Bush: work longer hours

[HumanityBlues]

Read the post you quoted more carefully.

Damn, thanks! Ya, totally out of context.

 

[Trebuchet]

I make that comment fairly often. Single payer Health Insurance would be a BOON to small and new businesses. Those things that conservatives claim to support.

Small businesses would be better able to compete for employees, and new business owners wouldn't have to worry about their own health care. Everyone is simply covered.

But it would gut the profits of the insurance industry and I understand they're pretty heavy lobbyists not to mention political contributors.

Not necessarily. Insurance companies LOVE Medicare. It doesn't quite cover everything and has created a huge market for supplemental plans. Single payer would likely be similar.

Obama's (and Clinton's before him) mistake was not getting the insurers to help write the Obamacare bill. It would look very different, of course, but the R's would have had a harder time opposing it.

 

[Spindrift]

Not necessarily. Insurance companies LOVE Medicare. It doesn't quite cover everything and has created a huge market for supplemental plans. Single payer would likely be similar.

Obama's (and Clinton's before him) mistake was not getting the insurers to help write the Obamacare bill. It would look very different, of course, but the R's would have had a harder time opposing it.

The R's would never have a problem opposing anything Obama proposed, after all Obamacare was modeled on Romneycare and the Heritage Foundation plan.

 

[Mudcat]

I'm a Democrat, but frankly this kind of game of gotcha by taking a quote out of context and twisting its meaning just makes me roll my eyes. What he's talking about is freaking people who have part-time jobs but want to work full time!

Even if he is, he's still out of touch. I don't know if you work full-time but it sucks. Full-time work means that you spend forty hours (or more) a week at the workplace which translates into eight to twelve hours at work for most of the week, usually at undesirable hours.

You never get any time for friends, family, or other loved ones because you spend half the day at work, the other half sleeping it off. All to slave away to do likely menial work for just enough money to get by.

 

[Spindrift]

"(That) means we have to be a lot more productive. Workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours and through their productivity gain more income for their families. That's the only way we are going to get out of this rut that we're in," Bush had said.

Except that many times people who want to work more aren't allowed to because their employer often does not want to give them benefits if they work full-time hours or does not want to or can't afford to pay them over-time.

 

[xjx388]

Even when we were on food stamps, etc, I worked more than one job. The goal was to get my wife through school. Even when she got through school we each worked more than one job. When she was in Med school, she worked after class. Now that she is a doctor, she STILL works more than 60 hours a week. I certainly did when we owned our clinic and also my restaurant.

Now she is employed by a hospital full-time and helps out in other clinics after hours. I don't see the problem with Bush's statement even if he meant that we all have to work more hours. 40 hours is an artificial limit; if you need/want more money, you work more hours.

 

[xjx388]

Except that many times people who want to work more aren't allowed to because their employer often does not want to give them benefits if they work full-time hours or does not want to or can't afford to pay them over-time.

So get another job. It isn't illegal to have more than one job. Work as much as you need/want to.

 

[xjx388]

Even if he is, he's still out of touch. I don't know if you work full-time but it sucks. Full-time work means that you spend forty hours (or more) a week at the workplace which translates into eight to twelve hours at work for most of the week, usually at undesirable hours.

You never get any time for friends, family, or other loved ones because you spend half the day at work, the other half sleeping it off. All to slave away to do likely menial work for just enough money to get by.

I'm playing the saddest song I know (d minor, naturally) on my imaginary violin.

What's more important? Playtime or supporting your family? We all do what we have to so we can provide what we need/want. If we don't, we don't get what we need/want. It's pretty simple....

 

[Spindrift]

So get another job. It isn't illegal to have more than one job. Work as much as you need/want to.

Oh of course. Instead of paying people a living wage, let's just work them to death. Is that the country you want?

 

[thaiboxerken]

Oh of course. Instead of paying people a living wage, let's just work them to death. Is that the country you want?

Yes, as long as he has a comfortable life, who cares?

 

[Mudcat]

I'm playing the saddest song I know (d minor, naturally) on my imaginary violin.

No need to be an ass about it.

What's more important? Playtime or supporting your family?

How about spending time with your family and loved ones? Being there for your parents/spouse/children?

We all do what we have to so we can provide what we need/want. If we don't, we don't get what we need/want. It's pretty simple....

So your argument is that we should all be spending our every waking hour at work without being able to enjoy the fruits of our labor?

 

[xjx388]

Oh of course. Instead of paying people a living wage, let's just work them to death. Is that the country you want?

We work more than 60 hours a week. Haven't died yet. It's simple...if you want more than what you currently have, work more hours. I don't understand how this is controversial.

 

[Mudcat]

We work more than 60 hours a week.

Out of curiosity how many hours per day is that?

 

[xjx388]

Yes, as long as he has a comfortable life, who cares?

I have a comfortable life because I work hard, sometimes all day and night, to achieve it. Look at any successful person. Do you honestly think they work 8 hours or less a day?

 

[xjx388]

Out of curiosity how many hours per day is that?

Usually 12 to 15. When we owned the clinic, there are days I would go in at 7am and come home after 2am. Now that I don't worry about the clinic, There are some days I get away with 10 hours.

I don't need to do that, but if I want to provide my family all the things I want to provide them, I do it gladly.

 

[Mudcat]

Usually 12 to 15.

I used to work 12 hour shifts, I could scarcely stand it. I'm not a father nor a husband and it beats me how anyone can work full-time and have any kind of a family life.

Maybe I need to delegate my time better, hahah.

 

[xjx388]

I used to work 12 hour shifts, I could scarcely stand it. I'm not a father nor a husband and it beats me how anyone can work full-time and have any kind of a family life.

Maybe I need to delegate my time better, hahah.

One of the advantages of having kids as teenagers is that they are all grown now that we are making good money. When they were young, we balanced our schedules and relied on family to help us out when we couldn't be there.

We don't necessarily like working as much as we do but it serves our goals: have no debt, get our kids set up and semi-retire at 55.

 

[korenyx]

So get another job. It isn't illegal to have more than one job. Work as much as you need/want to.

Most of the part-time jobs I have had did not have a set schedule. If you don't know what your hours are until the last minute it's impossible to have another job.

 

[Bogative]

Usually 12 to 15. When we owned the clinic, there are days I would go in at 7am and come home after 2am. Now that I don't worry about the clinic, There are some days I get away with 10 hours.

I don't need to do that, but if I want to provide my family all the things I want to provide them, I do it gladly.

I've heard it put this way. "You'll never get wealthy working 9-5. Commute in the dark."

 

[Mudcat]

We don't necessarily like working as much as we do but it serves our goals: have no debt, get our kids set up and semi-retire at 55.

Be that as it may, I don't think it's desirable that people should need to slave away like that just for a somewhat comfortable life and to retire before they're 60.