Let's say hypothetically that a nice kid from the neighborhood offers to mow your lawn for 10.00 a week. You agree to this but you have to let him use your mower; no problem because that frees up your Saturday's the kid does a great job for a couple of weeks and then offers to take your mower home to tune it up and sharpen the blade. You are so pleased that you pay for the parts and kick him down a few bucks for the effort.
On your way home from work on Monday you notice that the kid is mowing your neighbors lawn with your mower. This is mildly annoying but you just shrug it off. After about a month he offers to do the same thing again so you say OK because he is pretty trustworthy so far and he is always on time and does a good job. On the way home from work you see him mowing your neighbors lawn with your mower again. Maybe that is just how he is tesing the tune up...so you let it slide.
The following week sitting at the bar you are talking with yet another neighbor who mentions what a nice job the kid does on his lawn. After a little digging you realize that the kid has many accounts in the neighborhood but he continually uses other peoples mowers to maintain those accounts. As a matter of fact, only a couple of his accounts even own mowers and he is just rotating through a couple of them on a regular basis to mow every bodies lawn.
Technically the kid never lied to you because you never asked him the right question. What he is doing is not immoral although probably a little unethical. He has always provided exactly what he said that he would, so he did not misrepresent his intentions. The only real crime is that he omitted important information.
The question is...How do you deal with the problem
Option 1; Ignore it and enjoy your Saturdays.
Option 2; Offer to rent your mower to the kid for ten bucks a week if he continues to mow your lawn for free.
Option 3; fire the kid and mow your own damn lawn.
Option 4; Expose the operation for what it is to all your neighbors and end his profiteering.
Pick whatever option you think that you really would. (no one will know your answer anyhow)
The real question is...Why don't we use that same option when we find out that our elected officials are using the same unethical practices to profit off of us?
Ignore them, get in on the scam, fire them, expose them so everyone will fire them. Sadly, what we say we would do to the kid does not reflect what we are doing on a daily basis, it is just lip service.
If our government is not of the people, by the people, and for the people then why are we not fixing it? Do we enjoy our lazy Saturdays so much that we don't care what happens the rest of the week?
Amen Brother
ReplyDelete"If our government is not of the people, by the people, and for the people then why are we not fixing it? Do we enjoy our lazy Saturdays so much that we don't care what happens the rest of the week?"
ReplyDeleteHaving a revolution is a gamble. What do you stand to win versus lose?
I think at this point more people think/feel they have more to lose from radical change than to gain.
Not a revolution. We are no where near that level, there is no need for that kind of radical change. Simply hold your elected officials accoutable for what they do. If they do not represent the will of the people then they need to be replaced. The system is set up to allow its people to make those kids of decisions. Sadly, it just seems to be too much effort these days.
ReplyDeleteI know I was held responsible in my job. I know I was reprimanded if I did something wrong and I know I could be easily replaced. I was, by a man from India that I trained. I digress... Public officials should be held responsible and replaced and it starts by attending town meetings and then state and make your voice heard. The only way you stand to continue to lose anything/everything is to do nothing!
ReplyDelete