It’s either a slow news day or NPR is trying to push the Elizabeth Warren ‘class warfare, wealth redistribution, Income Inequality’ talking points.
NPR just ran an honest to goodness story (it’s on their website and everything) that is about a part time contract security guard at Google earning less money than the full time Google employees inside the building. I’m not joking. That is the entire take-away of the story and I think NPR believes this revelation will make people angry or something.
Here are some parts from the article that really tug at the ole heart strings:
Take Manny Cardenas, a security guard at Google who lives in low-income housing in San Jose and commutes regularly to Google’s sprawling corporate campus in Mountain View. Cardenas, a stocky, soft-spoken 25-year-old, has been working as a part-time security guard at the search giant for the past year and a half.
Cardenas says his job is to “make sure none of the people were parking in Google’s parking place.” He says he usually stands in the lot for eight hours and gets a lunch break. That gives him a chance to dive into Google’s famous free gourmet food buffet; he would like to bring a few snacks home for his 5-year-old daughter, but as a contract worker, he can’t.
“I see people taking to-go boxes,” he says. “They give you to-go boxes if you ask for them, but we weren’t allowed to do that.”
Sometimes, Cardenas says, he doesn’t make enough money to feed himself and his daughter, which feels strange, working at a place like Google.
“Like, I was thinking, ‘Wow! If I was just one of them, I wouldn’t need to do any of that.’ They get to eat whatever they want, however they want.”
He stands in a parking lot for 8 hours, tells people where to park, earns $16/hr and even gets a free lunch inside Google’s gourmet buffet. Off the top of my head I can think of about 20 other jobs that are way worse but the NPR story is presented in a manner that leads you to believe he is a 2nd class citizen who is being denied some God given right.
Did you catch all the class warfare terminology in this article? “If I was just one of them”, “We weren’t allowed to do that” and “as a contract worker, he can’t.” These phrases are supposed to give the impression that there is a caste system preventing Mr. Cardenas from moving up.
This next sentence was just too much:
NPR reached out to Google, Apple and Twitter about pay for their security guards, and none responded.
“None responded.” Well no kidding! They probably thought it was a prank phone call. What’s next? Will NPR call the city of Santa Clara, CA and ask why the city garbage collectors earn less than the City Engineers? Who told NPR to ponder such mysteries of the universe?
I am glad to report that the story has a happy ending for Mr. Cardenas:
He finished college this semester, and on Monday he’s starting a new full-time job at a nonprofit.
Wait, you mean if someone works for and obtains a higher level of education then they can have a better job with benefits and higher income? For those keeping score, that is TWO bombshells that NPR dropped in this one article! I hope NPR devotes more time to this 2nd revelation that more education equates to higher earnings and better benefits. Who knew?
Addendum – I’d like to make the following disclaimer – I have no issues with Mr. Cardenas and based purely on the info in the NPR article I’d say he’s a pretty good guy. I commend him for working hard, striving to move up the economic ladder, going to college and supporting his daughter. I wish him well in his new profession. My gripe is purely with the obvious bias of NPR and their desire to push a dangerous meme. And it’s obvious the State Run Media has been successful at pushing this class warfare meme because many of the statements made in the article came directly from Mr. Cardenas.
cosmoscon 
NPR should be changing their name to “INF”…..they are solidly the “It’s NOT Faaaaiiiirrrrrr” network. The concept of equality of opportunity vs. equality of outcome just doesn’t penetrate with these folks. If we are to take the “facts” of the story at face value, as a “contract” employee, Mr. Cardenas is NOT a Google employee. He’s being paid by a third party security firm. I think the fact that Google GIVES him lunch is notable!
The story goes on to say that “Sometimes, Cardenas says, he doesn’t make enough money to feed himself and his daughter, which feels strange, working at a place like Google.” Well, Mr. Cardenas, with all respect: go get another job. I applaud him for finishing his degree and for his new position that he EARNED by elevating his education.
I would gladly feed ANY hungry child. I just wish the culture of “have children first and then expect OTHERS to pay for their support” would grow up. There’s an order to life, and when you step away from that, YOU bear the responsibilities for YOUR life choices.
This reminds me of the Google employee bus that shuttles workers from the gentrified San Francisco districts to Mountain View. Poets, artists, activists and other entitled denizens resent that these techie hipsters are driving rents up, and that they don’t support public transport in solidarity with the poor. The funny thing is most of those Google kids, inasmuch as they might vote, would vote in liberal Democrats to prop up the ineffective, failed publicly subsidized rents and transportation. When Bangalore becomes competitive to Silicon Valley, California will become the next Detroit.