The Assault on the American Economy: a Dearth of Education

Why isn't economics taught in high schools any more? It seems from the news about protesters and government regulations running amok and the vilification of business, casting the capital system as the villain in the income inequality wars, that no one understands the basic rules of economics: first, that companies create jobs and employ workers; second, that workers and companies pay taxes to the government; and third, the government needs taxes in order to provide for the common good, as required by our Constitution. It seems logical to assume that the more companies there are and the more jobs there are,then the more tax revenue the government receives, especially if companies are allowed to grow unchained by so many crushing rules and regulations that only the largest can afford to survive. If we want companies to remain in the US, we have to give them incentive to do so. Why is "profitability" such a dirty word in politics?  The screamers in this country are beginning to sound more and more like members of the Proletariat of the Communist Era. This is truly frightening, and our government seems to be either the perpetrator or a willing participant in this delusion. In a truly free-market society, wealth is not finite, and anyone can create wealth, given the tools and incentive to do so. Anyone who has studied economics knows that the Free-Market System of Capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty and created more wealth for more people than any other economic or political system in the history of the world. It may not be perfect, but financially it is way ahead of whatever is in second place. In a truly free-market environment, anyone can have a local tag sale and not have to pay the city for a permit to do it; the kids running their lemonade stand don't have to notify the Department of Public Health before they open; and the farmer who just wants to sell his home-grown vegetables and fruits to the poor people in the city doesn't have to worry about being fined or jailed because his vegetable cart is not allowed on city streets. Income Inequality is a false argument, as the discussion should be about how much a given JOB is worth, not how much a worker is worth. Any job that requires little or no skill should be worth an amount of pay relative to the number of people who could perform that job. The more skills and/or education and/or experience a job requires, the fewer people there are to perform them, and therefore the higher the pay should be. In the simplest of terms, this is how the system should work, and as people develop more skills, education or experience, they should be able to move into higher-paying jobs. Of course, in a real economics class, this lesson would be the first minute of the first day of a semester- or year-long course, as there really is much more to the subject, but perhaps you get the idea. For the record, I live in Connecticut, which by all financial measures is one of the worst-run states in the country, with a deficit presently in the tens of millions and growing rapidly.  Companies are leaving regularly, including high-profile ones like GE and Pfizer, leading to less revenue for the state, more people left behind and on unemployment, creating more expense for the same state that is losing jobs because of all the regulations meant, ironically, to "protect" the workers from the big, bad businesses. Where is the logic in this?

Family Distances

I haven't heard from my daughter in weeks. In fact, I can't remember when the last time was that we had an actual conversation. It doesn't help that she lives in Virginia, a nine-hour trip by car from here. I miss her. It's not that we were ever close, exactly, except for the period of time when she was involved with Adam- we talked almost every day during the planning of the wedding, and before that at least twice a week- it's just that not talking at all has created a rising wall between us that will continue to grow as long as she fails to make contact. I have no idea if her divorce is final yet, or if her new boyfriend, Thomas, is living with her, or if his divorce is final yet, or if her other friends know about him yet, or if she and Adam have had any conversations or encounters since he moved out, or if she ever told Adam that the reason she wanted the divorce in the first place was because she met her soul-mate in the desert and therefore did not love Adam any more.

 I don't call her because I don't have anything to say to her, and I don't feel that I should be the one to ask for answers to these questions. She is the one who should have things to tell us, but she is apparently not of the opinion that information like this should be shared with one's family. I see her Facebook posts and have a general idea of what she thinks is important, and can infer her other choices from the things that are not mentioned in her posts, like anything about Thomas, for example, but that is no substitute for really talking things out and clearing the air.  We are the ones who have been excruciatingly hurt by her recent decisions, and yet she does not want to accept that these things need to be resolved by her, not by us. She absolves herself from accepting any responsibility for fixing the situation by believing that "Mom and Dad hate me" (she and Ryan had a conversation about that, according to him), and, I guess, is just waiting for us to get over it. Not so easy when we have no communication with her. 

I have not seen her since the trip to Spain in October; she opted not to come home for any of the Holidays, preferring to spend them with Thomas rather than us. There used to be a saying that a relationship is good if it makes you a better person. Jenny's new relationship has made her into someone I don't even know, and can't imagine even wanting to know, but I will have to get to know her anyway, if she is to remain as a welcome member of the family.  I just don't know how to do that, given the present situation. Maybe this, too, shall pass. I really hope so.

                                                    

A Spiritual Reflection

     At its most fundamental level, Christianity mandates that we renounce all worldly possessions and follow Jesus' example - be like Him in every action we take.  In reality, most of us can't do that.  The few who do are eventually recognized as saints, and are regularly credited with earthly "miracles" (in quotation marks for those who don't believe) after they die.  They are honored as having special connections to God and can help us to be heard.  St. Anthony of Padua is one such saint whose many miracles have earned him the title of Finder of Lost Things.  He has been my go-to prayer resource whenever I have lost or misplaced my cell phone, camera, keys, important papers and such, and has rarely, if ever, let me down. Recently, however, in utter despair over the relentless bad luck my youngest son has suffered since losing his job a year ago, I cried out loudly to St. Anthony for something else.  My prayer was simple: "Dear St. Anthony, my son has lost his job; please help him to find another one ." Amazingly, the next day my son got a phone call from someone who had found his resume online and told him she thought he might be a good fit for the company she worked for.  Over the next week he went through a lengthy interview process for the job, along with, apparently, 25 others, and was one of only two people actually hired.  He started yesterday. He is hopeful again.
     I can hear you skeptics out there thinking this is all superstition and coincidence. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but my experience tells me it isn't. Thank you, Saint Anthony, for answering my prayer.

Three Perceptions of God

   I have been meditating a lot lately on the interpretations of God through the ages, and their impact on today's world. I have been reading the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, and the Koran. The God of Abraham revealed Himself to Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad, or so the stories go. The God of Moses handed down the Ten Commandments, which have been the hallmark of Man's relationship to both Man and God: He told us to respect and honor the one true universal being; do not murder, steal, lie, envy things held by others, or commit adultery; and respect our parents.  The God of Jesus told us who would be blessed (the Beatitudes) and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (the Golden Rule). But the God of Mohammad tells us that those who say that God had a son are liars (Sura 18) and infidels who should be killed (Sura 47), and states that the purpose of the Koran is to "announce and warn" (Sura 18). There is much about the Koran that seems violent and intolerant, and I wonder why it is such a popular religion. I also wonder why our politicians call it a religion of peace. I wonder how many of them have read the Koran of which they so persuasively speak? It may be a religion of peace if you are Muslim, but it seems decidedly dangerous to be an unbeliever - an "infidel". 

  The Old Testament of the Bible is essentially a history of how God's relationship to Man began and developed.  As such, it certainly contains its own aspects of violence, but not in such a way that it seems that God is advocating for violence. In the New Testament, Jesus preaches only tolerance and patience, adherence to the laws of the Fathers in the Old Testament, and love for all. He never advocates violence as a solution to anything. On the contrary, He admonishes us to "turn the other cheek" (Luke 6:29).  The God of Moses and Jesus follow as one, but the God of Mohammad has completely different characteristics. The book ascribed to that God does not advocate tolerance, but unconditional, unquestioning, universal acceptance of its tenets, without exception. This is not religion, it is slavery.

Split Families Two

Well, she's done it again: today is the day AFTER Christmas, and my son still doesn't have his son. Now we have to pick the boy up at 10 AM this morning. Connor has again missed out on celebrating Christmas with his father's family, and will have it alone later today. For the record, I went back into our calendar and my photo albums, and verified that the only holiday that Ryan has had Connor since Thanksgiving of 2014 was on the Fourth of July, even though six of the holidays this year fell on weekends when he was supposed to have him anyway. And not only has she succeeded in preventing Connor from spending time with his father, she even turns the situation around and blames Ryan for the last-minute change. Unbelievable.  Then she tried to tell Ryan that he had Connor on Thanksgiving, so that meant that she should have Connor for all of Christmas. P.S. he did not have Connor on Thanksgiving - or Halloween, or Labor Day, or even my birthday last March.   She must think we are all idiots. A Court-order visitation schedule is the only option left.  I hope Ryan files the paperwork soon. This all needs to be in writing. She doesn't know how to share, nor does she play well with others.

Split Families

I have two grandsons. Each one is the only biological cousin to the other. My older grandson has parents who are divorced.  His mother is my younger son's former wife. They have legal joint custody on paper, but in fact, my son's ex-wife takes complete control over decisions. On paper, they are supposed to share visitation on major holidays like Christmas, but in fact, we have not seen our grandson for a major holiday since Thanksgiving of 2014.  As a result, he has not seen his younger, and only, cousin in more than a year.  Until my son can take her back to court and force her to change the way she treats him and their son, this is likely to continue. She seems to go out of her way to deny our grandson the opportunity to share celebrations with his father's family, and to get to know his paternal blood relatives. She also changes plans at the last minute, and never seems to be able to make a definite commitment as to pick-up time until the morning of, often resulting is disruption to our schedule and/or our plans.  She did it again today, which is Christmas Day, when our son was supposed to pick up his son at noon.  Suddenly, she needs to have their son with her as she travels from place to place today, and now my son can't pick up his son until this evening, when Christmas is virtually over and the rest of our family is gone. The boy again has missed another chance to see his cousin, as that family comes to us on Christmas Eve, and leaves on Christmas Day to go to my daughter-in-law's family.  2016 is a Leap Year, meaning that the next Christmas will fall on a Sunday. If the planning goes right, my son will have his son on that weekend. Then we may finally get the celebration we have been wishing for. One can only hope.

Electronic Cards

    
I've decided that I don't like eCards. You can't touch them; you can't hold them; you can't save them.  You can print them out, but it just isn't the same as receiving one in the mail. Real cards cost money, the stamp used to mail them also costs money.  That makes real cards a gift, and one that gives joy to the person receiving it. I don't think I will ever send an eCard to anyone, unless it's an invitation to a spur-of-the-moment party or something like that, but if it's an important party, like a wedding or anniversary celebration, I will always send a real card. I love all my friends and family, and my bought-and-mailed cards to them are my gift to them. I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.