Those who love are loved of God. 

Being a loving person is synonymous with being a good one. 

Showing kindness is the trait of a noble soul.

Here's a Corporate Model Worth Trying

   I thought on it, when my brother noted Simplot once brought in a subcontractor for the kitchen, for food services. I thank him for getting me thinking on how, sometimes, large companies would be better off if they took many of their parts and made semi independent businesses of them.
   Here's why: Mid management in a company often does not have attention to the bottom line. Instead, the managers look at success as achieving the the functions they are entrusted with. Unfortunately, their look for success can include unnecessary travel, and unwise expenses. Sometimes, even, they look at expenses as simply a way of improving their departments. If they can hire an employee to do this, or to do that, it will mean things can be done that clearly will make the department better. So hire the person.
   But businesses need to be profit-driven in order to survive. If they hire too many mid managers, or too many employees, or succumb to too many department-improving expenses, they will go broke.
   So, here's my perhaps novel idea. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but it might be worth trying. Whenever you have a department that could be operating on its own, on a profit or loss basis, give 49 percent of it away. Bring in a managing partner (who owns the 49 percent) to make his or her living off the profits. The partner is thus profit-driven, for if he doesn't make a profit, he doesn't make a living. The partner sometimes will be more driven, himself, as the job becomes more of a personal thing than just a punch-the-clock effort.
   Maybe it isn't altogether a novel approach. I do see companies bring in subcontractors. Still, I don't think this model is used much, if at all. I don't believe it is common to split the ownership with the subcontractor,

The definition of a good person 

is 

someone who finds good in others.

   That is not always true, but there is a lot of truth in it. Consider how a not-so-good person is someone who is a fault-finder, and who turns friends against each other, and who scorns and taunts. Gossipers certainly are not often considered wonderful people. On the flip side, Loving one's neighbor is the second greatest commandment. Speaking well of them is a way of showing that love.
  So, indeed, there is much truth in the thought that the definition of a good person is someone who finds good in others.
  (The last part of blog changed the morning of 4/5/17.)

Abraham Arch Lincoln Worded it a Little Differently

   Abraham Arch Lincoln once said, 

Government of the born-here people, 

for the born-here people, 

and to get rid of all other people. 

From Conference: Speaking out is a Virtue, but Hostility is not

   "These turbulent times were foreseen," said Elder Russell M. Nelson during the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later in his talk, he said, "True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from people of the world. They are undaunted, devoted and courageous."
   That sage comment does not tell us what the right side is for each of the public issues, but it does give us hope that taking a stand when we see injustice is the right thing to do.
   And, I think of the words of Elder Dale G. Renlund. "We must guard against bigotry that raises its ugly voice toward those who hold different opinions. Bigotry manifests itself, in part, in unwillingness to grant equal freedom of expression. Everyone, including people of religion, has the right to express his or her opinions in the public square."
   Bless me, then, that I will be wise enough and gentle enough not to condemn those whose opinions differ from mine. Although I do reasonably well on this matter, in the past month I have seen need for improvement.
   And, I consider the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. "There is room for those who speak different languages, celebrate diverse cultures, and live in a host of locations. There is room for the single, the married, for large families and for the childless," he said. "There is room for those who once had questions regarding their faith and room for those who still do. There is room for those with differing sexual attractions."
  I wondered if he was weighing in on requiring immigrants to speak English. Perhaps he wasn't; I don't know.
   I believe it good to apply what church leaders said during Conference to our daily lives, which includes all that is going on on the public stage, since many of us are active in discussing news and events. It is also important to listen to the other things the church leaders said, things that do not involve how we react to current events.
   I also think of the headline over the Salt Lake Tribune's story about Conference. "Hostility no way to deal with conflict, apostles say." I think of the many rallies and protests. Turbulent times? That certainly is reflected in rallies and protests. Such places should not become forums for hatred and for hostility. They have, though, and they are. Bless us, that when we participate in the market places of public opinion, we do so without being hateful and hostile.

The Evolution of Economics: Sellers Realized They'd Get More this Way

   The evolution of economics: As prices have pushed up on certain items such as health care, there came times when the consumer could no longer afford them. If it were to be him doing the buying, the buying wouldn't get done.
   So, enter third-party buying. Instead of Joe Blow, the consumer, reaching into his pocket and paying right on the spot, a third party -- a rich uncle, so to speak -- is found. And, the "rich uncle" pays the bill.Then, Joe either pays the rich uncle -- the sugar daddy -- back later or receives the product gratis, ne'er needing to pay the money back. Insurance is a form of this. Government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are also forms of this.
   Now, I have suggested our economy evolved to this as a result of prices reaching a point where the consumer could no longer afford them. I'm not sure that this was always the case. Rather, in some situations, there came a time when the seller simply realized that if he could slip a sugar daddy into the equation, he could charge more money.
   Insurance companies have deeper pockets than average people. Governments, the same. If you leave it to the average person to pay the bill, you aren't going to be able to charge as much. Get insurance companies and governments involved, though, and you can jack up the price.
   So, what if we were to take insurance companies and government out of the equation? What if we left the buyer to pay his own bills upfront. More correctly stated, what if we left the seller to collect from nobody other than Joe Blow?
   He wouldn't be able to charge as much. If he wanted to sell his product, he would either have to sell just to the rich, or he would have to lower the price to where the average person could afford it.
   So, if we want medical bills to drop, perhaps we should get rid of or reduce the influence of insurance and government.
   Now, if we just got rid of insurance and government as bill payers, the medical profession would likely cater more exclusively to the rich. It just wouldn't provide all the services to the poor, because they couldn't afford to pay them.
   So, what to do?
   Turn the individual mandate on its head. Instead of requiring everyone to buy insurance, require  medical providers to sell to everyone.

Homeless Persons' Night at Corner Canyon High School

   "When you know someone, you do everything you can to help them. When you're trying to help a friend, you're happy to see them move closer to you," writes Doug Wilkes, editor of the Deseret News, as he discusses homelessness. He ends his column by saying,  "Turning someone we fear into someone we know is key to solving the problem of homelessness." 
   I see great wisdom in these words of his. 
   Maybe a partial answer to solving the problem, then, is to create programs where people work with the homeless, programs where they meet them, and listen to them, and learn to love them. 
   The programs could go beyond the traditional going to the shelters to help serve meals. How about a Homeless Persons' Night at Corner Canyon High School, where the homeless are asked to come and speak, telling their stories.
   And, you could have a Sit With the Homeless Night at the shelter, where the visitors divide up to sit down and talk one-on-one with the homeless, allowing the street people tell them their stories.