Our Contentious System, Part Two/B

So what about the rest of us in the economic system? Well, human beings seek a better life, the definition of which can't even be given by Webster's Dictionary, as we each have our own definition.We're all trying to get something from someone, but the system isn't especially nasty between most of us. When you want a loaf of bread you head to the nearest store, get a loaf, pay the cashier and go home. Prior to that, the store paid to have the bread delivered by some bakery, which bought ingredients from suppliers and paid workers to mix, bake, load and deliver the bread, and the whole process continues back to flour mills, where the wheat was ground into flour, and then back to farmers and farm workers who harvested the wheat, which they had planted and tended, etc. This system of exchange has worked pretty well for thousands of years, although some of the details change at times, as with barter, common long ago, but which still goes on today.

Unions have a job to defend worker rights and bargain for better wages and benefits. Because unions help to set labor standards, even non union workers benefit. The playing field, however, is not anywhere near level now. Remember, this is a contentious system, not perfect, just like the legal system covered in "Part One" isn't perfect, but with all sides permitted to have their say for their own self interest, but the wealthy interests have far more advantage than the rest of us. The plotters and schemers worked to get so called "free trade," where they could then circumvent American labor unions and put pressure on wages and benefits. Why? Because they were hurting and needed money? Nope, because they wanted mo' money, mo' money, mo' money! The cuts in wages and benefits for many workers in this system have led to the "downward spiral," as given a choice between an American product that costs more, due to the better pay and benefits of American workers, and a cheaper foreign-made product, many Americans, no matter how much they may want to buy American, have to choose the cheaper product because their budgets are so tight, and this keeps the spiral moving downwards, and you know what is at the bottom of the downward spiral in your sink....the DRAIN! Do the CEOs and wealthy investors take less, too? Hell no! They are making record profits and they're making those profits on YOUR misery. So don't be angry with poorer folks about this, they have to try to survive, and the interests are USING IT. Until the whole situation changes, there will continue to be pressure on wages and benefits, although some articles and news reports seem to suggest American companies are slowly bringing jobs, even plants, back to America, due to escalating costs and political uncertainty abroad. We'll have to see how this plays out. Right now, the hardball game is being played on the turf of the wealthy interests, and there are no more ruthless people on Mother Earth than some of these people. With them EVERYTHING is about money and they devote their lives to this one thing and this one thing only. It's tough to keep up with their schemes, because other people actually try to enjoy life, even in little ways, including poor people who may not have many options for enjoyment.

Next, at some point in the near future..."Our Contentious Political System" 

WORD HISTORY:
Thorp-This word is now archaic, but it is seen in names^ and place names, especially in England. It goes back to Indo European "treb," which meant "dwelling," and perhaps a more basic, "place of shelter." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "thurpan," where the vowel and "r" sounds have swapped places.^^ Its meaning in Germanic broadened into "group of living places; hence, 'village,' " but also the notion of a collection of dwellings produced the meaning "group of people, gathering," and even "land where people dwell." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "thorp," which generally meant "village, farming community or estate." Once English borrowed the word "village," the use of "thorp" lessened. While little used in every day English, its Germanic relatives still survive, some in VERY common usage: (unless noted, they all mean "village") German has "Dorf,"^^^ Low German Saxon has "Dorp," Dutch has "dorp," West Frisian has "doarp," North Frisian and Danish have "torp," Swedish also has "torp," but it means "farmhouse, cottage," which takes it back closer to the original meaning, Icelandic has "thorp," which means "village," but also  "farm." Norwegian has "torp," but apparently, like its English relative, it is archaic. 

^ Famous American athlete "Jim Thorpe" is one. Thorpe was of mixed Native American and European ancestry, but his father's paternal side was Irish. 

^^ Sounds changing places is not especially unusual, as it is thought that "bird" originally came from "brid," and "ask" was once "akse" or "axe."

^^^ One of the sound shifts in some West Germanic dialects (English is West Germanic) which produced "High German," changed "p" to "f" or "pf;" thus Low German "Dorp" became High German "Dorf," and Low German "Piep" (English "pipe) became High German "Pfeife" ('ei'=long 'i' sound).