Dear Tazi:
I am the teenager named "Joey" whose parents wrote to you about my wanting to join the Tea Party. I can't say I am happy with the response you gave them because it has been a very difficult six months for me, but I can see the point that they were trying to make. My Dad wanted me to write this letter to you so your readers can know how everything turned out with their "experiment" with me. It's just easier if I make a list, so here it is:
1. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have to give up your iPhone for a Jitterbug phone? If nothing else, this taught me that I never, ever want to be so poor that I can't afford a normal phone. It is practically child abuse to make me use this thing!
2. Education is important and a high school education is free, so taking it for granted is stupid. I realize that not everyone can afford college, but doing well in high school can earn you scholarships so you don't end up doing tough jobs for low pay. My father paid me what he paid the landscaper to do our spring cleanup. It was the toughest $250 I ever made. I thought I was being underpaid and complained about it when he told me the landscaper has to pay his expenses out of that $250 (employees, gas for his truck and equipment, and dumping fees), and actually makes a lot less.
3. I don't want to be a landscaper. I applied for a summer job as one and was offered $9.00/hour to mow lawns and do garden cleanup. My day would start at 7AM and end when the sun went down. My only days off would be when it rained, and I would be an "independent contractor" which means I would have to pay all of my own taxes, even though I am only 16 and it would all be refunded anyway. My Dad told me that the cleaning lady works under a similar arrangement. I don't want to clean houses, either.
4. It is tough to find a job when you have no skills. I just turned 16 and got my working papers, only to find there is no work for me other than minimum wage fast food kind of stuff that I don't want. I was hoping someone in a trade would offer me on-the-job training but that didn't happen, even when I offered to work for free, after school, for two weeks to learn the basics. What is with people? I offered to work for FREE just to learn how to do the job!
5. It is impossible to live off of minimum wage. I have no idea how people manage to pay rent and buy food and own a good car if they have to live off of minimum wage. I still say it is an incentive to work harder so you don't have to earn minimum wage, which is why I am working harder in school and will be taking some Voc-Tech courses next year, so I can learn a trade in case college doesn't work out for me.
6. A helping-hand is not the same as a hand-out. I now understand why my parents give to the United Way, to help those who have less than us. I just wish they would demand that the money go into programs that offer job training and adult education instead of hand-outs.
I still believe in the Tea Party, but I have learned that many of the people who support it would not have all that they have if they had not been given a privileged start when they were young. I also realize that they would not have gotten as far as they have if they made stupid mistakes like Levi Johnston, and that Bristol Palin is a lot luckier than most teen Moms. I still say people need to own their actions, which is what the Tea Party is all about, but I can see the other side of things now, too. People need to remember that people like Herman Cain are Tea Party members, and that we are not all bad; we just want people to live by the standards that made America great.
Signed,
"Joey"
Dear "Joey":
I thank you very, very much for writing to me and sharing the lessons you have learned with my readers, many of whom have asked for a follow-up to your parents' story. It sounds to me that you have learned some valuable lessons about how the real world works. It is my hope that these lessons are not soon forgotten, and that they serve as a guide in how you live your life as well as how you treat others. I would ask that you work to practice what you preach in all areas of your life, lest you fall back into the hypocritical behaviors that brought about the need for this experiment, with you as the guinea pig.
You ask "what is wrong with people?" that they were not willing to train you in a job, even after you offered to work for free for a part-time, two-week training period. The fact of the matter is, even with you working for free, your training would be costing the company time and money; therefore, it is more economical for them to hire someone who is already trained. There are many job-force training programs available - however, they are generally sponsored by unions; which are organizations that the Tea Party works against.
As for your experience in lawn-care and your lack of desire to become a landscaper or home cleaning professional you must remember that the people who do these jobs generally enjoy them, and get paid very well to do them. Many landscapers are college educated, with degrees in Agriculture, Botany, or Environmental Science. Do not assume that these are the jobs of the unskilled or under-educated. There is no shame in having dirt under your fingernails if it was put there by hard work.
Perfunctory Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
Showing posts with label tea party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea party. Show all posts
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Teenager Finds That Tea-Party Ideals Difficult For Average Person To Reach
Dear Tazi:
Last Fall, my wife and I wrote to you about our teenage son "Joey" who, at 15, decided to turn against the beliefs he was raised with to join the Tea Party. You advised us to respect Joey's new-formed beliefs, and to go along with things - every step of the way. We took your advice and told Joey that we would be providing him with the support that was required by law (food, clothing, shelter) but that any extras - designer labels, his iPhone, and recreation - would have to be paid for out of his own pocket.
My wife and I also renegotiated Joey's allowance, basing the amount of work he does around the house on a fair-wage for hours worked system. The amount of chores he completes each week takes approximately one hour of his time. We decided that since the Tea Party is against "living wage" legislation that we would be paying Joey the Federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour). This actually resulted in a large cut to his weekly allowance. My wife and I decided to put the money aside and, at the end of this experiment or six months later (whichever was to come first) donate the money to charity. We offered Joey the opportunity to earn back the balance of his allowance by taking on extra chores at the hourly rate; with the overtime rate kicking in after only three hours of work (we considered the amount of time he spends in school and on homework to go towards a forty-hour work week). Joey leaped at this challenge, and immediately began to feel the bite of reality.
Once Joey had gone through his allowance savings, he started asking for extra chores; however, few were available. After the first snowfall, we offered Joey the opportunity to wake up an hour early (5 AM, instead of 6 AM) to shovel snow at the rate of $10/hour, but he chose sleep instead and was upset that I had shoveled the driveway and the walk by the time he woke. When he complained that this was unfair, I explained to him that when work calls the employee must answer; that this is a part of developing "a work ethic and a sense of morality" that he originally insisted the poor do not have.
When Christmas rolled around, Joey got a Jitterbug phone (which he is embarrassed to be seen using) to replace the iPhone he could not afford; as well as a few things he wanted, but nothing near the extravagant gifts my wife and I usually give to him. Joey was disappointed, but we explained that he is a "working man" now, which means he should be buying gifts for others as well as receiving. Since he did not purchase gifts for my wife and me, we did not give as generously as we normally would. During school vacation, we took him shopping for new clothes and sneakers - at JC Penney, where he was mortified to be seen purchasing store-brand clothing. My wife wanted to give in when she saw how upset Joey was, but I convinced her to keep up with the "tough love".
Due to a lack of snowfall, there were no (more) driveways to be shoveled over the winter and warm-weather yard-work does not yet need to be done. Last night, Joey asked me if he could "collect unemployment benefits" since "work has been slow". My wife and I responded that he was not eligible for unemployment benefits since he did not have enough work hours banked, but that he could try applying for T.A.N.F. benefits [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, formerly known as "welfare"]. The look of horror on his face was priceless, when I explained to Joey that since he was a single man with no children he probably would not qualify for T.A.N.F. benefits anyway.
This morning, when my wife and I came downstairs for breakfast, Joey was standing in the kitchen holding a sign that read "Working Poor. Please Help. Need Gas Money for Carpool to Get to School". My wife and I plan to have a long talk with our son this evening (I am writing this on my lunch break), but we are pretty certain that this experiment has reached a concluding point. It has been a great success, and we just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful advice!
Sincerely,
Two Proud Liberal Democrats
P.S. We made Joey walk the two miles to school, just to drive home our point!
Dear Two Proud Liberal Democrats:
Thank you for writing back to me to follow up on your situation! I love hearing back from people who have had success with the advice I have given - it makes me purrrrrrrr like a kitten!
Although I cannot guarantee that your son will not continue to hold ultra-conservative viewpoints (which is his right, should they be his beliefs), I do believe that you and your wife have taught him the importance of having compassion for others, and not to judge someone until you have walked a mile (or two!) in their shoes. You have done your job as parents, the toughest job there is! Keep up the good work!
Snuggles,
Tazi
P.S. You went even further than I suggested! I didn't think to take away his iPhone or to restructure his allowance. Bravo!
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
Last Fall, my wife and I wrote to you about our teenage son "Joey" who, at 15, decided to turn against the beliefs he was raised with to join the Tea Party. You advised us to respect Joey's new-formed beliefs, and to go along with things - every step of the way. We took your advice and told Joey that we would be providing him with the support that was required by law (food, clothing, shelter) but that any extras - designer labels, his iPhone, and recreation - would have to be paid for out of his own pocket.
My wife and I also renegotiated Joey's allowance, basing the amount of work he does around the house on a fair-wage for hours worked system. The amount of chores he completes each week takes approximately one hour of his time. We decided that since the Tea Party is against "living wage" legislation that we would be paying Joey the Federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour). This actually resulted in a large cut to his weekly allowance. My wife and I decided to put the money aside and, at the end of this experiment or six months later (whichever was to come first) donate the money to charity. We offered Joey the opportunity to earn back the balance of his allowance by taking on extra chores at the hourly rate; with the overtime rate kicking in after only three hours of work (we considered the amount of time he spends in school and on homework to go towards a forty-hour work week). Joey leaped at this challenge, and immediately began to feel the bite of reality.
Once Joey had gone through his allowance savings, he started asking for extra chores; however, few were available. After the first snowfall, we offered Joey the opportunity to wake up an hour early (5 AM, instead of 6 AM) to shovel snow at the rate of $10/hour, but he chose sleep instead and was upset that I had shoveled the driveway and the walk by the time he woke. When he complained that this was unfair, I explained to him that when work calls the employee must answer; that this is a part of developing "a work ethic and a sense of morality" that he originally insisted the poor do not have.
When Christmas rolled around, Joey got a Jitterbug phone (which he is embarrassed to be seen using) to replace the iPhone he could not afford; as well as a few things he wanted, but nothing near the extravagant gifts my wife and I usually give to him. Joey was disappointed, but we explained that he is a "working man" now, which means he should be buying gifts for others as well as receiving. Since he did not purchase gifts for my wife and me, we did not give as generously as we normally would. During school vacation, we took him shopping for new clothes and sneakers - at JC Penney, where he was mortified to be seen purchasing store-brand clothing. My wife wanted to give in when she saw how upset Joey was, but I convinced her to keep up with the "tough love".
Due to a lack of snowfall, there were no (more) driveways to be shoveled over the winter and warm-weather yard-work does not yet need to be done. Last night, Joey asked me if he could "collect unemployment benefits" since "work has been slow". My wife and I responded that he was not eligible for unemployment benefits since he did not have enough work hours banked, but that he could try applying for T.A.N.F. benefits [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, formerly known as "welfare"]. The look of horror on his face was priceless, when I explained to Joey that since he was a single man with no children he probably would not qualify for T.A.N.F. benefits anyway.
This morning, when my wife and I came downstairs for breakfast, Joey was standing in the kitchen holding a sign that read "Working Poor. Please Help. Need Gas Money for Carpool to Get to School". My wife and I plan to have a long talk with our son this evening (I am writing this on my lunch break), but we are pretty certain that this experiment has reached a concluding point. It has been a great success, and we just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful advice!
Sincerely,
Two Proud Liberal Democrats
P.S. We made Joey walk the two miles to school, just to drive home our point!
Dear Two Proud Liberal Democrats:
Thank you for writing back to me to follow up on your situation! I love hearing back from people who have had success with the advice I have given - it makes me purrrrrrrr like a kitten!
Although I cannot guarantee that your son will not continue to hold ultra-conservative viewpoints (which is his right, should they be his beliefs), I do believe that you and your wife have taught him the importance of having compassion for others, and not to judge someone until you have walked a mile (or two!) in their shoes. You have done your job as parents, the toughest job there is! Keep up the good work!
Snuggles,
Tazi
P.S. You went even further than I suggested! I didn't think to take away his iPhone or to restructure his allowance. Bravo!
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Teenager Discovers Tea-Party - Much To His Parents Dismay
Dear Tazi-Kat:
My wife and I are feeling like complete failures as parents, and are wondering just where we went wrong. As proud, liberal Democrats we have tried to raise our son to be a compassionate, caring human being. We thought we were doing everything right, but now - at age 15 - he has told us that he wants to join the Tea Party.
"Joey" has told us that we are too soft, always giving money to the United Way and other causes that assist the needy, and that money earned is money appreciated. He is making my poor wife cry and my blood boil the way he goes on and on about how if the less fortunate just developed "a work-ethic and sense of morality" they could all be fully-employed and "not sponging off of society".
Tazi-Kat, for us, the most difficult part of this issue is that we have always encouraged our son to be a free-thinker and to follow his heart regardless of what others will say. We support our son's right to free-thinking; we just cannot support his views in our home, but at the same time we do not wish to squelch his right to free speech. Do you have any advice to offer on how to handle this terrible muddle?
Signed,
Voted for Obama...and Gore...and Clinton (Twice!)
Dear Voted For...:
Nobody has ever said that parenting is easy work - not even those who have never been parents. The job of raising a child to be a respectful, noble, and successful member of society is a difficult and sometimes thankless job, as you are discovering. At 15 years-old, your son is old enough to formulate his own opinions; but not old enough to be independent of his parents rule. This "muddle" you are in presents a wonderful opportunity for you as parents to teach your son compassion for others - and that money and jobs do not simply materialize out of want or need for them.
Since your son is still underage, the law requires that you provide him with nutritious food, clothing, and shelter. It does not, however, require that you provide him with snacks and other junk food teenagers like to eat. Nor does the law require you to buy your son expensive designer clothes. Do you see where this line of thinking is headed? Just because you must respect your son's views does not mean that you are required to support them.
I suggest that you sit down with your wife, and work out an accounting of your son's expenses. How much do you spend on designer jeans when plain-old Levi's will work just as well? Calculate the price differences between what will "work just fine" in your eyes and what will "work just fine" in his eyes. Tell him that from this point forward, the extra expense will be his to pay. If he cannot afford the additional money to purchase Sean John clothing than it looks like he will be wearing the latest fashions from J.C. Penney's Arizona Jeans Company.
If you wish, you can take this plan one step further by eliminating spending money for things like pizza with friends, popcorn and candy at the movies, video games, and other splurge items. If his allowance will not cover these expenses, you and your wife can offer him the opportunity to earn the necessary funds by completing additional chores. If increasing his allowance is not in your budget simply tell your son that you, as the employer, cannot authorize the "overtime expenses" and that he will have to seek extra employment elsewhere. For a 15-year-old boy, this usually means mowing lawns, raking leaves, or shoveling snow - depending on the season.
Once this plan is implemented, your son may discover that his preferred lifestyle does not jive with his new-found political views on absolute self-sustainability...or you may discover that your son is truly committed to living out every aspect of his new-found political views. If the former occurs, do not pass up the opportunity to discuss with him the lessons learned. If the latter holds, you and your wife will have to work on accepting that this is who your son is and that his views - however odious you may find them - deserve respect; as would his industrious spirit.
My wife and I are feeling like complete failures as parents, and are wondering just where we went wrong. As proud, liberal Democrats we have tried to raise our son to be a compassionate, caring human being. We thought we were doing everything right, but now - at age 15 - he has told us that he wants to join the Tea Party.
"Joey" has told us that we are too soft, always giving money to the United Way and other causes that assist the needy, and that money earned is money appreciated. He is making my poor wife cry and my blood boil the way he goes on and on about how if the less fortunate just developed "a work-ethic and sense of morality" they could all be fully-employed and "not sponging off of society".
Tazi-Kat, for us, the most difficult part of this issue is that we have always encouraged our son to be a free-thinker and to follow his heart regardless of what others will say. We support our son's right to free-thinking; we just cannot support his views in our home, but at the same time we do not wish to squelch his right to free speech. Do you have any advice to offer on how to handle this terrible muddle?
Signed,
Voted for Obama...and Gore...and Clinton (Twice!)
Dear Voted For...:
Nobody has ever said that parenting is easy work - not even those who have never been parents. The job of raising a child to be a respectful, noble, and successful member of society is a difficult and sometimes thankless job, as you are discovering. At 15 years-old, your son is old enough to formulate his own opinions; but not old enough to be independent of his parents rule. This "muddle" you are in presents a wonderful opportunity for you as parents to teach your son compassion for others - and that money and jobs do not simply materialize out of want or need for them.
Since your son is still underage, the law requires that you provide him with nutritious food, clothing, and shelter. It does not, however, require that you provide him with snacks and other junk food teenagers like to eat. Nor does the law require you to buy your son expensive designer clothes. Do you see where this line of thinking is headed? Just because you must respect your son's views does not mean that you are required to support them.
I suggest that you sit down with your wife, and work out an accounting of your son's expenses. How much do you spend on designer jeans when plain-old Levi's will work just as well? Calculate the price differences between what will "work just fine" in your eyes and what will "work just fine" in his eyes. Tell him that from this point forward, the extra expense will be his to pay. If he cannot afford the additional money to purchase Sean John clothing than it looks like he will be wearing the latest fashions from J.C. Penney's Arizona Jeans Company.
If you wish, you can take this plan one step further by eliminating spending money for things like pizza with friends, popcorn and candy at the movies, video games, and other splurge items. If his allowance will not cover these expenses, you and your wife can offer him the opportunity to earn the necessary funds by completing additional chores. If increasing his allowance is not in your budget simply tell your son that you, as the employer, cannot authorize the "overtime expenses" and that he will have to seek extra employment elsewhere. For a 15-year-old boy, this usually means mowing lawns, raking leaves, or shoveling snow - depending on the season.
Once this plan is implemented, your son may discover that his preferred lifestyle does not jive with his new-found political views on absolute self-sustainability...or you may discover that your son is truly committed to living out every aspect of his new-found political views. If the former occurs, do not pass up the opportunity to discuss with him the lessons learned. If the latter holds, you and your wife will have to work on accepting that this is who your son is and that his views - however odious you may find them - deserve respect; as would his industrious spirit.
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