TO BUILD A WORK ETHIC

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 430

I think I have told this to you before, but the best decision I ever made in my life was choosing my parents. And I have been the beneficiary of that choice throughout my lifetime. Yes, they certainly were nurturing, caring and loving, but they also instilled in my sister and me the importance of a work ethic. How? Because while we were growing up, if we didn’t make our beds before breakfast we would lose 5 cents from our 25 cent weekly allowance. And, later, if we didn’t feed our dog before 5:30 in the evening, we would not be able to watch television that evening. (But they also blended in some understanding in enforcing these rules. For example, I still remember one evening that a UCLA basketball would be on television when I forgot to feed our dog on time. I knew at the time that my Mother heard me while I sneaked into the kitchen after 5:30 to feed the dog, but she pretended she did not because she knew that UCLA was important to me. Thanks Mom!) So having a good work ethic makes a huge difference in most people’s lives. For example, I understand that the recidivism rate among people released from prison on parole who have a job is about 7 percent; but the rate for those who do not is about 70 percent!

Other than insightful parenting, the best avenue toward a good work ethic I am aware of can be found at the Orange County Rescue Mission, where they bring in homeless people and directly address their specific needs. Long ago as a sitting judge while I was touring the Rescue Mission my guides pointed at a man who was walking down a nearby hallway and asked if I saw him. Yes, I replied. They said that when he came to them about a month before he had headaches so violent that he couldn’t function or even keep food down most of the time. But when he went through their triage process they discovered that he needed prescription glasses. So now that he was wearing glasses he could function just fine. So every new candidate goes through the same triage, which often detects things like drug addictions or mental health issues – or both. And then they are addressed. Thereafter the residents are often sent to their new 33-acre Double R Ranch, where they learn to feed and care for farm animals, such as horses, chickens and goats – which teaches them a work ethic. And then they teach them various job skills, such as basic carpentry, plumbing, electrical work and drywall installation. So this is yet another example of how the private sector usually addresses and resolves issues far better and more successfully than government programs do. And that is why I support groups like the Orange County Rescue Mission, and ask that you do as well.

(“Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others.” —William Allen White)

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.) Superior Court of Orange County, California 2012 Libertarian Candidate for Vice President

Please listen to our radio show entitled All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray as we discuss timely issues and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. The series has concluded, but you can still hear any edition On Demand at https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/3883. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraphs columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book with the same title as my radio show is now available at Amazon.com., as is my wife Grace’s and my new novel centered about School Choice entitled 2030 KIDS: We are the Rising Heroes of the Planet. Please read and discuss them with your friends, and send in a review.