At the risk of sounding like a "socialist", our WTF moment du jour...

[NRaleighLiberal]

So I went to get the mail and amongst one of today's worthless items of junk was a Doctors Foster and Smith pet item catalog. My wife and chuckled as we flipped the pages, page after page of cute dogs and cats perfectly posed, sitting on their fancy plush beds or wearing utterly ridiculous looking sweaters, coats and (believe it or not), booties. Then we get to the cat comfort station, complete with ionizing air cleaning.

Then my wife and I pondered the millions of people in the world - indeed, in our own country - who don't have a bed to sleep on half as comfy as these ridiculously overpriced pet beds. Or a coat as warm as rover's fancy wear. In fact, just any bed or any coat would be a great step ahead for so many.

So then we pondered how we got to this - as a species, as humans. How can some have so much that they can purchase oodles of fanciful items...how can so many have so little that they can barely, and often don't survive? Then the real mystery - how can so many with so little be so happy and at peace, yet so many with so much be so miserable?

I know many of you have pondered these questions. It is just the way it is. It is our legacy, our history (again, as a species). I think that in the noise that is politics, the fighting, the issues, the complexity that is each of our lives, it is easy to forget these simple fundamentals - how much true injustice there is, and in most cases, it is just luck (bad or good) of the draw.

Then I think about what we are trying to do under Obama - with health care, with so many issues - trying to swing the pendulum just a bit toward making things a bit more even, giving those that have so little, or lack health care, a chance to survive. It should be common sense and common decency to act in this way - yet it isn't. Nothing seems to be easy when it is for those scraping along.

I guess that is the "beauty" of capitalism. But it doesn't look so pretty to us.

Just had to get that out - thanks for listening!

[Ilsa]

1. Next they'll picture kitty with her own homeless Barbie and Kitty doll. nt

[Kali]

2. well said

rec

[snagglepuss]

3. I am baffled and angered by the same thing. There must be an element of

sadism in showering an animal with uselessness while knowing humans are abjectly suffering. I really believe that these people are amused that their animal lives better than most humans.

[many a good man]

7. "Mejor ser perro de rico que hijo de pobre"

It's better to be the dog of a rich person than the child of a poor person!

[phantom power]

4. I own three of those dog beds

Large, old dogs like their orthopedic support.

Which doesn't really negate your point.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. I hope not - the point is pretty valid, and I just wanted to make people think!

And if you unrec'd this, I forgive you (someone did!)

[unblock]

6. the ethics are interesting when you consider a "purchasing" decision to be a "hiring/firing" one

when you "purchase" some milk you are actually "hiring" someone to raise and milk a cow someone to pasteurizing it and deliver it to your grocer, and so on. fine enough. but you're also firing them from their other job, if they might have been doing something else otherwise. you're allocating resources, and you vote with your money as you spend it.

so, when you "purchase" something expensive and frivolous like pet comfort stations or whatever, you are hiring people to do that. and therefore taking them away from something else. you may be firing them from building bed for the poor so they can build beds for pampered pooches.

[gleaner]

8. Well written .....

I don't think your point is that people should neglect their pets or ignore their needs, I think it is that we should treat other human beings who are in need as well as people who are holding treat their pets.

Due to medical costs my husband and I have nothing right now. We have cats and they are our most faithful friends, but they sleep on old blankets for their beds and eat out of regular dishes because that is what we can afford. I saw one of those catalogs yesterday too, and had a brief longing that someone should adopt us as their well cared for house pets. It sure isn't getting easier being human and trying to stretch less money for ever more expensive food item and prescriptions as inflation kicks us in the butt.

There is a chink missing in someone who doesn't feel for other human beings though. Even with very limited means you can still help out, even if it is making a phone call to a congressman about improving safety nets and quality of life for people who are poor and in need, or writing an email or a letter.