Bit of a letdown...

My brother and sister-in-law were here for the week. We had to be 'vicarious' tourists, since we had to work, but in spite of (well, alright, probably because of?) our not being able to take off and join them in their explorations, they seem to have had a great week. They went off each morning with a suggested destination and their GPS device and had a grand time. They enjoyed some of our favorite places, and found some new ones along the way to suggest to us as well.

(I always enjoy people who know how to have a good time!)

Bit of a let down now that they're on their way home...


So the notion of 'compromises' has already been in the back of my head regarding the whole 'work vs leisure' thing: Compromises on what you'd like to do vs. what you need to do; what circumstances call for vs. an ideal that is probably unattainable; the need, sometimes, to come to a consensus instead of just holding out until you get what you want; the desire to accommodate in order to be 'fair.'

Not really a 'right' vs. 'wrong' sort of thing, but rather a 'right' vs. 'not-quite-what-it-should-be' sort.

And then in the news today, I find, once again, the continued discussion of the biggest and most spectacularly unsuccessful series of attempted compromises ever: national legislation. In particular, this time, federal legislation on immigration.

A committee worked 'behind closed doors' for weeks to hammer out a compromise between two very different positions - open-borders (but only with Mexico?) vs. closed-borders, 'give me your tired and poor' vs. 'lets give priority to those who can support themselves and contribute to our general welfare,' and 'amnesty' vs. 'deportation-for-all-in-spite-of-the-fact-that-we-know-we-will-never-enforce-that' - and came up with a proposal that, evidently, NO ONE can agree to.

Isn't compromise wonderful?

Only with THIS sort of compromise (and just like in their policy discussions on Iraq) the notion of 'right' isn't really the point. They will argue and posture and grandstand and ridicule each other (in front of as many cameras as possible, of course) and at the end of the day go home to their lobbyists and political contributors and report that all will be well for those special interest folks who are really making a lot of money by keeping things just the way they are.

Yes, that's a bit of letdown too.