April 06, 2007
John Edwards in Salon Interview - my comment
in Salon by Walter Shapiro 4.6.07
RE: Edwards' on Public Service Jobs Creation
At one point in my life I spent a couple of years in Spain. One thing I noticed was that lottery sales were done by old men. They walked the urban streets with their tickets and called out to potential buyers.
I was struck then and now that this provided money and worth to people well past normal work force ages.
Not everyone is born with the ability to keep up with computer age job requirements and I guess it's safe to say that simple manual labor jobs continue to decrease in number.
Ergo, why not, as a social policy, cut out a number of employment designations that could, yes, be done more efficiently by machines or alternate methods, and fill them with people who are only by the very nature of man and today's workplace not receiving of or contributing to America's bounty.
If I perchance to talk with a grocery store bagger or cart collection superintendent and realize that this employee is a "challenged" person, I smile.
This is what it is or should be all about.
"Hat tip", as the bloggers say, to participating grocery chains and to John Edwards for mainstreaming this important topic.
Labels: edwards, john edwards, public service jobs, salon, Social Issues