Saturday, February 21, 2009
"You In?"
http://blog.sojo.net/2009/02/18/love-godend-poverty-why-im-going-to-the-mobilization-to-end-poverty/
Friday, February 20, 2009
is this social gospel
Christians on Left, Right Push Plan to Aid the Poor - WSJ.com 9:21pm
Source: online.wsj.com
Source: online.wsj.com
tight but right?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021903512.html
does this let the gov't off the hook from God's perspective?
does this let the gov't off the hook from God's perspective?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
from da boss
A Letter From The Boss
To All My Valued Employees,There have been some rumblings around the office about the future ofthis company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, theeconomy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges.However, the good news is this:The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten yourjob however, is the changing political landscape in this country.However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might helpyou decide what is in your best interests.First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers againstemployees, you have to understand that for every business owner thereis a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowedby what you see and hear.Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home atlast year’s Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxuryconjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY: I started this company28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studioapartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted intoan office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company,which by the way, would eventually employ you.My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spentwent back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with adefective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, Istayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking andpartying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work,discipline, and sacrifice.Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made amodest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashycars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes.Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, Iwas trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing itemthat didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friendsrefinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however,did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with avision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford theseluxuries my friends supposedly had.So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 A.M., mentallycheck in at about noon, and then leave at 5 P.M., I don't. There is no"off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and youhave a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have thefreedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day.There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Everyday this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year oldspecial-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of thatgarden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you neverrealize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all theright decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the peoplewho didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feelentitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade ofmy life for.Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid issteep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running thisbusiness, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold ofmarginal benefit and let me tell you why:I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't payenough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales anduse taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemploymenttaxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all thesetaxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him.Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goeswith it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check tothe US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my"stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, theguy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the singlemother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for hernext welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is theeconomic stimulus of this country.The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'dquit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts.Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agreewhich is why your job is in jeopardy.Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economyyou need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly governmentmandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead ofdepositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would havespent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economicgrowth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut inthe form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don'tdefibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back tolife, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at theheart of America and always has been. To restart it, you muststimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washingtonbelieve the poor of America are the essential drivers of the Americaneconomic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this isthe type of change you can keep.So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any newtaxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift andsimple. I'll fire you. I'll fire your co-workers. You can then pleadwith the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and yourchild's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore.Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, andretire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes theproductive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and toprovide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; itwill be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through thiscountry, steam rolled the constitution, and will have changed itslandscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on abeach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....Signed, THE BOSS
To All My Valued Employees,There have been some rumblings around the office about the future ofthis company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, theeconomy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges.However, the good news is this:The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten yourjob however, is the changing political landscape in this country.However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might helpyou decide what is in your best interests.First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers againstemployees, you have to understand that for every business owner thereis a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowedby what you see and hear.Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home atlast year’s Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxuryconjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY: I started this company28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studioapartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted intoan office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company,which by the way, would eventually employ you.My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spentwent back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with adefective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, Istayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking andpartying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work,discipline, and sacrifice.Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made amodest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashycars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes.Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, Iwas trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing itemthat didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friendsrefinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however,did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with avision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford theseluxuries my friends supposedly had.So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 A.M., mentallycheck in at about noon, and then leave at 5 P.M., I don't. There is no"off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and youhave a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have thefreedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day.There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Everyday this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year oldspecial-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of thatgarden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you neverrealize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all theright decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the peoplewho didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feelentitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade ofmy life for.Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid issteep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running thisbusiness, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold ofmarginal benefit and let me tell you why:I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't payenough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales anduse taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemploymenttaxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all thesetaxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him.Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goeswith it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check tothe US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my"stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, theguy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the singlemother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for hernext welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is theeconomic stimulus of this country.The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'dquit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts.Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agreewhich is why your job is in jeopardy.Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economyyou need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly governmentmandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead ofdepositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would havespent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economicgrowth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut inthe form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don'tdefibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back tolife, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at theheart of America and always has been. To restart it, you muststimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washingtonbelieve the poor of America are the essential drivers of the Americaneconomic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this isthe type of change you can keep.So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any newtaxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift andsimple. I'll fire you. I'll fire your co-workers. You can then pleadwith the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and yourchild's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore.Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, andretire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes theproductive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and toprovide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; itwill be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through thiscountry, steam rolled the constitution, and will have changed itslandscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on abeach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....Signed, THE BOSS
Thursday, February 5, 2009
David Cross & Black History month
In our conversation about whether Black History Month should be eliminated let’s not forget the context out of which the month evolved. America’s record of excluding African-American history and achievements cannot be ignored when we discuss the continuing need for Black History Month, the progeny of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s week. Recognizing that America was already divided along lines of race that denied any black contributions to American and world history, Dr. Woodson created Black History week as a remedy, not as a way to divide America. I believe that folk who see this occasion of recognizing black achievement in America and the world as divisive are misguided. Black History week was created not so much to celebrate black American history, especially in competition with any other group, but more to recognize black achievement where it had never be acknowledged before; Dr. Woodson’s efforts were intended to be remedial and the month continues to serve this necessary purpose. There is still too much undiscovered black history to uncover for us to start talking about ending the one time during the year that we focus on our history. American history is what it is, and it is inextricably bound to Black History Month and the context out of which it evolved.Of course, there is a natural celebratory aspect of the month today and it is not a bad thing; Black History month should remind us all to celebrate how our democracy developed to include more of its citizens. African-Americans possess a most unique history in America as do Native Americans; our stories deserve special attention. Black History Month should also serve to remind us that we still have work to do.Black History Month hardly places African-Americans on a pedestal above others and should be seen not only as an educational piece for all of the world but also as a solemn reminder of America’s past thereby insuring that we never venture anywhere near that path of exclusion again.
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