Money For Nothing

Work.

I have reached a conclusion about the extension of jobless benefits that makes me feel like a bad liberal. The good liberal in me says that we should extend the benefits, that people get into a rough spot, lack the training and education they need, do not have the kinds of opportunities they used to have before we sent jobs overseas, and generally should not be left in the lurch by society. The rest of me says wow, 99 weeks is a long time to be on unemployment. The truth is, I don't think that we are helping anyone by just writing them a check. The economy is improving, unemployment is decreasing, people went back to school during the recession, there are opportunities. I believe that one of the biggest and far-reaching problems in the U.S. is economic injustice and that wage and income equality play a big role in that. But it has to be real income. Earned income. Where are the federal work programs, the state-run training programs and the affordable education that get people off unemployment and back to earning? Where is the student loan debt relief that could help pull millions of educated Americans out of poverty and into gainful employment? Where did our work ethic go? I think it is time for us to take a good look at the possibility of economic recovery the hard way, through hard work, sacrifice, and lifestyle change. We all deserve a living wage, but we all have a responsibility to work for it. All of us.

Picture:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/nyregion/12benefits.html?pagewanted=all

Four Way Stop

Choice.

There is a prevalent theory in recovery and and weight loss programs concerning the formation of new habits and the role of familiar or default actions and circumstances that can best be summarized with the notion of an intersection.  This theory talks about the role of familiar places, times, and situations in our day to day lives that act at decision points or crucial moments in our behaviors.  Sometimes these crucial intersections are literal, do I turn towards home or the bar?  Sometimes they are more difficult to spot, do I let my temper get the better of me or take a deep breath?  Understanding where these crossroads are in our own interior lives, the moments where stress and weakness or desire converge, can help us to make fundamental changes to the way we live.  Framing our behaviors in this light may help us avoid temptation or recognize which moments are the most crucial to our success.  

Where are the critical intersections in your day?  Which way will you go?

Photograph Courtesy of:

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/traffic%20light?before=20