In my life’s experiences I have found that it is extremely difficult to get people to cross a personal barrier in order to accomplish a common good. Politics…… It seems that the common good, that is things that people who have different political views can come together and accomplish, is becoming a rarity in the U.S. the last decade or so. There are a lot of things out there that could be accomplished if only some would learn the art of compromise. Everything doesn’t have to have a political point or exactly mesh with your “principles”. Religion…. The version of … Continue reading Crossing The Barrier For The Common Good….

In the case of UPS, the 15,000 spouses are husbands or wives whose employers also offer health benefits. This appears to be a case where they like the plan they have (they’ve opted for the UPS plan rather than their employer plan) and can’t keep it….. And for the 15,000 who are affected, it’s a bit simplistic to say their options are narrowing solely because of Obamacare. UPS didn’t say the law was the only factor behind its decision. And some health-care experts argue that businesses are using Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a convenient excuse for continuing a … Continue reading UPS drops health benefits for 15,000 spouses…

“I don’t suppose there ever was a time when everybody knew as little about what they were talking about as they do today.” – Will Rogers, 19 September 1933 A quote I often cite is “You don’t have to know what you are saying as long as you say it with authority”. That seems to mimic what Will is saying above but I think these times today that has far exceeded what it was in his days.  One example of that might be President Obama. His rhetoric captivated many during the 2008 campaign season (including me ) but lack of … Continue reading Knowing So Little….

Recent studies show, for example, that wealthier people are more likely to cut people off in traffic and to behave unethically in simulated business and charity scenarios. Earlier this year, statistics on charitable giving revealed that while the wealthy donate about 1.3% of their income to charity, the poorest actually give more than twice as much as a proportion of their earnings — 3.2%. “There’s this idea that the more you have, the less entitled and more grateful you feel; and the less you have, the more you feel you deserve. That’s not what we find,” says author Paul Piff, … Continue reading Narcissism And The 1%….

Right after 9/11, I asked a kid in my neighborhood what we should do in response.  His answer: “Those people did something very wrong…”  He thought pensively and continued, “But two wrongs don’t make a right.”  As Martin Luther King taught us, you cannot fight fire with fire, you only get a bigger fire.  You fight fire with water.  You fight violence with nonviolence.  You fight hatred with love.  As a Christian, a follower of Jesus the Prince of Peace, I am deeply troubled about the possibility of a military response to the violence in Syria.  Jesus consistently teaches us … Continue reading Shane Claiborne’s Statement on Syria – Red Letter Christians

His reasoning, according to officials who were in the room? He wants members on the record, rather than simply criticizing from outside whatever action he takes. SOURCE:  Obama’s Syria strike decision aims to get Congress on the record – CBS News. I made a personal vow to try to stay out of the latest saber-rattling from a U.S. president. After Mr. Obama’s strong words against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it has troubled me to see him seemingly repeat the same mistakes. I just hope that when he does it is of a much smaller scale than his predecessor … Continue reading The Hawk’s Delimina….

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September, that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 to placate unionists following the Pullman Strike. With the decline in union membership, the holiday is generally viewed as a time for barbeques and the end of summer vacation… Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, the United States Congress unanimously voted to approve rush legislation that made Labor Day a national holiday; President … Continue reading Labor Day…