A Better Plan?

Who, in their right mind, would spend a dollar, that they need to borrow,  to make a dime?

I ask this question in advance of the president’s speech tonight because I am hoping that he is not going to propose spending billions of dollars on a job stimulus project.

We would  have to borrow the money.

We would get back only a small portion in taxes.

It would provide only a temporary improvement.  When the federal money runs out, those people would again be out of work.  It is not a permanent solution.

I sincerely hope that he has a better plan, than spending money we would have to borrow.  The increased debt would last longer any benefit.

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The Shackling of American Business

A few years ago the newly Democratic congress made it a priority to substantially raise the minimum wage.  I wonder what happened to those businesses that were barely surviving?  When the government forced them to raise their employee compensation I imagine some of them had to shut down.  Those employees who were making minimum wage were then added to the lists of the unemployed, and the businesses were no longer paying taxes, since they could not afford to stay in business.  They were too small to survive the increase in overhead cost.

Now our Democratic president and congress are pushing through a bill that will require “those who can afford it” to provide health insurance for their employees.  Who is going to decide “who can afford it”?  Will it be the same people who have approved spending enormous sums of  money that we do not have ourselves?  I do not trust them to make the right decision.

I am confident that there will be some companies that will not survive this latest burden being placed upon them by the government. 

More people on the unemployment roles.

Less companies paying taxes.

I suspect that politicians forget what life is like in the “real” world.  Most families are two income families.   At least one, needs to find a job that offers benefits.  That means that the other partner could work a job that does not offer benefits, but that still adds to the family income.  There is a place for the job that does not offer benefits, but that still provides income. 

In the world that I live in, you accept whatever job you can get, and then you look for a better one, until you are satisfied with your situation.   

Employers pay as well as they can afford to pay, so that they retain their good employees. 

It’s called free enterprise and it has worked pretty well.

Our government is going to squeeze more companies out of business by placing upon them the shackles of mandatory higher wages and now, health care provision.

It’s Not Just a Job

For a Christian, a job should be more than simply a means to a paycheck.  Don’t get me wrong, a paycheck is important, and most people need a job to get one! Yet, if the only reason that we are trudging off to work each day is to earn the money for the things that we want or need, then something is missing from our lives. 

I believe that our place of employment is a part of God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  That he can use our jobs to have an impact in molding our character, and that we can have an impact at our jobs for the kingdom of God. 

God can use our jobs in our lives, and God can use us at our jobs.

This is true whether the job is a temporary means to an end, or a temporary job that lasts twenty years, or a career that one worked long and hard to obtain. 

God can, and does use our employment in our lives,  and us in our place of employment.  It is not just a job, it is a part of God’s plan for our life.  When we realize that, it can help make the daily grind a little bit easier.