It looks like we will have sun for at least part of today. The weather forecast has changed to a tiny bit warmer and the snow we expected over the weekend has been removed. We did get a bit of snow yesterday evening but not much stuck. Most surfaces are too warm. It did get cold enough overnight to put frost on the roofs. Like many people commenting on the weather I fervently wish for the winter to end so things will thaw out completely, warm up and I can begin prepping the gardens.

Nimue Brown has an interesting question concerning who we are actually helping with our social programs. Supposedly, they are set up to help those in need but actually appear to be more about excluding than including, about preventing the least bit of perceived fraud. I agree with her conclusions but I had two thoughts on the matter. The mindset behind the zero-tolerance stance on people who might (just might) access the benefits while not being worthy goes far back and deep into our psychology. We try to distinguish who might be the worthy recipients and who might be unworthy of our consideration and then we split fine hairs to define "worthy." Second thought is that this system of exclusion is reflected in the attitudes of the general public with a bit of a twist. I don't know how often I have heard disparaging remarks low down on the political/economic food chain about those who are perceived to be getting the help: illegal immigrants getting benefits "reserved" for citizens, lazy poor of whatever minority getting help denied to deserving white people. Unless both those change we won't get to anything like the social order Nimue would like to see.