I promise that this will not be some sappy why I’m thankful for this and that column. Not that I’m not thankful, I’m thankful for plenty, but this is a tribute to my favorite holiday, not a laundry list of gratitude. That’s right, my favorite holiday, take that Christmas and the Fourth of July! There is a holiday pecking order, with St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Cinco de Mayo at the bottom of the list, and the aforementioned big three at the top, with Turkey Day in the number one slot. Sure when I was a kid, and when my kids were little, Christmas topped the list. Nothing like the joy and wonderment of a kid on Christmas morning rushing to see what Santa has left under the tree. But those days are past, and while December 25 still has its cache, it has been overtaken in the voters poll, which unlike the convoluted college football system consists of one voter, me!
If this were a Jazz album, which are the best kind of albums, here’s what it would be. It would be titled Thanksgiving Traditions, and it would have five tracks, all ranging from 10 to 25 minutes in length. It would have cool pictures on the front cover and some great album art on the back, and the liner notes would read like this:
Track 1-Feasting (16:45)
This is the heart and soul of the Thanksgiving tradition, the raison d’ atre for the original celebration. Don’t let the textbooks fool you with stories of Indians and Pilgrims loving on each other, the intent of the original feast was, as with fall festivals from ancient times onward, to celebrate the fall harvest by stuffing as much of it into your belly as possible in one sitting, and to wash it all down with as much libation as necessary in order to forget how much of a pig you just made of yourself. Turkey Day is the one day of the year, more than any other, where it is alright to let go of all inhibitions and eat and drink until your heart and belly is content. What better way to do it than with plump juicy poultry, stuffing, potatoes, beans, corn, rolls, and whatever else you can fit on your plate. A good bottle of wine, a better bottle of Russian vodka, and a recliner to retire to after it’s over, and this track is a favorite of generations. It’s also a day to be thankful that you’re not a vegetarian.
Track 2-Football (23:22)
Secondary to the feast is the festival of football. Pro football in the middle of the week, need I say more. Ok, so we’re stuck with the hapless Detroit Lions for the appetizer, but it still beats the hell out of the Macy’s Day Parade and some Rachel Ray marathon where you are made to feel somehow inadequate as a human being because you didn’t make your stuffing from scratch the way old Grandma Ray used to. Besides, maybe one day the Lions will be good again, rumor has it they were studs back in the 50’s. Then you get to root against the Dallas Cowboys in the afternoon, which is a great tradition in and of itself. America’s team? Yeah, like the Republicans are America’s party. Even though the games were all dogs yesterday, including the night game which is a new feature to the menu, so long as you have the NFL Network, a bad pro football game is still better than a good version of most anything else that’s on the tube on a holiday.
Track 3-Family (18:52)
This is the best track of the album, because without it the others wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable. What fun is it to gorge yourself on food and football without loved ones to share it with? Who would press me to get the turkey in the oven by noon, or bust my chops when I once again screw something up by taking it out too soon, or not soon enough, or spilling the drippings all over the kitchen counter, or not getting back from my holiday run in time to be over to my sister-in-laws by the allotted time. Without family there would be no one to drink with, no one to get into political arguments with over dinner, no one to complain to about how lousy the stinking Lions are, do those guys even practice defense during the week? Family is where it’s at for me, and this day is one spent with the people I love and enjoy the most, the exception this year being that my parents couldn’t make the trip out to the desert, but at least we got to chat on the phone and they were with us in spirit.
Track 4-Four Day Weekend (24:59)
This one takes the cake, nothing like back to back jacks, which is what the four day weekend is. We get a weekend, then we get another one. I have to admit that I’m spoiled as a school teacher, I’m accustomed to a two week winter break, a one week spring break, every holiday on the books, and summer vacation, but I still appreciate this long weekend. As far as I’m concerned, Black Friday means that people have to work the day after Thanksgiving, and I think we should abolish it. People can wait another day to start spending their money, one less shopping day until Xmas won’t kill anyone. For that matter, they could improve Xmas by having it on a Thursday no matter what, it’s not like we can really be certain of the exact date of birthdays from antiquity anyways, and as it is mostly a secular holiday in a nation where a third of the people aren’t even Christians, and probably at least half of those who claim to be Christians aren’t really hard core practitioners, this would allow us to have a similar four day weekend a month later. Anything to get us more four day weekends and the three day weeks that precede them is good in my book, and if we can piss off some Mormons and other high and mighty religious types by changing a supposedly sacred date on the calendar, all the better. Besides, nobody ever knows when exactly Easter is supposed to be, and that’s the holiest day on the Christian calendar.
Track 5-Feasting (Alternate Take) (14:15)
Ahh, leftovers! Does it get any better than leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, beans, corn, rolls, and whatever else you couldn’t pile up on your plate the first time around. And the deserts, don’t forget the deserts. My wife went to town this year, making not only her famous chocolate pie, but also pumpkin bars and an accidental pumpkin cheesecake. Accidental because we went to the market to get the ingredients for what she thought she was making, only it turns out she had the recipe mismatched with the picture on the card and ended up getting stuff to make the wrong thing. But like any good jazz track, improvisation is the key and I certainly had no complaints with the final product. I also started my own new tradition, the cleaning of the carcass where I came home from the original feast, grabbed my shaker of Greek seasoning, and proceeded to pick clean the bones of what was once a mighty and proud bird. The best meat is always that which is closest to the bone, and there is something gratifying about a bite that you really have to work for, my dad taught me the art and appreciation of cleaning the bone when I was a little boy, and I have to say I’ve got it down pretty darn pat. When I’m done with a bone, the dogs look at me with that mixture of envy, awe, and disappointment because they know I left nothing to chance. Besides you can’t give them poultry bones anyways, and my mom always taught me never to waste food.
So there you have it, the album of the year, a sure fire hit and one destined to be repeated again at the same time next year. Like all good traditions and good jazz albums, it only gets better with time, as improvements are made and improvisations find their way into the mix. Until next year, you can have your white Christmas, I’ll be dreaming of a white meat orgy, with a drumstick and some pumpkin bars thrown into the mix for good measure.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Predictions and Predelictions
It is time for that most dangerous of activities, making predictions and then actually publishing them online, because then you can’t go back and armchair quarterback quite so easily. Hindsight is 20-20 as they say, but forecasting is, as my father-in-law used to say, mostly guessing. So here goes my somewhat educated guesses as to what the future may hold in store.
The first two years of the Obama presidency, one that I think has the potential for greatness, will be a tough and bumpy ride. There are so many thorny issues to deal with, and I sense that the expectations are that he can wave his magic wand and make it all better, the way mom used to do when you weren’t feeling well. And since skipping school and staying home to watch TV all day isn’t a viable option here, our next president, along with his constituency, is going to have to get out the heavy duty work gloves and get after it.
The economy is in a serious recession, and the potential is for a severe and lasting downturn. Of course no one has a crystal ball when it comes to such things, but my prediction is for less than another great depression but more than just a temporary downturn. The markets produce much of our wealth, now that we don’t really make stuff anymore, and since many of the services we provide currently can be provided half a world away just as well and for much less cost. We need a new economic model as it pertains to production, because like the Springsteen song says, those jobs are goin’ son, and they ain’t comin’ back.
As unemployment continues to rise, as it generally does in a downward economic spiral, consumers don’t have easy credit to turn to, which will only accelerate the spiral. The good news for consumers, at least those who hold onto their jobs, is that prices will come down as demand lessens, which is exactly what we have seen with gas prices as the price of oil on the world market has dropped from near $150 per barrel to around $50 per barrel of the good stuff, the light sweet crude that we refine and put in our tanks. Today I saw a one to the left of the decimal on the big board out in front of the filling station, which is a sight for sore eyes indeed. I can once again fill up my tank without having to get a co-signer.
Of course, the downside of this development is what my wife worries about, that Americans with short-term vision and shorter memories will go back to the ways that got us into the mess in the first place. I argue with her that people are smarter than that, but just as I made the observation that I haven’t seen many SUV’s with the new vehicle tags, and that the lack of available credit and the recession will be mitigating factors, I then saw an SUV with new plates on the freeway. SUV’s are not evil per se, but they are certainly indicative of a society that produces way too little and consumes way to much, and we are living in a way that is not sustainable, for our economy, our national security, and most of all our planet. I certainly hope that we don’t revert back to old consumption patterns, and the jury will remain out on that one for awhile.
There are other pressing issues that Obama will have to deal with, of course once he solves the dilemmas of where to send his kids to school, what church to attend, and what doggie to get for the kiddos. We are in two wars in Asia that need to be brought to an end sooner rather than later, and we now have a belligerent Russia to deal with, not to mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the question of how best to deal with Iran. All of these foreign policy issues will require a deft touch, and may not yield tangible results in the short run.
Ditto for our vital domestic issues, namely our energy and environmental policies, which are also crucial foreign affairs concerns. Health care and education reform must take place, and all of these issues have one thing in common. They are complex and require long-term solutions, and we live in a short-term society with a political system that is in constant campaign mode. The fact that we have designed our congressional districts to be highly partisan works completely against the type of bipartisan solutions that are so frequently discussed during campaigns but so infrequently executed during the periods of governance, which are getting shorter as the campaign cycles grow longer, kind of like how fall seems to be a two week break now between the hot summer and cold winter. But hey, global warming is just a theory right?
The soon to be opposition party must decide between two camps, the intellectual camp on the one side, as represented by such respectable conservatives as Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindall, and Tim Pawlenti, versus the socio-religious side, represented by Sarah Palin and her followers. My sense is that the intellectual side, let’s call them the intel-cons, will win the day over the hawkish neo-cons and the know-nothings represented by Palin and Pals. But on this one I must admit the crystal ball is quite foggy, and I’m predicting more with hope than anything else.
Another area where my sense is more of a predilection than a prediction is when it comes to the young people, black folks, and other first time voters that joined the party this campaign. Will they continue to be engaged in the process and have their voices heard and ideas contributed, or will they bury their head back in the sand in hopes that Aladdin will just pull out the magic lamp and make it all better? Again, my hope is for the former scenario, but I certainly can see the latter taking place.
How will the 111th Congress govern? Will they usher in a new era of sensible and efficient government reforms and institute policies that are designed to improve our society, or will they lose focus and do what the majority party often does, which is to act more to protect their privileged status rather than to actually govern. If there is a mandate from the voters, it is to get things done in a way that helps the most people possible while doing as little damage as is feasible. On many issues that will require patience, sacrifice, and engagement on the part of both the Congress and their constituency. Whether we can all pull it out remains to be seen. My prediction here is that a mostly unsuccessful 111th will give way to a more moderate and effective 112th Congress in a couple of years.
I also feel that Mr. Obama will struggle in the next two years, as he tries to govern wisely while trying not to disappoint the millions that have put lofty expectations upon him. The economic, political, military, and social climate is not an easy one to navigate, and he is also saddled with a Congress that while solidly Democratic, is historically independent and more concerned with their own issues and re-election than with governing. The response to the Big 3 bailout will be a telling sign. Watch for this scenario: The Congress will talk tough, ask for plans, demand that the execs fly coach for the next big meeting, but ultimately will cave and give away what’s left of the farm. If they do, I believe it is a sign that the business is usual sign is shining brightly on Capitol Hill, and all the usual customers will be lining up at the trough, the losers of course will be the common folks like you and me, whose concerns will get bumped to the back of the line.
My final prediction then is this: We are in for a rough time over the next couple years. Things will get worse before they get better. We will see a fundamental shift in our economic model, in what we produce, how we consume, and the way in which it is all distributed. We will no longer be the sole superpower in the world, economically, militarily, or politically. But like the song says, we will survive, we do know how to stay alive. We will emerge from these next few years leaner, and hopefully stronger, fitter, and more just as a nation, a society, and as a member of the world community. The America of the 21st century will be different than the America of the late 20th, but that is not something to fear or lose sleep over. We will continue to be a major player and a powerful force in the world. We will get our house in order and serve as an example for others in the world and for future generations. How do I know this? Of course I don’t know it, but it is just the sense I get, the hope that I have, and as always it will be interesting to say the least to see how things actually develop. If I’m more right than wrong, I’ll refer people back to this posting. If not, there’s always the delete button. Let’s hope that won’t be necessary.
The first two years of the Obama presidency, one that I think has the potential for greatness, will be a tough and bumpy ride. There are so many thorny issues to deal with, and I sense that the expectations are that he can wave his magic wand and make it all better, the way mom used to do when you weren’t feeling well. And since skipping school and staying home to watch TV all day isn’t a viable option here, our next president, along with his constituency, is going to have to get out the heavy duty work gloves and get after it.
The economy is in a serious recession, and the potential is for a severe and lasting downturn. Of course no one has a crystal ball when it comes to such things, but my prediction is for less than another great depression but more than just a temporary downturn. The markets produce much of our wealth, now that we don’t really make stuff anymore, and since many of the services we provide currently can be provided half a world away just as well and for much less cost. We need a new economic model as it pertains to production, because like the Springsteen song says, those jobs are goin’ son, and they ain’t comin’ back.
As unemployment continues to rise, as it generally does in a downward economic spiral, consumers don’t have easy credit to turn to, which will only accelerate the spiral. The good news for consumers, at least those who hold onto their jobs, is that prices will come down as demand lessens, which is exactly what we have seen with gas prices as the price of oil on the world market has dropped from near $150 per barrel to around $50 per barrel of the good stuff, the light sweet crude that we refine and put in our tanks. Today I saw a one to the left of the decimal on the big board out in front of the filling station, which is a sight for sore eyes indeed. I can once again fill up my tank without having to get a co-signer.
Of course, the downside of this development is what my wife worries about, that Americans with short-term vision and shorter memories will go back to the ways that got us into the mess in the first place. I argue with her that people are smarter than that, but just as I made the observation that I haven’t seen many SUV’s with the new vehicle tags, and that the lack of available credit and the recession will be mitigating factors, I then saw an SUV with new plates on the freeway. SUV’s are not evil per se, but they are certainly indicative of a society that produces way too little and consumes way to much, and we are living in a way that is not sustainable, for our economy, our national security, and most of all our planet. I certainly hope that we don’t revert back to old consumption patterns, and the jury will remain out on that one for awhile.
There are other pressing issues that Obama will have to deal with, of course once he solves the dilemmas of where to send his kids to school, what church to attend, and what doggie to get for the kiddos. We are in two wars in Asia that need to be brought to an end sooner rather than later, and we now have a belligerent Russia to deal with, not to mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the question of how best to deal with Iran. All of these foreign policy issues will require a deft touch, and may not yield tangible results in the short run.
Ditto for our vital domestic issues, namely our energy and environmental policies, which are also crucial foreign affairs concerns. Health care and education reform must take place, and all of these issues have one thing in common. They are complex and require long-term solutions, and we live in a short-term society with a political system that is in constant campaign mode. The fact that we have designed our congressional districts to be highly partisan works completely against the type of bipartisan solutions that are so frequently discussed during campaigns but so infrequently executed during the periods of governance, which are getting shorter as the campaign cycles grow longer, kind of like how fall seems to be a two week break now between the hot summer and cold winter. But hey, global warming is just a theory right?
The soon to be opposition party must decide between two camps, the intellectual camp on the one side, as represented by such respectable conservatives as Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindall, and Tim Pawlenti, versus the socio-religious side, represented by Sarah Palin and her followers. My sense is that the intellectual side, let’s call them the intel-cons, will win the day over the hawkish neo-cons and the know-nothings represented by Palin and Pals. But on this one I must admit the crystal ball is quite foggy, and I’m predicting more with hope than anything else.
Another area where my sense is more of a predilection than a prediction is when it comes to the young people, black folks, and other first time voters that joined the party this campaign. Will they continue to be engaged in the process and have their voices heard and ideas contributed, or will they bury their head back in the sand in hopes that Aladdin will just pull out the magic lamp and make it all better? Again, my hope is for the former scenario, but I certainly can see the latter taking place.
How will the 111th Congress govern? Will they usher in a new era of sensible and efficient government reforms and institute policies that are designed to improve our society, or will they lose focus and do what the majority party often does, which is to act more to protect their privileged status rather than to actually govern. If there is a mandate from the voters, it is to get things done in a way that helps the most people possible while doing as little damage as is feasible. On many issues that will require patience, sacrifice, and engagement on the part of both the Congress and their constituency. Whether we can all pull it out remains to be seen. My prediction here is that a mostly unsuccessful 111th will give way to a more moderate and effective 112th Congress in a couple of years.
I also feel that Mr. Obama will struggle in the next two years, as he tries to govern wisely while trying not to disappoint the millions that have put lofty expectations upon him. The economic, political, military, and social climate is not an easy one to navigate, and he is also saddled with a Congress that while solidly Democratic, is historically independent and more concerned with their own issues and re-election than with governing. The response to the Big 3 bailout will be a telling sign. Watch for this scenario: The Congress will talk tough, ask for plans, demand that the execs fly coach for the next big meeting, but ultimately will cave and give away what’s left of the farm. If they do, I believe it is a sign that the business is usual sign is shining brightly on Capitol Hill, and all the usual customers will be lining up at the trough, the losers of course will be the common folks like you and me, whose concerns will get bumped to the back of the line.
My final prediction then is this: We are in for a rough time over the next couple years. Things will get worse before they get better. We will see a fundamental shift in our economic model, in what we produce, how we consume, and the way in which it is all distributed. We will no longer be the sole superpower in the world, economically, militarily, or politically. But like the song says, we will survive, we do know how to stay alive. We will emerge from these next few years leaner, and hopefully stronger, fitter, and more just as a nation, a society, and as a member of the world community. The America of the 21st century will be different than the America of the late 20th, but that is not something to fear or lose sleep over. We will continue to be a major player and a powerful force in the world. We will get our house in order and serve as an example for others in the world and for future generations. How do I know this? Of course I don’t know it, but it is just the sense I get, the hope that I have, and as always it will be interesting to say the least to see how things actually develop. If I’m more right than wrong, I’ll refer people back to this posting. If not, there’s always the delete button. Let’s hope that won’t be necessary.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
An Indecent Proposal
Dear Congress,
I have a business proposal for your consideration. I plan to start a big company that produces products that people need and want, and that will allow me to employ hundreds of thousands of workers directly, and many more indirectly as my suppliers. This product will revolutionize the world we live in, allowing us to become more mobile and productive, and to generally increase our standards of living.
Sounds good so far right? Wait, there’s more. Once I am established, I will start producing products that people don’t really need anymore but I will spend lavishly on marketing to ensure them that they do want them, no, make that they need them to keep up with the times. I will make sure to negotiate contracts with my employers unions that are inflexible and offer benefits that I’m pretty sure in the long run I won’t be able to honor, but don’t worry because that’s where you come in, I’ll get to that later in my proposal. I will also hire a cadre of executives and pay them exorbitant salaries and bonuses, not to mention give them generous stock options because investors initially will bid up the price of my company, providing me with ample room to make mistakes in judgment. Think of this as the New York Yankees model, they can go out and spend 8 million dollars on a .260 hitting utility infielder because if it doesn’t work out, what the hell, they’re still rich and can waste money on someone else.
My products will be harmful to the environment, and will rely on a product that is generally provided, at a substantial cost, by dictators and other marginally democratic leaders of nations that are openly hostile towards us, thus providing a national security risk. I will get the nation addicted to this product, because without it they can’t use my product, and as I said before, my whole marketing campaign is designed to convince a gullible public that they can’t live without my product. In fact, my campaign will be so effective that it will actually impact where people live, and it will lead to a whole new model of urban development, or some might say lack thereof.
Now here is where you come in. Eventually I will be overtaken by foreign competitors, who are more nimble and efficient and actually produce a better product that people prefer to buy. I will hold them off for awhile with your help, as you will impose tariffs on them to make the cost of their products artificially higher for consumers, and when consumers nonetheless continue to buy the superior foreign product, together we will embark on a program to get people to feel guilty for not supporting American workers by buying my product. We won’t tell them that many tens of thousands of American workers are also employed by the competition, because that kind of ruins the narrative.
When this plan is not enough to keep the factory floors humming, I will steadfastly refuse to start producing more efficiently and more in line with what the market is demanding, because I can still make a tidy little profit for myself and my army of executives thanks to investors who will continue to subsidize my program, and that gullible public I mentioned previously will keep buying stuff they don‘t really need, at least until the easy credit spigot is turned off. When that happens, I will come to you, hat in hand, and ask you to give me the money I need to keep operations going until I can retool and become more efficient and effective, and to start producing a product that people would actually want to buy if they could get the credit to do so. Of course I won’t really do this, but that’s besides the point. I will sell this as saving American jobs, and then go one step further by framing this as saving an entire manufacturing industry, and an entire way of life, especially in the industrial heartland.
But here’s the best part, it’s not really your money, I’m simply asking you to exercise control of the taxpayers purse strings and to let a little bit spill out in my direction. Nobody will really even have to know, we can keep it our little secret, just as we have kept so many secrets from the public over so many years. A few annoying government watchdog types and kill joy fiscal conservatives will whine a little, but we are saving jobs here, protecting industry, looking out for investors, and oh yeah, the workers, it’s all about the workers, well, except for the 100,000 that have already lost their jobs due to my ineptitude and incompetence, but otherwise it’s about the workers. Almost forgot the best part, the real genius of the plan. We won’t dole out the cash all at once, lest that gain unwanted attention, but you will give it out in much smaller increments, say $25 billion at a time. When that doesn’t do the trick, and when my executives are starting to clamor for their next wave of fat bonus checks, we’ll just do another $25 billion. If you waste taxpayer money in smaller chunks people don’t seem to mind so much, call it the Iraq War funding model.
So you have my plan in front of you, and I would hope that you find it feasible and beneficial for the nation and for communities all across this great land. I will eagerly await your response, and in the meantime will be gathering as many donations as I can towards your next re-election campaign as I wait for my back to be scratched in return. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
The American Auto Industry
I have a business proposal for your consideration. I plan to start a big company that produces products that people need and want, and that will allow me to employ hundreds of thousands of workers directly, and many more indirectly as my suppliers. This product will revolutionize the world we live in, allowing us to become more mobile and productive, and to generally increase our standards of living.
Sounds good so far right? Wait, there’s more. Once I am established, I will start producing products that people don’t really need anymore but I will spend lavishly on marketing to ensure them that they do want them, no, make that they need them to keep up with the times. I will make sure to negotiate contracts with my employers unions that are inflexible and offer benefits that I’m pretty sure in the long run I won’t be able to honor, but don’t worry because that’s where you come in, I’ll get to that later in my proposal. I will also hire a cadre of executives and pay them exorbitant salaries and bonuses, not to mention give them generous stock options because investors initially will bid up the price of my company, providing me with ample room to make mistakes in judgment. Think of this as the New York Yankees model, they can go out and spend 8 million dollars on a .260 hitting utility infielder because if it doesn’t work out, what the hell, they’re still rich and can waste money on someone else.
My products will be harmful to the environment, and will rely on a product that is generally provided, at a substantial cost, by dictators and other marginally democratic leaders of nations that are openly hostile towards us, thus providing a national security risk. I will get the nation addicted to this product, because without it they can’t use my product, and as I said before, my whole marketing campaign is designed to convince a gullible public that they can’t live without my product. In fact, my campaign will be so effective that it will actually impact where people live, and it will lead to a whole new model of urban development, or some might say lack thereof.
Now here is where you come in. Eventually I will be overtaken by foreign competitors, who are more nimble and efficient and actually produce a better product that people prefer to buy. I will hold them off for awhile with your help, as you will impose tariffs on them to make the cost of their products artificially higher for consumers, and when consumers nonetheless continue to buy the superior foreign product, together we will embark on a program to get people to feel guilty for not supporting American workers by buying my product. We won’t tell them that many tens of thousands of American workers are also employed by the competition, because that kind of ruins the narrative.
When this plan is not enough to keep the factory floors humming, I will steadfastly refuse to start producing more efficiently and more in line with what the market is demanding, because I can still make a tidy little profit for myself and my army of executives thanks to investors who will continue to subsidize my program, and that gullible public I mentioned previously will keep buying stuff they don‘t really need, at least until the easy credit spigot is turned off. When that happens, I will come to you, hat in hand, and ask you to give me the money I need to keep operations going until I can retool and become more efficient and effective, and to start producing a product that people would actually want to buy if they could get the credit to do so. Of course I won’t really do this, but that’s besides the point. I will sell this as saving American jobs, and then go one step further by framing this as saving an entire manufacturing industry, and an entire way of life, especially in the industrial heartland.
But here’s the best part, it’s not really your money, I’m simply asking you to exercise control of the taxpayers purse strings and to let a little bit spill out in my direction. Nobody will really even have to know, we can keep it our little secret, just as we have kept so many secrets from the public over so many years. A few annoying government watchdog types and kill joy fiscal conservatives will whine a little, but we are saving jobs here, protecting industry, looking out for investors, and oh yeah, the workers, it’s all about the workers, well, except for the 100,000 that have already lost their jobs due to my ineptitude and incompetence, but otherwise it’s about the workers. Almost forgot the best part, the real genius of the plan. We won’t dole out the cash all at once, lest that gain unwanted attention, but you will give it out in much smaller increments, say $25 billion at a time. When that doesn’t do the trick, and when my executives are starting to clamor for their next wave of fat bonus checks, we’ll just do another $25 billion. If you waste taxpayer money in smaller chunks people don’t seem to mind so much, call it the Iraq War funding model.
So you have my plan in front of you, and I would hope that you find it feasible and beneficial for the nation and for communities all across this great land. I will eagerly await your response, and in the meantime will be gathering as many donations as I can towards your next re-election campaign as I wait for my back to be scratched in return. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
The American Auto Industry
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Saturday Rant
The Saturday Rant
Bailouts, Broken Promises, and the Big Squeeze
Saturday, November 15 2008
If it’s Saturday, it’s time to rant. As usual the week provides plenty of fodder for the verbal cannon, sometimes it is tough to choose only a few topics, but I have decided those most worthy of my gunpowder for this week are the failed economic bailout, the potential promises from the campaign trail that are likely not to be kept, and the situation that the average worker finds themselves in.
Henry Paulson is either incompetent, a charlatan, or just a flat out liar. And just like the Bush administration decision to sell us on a war in Iraq based on false premises, it doesn’t really matter what category the deception falls under because the end result is poor policy decisions that only exacerbate an already difficult situation.
Paulson and the Treasury Department he heads sold us on the notion that this bailout had to happen and it had to happen yesterday, lest we all fall into the abyss of economic ruin. But just as the Bush clan sold us on one idea then proceeded to change the game plan and the ultimate justification for it as quickly as you can say hoodwinked again, so Paulson and his crew are switching from buying up bad loans to buying bank stocks to who knows what. Like they say about the weather in the Midwest, if you don’t like Paulson’s bailout plan today, just wait because it’s likely to change tomorrow. Of course what do you expect when you’ve got the fox guarding the henhouse, and the body that is charged with oversight is that little old boys club we like to call the United States Congress.
Did anyone really think that the Congress would look out for the interest of their constituents over those of their clients? They rattled a few sabers against the Treasury plan, but in the end, after some heavy drama, special meetings, and despite overwhelming public opposition, they passed the bailout plan, even threw in an extra 150 billion in pork just for the heck of it. Now they tell us we need another bailout, but of course we can trust them to get this one right. When does it all end? When the foreign governments that are fueling our economic engine decide that the costs and the risks of investing in our debt are too high and they take their money elsewhere. When that will happen is anyone’s guess, but rest assured that it will happen if we continue to spend more than we bring in, it is simply a matter of time.
What also seems to be only a matter of time is when we can start chalking up all of the broken promises of the recently concluded presidential campaign. I am focusing on three key areas where the promises made were very clear and unequivocal, and right now I will set the over/under on promises kept at one.
The issues are withdrawal of the troops from Iraq, lowering taxes on the middle class while paying for it by raising taxes on the upper class, and starting a comprehensive program of health care reform. Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats ran on this platform, and we the people have been tuned in, and I believe will continue to stay turned on to see how these issues are dealt with. There was unprecedented interest and excitement regarding this campaign, but under the theme of be careful what you wish for, the Democrats now clearly hold the reigns of power and will be expected to come through and produce results on these issues.
Personally the withdrawal of troops seems like a no-brainer, and the easiest one for Obama to pull off because unlike the next two it does not require the cooperation of Congress and it has widespread public support. But I am also hearing that the Iraqi’s now want us there until 2011, and so I can see the justifications being offered to keep our soldiers there longer, and all I will say to our president-elect is to remember Hillary. She was the clear front-runner in this race until liberals like myself who feel strongly about the war decided that her vote for the war and refusal to acknowledge it as a mistake made her candidacy a non-starter for the doves. The quickest way to lose the support of the liberal base is to renege on the promise made regarding Iraq.
Show us the money! I am personally of the mindset that tax cuts for the middle class are not the most fiscally responsible way to go, and that the real problem lies in corporate greed and a rigged system that has kept wages stagnant while every possible ounce of productivity is extracted from the American worker, what I term the Big Squeeze. We are asked to do more work effectively for less, because while our wages tread water, the cost of living continues to rise, as do the exorbitant bonuses and benefits accorded to those at the top of the ladder. Tax policy won’t change that, but every bit does help and I certainly won’t turn it down.
But the tax cut for the middle class was sold along with an increase on the upper class as a means of paying for it without further increasing the national debt. I am sensing that the Obama camp is starting to back off of their pledge to pay for these cuts, and I have little to no confidence that the Congress, who ultimately is responsible for passing any such legislation, will actually pull the trigger. To make matters worse, all tax bills must originate in the House, and those members are already well into their reelection for 2010 mode and are unlikely to anger their benefactors who fund those expensive campaigns. How many of those donors do you think make under a hundred grand and how many make over a quarter of a million? Exactly.
Health care will be the most difficult to pull off because it requires not only Congressional support, but bi-partisan cooperation within the Congress. It also requires long term solutions in a system that is designed for the short-term. We haven’t even seen the 111th Congress and our new president sworn in, and already the fixation is on whether Sarah Palin will be the Republican front-runner for 2012. And we’re supposed to believe that the ADHD Congress can focus long enough to deal with real long term issues that need to be addressed now, like health care, energy policy, education reform, and environmental issues. Oh yeah, maybe I missed the memo on when we solved the whole Social Security solvency issue, but that one is hardly even mentioned anymore. Maybe they opened the lockbox they were so keen on mentioning back in 2000 and took care of that one. What’s that, the Bush tax cuts for the upper class and the ruinous Iraq War shattered the lock box? Curses, foiled again!
You have to have a sense of humor when dealing with where we are as a nation, lest you turn into a perpetual worrier or worse, one of those conspiracy theory types who is convinced that 9/11 was an inside job, that the Fed is a secret cabal bent on world domination, and that the government is trying to kill us all off by putting deadly particles in the air and allowing them to rain down on unsuspecting populations below, what is known as cloud seeding. I’m not making this stuff up either, there are many people who buy into these ideas, I know because I know some of them quite personally, they are what John Kerry aptly and I might add with great humor recently called the tin foil hat wearing black helicopter crowd.
A sense of humor, along with a keen watch on those in power is required to live in the great American democracy of the early 21st century. While we may not be able to actually effect the change we need, at least we can enjoy the ride. We still have a system of republican democracy that beats most other alternatives, and besides, if our government actually kept its promises and worked efficiently, effectively, and competently, what would a guy like me have to rant about on Saturday mornings?
Bailouts, Broken Promises, and the Big Squeeze
Saturday, November 15 2008
If it’s Saturday, it’s time to rant. As usual the week provides plenty of fodder for the verbal cannon, sometimes it is tough to choose only a few topics, but I have decided those most worthy of my gunpowder for this week are the failed economic bailout, the potential promises from the campaign trail that are likely not to be kept, and the situation that the average worker finds themselves in.
Henry Paulson is either incompetent, a charlatan, or just a flat out liar. And just like the Bush administration decision to sell us on a war in Iraq based on false premises, it doesn’t really matter what category the deception falls under because the end result is poor policy decisions that only exacerbate an already difficult situation.
Paulson and the Treasury Department he heads sold us on the notion that this bailout had to happen and it had to happen yesterday, lest we all fall into the abyss of economic ruin. But just as the Bush clan sold us on one idea then proceeded to change the game plan and the ultimate justification for it as quickly as you can say hoodwinked again, so Paulson and his crew are switching from buying up bad loans to buying bank stocks to who knows what. Like they say about the weather in the Midwest, if you don’t like Paulson’s bailout plan today, just wait because it’s likely to change tomorrow. Of course what do you expect when you’ve got the fox guarding the henhouse, and the body that is charged with oversight is that little old boys club we like to call the United States Congress.
Did anyone really think that the Congress would look out for the interest of their constituents over those of their clients? They rattled a few sabers against the Treasury plan, but in the end, after some heavy drama, special meetings, and despite overwhelming public opposition, they passed the bailout plan, even threw in an extra 150 billion in pork just for the heck of it. Now they tell us we need another bailout, but of course we can trust them to get this one right. When does it all end? When the foreign governments that are fueling our economic engine decide that the costs and the risks of investing in our debt are too high and they take their money elsewhere. When that will happen is anyone’s guess, but rest assured that it will happen if we continue to spend more than we bring in, it is simply a matter of time.
What also seems to be only a matter of time is when we can start chalking up all of the broken promises of the recently concluded presidential campaign. I am focusing on three key areas where the promises made were very clear and unequivocal, and right now I will set the over/under on promises kept at one.
The issues are withdrawal of the troops from Iraq, lowering taxes on the middle class while paying for it by raising taxes on the upper class, and starting a comprehensive program of health care reform. Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats ran on this platform, and we the people have been tuned in, and I believe will continue to stay turned on to see how these issues are dealt with. There was unprecedented interest and excitement regarding this campaign, but under the theme of be careful what you wish for, the Democrats now clearly hold the reigns of power and will be expected to come through and produce results on these issues.
Personally the withdrawal of troops seems like a no-brainer, and the easiest one for Obama to pull off because unlike the next two it does not require the cooperation of Congress and it has widespread public support. But I am also hearing that the Iraqi’s now want us there until 2011, and so I can see the justifications being offered to keep our soldiers there longer, and all I will say to our president-elect is to remember Hillary. She was the clear front-runner in this race until liberals like myself who feel strongly about the war decided that her vote for the war and refusal to acknowledge it as a mistake made her candidacy a non-starter for the doves. The quickest way to lose the support of the liberal base is to renege on the promise made regarding Iraq.
Show us the money! I am personally of the mindset that tax cuts for the middle class are not the most fiscally responsible way to go, and that the real problem lies in corporate greed and a rigged system that has kept wages stagnant while every possible ounce of productivity is extracted from the American worker, what I term the Big Squeeze. We are asked to do more work effectively for less, because while our wages tread water, the cost of living continues to rise, as do the exorbitant bonuses and benefits accorded to those at the top of the ladder. Tax policy won’t change that, but every bit does help and I certainly won’t turn it down.
But the tax cut for the middle class was sold along with an increase on the upper class as a means of paying for it without further increasing the national debt. I am sensing that the Obama camp is starting to back off of their pledge to pay for these cuts, and I have little to no confidence that the Congress, who ultimately is responsible for passing any such legislation, will actually pull the trigger. To make matters worse, all tax bills must originate in the House, and those members are already well into their reelection for 2010 mode and are unlikely to anger their benefactors who fund those expensive campaigns. How many of those donors do you think make under a hundred grand and how many make over a quarter of a million? Exactly.
Health care will be the most difficult to pull off because it requires not only Congressional support, but bi-partisan cooperation within the Congress. It also requires long term solutions in a system that is designed for the short-term. We haven’t even seen the 111th Congress and our new president sworn in, and already the fixation is on whether Sarah Palin will be the Republican front-runner for 2012. And we’re supposed to believe that the ADHD Congress can focus long enough to deal with real long term issues that need to be addressed now, like health care, energy policy, education reform, and environmental issues. Oh yeah, maybe I missed the memo on when we solved the whole Social Security solvency issue, but that one is hardly even mentioned anymore. Maybe they opened the lockbox they were so keen on mentioning back in 2000 and took care of that one. What’s that, the Bush tax cuts for the upper class and the ruinous Iraq War shattered the lock box? Curses, foiled again!
You have to have a sense of humor when dealing with where we are as a nation, lest you turn into a perpetual worrier or worse, one of those conspiracy theory types who is convinced that 9/11 was an inside job, that the Fed is a secret cabal bent on world domination, and that the government is trying to kill us all off by putting deadly particles in the air and allowing them to rain down on unsuspecting populations below, what is known as cloud seeding. I’m not making this stuff up either, there are many people who buy into these ideas, I know because I know some of them quite personally, they are what John Kerry aptly and I might add with great humor recently called the tin foil hat wearing black helicopter crowd.
A sense of humor, along with a keen watch on those in power is required to live in the great American democracy of the early 21st century. While we may not be able to actually effect the change we need, at least we can enjoy the ride. We still have a system of republican democracy that beats most other alternatives, and besides, if our government actually kept its promises and worked efficiently, effectively, and competently, what would a guy like me have to rant about on Saturday mornings?
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Road Ahead
The Friday Fix-The Road Ahead
Friday, November 14 2008
How many economists does it take to change a light bulb? I have no idea, but you can bet that they’ll screw it up somehow because while all of them will have advanced degrees from Harvard and M.I.T. in advanced theory of bulb changing, the fact is that none of them have probably actually changed one in years. Same holds true as far as the economy, how many of these so-called experts live in the real world and adhere to the principles of the real economy. How many of them have to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how to pay for the kids activities, the leaky faucet, the homeowners association fees that are coming due, the regular bills, and oh yeah, gas and groceries too?
Economists are to the real economy what the cable news and Sunday morning talking heads are to the real world of politics, that is to say they are mostly blowhards long on theory and extremely short on actual understanding of what it is that impacts ordinary average people. So what we need is an ordinary average guy or gal to break things down and give the perspective of the common man and woman. As luck would have it, I’m still waiting for the call from Brokaw to appear on the Meet the Press, so you get me on my little blog giving you what a one-time Republican candidate would call some straight talk. And if you want I’ll even call you my friends.
So my friends, here’s the lowdown. We are pretty screwed! I’m not sure how to sugar coat it, and quite frankly the problem is that we have been getting plenty of sugar coating, and the empty calories have left us feeling bloated but unsatisfied. If you want to know how the economy is doing, you need look no further than Wal-Mart. If our retail behemoth is just humming along with regular profits, the economy is probably doing pretty well. If their profits are up, that is a good sign that we are in recession, as more people give up the weekly trip to Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s for the always low priced staples that Wal-Mart delivers week after week without fail. But when even Wal-Mart is forecasting lowered profit expectations, which they just announced yesterday by the way, you know we are in for some serious stuff.
Why is Wal-Mart such a good indicator of the overall economy? Well for starters they employ more people than any entity other than the federal government, and we all know what their balance sheets are looking like these days. But mainly because when times get tough people tighten the old belt and suck it up and head to their local Wal-Mart for their groceries, household supplies, DVD’s, and about anything else you can think of.
Why are times so tough? The answer is actually quite simple, and it falls under the category of chickens coming home to roost. A few decades ago, corporate America took its cue from Ronald Reagan and decided to try a little trickle-down experiment of its own. CEO’s who used to make around 60 times what the rank and file worker brought home decided that they could hook themselves up with mega bonuses and generous stock option plans, and any crumbs left over would trickle down to the workers, who would be grateful just to have a job. And how has it worked out?
Quite well for the fat cats, as they now make nearly 300 times what the guy or gal in the cubicle makes, and most of us are just happy that in these tough economic times that we at least have jobs. Never mind that we were sold a bill of goods by our employers and our government, that we were promised that if we showed up on time and diligently attended to our duties, we would be rewarded with wages that at least kept up with inflation, health care that would actually cover expenses when we needed to use it, and a retirement plan that would still be solvent when we were ready to cash in on it.
Turns out the joke is on us, because the promises made were not the promises kept. So what did we middle class peasants do in order to continue to live the modest lifestyle we had come to expect? We borrowed, again taking the cue from another Republican administration, this time the horrendously inept Bush crew. We borrowed against the equity in our homes, and spent based on the value of our stock portfolios. We took out credit cards which came in the mail fast and furious, and racked up some pretty sizeable debt along the way. But it was fine because the markets would keep going up and our yearly raises would keep up with inflation. Until they didn’t, and the bottom dropped out.
I’ve heard economists talk about how the middle class went out on a spending spree, and to an extent this is true. We bought houses for more than we could really afford and big monster vehicles that clogged our roadways and polluted our air and left us with huge car payments and gas card bills. But mainly we borrowed to keep up with the cost of life, in order to cover all the unexpected expenses that crop up after the gas and groceries have been covered. And now that the housing and stock market bubbles have burst, and the credit card offers have dried up, we are tapped out. So we suck it up and go to Wal-Mart, order pizza instead of going out for an expensive meal, and we are starting to trade in our gas guzzlers for more sensible vehicles.
Whether this current downturn will turn out to be little more than a bump in the road, or a more serious detour is anyone’s guess, which is all any of us, the so-called experts included, are doing when we try to predict the future. I believe that this may end up being a more fundamental shift in our economy and in the way we produce, distribute, and consume goods and services.
My hope is that out of all of this, we end up with an economy and a society that saves more than we borrow, that produces more and consumes less, and that is more equitable and less excessive. We need to get our financial house in order. As individuals and collectively, we need get financially fit, and that usually entails some short-term pain but if done right the result is real and noticeable long-term gain.
Friday, November 14 2008
How many economists does it take to change a light bulb? I have no idea, but you can bet that they’ll screw it up somehow because while all of them will have advanced degrees from Harvard and M.I.T. in advanced theory of bulb changing, the fact is that none of them have probably actually changed one in years. Same holds true as far as the economy, how many of these so-called experts live in the real world and adhere to the principles of the real economy. How many of them have to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how to pay for the kids activities, the leaky faucet, the homeowners association fees that are coming due, the regular bills, and oh yeah, gas and groceries too?
Economists are to the real economy what the cable news and Sunday morning talking heads are to the real world of politics, that is to say they are mostly blowhards long on theory and extremely short on actual understanding of what it is that impacts ordinary average people. So what we need is an ordinary average guy or gal to break things down and give the perspective of the common man and woman. As luck would have it, I’m still waiting for the call from Brokaw to appear on the Meet the Press, so you get me on my little blog giving you what a one-time Republican candidate would call some straight talk. And if you want I’ll even call you my friends.
So my friends, here’s the lowdown. We are pretty screwed! I’m not sure how to sugar coat it, and quite frankly the problem is that we have been getting plenty of sugar coating, and the empty calories have left us feeling bloated but unsatisfied. If you want to know how the economy is doing, you need look no further than Wal-Mart. If our retail behemoth is just humming along with regular profits, the economy is probably doing pretty well. If their profits are up, that is a good sign that we are in recession, as more people give up the weekly trip to Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s for the always low priced staples that Wal-Mart delivers week after week without fail. But when even Wal-Mart is forecasting lowered profit expectations, which they just announced yesterday by the way, you know we are in for some serious stuff.
Why is Wal-Mart such a good indicator of the overall economy? Well for starters they employ more people than any entity other than the federal government, and we all know what their balance sheets are looking like these days. But mainly because when times get tough people tighten the old belt and suck it up and head to their local Wal-Mart for their groceries, household supplies, DVD’s, and about anything else you can think of.
Why are times so tough? The answer is actually quite simple, and it falls under the category of chickens coming home to roost. A few decades ago, corporate America took its cue from Ronald Reagan and decided to try a little trickle-down experiment of its own. CEO’s who used to make around 60 times what the rank and file worker brought home decided that they could hook themselves up with mega bonuses and generous stock option plans, and any crumbs left over would trickle down to the workers, who would be grateful just to have a job. And how has it worked out?
Quite well for the fat cats, as they now make nearly 300 times what the guy or gal in the cubicle makes, and most of us are just happy that in these tough economic times that we at least have jobs. Never mind that we were sold a bill of goods by our employers and our government, that we were promised that if we showed up on time and diligently attended to our duties, we would be rewarded with wages that at least kept up with inflation, health care that would actually cover expenses when we needed to use it, and a retirement plan that would still be solvent when we were ready to cash in on it.
Turns out the joke is on us, because the promises made were not the promises kept. So what did we middle class peasants do in order to continue to live the modest lifestyle we had come to expect? We borrowed, again taking the cue from another Republican administration, this time the horrendously inept Bush crew. We borrowed against the equity in our homes, and spent based on the value of our stock portfolios. We took out credit cards which came in the mail fast and furious, and racked up some pretty sizeable debt along the way. But it was fine because the markets would keep going up and our yearly raises would keep up with inflation. Until they didn’t, and the bottom dropped out.
I’ve heard economists talk about how the middle class went out on a spending spree, and to an extent this is true. We bought houses for more than we could really afford and big monster vehicles that clogged our roadways and polluted our air and left us with huge car payments and gas card bills. But mainly we borrowed to keep up with the cost of life, in order to cover all the unexpected expenses that crop up after the gas and groceries have been covered. And now that the housing and stock market bubbles have burst, and the credit card offers have dried up, we are tapped out. So we suck it up and go to Wal-Mart, order pizza instead of going out for an expensive meal, and we are starting to trade in our gas guzzlers for more sensible vehicles.
Whether this current downturn will turn out to be little more than a bump in the road, or a more serious detour is anyone’s guess, which is all any of us, the so-called experts included, are doing when we try to predict the future. I believe that this may end up being a more fundamental shift in our economy and in the way we produce, distribute, and consume goods and services.
My hope is that out of all of this, we end up with an economy and a society that saves more than we borrow, that produces more and consumes less, and that is more equitable and less excessive. We need to get our financial house in order. As individuals and collectively, we need get financially fit, and that usually entails some short-term pain but if done right the result is real and noticeable long-term gain.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reflections on 11/11
Ninety years ago today the battlefields of Europe fell silent for the first time in over four years, and the war that wrought more death and devastation than any other in the course of human history came to an indecisive end. Not indecisive in the traditional sense of warfare, the Allied Powers of primarily Britain, France, and the emerging United States claimed victory over the defeated German and Austrian empires, and the usual spoils of warfare were accorded. A most infamous peace treaty was signed at Versailles, France, that is widely credited with being so punitive to the Germans that it spawned the Second World War a mere generation later. So the Great War, what we more commonly refer to as World War I, came to an end on November 11, at 11:00 in the morning, and that is the reason why this day is marked throughout Europe and the U.S., what we celebrate, to use the term loosely, as Veterans Day.
The Great War was indecisive in that it failed to become as promised, the war to end all wars. Instead what it left our human society was a whole slew of new and innovative ways to kill each other, on a grand scale unimaginable only a century earlier. The Civil War was the first industrial war in which modern technology played a large role, with devastating consequences for both sides. But The Great War a half century later took mankind’s ability to destroy to a new level, and warfare ever since has been marked by what began almost a century ago. The Great War is one of the handful of watershed moments in the human narrative because it marks a fundamental shift not only in how we fight wars, but in our politics, in our dealings with one another, in a certain loss of our humanity, and we still feel the effects today.
Many of my high school students are amazed and exasperated that we have not advanced further as a human race than to be able to solve our differences diplomatically, or to just accept them and live with them. I share their sentiments, especially as I think of all the beauty there is in this world and of how much of a stake all of us have in sharing the planet peacefully. The belligerence that seems to go sometimes unnoticed and usually unchecked is shocking when you really stop to think about it. The debate in the recently concluded presidential campaign wasn’t about war and peace, it was about how many wars to fight and where to fight them. McCain wanted to bomb everyone and ask questions later, and even created songs about the feat. Obama wants to pull our troops out of one Asian boondoggle so that we can send them to another undefined war without end a bit further to the east. Does this sound like we have learned our lessons?
As many on the right, the so-called Hawks like to point out, the world is a dangerous place, and we have to be prepared to deal with those realities. There is an argument for peace through strength, the notion that if we are strong enough militarily that we can use our position of power as a deterrence to would be bad actors. I think there is something to this argument, I would agree that the world does have bad actors that would do us harm if they could, certainly 9/11 is such an example. I am not naïve to the realities of the world we live in, and I also agree that military strength can be an excellent deterrence. But the problem is that we’ve gotten the strength part nailed down, it’s the peace part that we are struggling with.
I heard someone at the coffee house earlier give a cheery Happy Veterans Day wish to someone else, presumably the recipient wasn’t even a veteran, it was just a greeting the way one might say Happy Halloween or Merry Christmas. There really is nothing happy about a day like today, anymore than you would approach a widow at a funeral and comment jovially about the beautiful weather that we are having. Today is a day to mark those, on all sides and from all nations and corners of the globe, that have sacrificed and continue as I write this to sacrifice the most precious commodity of all, human life, for the sake of war.
It is certainly also a day to honor our own nation’s veterans, and to mark the sacrifices that they and their families have made and continue to make in service of their country. Soldiers don’t write the game plan, they don’t determine when and against whom to go to war, they carry out the orders given to them with stoicism and bravery, they embody the spirit of the common good, and perform difficult and often horrendous tasks in the face of mortal danger, and for this they are to be commended.
But it is any nation’s duty to see to it that those who would accept the mission are not put into harms way unless it is absolutely necessary and vital to protect further human life. This is the only way that the ends can ever justify the means, no amount of territory or political prestige can ever justify the loss of human life. We must remain vigilant as a people that we hold our elected officials accountable to these standards, not only because it is in our best national interests, as our original commander-in-chief warned us brilliantly in his farewell address, but because what we support, and oppose, ultimately speaks to our humanity and truly defines what it means to be a human being.
The Great War was indecisive in that it failed to become as promised, the war to end all wars. Instead what it left our human society was a whole slew of new and innovative ways to kill each other, on a grand scale unimaginable only a century earlier. The Civil War was the first industrial war in which modern technology played a large role, with devastating consequences for both sides. But The Great War a half century later took mankind’s ability to destroy to a new level, and warfare ever since has been marked by what began almost a century ago. The Great War is one of the handful of watershed moments in the human narrative because it marks a fundamental shift not only in how we fight wars, but in our politics, in our dealings with one another, in a certain loss of our humanity, and we still feel the effects today.
Many of my high school students are amazed and exasperated that we have not advanced further as a human race than to be able to solve our differences diplomatically, or to just accept them and live with them. I share their sentiments, especially as I think of all the beauty there is in this world and of how much of a stake all of us have in sharing the planet peacefully. The belligerence that seems to go sometimes unnoticed and usually unchecked is shocking when you really stop to think about it. The debate in the recently concluded presidential campaign wasn’t about war and peace, it was about how many wars to fight and where to fight them. McCain wanted to bomb everyone and ask questions later, and even created songs about the feat. Obama wants to pull our troops out of one Asian boondoggle so that we can send them to another undefined war without end a bit further to the east. Does this sound like we have learned our lessons?
As many on the right, the so-called Hawks like to point out, the world is a dangerous place, and we have to be prepared to deal with those realities. There is an argument for peace through strength, the notion that if we are strong enough militarily that we can use our position of power as a deterrence to would be bad actors. I think there is something to this argument, I would agree that the world does have bad actors that would do us harm if they could, certainly 9/11 is such an example. I am not naïve to the realities of the world we live in, and I also agree that military strength can be an excellent deterrence. But the problem is that we’ve gotten the strength part nailed down, it’s the peace part that we are struggling with.
I heard someone at the coffee house earlier give a cheery Happy Veterans Day wish to someone else, presumably the recipient wasn’t even a veteran, it was just a greeting the way one might say Happy Halloween or Merry Christmas. There really is nothing happy about a day like today, anymore than you would approach a widow at a funeral and comment jovially about the beautiful weather that we are having. Today is a day to mark those, on all sides and from all nations and corners of the globe, that have sacrificed and continue as I write this to sacrifice the most precious commodity of all, human life, for the sake of war.
It is certainly also a day to honor our own nation’s veterans, and to mark the sacrifices that they and their families have made and continue to make in service of their country. Soldiers don’t write the game plan, they don’t determine when and against whom to go to war, they carry out the orders given to them with stoicism and bravery, they embody the spirit of the common good, and perform difficult and often horrendous tasks in the face of mortal danger, and for this they are to be commended.
But it is any nation’s duty to see to it that those who would accept the mission are not put into harms way unless it is absolutely necessary and vital to protect further human life. This is the only way that the ends can ever justify the means, no amount of territory or political prestige can ever justify the loss of human life. We must remain vigilant as a people that we hold our elected officials accountable to these standards, not only because it is in our best national interests, as our original commander-in-chief warned us brilliantly in his farewell address, but because what we support, and oppose, ultimately speaks to our humanity and truly defines what it means to be a human being.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Dad's Football Recap
In an effort to keep my pops updated on the football scene, as well as anyone else who finds themselves too busy or otherwise engaged to sit in front of the boob tube all weekend long on a beautiful fall weekend, here’s the lowdown on the most important games and what they mean to the big picture. Remember, no mind numbing stats here, so fantasy geeks will have to look elsewhere for your insight. I don’t have a clue as to who you should start as your 3rd wide-out this week, nor do I much care. And if you are looking for prognostication turn to ESPN, those guys know it all and will tell you what they know 24/7, mostly in a high volume that makes you wonder if they aren’t broadcasting from Times Square on New Year’s Eve. All you’ll get here is the stuff you need to know, in case you missed it, and so you can sound halfway intelligent around the water cooler today. And if someone starts going on about their third string wide-out on their fantasy team, tell ‘em to get a life already!
We’ll start with the college gridiron, where the upstart Texas Tech Red Raiders continued to pile up points at an Arena League clip and beat a good Oklahoma State Cowboys team. Tech passed their first big challenge against a team from the Sooner state, the actual Sooners loom large on the schedule in a couple weeks. They had to win to keep pace with conference rivals Oklahoma (OU) and the Texas Longhorns (UT) who also won big and continued the dominant run of the Big 12 Conference this year, which unlike the Big 10 actually does have the amount of teams their name suggests. Tech’s QB Graham Harrell is also the front-runner for the Heisman, and you might want to throw in something like, man that Harrell is gonna be getting his trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club next month and he’ll be playing on Sundays next year. Don’t worry if you don’t exactly know what it all means, nobody will challenge you and you’ll sound like you are in the know. Remember, it’s not what you know, but what people think you know that is the key.
Roll Tide Roll is the battle cry for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and Nick Saban’s boys did just that by beating the defending champion LSU Tigers, known in college circles as the Bayou Bengals. Saban used to coach the Tigers, and he led them to a national title a few years back, but then left to take a pro job and apparently the Baton Rouge faithful still haven’t forgiven him as they were seen burning him in effigy before the game. Nothing like the spirit of good sportsmanship, although I guess they do have a predilection toward burning stuff in the South. The Tide are still ranked number one in the AP poll, which is the gold standard of football rankings, and their conference rival, the Florida Gators (UF) also won big and the two are poised to play each other for the SEC championship in early December, a game which could easily vault the winner into the title game in early January.
In Rose Bowl country, or at least what used to be so before the BCS got a hold of a great system, the Penn State Nittany Lions took it on the chin to the Iowa Hawkeyes, in all likelihood costing 84 year-old coach Joe Paterno, affectionately known as Joe Pa, a shot at a second national title. The men of Troy, the USC Trojans (’SC) won again, rolling over yet another inferior Pac-10 foe, this time the Cal Bears, to inch a step closer to the title picture, but they will need a few more losses by the teams ahead of them if Pete Carroll’s boys are to get a shot at yet another title. An ’SC-Penn State match up in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen though, assuming neither team makes it to the big money game.
As for those that get paychecks for their work, two teams from the opposite ends of the spectrum stayed perfect, this season’s feel good story, the Tennessee Titans beat da’ Bears to go to 9-0, while the news got worse in the heart of auto country as the Detroit Lions lost again to drop to 0-9. They play each other in a few weeks, and it would be something, and not entirely impossible to have an unbeaten team go down to a winless team.
The defending champs proved that the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC still goes through the Big Apple, or at least through East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is where the New York Giants play their home games. The Giants beat their division rivals from Philadelphia in a hard fought Sunday night match up, and QB Eli Manning is really starting to come into his own as a star in the league.
Eli’s still more famous, for now at least, older brother Peyton had a big day as well, leading his Indianapolis Colts to a huge victory over the tough Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, the first win for the Colts franchise in the Steel City in 40 years. It was a potential season saver for the Colts, as they needed the win to get above .500 at 5-4 and to stay in the playoff picture, and it has to give them a much needed boost of confidence that they still got it. The play of the game was a great goal line hit by the Colts rookie Defensive Tackle, #68, who decleated the Steelers running back, knocking him on his backside and saving a touchdown late in the game. I played that one over and over until I had my fill, and I’m getting goose bumps now just thinking about the play.
So all in all, another big weekend in football, I’ll check in on Friday morning with a look at the action to come next weekend. Until then, enjoy the work week and the water cooler banter, as you are now up to speed on the happenings in our true national pastime.
We’ll start with the college gridiron, where the upstart Texas Tech Red Raiders continued to pile up points at an Arena League clip and beat a good Oklahoma State Cowboys team. Tech passed their first big challenge against a team from the Sooner state, the actual Sooners loom large on the schedule in a couple weeks. They had to win to keep pace with conference rivals Oklahoma (OU) and the Texas Longhorns (UT) who also won big and continued the dominant run of the Big 12 Conference this year, which unlike the Big 10 actually does have the amount of teams their name suggests. Tech’s QB Graham Harrell is also the front-runner for the Heisman, and you might want to throw in something like, man that Harrell is gonna be getting his trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club next month and he’ll be playing on Sundays next year. Don’t worry if you don’t exactly know what it all means, nobody will challenge you and you’ll sound like you are in the know. Remember, it’s not what you know, but what people think you know that is the key.
Roll Tide Roll is the battle cry for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and Nick Saban’s boys did just that by beating the defending champion LSU Tigers, known in college circles as the Bayou Bengals. Saban used to coach the Tigers, and he led them to a national title a few years back, but then left to take a pro job and apparently the Baton Rouge faithful still haven’t forgiven him as they were seen burning him in effigy before the game. Nothing like the spirit of good sportsmanship, although I guess they do have a predilection toward burning stuff in the South. The Tide are still ranked number one in the AP poll, which is the gold standard of football rankings, and their conference rival, the Florida Gators (UF) also won big and the two are poised to play each other for the SEC championship in early December, a game which could easily vault the winner into the title game in early January.
In Rose Bowl country, or at least what used to be so before the BCS got a hold of a great system, the Penn State Nittany Lions took it on the chin to the Iowa Hawkeyes, in all likelihood costing 84 year-old coach Joe Paterno, affectionately known as Joe Pa, a shot at a second national title. The men of Troy, the USC Trojans (’SC) won again, rolling over yet another inferior Pac-10 foe, this time the Cal Bears, to inch a step closer to the title picture, but they will need a few more losses by the teams ahead of them if Pete Carroll’s boys are to get a shot at yet another title. An ’SC-Penn State match up in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen though, assuming neither team makes it to the big money game.
As for those that get paychecks for their work, two teams from the opposite ends of the spectrum stayed perfect, this season’s feel good story, the Tennessee Titans beat da’ Bears to go to 9-0, while the news got worse in the heart of auto country as the Detroit Lions lost again to drop to 0-9. They play each other in a few weeks, and it would be something, and not entirely impossible to have an unbeaten team go down to a winless team.
The defending champs proved that the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC still goes through the Big Apple, or at least through East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is where the New York Giants play their home games. The Giants beat their division rivals from Philadelphia in a hard fought Sunday night match up, and QB Eli Manning is really starting to come into his own as a star in the league.
Eli’s still more famous, for now at least, older brother Peyton had a big day as well, leading his Indianapolis Colts to a huge victory over the tough Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, the first win for the Colts franchise in the Steel City in 40 years. It was a potential season saver for the Colts, as they needed the win to get above .500 at 5-4 and to stay in the playoff picture, and it has to give them a much needed boost of confidence that they still got it. The play of the game was a great goal line hit by the Colts rookie Defensive Tackle, #68, who decleated the Steelers running back, knocking him on his backside and saving a touchdown late in the game. I played that one over and over until I had my fill, and I’m getting goose bumps now just thinking about the play.
So all in all, another big weekend in football, I’ll check in on Friday morning with a look at the action to come next weekend. Until then, enjoy the work week and the water cooler banter, as you are now up to speed on the happenings in our true national pastime.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
This Desert Life
When I grow up I want to be a nomad. By growing up I mean when my kids grow up and go off to college and beyond, when my longtime and lifetime companion and I, otherwise known as my wife because straight people are allowed to legally marry, get to become free agents and do whatever we want to do. Our kids have attended the same school system since Kindergarten, and will graduate from high school in a few short years from that system. It was important to both of us for that to happen because both of us had essentially the same experience growing up. But when our daughter moves on and leaves the nest empty, I want to become a nomad.
Of course that requires being able to earn a living, and since goat herding seems to be a hard hit industry in today’s economy, I’m hoping that writing will provide the income that we need to live our lives as free as we want to. I’m not talking about some grand plan to take the nest egg like the movie with Albert Brooks and buy a big RV, I’m talking about living in different places for a year, or two, or however long we feel like living in a specific spot until we feel it’s time to move on.
We are both on board, namely because while we love the desert life and what it has to offer, and while it has been and continues to be a great place to raise our kids, neither of us have ever felt that this is truly our home. It’s one of the reasons we decided to pack up our belongings and strike out for the upper Midwest when Chloe was only a few weeks old. We came back to the desert a couple years later, but the restlessness is always there. We want to experience different places and different lifestyles and to meet different people. Maybe we’ll find a place that is the perfect fit, maybe we’ll end up right back here in Phoenix, or perhaps we’ll just spend the rest of our days as nomads, soaking in as many experiences and good people, local customs and cuisines as we can find.
But for now we are desert dwellers, and that ain’t such a bad life either. The hardest part is living in a very red state, it may not be the deep south or Montana, but in the spirit of Governor Palin, it feels like you can see those places from your backyard. While there are some very good and decent Republicans, mainly what I call the intellectual conservatives who are well read and have philosophies that are thoughtful if not always on target or realistic, there are also many knee-jerk, reactionary, social conservatives, and a lot of them seem to live in my neighborhood.
There’s also a lot of churches in my neighborhood, and while not all churches are inherently lacking in toleration and diversity and respect for people of all shades and stripes, say like Jesus was, many are and I can’t help but believe that in a mostly middle class neighborhood where demographically the population would seem to trend overwhelmingly Democratic, that the church influence doesn’t have a large effect on that. The churches we have are of two main varieties, Mormon and Mega, and for my money both are one step below cult status. They are divisive and produce people who tend to marginalize those that are different from them, many of whom have been very vocal, and often grossly misinformed as to our new president-elect as well as the issue of civil rights for gays and lesbians. That said, I also know some good people and have friends that are Mormon or attend the Mega churches, so I am certainly not trying to indict everyone here, but all things considered I’d prefer to live in a place with more cultural centers and less tax exempt compounds.
Yet despite the proliferation of social/religious conservatives and more churches than Circle K’s, which if you know Phoenix is really saying something, this desert life still ain’t all that bad. The natural beauty and scenery where I live is first rate. I can get in a great hike or trail run within a couple miles of my house, and my views are of desert buttes and a surprising amount of green trees and other flora, or is it fauna, I never can remember. The wildflower bloom in the spring along the trails is breathtaking, and for this panentheist is proof positive of the existence of God.
The weather for six months out of the year is the best this continent has to offer, mild and mellow, with mostly blue skies and sunshine throughout the late fall, winter, and early spring. The weather the other six months of the year, well, not so good, but it’s November as I write this and that hot stuff is a lifetime away right now. My winter coat is a slightly insulated flannel shirt, I can wear shorts on most days, and things like long underwear, snow shovels, and ice scrapers are not even in the equation.
And back to the people, there are also a lot of good old-fashioned friendly people here in Arizona and I’m sure many of them are even church goers too. Phoenix is a pretty friendly town, and I run across people constantly while I am out and about, hiking the local trails, hanging out at Starbucks, sitting in the park by the downtown library on my lunch breaks, running errands, attending various events and activities of our kids, or just being out among the populace. Most people out here are enjoyable, as I believe most people everywhere are, and while this is no small town, I am on a first name basis with many of those whom I see on a regular basis at the places that I frequent.
It is also pretty easy to meet people in the desert, the overall climate here is pretty laid back and easy-going, which fits in quite well with my own attitude, and certainly with that of my partner and our kids. I find Phoenix to be somewhere in the middle of the other two places that I have spent considerable time, it is more sophisticated and diverse than small town rural Iowa, but less pretentious and stuffy than big city Southern California.
So why leave all of this and become a nomad? Because there might be other places that are even more suitable, and even if it turns out this is the best fit for us, it will have been a blast to experience different lifestyles and to get to know different cultures and ways of living. The desert is a big place, but the country is even bigger, and the world even bigger still. Who knows what the future will hold, and I can think of much worse places to end up in than the Valley of the Sun, but if things work out as I hope, I’ll be a nomad by the time I’m 45, which is probably as close to being grown up as I’ll ever get. And if writing doesn’t pan out and the books I write never sell, there’s always hope that demand for organic goat cheese will increase and turn the herding industry back into a viable option.
Of course that requires being able to earn a living, and since goat herding seems to be a hard hit industry in today’s economy, I’m hoping that writing will provide the income that we need to live our lives as free as we want to. I’m not talking about some grand plan to take the nest egg like the movie with Albert Brooks and buy a big RV, I’m talking about living in different places for a year, or two, or however long we feel like living in a specific spot until we feel it’s time to move on.
We are both on board, namely because while we love the desert life and what it has to offer, and while it has been and continues to be a great place to raise our kids, neither of us have ever felt that this is truly our home. It’s one of the reasons we decided to pack up our belongings and strike out for the upper Midwest when Chloe was only a few weeks old. We came back to the desert a couple years later, but the restlessness is always there. We want to experience different places and different lifestyles and to meet different people. Maybe we’ll find a place that is the perfect fit, maybe we’ll end up right back here in Phoenix, or perhaps we’ll just spend the rest of our days as nomads, soaking in as many experiences and good people, local customs and cuisines as we can find.
But for now we are desert dwellers, and that ain’t such a bad life either. The hardest part is living in a very red state, it may not be the deep south or Montana, but in the spirit of Governor Palin, it feels like you can see those places from your backyard. While there are some very good and decent Republicans, mainly what I call the intellectual conservatives who are well read and have philosophies that are thoughtful if not always on target or realistic, there are also many knee-jerk, reactionary, social conservatives, and a lot of them seem to live in my neighborhood.
There’s also a lot of churches in my neighborhood, and while not all churches are inherently lacking in toleration and diversity and respect for people of all shades and stripes, say like Jesus was, many are and I can’t help but believe that in a mostly middle class neighborhood where demographically the population would seem to trend overwhelmingly Democratic, that the church influence doesn’t have a large effect on that. The churches we have are of two main varieties, Mormon and Mega, and for my money both are one step below cult status. They are divisive and produce people who tend to marginalize those that are different from them, many of whom have been very vocal, and often grossly misinformed as to our new president-elect as well as the issue of civil rights for gays and lesbians. That said, I also know some good people and have friends that are Mormon or attend the Mega churches, so I am certainly not trying to indict everyone here, but all things considered I’d prefer to live in a place with more cultural centers and less tax exempt compounds.
Yet despite the proliferation of social/religious conservatives and more churches than Circle K’s, which if you know Phoenix is really saying something, this desert life still ain’t all that bad. The natural beauty and scenery where I live is first rate. I can get in a great hike or trail run within a couple miles of my house, and my views are of desert buttes and a surprising amount of green trees and other flora, or is it fauna, I never can remember. The wildflower bloom in the spring along the trails is breathtaking, and for this panentheist is proof positive of the existence of God.
The weather for six months out of the year is the best this continent has to offer, mild and mellow, with mostly blue skies and sunshine throughout the late fall, winter, and early spring. The weather the other six months of the year, well, not so good, but it’s November as I write this and that hot stuff is a lifetime away right now. My winter coat is a slightly insulated flannel shirt, I can wear shorts on most days, and things like long underwear, snow shovels, and ice scrapers are not even in the equation.
And back to the people, there are also a lot of good old-fashioned friendly people here in Arizona and I’m sure many of them are even church goers too. Phoenix is a pretty friendly town, and I run across people constantly while I am out and about, hiking the local trails, hanging out at Starbucks, sitting in the park by the downtown library on my lunch breaks, running errands, attending various events and activities of our kids, or just being out among the populace. Most people out here are enjoyable, as I believe most people everywhere are, and while this is no small town, I am on a first name basis with many of those whom I see on a regular basis at the places that I frequent.
It is also pretty easy to meet people in the desert, the overall climate here is pretty laid back and easy-going, which fits in quite well with my own attitude, and certainly with that of my partner and our kids. I find Phoenix to be somewhere in the middle of the other two places that I have spent considerable time, it is more sophisticated and diverse than small town rural Iowa, but less pretentious and stuffy than big city Southern California.
So why leave all of this and become a nomad? Because there might be other places that are even more suitable, and even if it turns out this is the best fit for us, it will have been a blast to experience different lifestyles and to get to know different cultures and ways of living. The desert is a big place, but the country is even bigger, and the world even bigger still. Who knows what the future will hold, and I can think of much worse places to end up in than the Valley of the Sun, but if things work out as I hope, I’ll be a nomad by the time I’m 45, which is probably as close to being grown up as I’ll ever get. And if writing doesn’t pan out and the books I write never sell, there’s always hope that demand for organic goat cheese will increase and turn the herding industry back into a viable option.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday Rant
Note: In an effort to bring more organization to The Grind, I am going to attempt the following: I will write a Friday Football column, a Saturday Rant dealing with politics, and a Sunday Refelections dealing with life in general. The rest of the week my writing time will be spent working on a book I am tentatively calling A Love Supreme, which I will post in chapter format as they are finished. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave any and all comments, either on here, on facebook, or via email.
Saturday Rant-Strange Bedfellows, Turning Water Into Wine, and Stimulate This
Strange Bedfellows
So a Mormon, a Black dude, a Mexican, and a White guy walk into a gay bar. Who stays and who leaves in disgust when they see gays and lesbians holding hands, enjoying each others company, and even, gasp, showing public displays of affection? If the exit polls in California regarding the recent Prop 8 vote are any indicator, the White guy, and maybe the Mexican hang out, but the Black dude and the Mormon are high tailing it out of there.
Apparently the saying that politics makes for strange bedfellows has found a new source of verification, as attested to by the alliance between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Bigots, and Black folks who apparently adhere to the notion of civil rights for me but not for thee. I’m wondering if in all the celebration of the first Black president being elected, the 70% of Blacks that are reported to have voted in favor of Prop 8 and therefore against the rights of gays and lesbians to partake in the secular and civil right of marriage felt any ambivalence.
Shame on everyone who voted against this measure, and likewise to those in Arizona who voted to overwhelmingly pass Prop 102 which now makes an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting gay marriage. Perhaps if President-elect Obama had come out strongly in favor of gay marriage the result may have been different, but his soft stance in favor of civil unions is only a step better than the famous Clinton sell-out of don’t ask don’t tell.
Someone’s religious beliefs are their right, as is my contempt for most organized religion, as is someone’s sexual preference. Nobody is asking for tax exempt churches to recognize something that goes against its values, however un-Christian those values may be. But this is a civil rights issue plain and simple, and I for one am sick and tired of the bigots and small-minded people getting their way because they shout the loudest and hang the most signs on street corners.
Turning Water Into Wine
I have been, and remain a passionate and unabashed supporter of our new president-elect, Barack Obama. I have very high expectations for what his presidency can achieve and for the leadership style I expect him to execute. But let’s not get carried away with some of the rhetoric, as I am seeing in the last few days. He is a man, a mere mortal, who although exceptional as an individual is still just one individual. What ails our nation will require much more than one person, it will require forward thinking progressive Americans to come together on a number of issues in order to get this country and our society back on the right track.
Obama cannot wave a magic wand and turn water into wine, nor can he alone save the economy, provide everyone with a good paying, feel good job, or convince those who run college football to junk the stupid BCS system in favor of a playoff tournament.
While I recognize and appreciate the historic nature of this election, especially for Black folks, and while I have very high expectations myself, nonetheless I think we need to simmer down a bit. The age of miracles was a couple thousand years ago, allegedly, and I think we need to settle for some common sense policies that will get our economy going in the right direction, end the pointless wars in Asia, and strive for social justice, both at home and abroad.
Stimulate This
Already we are seeing the Congress clamoring for another stimulus program. Apparently the 850 billion recently approved, which included 150 billion in pork, isn’t enough to do the job. Now we need to bail out the auto industry, and any other industry that might take a hit during a recession, and maybe even cut some more checks so everyone can have a jolly Christmas.
Not that I couldn’t use a few extra bucks in my checking account right about now, but c’mon people, has anyone seen the national bank balance lately? We are 10 trillion dollars in the whole, and that’s not even counting the off the books money we owe for the boondoggle in Iraq that our president and punk Congress got us into and have so far refused to extricate ourselves from.
And what happened to the notion of free market capitalism that this nation was built on? Capitalism means taking risks, and it also means there will be winners and losers. The government can’t step in every time and bail out the losers, especially when we don’t have the money to do so.
If we are going to stimulate the economy with government spending, then it needs to be spent on long term projects that will benefit the nation as a whole and create jobs, similar to FDR’s New Deal policies. Investing in an entire range of green technologies and industries might be the way to go if we are to get a good return on our investment. But simply giving money to banks so they can horde it, or bailing out industries that have made poor market decisions, or individuals who have done likewise when taking out home loans is not good policy, nor is it likely to produce positive results.
Until next Saturday when the rant returns, I welcome any and all comments as always. There are sure to be a myriad of new and interesting items to discuss that will come up this week, and if not I’ve got a notebook full of old ideas to get into that I haven’t had the time to address.
Your faithful correspondent.
Saturday Rant-Strange Bedfellows, Turning Water Into Wine, and Stimulate This
Strange Bedfellows
So a Mormon, a Black dude, a Mexican, and a White guy walk into a gay bar. Who stays and who leaves in disgust when they see gays and lesbians holding hands, enjoying each others company, and even, gasp, showing public displays of affection? If the exit polls in California regarding the recent Prop 8 vote are any indicator, the White guy, and maybe the Mexican hang out, but the Black dude and the Mormon are high tailing it out of there.
Apparently the saying that politics makes for strange bedfellows has found a new source of verification, as attested to by the alliance between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Bigots, and Black folks who apparently adhere to the notion of civil rights for me but not for thee. I’m wondering if in all the celebration of the first Black president being elected, the 70% of Blacks that are reported to have voted in favor of Prop 8 and therefore against the rights of gays and lesbians to partake in the secular and civil right of marriage felt any ambivalence.
Shame on everyone who voted against this measure, and likewise to those in Arizona who voted to overwhelmingly pass Prop 102 which now makes an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting gay marriage. Perhaps if President-elect Obama had come out strongly in favor of gay marriage the result may have been different, but his soft stance in favor of civil unions is only a step better than the famous Clinton sell-out of don’t ask don’t tell.
Someone’s religious beliefs are their right, as is my contempt for most organized religion, as is someone’s sexual preference. Nobody is asking for tax exempt churches to recognize something that goes against its values, however un-Christian those values may be. But this is a civil rights issue plain and simple, and I for one am sick and tired of the bigots and small-minded people getting their way because they shout the loudest and hang the most signs on street corners.
Turning Water Into Wine
I have been, and remain a passionate and unabashed supporter of our new president-elect, Barack Obama. I have very high expectations for what his presidency can achieve and for the leadership style I expect him to execute. But let’s not get carried away with some of the rhetoric, as I am seeing in the last few days. He is a man, a mere mortal, who although exceptional as an individual is still just one individual. What ails our nation will require much more than one person, it will require forward thinking progressive Americans to come together on a number of issues in order to get this country and our society back on the right track.
Obama cannot wave a magic wand and turn water into wine, nor can he alone save the economy, provide everyone with a good paying, feel good job, or convince those who run college football to junk the stupid BCS system in favor of a playoff tournament.
While I recognize and appreciate the historic nature of this election, especially for Black folks, and while I have very high expectations myself, nonetheless I think we need to simmer down a bit. The age of miracles was a couple thousand years ago, allegedly, and I think we need to settle for some common sense policies that will get our economy going in the right direction, end the pointless wars in Asia, and strive for social justice, both at home and abroad.
Stimulate This
Already we are seeing the Congress clamoring for another stimulus program. Apparently the 850 billion recently approved, which included 150 billion in pork, isn’t enough to do the job. Now we need to bail out the auto industry, and any other industry that might take a hit during a recession, and maybe even cut some more checks so everyone can have a jolly Christmas.
Not that I couldn’t use a few extra bucks in my checking account right about now, but c’mon people, has anyone seen the national bank balance lately? We are 10 trillion dollars in the whole, and that’s not even counting the off the books money we owe for the boondoggle in Iraq that our president and punk Congress got us into and have so far refused to extricate ourselves from.
And what happened to the notion of free market capitalism that this nation was built on? Capitalism means taking risks, and it also means there will be winners and losers. The government can’t step in every time and bail out the losers, especially when we don’t have the money to do so.
If we are going to stimulate the economy with government spending, then it needs to be spent on long term projects that will benefit the nation as a whole and create jobs, similar to FDR’s New Deal policies. Investing in an entire range of green technologies and industries might be the way to go if we are to get a good return on our investment. But simply giving money to banks so they can horde it, or bailing out industries that have made poor market decisions, or individuals who have done likewise when taking out home loans is not good policy, nor is it likely to produce positive results.
Until next Saturday when the rant returns, I welcome any and all comments as always. There are sure to be a myriad of new and interesting items to discuss that will come up this week, and if not I’ve got a notebook full of old ideas to get into that I haven’t had the time to address.
Your faithful correspondent.
Friday, November 7, 2008
NFL Halftime Report
So here we are, at the effective midway point of the always too short NFL season, and while many of us have been spending much of our time on that other season, the campaign of a lifetime, it is now time to get down to the business of our other national pastime, pro football. The college season is progressing nicely as well as they head down the stretch, but without a viable playoff system it becomes kind of like going to a strip club with your buddies. You enjoy it all season long, but walk away feeling unsatisfied and like you just wasted a lot of time and money and didn’t really get anything out of it. Which is why I don’t go to strip clubs anymore, although I still do enjoy college football. Maybe I can get a lap dance from Pete Carroll or Mack Brown one of the days, but I digress.
What we have seen so far can be broken down into two categories, the good and the ugly in the National Football League. The very good has been the Tennessee Titans, a team built on toughness, stingy defense, stopping the run and running the ball effectively, in other words an old school squad reminiscent of the 1970’s powerhouse teams like Pittsburgh, Oakland, Miami, and Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against the forward pass, but watching a team dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball gets my motor running, and this Titans team does that. They are tough and scrappy, and unpretentious, just like their coach Jeff Fisher, the longest tenured and probably most underrated coach in the league. He is to the NFL what Jerry Sloan is to the NBA. The Titans are 8-0 and while nobody is seriously considering them for a Patriots style unbeaten run yet at this point, with their fundamentals being strong, unlike our economy, they appear unlikely to fade away down the stretch.
Their most likely challenger in the AFC figures to be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are coming off an impressive Monday night win over Washington, and like the Titans get it done the old-fashioned way, they earn it with tough defense, hard hitting, quality running, and the most underrated QB in the game in Big Ben Rothelisberger. Having a quality backup like former Jags starter Byron Leftwich comes in handy as well.
The defending champion New York Giants (please don’t call them the New York football Giants, that expression was clever the first hundred times but it has long since jumped the shark, are you listening ESPN analysts) are poised to get back to the big game with a 7-1 record and all the ingredients for a good second half run. Eli Manning may just add another trophy to the family collection and pass big brother Peyton, whose Colts are struggling just to stay afloat. Tom Coughlin is an effective coach when times are good, which they definitely are right now in the Big Apple, his style will wear on you when the squad is losing, but football players respond to what works and Coughlin’s style has been working pretty well. The top challenger right now looks to be the Carolina Panthers, but Tampa Bay and Washington are also within shouting distance of the top of the conference.
What do all these top four teams have in common? Tennessee (103 points), Pittsburgh (116), Carolina (127) and New York (129) are the stingiest defenses in the league, and while defense alone doesn’t win championships, its hard to win one without a good one, and these teams have it. I’m not one to make predictions and I gave up betting a few years back after taking a playoff bath, but these four would be as good a bet as any to reach the NFL’s version of the final four in late January, Conference Championship Sunday, which is the single best day in the sports calendar. Don’t be fooled by yardage stats, leave all the individual stuff to the fantasy geeks, the stats that matter after wins and losses are points allowed and points scored, because like Herm Edwards said, you play to win the game, and quite simply you win the game by outscoring your opponent.
If its true that God don‘t like ugly, then he definitely isn‘t wearing his Detroit Lions jersey today. They might need to draft a few more wide receivers because they are the only team still on the snide at 0-8, and are the most inept pro team east of the East Bay in Northern California. The Cincinnati Bengals are once again the Bungles, they were tied with the Rams as the losingest team in the 1990’s, and after a promising start to the Carson Palmer era, they have achieved a feat that few thought possible just a few years ago. They are racking up more losses than arrests, who knew? It pleases me to see the Kansas City Chiefs at 1-7, but I feel that Herm Edwards is a good coach and will turn that ship around if given the time. Remember the Patriots went from 5-11 to three-time Super Bowl champs under Bill Belichik, who went from a soon-to-be lifetime assistant to a sure fire hall of fame head coach in the process. It pains me on the other hand, to see the Oakland Raiders at 2-6, and unless they can arrange to get Detroit on the schedule, the prospects of another victory anytime soon don’t seem to bright. This ship is sinking fast, and unless Al Davis decides to go on a long cruise and turn the reigns over to someone with half a clue, the once proud franchise that I still love is in danger of becoming a permanent laughing stock.
Five games to watch this weekend are the Giants-Eagles on Sunday night, this should be a classic NFC East battle of heavyweights as the 5-3 Eagles look to get back into the action against the champs. In the AFC we’ve got an afternoon dandy, the hard charging Steelers against the fading 4-4 Indianapolis Colts, this is a chance for Pittsburgh to establish it’s place in the upper pantheon of the conference, and a chance for the Colts to prove that they aren’t quite done yet. There are two good divisional rival games between teams fighting for their playoff lives, division football is as close as the pros get to the heat generated by great college rivalries, and Buffalo takes on New England, both teams are 5-3 and the winner will emerge in first place in the AFC East. Green Bay plays Minnesota, both teams are at 4-4 and unless Chicago becomes the first team to beat the Titans this year, the winner will be in a first place tie in the NFC Central. The fifth game is that Titans-Bears match up in Chicago, and if you like your football old school this is one you will not want to miss.
May your workweeks be short and your Sundays last long, and as the weather finally breaks here in the desert and starts to turn downright cold in much of the country, what better way is there to pass some time on a Sunday afternoon than with our national pastime. It’s a lot less expensive and more productive than a trip down to the Front View Cabaret too, unless of course we can see Belichik do a little pole dance where he finally takes off that dang gray hoody.
What we have seen so far can be broken down into two categories, the good and the ugly in the National Football League. The very good has been the Tennessee Titans, a team built on toughness, stingy defense, stopping the run and running the ball effectively, in other words an old school squad reminiscent of the 1970’s powerhouse teams like Pittsburgh, Oakland, Miami, and Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against the forward pass, but watching a team dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball gets my motor running, and this Titans team does that. They are tough and scrappy, and unpretentious, just like their coach Jeff Fisher, the longest tenured and probably most underrated coach in the league. He is to the NFL what Jerry Sloan is to the NBA. The Titans are 8-0 and while nobody is seriously considering them for a Patriots style unbeaten run yet at this point, with their fundamentals being strong, unlike our economy, they appear unlikely to fade away down the stretch.
Their most likely challenger in the AFC figures to be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are coming off an impressive Monday night win over Washington, and like the Titans get it done the old-fashioned way, they earn it with tough defense, hard hitting, quality running, and the most underrated QB in the game in Big Ben Rothelisberger. Having a quality backup like former Jags starter Byron Leftwich comes in handy as well.
The defending champion New York Giants (please don’t call them the New York football Giants, that expression was clever the first hundred times but it has long since jumped the shark, are you listening ESPN analysts) are poised to get back to the big game with a 7-1 record and all the ingredients for a good second half run. Eli Manning may just add another trophy to the family collection and pass big brother Peyton, whose Colts are struggling just to stay afloat. Tom Coughlin is an effective coach when times are good, which they definitely are right now in the Big Apple, his style will wear on you when the squad is losing, but football players respond to what works and Coughlin’s style has been working pretty well. The top challenger right now looks to be the Carolina Panthers, but Tampa Bay and Washington are also within shouting distance of the top of the conference.
What do all these top four teams have in common? Tennessee (103 points), Pittsburgh (116), Carolina (127) and New York (129) are the stingiest defenses in the league, and while defense alone doesn’t win championships, its hard to win one without a good one, and these teams have it. I’m not one to make predictions and I gave up betting a few years back after taking a playoff bath, but these four would be as good a bet as any to reach the NFL’s version of the final four in late January, Conference Championship Sunday, which is the single best day in the sports calendar. Don’t be fooled by yardage stats, leave all the individual stuff to the fantasy geeks, the stats that matter after wins and losses are points allowed and points scored, because like Herm Edwards said, you play to win the game, and quite simply you win the game by outscoring your opponent.
If its true that God don‘t like ugly, then he definitely isn‘t wearing his Detroit Lions jersey today. They might need to draft a few more wide receivers because they are the only team still on the snide at 0-8, and are the most inept pro team east of the East Bay in Northern California. The Cincinnati Bengals are once again the Bungles, they were tied with the Rams as the losingest team in the 1990’s, and after a promising start to the Carson Palmer era, they have achieved a feat that few thought possible just a few years ago. They are racking up more losses than arrests, who knew? It pleases me to see the Kansas City Chiefs at 1-7, but I feel that Herm Edwards is a good coach and will turn that ship around if given the time. Remember the Patriots went from 5-11 to three-time Super Bowl champs under Bill Belichik, who went from a soon-to-be lifetime assistant to a sure fire hall of fame head coach in the process. It pains me on the other hand, to see the Oakland Raiders at 2-6, and unless they can arrange to get Detroit on the schedule, the prospects of another victory anytime soon don’t seem to bright. This ship is sinking fast, and unless Al Davis decides to go on a long cruise and turn the reigns over to someone with half a clue, the once proud franchise that I still love is in danger of becoming a permanent laughing stock.
Five games to watch this weekend are the Giants-Eagles on Sunday night, this should be a classic NFC East battle of heavyweights as the 5-3 Eagles look to get back into the action against the champs. In the AFC we’ve got an afternoon dandy, the hard charging Steelers against the fading 4-4 Indianapolis Colts, this is a chance for Pittsburgh to establish it’s place in the upper pantheon of the conference, and a chance for the Colts to prove that they aren’t quite done yet. There are two good divisional rival games between teams fighting for their playoff lives, division football is as close as the pros get to the heat generated by great college rivalries, and Buffalo takes on New England, both teams are 5-3 and the winner will emerge in first place in the AFC East. Green Bay plays Minnesota, both teams are at 4-4 and unless Chicago becomes the first team to beat the Titans this year, the winner will be in a first place tie in the NFC Central. The fifth game is that Titans-Bears match up in Chicago, and if you like your football old school this is one you will not want to miss.
May your workweeks be short and your Sundays last long, and as the weather finally breaks here in the desert and starts to turn downright cold in much of the country, what better way is there to pass some time on a Sunday afternoon than with our national pastime. It’s a lot less expensive and more productive than a trip down to the Front View Cabaret too, unless of course we can see Belichik do a little pole dance where he finally takes off that dang gray hoody.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Great Expectations
The American voters have given the keys over to a new driver, and that of course is our 44th president-elect, Barack Obama. She’s a little banged up, some minor body damage and in need of not only a new paint job but some work under the hood as well. Like Danny Zuko in Grease, Obama needs to get the jump suit on and get working, we need a little greased lightning right about now. But the core is still there, 8 years of neglect haven’t changed that, but there is some work to be done, and the key here is that all of us need to step up and do our part, we need to get some grease on our own hands and scrape our knuckles a time or two. This is no one man job.
This is an historic moment for the nation and the world, especially for black folks and by extension many others who now can hope that our nation, though still plagued by racism, sexism, homophobia, and other maladies of intolerance and small-mindedness, is at least turning a corner and heading up a better path. This is a feel-good moment for our people, we made it through a long and often intense campaign season without managing to lose too many friendships, and now that Obama is our president those of us who believe in his promise no longer have to watch our tongue around McCain supporters for fear of offending, which liberals seem more inclined to worry about than conservatives, at least where I live. But Obama is our president now, which means that while you may not have voted for him, you now have to accept the fact that he has the keys, and for those of us who did vote for him enthusiastically, we can now finally be the patriotic supporters of our president, which after the last decade of Clinton sex scandals and Bush ineptitude, has been a long time coming.
So with all this history and good feelings, it is tempting to go into party mode and do a little celebrating, take a trip to Disneyland even. But now is not the time for lavish parties or congratulatory self-back slapping about how great we are because we finally elected a black man. Now is the time to get down to business, and there are great expectations for our new president, and more importantly for ourselves as citizens and residents of this great democratic republic.
The first expectation is for leadership, from the top, but also at all levels of society from people in all walks of life. We should expect Obama to provide the sound judgment and calm reflective demeanor that he demonstrated during the campaign. We will need it now more than ever considering all of the issues we face and those that are sure to come down the pike over time. We also should expect leadership from our congress, who needs to legislate with reform in mind but remember that their term only lasts two years, and it is easy to get bogged down in partisanship and to overshoot a mandate to the point that nothing substantial gets done. The outgoing 110th congress was a disappointment to put it mildly, and while they had the excuses of a Bush administration and a narrow majority, the 111th will have no such justifications for inaction.
We should expect unity, as much as that is possible in the times that we live in. No one should expect conservatives to give up their ideology and philosophy, and our system is better served when there are different ideas being bandied about and honestly debated. We should welcome conservative thought and do all we can to incorporate the best of liberalism and conservatism into a true progressive agenda for our nation. Obama gives us hope of a president who will be a unifier and not a divider, but the proof is in the pudding. Bush also promised the same in 2000, remember compassionate conservatism, but failed to deliver. We must hold Obama and the Congress accountable to rule on our behalf and according to our wishes, which is at the core of a republican government such as ours.
Finally, we must demand results on the issues that matter the most, namely the economy, the Iraq War, and health care. I will delve into these issues in greater detail in a future dispatch, but suffice to say for now that these are the three most pressing issues, among many important ones, that must be dealt with over the next two years. Each are complex in their own way, and each will require buy-in to a degree at least by the minority party, as well as broad public support, so the policies that address them must be crafted in an inclusive way, while adhering to the core principles that Obama and the majority party have run on. This is the art of politics, and the hope is that we have elected an artist with a deft touch who will be able to bring the Congress and the American people along with him.
To whom much is given much is expected. We’ve turned over the keys to our baby, our beloved nation and society, and we have every right to expect greatness, from our president, from our leadership, from each other, and from ourselves. The times demand no less and history will judge us accordingly. Just as previous generations have brought our nation through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Cold War, so too must we bring ourselves through this challenging time so that we may keep this great experiment in democracy going for those that follow us.
This is an historic moment for the nation and the world, especially for black folks and by extension many others who now can hope that our nation, though still plagued by racism, sexism, homophobia, and other maladies of intolerance and small-mindedness, is at least turning a corner and heading up a better path. This is a feel-good moment for our people, we made it through a long and often intense campaign season without managing to lose too many friendships, and now that Obama is our president those of us who believe in his promise no longer have to watch our tongue around McCain supporters for fear of offending, which liberals seem more inclined to worry about than conservatives, at least where I live. But Obama is our president now, which means that while you may not have voted for him, you now have to accept the fact that he has the keys, and for those of us who did vote for him enthusiastically, we can now finally be the patriotic supporters of our president, which after the last decade of Clinton sex scandals and Bush ineptitude, has been a long time coming.
So with all this history and good feelings, it is tempting to go into party mode and do a little celebrating, take a trip to Disneyland even. But now is not the time for lavish parties or congratulatory self-back slapping about how great we are because we finally elected a black man. Now is the time to get down to business, and there are great expectations for our new president, and more importantly for ourselves as citizens and residents of this great democratic republic.
The first expectation is for leadership, from the top, but also at all levels of society from people in all walks of life. We should expect Obama to provide the sound judgment and calm reflective demeanor that he demonstrated during the campaign. We will need it now more than ever considering all of the issues we face and those that are sure to come down the pike over time. We also should expect leadership from our congress, who needs to legislate with reform in mind but remember that their term only lasts two years, and it is easy to get bogged down in partisanship and to overshoot a mandate to the point that nothing substantial gets done. The outgoing 110th congress was a disappointment to put it mildly, and while they had the excuses of a Bush administration and a narrow majority, the 111th will have no such justifications for inaction.
We should expect unity, as much as that is possible in the times that we live in. No one should expect conservatives to give up their ideology and philosophy, and our system is better served when there are different ideas being bandied about and honestly debated. We should welcome conservative thought and do all we can to incorporate the best of liberalism and conservatism into a true progressive agenda for our nation. Obama gives us hope of a president who will be a unifier and not a divider, but the proof is in the pudding. Bush also promised the same in 2000, remember compassionate conservatism, but failed to deliver. We must hold Obama and the Congress accountable to rule on our behalf and according to our wishes, which is at the core of a republican government such as ours.
Finally, we must demand results on the issues that matter the most, namely the economy, the Iraq War, and health care. I will delve into these issues in greater detail in a future dispatch, but suffice to say for now that these are the three most pressing issues, among many important ones, that must be dealt with over the next two years. Each are complex in their own way, and each will require buy-in to a degree at least by the minority party, as well as broad public support, so the policies that address them must be crafted in an inclusive way, while adhering to the core principles that Obama and the majority party have run on. This is the art of politics, and the hope is that we have elected an artist with a deft touch who will be able to bring the Congress and the American people along with him.
To whom much is given much is expected. We’ve turned over the keys to our baby, our beloved nation and society, and we have every right to expect greatness, from our president, from our leadership, from each other, and from ourselves. The times demand no less and history will judge us accordingly. Just as previous generations have brought our nation through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Cold War, so too must we bring ourselves through this challenging time so that we may keep this great experiment in democracy going for those that follow us.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Capitol Dome
Greetings to all my loyal and faithful readers of the Daily Grind! I am writing today to introduce a new blog which I have just set up, to be dedicated to covering and reporting on local and state politics right here in the great state of Arizona, the state so good it has two nicknames, and the only state I know of with an official neckwear. The purpose of this new venture will be to report on what is happening at the state and local level of politics that has relevance and importance in our daily lives. I hope to be able to use this forum to educate, enlighten, and as always, at least make an attempt to entertain.
Why a blog devoted to local politics? Quite frankly, it is a topic that I feel deserves much greater coverage than it currently gets, and I believe that I am not alone in feeling that while what happens at the Capitol Dome on Washington Street in downtown Phoenix has an impact on Arizonans, it is also a great mystery for the most part. We dutifully pay our tax dollars to the federal and state governments, and while we get at least a general idea of the comings and goings of the federal government due to extensive media coverage of issues and personalities, we know very little about what happens to our state tax dollars.
How does education get funded? Most of us have a vague notion that property taxes play a major role, but how does the money get allocated, who makes the decisions on how much to spend on what, and how much of our property taxes actually goes to schools. What about the state economy? What is our current economic policy as it pertains to things like job creation and wealth distribution? What about our state budget, what kind of fiscal situation are the state and various cities really in, and how does that impact the services that we receive from our government, the so-called bang for our buck?
There are many issues that are both national and state issues, such as environmental and energy policy. As possibly the nation’s leader in sunshine, Phoenix is noted for getting over 300 sunny days a year, why are we not also the nation’s leader in producing solar energy? What is being done to reduce the brown cloud that envelops Phoenix after a few days of no wind and heavy commutes? What about environmental issues as they pertain to rural Arizona, or to our neighbor to the south, the Old Pueblo?
Immigration is an important national issue, but it certainly plays a major role in Arizona as well since we are a border state and home to a large Latino population, especially in Phoenix. Domestic issues such as health care and social welfare also hit home throughout the state. And the issue of government accountability and reform is always pertinent, and a seemingly never ending cause.
These are just some of the issues that I hope to address in this space. I plan to, as much as time allows while still keeping my day job as a high school history teacher in downtown Phoenix, and while attending to the numerous family responsibilities and activities as a husband and the father of a teen son and a tween daughter, to be able to cover the state, to talk with our representatives, to attend public meetings, and to educate myself and my readers on how it all works.
I look forward to this adventure and am going to kick start my experience by working at my local polling place tomorrow all day long, representing a candidate for the State House of Representative whom I support as someone who is committed to an issue that is dear to me, improving funding and performance for public schools in Arizona. Many of you will have met me and found out about this site from reading this, and I hope that you will check in as time allows and that you always feel free to leave comments on what I am discussing. A democracy is only as good as the people who partake in it, and my hope is that together we can make our democracy, and by extension, our society a better place for us and for future generations to live, work, and play.
Websites are as follows:
The Capitol Dome can be found at www.thecapitoldome.blogspot.com
The Daily Grind can be found at www.nmark03.blogspot.com
The Political Progressive can be found at www.thepoliticalprogressive.com
I can also be reached via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1040382563&ref=profile or if that doesn’t work just look me up under Mark Nicholas.
Sincerely,
Your humble political reporter
Why a blog devoted to local politics? Quite frankly, it is a topic that I feel deserves much greater coverage than it currently gets, and I believe that I am not alone in feeling that while what happens at the Capitol Dome on Washington Street in downtown Phoenix has an impact on Arizonans, it is also a great mystery for the most part. We dutifully pay our tax dollars to the federal and state governments, and while we get at least a general idea of the comings and goings of the federal government due to extensive media coverage of issues and personalities, we know very little about what happens to our state tax dollars.
How does education get funded? Most of us have a vague notion that property taxes play a major role, but how does the money get allocated, who makes the decisions on how much to spend on what, and how much of our property taxes actually goes to schools. What about the state economy? What is our current economic policy as it pertains to things like job creation and wealth distribution? What about our state budget, what kind of fiscal situation are the state and various cities really in, and how does that impact the services that we receive from our government, the so-called bang for our buck?
There are many issues that are both national and state issues, such as environmental and energy policy. As possibly the nation’s leader in sunshine, Phoenix is noted for getting over 300 sunny days a year, why are we not also the nation’s leader in producing solar energy? What is being done to reduce the brown cloud that envelops Phoenix after a few days of no wind and heavy commutes? What about environmental issues as they pertain to rural Arizona, or to our neighbor to the south, the Old Pueblo?
Immigration is an important national issue, but it certainly plays a major role in Arizona as well since we are a border state and home to a large Latino population, especially in Phoenix. Domestic issues such as health care and social welfare also hit home throughout the state. And the issue of government accountability and reform is always pertinent, and a seemingly never ending cause.
These are just some of the issues that I hope to address in this space. I plan to, as much as time allows while still keeping my day job as a high school history teacher in downtown Phoenix, and while attending to the numerous family responsibilities and activities as a husband and the father of a teen son and a tween daughter, to be able to cover the state, to talk with our representatives, to attend public meetings, and to educate myself and my readers on how it all works.
I look forward to this adventure and am going to kick start my experience by working at my local polling place tomorrow all day long, representing a candidate for the State House of Representative whom I support as someone who is committed to an issue that is dear to me, improving funding and performance for public schools in Arizona. Many of you will have met me and found out about this site from reading this, and I hope that you will check in as time allows and that you always feel free to leave comments on what I am discussing. A democracy is only as good as the people who partake in it, and my hope is that together we can make our democracy, and by extension, our society a better place for us and for future generations to live, work, and play.
Websites are as follows:
The Capitol Dome can be found at www.thecapitoldome.blogspot.com
The Daily Grind can be found at www.nmark03.blogspot.com
The Political Progressive can be found at www.thepoliticalprogressive.com
I can also be reached via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1040382563&ref=profile or if that doesn’t work just look me up under Mark Nicholas.
Sincerely,
Your humble political reporter
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Right Where I Wanna Be
Last night I was walking over from Starbucks to pick up baked ziti from Jo-Jo’s, my favorite local pizza and pasta joint, and then over to Dominos, which is right down the walkway, to get Jake’s favorite new sandwiches. Julie and Chloe were at Tosca rehearsals and wouldn’t be home for a few hours, I had already stopped at Safeway to pick up a fresh bottle of Stoli’s and a bag of ice and I was heading home to have some dinner with my boy and watch the last quarter of the college football game on the tube. Great game by the way, I was able to catch the final few minutes, which is all I mostly watch anymore when it comes to games, and in a fantastic finish the Red Raiders of Texas Tech scored a touchdown with one second left to beat their nemesis, the number one ranked Longhorns of Texas.
Also last night, at a hotel in Long Beach, CA, many of the people that I graduated high school with were celebrating our 20th class reunion, the Torrance High Class of 1988. I went back and forth on whether I would go out for it or not, but ultimately decided not to, and I have to admit I wondered if I would regret that decision, I wondered if I would feel particular regret once the big night came and I wasn’t there.
I pretty much just try to go with the flow of the river of life, and let my emotions and thoughts happen, as opposed to trying to manage and control the process, so I wasn’t sure what I would feel, but I knew that whatever I did feel and think that I would deal with it, and that it would be honest, never contrived. And guess what? As I was walking down the path to pick up food, I realized that I’m right where I wanna be, about to head home for some good food and good football with my boy, who is more a young man these days as a very mature, intelligent, and articulate 14 year-old high school freshman.
I’m right where I wanna be in my life. Sure, I don’t make a whole lot of money teaching high school, I never expected that I would when I chose this path almost a decade and a half ago. But our family income is enough to keep up with the bills and usually have a few bucks left over to have a good meal on a Saturday night. Jo-Jo’s isn’t a swank five star restaurant, but then again I’m not a swank five star kind of guy, and I’ll put their baked ziti, or my other favorite the chicken parmigiana up against any of those places, and it comes without the long waits, high prices, and pretense.
I’d rather be at home on a Saturday night with my family, Jules and Chloe got home from rehearsal a little after ten, and we hung out and talked, in particular about how to deal with bigoted and racist people. Chloe is a very creative and loving 11 year-old, who is beautiful on the outside and has an incredible soul, just like her mom. She is bothered by prejudice against gay people, and against black people, as she relates that to one of her long time best friends and to a gay couple that we are all friends with. She wanted to know why so-called Christians hate gay people and so we broke out the Bible and tried to find where it mentions gay marriage but couldn’t find anything. Then we watched Saturday Night Live and went to bed. I’ll take the Saturday night I had over any other Saturday night I can imagine, I’m right where I wanna be.
It struck me that if I were at the reunion last night, that I would have been sitting there trying to enjoy myself in order to justify the cost of making the trip, but I really would have been thinking, more so after a couple drinks which generally bring out my true feelings, that I’d rather be home doing exactly what I was doing last night anyways. Don’t get me wrong, I would have liked to have caught up with some people, but to me a reunion just seems like the adult version of a formal high school dance, where you spend all this time and money and get all dressed up and 15 minutes after you’re there you and your buddies are plotting your escape to the nearest house party, or if all else fails, meet at the rocket ship at Hickory Park.
I’m living my life on my terms, accompanied by people that I admire and genuinely love and respect, and that feel the same towards me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I may not have a lot of money or fame, I may not be all that important in the grand scheme of things, but I matter to the people that matter to me, and I can’t imagine anything better. I have a beautiful and smart and funny and supportive wife who is also my best friend and my partner. I have two incredibly wonderful and sweet kids who light up my days and watching them grow up and become the good people I know them to be beats any amount of money, fame, or recognition. I have a great relationship with the two people that raised me, and even though I am now pushing 40 their influence on me is still great and always will be. And I have one brother in this world who means the world to me and even though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, the contact we do get is always enjoyable, except for when he’s pissing me off like no one in the world other than a little brother can. But he’s a good guy and a great soul and I love him with all my heart.
There’s a lot to be said for simply being happy in your life, though you may not have accomplished everything you set out to when you were younger and more idealistic, you come to the realization that you can nonetheless still achieve a great deal that you didn’t necessarily consider back when you thought you had life all figured out. Besides, there’s still some time left to get a few things done, and I try to get things that matter done every day. I’m right where I wanna be, right where I’m supposed to be, and while I don’t know where this great adventure of life will take me in the future, I trust that it will be the right place for me. And there’s always the next reunion in another five years, maybe they’ll even serve baked ziti.
Also last night, at a hotel in Long Beach, CA, many of the people that I graduated high school with were celebrating our 20th class reunion, the Torrance High Class of 1988. I went back and forth on whether I would go out for it or not, but ultimately decided not to, and I have to admit I wondered if I would regret that decision, I wondered if I would feel particular regret once the big night came and I wasn’t there.
I pretty much just try to go with the flow of the river of life, and let my emotions and thoughts happen, as opposed to trying to manage and control the process, so I wasn’t sure what I would feel, but I knew that whatever I did feel and think that I would deal with it, and that it would be honest, never contrived. And guess what? As I was walking down the path to pick up food, I realized that I’m right where I wanna be, about to head home for some good food and good football with my boy, who is more a young man these days as a very mature, intelligent, and articulate 14 year-old high school freshman.
I’m right where I wanna be in my life. Sure, I don’t make a whole lot of money teaching high school, I never expected that I would when I chose this path almost a decade and a half ago. But our family income is enough to keep up with the bills and usually have a few bucks left over to have a good meal on a Saturday night. Jo-Jo’s isn’t a swank five star restaurant, but then again I’m not a swank five star kind of guy, and I’ll put their baked ziti, or my other favorite the chicken parmigiana up against any of those places, and it comes without the long waits, high prices, and pretense.
I’d rather be at home on a Saturday night with my family, Jules and Chloe got home from rehearsal a little after ten, and we hung out and talked, in particular about how to deal with bigoted and racist people. Chloe is a very creative and loving 11 year-old, who is beautiful on the outside and has an incredible soul, just like her mom. She is bothered by prejudice against gay people, and against black people, as she relates that to one of her long time best friends and to a gay couple that we are all friends with. She wanted to know why so-called Christians hate gay people and so we broke out the Bible and tried to find where it mentions gay marriage but couldn’t find anything. Then we watched Saturday Night Live and went to bed. I’ll take the Saturday night I had over any other Saturday night I can imagine, I’m right where I wanna be.
It struck me that if I were at the reunion last night, that I would have been sitting there trying to enjoy myself in order to justify the cost of making the trip, but I really would have been thinking, more so after a couple drinks which generally bring out my true feelings, that I’d rather be home doing exactly what I was doing last night anyways. Don’t get me wrong, I would have liked to have caught up with some people, but to me a reunion just seems like the adult version of a formal high school dance, where you spend all this time and money and get all dressed up and 15 minutes after you’re there you and your buddies are plotting your escape to the nearest house party, or if all else fails, meet at the rocket ship at Hickory Park.
I’m living my life on my terms, accompanied by people that I admire and genuinely love and respect, and that feel the same towards me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I may not have a lot of money or fame, I may not be all that important in the grand scheme of things, but I matter to the people that matter to me, and I can’t imagine anything better. I have a beautiful and smart and funny and supportive wife who is also my best friend and my partner. I have two incredibly wonderful and sweet kids who light up my days and watching them grow up and become the good people I know them to be beats any amount of money, fame, or recognition. I have a great relationship with the two people that raised me, and even though I am now pushing 40 their influence on me is still great and always will be. And I have one brother in this world who means the world to me and even though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, the contact we do get is always enjoyable, except for when he’s pissing me off like no one in the world other than a little brother can. But he’s a good guy and a great soul and I love him with all my heart.
There’s a lot to be said for simply being happy in your life, though you may not have accomplished everything you set out to when you were younger and more idealistic, you come to the realization that you can nonetheless still achieve a great deal that you didn’t necessarily consider back when you thought you had life all figured out. Besides, there’s still some time left to get a few things done, and I try to get things that matter done every day. I’m right where I wanna be, right where I’m supposed to be, and while I don’t know where this great adventure of life will take me in the future, I trust that it will be the right place for me. And there’s always the next reunion in another five years, maybe they’ll even serve baked ziti.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Making the Case for Obama
This has been a most extraordinary election season, more so than any in my lifetime and one that as a political junkie and a patriot, I hate to see end. I am incredibly excited to be voting on Tuesday, I will be there well before the polls open at 6 a.m., and then will be working my local polling places all day as a representative for a candidate whom I support for the State House of Representatives, Jack Doody. Go ahead and make all your Howdy Doody jokes now, I already have gotten it out of my system. Ok, back to the big decision, which of course centers around who will become our 44th president. I am an unabashed and proud supporter of Mr. Barack Obama, and before I get to the case for his presidency, I would first like to commend the American people for their level of passion and interest in this election.
The level of interest has been unprecedented, and if the lines at many early voting sites are any indication, voter turnout should approach or surpass previous high water marks. In a society that is often viewed, both from outside as well as from within, as hopelessly apathetic and borderline illiterate, it is heartening to see our democracy thriving as it has over the past couple years. I hope that the countless Americans citizens who have partaken in this campaign by watching, listening, reading, and most importantly discussing and debating, will stay involved in the process. Regardless of which party controls the levers of power, our system is best served when the citizens are involved and active, it is quite simply the greatest check on government power that exists.
I also hope that we can agree to expand citizenship to the tens of millions of Americans who would like to join our great society. Incorporating them into our system is the next great civil rights challenge that we face as a nation, and my hope is that we will be up to the task, just as our predecessors were in granting rights, albeit slowly but eventually, to women and blacks.
Barack Obama is the right person for the job of leading our country out of the massive hole we are in, and to lead us to a brighter and more prosperous future as a nation. His leadership style strikes me as one that will unite, involve, and inspire the American people to step up and take responsibility for doing the hard work that is needed to get our country back on the right track. Critics often point out that Obama is arrogant, an elitist, a celebrity, a Messiah like figure who can wave a magic wand and set things right.
Those who support him vehemently know this not to be the case, because a major reason why Obama has received such support is because he makes us believe in our own ability to effect change. We are not waiting for that one to do the job, we expect him to lead and will hold him very accountable, but we realize that it is the people that must lead if the leaders are to follow. We want to be united and involved, especially those in society who have been the most disconnected historically, namely young people and non-Whites, especially Blacks. To have a leader that gives people a sense that not only do they belong but that they are valued members of society has enormous value in making the society stronger and more fundamentally sound.
Obama is on the proper side on the major issues of the day, which are the big E, the economy, the Iraq War, healthcare, and the three little e’s, the environment, energy, and education. As a policy wonk I could go into detail here on these issues, but as I believe most people are already well versed enough at this point to make an informed voting decision, I will save that commentary for after the election. We’ve got to have some politics to discuss after this is all said and done after all. Suffice to say that if you support economic policies that favor the working and middle class, if you favor a responsible withdrawal of troops from the five and half year Iraq occupation, if you feel that the richest nation in the world has a moral obligation for the health and well being of its people, if you care about the high economic, environmental, and security costs of continuing to rely on oil, and if you believe that global climate change is a real issue that can and must be addressed, then Barack Obama is your guy.
If you are a rich person, which I would define as someone making at least a half million dollars a year, then Obama probably isn’t your guy. Your taxes will increase, there is no doubt about that, he has been very up front about this. Of course not all rich people are of the mindset that this is a bad thing, you may have heard of Warren Buffet, the investor from Omaha, Nebraska who is also ranked as the wealthiest individual in the world. He is in the Obama camp because he realizes that a society cannot long thrive when only a handful accrue the wealth while the majority scramble for the crumbs left behind. When I go to the track to bet on the ponies I have a theory that whoever the big money players are going for is the smart bet. Those with the most at stake generally have the best idea of what the stakes actually are. You won’t find a bigger money player than Warren Buffet, and we know who he is putting his money on. Just a little food for thought for those of you who may be inclined to listen to Joe the Plumber instead.
But you may ask, what about the claim that Obama is a Socialist. Surely he means to take away my hard earned wealth and give it to other people who are less hard working and are therefore less deserving? First off, anyone who has ever worked on a factory floor or done manual labor as many of our immigrant ancestors did, can attest that how hard you actually work is not generally reflected in the amount of money that you make. Neither is income reflected in the value your work has to the company, as any cubicle worker can attest, nor to the value your work has to society, as any teacher, police officer, soldier, or firefighter can vouch for.
The second point is that Obama will not take away any of your hard earned pay if you are one of the 285 million Americans who make less than $100,000 dollars a year. We are the people who will benefit from having Obama as our president. And this will not lead to ruin and destruction in the economy as supporters of supply-side economics would have you believe. Rich people will still be rich, just as they were during the decades from the 1950’s through the 1970’s before Ronald Reagan introduced trickle-down economics and drastically lowered the highest tax rates.
So what about this socialism you ask, I don’t want to become a socialist nation like France. While leaving alone the question for now of what exactly is so bad about France, let me assure you that we are in no danger, now or at any point of becoming a socialist nation. Socialism is defined as the government controlling both the means of production, as well as the distribution of wealth. All governments control, to varying degrees, the distribution of wealth in the form of taxes. They collect taxes and decide who pays what and where the benefits go. It is a long established principle in our capitalist, free-market system, that those who make the most ought to pay a larger share of their income to benefit the society that allows them to achieve their wealth. This is called a progressive income tax system and has been in place for nearly a century, with pretty good results too I might add.
The first part of socialism has to do with the government controlling the means of production, in other words the government owning the businesses and industries that produce goods and services. On this count, I would challenge anyone to find me an example of an Obama proposal that fits this definition of what socialism is. In other words, while we are and always have redistributed income, we are not now, nor in the future going to become a nation where the government nationalizes industries.
In order for propaganda and rhetoric to work, people must be emotionally impacted by it. It took the McCain camp awhile to hit on something that would do that, but they finally got it with the socialism scare tactic. Propaganda requires people to have a lack of knowledge on a subject, and to feel embarrassed to admit that they don’t really know what it means, which is human nature. So the socialism claim goes out and even intelligent people may be a bit baffled, but they just know that it isn’t a good thing and they don’t want it.
But there is something more sinister at work here, and this is where the McCain camp has hit the jackpot. They rang up a few cherries on the slot machine with the Muslim rumors, using Obama’s middle name of Hussein to give him an un-American sound, and to suggest that somehow he would support the terrorists, or that he would side with the Palestinians against Israel. My middle name is David but that doesn’t mean I automatically support Israel in their conflict with the Palestinians. Then they added the hanging out with terrorists like Bill Ayers touch, to show that this was a dangerous man who would consort with the enemy. Of course last time I checked it wasn’t radical hippies from the 60’s who attacked the Twin Towers, but again, minor details. They resisted the Reverend Wright tact because that was too overtly racial, McCain may not be a B student, but he’s no dummy either. So how to remind voters that they are about to vote for a black guy, without coming out and saying it? Enter socialism.
The S word has replaced the N word in this election. Thankfully in our society today it is no longer acceptable for racists and those whose tendencies lean that way to come out with overtly racist language. But don’t be fooled into thinking that means that racism and racist tendencies have disappeared from people’s hearts and minds.
White people, many of them at least, like to pretend that racism doesn’t exist, and that those who play the so-called race card are whiners and excuse makers. Well here’s the real scoop, racism, while not as prevalent as in previous generations, is kind of like the Taliban, it doesn’t disappear it just hides out in the caves and recesses of people’s thoughts until it is called upon. And that’s what the socialist argument is doing, it is giving white people who would hate the thought of being labeled or even identifying themselves as in any way racist, permission to vote against the black guy. Not because he’s black mind you, but because he’s a socialist, or so the justification goes. If you start your sentences with, “I’m not trying to be racist but…”, and then proceed to say something racist, Obama might not be your guy. But if you can acknowledge your own prejudices, prejudices I might add that exist in all of us to some degree and are therefore not inherently bad unless you let them control your thoughts and actions, if you can admit that to yourself and look at the man, the issues, and the times we live in, then maybe you can vote for the black guy after all.
I have tried to make the case, as best I can, for the man whom I think has the potential to be the best person that Americans have had the wisdom to vote for since they put FDR into office back in 1932. He is not a perfect candidate, no candidate is, and he will ultimately be judged, both by his contemporaries and by history, for the job he does while in office. His opponent is an honorable public servant who has not always run the most honorable campaign, which as one who had always had mostly positive regard for Mr. McCain, is a disappointment. But the main point here is that in this race between two individuals, there is one, Senator Barack Obama, who is clearly the best choice to lead this great nation of ours, and whose policies will clearly benefit the majority of us, bringing about much needed change without altering the foundation of what our country has been built upon.
I look forward to meeting with people all day long on Tuesday and to being a part of this great experiment in democracy and a part of this historic election. While I hope that all of you that have stuck with this column for this long will go out and express your preference, and to encourage everyone you know to do the same, I ultimately hope that you will consider my arguments and explanations, and will help to elect Barack Obama as our nation’s 44th president.
The level of interest has been unprecedented, and if the lines at many early voting sites are any indication, voter turnout should approach or surpass previous high water marks. In a society that is often viewed, both from outside as well as from within, as hopelessly apathetic and borderline illiterate, it is heartening to see our democracy thriving as it has over the past couple years. I hope that the countless Americans citizens who have partaken in this campaign by watching, listening, reading, and most importantly discussing and debating, will stay involved in the process. Regardless of which party controls the levers of power, our system is best served when the citizens are involved and active, it is quite simply the greatest check on government power that exists.
I also hope that we can agree to expand citizenship to the tens of millions of Americans who would like to join our great society. Incorporating them into our system is the next great civil rights challenge that we face as a nation, and my hope is that we will be up to the task, just as our predecessors were in granting rights, albeit slowly but eventually, to women and blacks.
Barack Obama is the right person for the job of leading our country out of the massive hole we are in, and to lead us to a brighter and more prosperous future as a nation. His leadership style strikes me as one that will unite, involve, and inspire the American people to step up and take responsibility for doing the hard work that is needed to get our country back on the right track. Critics often point out that Obama is arrogant, an elitist, a celebrity, a Messiah like figure who can wave a magic wand and set things right.
Those who support him vehemently know this not to be the case, because a major reason why Obama has received such support is because he makes us believe in our own ability to effect change. We are not waiting for that one to do the job, we expect him to lead and will hold him very accountable, but we realize that it is the people that must lead if the leaders are to follow. We want to be united and involved, especially those in society who have been the most disconnected historically, namely young people and non-Whites, especially Blacks. To have a leader that gives people a sense that not only do they belong but that they are valued members of society has enormous value in making the society stronger and more fundamentally sound.
Obama is on the proper side on the major issues of the day, which are the big E, the economy, the Iraq War, healthcare, and the three little e’s, the environment, energy, and education. As a policy wonk I could go into detail here on these issues, but as I believe most people are already well versed enough at this point to make an informed voting decision, I will save that commentary for after the election. We’ve got to have some politics to discuss after this is all said and done after all. Suffice to say that if you support economic policies that favor the working and middle class, if you favor a responsible withdrawal of troops from the five and half year Iraq occupation, if you feel that the richest nation in the world has a moral obligation for the health and well being of its people, if you care about the high economic, environmental, and security costs of continuing to rely on oil, and if you believe that global climate change is a real issue that can and must be addressed, then Barack Obama is your guy.
If you are a rich person, which I would define as someone making at least a half million dollars a year, then Obama probably isn’t your guy. Your taxes will increase, there is no doubt about that, he has been very up front about this. Of course not all rich people are of the mindset that this is a bad thing, you may have heard of Warren Buffet, the investor from Omaha, Nebraska who is also ranked as the wealthiest individual in the world. He is in the Obama camp because he realizes that a society cannot long thrive when only a handful accrue the wealth while the majority scramble for the crumbs left behind. When I go to the track to bet on the ponies I have a theory that whoever the big money players are going for is the smart bet. Those with the most at stake generally have the best idea of what the stakes actually are. You won’t find a bigger money player than Warren Buffet, and we know who he is putting his money on. Just a little food for thought for those of you who may be inclined to listen to Joe the Plumber instead.
But you may ask, what about the claim that Obama is a Socialist. Surely he means to take away my hard earned wealth and give it to other people who are less hard working and are therefore less deserving? First off, anyone who has ever worked on a factory floor or done manual labor as many of our immigrant ancestors did, can attest that how hard you actually work is not generally reflected in the amount of money that you make. Neither is income reflected in the value your work has to the company, as any cubicle worker can attest, nor to the value your work has to society, as any teacher, police officer, soldier, or firefighter can vouch for.
The second point is that Obama will not take away any of your hard earned pay if you are one of the 285 million Americans who make less than $100,000 dollars a year. We are the people who will benefit from having Obama as our president. And this will not lead to ruin and destruction in the economy as supporters of supply-side economics would have you believe. Rich people will still be rich, just as they were during the decades from the 1950’s through the 1970’s before Ronald Reagan introduced trickle-down economics and drastically lowered the highest tax rates.
So what about this socialism you ask, I don’t want to become a socialist nation like France. While leaving alone the question for now of what exactly is so bad about France, let me assure you that we are in no danger, now or at any point of becoming a socialist nation. Socialism is defined as the government controlling both the means of production, as well as the distribution of wealth. All governments control, to varying degrees, the distribution of wealth in the form of taxes. They collect taxes and decide who pays what and where the benefits go. It is a long established principle in our capitalist, free-market system, that those who make the most ought to pay a larger share of their income to benefit the society that allows them to achieve their wealth. This is called a progressive income tax system and has been in place for nearly a century, with pretty good results too I might add.
The first part of socialism has to do with the government controlling the means of production, in other words the government owning the businesses and industries that produce goods and services. On this count, I would challenge anyone to find me an example of an Obama proposal that fits this definition of what socialism is. In other words, while we are and always have redistributed income, we are not now, nor in the future going to become a nation where the government nationalizes industries.
In order for propaganda and rhetoric to work, people must be emotionally impacted by it. It took the McCain camp awhile to hit on something that would do that, but they finally got it with the socialism scare tactic. Propaganda requires people to have a lack of knowledge on a subject, and to feel embarrassed to admit that they don’t really know what it means, which is human nature. So the socialism claim goes out and even intelligent people may be a bit baffled, but they just know that it isn’t a good thing and they don’t want it.
But there is something more sinister at work here, and this is where the McCain camp has hit the jackpot. They rang up a few cherries on the slot machine with the Muslim rumors, using Obama’s middle name of Hussein to give him an un-American sound, and to suggest that somehow he would support the terrorists, or that he would side with the Palestinians against Israel. My middle name is David but that doesn’t mean I automatically support Israel in their conflict with the Palestinians. Then they added the hanging out with terrorists like Bill Ayers touch, to show that this was a dangerous man who would consort with the enemy. Of course last time I checked it wasn’t radical hippies from the 60’s who attacked the Twin Towers, but again, minor details. They resisted the Reverend Wright tact because that was too overtly racial, McCain may not be a B student, but he’s no dummy either. So how to remind voters that they are about to vote for a black guy, without coming out and saying it? Enter socialism.
The S word has replaced the N word in this election. Thankfully in our society today it is no longer acceptable for racists and those whose tendencies lean that way to come out with overtly racist language. But don’t be fooled into thinking that means that racism and racist tendencies have disappeared from people’s hearts and minds.
White people, many of them at least, like to pretend that racism doesn’t exist, and that those who play the so-called race card are whiners and excuse makers. Well here’s the real scoop, racism, while not as prevalent as in previous generations, is kind of like the Taliban, it doesn’t disappear it just hides out in the caves and recesses of people’s thoughts until it is called upon. And that’s what the socialist argument is doing, it is giving white people who would hate the thought of being labeled or even identifying themselves as in any way racist, permission to vote against the black guy. Not because he’s black mind you, but because he’s a socialist, or so the justification goes. If you start your sentences with, “I’m not trying to be racist but…”, and then proceed to say something racist, Obama might not be your guy. But if you can acknowledge your own prejudices, prejudices I might add that exist in all of us to some degree and are therefore not inherently bad unless you let them control your thoughts and actions, if you can admit that to yourself and look at the man, the issues, and the times we live in, then maybe you can vote for the black guy after all.
I have tried to make the case, as best I can, for the man whom I think has the potential to be the best person that Americans have had the wisdom to vote for since they put FDR into office back in 1932. He is not a perfect candidate, no candidate is, and he will ultimately be judged, both by his contemporaries and by history, for the job he does while in office. His opponent is an honorable public servant who has not always run the most honorable campaign, which as one who had always had mostly positive regard for Mr. McCain, is a disappointment. But the main point here is that in this race between two individuals, there is one, Senator Barack Obama, who is clearly the best choice to lead this great nation of ours, and whose policies will clearly benefit the majority of us, bringing about much needed change without altering the foundation of what our country has been built upon.
I look forward to meeting with people all day long on Tuesday and to being a part of this great experiment in democracy and a part of this historic election. While I hope that all of you that have stuck with this column for this long will go out and express your preference, and to encourage everyone you know to do the same, I ultimately hope that you will consider my arguments and explanations, and will help to elect Barack Obama as our nation’s 44th president.
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