Missed Employment Opportunities of the United States

Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 7m 1,702

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Pumping Gas For A Living

There are only two states in the country that have it right, at least for this specific employment opportunity. There are plenty of arguments for and against the position, but there is no denying that it would help employ many people, considering the amount of gas stations around the United States. The only two states that actually hire a staff gas station attendants are New Jersey and Oregon.

For these two states, it is actually unlawful to pump your own gas. For those who live in New Jersey and Oregon, they do not have to get out of their car in winter or summer in the hot or cold weather. They simply pull up to the gas pump, open their window, tell the attendant the amount of money they want to put in for gas, and that is it. A tip is thoughtful but not necessary. There are just a few other states that offer “full service” but this is an option.

Gas station attendants usually earn a dollar or more above minimum wage. They earn a paycheck each week or every two weeks. There may or may not be room for advancement, depending on the company, just as there may or may not be health benefits. However, it is still a paying job!

Being a gas station attendant may be dangerous, as they are usually walking cashiers. Although they are often prompted to put money into a safe after nearly every transaction, especially in the evening, they risk being out in the cold, the heat, and of course, people who might attempt to rob them and the gas station. It is up to the company hiring them to provide protection in the form of security cameras and safe locks for them to store large sums of cash in so they do not have a lot of money on them ever, which may dissuade people from crime.

The advantages of all 50 states making it unlawful to pump your own gas and hiring gas station attendants will definitely decrease unemployment rates and introduce many people back into the workforce who are looking for work in order to feed their families. As a result, this will improve the economy by getting people off welfare and other assistance programs.

While there really aren’t many disadvantages that I can think of, it might be argued that people are smart enough to pump their own gas and prefer to do it themselves. It may also be argued that it will create more delinquents in society because they are in dead end jobs in the workforce. If this were the case, however, than McDonalds has done a wonderful job at succeeding in this endeavor. These jobs are created to simply help people who want to work and make money. It beats many people living and relying on government funded programs and takes the burden off many of the taxpayers. Another argument that may be presented is by the company who has to hire those gas station attendants and would to just keep themselves as “pump your own gas” stations so they can continue to make whatever profits they are making.

With over 200,000 gas stations in the United States, there is the potential to hire several million people into the workforce. However, 48 states choose to remain the way they are and simply do not see the necessity of hiring people to pump gas.

Figure this (as of 2013):

There are 330 – 350 million people living in the United States. (350 million)

There are about 75 million children living in the United States. (350 million – 75 million = 275 million)

There are almost 12 million people unemployed in the United States as of 2013. (275 million – 12 million = 263 million)

There are about 12 million illegal immigrants who do not contribute anything into the system, probably work under the table, and pay no taxes at all. (263 million – 12 million = 251 million)

“People with Disabilities” comprises of about 75 million people. These people may or may not work, but are often subsidized by the government. (251 million – 75 million = 176 million)

There are an unaccounted for number of people who work under the table, earning their money through legit means, drugs, or sex. The estimates for the amount of people who work under the table are around 10 million. (176 million – 10 million = 166 million)

There are probably another 10 to 20 million Americans who aren’t listed as unemployed, but may be dependent on their parents or families. For example, a 20 year old may have never worked in his life or may have worked one job in his life, but may not be seeking any kind of employment, but lives off his parents. While this number is unaccounted for, it can be estimated at around 10 million Americans. (166 million – 10 million = 150 million)

There are about 37 million Americans who are retired and no longer working. (150 million – 37 million = 113 million)

There are about 110 million Americans receiving some form of government benefits and subsidies, specifically welfare and may or may not be working at all.

This means that there are about 100 – 130 million Americans in the workforce who are paying for the 300 – 350 million people living in the United States.

These 100 – 130 million people are not just paying for the 350 million people living in America.  They are also paying for all the countries that receive foreign aid from America in the form of no less than millions of dollars. Regardless if it is directly taken or not, the debt still lies with every American that is obligated to pay taxes.

These countries are:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Taiwan, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dominican Republic, Congo, Republic, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Saint Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Yugoslavia (ex), Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, North of Sahara (regional), South of Sahara (regional), Africa (regional), North and Central America (regional), South America (regional), Middle East (regional), America (regional), Middle East (regional), Central Asia (regional), South Asian (regional), South and Central Asia (regional), Far East Asia (regional), Asia (regional), Europe (regional), Oceania (regional), West Indies (regional) [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign_aid_received]

* These figures are not exactly accurate and are estimates. Total numbers may vary, but this is my estimate as to how many people are working in the Unites States combined with a few searches on Google to back up my estimates.

When it comes to retirement for many of those working Americans currently in the workforce… they are not going to be able to retire. The system has failed them and there is no real reward for them in retirement.

Any and all jobs that make sense and can create jobs and get people back into the workforce should be created. There is no excuse for why there are so many people unemployed. The fact that the majority, about 150 – 200 million people are depending on 100 – 150 million working people, makes for a very poor and unbalanced country.

I am not saying that people should not receive disability or those who cannot find jobs should not receive some form of compensation to try and help them. But the complete reliance on the government is out of control and it will crash the entire system if it continues.

The current workforce cannot continue to sustain the amount of non-working Americans who are depending on them. It would almost be better if every single American just quit their job and there was no one to rely on any longer, causing a failure of society. The United States government would have to continue printing its fake money and letting countries continue borrowing its fake money. When the time comes to pay back those countries, those countries will realize how much they’ve been fooled, and who knows what the consequences of the United States’ game are. Of course, this would never happen, hopefully not in my lifetime or my children’s lifetime anyway.

In order to make any changes, the change must come from the United States government to really investigate its programs and refocus its money. It would have to also be able to create jobs for everyone, from low minimum wage jobs to much higher paying jobs. While it is important to invest in the military, education must take a high standard and priority. The lack of education causes poverty, crime, and other issues, which eventually forces people to rely on the government for everything.

The next important change in concurrence with the government would have to come from Americans themselves to put priorities on themselves and the United States government – to work for better living, not only for themselves but for their children, especially in education – and the United States government to balance a better budget and create jobs for a potential workforce. The more you know, the more education you have, the more you can do, and the more you can earn.

There are plenty of opportunities throughout the United States that are simply being overlooked. These opportunities will help create a better America, a better economy, and a newly sustained workforce. If the United States, and especially the President cannot see these opportunities, then the United States is doomed to fail eventually, and it is only a matter of time before that happens.

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