I feel like a very odd teenager.

So I just recently quit my job of two years and ten months. For the sake of making myself sound better, we will round up to three years.

(Copyright Paul Devine)

Panera Bread. A lovely resort for all of your bakery goods and cafe sandwiches. The one place where you can find a respectable cafe and bakery mix together and create a love child of delicious food. It is also a good place for employment. I came here to work at store number #2815 (I feel so nerdy for remembering that. Why do I remember that?) in January of 2008. I decided upon Panera Bread after realizing that it was actually St. Louis Bread Co. A company I loved as a child but thought, for some reason, disappeared. (Turns out licensing forbid the name of "St Louis Bread Company" in any city outside of St. Louis. Funny how that works.) Once I discovered it was still that place where I enjoyed delicious Frozen Mochas and Bearclaws about ten years ago, I decided.. How about I work there?

Panera Bread was one of those places where you easily felt connected to your co-workers. My store averaged roughly 32 employees, and every person I loved to work with, even with their strange quirks, or rather, my quirks.

I always found it difficult to just tell women how I felt about them until recently, so for a long time I would spend my time awkwardly making passes at the co-workers I found attractive only to be lambasted and harshly turned down. Luckily I discovered those women that turned me down were dirty. Hell, almost all of the teenage staff including myself are running sexual deviants. The tension is so high. What I would have done to get a couple minutes in the walk-in. Or as I would have called it, the Below Zero Club.


Some of my worst times working there probably would have had to be during those event nights, jammed pack full of grilled cheese sandwiches, panicking mothers who have no idea where they are, food fights, and a kinda-emo girl/wannabe Tiffany look-a-like trying to sing Switchfoot covers while I'm running on six hours without a meal and shoes that will not stay tied. Fuck.

But I have to say that after some epic call-ins, fast-paced lunches, and some brutal back-room arguments, I am ready to part ways. It is time to focus on my next Endeavour: Cracker Barrel. Yes. I upgraded to waiting tables. But it pays, and better, too. I also never get in arguments there!

Adios, Amigos.

Get to know me.

Hi. My name is Justin Wollmann, and I am a self-confessed libertarian. I am currently a senior in High School and a worker of two jobs. My current career goal is to be a Nurse Practitioner. I also hope to find time to study law, business, and the German language. I am the second oldest of five siblings (including myself) and greatly enjoy my family.

I was once a strong supporter of Government before just recently. During my Sophomore year of High School was about the time I started to question their utmost society and whether I had some kind of debt to this society as well. Two years later I discovered the true cost of Government as I calculated my payroll taxes.

My tax bracket stands me at about a 15% deduction per year. With my current salary combined amongst my two jobs, my income would be $21012 gross, roughly. After the Government has decided to take my money, I will see $17851. A loss of $3151

To help one better understand what that amount this money means to me, you have to understand my average WORK week. On average I begin work at 3:00 PM from Monday thru Friday (give or take a day off depending on schedule flexibility) till ~10:30 PM. On Saturdays and Sundays I will work from 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM, and then switch over to my second job that I hold on the Weekends (and sometimes I will work a weekday if available) from 3:30 PM till 9:30 PM.

This equals 47 hour work a week, 188 hours a month, and 2256 hours a year that I am working. 2256 hours of my labor equals roughly $21012 (though this is a very flexible variable as I may work an hour or two a week, and my second job is as a server, or, tip-based income. I am just judging by my average income.) After the Government takes my time from me, we can simply take 15% of 2256 and find that, for the Government I work: 338 hours rounded down, per year. This equals 28 hours a month, or roughly seven hours a week.

Now I believe that I am not in debt to Government in any way, shape, or form. But if you look at my numbers, I am working at least one hour a week for Government. But exactly why? If I were allowed back my 388 hours per year, I could afford to work one less hour a week, allowing more time in my life for myself. Or, I could be rewarded that hour of work and find more money to increase the value of my lifestyle, and potentially spread the fruits of my labor amongst my community and perhaps the world. Of course, I understand not everyone would do the same thing under a libertarian society, free of all taxation. But we already DO spread the fruits of our labor, but it is not for your community, it's for Washington. The average income for a white house representative sits from $170,000 - $400,000 a year. If you cut it down the middle, we could see that (without benefits or amenities, free housing, etc.) your average white house politican will take home about ~$220,000. (But keep in mind that politicians of the state, city, and county level still take in a fair share, ranging anywhere from $50,000 a year to ~$195,000. The top amount being for New York, NY.)

Your state representative is most likely working only nine months out of the year. So for the sake of arguing statistics, we must keep in mind the difference between the income of myself and someone in congress, is that I work three more months a year. Also, Congress only works Tuesdays thru Thursdays, so we have to keep in mind that during those nine months, they are working three days out of that week, while I myself work six.

So after doing the math, we'll find that the average congressmen will work 54 days a year (compared to the average citizens work year of 260 days) at $220,000 a year average. Or, $24,444... a month, $6111... a week, $873 a day, or $109 an hour.

So as we can see here, a congressmen will work ~50% less a year than I do, while I will make only 10% of what they will. Is my time really that unimportant? And is my time being spent for the disadvantaged, or to line the pockets of D.C? You tell me.