I don’t believe my great great grandfather ever held a “job” in the sense we think of today. He was primarily a farmer to feed his family. During the winters he logged his land to produce lumber for his own use and to sell. He also spent his winter nights making furniture to sell.
My great grandfather did draw a paycheck in his youth but he was mostly a contractor. After WWI he was a surveyor in Michigan’s upper peninsula for putting power lines in. When he finished mapping the route he went back to the starting point and became a lineman. When that was done he came south and became an electrician doing everything from hanging the wires to wiring homes.
Lefty economist Menzie Chinn has recently done a write up on RTW laws and their effect on income. Workers on average make 2-3% less in RTW states. There are a lot of errors in this analysis of hers, but here are two biggies:
1. Control of your time. RTW states saw the birth of more small businesses and trades work. People who work for themselves may work harder and longer, but they also can control their workflow and have is suit their life needs.
2. Union dues which often total up to 3%+ of your income, not to mention crazy rules and the higher cost of living in non-RTW states.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (self-defined) are the bedrock of American liberty, not a high income. Degreeism is just another form of government created discrimination.
Companies need to be able to discriminate again. Every good decision comes from prudent discrimination between choices, products and people. If you don’t discriminate then you’re a dummy.