Asking “Land of Opportunity?,” yesterday’s New York Times editorial (July 13, 2007) points out that “Recent research surveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a governmental think tank for the rich nations, found that mobility in the United States is lower than in other industrial countries. One study found that mobility between generations — people doing better or worse than their parents — is weaker in America than in Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Spain and France.” The editorial explains:
“America’s sluggish mobility is ultimately unsurprising. Wealthy parents not only pass on that wealth in inheritances, they can pay for better education, nutrition and health care for their children. The poor cannot afford this investment in their children’s development — and the government doesn’t provide nearly enough help.”
tree to porch…
a spider strings
sunlight
meadow wildflowers
an old fence post
leans low
paint brush —
my breath moves
a spider
windsong…
the deep bow
of a willow
…………………………………. by Laryalee Fraser from Simply Haiku (Vol. 5:2, Summer 2007)
Today’s New York Times has a piece by Adam Liptak, reporting that “Public Defenders Get Better Marks When on Salary” (July 14, 2007). The article starts: “Some poor people accused of federal crimes are represented by full-time federal public defenders who earn salaries, others by court-appointed lawyers who bill by the hour. A new study from an economist at Harvard says there is a surprisingly wide gap in how well the two groups perform.” The salaried public defenders resolve cases more quickly, with shorter sentences for their clients. See our similar conclusions in the posts “Too Many Assigned Counsel Just Don’t Give a Damn” and “NYS Chief Judge wants statewide public defender system.”
distant shoreline —
silence catches up
with the trainradio talk show
mist rises between
headlightsscissors —
each dewdrop reflects
the rose
…………… by Laryalee Fraser – from Mainichi Daily News, Feb. 2007, June 2007, and July 2007
Finally, in “Drinkers in Korea Dial for Designated Drivers” (New York Times, July 10, 2007) you’ll learn about Korean “replacement drivers,” who make their living by delivering inebriated people and their cars home. “There are tens of thousands of them operating in this hard-drinking metropolis of 10 million people.” Indeed, “An estimated 100,000 replacement drivers handle 700,000 customers a day across the country, the number increasing by 30 percent on Fridays, according to the Korea Service Driver Society, a lobby for replacement drivers.”
crisp breeze
a gull’s shadow breaks
from the pilings
lowered flag –
two swallows
wing past
“Grandma, a push?”
her sneakers scuff
the curve of the sky………….. by Laryalee Fraser from Stylus Poetry Journal