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Many of you are familiar with this little gem which circulates across cyberspace from time to time. I’d read it years ago but today my sister in law send it ’round again. I’m extra disgruntled as of late, so it seems particularly relevant:
IN PRISON………you spend the majority of your time in an 10X10 cell.
AT WORK………..you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle.
IN PRISON……..you get three meals a day.
AT WORK………..you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.
IN PRISON……….you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK………..you get more work for good behavior.
IN PRISON………the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK…………you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself.
IN PRISON……….you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK………..you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.
IN PRISON………you get your own toilet.
AT WORK……….you have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.
IN PRISON……….they allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK…………you aren’t even supposed to speak to your family.
IN PRISON……..all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK…………you get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.
IN PRISON……….you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK ……….you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.
IN PRISON ……you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK……….they are called managers.
This also reminds me of the years I spent BARTing in a mad rush from Alameda to downtown SF after classes, to my part time job which paid my rent and fed me through graduate school. (those piddly grants and even the loans only covered tuition/books).
As I was approached my countless pandhandlers, it occurred to me that ironically, they had more money than I did. Because maybe they had nothing. Or 2 bucks. But as for me, despite bearing the trappings of economic security (a job, a car, nice enough clothes) I was IN THE HOLE. And we’re talking like 60 grand in the hole, so actually a person with $0 would be LOTS better off than I.
Having actually been to juvenile hall and a prison or two, I choose the indentured servitude of gainful employment over taxpayer supported imprisonment. But the parallells are not to be overlooked…
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Hello again - panhandlers in Los Angeles are better off than you can possible imagine. They did a survey several years ago of panhandlers in downtown Los Angeles. A fairly experienced panhandler makes between $200.00 - $500.00 a day. One veteran panhandler, working with his wife as a team, makes on, a good day, anywhere from $1,300.00 to $1,500.00 a day. They financed a very nice home in West Los Angeles from their panhandling efforts. . . . . Most panhandlers blow it on drugs, but this is how they manage their heavy addictions.
Kensho 01.30.07 @ 2:40 pm