Giving Thanks

The colour challenge word today is Russet which got me thinking about mashed potatoes and then that got me thinking about the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorites. No real expectations. Just a day of giving thanks and being with family and friends for a traditional meal. Well, at least I have been lucky enough to have it be that. Which got me thinking about those who can't take that for granted. I began then to think of poverty and homelessness as not an intractable problem. The following comes from a blog site called Ethical Musings - John Sutter, an economist who writes for CNN recently proposed 7 ways to narrow the rich-poor gap. They went along the lines of:

1. Break down the social barriers - when the affluent and the poor seen one another as humans, the affluent generally respond with compassion and real help.

2. Improve public schools - preserving public schools tends to bridge the gap between children from different socio-economic backgrounds.

3. Raise the minimum wage to 1960's levels at least.

4. Tax the rich at a reasonable rate - what's wrong with a flat tax?

5. Give workers a voice in their companies.

6. Reign in huge donations to political campaigns - if large donations didn't buy influence why would the wealthy make those contributions. Why wouldn't the politicians cater to the public that helps get them elected with those donations?

7. Give money to the poor - maybe at random.

Just some thoughts on the gap and reasons to be Thankful during this time of Thanksgiving.