Just gotta sound off:

Oregon recently passed a law making it mandatory that employers (with few exceptions) give an hour sick leave for every 30 hours a part-time employee works.

Now, on the surface that is nice, it insures that people aren’t having to lose money when they are sick, or go to work when they are sick.  – It also covers ‘mental health days’ when a person is just so harried they need time off.

But, as in all such mandates, there is a cost – and someone has to pay it.  The prices may go up, or employees may work fewer hours, or the store may open less hours, or some businesses will have to close and the employees are out of a job – no hours.

I am hearing a lot about how our economy is growing and unemployment is not as high – yet, we have fewer full-time job openings and we are seeing major retail businesses closing stores all over the country – Macys and Wal-Mart are the latest to announce such closures.  And of course, small business are closing their doors.

An outlet that I am familiar with declared, a few years ago, part-time employees cannot work over 28 hours and managers must schedule them for no more than 24 hours – because the Federal Government said employees are considered full-time if they work 30 hours a week (down from 40) or more and are entitled to expensive benefits paid by the employer.  Now, not only do they not get benefits, they earn less money to live on.

After the Oregon law was passed, an outlet cut back the number of hours that a manager could have employees on the floor – AND to work the minimum hour employees longer than long time employees because they cost the company less per hour.

We can blame corporate America for this – or we can look at the conditions that are being mandated by government.  We have more people on government payrolls to oversee mandates, so taxes are more exacting for the employer – and some employers have to hire additional staff just to make sure they are in compliance.

Those receiving financial aid from the government is reaching an all-time high, and many of government’s rules and regulations make it better to not work at all and accept the hand-outs from government than actually going to work – and those that are doing nothing but accept money are not expected to do anything for it.

Yet, we must make everyone feel good about themselves and not ‘shame’ them for doing nothing.

There are those that need help, some full-time, but most do not, they have found that they can earn more by refusing to work than actually working.  The problem, of course, is the benefits they receive are often more than the hard-working person is making and the hard-working person has to pay the price of those that refuse.

While it looks like businesses are bearing the brunt of this – and they pass that cost along to citizens, who pay in higher costs for products and higher taxes, with less to show for their time.

It is actually our children that are going to be deprived of a right to earn a living.  I can remember when my cousins in the Portland area would go out and pick beans and strawberries every summer, they learned how to work hard and earn their own money.  Unfortunately there was abuse of the system by some farmers, but rather than dealing with those issues, government decided to pass a law forbidding employment of children my cousins’ ages.

Now it wasn’t like they had to work all summer long, harvest only lasts a short time.  The work was hard, for a couple of weeks it was long days, but then it was over.

There was pride in my cousins’ voice as they showed me the results of their work and what they had saved and purchased with their own money.

Today that kind of work is beneath most people because it is hard work.  I can remember years ago, when I stopped some teenagers after curfew – after midnight, can’t remember exact time – and hauled them in for their parents to come and get them.

They told me there was nothing to do in town, they were bored.  As it happened cherry harvest was in full bloom and I knew that there was a need for pickers – when I mentioned that the distain they showed was palatable – that work was beneath them.  They would rather be out using their time to complain and cause mischief than to actually work.  – And it is even worse today.

Although, I am quite sure the Cherry Growers didn’t want these kids – they obviously didn’t have a work ethic – they refused to even try.  However, it is quite possible that if they had been allowed (or told by their parents) to work at an earlier age they might have realized the value of hard work – and appreciation for those that do it.

Now, there is no appreciation, only demands for handouts without strings attached – or strings that can be quickly cut or diverted for the benefit of those that choose not to work.

There are too many people in government employment that grew up with the idea they are owed a living by others.  They don’t have to work hard to earn anything, they have a right to it, and they are the ones making decisions on how businesses should operate even though they, themselves, have no idea of what it means to work hard and run a business.

Our soldiers are being brought back from war and not given proper medical or mental care.  The government has decided to cut-back on the military – yes a form of government employment, but one where the soldiers actually does something – and throwing these people back into the chaos of unemployment others are going through.  At least these people are productive and give our country the ability to ward off those that would destroy America by violence – seems this is one of the better things our taxes pay for.

There are other things of course, but I am about ‘talked’ out, my cardiologist warned me about discussing politics.......

So what brought all this about, today?

As I watched the news about the big snow storm in the east and how it is shutting down everything – including government – I had to think that government is the one thing that needs to be shut down for a while, at least that part that has anything to do with making more laws that hamper the citizens of this country from being productive.

Oh, by the way, the guards at the site of the Unknown Soldier are on duty and continuing their vigilance!

Just saying.

Exodus 5:7-9 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

⁸ And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

⁹ Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

This was Pharaoh’s response to Moses when he demanded Pharaoh let the Hebrews leave.

They have way too much time on their hands, keep them busy and they won’t have time to worry about their God.

Sound familiar?

Satan is still using this to prevent God’s people from worshipping Him.

We can’t spend any time in the morning to read God’s Word and pray, because we are too busy getting the kids off to school, breakfast, prepare lunch, tell the spouse we will see him/her this evening and head off to work.

Get to work and we are overwhelmed with the many tasks at hand, even when we plan our work day things happen that throw us off track and we have to rearrange our time.  We don’t have time to read God’s Word and pray.

Get home and we have to prepare dinner, get things lined out for the next day, do the chores around the place, we just don’t have time to read God’s Word and pray.

Need some time to relax, work on our hobby, hit the computer to see what the world is doing, watch TV, we need this time to get centered, we don’t have time to read God’s Word and pray.

Time to go to bed, we are exhausted and just need to sleep, we can’t focus, just too tired to read God’s Word and pray.

In this world we can become overwhelmed with our responsibilities and we feel rushed and harried.  We want to be all things to all people and do the best we can in our job and in our life – and we become so busy we forget God.

We forget that a few minutes with Him puts everything else into perspective.  If we don’t have time for God, we are misusing our time on earth.

Satan takes great pleasure in making things as difficult as he can for Christians.  He wants to build a wall between us and God.  That wall may start out as a framework, but the more we allow him to do, the more he fills in that frame, first with paper and then with brick and mortar.

It is up to us to turn our minds to God, He is always there, He has no special times, He is never too busy for us - He never says ‘contact me later I have this other crisis I am dealing with.’  He never says, ‘okay, your time is up, I must move onto others.’

We should give Him the same courtesy.  Yes, we are busy, but when we evaluate our day, when we evaluate our routines we will find that there really is time for Him.  We may have to give up something else, but nothing is as important as our relationship with Him.

Later, Art :-)