Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.John F. Kennedy

Inner Life Directions

Expanding Reality

October 2014

  • Hope After All

    I just read about the consolidation of hospitals and medical practices, placing health care in fewer hands. Of course Comcast is set to take over Time Warner Cable, and we hear a lot about Amazon getting too big and throwing its weight around. Housing prices are above what the average earner can afford; it is becoming harder for average workers to qualify for loans or save for a down payment, so many houses that might otherwise be bought by those aspiring to be middle class now go to a variety of entrepreneurs and speculators who can afford them and do with them what they will. In politics money is more and more at the center of campaigns, and that in great part fueled by recent Supreme Court decisions. It seems that in any number of fields, we keep moving into perilous territory, one where only those at the top of the economic ladder can prosper. Here and there, there are signs the trend is being noticed, but too often talk of remedies centers around hot button issues like the 1% or the agenda of the extremes of the political parties mouthing whatever they think will gain attention. Politicians speak of helping the middle class, although helping the middle class may not be possible without addressing the concentration of financial power. Just as I was feeling no one was addressing the problem as a whole, I read an article about capitalism being in crisis and talking about the new buzzword “inclusion.” In the world’s convention centers and auditoriums where bankers and politicians gathers, inclusion refers to what Western industrialized nations seem to be losing, the ability to allow as many as possible to benefit economically as well as participate in political life.

    Looks like there’s hope after all.

  • Ova Only

    Several tech companies, including Facebook and Apple have instituted a policy of paying for the cost of female workers to freeze their eggs. The idea says the LA Times article—itself quoting a post on NBC News—is to allow female workers to concentrate on their career without fear of having motherhood interfere. At both these companies, men outnumber women 2 to 1, and it is hoped granting women this perk will keep more women on board. Using a rather newly perfected technology as a retaining or recruiting tool, the procedure costs from $5000 to $15,000, should be appropriate, after all these are technology companies. Yet, critics, and I am one of them, point out the ways this policy looks to be unfair to women. Had the policy included men being able to freeze their sperms, I would say what a clever use of technology, but singling out women is bothersome. I’d go as far as saying it’s demeaning because it seems more a value judgment than an option. It says to women you can’t be both parent and career person—while men according to this policy can. It has, however, yielded something positive, the fact that all these issues are now being discussed.

  • Corporate Culture Gone Awry

    Maybe you’ve read that Wal-Mart announced recently that it is ending health coverage for those of their workers who are working 30 hours or less per week. The plan, effective January 1st affects 2% of Wal-Mart’s 1.4 million workforce. They’re not alone, Target and Home Depot made similar announcements a few months ago. The Affordable Care Act mandates companies to provide health care for those working over 30 hours. Those who work less than 30 hours can it seems qualify for federal premium subsidies, or if their state allows it, enroll in Medicaid, a practice which leads critics to say that employers are dumping their employees on the government. There are two ironies at work here. The first is minor, the announcement follows another a few days before about Wal-Mart  opening health clinics in some of its store also around the first of the year. The other goes deeper, it reflects the fact that corporations which have been so vocal against the Affordable Care Act, have become so adept at using it, and at doing the very thing they claim was wrong with it—that is to swell those being helped by government. One could say the Evil Empire has multiplied, but I doubt that would be helpful. Instead one could just recognize that Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot et al. are perfect examples of a corporate culture gone awry, one which places its own interests above those of the nation.

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