Consider Unfair Vs. Unnecessary

The debate over the 1% is just as touchy of a subject as any one individual may consider his own financial state to be. Fortunately, the mediocre anonymity the Internet provides combined with the right of free speech enables me to confidently explore a potentially ignored thought process. While I've spent the past three years in my prime managing a restaurant franchise (from two to five stores within that time), I gave it all up just two short weeks ago to make a lifestyle change.

During my time as a GM, though I was still most certainly a part of the 99%, I was happy with my wage and the perks I obtained with the position. When my hourly wage jumped $6, it seemed somehow I was still breaking even. With constant news of the economy fluctuating (mostly declining) and inflation hitting every town around me, it was easy to blame the natural increased cost of living. Through all this, I still scoffed at any debate about the 1%. Due to my narrowed perspective and Republican mindset, I assumed the CEO's were getting what they had worked so hard to obtain. In my eyes, the 99% was simply uneducated and lazy. It was survival of the fittest.

Sitting here in the serene country, hours away from the glamor of any major city, I cut my "necessary" weekly spending into a quarter. It is so hard to come to terms with being a hypocrite, but I wish I had taken 2 minutes out of my high traffic work day back in New York to consider just how much money I was actually wasting on the Starbucks I "needed to get through the day" or on the fuel I needed to get to that Starbucks. Do you know what the current minimum wage is in the US? I have a guess but honestly, I heard speculation about it rising, so I could not say for sure.

When you compare your salary to an average US worker right now, how much more do you have? The figure probably does not seem that high. Even if it is double the average, you can probably assume you have worked twice as hard to get it, right? There's nothing unfair about that. Tell me, what does that extra income buy you? Is your answer one you can be proud of?