Jul. 03, 2003 - 20:54 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Independence ? Day

In my opinion those things that allowed us to be independent people are gradually being eroded.

There are special interest groups who will not take no for an answer and who keep trying to reverse the law of the land. Turn it around back onto itself again. "Okay folks, we lost that one. We need to turn up the heat. Get more on board, put more money in the kitty and get a few more judges on the Supreme Court who see things our way. Then -- Look Out !"

It appears to me that many folks are screaming for equality when all they really want is the equal right to discriminate against people who look at things a different way than they do.

The forty hour work week is under attack, along with the time and a half wages that made overtime work unprofitable for business owners - now they are trying for comp time. For years big business has been trying to get part time help in the door. Part time, yeah, less wages, no benefits and no union coverage. Work three people for the price of one--- and ---- no benefits. Some seem to be falling for that too, that's what makes me want to cry.

I see in the morning paper today that now the states are trying to give telecommuters the shaft. One state says, "Yeah he/she was our employee but he/she worked in a different state than where we do business." The other state says, "Yeah, but the wages came to he/her from your company's profits and your money was set aside to pay unemployment." So while the smoke and furor goes on the laid off employee goes hungry and probably without health benefits, they quibble.

Looks to me like a certain bunch of do gooders, holier than thou folks are saying, "Hey we been the good guys long enough, we quit."

And when the jobs are shipped overseas, the clerical work overseas, engineering shipped overseas and the manufacturing has been long gone, big steel has been dead here for years -- what the heck is Joe Average going to work at to make enough money to live on and support his family ? We can't all be rocket scientists or neurosurgeons or some such exotic profession as the aforementioned.

But, "Oh yes we have the money, materiel, and manpower to fight in any country in the world now." Unlimited resources ? What about the people out of work here ? Unemployment is on the rise in the US. Why isn't there money for them to earn a living here ?

Oh, I forgot, we have the cure all here, "Homeland Security." Are they going to feed, house and clothe us ? Take care of the sick folks ?

A paragraph or so, from an article by Bob Herbert of the New York Times. "States from coast to coast are reaching depths of budget desperation unseen since the Great Depression. The dis-connect here is becoming surreal. On Thursday the the National Governers Association let it be known that the fiscal crisis that has crippled one state after another is worsening, not getting better." Further, "Taxes have been raised. Services have been cut. And the rainy-day funds accumulated in th 1990-'s have been consumed. If help does not materialize soon -- in the form of assistance from the federal government or a sharp turnaround in the economy -- some states will fall into a fiscal abyss."

And our president seems to be sticking his chest out and saying to the world, "Okay, take your best shot." Riiiight -- so what's next ? ? ? ? ?

Happy Fourth Of July, and welcome to Independence ? Day . . . . . . . . .

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