Politics of People with Real Jobs

[DGS49]

For reasons that I won't go into, my "professional" career, which started with five years as a Contract Specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense, included employment with nearly a dozen private-sector companies in several different industries, specifically,

• Electric power (nuclear-Westinghouse),
• Water and wastewater treatment (both industrial and municipal),
• Steel and other metals,
• Mass transit,
• Railroads,
• Engineering and Construction.

I worked for American companies, as well as Italian, French, Austrian, German, Korean, and one headquartered in Luxembourg. The top bosses in the U.S. were generally of those nationalities, but everyone else was an American.

My day-to-day work contacts included other "professionals" in purchasing, accounting, sales, engineering, customer service, and of course Legal departments (I am an attorney but my job title was usually Contracts Manager). 90% of all these people were college grads, and about half either had advanced degrees or were P.E.'s or CPA's, which to me is about the same thing.

And my "professional" associates were overwhelmingly conservative-libertarian-Republican. This remains true now where, as a retired person, my personal contacts on the golf courses, bowling alleys, socially, and at church are overwhelmingly of the same political bent - conservative. Many are PERSONALLY hostile to Trump, but essentially all of them voted for Trump twice, or would have if they were still alive.

It is said that on a college campus if you are about to say something indicating a Conservative viewpoint, you must be careful whom you are around. In my circle, throughout my career, the opposite was true. Not that there was any open hostility, but if one wanted to express a "Liberal" thought, one would have to expect raised eyebrows, and some good-hearted push-back or ridicule.

Therefore I have concluded, with no actual statistical data to support me - only a lifetime of observations in the workplace - that people who have "real jobs" are overwhelmingly Republican - on the order of 80%.

So what distinguishes a "real job" from jobs that are not "real jobs"? It's not how hard you work, it is the environment. Real jobs exist in the competitive commercial environment, where there is a constant threat of losing that job because of an economic downturn, management decision, personal shortcomings, or simply because your boss is an idiot. I experienced all of these during my career. What is a job or situation that is NOT a "real job"?

• working for the government (at any level),
• working for a foundation or comparable,
• not working (by choice),
• working in entertainment or sports,
• working for a political entity or NGO.

Journalism is in a no-man's-land between Real and bullshit. A true journalist is a "high priest" of democracy, and one of our most valuable civic contributors. The same can be said for a good teacher. But they cannot be classified on the whole because individuals within those "professions" are at both ends of that spectrum.

In a perfect world, the votes of people with Real Jobs would carry more weight than anyone else. Sadly, every time a Democrat wins national office, those with Real Jobs have been defeated. It is not good.

 

[Otis Mayfield]

A lot of people who make high incomes vote Republican because of the tax savings.

That makes sense to me.

All these poor trump supporters don't make sense to me. They were likely born Democrat and its Democrats who'll promote their interests. But somehow, they've been talked into supporting Republicans.

I guess pro gun, anti abortion is part of what gets poor people to support Republicans.

 

[Muhammed]

A lot of people who make high incomes vote Republican because of the tax savings.

That makes sense to me.

All these poor trump supporters don't make sense to me. They were likely born Democrat and its Democrats who'll promote their interests. But somehow, they've been talked into supporting Republicans.

I guess pro gun, anti abortion is part of what gets poor people to support Republicans.

Actually, Trump's economic policies tremendously helped poor people. Millions were lifted out of poverty. The percentage of Americans in poverty went to a record low.

Unemployment went down.

Inflation went down.

Real wages went up.

 

[shoshi]

For reasons that I won't go into, my "professional" career, which started with five years as a Contract Specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense, included employment with nearly a dozen private-sector companies in several different industries, specifically,

• Electric power (nuclear-Westinghouse),
• Water and wastewater treatment (both industrial and municipal),
• Steel and other metals,
• Mass transit,
• Railroads,
• Engineering and Construction.

I worked for American companies, as well as Italian, French, Austrian, German, Korean, and one headquartered in Luxembourg. The top bosses in the U.S. were generally of those nationalities, but everyone else was an American.

My day-to-day work contacts included other "professionals" in purchasing, accounting, sales, engineering, customer service, and of course Legal departments (I am an attorney but my job title was usually Contracts Manager). 90% of all these people were college grads, and about half either had advanced degrees or were P.E.'s or CPA's, which to me is about the same thing.

And my "professional" associates were overwhelmingly conservative-libertarian-Republican. This remains true now where, as a retired person, my personal contacts on the golf courses, bowling alleys, socially, and at church are overwhelmingly of the same political bent - conservative. Many are PERSONALLY hostile to Trump, but essentially all of them voted for Trump twice, or would have if they were still alive.

It is said that on a college campus if you are about to say something indicating a Conservative viewpoint, you must be careful whom you are around. In my circle, throughout my career, the opposite was true. Not that there was any open hostility, but if one wanted to express a "Liberal" thought, one would have to expect raised eyebrows, and some good-hearted push-back or ridicule.

Therefore I have concluded, with no actual statistical data to support me - only a lifetime of observations in the workplace - that people who have "real jobs" are overwhelmingly Republican - on the order of 80%.

So what distinguishes a "real job" from jobs that are not "real jobs"? It's not how hard you work, it is the environment. Real jobs exist in the competitive commercial environment, where there is a constant threat of losing that job because of an economic downturn, management decision, personal shortcomings, or simply because your boss is an idiot. I experienced all of these during my career. What is a job or situation that is NOT a "real job"?

• working for the government (at any level),
• working for a foundation or comparable,
• not working (by choice),
• working in entertainment or sports,
• working for a political entity or NGO.

Journalism is in a no-man's-land between Real and bullshit. A true journalist is a "high priest" of democracy, and one of our most valuable civic contributors. The same can be said for a good teacher. But they cannot be classified on the whole because individuals within those "professions" are at both ends of that spectrum.

In a perfect world, the votes of people with Real Jobs would carry more weight than anyone else. Sadly, every time a Democrat wins national office, those with Real Jobs have been defeated. It is not good.

So those who work in private sector their vote should count more than public sector jobs? I do not agree with that but I do agree that the vote of working taxpayers should count more than non taxpayers.

 

[BULLDOG]

For reasons that I won't go into, my "professional" career, which started with five years as a Contract Specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense, included employment with nearly a dozen private-sector companies in several different industries, specifically,

• Electric power (nuclear-Westinghouse),
• Water and wastewater treatment (both industrial and municipal),
• Steel and other metals,
• Mass transit,
• Railroads,
• Engineering and Construction.

I worked for American companies, as well as Italian, French, Austrian, German, Korean, and one headquartered in Luxembourg. The top bosses in the U.S. were generally of those nationalities, but everyone else was an American.

My day-to-day work contacts included other "professionals" in purchasing, accounting, sales, engineering, customer service, and of course Legal departments (I am an attorney but my job title was usually Contracts Manager). 90% of all these people were college grads, and about half either had advanced degrees or were P.E.'s or CPA's, which to me is about the same thing.

And my "professional" associates were overwhelmingly conservative-libertarian-Republican. This remains true now where, as a retired person, my personal contacts on the golf courses, bowling alleys, socially, and at church are overwhelmingly of the same political bent - conservative. Many are PERSONALLY hostile to Trump, but essentially all of them voted for Trump twice, or would have if they were still alive.

It is said that on a college campus if you are about to say something indicating a Conservative viewpoint, you must be careful whom you are around. In my circle, throughout my career, the opposite was true. Not that there was any open hostility, but if one wanted to express a "Liberal" thought, one would have to expect raised eyebrows, and some good-hearted push-back or ridicule.

Therefore I have concluded, with no actual statistical data to support me - only a lifetime of observations in the workplace - that people who have "real jobs" are overwhelmingly Republican - on the order of 80%.

So what distinguishes a "real job" from jobs that are not "real jobs"? It's not how hard you work, it is the environment. Real jobs exist in the competitive commercial environment, where there is a constant threat of losing that job because of an economic downturn, management decision, personal shortcomings, or simply because your boss is an idiot. I experienced all of these during my career. What is a job or situation that is NOT a "real job"?

• working for the government (at any level),
• working for a foundation or comparable,
• not working (by choice),
• working in entertainment or sports,
• working for a political entity or NGO.

Journalism is in a no-man's-land between Real and bullshit. A true journalist is a "high priest" of democracy, and one of our most valuable civic contributors. The same can be said for a good teacher. But they cannot be classified on the whole because individuals within those "professions" are at both ends of that spectrum.

In a perfect world, the votes of people with Real Jobs would carry more weight than anyone else. Sadly, every time a Democrat wins national office, those with Real Jobs have been defeated. It is not good.

Seems that there weren't enough with real jobs to elect that fat orange crook.

 

[Augustine_]

For reasons that I won't go into, my "professional" career, which started with five years as a Contract Specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense, included employment with nearly a dozen private-sector companies in several different industries, specifically,

• Electric power (nuclear-Westinghouse),
• Water and wastewater treatment (both industrial and municipal),
• Steel and other metals,
• Mass transit,
• Railroads,
• Engineering and Construction.

I worked for American companies, as well as Italian, French, Austrian, German, Korean, and one headquartered in Luxembourg. The top bosses in the U.S. were generally of those nationalities, but everyone else was an American.

My day-to-day work contacts included other "professionals" in purchasing, accounting, sales, engineering, customer service, and of course Legal departments (I am an attorney but my job title was usually Contracts Manager). 90% of all these people were college grads, and about half either had advanced degrees or were P.E.'s or CPA's, which to me is about the same thing.

And my "professional" associates were overwhelmingly conservative-libertarian-Republican. This remains true now where, as a retired person, my personal contacts on the golf courses, bowling alleys, socially, and at church are overwhelmingly of the same political bent - conservative. Many are PERSONALLY hostile to Trump, but essentially all of them voted for Trump twice, or would have if they were still alive.

It is said that on a college campus if you are about to say something indicating a Conservative viewpoint, you must be careful whom you are around. In my circle, throughout my career, the opposite was true. Not that there was any open hostility, but if one wanted to express a "Liberal" thought, one would have to expect raised eyebrows, and some good-hearted push-back or ridicule.

Therefore I have concluded, with no actual statistical data to support me - only a lifetime of observations in the workplace - that people who have "real jobs" are overwhelmingly Republican - on the order of 80%.

So what distinguishes a "real job" from jobs that are not "real jobs"? It's not how hard you work, it is the environment. Real jobs exist in the competitive commercial environment, where there is a constant threat of losing that job because of an economic downturn, management decision, personal shortcomings, or simply because your boss is an idiot. I experienced all of these during my career. What is a job or situation that is NOT a "real job"?

• working for the government (at any level),
• working for a foundation or comparable,
• not working (by choice),
• working in entertainment or sports,
• working for a political entity or NGO.

Journalism is in a no-man's-land between Real and bullshit. A true journalist is a "high priest" of democracy, and one of our most valuable civic contributors. The same can be said for a good teacher. But they cannot be classified on the whole because individuals within those "professions" are at both ends of that spectrum.

In a perfect world, the votes of people with Real Jobs would carry more weight than anyone else. Sadly, every time a Democrat wins national office, those with Real Jobs have been defeated. It is not good.

So you live somewhere where you've never encountered an opinion that differs from your own. Congratulations?

 

[DGS49]

Actually, as Mitt Romney once observed, almost half of the voters pay no income tax, or less than zero, which is becoming more and more common. Which is kinda-sorta related to the "real jobs" thing.

I would also say that people on the political Right (people with Real Jobs) tend to vote for the candidates and policies that are best for the country, and not necessarily best for their own personal wallet.