I already work 10 hours a day anyway. Might as well take the 5th day off. I'm all for it. Now how do we achieve such a goal?
Diana - 16 years ago
I think if the people wouldn't go to work for a week, that would settle everything. Buy no gas,no nothing, that would fix alot of the people the think that they have it over on us...Just buy things a little at a time and stay out of work, no travel no work, no nothing....
Chris - 16 years ago
Well, if you have a family with kids going to school, that forces schools to also do the same. Having kids home and unsupervised any longer than they already are is probably not the best thing. Unless there is a stay at home mom? That would be great, except usually both parents try to work in this day and age. I usually don't use more than 6 hours in the day effectively at work and I have a feeling I'm not the only one. The last thing I want to do is be at work any longer than I have to be. An extra day off for the weekend is not going to change that, it's just going to make me not want to go into work again after the weekend. This is coming from a person who loves his job.
I think educating people on energy saving ideas is the better idea (thanks for doing your part everybody!), instead of forcing people to do it against their will. People think less of treehuggers enough the way it is. Let's fight for agency and education!
Seastone - 16 years ago
This poll goes to show that the vast majority of people, the ones that really make the economy run, still understand the benefits of, for the lack of a better term - free time. I completely agree with the above comment by Damon where he said, that “years of increased productivity and the benefits [thereof] have gone to the shareholders”. You don’t have to be a socialist to know what side the bread is buttered on. Not sure what I meant by that but the truth is, what we have been working for, for centuries is more leisure time. The unfathomable increase in productivity since the war has produced nothing but stress, debt and an unbelievably filthy environment. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the significance of the gleaming new labor saving appliances was, in no uncertain terms, to free up our time. Time away from the drudgery of labor and from the factories and offices meant something then. The four-day work week was a virtual mantra then. Now we brainwash our children to believing that true happiness is being successful in a profession or business where, like one of many friend’s from law school, you spend 65 hours a week “being successful”. She has suffered twenty years of such veiled servitude! She probably doesn’t consider it drudgery but boy is she dull while she busily prepares briefs for her corporate clients. I took Tuesday and Wednesday of this week off and it was entirely cathartic. Basking in these luminous summer days. A few hours Tuesday on the ocean beach swimming in that salty, cool, therapeutic ecstasy. Lets bring back the movement!
tonyb - 16 years ago
... and face it, a huge part of the economy is consumer spending, leisure activities, etc. If more people had more time for those things (without a big decrease in salary) - isn't at least possible it was be a benefit to the economy? Not to mention all the other benefits.
Damon - 16 years ago
I'm with Adam. Years of increased productivity and the benefit has gone to shareholders. Costs are up and incomes are not keeping pace. We DESERVE the four day, 32 hour work week with the pay of 40 hours. I'm not naive, but we should do this to the extent possible by reducing executive salaries to at most 3-4 times the average worker, not 1000 like it often is. No shareholder dividends either. Oh yeah, this could save some energy too!
Jacob - 16 years ago
How about people live closer to work and walk/bike to work. Then it wouldn't matter if it was a 2 day week or a 7 day work week.
Brooklyn - 16 years ago
No, not all of us should go to a 4 business day schedule. It would be nice to work that short of a week, but with the economy the way it is, many of us are struggling working overtime. Offering a 4 day week would give a variety, which is always nice, but definately should not be mandated. And I'm not so sure its a good thing schools are doing it. Kids in this country (america) are getting dumber every year.
Adam - 16 years ago
Why is the only option extending the working day to have a shorter week? Hey here's a thought. just scrap monday or friday. Forget making it up. Just dump 8 hours from the work week. No. Seriously.
I already work 10 hours a day anyway. Might as well take the 5th day off. I'm all for it. Now how do we achieve such a goal?
I think if the people wouldn't go to work for a week, that would settle everything. Buy no gas,no nothing, that would fix alot of the people the think that they have it over on us...Just buy things a little at a time and stay out of work, no travel no work, no nothing....
Well, if you have a family with kids going to school, that forces schools to also do the same. Having kids home and unsupervised any longer than they already are is probably not the best thing. Unless there is a stay at home mom? That would be great, except usually both parents try to work in this day and age. I usually don't use more than 6 hours in the day effectively at work and I have a feeling I'm not the only one. The last thing I want to do is be at work any longer than I have to be. An extra day off for the weekend is not going to change that, it's just going to make me not want to go into work again after the weekend. This is coming from a person who loves his job.
I think educating people on energy saving ideas is the better idea (thanks for doing your part everybody!), instead of forcing people to do it against their will. People think less of treehuggers enough the way it is. Let's fight for agency and education!
This poll goes to show that the vast majority of people, the ones that really make the economy run, still understand the benefits of, for the lack of a better term - free time. I completely agree with the above comment by Damon where he said, that “years of increased productivity and the benefits [thereof] have gone to the shareholders”. You don’t have to be a socialist to know what side the bread is buttered on. Not sure what I meant by that but the truth is, what we have been working for, for centuries is more leisure time. The unfathomable increase in productivity since the war has produced nothing but stress, debt and an unbelievably filthy environment. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the significance of the gleaming new labor saving appliances was, in no uncertain terms, to free up our time. Time away from the drudgery of labor and from the factories and offices meant something then. The four-day work week was a virtual mantra then. Now we brainwash our children to believing that true happiness is being successful in a profession or business where, like one of many friend’s from law school, you spend 65 hours a week “being successful”. She has suffered twenty years of such veiled servitude! She probably doesn’t consider it drudgery but boy is she dull while she busily prepares briefs for her corporate clients. I took Tuesday and Wednesday of this week off and it was entirely cathartic. Basking in these luminous summer days. A few hours Tuesday on the ocean beach swimming in that salty, cool, therapeutic ecstasy. Lets bring back the movement!
... and face it, a huge part of the economy is consumer spending, leisure activities, etc. If more people had more time for those things (without a big decrease in salary) - isn't at least possible it was be a benefit to the economy? Not to mention all the other benefits.
I'm with Adam. Years of increased productivity and the benefit has gone to shareholders. Costs are up and incomes are not keeping pace. We DESERVE the four day, 32 hour work week with the pay of 40 hours. I'm not naive, but we should do this to the extent possible by reducing executive salaries to at most 3-4 times the average worker, not 1000 like it often is. No shareholder dividends either. Oh yeah, this could save some energy too!
How about people live closer to work and walk/bike to work. Then it wouldn't matter if it was a 2 day week or a 7 day work week.
No, not all of us should go to a 4 business day schedule. It would be nice to work that short of a week, but with the economy the way it is, many of us are struggling working overtime. Offering a 4 day week would give a variety, which is always nice, but definately should not be mandated. And I'm not so sure its a good thing schools are doing it. Kids in this country (america) are getting dumber every year.
Why is the only option extending the working day to have a shorter week? Hey here's a thought. just scrap monday or friday. Forget making it up. Just dump 8 hours from the work week. No. Seriously.