Value and You

Rocky received the following email message from a friend. She was sharing a thought I think we all should think about.  Here it is:

“Twenty Dollars

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you - but first, let me do this.”

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “what if I do this?” He dropped it on the
ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?”

Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No
matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still
priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know, but by …WHO WE ARE.”

What could I possible say that would add to the message?  I can’t.

Think on it and savor it.

Have a great weekend as we build up to the peace intended for this Holiday season.

December 8, 2012

Making Things Up

When is a cliff not a cliff?  When is a crisis not a crisis?

The answer for both questions is: when politicians make up different definitions for the same term.

The fiscal cliff is not really a cliff. It is fiscal problem, however. But fixing it today or 4 months from now will cost the nation the same amount of money and resources. Timing doesn’t mean much unless you are playing the odds on the stock markets. Stock values will rise and fall based on the same set of baloney feelings and emotions regardless of what is done with the ‘fiscal cliff’. The real money is on value and those investors and stock gurus know it and act accordingly.

Now, back to the fiscal cliff that isn’t.

First, once the dreaded legislation passed two years ago goes into effect because the congressional personnel simply cannot perform their jobs, two things will happen:

a.       Income tax rates will revert to Clinton era rates; that is a hefty increase for everyone. But remember, you don’t pay those taxes until 2014. That gives the politicians even more time to waste in considering alternative solutions. And they will!

b.      Massive spending cuts will occur immediately. This is a good exercise in management. Core functions will always get done; marginal ones will be suspended until someone figures out what the final solutions will be. These cuts will cause pain for those immediately affected and a lot of attention will be spent on changing the cuts and that’s when real compromise will begin.

Second, with the above in operation, congress will finally get the message that they have jobs to do and are responsible for the results. Not the President just because you want voters to blame him when it is you who deserves all the blame.

Third, compromise will occur as voters come down hard on the members of the House and Senate. Republicans will get the full credit for the debacle.

Fourth, once the issues are settled, income taxes will drop back to Bush rates with the sole exception for households earning more than $250,000. Even they will have the lower rates on the first $250,000 of income.

Fifth, spending cuts will be adjusted for the important things and left slashed for those that are not supportable in the final analysis.

There.  You have it. No cliff. No crisis. Just chaos engaged and solved. Through compromise under fire rather than under cool, calm and collected circumstances.  And the Democrats will come out of all of this smelling like a rose. Republicans will be besmirched for another decade as do nothings.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama will enter the history books for calling the bluff of Boehner and McConnell. And the Tea Party. And Sarah Palin and John McCain.

It is a hard victory to win but one that must be done. It is even a harder loss to stomach but one the Republicans crafted all by themselves.

Boomerang anyone? Anyone?

December 7, 2012

Einstein's Lessons

The other day Rocky found this on Facebook.  I think this is a good time to consider the breadth and depth of Albert Einstein.  We hold him in high esteem. We think of him as a genius. In many ways he was. But listen to what he says about all of this.

10 Lessons from Einstein

1. Follow Your Curiosity
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

2. Perseverance is Priceless
“It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

3. Focus on the Present
“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

4. The Imagination is Powerful
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

5. Make Mistakes
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

6. Live in the Moment
“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”

7. Create Value
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

8. Don’t be repetitive
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

9. Knowledge Comes From Experience
“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Each of these lessons is pure gold. Much could be written on each and probably has. So I will restrain myself to a few comments only.

First, curiosity creates a meaningful question in our mind to answer. That is when we learn the most – finding the answer to our curious questions.

Second, homing in on a topic allows the mind to understand its mysteries better. Clarity of thought comes from sticking to the topic.

Third, life happens in the present. The future is where we are headed but not just yet! The past provides lessons and context. But the present is what needs our attention.

Fourth, imagination is the fancy that fuels curiosity. It drives us purposefully forward and should be indulged if we are to come up with fresh ideas.

Fifth, mistakes teach us a lot. If no mistakes are happening then nothing new is being attempted. We learn from trial and error. Let the mistakes happen; just understand them as fully as possible.

Sixth, living in the moment is like lesson number three. Now is not past or future. But it makes its own past and prepares for its own future. Living in the now focuses our attention and creativity.

Seventh, being of value isn’t about money or success. If a person strives to live a worthwhile life he or she learns what is important. Money is a necessity but does not define value in the broadest sense.

Eighth, repetition when used in testing hypotheses still relies on slight variations to learn what works. That is the scientific method. But doing the same thing over and over again truly is nuts if we expect different results each time. Add new things to expand your universe.

Ninth, amen! Experience expands knowledge (see # 8). Information may contain facts but that alone is not knowledge. Experiencing what works and understanding why is knowledge. It can be used moving forward.

Tenth, another way of knowing working protocols and methods. Know them and become expert at using them. The world will unfold before your very eyes.

Each time I encounter a quote from Einstein it stops me in my tracks. I don’t expect anything simple from Einstein. Yet it is. At its root is simplicity. We are very good at messing this up!

December 6, 2012

Fiscal Cliff Values

Yesterday I wrote much about taking responsibility for the fiscal cliff issue.  Today I just want to offer a few pithy quotes from others that we need to remember as the fiscal cliff is approached and hopefully avoided.

First, Tony Benn suggests:

            “If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people.”

Second, former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis offered this opinion:

“We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

Third, Andy Borowitz demands the following:

“If we’re looking for ways to cut the deficit, maybe stop invading countries for absolutely no reason.”

Fourth, from www.PeacefulMindPeacefulLife.org provides this guide:

            “The three R’s:

                        -Respect for self;

                        -Respect for others;

                        -Responsibility for all my actions.”

Fifth, John McCain claims to know if someone is capable and worthy of being named as Secretary of State. Yet he claims Sarah Palin was worthy to serve as Vice President. What does this say about John McCain’s powers of discernment?

Sixth, if four American deaths in Benghazi deserve more answers, what answers do the 5000 American military dead in Iraq and the 2000 American military service personnel dead in Afghanistan deserve?

Seventh, if we Americans believe in balance and fairness, then we also should believe that each of us has a purpose in life, a value to add to the nation. Each of us deserves respect – rich and poor, brilliant and dim, healthy and unhealthy, young and old. Each of us has a responsibility to serve others and the common good. If a person doesn't do that, then they reap the bitter fruit of loneliness, poverty of spirit and probably poverty of purse!

Eighth, much work is done for our benefit whether we realize it or not. This is true for the rich as well as the poor. It is more obvious for the poor, certainly. But the rich benefit from our education system, money and banking system, justice system, transportation and highway system – all of these benefit all citizens. The rich rely on these systems, however, to support their enterprises that fuels their wealth. And we all paid for it one way or another.

I was at a family gathering recently – it’s the season, don’t you know?  I was labeled by one person that I was a liberal. This from a self avowed conservative. I demurred and claimed a centrist position. She scoffed at that. I told her plainly that from her position I was clearly not as conservative as she, or was more liberal than she; however, that does not make me a liberal. Besides, I get to label myself, not anyone else. If she really cares to understand why that is, open and honest discussions have to take place between the two of us. She needs to understand my position. I need to understand hers. In such discussions much will be discovered to be similar if not alike! Not doing this work is lazy.

Our nation deserves all of our attention. It is not a conservative issue, a centrist issue or a liberal one. It is an American issue. We have lots of work to do. If we don’t recognize that, then how can we expect our elected representatives to know what to do? No wonder they are confused!

December 5, 2012

The Orphan Strategy

The two teenage brothers were on trial for murdering their parents. After 10 days of testimony and legal motions and jargon, the jury announced their guilty verdict. Several more days of legal skirmishing transpired and finally the boys were asked by the judge if they had anything to say for themselves before they were sentenced.

The boys looked at each other and quickly rose to address the judge. They passionately told the judge that they truly felt that they deserved mercy on account they were orphans.

I first heard this story when I was in high school. Although meant as a joke the story has stayed with me at least 50 years. And why?

Because I recognize the pity strategy in others all the time: make a mess of your own life and then ask for special treatment because you are hurting! Sound familiar to you, too?

How about driving the economy into the abyss and blaming the next guy in the White House to fix it if he can, or dare! Then stand around throwing blockades in front of him and his team every time they do address the problem with a solution.

The recent national election aired this dirty issue in public for over 2 years, really more like 4 years. Republican leaders bragged about doing everything they could to make Obama a one term president (both McConnell and Boehner were quoted as having made statements life that).

It didn't work. Voters gave Obama credit for trying to repair the economic damage done by the previous administration. Voters also recognized in the main that Republicans were obstructing the necessary repairs.

Now comes the day of reckoning.  The so called Fiscal Cliff was made by George W. Bush and his congressional leaders. The solution was an agreement that the budget problems and deficit repair would be left to January 1, 2013; if the parties could not agree to a compromise, then serious budget reductions and tax increases would go into effect. The agreement was not a fix; it was kicking the can down the alley, buying time so maybe something tricky could be accomplished, especially if an election or two could be won with the power to do their own desired action.

It didn’t work. Time has run out. Those that made the mess still are ducking the blame, and still are pushing the problem on the back of everyone else. Only this time the public knows the score.

If taxes rise for everyone after the January 1 deadline, the Republicans will shoulder the blame. They have not offered a plan to compromise with the President or Democrat leaders in Congress. Only one side has offered a plan – the President’s. Only gripes and grimaces come from the Republicans.

It is time for them to offer their solution in clear detail. Don’t like the Obama solution? Then what do you suggest? That’s how wheeling and dealing transpires.

Tax rates for those households earning more than $250,000 annually will need to pay more. Why? Because they have the money to pay the tab. No one else does. That’s the nature of the problem we are living with.

Great cuts in defense spending are possible with the end of the war in Iraq. Also, reduced spending in Afghanistan allows defense spending to decline. Continued expense for restocking military stores is reasonable. Also research and development of less costly military methods is reasonable. But an overall reduction of defense spending by $200 or $300 billion is eminently easy to manage.

Entitlements? What are they? Seems to me this is a political code word for welfare. We already trimmed down welfare immensely. Did that in the 1990’s under Clinton, remember? No, the only entitlements I can think of are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  Trouble is, trust funds are funded for Social Security and Medicare and both are liquid and solvent. Medicare will need some tweaks to make sure it continues functioning properly, but cuts? No, not needed at this time. Social Security continues to be tweaked periodically so it lives within actuarial experience. Both Social Security and Medicare are not federal deficit components. They do not contribute to the deficit one penny.

Now I am not sure of Medicaid. That is a budgetary item. But it is also a base-line human services item that helps people in need of medical attention when they do not have money for such services. Do we let them go unattended? Is that the Republican plan? Our American values dictate that we care for the less fortunate. It is hard enough to be in that category; let’s not make it even worse!

Taxpayer deductions should not be on the table. What should be on the table is a vast simplification of the income tax system. Many have tried but all have failed precisely because it is the elephant in the room that no one wishes to recognize. No one wants to really fix the problem because they fear blame at the ballot box. Compromise is needed but scarce among political ‘leaders’. Meanwhile our economy suffers and ‘we the people’ suffer.

It is a shame. Political parties are partners of shame in this fiasco.  All parties are responsible for the problem and the solution. Failing that it is up to the rest of us.

Next primary election, do not vote for an incumbent unless he/she has clearly tried to offer workable solutions. Also, let us begin a dialogue on what we expect from our elected representatives. For starters I think the following items should be among the solutions:

1. No separate benefits for elected officials; they earn the same Social Security and Medicare benefits as the rest of us taxpayers.
2. Cut Senators to one per state; that’s right, only 50 senators elected
3. Cut the House of Representatives in half; make their districts much larger so they have to represent more diversity among their constituents
4. Remove deficit ceiling decisions from Congressional purview; allow Presidential veto of spending bills trim deficits from a runaway Congress
5. Ask economists in the academic community (a Blue Ribbon Panel if you prefer) begin the arduous task of designing a new tax system that funds the federal government adequately. Simplify the collection and reporting of income taxes so accountants and experts are not needed by the average taxpayer. Do not rely on a flat tax; continue to expect higher taxes from those who benefit the most from our economic system and who clearly have the ability to pay.

These are not easy solutions to implement. Neither is running a democracy. The question is: do we want to manage our democracy for the benefit of all or for the reward of a few? That is the core question and value we all must come to grips with.

Otherwise I guess we rely on the 'orphan strategy' and await magical mercy!

December 4, 2012

Some Quickies

I've read several quips lately that are sharable here. They are not very discussable but they have an impact that is interesting. Some you may agree with completely; others you probably don’t agree with. That’s not the point of sharing them with you today.

The point is their juxtaposition. We see these sort of things nearly every day, or hear them being said. In our open culture we are free to hear and say these things. The discerning mind accepts and rejects what it will. See what your mind makes of them.

First, from the Occupy Wall Street folks:

            “Why is it easier to believe that 150,000,000 Americans are being lazy

             Rather than 400 Americans are being greedy?”

Second, a repeat from Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent-Vermont:

“This country does in fact have a serious deficit problem. But the reality is that the deficit was caused by two wars – unpaid for. It was caused by huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country. It was caused by a recession as a result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street. And if those are the causes of the deficit, I will be damned if we’re going to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the sick, the children, and the poor. That’s wrong.”

Third, from www.ConnectTheDotsUSA.com:

            “We’re Getting Screwed!

            Hospital stay (1 day): USA, $3969; Germany, $632; Switzerland, $690;

            Coronary Bypass: USA, $67,583; Germany, $16,578; Switzerland, $25,486

            Angiogram: USA, $798; Canada, $35; Switzerland, $212

            MRI Scan: USA, $1080; Germany, $599; France, $281

            Baby Delivery: USA, $9,280; Canada, $3195; Germany, $2157”

Fourth, Iceland’s President explains how his country recovered so quickly from their recession:

“The government bailed out the people and imprisoned the banksters – the  opposite of what America and the rest of Europe did.”

Fifth, Rosa Parks told us:

            “I had no idea that history was being made. I was just

             Tired of giving up.”

Sixth, Tony Bennett shares this advice:

            “If you follow your passion,

             You’ll never work a day in your life.”

Seventh, an unknown internet picture gram made this point:

            “An egg is not a chicken.

             An acorn is not a tree.

             A silkworm is not a dress.

             A sperm is not a person.

             This is not a difficult concept.”

Eighth, another unattributed item from the internet:

            “Costco’s CEO pays his employees $17/hour on average, plus benefits.

             He earns less then $500,000, and  refuses Wall Street demands to cut

             Employee salaries and benefits.”

Ninth, another unattributed picture gram from the Internet:

            “If we want to get Fiscal Cliff deal, Social Security should be on the table.

             No! Social Security doesn't contribute to the deficit, you moron!”

Tenth, another Internet item unattributed:

            “Before we were Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs…

                        We were human.

            The funny thing is that we still are;

            We have just forgotten it.”

Eleventh, Ozzy Amos of Formidable Republican Opposition says:

“During the Obama Administration Republicans racked up the highest number of filibusters in American history. Republicans also set a record by passing less than 3% of all bills introduced. Meet your ‘Do-Nothing Congress.’

Mitch McConnell stated: ‘The American people want less partisanship in this town, but everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster, if they choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic debate, then the fighting, the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse.’

Worse than 3%?  Really Mitch?

That is not democratic debate; it’s abuse!”

Twelfth, Warren Buffet has simply stated:

            “If 25 Republicans put country before party we won’t go over the fiscal cliff.”

And finally, thirteenth, from www.Daveswordsofwisdom.com:

“When I look back on my life I can see the pain I've endured, the mistakes I've made and the hard times I've suffered. When I look in the mirror I see how strong I've become, the lessons I've learned and I’m proud of who I am.”

All of these fit together in an odd sort of way. Give them some thought today?

December 3, 2012

Weekend Thought

A house becomes a home when……?

Well, when those you love reside there. Or where memories of those you have loved find a nest in your surroundings. Or when you feel at rest and at peace – to be you in freedom and security. That’s home.

I suppose home is made anywhere you make it so, whether temporary or permanent. As I contemplate the thought, though, I think home is where my mind is at peace and free to roam anywhere it wishes.

Perhaps Plato said it best:

            “A house that has a library in it has a soul~”

These days home libraries are not what they were decades ago. Today bookcases are rare in homes let alone whole libraries. But then we have public libraries, electronic readers, IPads, and computers to serve our reading needs.

We have three bookcases crammed in double rows in our home. And the books there are read sometimes two and three times before sharing with others or packed away in the attic. And years later the attic literature is returned to the living room for yet another read.

And yes, we have electronic readers and computer access to a lot of literature. We read a lot. That passion has allowed us to write as well, to share thoughts with other people. It is a big circle that feeds well upon itself.

What role does reading have in your life? How often, how broad, and with what literary depth? Is reading an entertainment for you or an intellectual exercise? And with how much passion does your reading occur?

Just thought I’d pose that thought to you today. Have a nice weekend!

December 1, 2012