The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act, as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of the word liberty; and precisely the same difference prevails today among human creatures.
Abraham Lincoln
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Can't Teach Common Sense
Wow...
A toy Lego gun leads to discipline and doodling on a desk leads to an arrest.
Have we really gotten that used to heavy handed authority? Is it so bad that we have completely lost perspective and common sense?
A toy Lego gun leads to discipline and doodling on a desk leads to an arrest.
Have we really gotten that used to heavy handed authority? Is it so bad that we have completely lost perspective and common sense?
Friday, February 5, 2010
Decisions
They sit across from me, looking nervous and a bit ashamed. I do my best to set them at ease while reviewing the papers they have handed me. They are both impeccably dressed—as usual. I have known them for years. He is a businessman, and she is a medical professional. Each has years of experience in their field and both work steady jobs. They own a gorgeous house on an enormous plot of land just outside of town, and drive relatively new vehicles.
I review their documents and slowly begin to peel away the facade. Like a polished waiter balancing a large plate, they have been the picture of grace and success. But under the charade, all is not well. The waiter is starting to slip, the plate beginning to tip.
Their mortgage payments are several months behind and their house is facing foreclosure. Their vehicles are financed at unbelievably high interest rates and are also in arrears. They owe on their furniture, their electronics, and even their funeral plans are on credit. They have dozens of credit cards, with over $100,000 in credit card debt alone.
There has been no sudden job loss, nor any unexpected medical issue. This has been the result of years of living beyond what they make. They worked hard, played hard, charged hard, and paid hard. But now, creditors have lowered their credit limit, doubled their minimum payment, and the entire operation—waiter, plate and all, is coming down. A few attempts at several get-rich-quick rip-offs have compounded the problem, and they now find themselves at my conference table asking for a lifeline.
My work begins…
I review their documents and slowly begin to peel away the facade. Like a polished waiter balancing a large plate, they have been the picture of grace and success. But under the charade, all is not well. The waiter is starting to slip, the plate beginning to tip.
Their mortgage payments are several months behind and their house is facing foreclosure. Their vehicles are financed at unbelievably high interest rates and are also in arrears. They owe on their furniture, their electronics, and even their funeral plans are on credit. They have dozens of credit cards, with over $100,000 in credit card debt alone.
There has been no sudden job loss, nor any unexpected medical issue. This has been the result of years of living beyond what they make. They worked hard, played hard, charged hard, and paid hard. But now, creditors have lowered their credit limit, doubled their minimum payment, and the entire operation—waiter, plate and all, is coming down. A few attempts at several get-rich-quick rip-offs have compounded the problem, and they now find themselves at my conference table asking for a lifeline.
My work begins…
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