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In reply to the discussion: Rich people find a new reason to stiff servers? [View all]BlueMTexpat
(15,365 posts)You'll love this anecdote. I needed an electrician last week, not for an emergency, but to replace a switch that wasn't working. When I called the company, they told me that most of their electricians were still on vacation (imagine!), but scheduled me for an afternoon visit today.
When the electrician got here, I mentioned that I had heard that he was on vacation last week and asked whether he had enjoyed it. He answered that yes, indeed, he had and added that he had spent one week on the island of Reunion and another in Mauritius.
This is one of the regular blue-collar workers! I think it is wonderful that they have time not only to afford what their family needs but to have leisure to enjoy life and to be able to visit exotic places. Many white-collar workers in the US can't even afford that!
At the same time, today I heard that in the UK the Tory government is cutting the starting pay of the police force - those people who are paid to risk their lives on a daily basis to keep everyone safe. WTF?
I remember when American workers were the envy of the world. Now they are among those to be pitied - at least in industrial nations other than the UK. And at least in the UK, they have national health care.
But yes, we ARE exceptional.