Did you know...

...that only 5% of American clothing is made in the US? I watched a special about the decline of the garment industry on HBO and am fascinated by these figures:

1965 - 95% of American clothing made in the US.

1975 - 80% "

1985 - 70% "

1995 - 50% "

2009 - 5% "

It would be interesting to see how many jobs that would belong to Americans are now in other countries. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing the wealth but after my entire department was hired out to a foreign country and all my coworkers are unable to find jobs and with the economic climate we're in, it seems outsourcing should be more closely moderated.

I'd like a kay-sah-dill-uh please? Oder ein Käsebrot? Hallo?

Today Aimee, Apollo and I went to Izzy's (one of many po-man buffet's from my childhood) for lunch. A young Hispanic male was sitting at the table next to us. I should preface this by saying we have quite a few migrant workers in this area who do not speak English.

The owner walked up to us, looked at me and said, "Can you ask him when he's coming back from lunch?"

"Uh...."

The owner looked perplexed but then the young man asked me in Spanish if I spoke Español. I know that much and told him, sorry but no. The owner of the restaurant (an older fellow) asked me again and then asked Apollo the same thing. (Someone please tell me why Apollo is confused as a Mexican...this has happened once before in San Diego by some tourists.) Finally, Aimee, the only Caucasian at the table, mumbled something about "finito" and "trabajar" to the poor guy who finally understood and told us (in Spanish) he would be done in a few minutes. We relayed that info on to the owner who then complained that he would pay for the kid to take English classes but said he refuses. I'm thinking, maybe he doesn't understand what you're saying? Further, why did he need to ask us about his employee's lunch break?

Anyway, I just thought it was funny how no matter where I live, So Cal included, people expect me to speak Spanish. I think I'm going to start talking back to these people in German and then act appalled that they don't know what I'm saying. Maybe even start gesturing wildly while talking louder and slower. That should result in some interesting reactions.

The irony of going green

Some Oregon fun:

--Representative Wayne Krieger has an idea on funding road improvement - force adults to register their bicycles! Registration ($54 every two years) would be the same as it is for automobiles. The usual miscellaneous fee's apply. (If you like reading dry material, check out House Bill 308 here.) I'm not sure if bicycles would be treated like hybrids (tax benefits please?) or if insurance will be required next.

--Did you know Oregon denies us the right to pump our own gas? We can't even push the pump button while the hose sticks lifelessly in our car, instead we have to wait for the attendant who's helping all the other cars waiting in line. Proponents of this idea use the "but then you don't have to get out of your car into that horrible weather" argument. I guess they forgot about paying for the gas, which is done outside the vehicle. And not by an attendant. Oh, and gas attendants only exist as an answer to job shortages.

--Speaking of gas and cars, there has been talk of taxing mileage with a GPS installed in the car. It gives a person a warm and fuzzy feeling to know you're always being watched.

Anyway, just thought it was interesting all the crazy stuff that's going on here in the state of Oregon. Especially after everyone here has worked so hard and prized themselves on being green. I guess the government didn't realize going green means losing green.

Gah, I feel so old sometimes.

One of my cousins and her fiance are visiting and decided to stay the night. Aimee and I took this opportunity to give them both the "Wise Older Cousin" talk in hopes that we could prompt them to dream about their future rather than settling for the present. Other than one cousin who has recently started dental training of some sort, all my cousins face similar careers as their parents. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a career path when it comes to working in the woods, mills, pumping gas, bagging groceries or driving truck.

I noticed this issue when I moved to So Cal as well, especially in the Hispanic community. It was almost normal to see young girls having babies and living with her parents until her own children were old enough to date. Young men usually looked for manual labor or entry level jobs without the dream of moving up. This was hard for me to understand since it seemed like there was a vocational school on every corner and college's in every community with inexpensive Cali tuition. I soon realized this was because the younger generations didn't have anyone to encourage them and tell them it's possible to better yourself if you have want it bad enough. (Or was it because it's just easier and safer to just accept what you know?)

I tried to explain to my cousin and her fiance that they should at least make a goal of having a better life than their parents. If they could just aim at improving their lives at least one notch up from the lives their parents live and encourage their children to do the same, we would all be so better off. I don't know if they believe in themselves though. I really worry about our youth.

There's hope for us all

Has anyone ever said you won't amount to anything based on your looks or how you dress? Pshaw! Don't give up, you too can be president some day!