Change

There are changes that most of us would agree are desirable, such as the birth of a much sought after child. The expectation is that this child fills an existential void for many childless wannabe parents.  However, even this wonderful example is not universally successful.

My point is that even when the expected change is clearly a positive one that surprising events sometimes occur as a result of that change that may disappoint.  This brings me to the question of those changes that we are told by "experts" will improve our lives.  This is where for me it gets scary kind of like when I am traveling on an airplane and I know if all goes well I will reach my destination faster than by any other means however I personally prefer to have more control over my destiny than merely purchasing a ticket and buckling my seat belt.

Likewise, the new Health Care Law, "affectionately" referred to as "Obamacare" is a change with the promise of improving the lives of most Americans.  Admittedly, health care insurance is not perfect.  It is way too expensive for the individuals and families and businesses that need to pay for it.  As a result, too many citizens and illegals go uninsured putting a burden on both themselves and society who end up having to pay for their care in some form eventually anyway. The new law does not make it cheaper…in fact so far it is more expensive creating a financial drain on individuals and businesses.  Perhaps, having more covered will have the desired benefit but that change is difficult to predict and yet unknown.

Today's debated proposed change is the minimum wage law.  The current bill calls for a 40% increase which for those in our society dependent on the minimum wage to support themselves and even their families would not successfully raise them out of poverty.  In our society, for citizens who are eligible, people benefit financially more by not working than by working for the minimum wage due to government assistance.  This is one of the reasons more than 50% of our society is on government assistance.  But how will such a huge increase in the minimum wage affect the businesses typically employing these individuals.  Aside from their need to raise prices the businesses themselves could fail.  Change is scary.  I guess I am too timid for today's politic where it seems to be popular to propose changes of such magnitude but would it be so terrible to make these changes in smaller steps so that we have time to evaluate their effects before the change is too huge to correct if indeed the result is not the desired one.  

Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way to fly in smaller steps. You still must take that leap of faith into the sky no matter what.  I just don't think all of life's changes must be so.