In the Book of Deuteronomy, among lots and lots and lots of other laws, is this one.  I find it touching.

When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow….

When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

When you gather the grapes of your vinyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

A couple of books later, Ruth, who was an alien and a widow, manages to provide for herself and her mother-in-law by gleaning in Boaz’s field.  She ends up marrying him (he’s very rich), and becomes the great-grandmother of King David.  Not a bad deal.

Today, driving through part of east Topeka, I saw a scruffily-dressed and very dirty person pushing a battered grocery cart piled high with aluminum cans.  He had probably picked them up from the side of the road, maybe even searched through dumpsters for them.

Is there a parallel here?  An excuse for littering?

Posted by Sharon under Observations | No Comments »

No doubt about it, technology improves and enriches our lives. And anything that comes into popular use early in our lives feels normal soon after we embrace it.

But when some interesting and helpful new invention comes at us after we’ve pretty much settled into complacency about the world, the new device will always feel just a little foreign. No matter how enthusiastically we buy, use, enjoy, and appreciate all the new gadgetry, a small part of us, somewhere way off there in the far recesses, will always remain stuck in a time when all this stuff wasn’t available.

You can spot those of us who grew up with fountain pens and soda fountains, rotary dials on telephones and rotary dials on televisions, slide rules and parental rules:

We’re the ones who make lists before we go to the grocery store, and don’t even think to call someone on our cell phone as we walk up and down the aisles to ask if we are out of peanut butter.

We’re the ones who own devices with buttons we never use. Sometimes we don’t even know what those extraneous buttons are for. We would buy a simpler version if they offered it, but nothing simpler is available.

We’re the ones who know how to make change. We know you can give a customer the correct change without doing the slightest bit of arithmetic in your head. We even know how to count the change back to the customer to prove the amount is right. They used to teach that in school, you know.

We’re the ones who think it’s easier to multiply by ten or a hundred or a thousand in our heads than to get out a calculator.

We’re the ones who, when picking up lunch for a friend at a fast food restaurant, make a guess as to the salad dressing she wants instead of calling her on our cell phone to ask.

We’re the ones who prefer a phone number like 232-1112 to 798-9989 because, with a rotary dial, it could be dialed faster.

We’re the ones who are astonished when we accidentally stumble onto a game menu on a device we really thought was intended for placing and receiving phone calls.

We’re the ones who, when we see someone walking down the street, alone, with his hands free, talking loudly, assume he is mentally ill. We’ve noticed a lot of very well-dressed mentally ill people recently.

We’re the ones who, driving home in a rainstorm, smile and feel gratitude for the garage-door opener, because we remember so clearly what it was like before we had them.

We’re the ones who, even though we may use an answering machine to screen our calls, still feel a sense of urgency when the phone rings and we can’t get to it in time.

We’re the ones who don’t confuse instant messaging and text messaging shortcuts with correct usage. Mark Twain said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” We understand that the person who refuses to spell, capitalize, and punctuate properly is easily confused with the person who does not know how to spell, capitalize, and punctuate properly.

KsSmallBiz.com, June 28, 2006

Posted by Sharon under Laughter | 3 Comments »

Here’s a quiz. Which saves more gas: trading in a 16-mile-a-gallon gas guzzler for a slightly more efficient car that gets 20 mpg? Or going from a gas-sipping sedan of 34-mpg to a hybrid that gets 50 mpg?

If you guessed the second choice, you’re wrong.

This interesting broadcast on “All Things Considered” this afternoon explains why the way mileage is advertised in the US is not the best way to figure fuel efficiency. 

Posted by Sharon under Observations | No Comments »

The best laws are the ones we don’t really need very much. They’re the one that tell us we can’t do what most of us wouldn’t do anyway. Few of us, even if there were no laws, would murder or steal from or beat up our fellow humans. For those few people who don’t understand the Golden Rule, the laws just allow us to grab them by the shirt collar, say to them, “See, it says right here you can’t do that,” and haul them off somewhere where they won’t be able to do it again.

Generally, I think there should be fewer laws, but that we should obey the ones that make sense. I am, after all, a Libertarian, not an anarchist. There are some laws, however, that make no sense, and are regularly ignored by large groups of people. A 35-per-hour speed limit on a four-lane, semi-residential street falls in that category. The requirement to turn into the nearest lane is another.

I have friends who unquestioningly follow all the laws. When making a left turn, even if they want to be in the right lane after they’re finished turning, they pull into the left lane, signal, check their rear-view mirror, and move over into the right lane. Many of us just turn into the right lane, and I see no harm in it.  I understand there are places where the law says you can turn into any available lane.  That makes more sense.

Here’s another one that I don’t understand.

Let’s imagine you are driving down a four-lane street in the left lane, and preparing to make a left-hand turn at the upcoming intersection. Here is what you will probably see:

There is a solid double yellow line immediately to your left. The two solid yellow lines mean that neither you nor the car approaching you on the other side can cross the line.

A lane begins to open up between your lane and the oncoming left lane. It starts out as a point, and widens as you approach the intersection, gradually squeezing the other four lanes apart. Something interesting happens to the yellow lines, too. On your side, the yellow line remains solid; you cannot cross it. The line on the inside of what will become the left-turn lane, however, is dashed. That means that whoever is driving in this as-yet-unfinished lane can cross out of it. You veer slightly right, following the curve of the solid yellow line that you may not cross for maybe 50 feet as the emerging lane grows to its full size.

Finally the left-turn lane is complete. It is as wide as the other four lanes. The two yellow lines have disappeared, replaced by the white line that indicates the division between lanes, but which you may cross at will. You signal, check your mirror, move into the left-turn lane, and come to a stop at the red light, waiting for your turn to pull into the intersection and make your turn.

As you sit there, I want you to think about something. Directly behind you, there is an area of roadway as large as the footprint of a modest home that NOBODY CAN LEGALLY DRIVE ON. There are solid yellow lines surrounding the lane which prohibit anyone currently driving in the vicinity from getting in there.

To be sure, if aliens beam you up and then drop you and your car directly in there, you can drive out. In that case, the dashed yellow lines are on your side, and you can cross them and be out there where all the other people are driving. But you can’t get in there without a helicopter.

Come to think of it, I guess, while legally positioned to make a left turn at the intersection, you could BACK UP into that forbidden zone.

I wonder if they’d arrest me for that.

KsSmallBiz.com, April 27, 2005

Posted by Sharon under Laughter | 1 Comment »

Once there were three very young men. Early in their lives, each of them knew what was important to him.

RichMan valued money, and from middle school on he worked hard to accumulate wealth. Even when he was in school, he always worked two jobs, and never spent any more than was absolutely necessary. He finished college, went on to earn an MBA, and founded a successful business. He never married, since a wife and children can be expensive. He became very wealthy.

FamilyMan knew early in his life that a large family was what he wanted. He married right out of high school, and he and his wife started having children right away. Since he had to support his growing family, he didn’t go to college. He worked hard at his job to provide the best life he could for his wife and children. He spent almost all his leisure time surrounded by the family he loved so much.

GoodTimesMan just wanted to party. He dropped out of high school to have more time to spend with his friends. He worked odd jobs, which suited him just fine – it gave him enough money to live, barely, but left him with more time to do the things he really wanted to do.

Forty years after middle school, each man had a mid-life crisis. They all took a close look at the lives they had created for themselves.

RichMan looked at his stock portfolio and said to himself, “Well, I got what I always wanted. I’m unbelievably wealthy, but I can see now that some of my choices were not in my own best interest. I never had much fun because I was always too busy working to spend time with friends. I have no one to share my wealth with, and sometimes I’m lonely. But I can see that I am where I am because of the choices I’ve made.”

FamilyMan looked at his wife and at the children and grandchildren playing in the yard of his modest home and said to himself, “Well, I got what I always wanted. I have a large and loving family, and, for the most part, we’re happy. I can see that it might have been better if I had waited to get married until I was out of college. We would have had more money, and I would have had a little time to party with my friends. But I can see that I am where I am because of the choices I’ve made.”

GoodTimesMan looked at his shabby apartment and said to himself, “Wow, what a ride! I sure did have some fun! I guess I wish I had finished school and had a real job, so that I’d have something put away for my old age. And a family would have been nice. But I can see that I am where I am because of the choices I’ve made.”

About that same time, Society was taking a close look at the three men, and didn’t like what it saw. So Society called the three men together and set them down at a table.

“The three of you have made some unfortunate choices,” said Society, “and I’m going to relieve all of you of having to live with the consequences. You each have something that the other two want, and I’m going to even things out a bit.

“GoodTimesMan, you are required to share some of the fun you had earlier in your life with RichMan and FamilyMan.”

“How can I do that?” asked GoodTimesMan. “My good times are only memories. I can’t transfer my memories into their heads.”

“Hmm. I guess you’re right,” said Society. “Never mind.”

Turning to FamilyMan, Society said, “FamilyMan, neither of these other two ever had a family, and children would make their lives much richer. You are required to give one or two of your children to each of them.”

“Absolutely not!” cried FamilyMan. “These are human beings we’re talking about here. Humans cannot be given away!”

“I see your point,” said Society, “and you’re right. Never mind.”

“RichMan,” said Society, “these other two men’s lives would be much better if they had more money. You are required to give some of your money to them.”

“That’s not fair!” cried RichMan. “It’s what I spend my whole life earning! I gave up good times and a family for it! How can you take it away and give me nothing in return?”

“That’s too bad,” said Society. “I am going to forcibly take a large chunk of your wealth away for redistribution to these others.”

And so it did.

KsSmallBiz.com, June 15, 2005

Posted by Sharon under Libertarianism | No Comments »

I had first published this as the Chapman, Kansas tornado, because that’s how it was sent to me.  The comment I’ve received says otherwise.  At any rate, it’s a real tornado somewhere, and an impressive display.

Posted by Sharon under Observations | 1 Comment »

Welcome back, kid. It’s good to see you.

How did your interviews go? Some good, some not so good? That sounds about right.

You know, I got to thinking about some of the things we talked about last week, and I realized that we mostly talked about getting a job in a business. Another option you have is to go to work for the government. I know a lot of people who think that’s a pretty good deal. And heaven knows there are a lot of people around here who have made that choice. But before you make that decision, I want you to think about something.

Remember we talked earlier about how businesses in a free market create wealth that enriches the lives of everyone? Well, government has exactly the opposite effect; government sucks wealth out of the economy.

When you get your job in a business, everything you do will be directed at producing a product or a service faster, better, more efficiently that someone else can do it. Maybe you’ll even invent a new product, or a service that has never been seen before. The effect of tens of millions of people producing and improving and competing and inventing is to create an astonishing number of quality goods and life-enriching services at the lowest possible prices. And all those businesses exchanging money for products and services to produce more commodities that will be exchanged for more money – well, that’s how this nation achieved one of the highest standards of living the world has ever known.

But government is a different matter altogether. Sometimes we forget that every single person who works for the government is paid entirely from taxes. There is no other source of income for them. And every service and product that the government buys is paid for with taxpayer money. It’s one thing for a business to provide a product that a customer is willing to pay for, and use the resulting income to pay the workers who made it. It’s another thing entirely to pay government workers with money taken in taxes from citizens who don’t really get much in return.

Let me say that another way. When a willing buyer and a willing seller exchange money for goods and services, the effect is to enrich everyone involved in the transaction. When the government takes taxes away from people, pays government employees with part of it and gives the rest to someone else – when there is taking instead of exchanging — the effect is to destroy wealth rather than to create it.

In a robust and thriving economy, with a tiny government, the effect is negligible. But when the economy is in trouble, when there is already a large and growing percentage of the population on the government payroll – well, I just hope you make another choice.

So let’s talk a little more about you and the job you’re going to get. Last week we talked about getting the job. Now let’s talk about keeping the job, and maybe even getting promoted.

Remember how I told you that nobody owes you a job, that it’s your responsibility to make yourself the best possible candidate for the position you want? That doesn’t stop after you’re hired. Your employer is still looking for the person who will make her company better and better, and that should be you. If you make sure your new employer is glad she hired you, you will not only keep your job, but you will be the one she thinks of first when promotions become available.

And, if the time comes when you want to make a career change, you will be glad you did the best you could for this company.

So…

Show up. Every day. On time. Ready for work.

Do you want to impress your new boss? When you refer to the company, say “we.” Not “you” or “they.” “We.” Talk and think and work like the success of the entire company depends on your job alone.

Learn to distinguish between being sick and just not feeling the best you’ve ever felt. Learn to distinguish what is a real family emergency and what is not. An employee who is sick or has a family emergency, predictably, twice a week – well, just remember that there are plenty of people out there looking for a job who are more dependable than that.

Try not to think of your boss as the enemy. Believe it or not, with few exceptions, he’s not out to get you. He’s not trying to exploit you or make your life miserable. What he’s trying to do, as we discussed last week, is make the company better and more efficient. If you make it clear that those are your goals, too, your boss will see that you know the two of you are on the same team.

Draw a clear line between what belongs to you and what belongs to the company you work for, and do not step over that line. Don’t take office supplies home unless you will use them to do work for the company. Don’t run your personal mail through the postage meter. Don’t use the copier for making personal copies unless you know for a fact that company policy allows it.

And let’s be clear about this: The time that the company pays you for belongs to the company. Don’t steal that, either.

I’ve got a good feeling about your prospects this week, kid. Go get ‘em!

KsSmallBiz.com, February 15, 2006

Posted by Sharon under Libertarianism | 2 Comments »

I was having more fun than you might think by looking at this.

Posted by Sharon under Libertarianism | No Comments »

Posted by Sharon under Libertarianism | 2 Comments »

If Shakespeare had lived in 21st-century America, he would have named his play “Like You Like It.”

Posted by Sharon under Laughter | No Comments »