How poor are America's "Poor"...in the worldwide picture?

I was in downtown Newberg the other day waiting to cross the street when I was approached by a stranger. He looked to be in his late 40's or so, kind of scruffy but no more than me on a weekend. He was riding a Huffy mountain bike. So, he comes up to me and says, "I am trying to come up with 4 dollars, can you help me out?" My first thought was, wow, this guys is direct, un-shy. He would do well in sales; if he actually wanted to work for a living. I actually did not have any money, (just my ATM which I politely said he couldnt have) and I don't give out money to the homeless anyway. I will however help families I see on occasion that seem to be in trouble, get a meal and possibly a ride somewhere. I will even go out of my way to buy a couple double cheeseburgers and bring it back to someone that my intuition tells me I need help. Why do I seem so cold hearted you may be thinking. Especially since I am a Christian. The basic answer is that I am trying to model Christ when dealing with the unmotivated or "poor". If you read the Bible the way Jesus helped the poor was not in handing out money. He fed the hungry and gave them the Gospel message. To be honest, if you any of you have ever seen the commercials about Africa, India, even S. America, you know the ones that are deliberately designed to make you feel guilty....you may be asking the same question I always do when I see people on the street in America. This leads me to a very interesting article I was turned on to while listening to Ronald Dart one day. So what was that question I asked myself when watching one of those commercials? If that is poverty, then what am I seeing in downtown Newberg, or any other city; what the heck is the census bureau using in their numbers?

So check out this article, see what you think. Comment.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg2064.cfm

Corporate life for the conservative

I have come to some realizations that taste very bad. This blog is now private and will be adding people I trust 100% as I think of them. Google, love it or hate it, it has changed everything. Not only can someone find the perfect gag item whether it be fart spray or a toilet monster, but employers or potential employers can use it find out about people. That is if your "arrogant" enough to think you can write about conservative views openly on the internet without apology and still have some semblance of professional success.

Lets face it, conservative and openly Christian views can either mark you as someone that wont fit in or something positive depending on the persons perspective. Unfortunately, it seems the Christian/Conservative world view is most definitely in the minority, especially in the high tech sector. This is something I new subconsciously but had no idea the potential effects it could have on certain types of peoples perception of me.

So I am officially going to start to review my internet footprint and start taking my uncles advice which is never to mix politics or religions with work unless its a 1 on 1 situation and you know who is listening. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut, but its hard, especially when a group of liberals are have a pow wow right in the same room Every apologetic fiber in my body screams.....retaliation, retaliation....must defend Christian world view.

Oh well, live and learn I guess...

I sense a change in the winds says I....Aaaargh

What can I say, June ended up being quite a month of change for me. It seems that I am once again in the job market. I knew once the Corillian/Checkfree buyout was announced, nothing good would come of it. It's always the same. Big companies are ruthless and give little regard to no regard for the little guy. Nothing wrong with that, its capitalism at its best and I am a capitalist at heart.

So now what? Well, for now I am applying for obvious jobs and spending lots of time with the family. We spent the last few days camping in the 5th Wheel out on the farm in Molalla. My uncle Jack (http://www.priderunsdeep.net/) keeps the pool at 90 degrees plus! It actually doesn't bother me like it seems to bother some, especially when its really hot outside. Plus, its great for Samuel as he seems to turn blue in water colder than 80 degrees. Now we are waiting to see if we will get the extra week in Sunriver and also getting ready to take a trip to S. California to visit my fathers side of the family.

I am optimistic at this point about job/business opportunities. I did finally get to talk to my old boss from Corillian yesterday and feel better since the conversation. I have applied for some openings at Corillian which I am more than qualified for. It will be interesting to see how seriously I am taken. I guess I will find out what some individuals really think of me. I had a great talk with my Uncle about politics, corporate America PC'ness, and Fred Thompson.

I am a lot like my Uncle in that I tend to lack tact at times, spot and expose BS without hesitation, and speak my mind. He is retired from the Pipeline Safety division of the PUC. Talk about politics, it doesn't get much worse than a state job. I decided that if I am seriously going to pursue a state job I had better get the straight poop on making it in a pungently PC environment. After discussing how JFK destroyed public education in America by allowing the unionizing of teaching and the creation of the NEA, we got down to the nitty gritty.

The bottom line is that its important to carefully choose your battles. It also seems to be advantages to have an advocate in high places that understands and even appreciates bluntness and distaste for unnecessary BS.

So, its onward and hopefully upward for me, with a new sense of caution in personal perception. Pictures of the family, the 4th, and the last few days of camping here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9807174@N07/

Over and out!