Student Seeking Servant for 9 Euros an Hour

In a great example of what “trickle down economics” is — that is, the “leak” that supposedly benefits the poor from the resources of the rich: A sophomore student at Georgetown University in Washington has placed an ad for a personal assistant. The salary: $10 to $12 an hour (7.50 to 9 euros), at a rate of one hour per day, with the possibility “to work additional hours and/or receive bonuses at my discretion.” Obviously, these bonuses will be lower than the investment banking division of JPMorgan Chase — whose employees have earned on average $369,671 (277,555 euros) in bonuses this year — since the ad, posted on the official university website, explained: “The normal pay per week will be $60 ($300/month).”

What should the servant (a more traditional way of saying “personal assistant”) do? Here are some examples: “Organize closet, make bed, drop me off/pick me up from work, do laundry, fill up gas tank, schedule appointment for haircut, pay parking tickets, manage the electronic accounts, shopping and running errands [and] other random tasks.” Among the qualities that would be greatly appreciated are being available to go by car to find the “boss,” who is “a part-time employee in the financial services industry,” a phrase that means everything and nothing. It is also preferable to be a student at Georgetown, so as to always have him on hand.

Since then, in a time when enrollment at Georgetown is around $40,000 (30,000 euros), it is obvious that any student has (either from his own resources or from the debt he has acquired from the bank for paying for his studies — something common in the USA), in addition, $60 weekly for the servant. In this context, the recent agreement between Obama and the Republican Party leaders to extend tax cuts for top earners has become meaningful.

Bush launched his reelection campaign in 2004 with a theme: “an ownership society.” Six years later we have achieved a society of valets.

Whoever would like more details with respect to the case of the student who is looking for a valet can find it in this blog: http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2009/10/16/georgetown-sophomore-seeks-personal-assistant-takes-premature-self-importance-to-whole-new-level/