The Pains of Bartending

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(good one that shows where some people’s priorities really are… – promoted by JDRyan)

In my job, I am first and foremost a bookkeeper/accountant/backroom guy; secondly, I bartend a couple afternoons a week.  In general, I like bartending- it keeps me honest, knowing the customers and the product and gives me someone more talkative to converse with than the Dell in my office.  Certainly bar customers are more interesting than Excel or QuickBooks (most of the time, anyway!).

But sometimes, it’s clear to me that I’m just not cut-out for such a job.  Today was one of those “sometimes”.

At the very beginning of my shift, just as the place opened, two guys walk in.  Usually I’ve got soccer on the TV (it’s mid-afternoon when we open), but at this rare moment in the season, there just aren’t any live sports on, so instead I’ve got ESPN on.  They’re covering George Steinbrenner’s death.  The one guy starts:  “well, good thing he died this year instead of last year or next year; the ‘death tax’ expired last year and renews next year, but this year, it’s a freebee.”

“Oh, yeah, well, I’d hope his family has more on their mind than tax payments.”

“Of course.  There’s grieving and all that.  But, I sell insurance at National Life, and let me tell you, anyone with any assets is fortunate to die this year.  Last year, and next year? a 45% tax on everything over 2.5 million dollars!  can you imagine! you work your whole life, you wanna pass on your legacy to your family, and the government wants to take 45%?!”

“Yeah, 45%, that’s a lot.  But if you’ve got 2.5 million, and you’re taxed 1.2 million, your kids are still getting over a million dollars for doing nothing at all… that’s not such a bad deal…”

“Wait, wait… if you work hard your whole life and are successful, surely you want and hope to pass that on to your kids…”

“yeah, sure.  Passing a million dollars on to your kids, who didn’t do anything  to earn that money- that actually seems to me more harmful than good.  You’re not really teaching them anything, just giving them money they haven’t earned.  ‘Seems it would be better to pass on a work ethic and  family values and strong morales than a million bucks that they’re just gonna piss away…”

“NO.  But if you’ve earned money, you want it to be there to provide for your family-”

“- sure, but that’s ignoring the vast majority of people who’ve worked hard their whole lives, haven’t been fortunate enough to ‘strike it rich’, and have nothing but debt or heartache to pass on to their kids-”

“NO, NO, if you work hard enough, you’ll have plenty to pass on.”

“Um, OK.  Seems like plenty of people work plenty hard- don’t they constantly say, even during these times, even during a recession or depression or downturn or whatever, that ‘productivity is up’?  ‘productivity is always up’, because the system is gamed that way.  I’m not sure what problem is being addressed by letting rich people keep their money once they’ve died.  ‘Seems to me there are plenty of people in need who could use it a lot more… seems to me we could take that money and provide good schools or healthy food or doctors check-ups to a whole lot of people just from the tax on Stienbrenner’s Estate- if he died next year or last year.

“Either which way- his kids now own the New York Yankees- they probably are going to do just fine for themselves, even if they had to pay $500 million in taxes.”

Anyway.  It went on for a bit.  They didn’t stay long.  They didn’t leave a tip.  And, frankly, I’d rather not have their business.

Frankly, what bothers me much more then the greedy and self-serving notions of wealth that these two dip-shit meatheads exhibited: the total contempt for human (and familial) life.  Their opinion of what Steinbrenner’s kids should think about first and foremost on their dad’s death: how to avoid paying taxes.  How anti-social, anti-human.  Here’s a clue guys: the first thing you should think about when your dad dies: all that you’ll miss, all that he’ll miss, all that you’ve shared, how much and what you’ve shared and been taught by him….

Me?  I’m not really cut-out for being a bartender.

10 thoughts on “The Pains of Bartending”

  1. In my house this morning, before coffee even, we had this very same discussion – except we were both on your side.  We were thinking that was more money than anyone needs.  

    Excessive money is not about meeting needs [IMHO] but about power and greed or on the flip-side, good stewardship and philanthropy.

    Oh Well.  Life goes on until it doesn’t.

  2. I can think of any number of people to whom I will pass this along!  This says it all.

  4. I agree – bartending is not for everyone.

    I agree – I am as discerning an individual as to want to have the choice which people in the world I have to come into contact with.

    I agree – my father means more to me than he will ever know, and, incidentally, will likely leave me nothing more than that, which, incidentally, is enough.

    Where I diverge from the liberal pack is at the death tax redistribution sentiment. Now, I’m all for more egalitarian economic policies, while we’re living, but can you think of a more absurd tax than a ‘death tax?’

    Okay, you probably can, that’s because taxation in this country is ridiculously illogical and idiotic! In VT they want to tax vitamin supplements and soda pop; taxes on being afraid and taxes on being poor. The list goes on and on, and thankfully I don’t have the entire farcical litany in front of me. Arguing that wealthy people upon death should be stripped of the wealth they amassed under an unjust and inequitable system while they were living is ludicrous. We need a progressive tax climate and a narrowing of the divide between rich and poor, that is, those that are living, in order for everyone to be paying their share.

    I say, make policy change and have those beneficiaries of obscene inheritance contribute while they are alive according to new policies and practices that level the playing field, or baseball diamond, you choose.  

  5. I mean to say it’s just plain weasely to swoop in and tax the money as inheritance, and tax it heavily, than it would be to set up a system of equitable, progressive taxation where we all feel the same pinch – that could be $3 for you and $3000 for someone else, while we’re living. Then of course we need to apply taxation to proper social systems; today’s financial “reform” bill is a great example of democratic know-not-how, a nice bailout fund set up for banks with taxpayer (TARP) money. Point is, the whole argument about inheritance is like an argument about death panels, look at what we’re passing on while we’re living.  

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