A Lucky Son of a Gun

A bill to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, authored by House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D., Va.), has been hovering just short of the votes needed to pass the Democratic-led House of Representatives, where it faces resistance from some lawmakers from regions where wages and the cost of living are generally lower.

WSJ

I worked one summer as a kid

knocking apart metal shelves

in a book store

that was closing

the white rubber mallet

made a dull chime on the 

silver rods

as my hands began to ache

for a dollar-fifty an hour

that was good money in those days

I lived at home

spent nothing

and put it all in

the Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank.

if I had fifteen dollars in my pocket

today

I'd blow it on a six pack

of root beer and

a gallon of vanilla 

ice cream

and live off of root beer floats

thinking myself a lucky 

son of a gun

Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord

Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord

2 Nephi. 4:16

May I take my sole delight

in what God suggests is right.

I, whose greedy eyes behold

worldly pleasures, vice, and gold --

save me, Lord, from tawdry things;

lend thy spirit to my wings --

that to heaven I may soar,

and the waste below abhor.

Courage and felicity

only come through loving Thee.

The words of the book

Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book.  2 Nephi. 3:23

The words of the book of the Lord are a charm

to keep me from falling into any harm.

The words are reminders of covenants made,

inspired by Heaven and carefully weighed.

I would not exchange those good words for mere gold,

not with their meaning so joyous and bold.

Father please grant that my seed may delight

in keeping thy covenants polished and bright!

R.I.P. Jim Fowler. Dead at the age of 89.

I always thought that Marlin Perkins was the smarter guy,

who stayed behind and let Jim Fowler with a panther tie.

But if you like the birds and beasts and do not mind a bite

I guess old Jim out in the swamp had lots more fun than fright.

My retro-sense is tingling as I recall those two

selling life insurance while surrounded by a zoo.

The likes of Fowler we'll not see again in TV Land;

he could make a garter snake seem integral and grand.

Do You Get Anxiety Attacks at Work?

As Generation Z enters the workforce, more young recruits are reporting anxiety than any other generation. Some 54% of workers under 23 said they felt anxious or nervous due to stress in the preceding month, according to a 2018 American Psychological Association survey of 3,458 adults 18 and over. Close behind are millennials, with 40% reporting anxiety—surpassing the national average of 34%.

WSJ

They haven't made the boss that scares me, not by a long shot.

Far as I'm concerned they all do suffer from dry rot.

I figure to outlast 'em, just by staying at my desk

to watch them eat each other up as management burlesque.

I put in my eight hours, not a minute more or less.

The bosses cannot find me once I reach that gold egress.

For I have found the secret to success in my career;

to all my work anxiety I give a big Bronx cheer.

Why compete with coworkers or worry what they do?

That's about as harmful as to take up sniffing glue.

Work provides the income to go fishing or dine out.

I'd rather lack promotion than come down with mental gout!

Economic Meltdown Imminent

The sudden deterioration of trade talks between the U.S. and China this week has raised the prospect of a once-unimaginable rupture between the world’s two largest economies.

Whether talks ultimately yield a deal, the decadeslong integration of the two economies appears bound to go into reverse as mutual suspicion and geostrategic rivalry permeate political and personal relationships.

WSJ

Imagine two economies, the strongest in the world,

going at each other with their snarling lips all curled.

Imagine that they just don't care about their polity,

as long as they can make the other face sure bankruptcy.

Could such two foolish giants find a way to modify

their attitude before their wherewithal falls down to die?

Methinks there's too much hubris and a deck that's bottom dealed;

common sense a-walkin in a ticking, armed minefield.

It's clear the money's leaving town, to find a better place

to set up import biznesses and find new export space.

While India and Mexico rub their brown hands in glee,

behemoths come a-tumblin down -- thanks to Trump and Xi.

The Trade War with China

WASHINGTON — A pivotal round of trade talks between the United States and China gets underway on Thursday but American businesses are bracing for higher tariffs on Chinese imports as a quick resolution to resolve a yearlong trade war becomes increasingly unlikely.

NYT

The trade war with China means no more good tea,

no firecrackers laced with MSG.

All of those knockoffs we guiltily buy

will go to the French and the Swiss and the Thai.

The stock market's feeble, the S&P's weak;

corp'rate Americans feel pretty bleak.

Proposing more tariffs is all the White House

can think of the Chinese ambition to douse.

Trump plays a lone hand when it comes to trade;

he listens to no one, adviser or maid.

America soon will be falling behind

as all of us suffer from his one track mind.

Postcard to the President

The CIA has Secret Missiles

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government has developed a specially designed, secret missile for pinpoint airstrikes that kill terrorist leaders with no explosion, drastically reducing damage and minimizing the chances of civilian casualties, multiple current and former U.S. officials said.

WSJ

,

Secret missiles coming fast --

without shrapnel in their blast.

Deadly to the terrorist,

while civilians all are missed.

I don't know just how they work.

Maybe an atomic perk?

Gas that only bad guys feel?

Or a slick banana peel?

Agencies that test it out

say it's slicker than a trout.

Next the Pentagon will sing

that it don't do anything.

Great in mine eyes

 And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.

2 Nephi. 3:8

When I seek for greatness I so often miss the mark.

Because unto the voice of God I do not  always hark.

Greatness is not money nor a name of ringing fame;

glory isn't always found within a bright red flame.

The quiet servant who binds up the wounds of others will

find a greatness that gives joy and never can be shrill.

Serving God, no matter how, is noble work always;

a hero it can make of me who does not need man's praise.