Last September, I played in a law school reunion golf tournament up in Albany, New York, with three of my good friends from law school. It was the first time that I had played golf with those fellows in the 15 years that had elapsed since graduating in May of 1996. It was a terrific time filled with a lot of good memories, jokes, jibes and even a few decent shots. My three friends spanned the political spectrum with one conservative, one moderate and one liberal.
My “liberal” friend had actually been my next door neighbor for each of the three years in law school, and we were in the same section, i.e., we had classes together. We also lived about a mile from the law school and we used to walk to class together, study in the library together, and ate many meals together. His fiancé (and later wife) was a terrific young woman – and she had to be to put up with the two of us. Aside from arguing about politics incessantly, we also had some really different views on sports – he was a Giants fan while I loved the Eagles, he was a Yankees fan and loved the designated hitter rule, while I was a Reds fan and believed the DH rule destroyed the integrity of the game. When we were not arguing the law, we were arguing everything else – and I think we both had a lot of fun even if we never made a dent in the other one’s thinking. I think we probably laughed about as much as we yelled and it was a good combination.
With such a rich history, it was not surprising that our golf outing quickly turned into an ideological sparring match. My “conservative” friend had left the practice of patent law shortly after law school because his father had died suddenly of pancreatic cancer. Someone needed to run the family real estate development business, and he decided to do it. Initially, he had been very successful and even expanded his father’s business, but he outlined just how devastating this economy had been to his business – and the number of employees he had lost and just how hard it was to make ends meet as a small businessman in the housing industry today. He also lamented the burden that government placed on his industry – from start to finish – and just how much the regulations and taxes impacted upon productivity.
Given that I had an ideological ally, I eagerly contributed to the conversation, including my own observations about the difficulty of making a payroll – and just how quickly the expenses of a small business eat up the revenue. As a small business owner, the reality is that you only get to take home what is left after all the bills, the employees and taxes are paid. As any small business owners knows, there are plenty of weeks when there is not enough to meet liabilities, which means that there is nothing for you and you are starting out the next week in the hole. When faced with the reality, you simply resign yourself to put in some more hours to get the bills paid and get to the point where you can take a little money yourself – and you chase the American dream with a determination to know that the sacrifice and hard work will pay off.
During our “conservative” rants, my “liberal” friend jovially agreed with most of what we were saying – he ran his own law practice after all so he understood our frustrations. When we strayed into the taxing arena, however, my “liberal” friend advocated the “social contract” theory, i.e., businesses are only successful because of the national infrastructure that is maintained by the government. In other words, the success of a business depends to some degree on the hand of government because it provides things like education of the populace, roads, public utilities, police, fire protection, and a legal system. There is undeniable truth in this theory – governments were initially created to provide security and protection of its people that cultivates an environment where citizens can flourish. The question is not whether we benefit from having a government – we do – but what should the size and scope of that government needs to be in order to accomplish its goals. The bigger the government and the more things it attempts to do, the cost to the taxpayer increases as well. It is a delicate balancing act between the necessity and benefit from a particular government service and the cost to the taxpayers.
I have been thinking about that conversation ever since President Obama gave a now infamous speech where he stated: “If you got a business – you didn’t build that.” The President was aiming for the ideas expressed in my friend’s “social contract” theory – he just simply missed badly with his rhetoric. There can be no real debate that small business people “build” their businesses – through lots of blood, sweat and tears – and the assertion that they owe their success to the government is ridiculous on its face. I am still not entirely sure what President Obama was going for in that speech. Even if he had artfully articulated his “social contract” theory, the end result still implies that success depends upon the government – not individual ingenuity.
The problem with the “social contract” theory is that it takes an obvious truth and manipulates it into something different. Every citizen receives the benefit of government services – not just the ones who set out to create their own business. In other words, the vast majority of businesses simply utilize the same resources as every other citizen, i.e., we all use the same roads and they were not simply built to help one business. It is the initiative, drive and determination that set the entrepreneur apart from other citizens. It is the desire to “build” something that is the very essence of the American dream – and our leaders need to encourage that spirit with their every breath.
Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.
“A woodland in full color is as awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.” ~Hal Borland
And with those chilling months ahead come thoughts of a cozy fire and a stack of good books to chase the shadows of gloomy, snow-drifted days away.
Please allow me to introduce myself. For those, who I have not had the privilege of meeting, I’m Nancy Narma from Susquehanna and I will be writing and letting you know what’s happening at your local Library and beyond. Perhaps some of you will remember me from my Floral Shop; Glasgow’s Florist, but what many may not be aware of, is that I am a writer as well. I have been writing for many years now, mostly concentrating on Children’s Fiction. Nothing published yet, but I keep on writing and trying.. with my beloved Husband for encouragement and our Senior Citizen lady-cat, Lucy and Ditzy half black lab/half shar-pei girl dog, Myst as inspiration.
Who remembers the rumbling van-type “Bookmobile”, that used to arrive at our elementary schools in the 1950s, with knowledgeable, bespectacled Miss Lincoln in charge. What excitement!! What a privilege it was to be chosen as one of the students to help choose books for our class! It was a magical time with so many brightly colored covers and intriguing titles beckoning to our eyes and fingertips. Miss Lincoln always had some larger volumes set aside for the teachers, specially chosen so the teacher with “After-School Duty” could read aloud while we waited in a classroom during inclement weather. They kept us in suspense with such classics as Rudyard Kipling’s “Rikki Tikki Tavi”, only to hear a classroom of disappointed groans when the school bus seemed to come much too soon. After all, we wanted to find out if the little, but wiry Mongoose, Rikki Tikki took care of the wily Cobra who was headed for the children’s bedroom!
Reading aloud to children expands their imagination and creativity and ultimately their love of books and reading. Perhaps, since the school year has started and before tackling the holidays, it would be a good time to begin family outings to your local Library Branch. There are so many genres to tempt every age group. Want a yummy recipe for carrot cake? Why not check out “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” by Ree Drummond? She has a tried and true recipe for one that is baked in a bundt pan and she includes the formula for a dreamy cream cheese frosting to go with it. If you’re a “Hannah Swensen” fan, ~Author Joanne Fluke ~ you’ll be pleased to learn that she has compiled recipes and snippets of stories from approximately nine of her books into a wonderful volume called “The Lake Eden Cookbook”. How many times have we all meant to jot down a recipe that was included in a volume, only to return the book to the Library, the recipe forgotten? For the Dads and Brothers, there are sure to be sports-themed memoirs and books of spy-centered intrigue to pique their interest. As a youngster, did you enjoy Kenneth Grahame’s “Wind in the Willows”? Well, you could revisit the adventures of “Mole, Ratty, Toad, and Badger” in “Return to the Willows” by Jacqueline Kelly. It’s definitely a bedtime saga to be lovingly shared.
As I write this, did you know that it is “Beard or No Beard Day”? And, for a piece of trivia, that the average man will shave about 20,000 times between the ages of 15 and 75? Tidbits like this and loads of information about such prominent bearded souls as: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Sigmund Freud, Robert E. Lee, Ernest Hemingway, Vincent Van Gogh and many more, too numerous to mention, are available for your perusal at your local Library Branch. It’s a “Treasure Chest”, filled to overflowing with incredible offerings. Besides the multitude of titles, there are magazines, video tapes and DVDs, audio books, computer availability and so much more.
According to Librarian Amelia Paterno, there’s quite a bit going on at the Susquehanna Branch Library, as their ”Readers Group”, which meets the third Thursday of each month, (with the exception of August and December), is preparing to discuss the book, “Half Broke Horses” by Jeannette Walls as I write this column. Copies are still available if you have not joined the group, but still are interested in reading the book. If interested in joining, please contact the Susquehanna Branch at 570-853-4106.
The Quilter’s Group is busily stitching a beautiful quilt featuring a country scene, which will be raffled off, with proceeds going to help the Library.
Tutors are using the facility in the afternoon hours and the Puzzle Station continues to be set up for patrons to enjoy.
Over at the Hallstead-Great Bend Branch on Franklin Ave. in Hallstead, Angie Houghton reports that they do a tremendous amount of what is known as
“Inter-Library Loans”. Through the “Access Pa.” program, they are able to borrow a book from any Library across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
High on the hill in Montrose, Liz Holbert would like to remind you about the new “Geek the Library” campaign. Have you heard about it? It’s the new public awareness program sponsored by the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association. The word geek now means “something you’re interested in, or passionate about.” Do you geek board games or architecture or Halloween? Come to the library to learn more about the things you’re passionate about. “Geek the Library” will be showing up in a couple new places this fall. On October 27th come learn more about the Geek the Library program at Salt Spring’s Halloween Fest. Celebrate Halloween with your kids and your friends at Salt Springs. From 4:00 – 5:30pm, enjoy Pumpkin Carving & Painting. From 6:00 – 7:30pm kids enjoy a story and treats. From 8:00 – 9:30pm adults and “big kids” join in on a “Scare or Dare” walk through the woods of Salt Springs. There is a program fee. Friends of Salt Springs members receive a 50% discount. The rain date for this event will be October 28th. Call (570) 967-7275 or email friends@epix.net for questions concerning the Halloween Fest event.
Of course, we could not offer all that we do without you--the Library Patron. We thank-you for your past generosity and hope you will remember us in our future fund-raising endeavors.
I will leave you for now, with a quote from Charles W. Eliot—“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
