These may be three sub discussions, which is why they are separate replies.
Frankly, I would love a Federal and State based program to get more basic labor done. Think of the WPA and CCC from New Deal era times.
So many people need skills, an out from or alternative to service work. Not a thing wrong with service work, but many will want or need to do better. There are simply not enough better jobs for that to happen.
Our parks, roads, towns, many things need work. So, let's get that work done. People can get some real skills out of that stuff. Great! I happen to have many of them growing up how and where I did. I think nothing of building, repairing, whatever. It is familiar and I was shown the good stuff by skilled people. Frankly, these skills can be worth 6 figures in a life. Fix it, help others, improve it, build it, etc...
And when we have all that work in progress, maybe we can then discuss whether pumping gas is a priority or not. Nice problem to have, if you ask me. How can we have it?
That is the kind of what is worth what discussion I would welcome and require to reconsider fuel attendants.
I am part of society and value my time. Having fuel pumped is a great deal. I benefit significantly. Others do as well. Apparently enough of us do.
Besides, basic labors really add up in our lives. They provide great value and the people who do them should earn enough to live a reasonable, dignified life same as anyone else.
I do not want to do basic labors, but will when required. There are more interesting uses of my time. Getting the use of that time is how we should value basic labors.
Second point: I do not feel it is necessary to maximize to that degree. We do not need to do that.
A little slack in the system is a very good thing. Think people with troubled past getting a start to build on. That is necessary, or we pay much harder in other ways.
These are whole human lives, paid to do nothing but pour liquid from one container to another. That doesn't seem like "a little slack", that seems like a sad waste of human capital.
Pay them to attend junior college or something. The payoff is a million times higher.
They are paid to perform basic labor like tons of people are paid, and with that comes all sorts of other things, including going to school. I had a traffic ticket nicely handled by an attorney who bagged groceries to get through school.
A while back, my kid was on a baseball team coached by a guy who included pumping gas in the set of things he does to exist, show up for work and do things in this world.
Who are you to judge and put such shame on work that has respectable value? I will answer for you: nobody, same as me, that's who.
And "attend college" = not waste? I must be frank: implying people who do basic labors are somehow wasted, or in need of education is not a reputable assessment. Not to mention, "who pays?" Are we going to put free college out there? I sure hope so, and support that idea. In that scenario, one could pump gas, live small and get an education. More of that in our society please!
The place I get my gas from does my windows, we sometimes catch up on a bit of local news, exchange a joke, "you want that to go?" got that started, and yeah, I chuckled. And more.
"Human capital"
I reject that idea entirely. There is no waste in any of this.
Lives break down into thirds, one of which is work, one is sleep, and the remaining one, ideally funded reasonably by the work and a healthy society, is for people to just be people. Maybe that means hanging out with family, coaching a team, making art, fixing stuff, who knows, and more importantly, who cares?
"A life", "wasted", why? Because you do not feel good about how other people live their lives? Let them do that, you have your own to manage.
I sure do not need my entire life judged by the work I do, nor do I care to have that other third be anything other than what I feel makes the most sense for me, mine, others who I value.
In the scale of things? Yeah, it is a little slack. Easy work. And plenty of people value it. I sure do.
Frankly, in light of the massive abuse, killing, poisoning of "human capital" we do globally, along with our general apathy when it comes to taking care of our own people, I find this line of discussion laughable!
Seriously.
In simple, priority terms, as in something we really should get after?
