The local podcast I put on my Youtube channel discussed the homeless in last week’s episode. Got me to thinkin’. Why is it so hard to come up with better public policy for the homeless. I was a bit caught off guard by the numbers mentioned. 4,000 in Dallas County, which is a large number but is unmanageable. How much more does it cost society to have the homeless spread out all over the city versus trying to create a simple stable place for them to live. The cost difference may be hard to determine since right now you just do not have one cost center addressing the problem where if you do create a one all encompassing program it is one large cost versus the police time, the clean up time, health problems, the danger to people crossing streets, the various shelters and what they contribute. If you built a non profit/public partnership then the same charities are involved that run different programs and the city or county pitches in and you can mitigate the cost some. Maybe? And you have a broad all encompassing program that can address many of the needs maybe not all physically under one roof, but pretty close to it. Plus you can offer job training, health care, address the people that do have mental health issues in a better environment instead of just letting them ride the trains all day to stay out of the heat or cold. There is much more to this than this one paragraph, but trying to sort out some ideas to hopefully one day offer a real solution instead of the hodge podge of stuff we have now.
And speaking of better public policy, I guess you if jet all the immigrants around the country you do a good job of wasting jet fuel and adding to the fossil fuel emissions. No one wants to talk about the complete abuse of human dignity that entails since the people jetting around immigrants care so much about human dignity. Do we have a good immigration policy right now? I do not think so, but political showmanship is not the answer. Wall Street gives money to all the Republicans running for office under the guise of a business friendly environment, yet quietly wants immigration so they can take advantage of cheap labor. Shssh, just do not tell anyone though. So how do they reconcile being able to get the labor they want and still get the tax breaks they want if people like Abbott and DeSantis are parading around immigrants like a traveling zoo. Sooner or later people may get tired of these shenanigans.
And speaking of homeless and immigrants, I wonder how “Christian” nationalists feel about: “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 It might matter if you call yourself a Christian, but hey whose to say being a Christian means actually following what Christ taught. Or at least trying.
Now back to the story:
Right about the time the customer told the salesperson what he was looking for, the owner of the store walked in. He surveyed what was going on. He saw his two lady saleswomen talking to one of his better customers and looking over some earrings. And he saw his favorite parttime employee past the time he should have clocked out helping an older gentleman.
He goes up to the salesman and says I can continue to help if you need to go. The owner knew the salesman would stay, but he also knew as a courtesy he had to ask. The customer was a bit worried. He says I didn’t realize you were done for the day. The salesman says not to worry.
The customer is a bit curious now and asks wouldn’t your wife worry. The salesman lets him know he is a widower. And then he asks the customer since this is a anniversary ring how long have you been married. The customer says almost forty years.
The owner and the salesman then start bringing out rings with ruby themes. They had a few that combined rubies and diamonds. The customer looked at them intently for awhile. The salesman and the owner talked a bit and then the owner went over to check on the saleswomen and their customer.
She adored the owner and gave him the same bit of feigned insult that the salesman hadn’t been paying enough attention to her without the slightest thought that she might be dismissing the time and efforts of the two saleswomen. She was here to buy something and to be fawned over.
The owner took over and began to flatter her. He knew her well. She loved it and graciously accepted his apology that the man was very busy. He let her know the customer was looking for an anniversary ring and could she wait a bit longer since this customer was shopping for such a momentous gift. She laughed and said she had found the earrings that would match her dress for her upcoming event and the owner could ring her up now. And she would deal with the salesman later.
Even after the sale she window shopped a bit more around the store just to keep an eye on the other customer. She wanted to see what he eventually bought since this was such an “important” gift.
After awhile the customer began to feel guilty. He wanted to buy a ring and this salesman had been so helpful, but he still didn’t know what to do. His wife had always made the big shopping decisions. It was her house, her cars, her furniture, heck she even picked out the engagement and wedding rings. He wanted to make sure he found the right ring, yet it was hard. They all looked very special. And even though he had always been frugal, this time he wasn’t worried about the money. He was a successful businessman owning multiple small businesses, rent homes, and even a small amount of investments with a broker. All of them were doing well. And this one purchase was something he had always promised his wife.
His wife took care of the home and family and he took care of the business. It was the quintessential picture of the American dream.
Again if he asked the salesman if he needed to go. The salesman smiled and said he had all the time in the world. And out of the blue the customer asked the salesman how did he get by once his wife passed. The salesman was very comfortable with his current life. He could be sad at times because he missed her, but he had come to accept his wife had passed away. So he asked the customer if he had time for some coffee.
He told the owner the customer and he were going to go get some coffee and would be back. The lady customer chimed in that he had not shown her something to go with her earrings in a very bad effort to find out what the customer was buying.
The owner took the man to the coffee shop down the street to chat while the salesman spent some time with the lady. She didn’t stay long since the real purpose was to pry her little nose into the other customer’s business. Since he had left for coffee she knew it was a lost cause. She was flamboyant, snobbish and inconsiderate, but she was also smart.
The salesman went to join the others for coffee. The other two saleswomen knew they were in charge and both hoped for a change a large customer would come in now and they would have a chance at a significant sale.
To be continued.........
No comments:
Post a Comment