:: A Nation of Dreamers ::
My son was about eleven years old – the age when
frogs, spiders, snakes, and anything that jumped or slithered was of
the keenest interest to him. One day, he barged into the kitchen
with wide-eyes, eager to tell me something. “Dad!” he said with
enthusiasm, “Do you know that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling
water it will jump out? But if you put a frog in a pot of cold water
and slowly turn the heat on until it boils, the frog will never jump
out?!”
My son had heard the fable of the boiling frog. Although I somewhat
regretted to tell him that the biological basis of the boiling frog
story was questionable, I explained to him that the real meaning lay
in the figurative context of the story. The point of the story, I
explained, is to illustrate how the small and seemingly
insignificant changes in life, over time, can make the biggest
impact on our lives. But when they happen so gradually, we do not
feel these changes as they are occurring. After listening for a
minute, he peered up at me somewhat disappointed and darted back
into the backyard.
Years later, I found myself recalling the “boiling frog.” In
Washington, it is a similar story. For many, it’s often easy to lose
perspective and it becomes even more difficult to shield against
gradual changes that can eventually lead to catastrophic losses.
This can be true for us as a nation as well.
I thought back to the roots of our nation, to the days of our
nation’s infancy. Our Founding Fathers had a vision for a nation
free from the tyranny of England. They had no reasonable expectation
of success and they were unsure of what the new world would look
like – they only had a dream. And despite the overwhelming chance of
failure, of personal ruin, of death, they built a revolution. They
built America. Our Founding Fathers were dreamers.
And for generations to come America was a nation of dreamers. There
were dreams that changed the direction of our nation: the dream of a
transcontinental railroad, the dream of equality for
African-Americans, the dream of putting a man on the moon. And there
were dreams that changed the direction of a life: the dream of a
home, the dream of a college education, the dream to build a better
life for our families. We Americans believe that if given the
opportunity we can make our dreams come true. All we need is
opportunity. We will take the risks. We will put in the hard work.
We will give it our all…and just maybe our dream will come true.
In the years that have passed, a subtle change in the mindset of
America has occurred. Like the frog in the pot of heating
water, this change may not even have been noticeable over a short
period of time. Somewhere, America began to shift from a nation of
dreamers to a nation of expectors. More and more today, there is an
emphasis on gratification rather than fulfillment. An emphasis on
the end result rather than on the hard work needed to get there. An
emphasis on what I can expect rather than what I can dream.
The expector mentality not only assumes opportunity, but it assumes
that that opportunity will lead to success. I expect that I should
own a home. I expect that I should have a college education. I
expect that I should have a high paying job. I expect that my
children should go to the best school. I expect that I should have
what someone else has, regardless of what I put into it.
And, there is an even more alarming trend our nation is
experiencing: the escalation from an expector mentality to an
entitlist mentality. An entitlist assumes that someone else is
responsible for giving us both opportunity and success regardless of
our action or inaction.
Think of the days of our Founding Fathers. Imagine if our Founding
Fathers were entitlists. Imagine if they expected England to give
them their freedom. Imagine if they simply expected all that they
eventually had to fight for, die for, and build with their own
hands, hearts, and minds. Imagine if, even worse, they were angry
because they believed they were entitled to all they expected to
find? How far could America have run on the engine of an entitlist
mentality?
No nation can stay strong when we replace our dreamers with
entitlists. It is the equivalent of cutting off a train engine
mid-way. The train may keep going on the energy it has stored, but
it will eventually slow. The weight of the cargo will weigh it down
and it will creep to a stop.
While America may not be perfect, America is great. In a world that
spends a lot of time focused on America’s power, her wealth and her
military muscle, it is more important than ever for Americans to
understand from where our greatness truly comes. It isn’t wealth, it
isn’t military power, and it isn’t pride that makes a nation strong.
It is their people – and their dreams. As we start a new year and a
new session of Congress, America and her new leaders need to reject
the entitlist mindset, and return to being a nation of dreamers.
:: The Maze of Employment Law ::
Any small business owner knows the responsibility of
running a successful business is much more complicated than simply
turning a profit. Operating a business with employees requires
accountability and responsibility, both to the company and its
workers. Just ask any small business owner—there is tax
responsibility, the worry of whether health and safety standards are
being met, the choice of employee benefit plans, just to name a few.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides a number of helpful
online resources to help small business owners walk through the
confusing maze of employment law.
-
The
Employment Law Guide for Small Businesses, a publication of the DOL,
offers helpful information on developing wage,
benefit, safety and health, and
nondiscrimination policies for small businesses in the general
industry. You can find the guide online at
www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/index.htm.
-
An
interactive e-tool called eLaw Advisors answers federal employment
law questions in an easy-to-understand way by simulating an
interaction you might have with a law advisor. eLaw Advisors are
beneficial to both employers and employees and can be found at
www.dol.gov/elaws/.
-
A
summary of major employment laws is available as a tool to acquaint
you with basic employment issues such as the Fair Labor Standards
Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, among others. The
summary also includes references to the full description of each
federal law listed in the summary. The summary is available at
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htm.
Don’t get lost in employment law.
Take advantage of the resources provided to you and make the most of
your small business. For more information on employment law, visit
the U.S. Department of Labor’s website at
www.dol.gov.
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