Entitlement?

It has been a long time since I last posted.  I need to make it a goal to write at least once a week on this site.  Not that anybody reads this, but that isn't the point right now.  

Tonight I was standing in line at a McDonald's waiting for my food when I was reminded why older generations are fed up with my generation.  A man was waiting to be helped for ten minutes without so much as an acknowledgement from the McDonald's staff.  He finally walked up to the counter and asked for a number so he could call report the obvious ineptitude of the staff.  After getting into a shouting match with a younger employee the man stormed out.  While I didn't appreciate his choice of words or what he suggested this McDonald's employee do with her time, I felt myself silently cheering this man on.  He was right!  To sit in a McDonald's Restaurant at 8:45 p.m. and not be even acknowledged or asked if he had been helped is unacceptable.  And instead of apologizing to the customer, the worker told him he should go in the back and make 8 cheeseburgers if he thought he could do better.

My problem with this situation is the deeper issue behind it.  It wasn't that this man had to wait. It was the attitude the young worker had with her customer.  It should be obvious that you never insult a customer, never get into a screaming match with a customer when there are others around.  As I was driving back from this episode I was thinking that this is not an isolated incident.  If that girl had been at a different job where a little bit of decency and respect was required, she would have been fired immediately for disrespecting a customer.  But since she was working at McDonald's, for a "crappy" hourly rate, she didn't need to put forth her best effort.  Teenagers everywhere are mimicking her attitude in the workplace.  They only make "minimum wage" so they don't need to try their hardest or work to their best potential.  Who cares if they have a crappy attitude?  Pay them better and maybe it will change!?

This attitude is so wrong and I am ashamed to be apart of a generation that lives and breathes it.  When our parents were kids, they worked for their pay.  It sucked, but they dealt with it and put their effort in.  Why?  Because it was what they had to do.  I am ashamed to be associated with this age bracket.  But I feel a tiny sense of pride, that I am able to recognize this, and that my parents raised me to behave with a different set of work ethics. 

The death of the Republican Party?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2008/11/11/republicans/

After reading the article found at the above web address I found myself wondering how is it that Democrats can charge the Republican's to embrace a more pragmatic view of politics. The author claims that the last eight years is proof that a shift in the ideologies of Republicans is needed. The author then goes on to say a shift towards embracing the right is not the answer because it did not work for John McCain.

What I want to argue is a radical shift to the right is the answer and not the problem. The last eight years under the Bush administration where not under the ideologies of what Republican's say they stand for. Republicans claim that they are for limited government. Yet under the Bush administration government grew proportionately then under any other administration. It's pure foolishness to associate the Bush presidency with a complete failure of Republican ideals and a right leaning philosophy!!

The answer to Republican's problems is not a shift to the left, but to elect a candidate who will uphold the virtues that Republican voters agree with. I don't think a single person I knew was voting for McCain because they thought he was the best candidate. The reason most often cited was "he was the lesser of two evils". Next time Republican's put up a candidate, maybe they should make sure he/she (not Palin) actually is a dedicated Republican if they want to secure they White House