There's a small diner around my way, Greek, that I seldom eat in. The reason I seldom eat there is because it's one block down from my house. The diner is so close, why not just go home and cook my meals if I am close to home. I like supporting things that are worthwhile. I won't go into the theory of where I spend my money in this post. It's worthwhile for me to eat there occasionally because I want that business alive in my neighborhood. My neighborhood is semi-residential and semi-industrial. My neighborhood is a good percent businesses and a good percent homes. I will mention just one basic item on the menu: pizza. The word connoisseur means: a person who has fine or detailed knowledge of a subject matter; the word originally was given to a person who is knowledgeable of a specific art, fine art. I've made pizza at home before because I like pizza. I use to consider myself a pizza connoisseur. I've been to Europe and have tasted the breads in markets that bake them on the spot every morning and sell them much cheaper, they are way better compared to the pre baked confections in the United States. I have tasted all types and forms of cheeses, especially of those not intended to be massed produced, stored and shipped for the stands of markets to be sold at economic prices. I can taste what a good crust texture should be like, the sweet or tartness of the sauce and flavor of mozzarella. Each of the basic three ingredients is not expensive at all for a pizzeria to purchase or produce. I remember when my dad, if I was lucky enough to see him once a week because he did not work locally, managed to treat me after school in the fifth or sixth grade to a slice of pizza. The pizza was actually made by someone who actually just immigrated from Italy. So, I had the privilege to have tasted, at a young age what a good pizza should be like. It was a time when the price for a slice had just shifted from one dollar to a dollar and twenty five cents, outrageous! Right now, you're lucky if a slice of pizza cost two dollars, two dollars and how many cents? Robbery!
I understand business owners have to manage the rent or property taxes, gas bill, electric bill, water bill, wages (in which this Diner had two cooks and three wait staff), insurance, the cost to make back the cost of equipment, supplies and miscellaneous expenses, which have all gone up. My property taxes have increased three percent and gas bill increased another smidgen of a percent, but still a slight noticeable difference. That's why sometimes you see a business open for a year or two and then you come by that business in a year or two to see it's closed and another is there trying stay alive. These expenses are what any average home owner has to deal with. I know these things because I don't rent, I have had the understanding weight of managing both of the prior mentioned, and I like anyone else who likes walls and warmth, still have to manage the latter mentioned. The ironic thing, is I don't even make "middle class". I can afford things because I am a minimalist spender. I do have some luxury items like my nicer Hugo Boss suits and a few other items but when it comes to buying junk or unnecessary items, I just don't. I was riding the subway, something I am accustomed to, but for the past two and a half years, I've been driving everywhere, even two streets down to my supermarket. On the subway, there are two main types of riders: the one's that mind their own business by reading, sleeping or just droning out and the inquisitive ones that look around or do things, the more active riders. I am the latter subway rider. I look around and wonder who these people are, do they make more money than me, do they live in nicer places than me? I assume both, some better paid and some not. I was shopping at Trader Joe's today and wondered how much the cashier made or how much the stock boy made. Researching, it turns out, those unexperienced make anywhere from ten to twelve dollars an hour and those promoted to managers can make forty thousand and up to six figures a year. I'm looking at nine out of the ten subway riders in nice designer clothing. How can this country say it is in a recession? How can people be homeless, without a place to live? How can someone spend a hundred somewhat on a pair of shoes or six hundred on a pair of Hugo Boss designer shoes, I mean five hundred eighty nine, plus tax, I checked, on shoes. The headline is in bold "Recession" with a picture of a person in rags begging for money, while the body reads "Designer", "Still". It's the same old story, those struggling will still struggle to be "Designer" and those on top will just say sorry less of you can be "Designer" because we are in a "Recession". We are actually in "Excess", it's that we are also not so much greedy but capitalist with the reason: ---bold---I earned it, why should I share with someone who did not. I'd rather buy "Designer" rather than putting the money I earned into a program that usually is mismanaged beyond intent. In that we don't know how to disperse the economy properly, it won't ever change much. The freedom to be over populated and live comfortably if privileged, that is the real democracy, but so much better than corrupted controlled dictatorship.
The idealist part of me use to strive, donate and support actively, the realist part of me just strives.
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