Oasis

Into each life some rain must fall
But too much is falling in mine
Into each heart some tears must fall
But some day the sun will shine
(Sung by Ella Fitzgerald)

Those of us in the sunset years can still hear Ella Fitzgerald singing this marvelous song. There has always been such a disparity in life. For instance, one-half block from my house, taxpayers have spent millions for a river walk, I have never been on it. It is the sighted folks who enjoy river walks, bicycle trails, parks, libraries, concert halls. The country's largest minority, the disabled, are just expected to keep working and pay taxes.

If anything could affect my relationship with God, it would be the uneven “playing field” of life. Because, through the eyes of the world, not through God's eyes, things seem so unfair, the word fairness is not found in the scripture, rather “God is Boss”. He expects us to thrive because of His sovereignty.

The true oasis is found in desert areas of the world, you can ride for many miles, just sand, and then, all of a sudden you find a small area of arid land, trees, flowers, a watering hole. Can one even imagine the splendor of this place to people living in the hot sand of a desert.

Reared in poverty stricken eastern North Carolina (if eastern North Carolina from Highway 95 to the ocean were a state, it would be the poorest state in the union), farm people who worked hard the entire week, on a Saturday afternoon, would find an oasis at the country crossroads, where usually was located a country store where ice was available, cold drinks, snacks, this was usually the location of the country school. Always, without exception, the location of large ball-fields, this was the gathering place, on Saturday, of farm families, where younger men could play baseball, the old men could watch, the women could visit. There was usually areas where children could play games, this was the oasis of the poor people, both rural and urban. You could always hear one say to the other, I'll see you in church tomorrow, another oasis/escape for the hard-working people of the world. The wealthy have their country clubs, their golf courses, their swimming pools, and I suppose you could call this an oasis for the elitists.

In the world of the jet-set, I have had the privilege of sticking my nose into a few jet-set extravaganzas. I am not one of these people, just an observer, just passing through. On the Island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean, an island which you can always identify by their many windmills. A beautiful resort island of mountain retreats, and coastal, lavish hotels. One older man at one of these hotels, plainspoken, “nouveau riche” (newly rich), took a liking to me because I was someone who could never identify him (I have been totally blind since the Korean war). He had developed and owned the manufacturing company for a milk container, he had sold the engineering patent, the company, to a large conglomerate. This multimillionaire and his wife, just spent their time traveling from one wealthy “watering hole” to another. Occupying the most expensive rooms, eating the most expensive food, playing tennis in the morning, golf in the afternoon, if a casino were available, he spent his evenings in the casino. He and his wife's lives were devoted to self-indulgence. He said, “I have already given my two children all the money they will ever need. It is up to them to do the rest.”

You find this type Americans and Europeans all over the world, I found that the Asians just enjoyed life at home, rich or poor. In Greece, I met a couple from St. Louis, two married lawyers, I later visited them in their home. He had been left a tremendous trust fund, and they spent their entire lives traveling and visiting wealthy friends. They ate out every meal, in fact, I do not believe there was a cook stove in their house.

On a ship to the Arctic, I made the acquaintance of a woman lawyer from Maryland, she told me that she spent her entire life traveling the world. I said, “you must have had a very successful practice.” She said, “no, I never practiced law. My father left me well off...he was extremely successful, made more money than any man I have ever known, he was a connector. Connected politicians at Washington and elsewhere with people of wealth. The people in Washington who think they are lobbyists, know nothing, they should have known my father.“

60 years ago, when I was in college, few graduates hankered for government jobs. Firstly, in North Carolina, you had to be a Democrat to get a government job, whether working on the highway or even teaching school. Not much has changed during the last one hundred years, you still have to have the Democrat county chairman's approval to even drive a school bus. But, salaries and job benefits cannot be surpassed by the private sector. As bad as the corrupt situation appears in North Carolina and most other states, perhaps the zenith in political corruption has taken place in the poor California town of Bell.


Oct 22 (Reuters Legal) - California's attorney general asked a state court on Thursday to appoint a monitor to oversee the finances of the city of Bell, California, which has been embroiled in a scandal over the excessive compensation of some of its former top officials.

Attorney General Jerry Brown's move came as eight current and former Bell officials, including its former city manager, who was paid a salary of nearly $800,000, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to public corruption charges.

The eight defendants, arrested on September 21, are collectively accused of bilking taxpayers in the blue-collar city of 40,000 out of roughly $5.5 million through excessive salaries, benefits and illicit loans of public money.

They were charged in nearly two dozen counts of misappropriating public funds, including salaries they received for "phantom" meetings that never occurred. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley has called the scandal in Bell "corruption on steroids."

LINK: (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69K3YU20101022)


In Bell, part-time city council members were earning $100,000 a year, City Manager Rizzo was arrested for conflict of interest and falsification of public records. It should not amaze anyone, included California attorney general Brown, now running for governor, again, ALL Democrats. Democrats have the art of corruption down to a science. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. (1 Timothy 5:6) Money brings pleasure, money gives man measures of comforts, but it is just dead people walking.

Perhaps the world's great Oasis is Washington, DC. News reports tell us that the nation's capitol has been little affected by this great
recession/depression...that expensive restaurants are full. Housing prices have continued high. There are more federal workers now than ever before, now ~2.7 million. Senator Sessions (R- Alabama) “Over the time that President Obama has been in office, we have lost 2.5 million free enterprise system jobs, and, yet, 500,000 federal government jobs have been added."

When I analyzed the street on which I live, a small southern port city. Like most coastal states, prime retirement areas for government employees. I think of those living on my street, a retired state department official, a retired county official, a retired state judicial official, etc. and as is the case in most places, all drawing healthy government checks.

A retired New York state police official, and they draw the best retirement checks known to man, told me, “I make more in retirement than I ever made in working”. This is the oasis of life for most retired government officials and workers, including former presidents, former senators, former judiciary, former congress persons, former military personnel. Do we actually think we can provide an oasis for everyone, when we conclude that we have $202 trillion dollars in entitlements, and $46 trillion to which the government is responsible in the current foreclosure fiasco? Because of the government monetary policy's lack of regulation, everyone working for government, banking systems, healthcare systems and anything else involving government regulations are now government employees.

They are rioting in France, protesting in England, bitter across America, everyone wanting an oasis. The oasis is a place of refreshing and comfort after the daily trials of hard work and free will. Life on this earth is short at best, most of us are content to wait out time of eternal joy.