A Quarter Million Dollars

A Quarter Million Dollars

Spending time in the city I have been able to observe and watch as people busily move from home to work and and back again. I find I do better if I avoid the crowds and shop when others are at work or play.

I visited my mother in laws house yesterday, it was a hot 4th of July, she wasn’t there but we wandered around the yard, I looked at the berries almost ripe to eat and ate a few anyway. The chickens were out of food and water and looked like they might not survive the heat of the day so I fed and watered them. I kind of like chickens. The tomatoes were growing in the garden, a few were ready so I ate them. Things overall looked like they were thriving.

A couple of houses away I noticed a car with its engine running and a person inside. I was informed that this was a paid security person who was guarding the unused house.

Curiosity got the best of me so I walked over to the house. The man got out of the car and greeted me and asked what I wanted. I said I was visiting my mother in law next door and was curious about his presence. 

I knew that the house belonged to the leader of the Mormon church and I wanted to know how much he got paid for watching the unused house.

I put him at ease by informing him that I had once been a security guard in Provo, that I had done the mirror work in several temples in the valley.

I said I possibly interested in doing more security work. 

He asked if I was currently on temple security, I informed him that I was not.

Finally comfortable with my answers he informed me that a beginning security guard received between 18 and 20 dollars an hour plus benefits.

He said that this job was extremely boring because there was no crime in the neighborhood and little to do.

I thanked him, wished him well and left.

I wondered why he was not allowed to sit in the comfort of the house instead of having to sit his car and run the air conditioner to keep him comfortable.

Immediately my brain went to work to do the math.

20 dollars an hour plus benefits of 30%, security 24/7, 365 days a year, oh my god!

A quarter million dollars!

My mind jumped to the little widow who faithfully pays her tithing, the struggling families who have to budget carefully to pay tithing and still find enough to buy food and milk, the new member who has faithfully given his or her tithing believing that it is helping those in need and helping to build the church.

The Mormon church is paying a $250,000 dollars a year to guard the unused house of the leader of the church. 

A Quarter Million Dollars to guard an unused house!

Why?

I left feeling disappointed, let down and frustrated that perhaps my own tithing dollars in years past had been wasted and squandered on useless endeavors or vain pursuits of those in high places.

I wondered if anyone else knew or cared.

This day I thought you would like to know what I know.