Get to Work!

Well, if I betrayed a liberal bias with my previous posting, here's my attempt to reclaim the center. This article on MSNBC indicates that that bastion of workers' rights may be finally cracking. Germans who are used to insane amounts of vacation are finally realizing that young men and women in China and India are willing to work their butts off for their job (ok, that wasn't in the story). Come on guys, you don't need 37 days off in a year!!

OK, and it also talks about overgenerous unemployment benefits preventing workers from feeling the need to take low-paid jobs! Hmm, are you listening, lefties? While I'm a big supporter of certain welfare programs, including benefits for all children (legal and illegal - no kid deserves any different!), it is obvious that an overgenerous system doesn't help these people.

Reminds me of a conversation that I had with a homeless father once ... still rings in my head and troubles me. We sat and had a chat, and he shared his very moving story with me about how he was trying to do better for his daugther. But while the government and churches and all other welfare organizations had invested extensive resources in "keeping him homeless", not one of them had ever bothered to help him break the cycle. To get a job, you need a place of residence ... to rent a place, you need a job, and for a guy who is labelled a bum of the streets without a family network to depend on, well, that's gonna be one long stay!