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CounterPunch
December
24, 2002
On the First
Day of Christmas
by PHILIP FARRUGGIO
A few years back I wrote a column about this fellow
who works at the local nursing home. Name's Kenny Hamilton--a
30 something fellow who has a unique situation. It seems that
ole Kenny (sounds like another "Kenny Boy", no?) is
a janitor. He mops and sweeps and cleans up all the "accidents"
that my parents and the other residents leave on the floors.
He waxes and polishs and does what most janitors do during a
full time shift. Now that wasn't quite the "unique"
part of this story. No sooner does Kenny punch out of the nursing
home gig that he rushes off to the local hospital to punch in
ANOTHER full time shift as a janitor.
That was a few years ago. Things sure
have changed for my pal Kenny. In those days he mopped and cleaned
and waxed for an average of $6.50 an hour--putting in around
80 hours a week. I am now proud to say (this tongue in cheek
is killing me) that today, in this the "year of our Bush
2002", Kenny averages (drum roll please) $7.00 an hour
and now works 86 hours a week!! The money is just rolling in!
He still lives with his 80 something mother in her modest Daytona
Beach abode, and regularly calls his little daughter living in
another city. Says he visits her whenever he has some time off.
Time off? When you clock in over 14 hours a day for a 6 day
week, when is there time off? Plus, with the ever increasing
costs of health insurance deductibles & co-pays, dental
care, car repair/insurance/gasoline, what choice is there for
someone like Kenny but to work two jobs?
As my NYC pal (and progressive radio
talk host) Jay Diamond states: "FEUDALISM is alive and
well in America!" Jay and I share a unique past-- along
with Senators Schumer and Coleman, we all attended Brooklyn's
Cunningham JHS in the early 60's.What makes things really "unique",
is out of the four of us it is but Jay and myself who rant and
write about the need for economic reform. Seems that Chuckie
and Normie are too busy securing corporate and rich man's donations
for their "war chests" to actually DO anything for
the Kenny Hamiltons of our nation.
Isn't it ironic that the people who we
entrust to clean, shower and clean up after our parents and
grandparents, aunts and uncles, keeping their humble little
bodies and surroundings disease free--these "valuble"
assets to our society earn 400 TIMES less than some corporate
CEO "jet setter", sports owner, celebrity or ballplayer?
On the "First day of Christmas", when we are busy
opening gifts and hugging our loved ones, Kenny Hamilton will
most likely be mopping the fecal matter from the floor in one
of our relative's rooms, happy to just have the job.
To all the Kenny Hamiltons out there,
here is my Christmas card to you:
The founder and future CEO of Christianity
chose to be born in a manger surrounded by shepherds and farm
animals --not a golden palace with pomp, prestige and riches.
In later years he associated with fishermen,
the lame, beggars & thieves --carrying few possessions.
This man, a devout Jew, chased the money
changers from the Temple and freed the sacrificial doves. He
preached equality, fraternity and love for one's neighbors,
stating equivocably: "Easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven",
and "They will know you are my disciples by the love you
have for one another."
Wouldn't this be a better world if our
political and business leaders took heed?
May the true spirit of Christmas bless
you all --everyone !
Philip A Farruggio is a baby boomer Brooklyn NY born bred and
educated (Brooklyn College '74), Currently, he resides in Florida
and is self employed as a mfg. rep for an environmental bacteria
company. Philip writes for many publications as a free lance
columnist.He can be reached at brooklynphilly@aol.com
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