Last weekend someone very close to me showed me his new state-provided cell phone, which he received a couple weeks earlier. He was thrilled and proud he didn't have to borrow other people's phones often at a price of a buck or a couple of cigarettes. I didn't say much as my feelings on these things are well known.
I was struck at the "pride" he had and wondered how is it possible to craft a message that explains how much more pride one has from earning this stuff by one self rather than it being some kind of American birthright. I speak to like-minded people all the time, but what about the growing number of folks that take pride in free stuff?
When I joined the Air Force, guys used to wash their cars a few times a week (especially the guys from the south) because they had so much pride they earned those clean whips. People that own their own home typically put loving care into it; they would never bother if they rented. It's a natural human trait.
But the disconnect comes with the notion of earning the things we own.
The person I met is too far gone, but I disagree with the idea that "those people" can't change. Though both exhibited pride, my old boys in the Air Force enjoyed something my friend with the free phone will never grasp.
Why Furloughs Happen Faster than Hiring?
In their haste to make sequestration more draconian than it needs to be, the administration threatened a variety of painful cuts including a raft of furloughs that many think are unnecessary. Over the past year, federal and local governments have ramped up job openings but can't seem to find competent workers. In the meantime, the narrative on hiring is that corporations are hoarding money rather than hiring.
In the past year, there have been 1.2 million fewer hires than job openings on the federal level and 924,000 on state and local levels.
