Katy McKenna Raymond  
Personal blog of christian writer Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri


Katy is represented by
Greg Johnson at
WordServe Literary

Read more Katy at
LateBoomer.net

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Stockbroker And Broker…..

Doug was talking to a stockbroker friend of ours the other day. I know, I know. It sounds like an oxymoron, “stockbroker friend.” But, hey, it happens.

Anyway, Doug wondered what this man might consider a relatively safe bet, as far as sectors in which to invest a bit of money.

“Any company that might be tied to the government’s coming ‘put people back to work’ program,” he said. “That’s where the money’s going to move.”

You know, I’ve worked a few jobs that were nothing more than paper pushing, and I vowed I’d never do it again. I knew in my heart that my employer wasn’t coming out ahead on the deal. There was entirely too little real work to justify the expenses an employee created. Plus, the dissatisfaction of knowing that I produced little of value was more than I could handle.

You’ve heard of works programs in which groups of men were paid to dig holes while the groups coming along behind them were paid to fill in the holes, right? Is this the government’s best definition of “putting people back to work”?

Because, honestly, I can’t invest our hard-earned money in companies that will supposedly benefit from such a false economy, even if there are no other good investment opportunities out there at all. It would drive me nuts to know I’d aligned myself financially with any program I so disagree with philosophically.

When the government takes to creating jobs, Doug and I start looking for additional sideline businesses to add to our streams of income.

Our backs aren’t strong enough for ditch digging and the deductibles on health insurance for the self-employed run mighty high these days.

Posted by Katy on 01/07/09 at 07:43 AM
Fallible Comments...
  1. Katy
    I'm with you. They will probably cancel all the contracts to keep the military up to date and have the world digging and filling in ditches. Hopefully, your book will get published and make money. Meanwhile, hang in there.
    Posted by Sandi Thompson  on  01/07/09  at  09:05 AM
  2. the world still benefits from many of the WPA projects of the 1930's. I know Paola still has a few brick streets built under their auspices and you have probably visited parks with lots of wonderful stonework, built by the WPA as well. But I agree with you about "fake work."
    Posted by Terri  on  01/07/09  at  02:57 PM
  3. Sandi---Publishing is definitely suffering right now, along with so many other industries. But I'm still hopeful!

    Terri---I know you are right, and I'm sure I'm not identifying specific WPA projects when I see them and appreciating them. I do know a wonderful New York City photographer from that time named Berenice Abbott. She was funded by WPA to chronicle the changing face of NYC. I would love to own a few of her wonderful photos.....

    But busy work or fake work (apart from the truly useful/beautiful things that sometimes do happen in spite of the government's best intentions) makes me tired, as it contributes nothing to society but paychecks at the taxpayers expense. (Of course, I have been paid by private corporations to do "busy work," and I don't get that, either.)

    I wonder, too, about the nature of the WPA-type ideas in store for us in 2009 and beyond. We are no longer a society of hard physical laborers. When the government refers to putting people to work on the "infrastructure," are they still talking about roads and parks and railroads, as in the 1930s? Or is there a new meaning to the word "infrastructure"?
    Posted by Katy  on  01/07/09  at  03:25 PM
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