Articles written by Tom Koecke in Society & Lifestyle

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About me - Tom Koecke

With thirty years experience in consumer finance, having raised two daughters as a single father, and trying desperately to get through my second childhood, I bring two things to the table when I write: an overload of experience, and a sense of humor!

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Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Minimum wage: Is it fair?: 1 of 54
The concept of minimum wage is to protect unskilled employees from employers who might not otherwise pay that amount. It was established so that workers would be paid enough to have a chance to survive. The federal minimum wage is $5.85 per hour. Many states have minimum wage laws that require employers to pay more than the ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Was Martin Luther King, Jr. or Malcolm X a better leader for civil rights for blacks?: 1 of 19
When we think of the injustices Dr. King suffered for the cause of equality, it does not compare with the injustices Malcom X endured simply because he was Black. Both Dr. King and Malcom X spent time in jail. Dr. King was jailed for organizing civil rights protests. He was fairly well known, which lent his face to injustice... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Honesty is the best policy: 8 of 44
It is a shame that words change so much in meaning over time that we do not recognize that which we recite from rote, and which has such a nice marketing ring to it, without knowing what we are saying. In a world in which 'hot' means 'cool,' and both really mean 'popular,' there is probably not much thought given to the corr... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Feminism & Women's Rights The most influential first ladies in American history: 2 of 7
Most of America's First Ladies are known only because of their marriage to a president. For nearly two centuries, Abigail Adams alone held the distinction of also being a First Mother. Barbara "Babs" Bush joined her with that distinction when her son, George W. Bush, was inaugurated as president in January 2001. Though the d... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Important milestones in African-American education: 1 of 3
Homer Plessy looked like an average white man, but he was part of a conspiracy to challenge Jim Crow laws that relegated Black people to second-class citizen status. Once he was seated with his first-class train ticket that day in June of 1892, he told the conductor that he was one-eighth black! It worked! The US Supreme Cou... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Looks, money, or character: Choosing what's important: 7 of 18
At the risk of disappointing any admirers who may from time-to-time fantasize about me, I have a girlfriend. Neither of us has much money, so, between us, money is the least important. We both are human, but the character of our friendship is important to both of us. She certainly is beautiful in my eyes, but I believe the f... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Pennies are worth as much as they once were: 3 of 6
Of course pennies are worth the same as before! Worth is best thought of as its component parts. In the case of a penny, it is a mining, smelting, and minting process which results in a coin bearing the value of one one-hundredth of a dollar. The purity of the alloy, and the weight of the coin, are the same as before. There ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Understanding the importance of African-American studies: 2 of 4
If there is anything we should learn from history, it is that we have not learned from history. In order to pass a test, children are taught that the correct answer to the question "Who discovered America" is "Christopher Columbus," leaving those who may question how Columbus possibly discovered inhabited land with the quand... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Why Black History Month is important: 17 of 32
Every February children all over this great land learn about Black History, because we dedicate that month for that purpose. Some people question whether it is right to do so, claiming it is right to teach Black history merely as history. Others question if it is important to have Black History Month, claiming it is better t... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Personal liberty vs. community order and law: Which should prevail?: 7 of 9
If this debate were under the subject of Mathematical Probability, then the answer would be that community order and law should prevail. Whenever the interests of a group of people are pitted against the rights of one, the group should prevail because there are sufficient numbers to force the order and law upon the individua... More..