An interesting story, at least to me, on Yahoo today talks about the "surprisingly low pay" of many critical jobs.

Since it lists things like nanny and preschool teacher and line cook, those don't surprise me at all. The people who do the most work very often end up being the lowest paid.

It also listed auto mechanics.

Since when does any auto mechanic's shop around here charge less than $75 /hour in labor?

I know the mechanic isn't making minimum wage off of that.

The mechanics I know who will come to your house and work on your car in your driveway for you, because you are a friend, still charge $25-35 /hour in labor.

I should make such a minimum wage.

I'm sure there are some out there, who do nothing more than change oil all day long, or do the other routine stuff, who don't make much.

The mechanics, the ones doing the major repairs, are probably making just a bit more than that. Since there is no way I could do what they do, I believe they earn it. Just don't try to tell me the guy who just charged me over $1,000 yet again to repair a vehicle, and that included lots of labor at $75 /hour or more, is only earning minimum wage. He earned it, he sweated in that hot garage, got greasy and filthy, and did a great job. I know he didn't get paid peanuts to do it. If he did, what is the rest of that "labor" money going to cover?

Maybe it's the area of the country I live in. What is the typical labor charge where you live, when you take your car in for repairs?


Today is:

Byzantine New Year

Eat a Hoagie Day

Feast of Lights -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross -- Chrisitan

Feast of Uru-Wadu, Kisar Island, Indonesia (the primal couple)

Greek New Year

Holy Cross Day (a/k/a Holy Rood Day or Elevation of the Life Giving Cross) -- Christian

International Cross-Culture Day

National Anthem Day

National Boss/Employee Exchange Day

National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day

Nutting Day

Monterrey World Music Festival

Pig's Face Feast

Pilgrimage of the Black Madonna to Einsiedeln, Switzerland

St. Notburga's Day (patron of peasants, servants)

Unclear Ideas Display (Imps) -- Fairy Calendar

Wo-Zha-Wa Festival, Wisconsin


Birthdays Today:

Sam Neill, 1947
Joey Heatherton, 1944
Nicol Williams, 1938
Harve Presnell, 1933
Clayton Moore, 1914
Ivan Pallov, 1849



Today in History:

Domitian becomes emperor of Rome upon the death of his brother Titus, 81
Harun al-Rashid beomes Abbasid Caliph upon the death of his brother, al-Hadi, 786
St. Paul's Cathedral in London is destroyed by fire, 1662
The first lighthouse in the US, in Boston, is lit, 1716
George Frederick Handel finishes "Messiah" oratorio, after working on it non-stop for 23 days, 1741
Napoleon occupies Moscow; fires begin that will not be fully extinguished for 5 days, 1812
Francis Scott Key witnesses the battle which inspires him to write "The Defense of Fort McHenry", later retitled "The Star Spangled Banner", 1814
George K Anderson of Memphis, Tennessee patents typewriter ribbon, 1886
Henry Bliss becomes the first automobile fatality, 1899