Wouldn't it be loverly?

© harrington

Happy July 3rd. Do you remember these lyrics from My Fair Lady? 

All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?

If you're like me, your wants are more than those lyrics cover. In fact, it doesn't take Eliza long to get to:

Lots of choc'lates for me to eat,
Lots of coal makin' lots of 'eat.
Warm face, warm 'ands, warm feet,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly? 

Not outrageous by any means, but more than many folks have today, even in My Minnesota. The third of four freedoms is the Freedom from Want. I don't think, in fact I've checked the fine print, it means we get whatever we want. It means "a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world" and has been exemplified by Norman Rockwell's painting of happy family faces surrounding a Thanksgiving turkey. Leading up to and away from the Great Recession, we've been busy making a world where only "them that has is them that gets." We're compounding that with climate change impacts that are forecast to hurt most those with the least. I don't think that kind of world is sustainable. I do think that we need to focus more on equity and making sure that each of us has at least a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, warm face, warm hands, warm feet, and a full stomach. One of the hardest lessons for me to learn when I was a child was to share. I'm still working on it. Sharing, to me now, means both charitable giving and paying my fair share of taxes. And no, I'm not always happy about how the government spends my money. How about you? Does your freedom to succeed and enjoy life come at the expense of those less fortunate or of generations not yet born? Can't we do better? That's what Minnesota used to be known for and, I hope, will be again. Thanks for listening. Come again when you can. Rants, raves and reflections served daily.