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Alf Gordon

Equal Pay for Equal Work: First, Define the Term "Equal"

Posted Sunday, July 05, 2009 (124 days 1 hour ago.) Viewed 659 times.

I am about to offend a whole segment of the work force--and frankly, I do not care. I want an explanation for what I see going on in today's workplace. Notice, I said "explanation", not "excuse."

A situation has occurred in recent days which has brought the phrase "equal pay for equal work" into sharper scrutiny on my part. A complaint was raised concerning the raises which our company will be issuing shortly. Someone commented that the differences in salaries for different people doing the same job should not be in evidence. If two people are doing the same job, they should receive the same salary for it. And then the phrase was uttered: "After all, equal pay for equal work."

I so badly wanted to ask the individual what the definition was for the word "equal" in that sentence. After all, I know a number of people who work in the same company, have the same job title, work for the same group, and are on the same pay scale. Should they receive "equal pay for equal work" when:

* One is constantly looking for ways to reduce the workload for the group, while the other does barely enough work to get by?

* One has no education and ten years of experience with the company, while the other has a bachelor's degree and twenty years of experience in the field?

* One responds to new assignments with "Sorry, that is not my job", while the other says "Let me help you find out how to resolve the issue"?

* One puts in the necessary hours to complete work assignments, even if it means unpaid overtime, while the other looks for every opportunity to start work late, leave work early, and avoid working on weekends and holidays at all costs?

* One constantly takes unscheduled time off to take care of "family emergencies", while the other follows policies when requesting vacation and sick leave?

* One does the job with little or no complaint, while the other continually voices concerns about what is "fair" and "right"?

Now, before some of you get all self-righteously angry and start writing those stop-the-hatred-and-prejudice comments (and you know who you are), let me assure you that (a) each of the examples above describes two individuals--but not always the same two individuals; and (b) the two individuals in each example above are not necessary on opposite sides of a given fence--it is not always male-versus-female, or black-versus-white, or gay-versus-straight. Each is a real-life example, using people with whom I have worked over the years, and modifying some of the details to protect the guilty. (No, that is not a typo.)

So let me ask again: In these examples, how would one define the term "equal?" In each situation, it is very obvious that one person is either more qualified, more motivated, or more conscientious than the other. So where is the equality in the workplace? Is simply assigning the same amount of pay to every individual regardless of their experience, education, and work ethic "equal"? Is rewarding people for working harder, smarter, and more efficiently showing favoritism and encouraging prejudice? Especially in today's economy, is the basic law of evolution, "survival of the fittest", not applicable in the business world?

I know where I stand on the issue. I look forward to your comments on the matter.

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Baptist Pastor Beaten and Tazed by Border Patrol in Arizona

Posted Friday, April 17, 2009 (202 days 20 hours ago.) Viewed 388 times.

A friend of mine sent me this YouTube link to a video of pastor Steven Anderson. It is his testimony of an altercation he had on April 14 with border patrol agents as he was driving home from San Diego to his home in Phoenix. Nine minutes later, after viewing his video, I was sickened and disgusted at the way an innocent American citizen was treated by individuals who are supposed to be ensuring the safety of Americans.

Anderson was stopped and questioned by border patrol officers 75 miles east of Yuma. He was directed to a secondary search area, where he was told a dog had alerted the officers to the presence of either drugs or a human being in Anderson's trunk. Claiming his Fourth Amendment right not to be searched without a warrant, he waited in his vehicle for over an hour until DPS agents showed up and said he was under arrest. DPS agents ended up breaking into Anderson's car, tasering him, dragging him out of the vehicle and subjecting him to beatings and further tasering. He was taken to an emergency room in Yuma, then to a facility where he spent the night in jail. The next morning he appeared in court where he was told he had to come back on Friday for his arraignment. Anderson intends on pleading not guilty to the charges.

By the way, the agents searched Anderson's car after his beating, and found no drugs and no human body in the trunk. What a surprise.

A law-abiding American citizen invokes his constitutional rights and is treated like a criminal for it. Meanwhile, the true criminals -- the illegal immigrants who are sneaking into our country -- are laughing it up and going to court for protection, claiming their "rights" are being violated. I do not believe that all border patrol officers act as these men did, but there is something seriously wrong about the behavior of these individuals (who Anderson has the foresight to call on by name in his video). Will there be any justice for Steven Anderson? I certainly hope so.

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Veterans Lose, Illegal Immigrants Win When It Comes to Health Care

Posted Tuesday, March 31, 2009 (220 days 14 hours ago.) Viewed 90 times.

Last Friday the Veterans Affairs department announced that ten people have tested positive for hepatitis after being exposed to contaminated colonoscopy equipment. Thousands of patients who have been treated at VA facilities in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Augusta, Georgia, are being asked to get blood tests. All three sites were not properly sterilizing equipment between treatments.

Reports surfaced in February that the department had discovered "improperly reprocessed" equipment in two of the facilities as far back as 2004. Further investigation led to the notices being sent to veterans and their families.

Of the ten who have tested positive, four have hepatitis-B and six have hepatitis-C. One notice recommends veterans also be tested for HIV, as there was a documented incident in which some of the contaminated equipment was used on a patient who was HIV-positive.

This is the latest in a series of reports indicating that conditions and provided services at our veterans's hospitals and other health facilities are substandard. And I for one am very angry about it. These individuals have given up family, careers, and in some cases their lives, to fight for and protect not only our country, but others as well. And this is how we repay them.

What makes this so much more infuriating is that this occurs during a time when healthcare facilities are asking for more funding to pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants. Hospitals across the country are fighting with local activist groups and taxpayers over how to increase their budgets to provide services for a criminal element from outside our borders--and the hospitals are winning. They say this falls under their charitable obligation; yet those who fought for our country are treated as worse than second-class citizens by the very same organizations. I find this abhorrent and totally lacking in responsibility on the part of our adminstration.

Our veterans have given up so much so that we can remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. They deserve the best this country has to offer in the way of health services. At the very least, they deserve the same treatment as the illegal immigrants who sponge off our nation. Given the choice between sending my tax dollars to a veteran's hospital or a clinic that treats illegals for free, I know where I would choose to send my funds--to the group who more than earned it.

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Al Sharpton Claims Racism in New York Post Political Cartoon

Posted Wednesday, February 18, 2009 (261 days 1 hour ago.) Viewed 264 times.

I am not a big fan of many of our country's major media outlets. However, I have to applaud the New York Post for defending a political cartoon in today's edition, decrying the suggestion that it may have racist leanings.

The cartoon, drawn by artist Sean Delonas, shows two police offiders standing over the body of a chimpanzee they've obviously just shot. One officer comments, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

Some feel that the chimpanzee is a representation of President Obama. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton says the cartoon is "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys." He believes the Post needs to clarify the point of the cartoon, to prevent people from infering a racist theme related to the President.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-new-york-post-cartoonfeb19,0,3058822.story

In a statement, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said: "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

I must confess that when I saw the cartoon, I immediately got it. There was no "oh, look, the President is a monkey, tee-hee" commentary going through my mind. I would agree with Mr. Allan that Mr. Sharpton and many media pundits are reading things into the cartoon that simply are not there. The only racist views being promoted here are those of Mr. Sharpton and his cronies. Get out of the 19th century, "Reverend", and join the rest of us in 2009, where an African-American president is adored by people of all races, colors, and creeds.

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