Two weeks into my second attempt at a college degree, (after taking 26 years off) I can definitely say I am enjoying myself. Thanks to some suggestions I received at Dailykos I found a job as a research assistant at lab, and while my job primarily entails cleaning mouse and rat cages, it seems like a good start and it’s more interesting than my job previous job at a golf course. Even at the lab I am noticing massive inequality seems to be the norm. My supervisor told me she makes about thirty thousand dollars a year, not poverty wages, but she has a master’s degree in biology. I overheard a postdoc, which is someone with a PhD but not as cool as principal investigator, discussing the 30% pay cut he was about to take due to lower grant funding. I thought low wages and pay cuts were a problem of the uneducated but it’s starting to sound like it is a problem for almost everyone, and the expense and time of getting a master’s degree or PhD is just more salt in the professional wound; and speaking of salt in the wound,
While all the cuts are going on, one of the principal investigators asked me if I could give him a ride to the car dealership to pick up his new, just delivered, Land Rover, in a limited orange color. Today is Labor Day and the only people working at the lab are laborers. Not only does most of the money go to the elites but even the holidays meant to honor labor are now mostly enjoyed by the elites. I know that our winner take all culture is detrimental to people trying to figure out how they are going to get by on 30% less money, but I am starting to think it might also be bad for the guy spending hours trying to figure out what color of Land Rover will make his vehicle stand out from his neighbors.