Before you go any further, read this...
Dictionary.com defines a redneck as:
1. an uneducated white farm laborer, esp. from the South.
2. a bigot or reactionary, esp. from the rural working class.
It goes on to say that redneck is A slang term, usually for a rural white southerner who is politically conservative, racist, and a religious fundamentalist. This term is generally considered offensive. It originated in reference to agricultural workers, alluding to how the back of a person's neck will be burned by the sun if he works long hours in the fields.
While I can't say all that fits me to a tee, a lot of it is pretty damn close.
You see, I lost both my parents before I turned 12 years old. I bounced around in a couple of foster homes before moving in with my uncle when I tuned 15. By age 17, I was on my own. I dropped out of school half way through 11th grade so I could go to work full time. Three months after my 18th birthday, I got behind the wheel of a cab for the first time.
I've learned more about life in 28 years in a hack than any philosopher ever could know. I've had multi-million dollar businessmen, celebrities and pro athletes as well as crack whores, drug dealers and murderers in my cab. I refuse to be an airport jockey or one of those guys that only stages at the hotels, so unfortunately, I have to deal with more of the bottom feeders of life than I do the upper crust.
It is the dealings that I've had the bad apples that has made me what I am today...
The Redneck Cabbie.
You see, to escape the madness of the city streets, my mind drifts off (not while I'm driving) to a quiet country town. A place where everyone knows everyone, and a man's handshake is as binding a contract as a person needs. A place where friends gather to down a couple of cold ones and listen to music that you can actually understand the words.
A place where young men don't walk around with their pants falling down over their ass, and young ladies don't have to dress like sluts to draw a man's attention.
I think you get the picture. I know, boring as whale shit to most city folks. I'd be living in a town just like that if it weren't for the fact that there's just not much demand for my line of work in most small towns.
This blog will reflect these feelings. If I seem a little bitter now and then, its just because that wonderful little town is nowhere in my near future, and because the life expectancy of someone in my line of work doesn't extend much past retirement age, all I can do is dream about it.
1. an uneducated white farm laborer, esp. from the South.
2. a bigot or reactionary, esp. from the rural working class.
It goes on to say that redneck is A slang term, usually for a rural white southerner who is politically conservative, racist, and a religious fundamentalist. This term is generally considered offensive. It originated in reference to agricultural workers, alluding to how the back of a person's neck will be burned by the sun if he works long hours in the fields.
While I can't say all that fits me to a tee, a lot of it is pretty damn close.
You see, I lost both my parents before I turned 12 years old. I bounced around in a couple of foster homes before moving in with my uncle when I tuned 15. By age 17, I was on my own. I dropped out of school half way through 11th grade so I could go to work full time. Three months after my 18th birthday, I got behind the wheel of a cab for the first time.
I've learned more about life in 28 years in a hack than any philosopher ever could know. I've had multi-million dollar businessmen, celebrities and pro athletes as well as crack whores, drug dealers and murderers in my cab. I refuse to be an airport jockey or one of those guys that only stages at the hotels, so unfortunately, I have to deal with more of the bottom feeders of life than I do the upper crust.
It is the dealings that I've had the bad apples that has made me what I am today...
The Redneck Cabbie.
You see, to escape the madness of the city streets, my mind drifts off (not while I'm driving) to a quiet country town. A place where everyone knows everyone, and a man's handshake is as binding a contract as a person needs. A place where friends gather to down a couple of cold ones and listen to music that you can actually understand the words.
A place where young men don't walk around with their pants falling down over their ass, and young ladies don't have to dress like sluts to draw a man's attention.
I think you get the picture. I know, boring as whale shit to most city folks. I'd be living in a town just like that if it weren't for the fact that there's just not much demand for my line of work in most small towns.
This blog will reflect these feelings. If I seem a little bitter now and then, its just because that wonderful little town is nowhere in my near future, and because the life expectancy of someone in my line of work doesn't extend much past retirement age, all I can do is dream about it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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1 comment:
There are several points I would like to make to you in regards to the Vikings stadium situation.
1. 28 of the 32 NFL teams have either gotten new stadiums, or have gotten significant rennovations to their stadiums since 1994. The Vikings are last in the league in revenue generated, and it isn't because of ticket sales. They have sold out every game since 1998.
2. I get tired of it when people say that we would be building a new stadium just for the Vikings. The stadium would be PUBLICLY owned, so we wouldn't be giving Wilf a DIME. The Metrodome is used 300+ days a year, and only 8-10 of those days are by the Vikings. Besides Vikings games, the stadium would be used for youth athletics, conventions, trade shows, concerts, military training, and public outreach programs. Even if you say that these other events don't need a new stadium, it is impossible to argue that they wouldn't benefit from one.
3. Stadiums are excellent long term investments. The Metrodome was built in 1982 for $55 million, and has since brought the state of Minnesota $255 million in tax revenue. In other words, the Dome paid for itself 5x over during the course of its lifetime. The new stadium would too.
4. Most people fail to realize just how much tax revenue the Vikings bring to the state of Minnesota. The Vikings pay $20+ million in taxes each year, and 55% of that is directly related to player income tax. That money would be GONE if the Vikings left. So, to those who argue that they would rather spend the money elsewhere, that won't be possible. For one, the money they are referring to would only exist if they decide to raise taxes or find the revenue for the stadium elsewhere. Secondly, if the Vikings leave, the state will have to raise taxes just to get back to the level we are at now.
5. Finally, the Vikings are worth more to the state than the tax revenue they bring. There are family and community traditions that involve the Minnesota Vikings. Building them a new stadium, and keeping them in Minnesota, would be a cultural investment. Because, even though some people might not like the Vikings, there are others in the state, in your community, in your neighborhood, and maybe even your family that do like them. The Wilfs will get their new stadium, whether that is in Minnesota or elsewhere. Refusing to build a new stadium won't punish them, it will punish others in your community that you care about.
That's all I have to say, I hope you will consider my points.
Thanks.
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