It’s this ’n that time

Time for a little more this 'n that .... It was with great interest that I read of a proposal to give county employees a temporary – temporary means not permanent, folks – two dollar an hour raise.

In the interests of full disclosure, as this is being written, that proposal had not been adopted, and it may have been adopted or rejected by the time this is read.

This temporary – temporary means not meant to last, folks – raise is to last for 24 months.

I read where the money was coming from, and I understood the reasoning. The pandemic has caused problems, even for people who are employed. And they probably deserve a raise on general principles, anyway. I understand that this is all well-meaning.

Except .....

When that temporary – temporary means, well, you know by now, folks – raise comes to an end, what then? Two dollars an hour, in a 40-hour work week, comes out to eighty bucks, at least using the math I grew up using.

And county employees, many of whom may live paycheck to paycheck, will have had two years to get used to an extra eighty bucks each week. I know it won’t be a full eighty, because of withholding tax and all. Still, it will be a nice chunk of cash that suddenly won’t be there any more.

What I’m thinking is, there may be a grumble or two.

On the plus side, it looks like two things could happen:

1. Maybe everyone who gets that raise will simply start savings accounts with that extra money, so they won’t be caught depending on money they’ve gotten used to getting for two years. So they won’t be hurt when they stop getting it. And if you believe that...

2. Or, possibly by the end of that 24 months, the Quorum Court will be in a position to make those raises permanent. This could actually happen.

At the moment, though, it looks as though the county government is seriously considering kicking the can down the road, hoping something will come up two years from now – if they do it at all.

Two years is a long time. There is a real possibility that at the end of 24 months, the end of the raises could have the same effect as a pay cut, and cause some real hardships.

•••••

After delays and a lot of gloom and doom talk from some quarters, the Tokyo Summer Olympics is under way. I watched the opening ceremonies (no, I didn’t get up to see them; I watched later). Of course, with no one in the stadium, I missed the reaction from the crowd during the Parade of Nations. But at least the parade was held.

I look forward to watching as much as I can. Of course, I’ve always been one of those who had to catch the Olympics on TV, and almost always in a delayed broadcast, but that’s better than not seeing it at all.

I’ll also root for the U.S.A. And I’ll hope that some events have not been over-hyped by the American media, such as ladies’ gymnastics. I hope our women take the events by storm. But win or lose, they’re still representing us and we need to remember that. They can do things the vast majority of us can’t even think about.

Actually, the same thing holds true for just about all of our Olympic participants. They have reached an elite status that few of us could ever hope for, and they’ll be giving it their all.

•••••

Well, once again this publication’s Readers Choice “Best Of” promotion nominations has ended, and once again I have been shut out. It could be a plot by former co-workers. Or aliens.

Some might say the “Best Of” promotion is supposed to point out the positive, whereas my areas of expertise tend toward the negative. This may be true, but it’s also not fair. This world is way too jolly as it is. What we need is a little negativism as a reaction against all the giddiness we are exposed to on a daily basis.

For instance, is there anyone around who is better at hating yard work than I am? Am I not the founder and president (and maybe only member, but that will change someday) of AGHAST (All Grass Haters Adamantly Shirking Toil)? Yet I get no nominations for Best Yard Work Hater.

And how about Best at Not Being Able to Change a Tire Because He Can’t Loosen the Freaking Nuts? Good grief, what did they mount that tire with – a welding torch?

Of course, my greatest claim to fame is as the state’s official Scrooge. And I know there are a lot of fellow Scrooges out there. Think not? Just try to organize a carol sing on Dec. 26, and let me know how that turns out. If you’re able to talk at all.

Oh well, there’s always next year. In the meantime folks, a little less cheerfulness, please!

(EDITOR’S NOTE: David Nichol is a freelance writer who retired from the Times-Herald. He can be contacted at nicholdb@cablelynx.com.)