tbh my obscure sense of humor is what led me to post the hand coupled with the fact that it occurred shortly after this thread was started. I didn't think it would cause a fuss but i'm glad it opened way to the tangent that it did.

secondly i want to make it clear that i see all arguments against a raise as valid and perfectly logical and if going against the grain has led to a discussion where anyone reading this (not excluding myself) has learned something then i have no regrets. What else is a forum for right?