, of course, to laugh like a drain – and to then despair.

But it also worth reflecting upon.

One of the strengths (if that is the correct word) of the Leave campaign was that it was primal in its message – and what is primal is usually inexact, if not vague.

And with such primal force, Leave won and the Remainers lost.  Even if you are an enthusiastic Leaver, this news ought to alarm you.

More from Patriotic Millionaires

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 In 2020, CEOs made 320 times as much as an average worker. Yet employees who work day in and day out to help these businesses flourish, are awarded either the deeply-flawed subminimum tipped wage, the minimum wage of $7.25, or other wages that are less than $15 an hour despite the climbing cost of basic necessities. When businesses were questioned about skyrocketing CEO pay during the global pandemic, many said that it was simply “unfair” for them to make less just because of the pandemic. (Newsflash, the entire pandemic was unfair for the average workers. Workers didn’t cause the pandemic yet so many Americans lost their jobs, homes, savings, and quality of life).

The ultra-rich and big corporations became $1.3 trillion richer during the global pandemic while working families, women, and communities of color felt enormous financial fallout. There is no reason that CEOs should be paying a lower tax rate than nurses, utility workers, and teachers and allow the rest of America to subsidize the cost of their workforce. 

When the ‘stay at home’ mandate was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, food industry workers and other essential workers held our economy together when it felt like we were at a global standstill. They continued to work despite unsafe conditions due to the lack of workers’ protections, low wages, overtime, fear of being laid off, evictions, and many more drawbacks. If businesses need workers, they should raise their wages and they’ll find people who are willing to work. If they cannot afford to operate without paying their employees starvation wages then maybe they shouldn’t operate at all. Stop blaming workers and reevaluate your strategy.  (The Patriotic Millionaires)

My comment : The world is never going to be “fair”, and no one will ever agree what “ fair” is anyway.  But the current situation is obscene and, long- term, a threat to the United States and historically unsustainable.  Epicurus believed in moderation, which is the strategy for long- term social peace. “Laisser faire” is unfair.  It is also very shortsighted.

Finding workers

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.Many CEOs and politicians like North Carolina State Rep. David Rouzer have been adamant in their beliefs that extended unemployment benefits and $1,400 direct stimulus checks have led to the lack of workers in the fast-food industry. This assertion is patently false and anyone who repeats it should be ashamed of themselves.

 Did it ever occur to some that maybe— just maybe— if they stop paying their workers starvation wages they’ll have more employees willing to work for them? Not only would they have employees, but they would have employees who don’t have to work three or four jobs to put food on the table. Most employees wouldn’t have a problem working if they were being paid a living wage for their hard work. Instead of dull-witted statements that opponents of living wages resort to like “Stimulus checks make people lazy”; how about businesses start paying their workers a wage that they can actually live on.”. (Friends of the Patriotic Millionaires)

My comment:  I agree with the above, but can also understand the situation of many companies.   You know your wage rates are arguably too low for staff to make a decent living.  But you also know that in a low margin business a hike in wages could endanger the company’s cash flow, profitability and viability.  Everyone could easily be unemployed.

When much younger I ran a company where where margins were thin and the market viciously competitive.  Day three of my tenure and the bank manager summoned me and threatened to withdraw credit ( e.g bankruptcy) if I didn’t get the overdraft down.  Result?  All of us would be jobless   if you haven’t had this experience let me tell you it keeps you awake at night, regardless of your level of care and commitment to human decency.  And this was a hundred year old company.  It was not originally set up as a low margin outfit.  Events had put it in a vise, and you had to do your best.

My heart goes out to all the companies, large and small, who have suffered during the pandemic for no fault of their own.( P.S We survived 15 years until the advent of the Apple Mac.  Technology, not wage rates did for us.  Won’t bore you with detail!).