That's life.

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.

....not to mention a farmer, a driver, a scooper, a washer,...about everything.

Most of us have worked a few minimum wage jobs in our time or, in the case of waitresses, less than minimum wage. Generally speaking, we were proud of what we earned, worked hard to do our jobs well, and enjoyed what we did, knowing as we did, it was temporary.

Now I've just watched "Inside Job"

http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/

and, when elected, I will institute a new minimum wage law that will set the minimum wage locally for each county, borough, or whatever you have where you live. It will vary according to average cost of living across the area, and will include enough to buy or rent a place to live, transportation allowance enough to buy (only) an electric car or to take public transportation,

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html

food, health insurance, two weeks vacation a year, a savings account, a few extras, and a ticket to visit grandma in Schenectady once a year.

Opponents will say this will drive up inflation. I think it will do the opposite by keeping companies from hiring people to do work no one wants to do. If you can't afford an employee, maybe you should work yourself. It will also serve to keep the prices of homes, cars, and insurance down a bit...if big ticket items cost more, the COLA just goes up on the minimum wage.

I'll also put a strict limit on stock market investing. Companies will have to pay their employees (you know, those folks who do the work) what they formerly paid in dividends. No more getting free money just because you already have a lot of money. If you want to gamble, invest in a start-up, take a nice profit if it's successful, and get out of the way. No more leeches just because it's legal.

There will be a set maximum ratio of salary between workers and management, and bonuses paid to management will also be paid equally, percentage-wise, to employees. Think of the loyalty, quality workmanship, and feelings of personal identification with ones work that would result in such a system.

It's called 'having respect for employees and wage earners'. A very few companies have understood this over the years, and the respect went both ways.

Don't forget to vote outside the party lines next election. Mr. Obama sold us out to the bankers.