I'm not a very productive blogger. I blog only once, twice, even three times a week at most. So despite my delusions of grandeur, I'm pretty much your average, run-of-the-mill Joe Blogger.
But there's a reason for this.
I have a job.
A real Job.
Remember that job I told you about working in DC's legal community? That was called a temp job. Low pay, no health insurance. Riding public transportation. Debt up to my eyeballs. Dependence on subsidies which were about to run out. (OK, so the subsidies came from my parents. Believe me, that's like collecting unemployment, only worse. Because the unemployment agency does not call you EVERY FREAKING DAY to see how the job search is going, and second guess everything from your appearance to your resume to your interview style!!!)
In other words, if I was strictly thinking about economics (and I just might have been), I would have been the perfect Democratic voter. Economy going down the tubes, and the President is talking about tax cuts? How outsourcing is good for America? Gaining two or three jobs back at a time when we've lost 4 million during his presidency? It's enough to make you scream!
Human beings are, of course, naturally geared towards ensuring their own prosperity above all. What good is freedom for Iraq if I can't pay my student loans? Yes, there may have been no terrorist attacks since 9/11, but that won't fix my 1986 Toyota's carbuerator. Of course, I'm not completely ignorant of the outside world and the impact it had here at home. But, as anyone will tell you, lack of a job will focus your mind like nothing else.
But then something interesting happened. That temp job turned into...a permanent job. Completely unexpected.
What happened was that the man I was working for was leaving his job. I thought my job, consequently, was over. I had to forgo blogging to put in all the overtime I could, because I didn't know when the next work would be coming. But as it turned out, my boss was quite happy with my work.
On his (and my) last day of work, he called me in as soon as I got in.
He said, "how would you like to work for me when I move to my new job?"
My jaw dropped. I was speechless. I immediately accepted. But why me, I asked? Surely, there are more qualified people out there?
"Maybe, but I doubt that any of them would bust their ass as hard as you have. That's what I like to see."
Me? Hard working? (If you know me, you'll understand.) "Yes. Every time I ask you to do something, it gets done. No matter how small. People who are like that...you give them an opportunity to show themselves, and they'll take it."
He then told me a story of when he was just starting out. He wasn't the best student in college, but he worked his tail off. And he managed to impress someone, too. (Someone very important. As in, someone that you could see here in a few years.) Within three years, my boss had gone from grunt work up to the top level as his patron's chief of staff. And once his job here came along, he had the experience to do it well.
And the opportunity that man gave to him, he wanted to give to me.
"Just remember, I'm going to expect a lot out of you. But I know you will do very well." It's been three months so far, and smooth sailing the whole way.
No, this job doesn't pay as much as I liked (what does?). But, it's enough for me to stay here in DC. It will give me some good opportunities. I have the absolute confidence of my boss (being of Italian descent, and a big fan of the Godfather, he has begun referring to me as the Tom Hagen to his Vito Corleone. As in "I have only one client, and I work exclusively for him.) And, it might just give me some chances I never dreamt I could have had. I'm not going to go into great detail (y'know, the whole "secret identity" thing.) But, needless to say, things are looking bright for Thief.
And therein, why this matters in terms of politics. This personal IS political.
The whole point of what John Kerry and his ilk are saying is that the world that most Americans like me live in is unfair, rigged, and cruel. It's a world where bright-eyed yet powerless people like me are screwed over continuously by the rich and powerful, a Charles Dickens novel writ large, a textbook example of Social Darwinism. It's the people versus the powerful, us vs. them. And the all-powerful "them" of course, control the Republican party. Thus, if we want to escape, we have to vote for Democrats, so that they can use the power of government to take on the powerful and their Republican cronies on our behalf.
And that, my friends, is a load of shit. This world isn't unfair, or rigged, or cruel. Many of the powerful people in this world started out exactly as we did; poor in money, but rich in dreams.
And most important of all, you can get ahead without the government. (It's called "The American Dream."
But they aren't going to tell you that. This election year, they must make you feel hopeless and beaten down. That is the only way they can win. That's how Democrats get elected, and stay elected. And they will use this power to run your life. They will begin making all your decisions for you. And government power has ruined more lives than I care to count.
I can understand the temptation. Empty wallets and stomachs can persuade more than any stump speech. But that's how the most dangerous demagogues and charlatans all throughout history gained power. And in the end, the people who relied on these false promises weren't helped at all.
However, the lesson of my experience, if it means anything, is this. You can succeed. This world is not out to get you. If you keep banging on the door long enough, you will be let in. It may not be what you expect. It certainly wasn't for me. But remember, in the words of the Rolling Stones,
You can't always get what you want,
You can't always get what you want,
You can't always get what you want,
But if you try sometimes,
You might find
You get what you need.
I know that a lot of you out there are in bad situations. I was too. But take heart. Just when you think things will never get better, they will. And if someone is telling you that things will never get better unless you give in and let the government take care of you, tell them to go to hell. Let them know just how deeply insulted you are by their sneering and patronizing and nanny-statism. (Voting or giving a small donation to the GOP might be a good way to tell them that. Although, if you don't care to do so for whatever reason, then at least give that money or support to people who make their living pissing off government nannies.)
And maybe, just maybe, you'll become one of those rich and powerful "them." And if you do, I hope you'll remember where you came from, and help others to achieve their dreams, too.
Isn't that what America is about?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I borrowed heavily from an old post. But Kerry's been on such a tangent about the whole job loss thing I just felt this needed repeating.]
Posted by Thief at March 10, 2004 12:12 AMCongrats, Thief :-)
Posted by: Ray at March 11, 2004 07:31 PM