All Hat And No Cattle

I'm exposed to quite a few California state workers these days, through particpation in my social experiment called riding the bus. I was surprised, really, to discover that every state worker furloughed doesn't want it.

I would jump on that shit in a minute if I was offered a furlough. I would absolutely accept time off without pay under the same conditions that our state offers these furloughs. Absolutely...because I live within my means and I value my time away from work, even while I profess to have the best job anyone could ever have.

My Friday bus ride into work, well, I had the whole back to myself. I could have brought a pillow and blanket and laid out on the bench seats. Why e-tran doesn't curtail bus routes on these days while we are [literally] shoehorned into fewer buses on Tuesday through Thursday is beyond me. Every other Sacramento area business affected by furloughed state workers backs off during these days; why Elk Grove doesn't is maddening to say the least.

Regardless, Hai, my neighbor who paid off his mortgage in June, hates his furloughed days. My nephew's girlfriend would much rather be working. A co-worker at SMUD whose wife is furloughed says they don't like it one bit. Two other neighbors both have cut discretionary spending while a third queried me about working for SMUD instead of the state. It's not just people living paycheck to paycheck; they all hate it, particularly when it's assumed their productivity is not expected to decline.

Instead of furloughs, SMUD just raises rates! Wa-hey! 5.5% on September 1st while electricity sales are down. Rates are increasing 5.5% more come March 1st. And then 2% more in January 2011. Isn't is great working for a monopoly? Isn't it great knowing that you have no choice but to pay more to keep my annual raises coming in? Gloating aside, I would have gladly taken a furlough if it came to be but apparently I'd be in the deep minority.

I'd bet that anyone reading this probably thinks I'm all hat and no cattle, that if I really were laid off three days a month I'd reverse my position, that if I didn't make as much money as I do I'd not be able to live with a pay reduction.

Nah. No way. I would look at it as an opportunity, as everyone needs to be doing. If losing 15% is such a burden then find ways to eliminate the burden. Four billion other people in the world get by just fine on a fifth of what you make. Garden on your days off and save money on produce. Build some projects in the garage to sell or to offset you having to buy shit. Connect with your neighbors. Exercise, walk the doggie, brush your cat, read your stack of old magazines, pick up that guitar in the closet, sweep your porch -- all of which cost nothing to do. If you don't choose to seek out these opportunities, well, suit yourself, because furloughs won't be going away anytime soon.