Passing Thoughts on Some “K” and “L” Topics

Kids - The hope for the future in the eyes of some. The fear of the future in the eyes of others. Instead of slaughtering the children of enemies, we should be teaching our children to befriend them. But it is hard to teach our children something we don’t seem to understand and appreciate.

Kings - Early successful con men and their male descendants.

Kobe - Super talent and a solid work ethic, without a true team spirit, don’t win championships.

Kudzu - It seemed like a good idea to somebody at the time.

Labor - The foolishly discounted means of production in this time of corrupt, incompetent and overpaid high level management, unprincipled and speculative capitalism, and narrow minded abuse of scarce natural resources.

Languages - An intelligently designed way to create communication problems between people. Other examples of such design include Eve, rhetoric, advertising and Republicans.

Laws - Rules for living written by God and those who claim to be his messengers. God started with ten and the messengers have expanded the collection to include millions.

Layoff - Previously, a slowdown in production in which workers took time off until production increases brought them back to work. Replaced now by mergers, downsizing, technology and outsourcing.

Lending - A business practice wherein one makes profits by charging borrowers more to use the money of someone else than the lender pays the people who make the money available. The goal of the lender is to make the gap, and hence the profit, as great as possible.

Liberal - A once usefully descriptive word which has become highjacked and perverted by devious right wing extremists and their sycophants.

Libertarian - Perhaps a desirable lifestyle preference for some, but minimal government would in fact be a terrible way to run a country. Many people are not capable of living soundly without governmental protections. Libertarians are sincere enough not to follow the false conservatives, but libertarians are of such small numbers that they are not a factor in our elections.

Libraries - Treasure troves of tomes. Public libraries are socialism at its best - we tax ourselves to buy materials to lend ourselves without charge.

Lieberman - Unrealized by most at the time, Joe Lieberman was not an asset to the Gore ticket in 2000. Someone from Florida, perhaps Senator Bob Graham, could have delivered that State, and the Presidency, to the Democrats.

Lies - Violations of one of the original ten laws, many of which violations have become allowed under subsequent laws written by the claimed messengers of the original lawgiver.

Lobbyists - Some are modestly paid, above board spokespersons for principled viewpoints held by wide segments of the public. They gather helpful information to present to public policy makers for use in making decisions. Others are highly paid, somewhat secretive, political prostitutes who attempt to seduce public policy makers into becoming their customers. It shouldn’t be that hard to tell the one from the other, but many of our policy makers pretend to have trouble differentiating.

Lockout - A contract negotiation tactic used by an employer, preventing workers from doing their jobs and being paid. Locked out workers might picket, protesting the lockout and demanding a fair contract. The public usually sees picketers as an indicator that a labor union is striking, voluntarily withholding their labor, as a union negotiating tactic, when in fact many times employers have first locked out the workers. Employers sometimes use lockouts to try to destroy unions, while ostensibly trying to negotiate a contract with the union representing the workers. Unions do not try to destroy employers, but employers often try to destroy unions. The next time you see workers picketing, check to learn if it is a lockout rather than a strike.

Log Rolling - The political practice of exchanging political favors, such as legislator A agreeing to vote for the bill of legislator B in exchange for B’s vote on A’s bill. In the log rolling events I have seen, one or both lumberjacks ends up in the water, so it does not seem like a good way to pass legislation.

Lottery - State sponsored vice. Some States are also in the alcohol sales business. So far the only State sponsored prostitutes are the ones who get elected after selling themselves to special interest groups.

Love - Poets and philosophers may explore its levels and meanings artistically and spiritually. How much we give is our choice. That given is sometimes not accepted. How much we receive is not fully within our control, so it is best to accept all we are given. The children’s song is true: “Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more.”

Luck - A lazy substitute for reason, sense and hard work. Good fortune not directly emanating from on high, but rather by happenstance. Occasionally submitting something of no particular importance to luck is not a problem, but entrusting important decisions to chance is foolish.