This Country is SoOo F***** Up

About a month ago I heard on the news another example of the injustice that exists in this country. Here's an article that talks about it. Basically, Congress voted a pay raise for themselves for the beginning of next year. You know how much of a raise? $3,100. So, do you know how much that makes their annual salaries? $165,200. They cited the raise was in order to meet the raising cost of living. Now, what in the hell kinda mess is that? Are they saying they couldn't afford to live without that pay raise? There are people in and around the District who are makin' $30,000 and under. Don't you think THEY, if anybody, should get a pay raise in order to be able to afford to live? I seriously hate how hard life can be in this "great" nation. Richest country in the world and so many, as this Spanish lady who attended my shower was saying: in this country you "trabajas para vivir" and how in Spain you "vives para trabajar". That is, here, you work in order to live; there, you live to work.

On the AFL-CIO website I learned that the Federal minimum wage, which is $5.15/hour, hasn't changed since September 1997. They've tried to pass a bill in Congress to up the low wage, but "the Bush administration and Republican leaders repeatedly have blocked congressional attempts to raise the federal minimum wage. On March 7, 2005, a bill to boost the wage to $7.25 an hour over two years was defeated in the U.S. Senate." (See Minimum Wage)

Some other stats on the website regarding the working class are:

• If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation since 1968 when it was a $1.60 an hour, it would be $7.55 an hour in 2005.
• Since August 2001, worker productivity in the United States grew by 4.1 percent, while worker compensation grew only 1.5 percent—meaning workers received one-third of the benefits of increased efficiency. In the previous seven business cycles, workers gained about 75 percent of those benefits.
• A net 24,000 private-sector jobs have been lost since President George W. Bush took office.
• Workers who have job-based health care coverage are paying more, as employers are passing on health care cost increases.

Don't ya just love this country?! Hmph.

Hey, off topic, guess what I just heard on the news? Good ole Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were once Boy Scouts. No kidding?

Reality TV

You know that show "Big Brother," right? Well, I don't watch the show, but when the previews for this seasons show was on, it caught my eye. I wasn't really paying attention to the commercial when it was on. Only 'sort of.' Like, while I wasn't actively watching it, I pretty much saw how they were introducing the characters. Each person would talk and say something and their first name was at the bottom of the screen. Well, when one of the members of the house came on, when I caught a glimpse of him, I was like, "Hey! I think I know who that is!" I'm not sure if it was the way he looked, or if I did catch his name when it was said. I was like, that's this kid named "Bo." He used to work at the commissary! I waited 'til I saw the commercial again and was pretty convinced that it was who I thought it was. The name on the screen said: Beau. Now, I don't remember how his name was spelled when I knew this kid, but I can say that Beau is the gay member of the house. Quite feminine and supposedly into fashion. I thought it was crazy. I think he was a short guy when I knew him. And I believe his last name was Beasley or something. I wanna check my high school year books, but they're at my parents' house. Beau. What a riot. =P I called Robert up to see if he remembered him and he seems to vaguely recall this kid. He was like, didn't he wear, like, a necklace? I couldn't even remember. But it's just weird to see someone you once knew on some nationally syndicated show. And to see that he's a huge flamer. =X Anyway...

I have seen a couple of people I knew on TV in the past few months. On the news. Like, I saw this one chick from grad school on the local news for a story about internet phones. She had Vonage and the story was talking about how some alternative phone systems don't have 911 included. And I think she said hers did. And then another time, I believe there was some gay festivities on the news. Something taking place in Dupont. And I saw this one guy talking and was like, I know him! But where do I know him from. It showed his name - he was this Vietnamese guy. But I couldn't remember where I met him - from undergrad, College Park, or grad school. Then I figured it out: he was the president of the VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) in grad school.

Heh. It's a small world...

I've been meaning to blog...

Things come to mind from time to time to write about - stuff I've meant to jot down from way before or some new things. But I just haven't been able to get around to it. Still can't manage to! But in the meantime, enjoy the new photos!

Right out the tub...

...all dry and groomed...

...and playtime!