Think about it: over 37 million people of all ages in our country are suffering from the ravages of poverty. These are men, women, and children off all ethnic backgrounds. They are healthy or unhealthy, mentally unstable or perfectly stable, families or individuals, unable to work or have been “downsized” and can’t find work. In short, poverty can strike anyone at any time–and it has. We can’t fix our economy overnight, but those of us who are fortunate enough not to be part of the 37 million can help through our donations not just of money but of time. Everyone has a little time to give. If serving at a soup kitchen takes more than you have, how about spending a few extra minutes while you grocery shop to shop for food items for those kitchens, or bake extra cookies for a shelter while you’re baking for your family. If you don’t have time to help a local charity pack sack lunches for the homeless, you probably do have a minute to smile and say “Hi” to the homeless man outside the store, thus letting him know that he’s recognized as a human being rather than an objectionable object. After your daughter’s softball game, when you go with the team to pizza, you have a second to invite along as your family’s guest the girl who can’t afford to go. In other words, poverty can be fought on the human level–one human being to another. And you fight the battle in little ways. As I always say, Small things really DO count!
Tag Archive for downsize
United States of America, Inc.
We got our way, America! All my life I’ve heard, “We need to run the government like a business.” Now, with our new President, we’ll get a chance to see how well that works.
It will be interesting to see how USA, Inc. prospers as a business. How it will market our “company” among all the other “companies” of the world. How it will meet or change our company’s policies in regards to workforce discrimination in hiring, firing, promotions, wages, and benefits. Whether it, like all major companies in good standing, will continue working for the good of the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized. Whether it will establish (and stick to) adequate budgets to cover its plans and obligations, and how it will earn money to cover those budgets. What its main products will be–peace, justice, human rights, a decent life for its employees, or fatter bank accounts for the few.
What will the board room look like, as department heads who have declared their desire to dissolve or greatly downsize and weaken their own departments, gather to discuss policy. Will they listen to its 324,118,787 “stockholders”? Will they vote to enact a major policy even though one member has tacked on an expensive, unrelated, or frivolous item into the proposal? Will they, who are already quite rich, be willing to take a cut in their large paychecks if needed to help the company, its shareholders, and employees?
I wonder how USA, Inc. will deal with the other companies of the world. Will we continue trying for an image of leadership, fairness, and opportunity for employees? Will we court other companies as friends and business partners or isolate ourselves and demand that other companies beg to interact with us and our people, buy our products, and do what we say? What tools will we use to enforce contracts–negotiation, compromise, logic, and reason, or knee-jerk reaction, blackmail, and deadly force?
Will USA rebuild its crumbling, endangered buildings (infrastructure) and grounds (Earth)?
In short, I’m curious to see how USA, Inc. keeps its eye on the goal of the long-term good of the company, its employees and stockholders, and all the other businesses of the world.