CARROLL: Day-off reckoning
By Vincent Carroll, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published November 19, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
If you work for the city of Denver, you can stay home the day after Thanksgiving, but with the following catch: You won't get paid. The mayor is trying to save money in this rough economic stretch and is offering an unpaid furlough to those who want it.
If you work for the state of Colorado, on the other hand, you can stay home that same day without a cent being shaved from your paycheck. And if the Friday after Thanksgiving is not to your liking, you can take off the day before or after Christmas as an alternative, or the day before or after New Year's.
Gov. Bill Ritter issued a memo granting this "year-end administrative leave" barely three weeks ago, after it was obvious the economy was in free fall and that state tax revenues were likely to crater (as they surely will, despite the oddly optimistic estimates currently being used). But having kick-started the "governor's holiday" in his first year in office, Ritter presumably felt obliged to turn it into a tradition.
It's not as if state workers are deprived of official days off. Even without the governor's recent gift, they already get to shutter their offices for 10 state holidays - which is probably two, three or even four more than those of you in the private sector enjoy. But then come to think of it, private-sector wage slaves don't get to access their pension benefits at age 55, either.
Poor will get around to it
"Level 3 CEO Jim Crowe noted broadband penetration among the low-income nationwide is half that of other groups. 'And that's unacceptable,' he said."
- Rocky Mountain News, Nov. 15
Now, Crowe can be forgiven for talking this way. After all, he made the point while attending the second annual Colorado Broadband Summit, and that's the sort of thing you say at such gatherings. But as a matter of fact, it is not "unacceptable" that broadband penetration among low-income Americans is half that of other groups.
No, it is entirely predictable that a relatively new technology that has been available for little more than a decade would be adopted by the poor less quickly than by the wealthy and middle class. The same pattern has occurred with every technology, gadget and appliance - and yet how many worry today about the "unacceptable" penetration of TVs in the homes of America's have-nots?
It would be unacceptable, perhaps, if the broadband disparity turned out to be enduring, but why would anyone expect that to occur? Forty-five percent of Americans with household incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 reported having broadband earlier this year in a survey for the Pew Internet & American Life Project; indeed, that group's adoption of broadband soared by nearly a quarter in a single year.
Most of those households don't officially qualify as poor, admittedly, and there is evidence from the same survey that broadband penetration among the poor may have stalled. But if broadband is being embraced so rapidly by the lower-middle- class, it's hard to believe that the technology train will not chug on.
Woebegone riffraff
Imagine you are a district manager for Avis interested in political commentary. You are reading Garrison Keillor's most recent column, which is the usual paean to Barack Obama, and you suddenly realize the man has insulted you - you specifically - for no reason at all.
It happens while Keillor is mocking the European heads of state, none of whom is apparently worthy to stand in the presence of our peerless president-elect. Reaching into his bag of insults, he declares that Nicolas Sarkozy "looks like a district manager for Avis."
Whap! Right in the face. And you wonder why he would say such a thing.
Because he's a snob. Because for all of his virtues as an entertainer and a writer, and for all his apparent appreciation for Americana, Keillor repeatedly fails to conceal his disdain for ordinary human beings.
Keillor fancies himself a progressive, but in some ways he's a reactionary plucked from the 17th century, looking down his nose at the grubby upstarts who engage in commerce and yet refuse to see how ridiculous they appear to discerning creatures like himself.
Vincent Carroll is editor of the editorial pages. Reach him at carrollv@RockyMountainNews.com.
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November 19, 2008
5:10 a.m.
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corneille1640 writes:
I'm not against the idea that Garrison Keillor might be a snob, although I don't know enough about him to make such a determination. But the "district manager" of a large company, whatever his or her other virtues, likely makes more money than other "ordinary human beings." I'm not saying district managers don't earn their money--I have no idea what they do, but I imagine they work long, stressful hours--but they are on the upper level of middle management that most people don't attain.
November 19, 2008
7:16 a.m.
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VVVV writes:
It's admirable that Mr. Garrison can keep his nose up after two successful sex change operations.
And to be honest, I never really understood why people still listened to a radio show after TV was invented. But then I guess there are a lot of people wanting to be safe from the Russians, even if it means they are trapped by a lake of aptly forgotten nostalgia. It's always good times in hindsight.
November 19, 2008
8:52 a.m.
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TC writes:
What does a district manager for Avis look like?
I'm picturing a red blazer, but that might just be for the counter agents. If the guy does wear a red blazer, that's pretty bad. But if he doesn't wear a red blazer- well does that mean he's too good to wear a red blazer because that's what the lowly counter help wears?
I think you're over analyzing Vince. It was a joke.
November 19, 2008
9:36 a.m.
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xeeian writes:
Regarding the district manger o avis comment.
It reminds me of what my mother used to say: "if you go looking for insults, you'll find them".
November 19, 2008
10:28 a.m.
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JustSayin writes:
Ah, Vinnie, there you go again... your pointing out the extra days off with pay given to state employees is right on: it is a waste of taxpayer resources in these tough times, and an over-the-top benefit given out by the governor via administrative fiat. But then you follow it up with kicking at state employees because of their pension - oh you poor private sector wage slave! Let me bleed tears for you.......I'll bet you are easily in the top 20% of wage earners, and you have the luxury of funding a 401k or some other savings vehicle for your retirement. I fail to see the reasoning in your attempting to set your precious "I'm dumb enough to vote against my own self interests" Joe Sixpack's against other middle class Joe's who happened to be lucky enough to land a government job.
Divide and conquer is a time worn 'tradition' - but what benefit will you get out of lowering state workers back to pre-pension, pre-health benefit, and pre-decent wage paying days? It's like you are calling out "Hey, let's make everyone's job svck! Let's be sure that absolutely NO ONE has decent benefits, that everyone is underpaid and constantly in doubt about their future job security! Won't those be great days?"
(spelling error 'svck' introduced to please the auto-censor....)
November 19, 2008
12:07 p.m.
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Cowboy63 writes:
You're right about Keillor. He's a classic limousine liberal who's gotten rich off of deriding the people who pay his bills.
Time for Lake Woebegone to just BE gone.
November 19, 2008
8:11 p.m.
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Sweetpickle writes:
I doubt that anyone cares what you think of Keillor, but you clearly don't understand his humor. I won't try to explain, but it is often written from the view of someone who has grown up in a small conservative community and learned to see both the good and the bad.
My favorite among his works is about a boy raised by wolves.
And I might point out Vince that a lot more people appreciate and enjoy his writing than those who care about the often pointless drivel you turn out.
November 19, 2008
11:39 p.m.
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TimeLord writes:
Keillor; intelligent, funny, genuine, warm, down to earth.
Carroll - none of the above.
November 20, 2008
12:17 a.m.
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primafacie writes:
What did guys whose job it is to note car dents on carbon paper ever do to Garrison Keillor?
November 20, 2008
9:52 a.m.
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asa_watcher writes:
What is really irksome is that I can find Krauthhammer's screed from way back on Nov 9th , but somehow the "News" won't put Keillor's editorial from this last weekend (the 15th) on line. At least, I can't find it. I guess the "liberals" down at the "Rocky" don't want us to actually read what Keillor said, but will let Carroll rant on line unfettered.
I cut Keillor's column out of the paper, and will keep it. It was a wonderful statement about why people voted FOR Obama, and not AGAINST a candidate. It expressed a sentiment alot of us out here now share, a sentiment that Carroll has obviously not even begun to understand...or accept. Avis managers not withstanding.