Bald Politics

I’ve saved up some thoughts on the political season. Many who know me understand my predisposition to think on politics. It is a second skin for me. And no, I’m not a republican or democrat in the strictest of terms. I’ve spent more years as a republican than a democrat, and even then one cannot predict my support on an issue. And no I am not a libertarian – I doubt anyone has a clear definition of one of those, so I’m not one of that pack!

No, I am an optimist. I think our nation, our people, are capable of doing great things most of the time. However, it requires we keep our thinking caps on so we are dealing with reality and facts; not idle fears and raging prejudices. We are so much better than that. And yes, both political parties can have truth on their side, it’s just a matter of timing.

Meanwhile I think we ought to give thought to ridding ourselves of political parties. They seek power over others rather than truth and justice. So why bother with untrustworthy agendas? Let’s just pay attention to the details and the issues that matter.

I’ve collected some quotes I think might help us with this task:

1. From Samuel-Warde.com:

“Jobs Program

1.      Filibuster American Jobs Act

2.      Stonewall monetary stimulus

3.      Threaten a debt default

4.      Cut discretionary spending in the debt ceiling

5.      Cut discretionary spending in the budget deal

6.      Blame unemployment on Obama

7.      Win 2012 election”

The republican strategy has been clear for some time. They used this same thinking during the Clinton White House; they prepared the way during the Bush White House. Now it is in full use.

Manipulation. Don’t fix problems. Blame whoever is handy. Don’t cooperate with our collegial form of government. Just obstruct. Then say it’s the other guy’s fault.

How dumb do they think American voters are? Are you going to let them get away with this? Huh?

2. John Steinbeck:

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor there see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

Interesting thought isn’t it? With an open society we can ‘see’ ourselves as rich and powerful. We don’t need others to make it happen. We don’t need a manipulative ideology to live life. We just need our own brain, creativity and access to resources to make it happen. The system is just fine. It’s the denizens who capture control from time to time who are the problem.  Come to think of it, that idea pertains to political parties.

Let’s get rid of them. We don’t need the crutch. We can work together just fine. But first let’s make sure obstructionists are out of the way!

3. Howard Zinn:

You are saying our problem is civil disobedience, but that is not our problem.

Our problem is civil obedience.

Our problem is the numbers of people all over the world who have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience.

Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty.

Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country.

That’s our problem.”

We went to war in Granada. We went to war in Panama. Ditto Korea and Viet Nam. And also Iraq. When do we learn that ‘leaders’ do not always tell the truth in these matters? And if they are telling the truth as best they can, are they correct in fact and judgment? George W wasn’t in the latter two wars; it raises question in the former.

Zinn has a solid complaint. Our obedience needs to be well earned. It is not about persuasion. It is about logic. When will we know enough (study hard!) so we can make independent judgments on these matters? Having political parties around to do our thinking for us makes us weak and tempting prey.

4. From the Internet, anonymous:

“Republicans insist that tax cuts for the wealthy stimulate the economy.

70% of our nation’s wealth is owned by just 10% of all Americans.

With all that money laying around, if the rich were going to fix the economy on their own, they already would have!

Face the facts. Republicans can’t.”

I believe the science of economics has already denuded the republicans on this point. The rich claim to be the risk takers of our nation. In reality it is the government that has taken the risk, and we taxpayers have paid the bill. The rich need to be taking on new risk if our problems are to be repaired. If they don’t wish to do so, then we shall tax them and use that funding source to take on the problems.  See how simple that is?

5. Bill Maher:

“If conservatives get to call universal healthcare ‘socialized medicine’ then I get to call private for-profit healthcare “soulless, vampire bastards making money off human pain.”

God Bless Bill Maher! Conservatives and republicans are not the only ones who have license to label things. The rest of us can too. Perhaps we should get there first next time? How about the dissolute republicans? They take but cannot give?  I kind of like the ring of that phrase.

6. Anonymous from the Internet:

“Simple question: should the republican governors who are refusing to implement the Affordable Care Act lose their tax-payer funded health insurance?”

Simple justice, folks. If health care programs paid for by the government is so bad, then the elected officials benefitting from the programs should be removed from the programs’ coverage. Ditto for retirement benefits. If Congress is so upset over Social Security, here are two things they need to do immediately:

a.       Remove themselves as beneficiaries;

b.      Stop borrowing from the trust fund’s balances.

Another variation on the to-do list: Congress ought to live on the retirement benefits from Social Security not some bloated program designed by them for their own benefit. If it is good enough for Americans in general, then they ought to be satisfied with those benefits, too.

Final comment: Pay attention to who is making a good faith effort to fix problems and spread the credit to those who collaborate in the fix. All others should be ignored.  That should earn democrats your vote in 2012. Republicans have failed this test for many, many years. Shame on them.

July 19, 2012

Goodness

A bunch of positive thoughts to get us through the day:

First: “A good friend knows all your best stories.

            A best friend has lived them with you.

            See the difference?”

As I live my life I’ve met many interesting people. I usually cannot tell which will be very special to me. Or how long it may take to realize their specialness. But it happens anyway. One day I wake up to know that person, that one, right there, is indeed very important to me. He or she helps me understand the random happenings. Making sense of ideas is so much clearer with the routine interaction with this person. Some people have minds that jump to connection with yours, almost instantly. I can barely believe it is happening – the synchronization of thoughts, feelings, awareness of meaning. Like magic our brains are working together. And we laugh! Oh how we laugh. Surely this is a best friend?

How many do we have?

Second: from Doe Zantamata,

            “Keep your chin up. No one expected you to save the world,

            Otherwise you would have been born wearing a cape and tights.

            Just do the best you can.”

The intake nurse at the alcohol rehab center told me bluntly: “You don’t have to drive the bus when you are a rider.” Lucky me! I had a witness to this exchange. And he reminds me of it from time to time, usually as I’m driving my own car down the street. He casually states the obvious: “You’re driving the bus again!”

Don’t do that. Others are responsible for themselves, what they do. I’m in charge of what I do, my life. Meanwhile, toil in your own garden and let the others pull their own weeds. Last I checked, I had no cape and certainly no tights! God. No tights. Ever! They look so bad on me.

Third: from Knowmyworth.com,

            “Note to self:

            I am doing the best I can with what I have in this moment.

            And that is all I can expect of anyone, including me!”

These quotes are taking on a pattern. That’s nice. We need patterns. They provide resonance and lessons underscored for clear meaning. If I allow myself the freedom to be, in all my strengths and weaknesses, then surely I can do the same for others. They are doing their best. Am I?

Fourth: Deepak Chopra,

            “Be happy for no reason, like a child.

            If you are happy for a reason, you’re in trouble,

            Because that reason can be taken from you.”

Take the time to examine the moment. It is rich within itself. Value it. It contains much that we can use and appreciate. Chopra has it right. Happiness can be taken from us easily by others. Best to find the things that are timeless. They provide endless joy and reward.

Fifth: Kenneth Overton,

             “You will always lose when trying to please everyone.

            The only way you win is if you’re pleased with yourself!”

Surely you know this. Surely I know this. But do I remember? Perhaps the greatest failing I have is and has been the urge to please others. That is like climbing a greased pole. The task of pleasing the self is hard enough but doable. Tend to it.

Sixth: Anonymous,

            “I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be,

            But most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.”

Missing the good stuff in all the details of life. So easy to do. It is not a needle in a haystack, though. It is there for the looking. If we cannot find it we have lost it to the act of judging. Avoid judging; find the good that stares out at us from all directions!

There is much to be grateful for. Being open to it is the first step in finding it.

July 18, 2012

Ideas That Matter

If you sat chimpanzees down at 1000 typewriters (excuse me, computer word processors!), in time wouldn’t we get all the ideas we need? Wouldn't you think that eventually every idea ever written would be written again? How many solitary ideas are there, anyway? Is there s finite number?

Well, rather than worrying about that, let’s look at some old ideas, those pulled from years ago by people you probably haven’t thought much about lately.

First, Albert Einstein:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Would you have thought Einstein would have said something like this? I didn’t. I picture him as a scientist, mad maybe, certainly nerdy, with wisps of hair protruding everywhere without a care. I see him solving a math problem. An enigma of physics. Something grabbing his attention so much that he spurns food, water and other basics. Just to concentrate on the primary puzzles of mankind.

Well, he did, didn’t he? Even the quote above demonstrates that. We got ourselves into this mess, what do we have to do to get ourselves out of it? Using the same old thoughts didn’t get us to a good place, how about trying some new ideas? Indeed!

Second, John F. Kennedy:

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

I think it is amazing that people work so hard to avoid change. The moment is with us for an instant or a series of instants. Then it is gone. The past can be studied for help in understanding today, or the past. But the future will happen no matter what. The question remains how we will deal with it, or make it happen as best as possible. How do we do that? I suggest embracing change so we understand it better and can use it to our best advantage; not my advantage, our advantage. Let’s find ways to avoid pitfalls, or at least understand them better if and when they occur. Change ~ past and present ~ will pave our way to the future. Adopt it for the ride of our lives!

Third, from Carl Sagan:

            “I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way.”

Sounds like a lot of us! But the central point is ~ although it is better to pull the map out before we set out on the journey, we are already in motion so best we get out the map now! The future is not waiting on us. It is happening. Now. And it will unfold with or without us. Adopt that idea and embracing change will come naturally. And sooner!

Fourth, Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

Remember those national forests and parks? Those wonders of nature so grand and majestic? Those places where the ‘purple mountains majesty’ reside and reign? Well, it turns out they breath in the junk we pump into the air, and clean it up well, and then release fresh new oxygen into the atmosphere. Basic biology. Basic physics. Protect them and they will protect us. Waste them and they will waste us.

And finally, a quote from an unknown source, but surely an old one:

            “When you judge another, you do not define them; you define yourself.”

So if we say all Muslims are terrorists because a few have proven to be such, we show ourselves openly as flawed human beings. And yes there are many making the statement. They are our cowering brothers and sisters who don’t get it. Help them understand the fundamental value of reaching out to understand those who are different from us.

We are strong people with good minds and creative talents. We can do much good. Much good is needed in this world. Together we can do it. When do we get started?

July 17, 2012

Being Judged: Gay in America 2012

Did you know that 40% of homeless youth are LGBT? The #1 reason they’re on the street is family rejection? [LGBT = lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender]

Did you know that over 33% of youth suicide attempts are by LGBT youth? Compare that with the faulty statistic that from 2% to 10% of the population is gay. Truth is, no one knows what percent of the whole are gay. There are no reliable data that consistently shows this figure. Best guess is 5.5 to 7%. Yet suicide attempts are 5 to 6 times higher than gays are prevalent in the population. Powerful statistic even when made conservative!

There are many people who feel bullying is not a gay phenomenon. I agree that bullying is not limited to gay kids; it occurs whenever someone gets power over someone different than himself. And by the way bullying is not limited to situations involving youth. Bullying happens among spouses, co-workers, neighbors, strangers. Bullying happens in many families. And most turn their heads from the problem. Why? Your answer is as good as mine. Shame? Embarrassment? Powerlessness to stop it?

Sexual identification happens to each of us. It is a process of psycho-social growth and awareness. It is biologically driven. It happens during the youthful years of 11 to 15 normally, but can occur earlier and much later. But happen it does.

The process is often subtle; awareness grows slowly and is mixed in with a lot of other life changes, experiences and drama. Good Lord! Remember your early teen years? Recall all the happenings of the time? Pimples? Dating. Body changes. Physical urges we only later realized were sex related. Feverish temperatures that changed in a flash? Eyes zeroed in on the body parts of other people? Without agenda? Without forethought? It was just there? What was I thinking? What was happening? Am I a pervert?

No, just a young person growing into his body and skin. Maturing in fits and bits seemingly without design or schedule. If someone is in control it certainly isn’t me! Remember those times? Take some moments to recall them. We can remember them with more confidence and comfort now; but not back then. Those were weird and exciting times. Not understood. Didn’t know if it was supposed to happen or not. Was it normal?

Now think about it in a different mode. You ARE different than everyone else around you. You are not feeling the same things they are. I am out of synch with them. And I have no one to turn to for questions and answers. My parents would be freaked out by the questions. My brother and sister wouldn’t understand. My best buddy wouldn’t either, or would he? Can I chance it by asking him/her?

Now you know in a tiny way what it is like to grow up gay in America. There is no manual for any one of us while growing up. There are people who think they know what we are going through, but actually they don’t; only I know what I am going through at any one moment. Same with other people. And it is very private. It is very alone. And scary. “All alone am I……”

Sandra Bullock said this:

“There’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love.”

I love her words, her sentiment. She brings it home to the central point. We are all worthy of love, in both directions: loving another and being loved. These are not simple matters to deal with, however. And when society gets involved the brew becomes much more complicated. Automatic pilot in interpersonal relationships doesn’t work in these situations. It requires us to be thinking and feeling at the same time. We can do this very well. We have proven that many times throughout our individual lives. They are our high points ~ when we are very well connected with what’s happening around us.

But so often we are not connected. Things happen. We may be in proximity to the happenings, or not. We are not aware of what’s happening. We cannot be connected at all times. Unfortunate things happen. Bullying happens without resistance from others. Parenting needs are required when parents are not on the scene. We are on our own. And what happens. The not so subtle occurs. Discrimination. Hurt. Not understanding.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Yes, a real accomplishment. Growing up different – Afro-American, Asian, Hispanic, young or old, rich or poor, gay or straight – in what we think is an homogenous society is a challenge. For the most part we do it; we get it right. Not without pain and a lot of anguish, but time and love and family and friends working on it get it right in the end.

That’s the good thing to realize. The bad thing ~ some people never get the chance; it’s over before they….

July 16, 2012

Abysmal Students

I’m not speaking about today’s youth. I am talking about most of the adult population, those who cannot separate micro economics from macro economics. Money and banking as an academic discipline, international trade as another discipline; how about deficit spending and how that affects money supply, inflation or deflation rates? Or natural unemployment rates compared with critical unemployment rates. One is normal and transitory, the other is reflective of economic upsets. We can have too much unemployment, and not enough unemployment. We can have too much inflation or not enough. We have growth and non growth. There are a lot of other terms we could toss around and I bet most would not understand most of them.

What’s the point? Just this: too few Americans understand our economic system and how it works. When things are bright and booming, what made them that way? What keeps them that way? When conditions are gloomy and in the dumps, what made them that way? What do we do to counteract them?

My point is that too many people think they understand basic economics but really don’t. They want to understand what is happening around them but jump to conclusions based on too little information. They also listen to people who don’t understand the discipline and fall for sound bites. After a while the bites add up to a diet sufficient to support faulty conclusions.

These folks also decide on who to vote for in elections based on economics; yet they, the voter, don’t understand economics and therefore do not know what each candidate’s policy position means, let alone what likelihood that position will have in affecting a positive change to current economic conditions. How can you vote for someone on that basis when you don’t understand the basis in the first place?

A few thoughts to harden the focus:

·         If tax breaks for the highest income earners is supposed to stimulate job creation, where are the jobs?

Comment: the underlying assumption seems to be that those saving tax dollars from the cuts will invest those dollars in activity which will create jobs. However, in the current case, wealthy people may not spend such dollars, but rather save or maybe invest them in existing stocks. This action does not create jobs UNLESS an organization or firm needs to borrow those funds to expand their operations and hire more people to do so, or buy more production goods that expand equipment manufacturing, building factories, etc. Such is likely not the case. There is an oversupply of inventory on hand; no need to make new goods to sell to the newly enriched. There is an oversupply of buildings in which to install a new factory; no need to build a new factory. There may be an opportunity to sell more cars or boats or vacations to the wealthy, but these are marginal dollars at best. The vast majority of the people in the market continue to be distressed and unable to buy the goods and services that will boost the economy from the tax cut.

Another comment here, this one from Adam Smith, the father of modern economics and father of capitalism:

“It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.”

It is not unreasonable because they are able to, and are the primary beneficiaries of the risk incurred when making the investment in the first place. If they are to do so again the system must be healthy.

·         If the Federal Reserve is supposed to lower interest rates to stimulate new investment, how do they do that when interest rates are at historic lows? How does one lower the rate below zero?

Comment: the economy currently contains huge capacity that is unused. We have people ready to work; buildings ready to be used in which to make goods and services; computers at the ready to handle the computations and transactions to support business activity; money supply galore to fund new investments. What we LACK is demand for these goods and services. We have the NEED but not the DEMAND. There is a major difference involved here.

·         If capitalism is a system that efficiently manages the flow of economic goods to market, meets consumer demands at the lowest and fairest prices, and sets values on all manner of production of goods and services, why then are the markets not functioning smoothly? Where are the opportunities in the market to pursue new wealth? Where is the innovation of tomorrow coming from? Who is going to make all of this happen?

Comment: Our markets and nation have needs; they also have demands What we lack is visions of the future and the moxie to go after it. The opportunity exists. Its challenge and reward is going unanswered. Unheeded. Ignored. The markets are not responding; simply put. Buying gold is motivated by fear. Stocking up on rare commodities is a hedge position pushed by fear. Sitting on one’s hands is a wait and see strategy that rarely creates anything new.

Something is missing here! And it may be a large complex of things missing such as the middle class (they not only buy the vast majority of goods and services sold in our economy, they also possess the knowledge, talent and art needed to produce the goods and services in the first place. Who do you think are filling the classrooms or laboratories or training labs? Who is gearing up to understand the new knowledge, the new education, the new technology, the new products and services the economy is going to produce? Who fills the jobs when they are not empty? Huh?

Class warfare? No. Captains of industry? No. Government interference? No. Lack of personal vision and courage to step forward and get things done? Yes. I think so. I think this is closer to the truth.

Something named Punjabgigraphics.com brings us this quote today:

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

Perhaps we should all try again; tomorrow; or today. It’s our decision to make.

July 14, 2012

Keeping the Balance

I hope I’m not boring you with the quotes found on the Internet. Personally I like them. They help me focus on the basics. That keeps me in touch with the now and balanced. It keeps me on the right path. Here are a few new finds:

• “Surround yourself with people who know your worth. You don’t need too many people to be happy, just a few REAL ones who appreciate you for exactly who you are.” – Author unknown

Not everyone can do this for you. Only the ones you become truly transparent with, very, very honest with. They see you up and down and through and through. They know your thoughts and where they came from. These are rare individuals in your life. Keep them close to you at all times. Savor them.

• “I can’t promise you a perfect relationship without arguments over our differences and trust issues. However, I can promise you that as long as you’re trying, I’m staying.” – Author unknown

This is one way to become transparent with each other. Let your efforts to understand be quite apparent. It’s hard to hide these things, but it is natural to do so, to attempt to do so; we fear looking flawed before those we care about. But they need to know we are being honest with each other. And with myself.

• “Want to know something?  What?                                                                                    Loving you was the second best thing I ever did.   What  was the first?                        Finding you.”

Zowie. No further comment necessary!

• “We have flown the air like birds

and swum the sea like fishes,

but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers…”

~Martin Luther King Jr.

How did this man become so wise? So attuned to the human condition? Maybe because he suffered so much as a minority? How do we loosen up enough to be human, to be flexible, be vulnerable? To be honest? Isn’t this what allows our authenticity to shine through? No make believe or posturing?

Knowing who I am takes time and effort. Coming to a conclusion in its own time, not rushed or faked, but nurtured and explored, this is a process that takes time to get right. And getting it right means we are accurate in our conclusions. We can be more certain about our understanding. Reality is a demanding tutor. This is authentic. We can be more fully known by others, but also we learn to know them more fully.  It works both ways. The knowing and being known. The relationship. It soars. It breathes.

Elie Wiesel has so many good thoughts to share with the world. Here’s one:

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

When injustice is observed, say something. When women are wronged or objectified, take action. When minorities are subjugated or marginalized, refuse to be a part of it. Sound an alarm that this is taking place and won’t be tolerated. When any group is set apart as above or below others, question why this is being done. Question it. Question the assumptions. Make the other party work for their opinion. If it is good and right, it will become apparent. If it is not, it will crumble in the face of logic and justice.

Balance. Focus. How hard it is to maintain, let alone find. But it is worth the effort. As Americans it is part of our DNA.

July 13, 2012

Influencing Others

Some people work hard at influencing other people. They primp and posture, play word games and try to say the right things to prove they are one with you. These are the folks who can adapt their speech and actions to blend in with a target audience. They do this to be believed, so you will have trust in them and their message. Sound fake?  It is. But it is also everywhere these days.

Meanwhile, back at the real people ranch, this can be said (taken from the Internet, author unknown):

“You will never know how many people you have encouraged and inspired because YOU made the choice to be Yourself.”

This statement has authenticity precisely because it is constructed on honesty, openness, vulnerability.  We imperfect human beings simply don’t always know who we are, or what we mean. We struggle for meaning and clarity of expression. We stumble around. We try on ideas and phrases to see if they fit exactly what we mean. This honesty and openness is transparency personified. All that is missing is consistency and that takes practice!  Lots of practice because what we think one moment may not be the same in the next instant with slightly different circumstances.  The variables. They mess things up. But really thinking about these matters ~ deeply, helps build a consistent path of logic. That’s the consistency I speak of.

Warren Buffet has been one of my heroes for a long time! He recently said, “Honesty is a very expensive gift. Do not expect it from cheap people.” So when a billionaire states unequivocally that rich people should pay higher taxes because they can afford to, and have been the beneficiary of the very system they honor, we should listen to them. This is a justice issue. It is not a political, or economics issue, or at least ought not to be. Buffet understands this.  He is worried that the Golden Goose will be slain out of ignorance.

His message may be too late! Seems Congress thinks otherwise and has been following a perilous course now for nearly 12 years. They protect those who do not need protection while those who do, are left alone in the wind of chance.

Another find on the Internet:

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Author Unknown)

Think about that! How many times have you been stunned by a simple act by someone else? Whether done for you or someone you are observing, the very act gives you a peek at selflessness. It is a form of love and caring for ‘the other’ who are everywhere. Opening a door for a person loaded down with parcels, or leading a halting, lame person to a seat. Assisting someone up from a bench, or warning a pedestrian of a too-close car! These are actions that demonstrate caring. Small acts which keep our human identity front and center. They influence others. Unknown by self. Not done for self. But for others. Powerful.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) said: “Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.”

If this is what you want and expect from others for you, then you owe it to them in return. Even when you disagree. Even when our lives are starkly different. It is a form of shared identity with others in our culture, in our society. That is another way, in America, to say our nationhood. We share that, don’t we? We value difference, don’t we? Diversity? Cultural pluralism? There are few absolutes in cultural norms, are there? What makes life interesting and enriching is its diversity. Few nations in world history can claim such richness as America can. And yet we allow political discourse to settle on those differences as though they define who’s right and who’s wrong! Blather! Rot. Nonsense!

The Dalai Lama has stated over and over again: “Love is the absence of judgment.” Pretty basic stuff. Very simple. So hard to learn and live by.

But we can try. And we must. Each day we need to make the effort. Embrace and include. We are all one struggling to be. Let’s make that the best we can be! You never know who might be watching, and being influenced!

July 12, 2012