A Taste of Honey

Another year is drawing to a close. Things are winding down here at Bennett Realty. Everyone, clients and agents both, is readying themselves for the BIG DAY. Of course, some people are celebrating 8 big days. However you spend your holidays, it should be our priority and is our obligation to help those who are not as fortunate as ourselves.

Maybe your year wasn't as fulfilling as you had hoped. Maybe the stocking hung on your mantle is not as full as you had hoped. Maybe you had health issues, or maybe this has just been a sucky year. I always hate the old saw, "When things go bad, remember there is someone out there who has it worse." This is supposed to make you feel better? For one thing, when YOU feel bad, you really don't give a rat's patoot how anyone else is feeling. And for another thing, the idea that there are people who are poorer, sicker, more unhappy is nothing to feel thankful for.

The unfortunate thing about donating to food pantries, clothing drives, or the Salvation Army is the fact that we need these institutions at all. So many people don't make a living wage or work two jobs or have an absent spouse when there are children to feed. These are not the exceptions; the numbers are rising.

For example, in the Wilmington News Journal, a local columnist Bill Horne, a professor of economics at Southern State Community College recently submitted an editorial entitled "Everything going up but wages". In this article he sites the November issue of Farm World. In essence, for the last 22 years, the cost of a Thanksgiving turkey dinner has either increased at the rate of inflation or actually dropped in cost from one year to the next. This year, however, the cost of that same turkey dinner went up 11%. Also, our energy costs have climbed from 26% of our income to 47% of a workers income. Mr. Horne also speaks of the American worker's share of total income (as opposed to management, independently wealthy, business owners, etc, I assume). The first year that a 'total share of income' stat was taken was in 1929 as we were going into the Great Depression. In 2006, the American worker received the smallest share of the nation's wealth since the Depression. Depressing, huh.

So, I hope that you can see what is wrong with the big picture. We make less, our expenses are more. In this nation of wealth, the majority of Americans are missing their portion of the turkey dinner. But at the same time, they are helping those who are missing even more of the turkey dinner. Should we help others? Absolutely! Should we have to help others? Absolutely not!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Good Festivus, Happy New Year to all!