In the News

Crab Apple tree in bloom. 5/5/2023 dwm photo

 Yesterday, King Charles III was formally installed as King of the United Kingdom.  While it attracted a lot of attention, primarily because it was the first coronation in England in more than 70 years.

 Politically it doesn't mean much, especially here in the United States.  There is a lot of interest, for reasons I don't understand into the "royals."  There isn't much difference between most members of the royal family and TV or movie stars.

 It doesn't bother me but I'm more interested in a number of other things equally unimportant.

The most interesting item I heard this week was the story out of Kentucky where most of the restaurants illegally hiring children to work were found.  The most extreme case were two 10-year olds working a late shift at a McDonald's.  

It turns out they are the kids of the late-shift manager, which makes it a little less outrageous, but that dad had to know it wasn't right having kids working that late and especially using equipment they are not allowed to operate legally.

Short-staffing is a reality for many businesses these days, so it doesn't surprise me that parents with kids who show interest (or not) may be tempted to ask their children to help out.  In family-owned businesses, it's pretty common for the entire family to pitch in.  

When my mom was a young girl, she drove a team of draft horses on the family farm.  She said that because she was small the horses responded to her commands while they didn't respond to direction from the farm's hired hand.

The most important story is probably the National Debt Ceiling and the posturing involved surrounding the issue.  The United States is one of very few countries that set a debt limit.  It's not as if the country can reach into its back pocket to pay off the bill, so it becomes political theater.

The party in power sees it as their responsibility to keep government moving, while the party not controlling the White House want to point out the failures that led to what everyone knew was going to happen anyway.

It's unrealistic to expect but it would be refreshing if the men and women in Washington could be adults and resist using scare tactics that create fear and uncertainty among those paying attention.