February 2

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 It is sunny and a bit warmer today--only 40F in the shade on the patio. But that is warm enough to melt much of the snow and ice on the south side of the house. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so it looks like six more weeks of winter. It wouldn't have been much less it he hadn't seen his shadow. I hope the spring is much more "normal" if we even know what is normal any more.

The morning news/talk show had a short segment on employment trends that covered the "quiet quitting" (doing only what your job description mandates and refusing to work extra hours etc.) and a new ottne I hadn't heard about "quiet hiring" (basically expanding the portfolios of current employees, or moving them into new roles often with new responsibility but no new compensation). On that last, one of the commenters remarked that managers should be careful of that last because new responsibility and duties without new compensation can leave angry employees who feel exploited. Soon after seeing this story I found this one. I can relate to the laid off employee whose former boss suggest she do a job she would have done as an employee but as a contractor which would not have paid her much and for which she would have lost her unemployment. Once a long time ago, after a severe monthlong illness, I gave my boss a month notice that put my leaving date after the Christmas and New Year crush. A week before that date he asked me to stay on until he found a replacement. I said no. He had had a month to hire someone else. 

Another story on labor this morning noted that there are more than 11 million jobs open--more than enough for every person currently unemployed. However, I noticed that two of the three categories of employment that had significant job openings were hospitality/food service and retail--the lowest paid sectors of the economy. Having worked both over my lifetime, I don't wonder those jobs are going begging. Those employees work far too hard for much too little.

William Astore has a good piece on his Bracing Views site. George Santos is hardly unique as a serial liar. Astore didn't mention the one who lately occupied the White House. He was interested in another bunch of serial liars: the U.S. Military. He focuses on the last twenty years, particularly the Iraq and Afghanistan "Wars." However, I am old enough to remember the serial liars from the Vietnam period. I have Craig McNamara's memoir, Because Our Fathers Lied, on my to be read pile. His surname should be familiar.

By the way, Astore, asks an interesting question: how can democracy survive without honor, integrity, honesty? I would ask even more: how can we judge someone's honor, integrity, or honesty it no one agrees on what is fact?