Let me be the first to say that this week BARAK OBAMA IS F***ING UP!!! I am a big supporter of Mr. “Barak Hussein Obama,” but this week I have seen a few troubling things. I am sympathetic with the amount of junk that he has to fix, and I applaud him for his conduct during the campaign, the actions of his transition team, and the general way he does things. However, some of the things he does I find disquieting, specifically I am referring to the proposed economic stimulus package.
Let me start with the good news: I am impressed with the Obama spirit of bipartisanship. One of the things Obama said he intended to fix is a lack of cooperation in Washington. He vowed to put politics aside and implement solutions that will be best for the country. He promised that he may not agree with the ideas of his opponents, but that he would always listen and give them the respect that they deserve. He also said that he is not opposed to using the good ideas that are presented from the other side of the table and he would not let a political agenda keep him from implementing the best idea for everyone.
The negotiations regarding the proposed stimulus package have been a model of good will from the Obama administration. Never has a president with such an overwhelming majority in Congress and a sky high approval rating done more to extend his hand to his opposition.
The problem I have is that he is letting bad ideas into a very important stimulus bill for political reasons. I believe (as I have said before) that infrastructure spending is the best way to stimulate this economy. To help get Republican support for this bill, the Obama administration has reduced its infrastructure spending and put more tax cuts in this bill. This bill as it is currently written has 19% of its spending dedicated to infrastructure projects and 33% of it devoted to tax cuts. THAT RATIO IS BACKWARDS. THIS IS THE SAME SET OF POLICIES THAT GOT US IN THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
It is the last 27 years of these tax cuts and irresponsible spending that led to this economic climate. If people get a tax cut in this economy they are going to pay bills they already have, or they are going to put it in the bank. The vast majority of people are not going to buy anything new of consequence (because they still can’t get credit), and they are not going to hire a new employee. If you build infrastructure then people from all levels of society must be hired to do the work. That means that more people have more money. More people will buy things when their prospects are better and when they have more money. That grows the economy.
That is the idea that Barak Obama campaigned on and that is the idea that I and most of the country voted for. If I wanted tax cuts and a conservative agenda I would have voted for John McCain. I didn’t. America thought about the two ideas that were presented and they voted for Barak Obama’s solution on how to fix the economy. The Democrats won overwhelming victories in the House and the Senate because all over this country people think that the ideas pushed by the Democrats are the best solutions for this country.
Yes, some tax cuts will help the immediate situation so here should be tax cuts, but not 1/3 of a stimulus package. I am not opposed to compromise, but the compromise has to yield a better idea then the one you started with. The strength of compromise is that in the end your idea is stronger because you have incorporated other good ideas into your own. To change a good idea just so people will like you is not an effective compromise.
And what did President Obama get for all his good will and compromise. NOTHING. Not one gutless Republican representative voted for this compromise. The White House showed the spirit of compromise and tried to meet the other side halfway. Did the Republicans in the house say “it is not everything we want, but it is a good start”? Did they say “this bill doesn’t do everything we want, but it is better than doing nothing”? No. Instead ,they did nothing. They stuck to their 80-year-old out-dated ideas and failed to grasp the reality of the situation.
Maybe I am not giving the Republicans enough credit. Maybe they are a lot smarter than I am. A very good plan would be to make Obama add so much to his bill that it is ultimately ineffective. Then none of them vote for it. When the stimulus fails, they can then go back to their constituents and say “Obama messed up the stimulus package.” Brilliant political maneuvering. Why didn’t I think of that? Oh wait, I just did.”
I am glad Obama is trying to change the way politics is played in this country. It is a change that has been needed for a while. I have stated in other articles that I have written that compromise is an important thing and the ability not to incorporate good ideas different from your own is one of the biggest failures of the previous administration. I do think that Mr. Obama needs to do what is right and not to win approval of everyone. Part of being a leader is making tough choices. It means to put aside what people think of you and do what is best for people. I think Obama needs to remember that THE DEMOCRATS WON. This bill can pass without the Republicans. I think he should continue the spirit of compromise, but in the end he has to do the right thing, not the politically correct thing. I guess we will call this strike one.
A future article will be about strike 2. Let’s just say the name William Lynn III comes to mind. You can’t hit a home run every time and for the most part this administration has done a great job. I am not jumping off of the ship after three weeks.
As always I love to hear what you think of this position. I especially welcome ideas that differ from my own.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
GOOD RIDDANCE GOOBER
January 20 is reported to be an historic day. After months of campaigning hype and speculation, Barack Hussein Obama will be sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. This administration arguably is in one of the most perilous times in American history. We face major economic challenges. A war on 2 fronts, a sky rocketing national debt and a crumbling infrastructure are some of the many other problems we as a nation face. We did not get into this mess over night and some say we are beyond the capacity to ever get out. Many people are counting on this administration to do a lot as well they should. A lot was promised to us in the way of change and this is the time where the change must be delivered. We no longer have the luxury of complacency. There is no time to drag our heels and continue to do things the way they have always been done. Many people question if this administration can bring us the change that we so desperately need. Indeed I myself do not know if they can but there is one thing I do know. THE LAST EIGHT YEARS HAVE BEEN A DISASTER FOR THIS COUNTRY, WHAT EVER HAPPENS I WILL NEVER WANT TO GO BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION THAT IS LEAVING OFFICE. I find it hard to believe but some people that I know (some of these people are my good friends) still love George W and what he stood for. I still respect these people and they are entitled to their opinion. This article will be about the reasons that I want this administration as far out of the white house as I can get them.
Before I go any further I must state that I have never met any of the people I am writing about. I do not know if they are good people, good husbands, good fathers, or nice guys. I can not judge these men and women as people. I can only judge them by how they have acted in their official roles and by what effect their actions have had on our country. It is not just the president I don’t like but the people that he has surrounded himself with. I must also say that this argument will be a rant rather then my usual logically structured arguments. Three of the four people I will mention are no longer serving in the George Bush white house, never the less the had significant influence over his policy.
Karl Rove (Deputy Chief of Staff)
No one disputes the electoral genius of Karl Rove. The thing that I dislike about this man is the methods he used to get his man into office. Getting one side of the country to hate the other is one of the many tactics he employed. His ability to demonize the people that disagreed with him is something that was a mainstay of the bush presidency. I understand that part of politics is to make the other guy look bad but there are times when I think that Mr. Rove just went too far. I think one of the fundamental flaws of this white house was a failure to see that you can disagree with someone and still think their opinion has some value. Very rarely is a viewpoint 100% wrong. The opposing viewpoint may have things that could be valuable. To devalue the opposing view to the point where you can’t even see its merits is a flawed way of doing things. Karl Rove did not invent these feelings. I think the fear, resentment, and disrespect were already present in us. I can not blame Mr. Rove for how people feel, but I can blame him for using those feelings for political gain at the expense of our national consciousness. No wonder liberals had a field day when the permanent republican majority lasted a little over 3 years.
Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense)
Even if you manage to convince me that the war in Iraq was necessary, the way we went to war was a total disaster. The cavalier attitude that this group of nuts took us to war was shameful. I admit that there are some wars that we may have to fight but we should only fight them when there is no other alternative. I don’t think anyone would make the argument that this administration did every thing they could to keep us out of the Iraqi theater. Watching this man tell the terrorist to “bring it on” illustrates the callousness this man ran the pentagon with. I am sure that the phrase “bring it on” is exactly what all those mothers and fiancés and brothers and sisters of all those troops were thinking when their love ones were deployed.
In addition to the attitude which this pentagon took us to war the methods of operation were a strategic disaster. We went into a war without enough troops. We went to war with a strategy that was based more on a video game then historic, documented plans of action. We thought the war would take six months and it didn’t (AND FOR EVERYONE WHO SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE NEVER SAID THAT WATCH THE FREAKIN VIDEO TAPE). We didn’t have the necessary equipment, support staff, or even health benefits in place to support a prolonged engagement.
In addition to this all the assumptions the pentagon made about this war were wrong. We (and I say we in the sense of country not counting the individuals who opposed this war from the beginning) assumed the war would take six months. It didn’t. We assumed that the oil revenue would pay for the war. It didn’t. We assumed that the people would see us as liberators and all be on our side. They weren’t. We assumed that dismantling the country’s infrastructure, army police force and civil service would help bring peace. It. didn’t. We thought that letting people loot and riot would cement our image as liberators. It didn’t. We thought that since they were all Iraqi’s they would get along. They didn’t. In addition, we were told that Saddam was working for Al Qaeda. He wasn’t. We were told that Al Qaeda was operating in Iraq. They weren’t (until we got there). We were told that we would find weapons of mass destruction and we didn’t. You may be able to successfully argue that this war was necessary but you cannot argue that both the plan for this war and the execution of said plan have been PISS POOR.
John Ashcroft (Attorney General)
I think the justice department in the last eight years has done more to damage this country then any third world dictator. The fabric of our legal system and the fundamental principles of the constitution have been trampled on in the last 8 years by our own justice department. For the first four years of the Bush presidency John Ashcroft was the attorney general of the Unites States. Before I go on let me state that I understand how things could get so out of hand. September 11th is one of the things in my young adult life that I will never forget. I remember seeing those horrifying images on the news. I remember having friends that live and work in New York. I remember not being able to call anyone’s cell phone in New York City. I remember the sense of fear and confusion that we all felt. That does not mean I gave the justice department a free pass. To spy on American citizens without cause it wrong. Even if I am scared it is still wrong. The patriot act has many merits. To spy on people suspected of a crime is perfectly acceptable to me. To treat everyone as a suspect is a very different matter. I am prepared to say that in the world we live in we will have take precautions. I have no problem with extra security at sporting events. I have no problem with taking off my shoes at an airport. I do have a problem with scrapping the entire premise of our legal system just because we are scared.
The whole idea of enemy combatants is another horrible idea by the justice department. To arbitrarily create a whole group of people with no rights is one of the dirtiest things our legal system has every done (and we have done a lot). If we are at war then these suspects are prisoners of war and they have the rights afforded to them by the Geneva Convention. This is an agreement that we signed in good faith. This is a set of rules that we as a people promised that we would uphold. This is the same set of standards that we have used to try, and to execute war criminals from other governments. If we are at war then the people we are holding captive deserve these rights. If we are not at war then these people are criminals and they should be treated as criminals. They should be processed the way all other criminals are processed. I have no problem with either of these distinctions but you can’t just create a whole class of people with no rights because you are scared. Detaining people indefinitely and torture are two things that are completely inconsistent with our democracy and this administration has admitted to both (it is only fair to point out that John Ashcroft is on the record for not supporting torture). These things are unacceptable no matter how dangerous this world is.
There are some that say we had to gather all this information to keep ourselves safe. I also reject this argument. If you have read any of the 911 commission report (and I happen to read the entire thing) you will find that we had plenty of information. The problem was the right information didn’t get to the right people. I would also say that we have lost valuable intelligence by alienating the Muslim American community. The people that can help us most with the war on terror are the first people we alienated by fear and discrimination. I would also argue that the intelligence gathered through torture is at best of questionable accuracy. There are many examples in history where citizens volunteered to give up some of there rights in order to feel safer. All off these decisions were met with disastrous consequences. This is a road that I WILL NOT GO DOWN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I didn’t believe in it on September 12, 2001 and I don’t believe in it now.
Dick Cheney (Vice President)
The things I have mentioned illustrate a several deeper problems that have gone on in the last eight years. The first problem is the idea that America is bigger then the rest of the world. The idea that America isn’t really apart of this world and therefore does not have to play by the rules that everyone else plays by. This idea has done more to harm America’s image then anything. This idea has been championed by our vice president. If 911 taught us anything it should have taught us that we are no longer this invincible island. The idea that we are over here and they are over there is no longer valid. In fact that idea is the idea that will ruin us in the post 911 world. Some would argue that the UN doesn’t work and that we often times will have to act on our own. I would respond by asking how is the UN suppose to work when the greatest most powerful country in the world won’t even acknowledge its importance. That makes for a very dangerous world. This is a world that our vice president and people like him have helped to create.
The second major problem with the course of action has to do with the idea of democracy. This administration has adopted as its foreign policy the idea that the world would be safer if we democratized the rest of the world. If we replace evil dictatorships with democracy the world would be a safer place. The problem comes in when we have to be the democracy that we are trying to sell to the rest of the world. If we are going to sell this brand of democracy then we have to be the model this democracy to the rest of the world. Why would anyone in the Middle East want to aspire to democracy when we torture our own citizens? Why should any third world government choose democracy when we abandon our fundamental principles as soon as things get a little rough? Why would they think that this government is better then the one they have? This administration still believes they are operating in a time when the world can not see our faults. A democracy is not just 3 pieces of paper that were written 200 years ago. Democracy is a living breathing thing and the only way it survives is if it is practiced.
The idea that evil is as simple as a flag or a group of people has doomed the foreign policy of the last eight years. The ability to differentiate from the people who mean to do us harm from the people that look like them is something that has happened on this watch. I do not know if this is reality or perception. In essence it doesn’t really matter. In a war of ideas, perception is almost as important as reality. This is another fact that this foreign policy does not take into account. This policy lacks the subtlety necessary to be effective in the world we live in and in eight years this administration failed to realize that. If its fundamental views are not upheld then it ceases to be a democracy.
Everyone freaked out in this election cycle because Obama sat on a board with William Ayres. The media also made a big deal out of Obama’s reported ties with a political action group called ACORN. How can we have a vice president who was the CEO of one of the biggest oil companies and be at war in one of the most oil rich parts of the world and there is no presumption of a conflict of interest.
I didn’t even mention that we had a “conservative” president and he spent more money then any “liberal” president has. I also didn’t mention the failed immigration policy, the failed health care policy, the failed social security policy, the very, very lame attempt at Middle East peace. I also didn’t mention the rolling back of almost every environmental act on the books. I also didn’t mention the idea that the top one percent of the country got richer while the middle class was almost destroyed. Did I mention hurricane Katrina and FEMA? And we won’t even mention names like Scooter Libby, Harriet Myers, or Alberto Gonzales.
Many people will argue that these men kept us safe. After September 11. 2001 there were no major attacks on American soil. I am glad that there has not been another September 11th. If they were right and I am wrong I will gladly be wrong so people can be safe. Some would also say that I am an idealistic fool with no sense of reality. Some would also say that I could not hold on to my idealism in this dangerous world. I would respond by saying I don’t give up that easily. I would argue we have no way of knowing how much safer we would be. We have no way of knowing what would have happened if we put the 140,000 troops that were in Iraq into Afghanistan. We put 50,000 troops where Osama Bin Laden was but we put 140,000 troops into a place where Al Qaeda wasn’t. We have no way of knowing what would have happened if we engaged the rest of the world to help us fight terrorism. What would have happened if we took the dissenting opinions of our allies seriously, treated them with the respect they deserve, and let them help us to solve a problem that affects everyone? What would have happen if instead of persecuting Muslim citizens, we employed them to help us gather intelligence? What would have happen if we greeted them as a valuable resource rather then with suspicion and prejudice? What would have happened if we didn’t have all that bad intelligence that came from torture to muddy the waters? What would have happened if we made a real effort to end extreme poverty and lessen the amount of desperation in the world thereby making it harder for extremists to recruit? What if we tried to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world with respect instead of fear and humiliation? What would have happened if instead of demonizing our enemy we employed the good people in the middle east to help us rather then thinking they all were evil? What would have happened if American and her citizens held to their democratic principles and made sure that the America is an ideal that the world should aspire to.
I don’t know what the next administration will bring. I do not know if this young inexperienced president is up to the challenge. I think the circumstances that we are in are very difficult. I think things may get worse before they get better. I don’t think Obama is going to deliverer on all the things that he promised us. I do know one thing. There is a whole lot of mess that has to be cleaned up. I am not saying that the Bush administration is the cause for all of it but I think in the last eight years this country has gotten further away from what it is suppose to be. It is suppose to be a country that treats all of its citizens equally and fairly. It is suppose to be a place where our diversity of opinions is a source of strength. We are supposed to be a country that realizes the unique place we have as a world power and the unique ability we have to lead this world good. I don’t know how good or how bad they will be but after the last 8 years I don’t ever wanna see these guys again. I will take my chances with a guy named Hussein.
People have told me that I should let history judge George W. Bush. I am a student of history. There is a statement that I debate with my “Bush Friends”. The statement is this. “I THINK GEORGE W BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.” Worse then James Buchannan worse then Chester Author, Worse then Calvin Coolidge, worse then the dreaded Herbert Hoover. THE WORST. I invite anyone to look at what this president has done over the last 8 years and tell me why I am wrong.
Before I go any further I must state that I have never met any of the people I am writing about. I do not know if they are good people, good husbands, good fathers, or nice guys. I can not judge these men and women as people. I can only judge them by how they have acted in their official roles and by what effect their actions have had on our country. It is not just the president I don’t like but the people that he has surrounded himself with. I must also say that this argument will be a rant rather then my usual logically structured arguments. Three of the four people I will mention are no longer serving in the George Bush white house, never the less the had significant influence over his policy.
Karl Rove (Deputy Chief of Staff)
No one disputes the electoral genius of Karl Rove. The thing that I dislike about this man is the methods he used to get his man into office. Getting one side of the country to hate the other is one of the many tactics he employed. His ability to demonize the people that disagreed with him is something that was a mainstay of the bush presidency. I understand that part of politics is to make the other guy look bad but there are times when I think that Mr. Rove just went too far. I think one of the fundamental flaws of this white house was a failure to see that you can disagree with someone and still think their opinion has some value. Very rarely is a viewpoint 100% wrong. The opposing viewpoint may have things that could be valuable. To devalue the opposing view to the point where you can’t even see its merits is a flawed way of doing things. Karl Rove did not invent these feelings. I think the fear, resentment, and disrespect were already present in us. I can not blame Mr. Rove for how people feel, but I can blame him for using those feelings for political gain at the expense of our national consciousness. No wonder liberals had a field day when the permanent republican majority lasted a little over 3 years.
Donald Rumsfeld (Secretary of Defense)
Even if you manage to convince me that the war in Iraq was necessary, the way we went to war was a total disaster. The cavalier attitude that this group of nuts took us to war was shameful. I admit that there are some wars that we may have to fight but we should only fight them when there is no other alternative. I don’t think anyone would make the argument that this administration did every thing they could to keep us out of the Iraqi theater. Watching this man tell the terrorist to “bring it on” illustrates the callousness this man ran the pentagon with. I am sure that the phrase “bring it on” is exactly what all those mothers and fiancés and brothers and sisters of all those troops were thinking when their love ones were deployed.
In addition to the attitude which this pentagon took us to war the methods of operation were a strategic disaster. We went into a war without enough troops. We went to war with a strategy that was based more on a video game then historic, documented plans of action. We thought the war would take six months and it didn’t (AND FOR EVERYONE WHO SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE NEVER SAID THAT WATCH THE FREAKIN VIDEO TAPE). We didn’t have the necessary equipment, support staff, or even health benefits in place to support a prolonged engagement.
In addition to this all the assumptions the pentagon made about this war were wrong. We (and I say we in the sense of country not counting the individuals who opposed this war from the beginning) assumed the war would take six months. It didn’t. We assumed that the oil revenue would pay for the war. It didn’t. We assumed that the people would see us as liberators and all be on our side. They weren’t. We assumed that dismantling the country’s infrastructure, army police force and civil service would help bring peace. It. didn’t. We thought that letting people loot and riot would cement our image as liberators. It didn’t. We thought that since they were all Iraqi’s they would get along. They didn’t. In addition, we were told that Saddam was working for Al Qaeda. He wasn’t. We were told that Al Qaeda was operating in Iraq. They weren’t (until we got there). We were told that we would find weapons of mass destruction and we didn’t. You may be able to successfully argue that this war was necessary but you cannot argue that both the plan for this war and the execution of said plan have been PISS POOR.
John Ashcroft (Attorney General)
I think the justice department in the last eight years has done more to damage this country then any third world dictator. The fabric of our legal system and the fundamental principles of the constitution have been trampled on in the last 8 years by our own justice department. For the first four years of the Bush presidency John Ashcroft was the attorney general of the Unites States. Before I go on let me state that I understand how things could get so out of hand. September 11th is one of the things in my young adult life that I will never forget. I remember seeing those horrifying images on the news. I remember having friends that live and work in New York. I remember not being able to call anyone’s cell phone in New York City. I remember the sense of fear and confusion that we all felt. That does not mean I gave the justice department a free pass. To spy on American citizens without cause it wrong. Even if I am scared it is still wrong. The patriot act has many merits. To spy on people suspected of a crime is perfectly acceptable to me. To treat everyone as a suspect is a very different matter. I am prepared to say that in the world we live in we will have take precautions. I have no problem with extra security at sporting events. I have no problem with taking off my shoes at an airport. I do have a problem with scrapping the entire premise of our legal system just because we are scared.
The whole idea of enemy combatants is another horrible idea by the justice department. To arbitrarily create a whole group of people with no rights is one of the dirtiest things our legal system has every done (and we have done a lot). If we are at war then these suspects are prisoners of war and they have the rights afforded to them by the Geneva Convention. This is an agreement that we signed in good faith. This is a set of rules that we as a people promised that we would uphold. This is the same set of standards that we have used to try, and to execute war criminals from other governments. If we are at war then the people we are holding captive deserve these rights. If we are not at war then these people are criminals and they should be treated as criminals. They should be processed the way all other criminals are processed. I have no problem with either of these distinctions but you can’t just create a whole class of people with no rights because you are scared. Detaining people indefinitely and torture are two things that are completely inconsistent with our democracy and this administration has admitted to both (it is only fair to point out that John Ashcroft is on the record for not supporting torture). These things are unacceptable no matter how dangerous this world is.
There are some that say we had to gather all this information to keep ourselves safe. I also reject this argument. If you have read any of the 911 commission report (and I happen to read the entire thing) you will find that we had plenty of information. The problem was the right information didn’t get to the right people. I would also say that we have lost valuable intelligence by alienating the Muslim American community. The people that can help us most with the war on terror are the first people we alienated by fear and discrimination. I would also argue that the intelligence gathered through torture is at best of questionable accuracy. There are many examples in history where citizens volunteered to give up some of there rights in order to feel safer. All off these decisions were met with disastrous consequences. This is a road that I WILL NOT GO DOWN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I didn’t believe in it on September 12, 2001 and I don’t believe in it now.
Dick Cheney (Vice President)
The things I have mentioned illustrate a several deeper problems that have gone on in the last eight years. The first problem is the idea that America is bigger then the rest of the world. The idea that America isn’t really apart of this world and therefore does not have to play by the rules that everyone else plays by. This idea has done more to harm America’s image then anything. This idea has been championed by our vice president. If 911 taught us anything it should have taught us that we are no longer this invincible island. The idea that we are over here and they are over there is no longer valid. In fact that idea is the idea that will ruin us in the post 911 world. Some would argue that the UN doesn’t work and that we often times will have to act on our own. I would respond by asking how is the UN suppose to work when the greatest most powerful country in the world won’t even acknowledge its importance. That makes for a very dangerous world. This is a world that our vice president and people like him have helped to create.
The second major problem with the course of action has to do with the idea of democracy. This administration has adopted as its foreign policy the idea that the world would be safer if we democratized the rest of the world. If we replace evil dictatorships with democracy the world would be a safer place. The problem comes in when we have to be the democracy that we are trying to sell to the rest of the world. If we are going to sell this brand of democracy then we have to be the model this democracy to the rest of the world. Why would anyone in the Middle East want to aspire to democracy when we torture our own citizens? Why should any third world government choose democracy when we abandon our fundamental principles as soon as things get a little rough? Why would they think that this government is better then the one they have? This administration still believes they are operating in a time when the world can not see our faults. A democracy is not just 3 pieces of paper that were written 200 years ago. Democracy is a living breathing thing and the only way it survives is if it is practiced.
The idea that evil is as simple as a flag or a group of people has doomed the foreign policy of the last eight years. The ability to differentiate from the people who mean to do us harm from the people that look like them is something that has happened on this watch. I do not know if this is reality or perception. In essence it doesn’t really matter. In a war of ideas, perception is almost as important as reality. This is another fact that this foreign policy does not take into account. This policy lacks the subtlety necessary to be effective in the world we live in and in eight years this administration failed to realize that. If its fundamental views are not upheld then it ceases to be a democracy.
Everyone freaked out in this election cycle because Obama sat on a board with William Ayres. The media also made a big deal out of Obama’s reported ties with a political action group called ACORN. How can we have a vice president who was the CEO of one of the biggest oil companies and be at war in one of the most oil rich parts of the world and there is no presumption of a conflict of interest.
I didn’t even mention that we had a “conservative” president and he spent more money then any “liberal” president has. I also didn’t mention the failed immigration policy, the failed health care policy, the failed social security policy, the very, very lame attempt at Middle East peace. I also didn’t mention the rolling back of almost every environmental act on the books. I also didn’t mention the idea that the top one percent of the country got richer while the middle class was almost destroyed. Did I mention hurricane Katrina and FEMA? And we won’t even mention names like Scooter Libby, Harriet Myers, or Alberto Gonzales.
Many people will argue that these men kept us safe. After September 11. 2001 there were no major attacks on American soil. I am glad that there has not been another September 11th. If they were right and I am wrong I will gladly be wrong so people can be safe. Some would also say that I am an idealistic fool with no sense of reality. Some would also say that I could not hold on to my idealism in this dangerous world. I would respond by saying I don’t give up that easily. I would argue we have no way of knowing how much safer we would be. We have no way of knowing what would have happened if we put the 140,000 troops that were in Iraq into Afghanistan. We put 50,000 troops where Osama Bin Laden was but we put 140,000 troops into a place where Al Qaeda wasn’t. We have no way of knowing what would have happened if we engaged the rest of the world to help us fight terrorism. What would have happened if we took the dissenting opinions of our allies seriously, treated them with the respect they deserve, and let them help us to solve a problem that affects everyone? What would have happen if instead of persecuting Muslim citizens, we employed them to help us gather intelligence? What would have happen if we greeted them as a valuable resource rather then with suspicion and prejudice? What would have happened if we didn’t have all that bad intelligence that came from torture to muddy the waters? What would have happened if we made a real effort to end extreme poverty and lessen the amount of desperation in the world thereby making it harder for extremists to recruit? What if we tried to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world with respect instead of fear and humiliation? What would have happened if instead of demonizing our enemy we employed the good people in the middle east to help us rather then thinking they all were evil? What would have happened if American and her citizens held to their democratic principles and made sure that the America is an ideal that the world should aspire to.
I don’t know what the next administration will bring. I do not know if this young inexperienced president is up to the challenge. I think the circumstances that we are in are very difficult. I think things may get worse before they get better. I don’t think Obama is going to deliverer on all the things that he promised us. I do know one thing. There is a whole lot of mess that has to be cleaned up. I am not saying that the Bush administration is the cause for all of it but I think in the last eight years this country has gotten further away from what it is suppose to be. It is suppose to be a country that treats all of its citizens equally and fairly. It is suppose to be a place where our diversity of opinions is a source of strength. We are supposed to be a country that realizes the unique place we have as a world power and the unique ability we have to lead this world good. I don’t know how good or how bad they will be but after the last 8 years I don’t ever wanna see these guys again. I will take my chances with a guy named Hussein.
People have told me that I should let history judge George W. Bush. I am a student of history. There is a statement that I debate with my “Bush Friends”. The statement is this. “I THINK GEORGE W BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.” Worse then James Buchannan worse then Chester Author, Worse then Calvin Coolidge, worse then the dreaded Herbert Hoover. THE WORST. I invite anyone to look at what this president has done over the last 8 years and tell me why I am wrong.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
So you think you can IDOL!!!
The season premier of American idol starts tonight. I must admit I have watched almost every episode of American idol since it aired (I missed one episode in season 2). Over the last few years I have noticed a decline in the show. Over the last 3 years one of my favorite shows (my favorite summer show) is So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). The decline of American idol may be a figment of my imagination. Having said that, there are several reasons why I find (SYTYCD) more appealing at this time then American Idol. I think SYTYCD highlights many of the flaws I see in American Idol.
The format forces the contestants to grow. The performers can’t just “make every song your own” and sing all different genres the same way and not change. Performers have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.
The judges on SYTYCD ALL know what they are talking about and are not just polar caricatures. They are also all dancers. How can you have a singing contest where none of the judges are actually singers? Randy is a great producer and a good bass player, Paula is a choreographer that sings and Simon is an executive. I do not doubt there expertise in the music business but they are judging something that they themselves are not proficient in.
I get the impression that the judges on SYTYCD actually pick the 20 best dancers. Idol does NOT pick the 20 best voices. As a result you are left with people that shouldn’t be there in the end and they should have never been there in the first place. In my opinion you can’t begin to judge the intangibles until all of the performers have a level of proficiency. You can’t judge things like stage presence, personality, and sex appeal until EVERYONE IN THE COMPETITON CAN SING. By factoring in these intangibles too early in the process you are left with people that hang around in the competition because they are nice or good looking or something other than their musical ability. This is why I believe the ending is often times anti climactic.
The way people are eliminated in SYTYCD provides audience participation but does not allow for audience stupidity. I am by no means an elitist but there is something to be said for having a bottom three and then having the judges pick who leaves the completion. I have disagreed with the judges on SYTYCD at times but the process is much better then the idol process.
The fact that the choreographers make up one of the judging slots provides a very interesting relationship. The judging relationship then becomes more a teacher being critical of a student and not some ruthless judges trying to advance their own egos and agendas. This teacher relationship may be present in Idol but it is not readily apparent to the viewer. The people who go home on SYTYCD still learn something instead of just being yelled at as on Idol.
The format forces the contestants to grow. You can’t just make every song your own and sing all different genres in your own style and not change. You have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.
Aside from this there is Ryan Seacrest who is totally worthless (but apparently not as worthless as Brian Dunkleman). At least Kat Deely has a nice voice and long legs. Let us also not forget the THE HOT TOMALE TRAIN and A FREAKIN CATCHY THEME SONG.
So you think you can
DANCE dance dance ,,,,,,,,
I still like idol. I think that it is an appealing idea that someone can go from obscurity stand in line for a few hours and end up a recording artist. I just think that so you think you can dance highlights flaws in the Idol format. Just an opinion.
Id love to hear what others think of these 2 shows.
The format forces the contestants to grow. The performers can’t just “make every song your own” and sing all different genres the same way and not change. Performers have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.
The judges on SYTYCD ALL know what they are talking about and are not just polar caricatures. They are also all dancers. How can you have a singing contest where none of the judges are actually singers? Randy is a great producer and a good bass player, Paula is a choreographer that sings and Simon is an executive. I do not doubt there expertise in the music business but they are judging something that they themselves are not proficient in.
I get the impression that the judges on SYTYCD actually pick the 20 best dancers. Idol does NOT pick the 20 best voices. As a result you are left with people that shouldn’t be there in the end and they should have never been there in the first place. In my opinion you can’t begin to judge the intangibles until all of the performers have a level of proficiency. You can’t judge things like stage presence, personality, and sex appeal until EVERYONE IN THE COMPETITON CAN SING. By factoring in these intangibles too early in the process you are left with people that hang around in the competition because they are nice or good looking or something other than their musical ability. This is why I believe the ending is often times anti climactic.
The way people are eliminated in SYTYCD provides audience participation but does not allow for audience stupidity. I am by no means an elitist but there is something to be said for having a bottom three and then having the judges pick who leaves the completion. I have disagreed with the judges on SYTYCD at times but the process is much better then the idol process.
The fact that the choreographers make up one of the judging slots provides a very interesting relationship. The judging relationship then becomes more a teacher being critical of a student and not some ruthless judges trying to advance their own egos and agendas. This teacher relationship may be present in Idol but it is not readily apparent to the viewer. The people who go home on SYTYCD still learn something instead of just being yelled at as on Idol.
The format forces the contestants to grow. You can’t just make every song your own and sing all different genres in your own style and not change. You have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.
Aside from this there is Ryan Seacrest who is totally worthless (but apparently not as worthless as Brian Dunkleman). At least Kat Deely has a nice voice and long legs. Let us also not forget the THE HOT TOMALE TRAIN and A FREAKIN CATCHY THEME SONG.
So you think you can
DANCE dance dance ,,,,,,,,
I still like idol. I think that it is an appealing idea that someone can go from obscurity stand in line for a few hours and end up a recording artist. I just think that so you think you can dance highlights flaws in the Idol format. Just an opinion.
Id love to hear what others think of these 2 shows.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
BCS = BULLSH*T COLLEGE STANDINGS
I have spent a big part of this New Year watching college football. College football is a sport that I have been a big fan of for a while. The biggest problem with college football is the structure of the post season. While the bowl system has a lot of pageantry and tradition it has a lot to be desired in terms or actually picking a winner. Since 1998 the BCS format has been used to determine the national champion. This was an attempt to have the top 2 teams play in a championship game.
There are many (including myself) who would like to see a playoff system decide college football. People who oppose the playoff system site several reasons. The first reason against a playoff system is that it would make a very long season longer. College football is one of the most expensive sports to maintain. Adding time to already costly season would be devastating to most programs. The second thing to consider is that the student athlete would be affected by extending the length of the season. Another reason against a playoff system is that the money generated by a playoff would not equal the money generated by the bowl games. Yet another argument is that having a playoff would reduce the importance of the games at the end of the year. Having said all these things I still think there is a way to have a meaningful play off and still have some remnant of the bowl system. Here is what I would do.
I would start the season 3 weeks later. August 28 is way too early to start the football season. I would play 10 games with one bye and every conference plays a championship game. That gives every one between 10 and 11 games and the regular season would be done by the first week of December. The next thing I would do is cut the number of bowl games. There are just way too many. I would have enough minor bowl games to play a game or two every day between Christmas and New Years Eve. We could still have the same number of bowl games but keep in mine we are going to play 8 more playoff games at the end of the year.
On New Years Eve play the Cotton and Gator Bowls. On New Year’s Day play the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta Bowls. After that I would have the top 8 teams play in a single elimination playoff. This would take 3 weeks. I would also assign the first round games to regions of the country. I would have a game in the Southeast, a game in the Midwest, a game on the west coast, and a game in the northeast (in a dome of course because it is January). When the final 2 teams were done playing we would have a definitive national championship.
This system I think would have many merits. First we would have a definite national. A champion that was decided in games and not by a bunch of computers and writers. Second it would get rid of all the cupcake games at the beginning of the year. It may also encourage coaches to schedule competitive games at the beginning of the year. In the current system there is no reason for a team in a power conference to play a tough opponent in the beginning of the year. Teams are currently in a system where two losses completely eliminates a team from the national title picture. In a playoff system it would be advantageous to schedule a tough opponent in the beginning of the year to give your team tournament experience. Also an early season loss wouldn’t completely ruin your national championship chances as it does in the current system.
The second advantage to this system is that every bowl game could affect the outcome of the national championship picture. In the current system the BCS game is the only one that really affects the outcome of the national title. If teams were playing their bowl games to get one of the 8 playoff positions every game would mean something. All of a sudden that garbage bowl on December 28 with the #9 team in the country is a HUGE game with national championship implications. The bowl games are more important not less with a playoff system.
We still have all the tradition and pageantry of the bowl games. The bowl people are making money. The season isn’t any longer because we cut the beginning of the season. We could be done by the time most schools opened for the spring semester. We replaced non competitive games that didn’t really matter with meaningful ones. TELL ME WHY THIS CAN’T BE DONE!!!!!!
On a side note I think that Florida is going to BLOW OUT Oklahoma. The SEC rocks and the big12 plays no defense. When this blowout happens just remember the reason why it happened. The two best teams were not in the championship game. All the more reason to have a playoff! People will say that playoffs can’t be done but I will be here to disagree. LOUDLY!!!!! DON’T LET THEM TELL YOU THIS ISNT POSSIBLE.
There are many (including myself) who would like to see a playoff system decide college football. People who oppose the playoff system site several reasons. The first reason against a playoff system is that it would make a very long season longer. College football is one of the most expensive sports to maintain. Adding time to already costly season would be devastating to most programs. The second thing to consider is that the student athlete would be affected by extending the length of the season. Another reason against a playoff system is that the money generated by a playoff would not equal the money generated by the bowl games. Yet another argument is that having a playoff would reduce the importance of the games at the end of the year. Having said all these things I still think there is a way to have a meaningful play off and still have some remnant of the bowl system. Here is what I would do.
I would start the season 3 weeks later. August 28 is way too early to start the football season. I would play 10 games with one bye and every conference plays a championship game. That gives every one between 10 and 11 games and the regular season would be done by the first week of December. The next thing I would do is cut the number of bowl games. There are just way too many. I would have enough minor bowl games to play a game or two every day between Christmas and New Years Eve. We could still have the same number of bowl games but keep in mine we are going to play 8 more playoff games at the end of the year.
On New Years Eve play the Cotton and Gator Bowls. On New Year’s Day play the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta Bowls. After that I would have the top 8 teams play in a single elimination playoff. This would take 3 weeks. I would also assign the first round games to regions of the country. I would have a game in the Southeast, a game in the Midwest, a game on the west coast, and a game in the northeast (in a dome of course because it is January). When the final 2 teams were done playing we would have a definitive national championship.
This system I think would have many merits. First we would have a definite national. A champion that was decided in games and not by a bunch of computers and writers. Second it would get rid of all the cupcake games at the beginning of the year. It may also encourage coaches to schedule competitive games at the beginning of the year. In the current system there is no reason for a team in a power conference to play a tough opponent in the beginning of the year. Teams are currently in a system where two losses completely eliminates a team from the national title picture. In a playoff system it would be advantageous to schedule a tough opponent in the beginning of the year to give your team tournament experience. Also an early season loss wouldn’t completely ruin your national championship chances as it does in the current system.
The second advantage to this system is that every bowl game could affect the outcome of the national championship picture. In the current system the BCS game is the only one that really affects the outcome of the national title. If teams were playing their bowl games to get one of the 8 playoff positions every game would mean something. All of a sudden that garbage bowl on December 28 with the #9 team in the country is a HUGE game with national championship implications. The bowl games are more important not less with a playoff system.
We still have all the tradition and pageantry of the bowl games. The bowl people are making money. The season isn’t any longer because we cut the beginning of the season. We could be done by the time most schools opened for the spring semester. We replaced non competitive games that didn’t really matter with meaningful ones. TELL ME WHY THIS CAN’T BE DONE!!!!!!
On a side note I think that Florida is going to BLOW OUT Oklahoma. The SEC rocks and the big12 plays no defense. When this blowout happens just remember the reason why it happened. The two best teams were not in the championship game. All the more reason to have a playoff! People will say that playoffs can’t be done but I will be here to disagree. LOUDLY!!!!! DON’T LET THEM TELL YOU THIS ISNT POSSIBLE.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
good will toward men
In the month of December, Christians all around the world celebrate Christmas. The most recognizable symbols of this holiday have to do with gift giving and people acquiring material possessions. The idea that Christmas is suppose to celebrate the gift that God gave to us is sometimes lost. The concept of pleasing God by helping your fellow man or making the world a better place is an idea that often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The idea of good will toward men is not just a Christian idea but an idea that all citizens of the planet earth can support.
While the idea of receiving gifts is a wonderful thing, the idea of gift giving is much more beneficial. The idea of giving to someone other then yourself is a worthwhile venture. Charities and organizations give people an opportunity pool their talents and their money to some cause they consider worth while. This world has many problems but I also believe there are more people in a position to help. I would encourage everyone to spend their energies (or their money) in a cause they consider worthwhile. With that being said I have made a list of charities that I find to be worthwhile. Some of these charities I give to already. Some of them I plan to give to. These are not the only ones I find important just the ones that stuck out
National Breast Cancer Foundation – There are many diseases that inflict many people. Breast cancer has affected me on a personal level. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and I lost an aunt to breast cancer. Research funding is a very important step in finding treatments and cures for diseases. http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
VH1 save the music – Music education is very important to me. I can’t imagine my life without music. In addition to providing me with countless hours of enjoyment, it has also afforded me several employment opportunities. I also teach music part time and I have seen the impact that it can have on a child. In high school music provided me with a strong network of friends and a sense of confidence in the fact that I could achieve something at a high level. Too many kids today are loosing opportunities in the creative and performing arts. To often music and other performing arts activities are the first things that are cut from school budgets. Save the music is a charity which provides music education opportunities to children who may not otherwise have them. http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/
Camp better days – Camp better days is a summer camp for people who lost someone in the attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Many of the adult volunteers lost someone close to them in the September 11 attacks. The founder of the camp lost her fiancé in the attacks. I have gotten to know some of these people personally because they share a campground with the Rutgers marching band (a band that I teach). I cannot help but feel a sense of hope when I see kids and adults working together to bring something positive out of a terrible loss that they suffered in their lives. http://www.campbetterdays.com/
Dream Village – This is an idea started by a friend of mine. They make and distribute children’s books that have a message of hope and empowerment. They tell of children in troubling economic and social circumstances that rise above these challenges to make a difference. They hopefully will inspire children to read and provide awareness for some very important issues.
http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/3408-DREAM-VILLAGE-Kids-Books-with-
Operation Smile – This is a charity that helps children with physical deformities such as clef palettes get much needed surgery. Many children are born with problems that are easily correctable but do not have the resources is to get the treatment they need. These surgeries will provide a sense of esteem and perhaps will make the lives of these children somewhat easier. http://www.operationsmile.org/
Peace Corps – I actually strongly considered the Peace Corps when I graduated college. This is an organization that trains people to go around the world and perform a wide variety of services. It is my believe that the experience these volunteers get is immeasurable. I can think of few things that are as impactful as some of the work that these volunteers do. There are many areas in this world that are in desperate need of help. Maybe we can’t all take 2 years of our lives and go to a third world country but maybe more of us are in a position to support those who are willing to. http://www.peacecorps.gov/
Global Fund for Women – I believe that feminism in its purist form is not a women’s issue. I believe it is something that affects us all. Women are 50% of the population and 66% of the workforce yet they own ONE PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S ASSETS. That fact should trouble men and women alike. I think a free society must have women as full and equal partners. In addition, women all around the world are still victims of unspeakable violence and discrimination. In many instances they are denied rights and the very opportunity to live a life of fairness and dignity. The global fund for women runs several programs around the world that are intended to help women advance them selves. It is my believe that everyone in society benefits when all people are treated equally and fairly. http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/cms/
kiva.org – Microcredit is an idea that has been around for a while. It gained a lot of popularity in the 1970s in Bangladesh through the efforts of economist Muhammad Yunus and others. It is the idea of lending small amounts of money to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty that are not considered “bankable”. One hundred dollars seems like a small amount in a western economy but in a third world country 100 dollars could give someone a chance to by a piece of equipment to start a company which could raise them out of poverty. The data also shows that these loans have a very high rate of repayment. In fact the rate of repayment is higher then conventional loans. Ninety percent of the people who get these loans are later in an economic position to pay the loan back. Kiva.org is a website which matches potential entrepreneurs with potential donors. You go on the site pick someone with a promising venture and lend them money. I guess this is not considered charity because 90 percent of the time you get your money back. None the less it is a worthwhile venture. http://www.kiva.org/
Nothing but Nets – Malaria is one of the biggest killers of children worldwide. In addition to that it has been estimated that more work and productivity is lost due to malaria then to any other disease. The tragedy of this situation is that this disease is curable. The shame is that you don’t need millions of dollars in vaccines (although this is important) but the spread of malaria can be virtually stopped by simply using malaria net. This charity allows people to purchase a malaria nets and then sends them to areas of need. http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
Environmental Defense Fund – The environmental defense fund supports a variety of programs that go toward helping our environment. When a minor shift in climate occurs in an industrialized country it is usually viewed as a freak occurrence or a minor annoyance. When these subtle changes occur in a third world country the effects are devastating. In the short term the people who have had the least to do with global warming will be the ones most drastically affected. Finding a way to sustain a growing population while managing the environment is essential. We will need to find ways to make entire cities more environmentally friendly. The environmental defense fund has a wide range of environmental programs from forest preservation to nanotechnology that have the goal of helping the environment. http://www.edf.org/home.cfm
Millennium Project – The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs was one of the best books I read in 2005. He details the economic steps necessary to eliminate extreme poverty. He and his committee presented these recommendations to the U.N. This project attempts to go village by village to end poverty. It provides better methods and training for growing food and providing infrastructure to better accommodate market places and economies. The organization works with governments to find scientific solutions and to give people in the village a sense of ownership. The project has a very large scope and scale with the goal of irradiating extreme poverty.
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/
http://mpcollab.org/MPbeta1/give/donate
What ever venture you do decide to give to I hope that you realize that no matter how small your contribution you can make a difference. Vaclav Havel talked about having hope. He stated that hope allows you to work for something simply because it is good. It may seem that the problems are too big. My contribution is too small but I hope that you will stay encouraged by the fact that as long as you spend yourself in a worthy cause your labor is not in vain. I would love to hear your ideas for charities that you find worth while and your reasons for supporting them.
While the idea of receiving gifts is a wonderful thing, the idea of gift giving is much more beneficial. The idea of giving to someone other then yourself is a worthwhile venture. Charities and organizations give people an opportunity pool their talents and their money to some cause they consider worth while. This world has many problems but I also believe there are more people in a position to help. I would encourage everyone to spend their energies (or their money) in a cause they consider worthwhile. With that being said I have made a list of charities that I find to be worthwhile. Some of these charities I give to already. Some of them I plan to give to. These are not the only ones I find important just the ones that stuck out
National Breast Cancer Foundation – There are many diseases that inflict many people. Breast cancer has affected me on a personal level. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and I lost an aunt to breast cancer. Research funding is a very important step in finding treatments and cures for diseases. http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
VH1 save the music – Music education is very important to me. I can’t imagine my life without music. In addition to providing me with countless hours of enjoyment, it has also afforded me several employment opportunities. I also teach music part time and I have seen the impact that it can have on a child. In high school music provided me with a strong network of friends and a sense of confidence in the fact that I could achieve something at a high level. Too many kids today are loosing opportunities in the creative and performing arts. To often music and other performing arts activities are the first things that are cut from school budgets. Save the music is a charity which provides music education opportunities to children who may not otherwise have them. http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/
Camp better days – Camp better days is a summer camp for people who lost someone in the attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Many of the adult volunteers lost someone close to them in the September 11 attacks. The founder of the camp lost her fiancé in the attacks. I have gotten to know some of these people personally because they share a campground with the Rutgers marching band (a band that I teach). I cannot help but feel a sense of hope when I see kids and adults working together to bring something positive out of a terrible loss that they suffered in their lives. http://www.campbetterdays.com/
Dream Village – This is an idea started by a friend of mine. They make and distribute children’s books that have a message of hope and empowerment. They tell of children in troubling economic and social circumstances that rise above these challenges to make a difference. They hopefully will inspire children to read and provide awareness for some very important issues.
http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/3408-DREAM-VILLAGE-Kids-Books-with-
Operation Smile – This is a charity that helps children with physical deformities such as clef palettes get much needed surgery. Many children are born with problems that are easily correctable but do not have the resources is to get the treatment they need. These surgeries will provide a sense of esteem and perhaps will make the lives of these children somewhat easier. http://www.operationsmile.org/
Peace Corps – I actually strongly considered the Peace Corps when I graduated college. This is an organization that trains people to go around the world and perform a wide variety of services. It is my believe that the experience these volunteers get is immeasurable. I can think of few things that are as impactful as some of the work that these volunteers do. There are many areas in this world that are in desperate need of help. Maybe we can’t all take 2 years of our lives and go to a third world country but maybe more of us are in a position to support those who are willing to. http://www.peacecorps.gov/
Global Fund for Women – I believe that feminism in its purist form is not a women’s issue. I believe it is something that affects us all. Women are 50% of the population and 66% of the workforce yet they own ONE PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S ASSETS. That fact should trouble men and women alike. I think a free society must have women as full and equal partners. In addition, women all around the world are still victims of unspeakable violence and discrimination. In many instances they are denied rights and the very opportunity to live a life of fairness and dignity. The global fund for women runs several programs around the world that are intended to help women advance them selves. It is my believe that everyone in society benefits when all people are treated equally and fairly. http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/cms/
kiva.org – Microcredit is an idea that has been around for a while. It gained a lot of popularity in the 1970s in Bangladesh through the efforts of economist Muhammad Yunus and others. It is the idea of lending small amounts of money to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty that are not considered “bankable”. One hundred dollars seems like a small amount in a western economy but in a third world country 100 dollars could give someone a chance to by a piece of equipment to start a company which could raise them out of poverty. The data also shows that these loans have a very high rate of repayment. In fact the rate of repayment is higher then conventional loans. Ninety percent of the people who get these loans are later in an economic position to pay the loan back. Kiva.org is a website which matches potential entrepreneurs with potential donors. You go on the site pick someone with a promising venture and lend them money. I guess this is not considered charity because 90 percent of the time you get your money back. None the less it is a worthwhile venture. http://www.kiva.org/
Nothing but Nets – Malaria is one of the biggest killers of children worldwide. In addition to that it has been estimated that more work and productivity is lost due to malaria then to any other disease. The tragedy of this situation is that this disease is curable. The shame is that you don’t need millions of dollars in vaccines (although this is important) but the spread of malaria can be virtually stopped by simply using malaria net. This charity allows people to purchase a malaria nets and then sends them to areas of need. http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
Environmental Defense Fund – The environmental defense fund supports a variety of programs that go toward helping our environment. When a minor shift in climate occurs in an industrialized country it is usually viewed as a freak occurrence or a minor annoyance. When these subtle changes occur in a third world country the effects are devastating. In the short term the people who have had the least to do with global warming will be the ones most drastically affected. Finding a way to sustain a growing population while managing the environment is essential. We will need to find ways to make entire cities more environmentally friendly. The environmental defense fund has a wide range of environmental programs from forest preservation to nanotechnology that have the goal of helping the environment. http://www.edf.org/home.cfm
Millennium Project – The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs was one of the best books I read in 2005. He details the economic steps necessary to eliminate extreme poverty. He and his committee presented these recommendations to the U.N. This project attempts to go village by village to end poverty. It provides better methods and training for growing food and providing infrastructure to better accommodate market places and economies. The organization works with governments to find scientific solutions and to give people in the village a sense of ownership. The project has a very large scope and scale with the goal of irradiating extreme poverty.
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/
http://mpcollab.org/MPbeta1/give/donate
What ever venture you do decide to give to I hope that you realize that no matter how small your contribution you can make a difference. Vaclav Havel talked about having hope. He stated that hope allows you to work for something simply because it is good. It may seem that the problems are too big. My contribution is too small but I hope that you will stay encouraged by the fact that as long as you spend yourself in a worthy cause your labor is not in vain. I would love to hear your ideas for charities that you find worth while and your reasons for supporting them.
Monday, December 22, 2008
WWOD
In my last article I listed what I thought were our countries four biggest problems. I stated that these problems were the environment, our education system, our health care system and our countries infrastructure. (See the article titled “reality” for my explanation). I believe that this time could be a turning point in the history of the world. We as a planet have huge challenges. We also have a huge amount of potential we can draw on to fix these problems. What we cannot do is to continue doing the same things we have done for the past hundred years. We as a society have must find the strength to fundamentally change the way we do things. This change has to be universal. Everyone in this entire civilization must participate in this change. Nothing signified this era of change more than the election of Barak Obama. This administration will inherit a host of problem. How they go about solving them will say a lot about the future of this planet. If they try to solve them using the play book that is 80 years old and written for a very different era then we are all doomed to failure. If they can find the political will to attempt the bold strategies they have promised us, then we have a chance to do a lot of good for ourselves as Americans and as citizens of this planet. There were a lot of promises made during this election. Here are the top 4 things I would like to see this new administration accomplish.
1. A New Power Grid
When I mention this in conversation I am usually greeted with a bunch of puzzled stares. How could this be the number one thing I want the president to do? I stated earlier that I think the biggest problem we are facing is the environment. A power grid would be a big step in our environmental policy and out energy policy. This project would also begin to address the problem of our crumbling infrastructure. Our energy grid is completely insufficient for our 21st century needs. It is extremely inefficient and it leaks power. We need a grid that can regulate the amount of energy used in off peak hours. A new grid needs to be able to store energy being produced in non peak hours and then use it during peak hours. Our current grid cannot do this well if at all. There also aren’t enough safeguards built in. To be honest, I am shocked that we have not had crippling power outage on the east coast. With an expanding population that is continually using more energy it is only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses.
The second thing to consider is what the politicians have promised in terms of energy policy. I have heard a lot of people promise wind and solar power. These are things that I very strongly support. The only way that these things will help us is if there is a way to get the power from where it is generated to where it is needed. It does little good to build a solar field in Arizona if the power it generates cant be used in Los Angles. A wind corridor in the middle of the country would be a great thing, but if we can’t get all that power to the big cities on the east coast then we are not getting the most out of a very costly investment. We need a power grid that can transmit power from where it is produced to where it is being used. Our current grid cannot integrate these technologies. Also consider the idea of an electric car. If we do manage to solve the problems of battery technology, what is going to happen when millions of people plug their cars into a power grid that is 90 years old and already inadequate? We will need a new power grid no matter what alternative energy policy plan we adopt.
The other thing building a power gird will accomplish is creating jobs. We will need people to build these power lines and infrastructure. We need city planners, architects, ditch diggers, foreman, metal workers and a whole host of other people do to this. The people whose jobs are threatened by slow downs in other sectors of this economy can be employed in this endeavor. This could also create a demand for these kinds of jobs. The people who decide to do these jobs will be building something that we will all desperately need.
2. Government Audit
Everyone knows that are government has a lot of wasteful spending. We have all heard politicians say that they are going to do something about it. This is time it must get done. We have a 9 trillion dollar national debt. In reality all of the wasteful spending is only a drop in the bucket but we first must stop the bleeding. Before we can go forward we must stop funding things that do not work. In conjunction with this I would like this president to change the way things are done in Washington. The idea of adding a bunch of frivolous spending programs just to get a bill passed has got to stop. The practice of earmarking must go away. Not only do we have to fix passed mistakes but we have to change the way things are done in the future. We cannot continue going down this same path of waste and corruption. Maybe I am expecting too much from this president but with the situation this country is in I don’t see how I can expect any less. I heard both presidential candidates say they would end the process of earmarked spending. I also heard Barak Obama say in several debates that he would “go through the federal budget line by line” well this is one campaign promise I am going to hold him to.
3. Health Care Reform
We have a 9 trillion dollar debt but we have 54 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. This is money that the government has obligated itself to pay. A big part of this number is health care cost. I must pause here. I HAVE NO ANSWER FOR HEALTH CARE. I admit this problem may be too big to solve. Perhaps someone that is smarter then I has a solution but I do not. Having said that, there are a few principles that I intuitively believe should be considered when embarking on health care reform.
The first thing my gut tells me is that if you computerize health care records you will save money in the long run. I believe this will initially cost money. To outfit every health care facility with new computers, bar code scanners, training of employees, and everything else they will need will be a huge investment. Consider how much it cost to record data by hand. How much time is wasted just on medical record keeping? How much does it cost to store and further retrieve this information. I also think that in the long term there will be fewer mistakes made. Cutting down on mistakes is also crucial to reducing cost.
My second thought about health care is that if everyone is insured the cost will be cheaper. I intuitively think that my health care cost is so high because built into my cost is the bill for someone who didn’t have health care that still had to be treated. I believe that cost is passed on to everyone. Insuring everyone would ultimately be cheaper for everyone. Any plan that doesn’t insure everyone is inherently inefficient. I also think that if everyone has health care more people will go to the doctor more regularly. That means more problems will be detected before they become serious and these problems will be less costly to treat.
That brings me to my third thought that if there are more primary care physicians health care will be cheaper. If there are lots of accessible primary care physicians it will reduce the cost of health care in the long term. More physicians mean more accessibility for more people. Maybe people will feel more of a connection with their doctor because the doctors are seeing fewer patients. Maybe people will go to their doctor for treatment instead of the emergency room which is much more costly.
These are only gut feelings. I have no evidence to support this. I also have no coherent policy to integrate all this instinct. I have no solution. I have not even considered lawyers and the pharmaceutical industry or the education cost or any of the other factors that lead to the bad health care system we have. It makes my head hurt. That is why I am not president. I am not smart enough. I just know it needs to be fixed and I would like to see this president make it a priority.
4. Education Overhaul
There are many parts of education that need to be fixed. This area has been neglected for far too long. There are several parts to education I would like to see a new administration address. There are several things I would like to see happen at the k-12 level. Some of them are not entirely in the administrations control but none of these things require a crystal ball. They require the strength and will to do what is right not what is popular.
States must fund education in the state with something other than property tax. Funding with property tax creates an inherent bias in the way education is funded. The people who live in the nicest neighborhoods and pay the highest taxes get the most money for their schools. We need a system where the schools in need get the most state money. (Honestly if you just legalize marijuana and have state run casinos you will have all the money you need but that is another argument). We need a massive school building program. The schools in many urban and rural areas area simply falling apart. I know several people that teach in inner city schools where the building is over 75 years old. One person actually works in a school that is 100 years old. We can not go another 100 years without building schools in the inner city and in our rural areas.
TEACHERS NEED A PAY RAISE. A big one. I think teaching is one of the most important jobs in this society. The impact that K-12 teachers have on children cannot be measured. We can not have a viable economy or a peaceful society without an educated populous. In light of this importance the people dispensing the education need to be paid like the most valued members of this society. Why is it an absurd idea for teachers to make $ 150,000 a year? As of now we have to find whatever noble people we can find to take this hard underpaid job. As a result when a teacher is bad we are often stuck because someone in most cases is probably better then no one. We cannot replace the bad teachers until we have an over abundance of good teachers who are paid what they are worth. This country needs to take both education and its educators seriously.
The idea of a national teaching academy was purposed by John Edwards in the presidential debate. This academy would take the best and brightest and train them to be educators. People accepted into this academy would receive their education for free. This would be a format similar to the one employed by our military academies. In return they would have to do a “tour of duty” in the urban school districts where they are needed. When you consider the rising cost of higher education this would be a way to both find qualified teachers and to give more opportunities for people to earn a college degree.
I also think we need to look at the possibility of extending the school year. The idea of getting the summers off came at a time when most of the country lived on a farm. In the summer everyone of working age had to be home to help with the harvest. In today’s world that is no longer the case. Furthermore, the amount of information that the workers of tomorrow will have to master does not give time for kids to take a 3 month hiatus. Also consider the fact that because of globalization American children will be competing with BILLIONS of people for jobs. Can we really afford to take ¼ of a year to unwind?
We also need more opportunities to offset the cost of higher education. More money is needed to allow more people have a chance to earn higher degrees. Research also needs to be funded a lot more then the current administration is funding it. The age of information technology that we have all benefitted from was the culmination of a massive education effort in the 1950's and 1960’s. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the products of this education movement. The educational investment we made in the 60s did not end with the moon shot. That energy and investment continued into the 70s and launched a computer revolution. That same energy continued into the late 80’s and 90’s with the application of the internet and other technologies. The return on the investment we made in the 1950’s has been immeasurable. The only way America can stay competitive in this world is to make education the highest priority.
I realize this is the only half of the picture. Parents must be held accountable for seeing their children get the best education they can. Parents must instill the importance of education in their children and then work with the school and the community to educate the child. Parental involvement is not the government’s job. Asking the government to be parents is not the solution to education. Government however has to do its part. It must stop passing the ball and minimizing the importance of education and the roll that it should play.
Is this expensive? YES. Are we going to have to cut other things to have this? YES. Will this require sacrifice by all levels of society? YES. Is it worth it? ABSOLULY. I believe the long term benefits of taking education seriously are immeasurable. I believe that radical education reform is necessary if America is to remain at the forefront of this technological revolution. Our very survival as a society may be at stake.
I will be watching this president very closely. Just because I voted for him doesn’t mean he gets a free pass. I would like to hear what others think this administration should do.
This is what I would like to see done. The question we all need to find the answer to is
WHAT WILL OBAMA DO.
WWOD
1. A New Power Grid
When I mention this in conversation I am usually greeted with a bunch of puzzled stares. How could this be the number one thing I want the president to do? I stated earlier that I think the biggest problem we are facing is the environment. A power grid would be a big step in our environmental policy and out energy policy. This project would also begin to address the problem of our crumbling infrastructure. Our energy grid is completely insufficient for our 21st century needs. It is extremely inefficient and it leaks power. We need a grid that can regulate the amount of energy used in off peak hours. A new grid needs to be able to store energy being produced in non peak hours and then use it during peak hours. Our current grid cannot do this well if at all. There also aren’t enough safeguards built in. To be honest, I am shocked that we have not had crippling power outage on the east coast. With an expanding population that is continually using more energy it is only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses.
The second thing to consider is what the politicians have promised in terms of energy policy. I have heard a lot of people promise wind and solar power. These are things that I very strongly support. The only way that these things will help us is if there is a way to get the power from where it is generated to where it is needed. It does little good to build a solar field in Arizona if the power it generates cant be used in Los Angles. A wind corridor in the middle of the country would be a great thing, but if we can’t get all that power to the big cities on the east coast then we are not getting the most out of a very costly investment. We need a power grid that can transmit power from where it is produced to where it is being used. Our current grid cannot integrate these technologies. Also consider the idea of an electric car. If we do manage to solve the problems of battery technology, what is going to happen when millions of people plug their cars into a power grid that is 90 years old and already inadequate? We will need a new power grid no matter what alternative energy policy plan we adopt.
The other thing building a power gird will accomplish is creating jobs. We will need people to build these power lines and infrastructure. We need city planners, architects, ditch diggers, foreman, metal workers and a whole host of other people do to this. The people whose jobs are threatened by slow downs in other sectors of this economy can be employed in this endeavor. This could also create a demand for these kinds of jobs. The people who decide to do these jobs will be building something that we will all desperately need.
2. Government Audit
Everyone knows that are government has a lot of wasteful spending. We have all heard politicians say that they are going to do something about it. This is time it must get done. We have a 9 trillion dollar national debt. In reality all of the wasteful spending is only a drop in the bucket but we first must stop the bleeding. Before we can go forward we must stop funding things that do not work. In conjunction with this I would like this president to change the way things are done in Washington. The idea of adding a bunch of frivolous spending programs just to get a bill passed has got to stop. The practice of earmarking must go away. Not only do we have to fix passed mistakes but we have to change the way things are done in the future. We cannot continue going down this same path of waste and corruption. Maybe I am expecting too much from this president but with the situation this country is in I don’t see how I can expect any less. I heard both presidential candidates say they would end the process of earmarked spending. I also heard Barak Obama say in several debates that he would “go through the federal budget line by line” well this is one campaign promise I am going to hold him to.
3. Health Care Reform
We have a 9 trillion dollar debt but we have 54 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. This is money that the government has obligated itself to pay. A big part of this number is health care cost. I must pause here. I HAVE NO ANSWER FOR HEALTH CARE. I admit this problem may be too big to solve. Perhaps someone that is smarter then I has a solution but I do not. Having said that, there are a few principles that I intuitively believe should be considered when embarking on health care reform.
The first thing my gut tells me is that if you computerize health care records you will save money in the long run. I believe this will initially cost money. To outfit every health care facility with new computers, bar code scanners, training of employees, and everything else they will need will be a huge investment. Consider how much it cost to record data by hand. How much time is wasted just on medical record keeping? How much does it cost to store and further retrieve this information. I also think that in the long term there will be fewer mistakes made. Cutting down on mistakes is also crucial to reducing cost.
My second thought about health care is that if everyone is insured the cost will be cheaper. I intuitively think that my health care cost is so high because built into my cost is the bill for someone who didn’t have health care that still had to be treated. I believe that cost is passed on to everyone. Insuring everyone would ultimately be cheaper for everyone. Any plan that doesn’t insure everyone is inherently inefficient. I also think that if everyone has health care more people will go to the doctor more regularly. That means more problems will be detected before they become serious and these problems will be less costly to treat.
That brings me to my third thought that if there are more primary care physicians health care will be cheaper. If there are lots of accessible primary care physicians it will reduce the cost of health care in the long term. More physicians mean more accessibility for more people. Maybe people will feel more of a connection with their doctor because the doctors are seeing fewer patients. Maybe people will go to their doctor for treatment instead of the emergency room which is much more costly.
These are only gut feelings. I have no evidence to support this. I also have no coherent policy to integrate all this instinct. I have no solution. I have not even considered lawyers and the pharmaceutical industry or the education cost or any of the other factors that lead to the bad health care system we have. It makes my head hurt. That is why I am not president. I am not smart enough. I just know it needs to be fixed and I would like to see this president make it a priority.
4. Education Overhaul
There are many parts of education that need to be fixed. This area has been neglected for far too long. There are several parts to education I would like to see a new administration address. There are several things I would like to see happen at the k-12 level. Some of them are not entirely in the administrations control but none of these things require a crystal ball. They require the strength and will to do what is right not what is popular.
States must fund education in the state with something other than property tax. Funding with property tax creates an inherent bias in the way education is funded. The people who live in the nicest neighborhoods and pay the highest taxes get the most money for their schools. We need a system where the schools in need get the most state money. (Honestly if you just legalize marijuana and have state run casinos you will have all the money you need but that is another argument). We need a massive school building program. The schools in many urban and rural areas area simply falling apart. I know several people that teach in inner city schools where the building is over 75 years old. One person actually works in a school that is 100 years old. We can not go another 100 years without building schools in the inner city and in our rural areas.
TEACHERS NEED A PAY RAISE. A big one. I think teaching is one of the most important jobs in this society. The impact that K-12 teachers have on children cannot be measured. We can not have a viable economy or a peaceful society without an educated populous. In light of this importance the people dispensing the education need to be paid like the most valued members of this society. Why is it an absurd idea for teachers to make $ 150,000 a year? As of now we have to find whatever noble people we can find to take this hard underpaid job. As a result when a teacher is bad we are often stuck because someone in most cases is probably better then no one. We cannot replace the bad teachers until we have an over abundance of good teachers who are paid what they are worth. This country needs to take both education and its educators seriously.
The idea of a national teaching academy was purposed by John Edwards in the presidential debate. This academy would take the best and brightest and train them to be educators. People accepted into this academy would receive their education for free. This would be a format similar to the one employed by our military academies. In return they would have to do a “tour of duty” in the urban school districts where they are needed. When you consider the rising cost of higher education this would be a way to both find qualified teachers and to give more opportunities for people to earn a college degree.
I also think we need to look at the possibility of extending the school year. The idea of getting the summers off came at a time when most of the country lived on a farm. In the summer everyone of working age had to be home to help with the harvest. In today’s world that is no longer the case. Furthermore, the amount of information that the workers of tomorrow will have to master does not give time for kids to take a 3 month hiatus. Also consider the fact that because of globalization American children will be competing with BILLIONS of people for jobs. Can we really afford to take ¼ of a year to unwind?
We also need more opportunities to offset the cost of higher education. More money is needed to allow more people have a chance to earn higher degrees. Research also needs to be funded a lot more then the current administration is funding it. The age of information technology that we have all benefitted from was the culmination of a massive education effort in the 1950's and 1960’s. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the products of this education movement. The educational investment we made in the 60s did not end with the moon shot. That energy and investment continued into the 70s and launched a computer revolution. That same energy continued into the late 80’s and 90’s with the application of the internet and other technologies. The return on the investment we made in the 1950’s has been immeasurable. The only way America can stay competitive in this world is to make education the highest priority.
I realize this is the only half of the picture. Parents must be held accountable for seeing their children get the best education they can. Parents must instill the importance of education in their children and then work with the school and the community to educate the child. Parental involvement is not the government’s job. Asking the government to be parents is not the solution to education. Government however has to do its part. It must stop passing the ball and minimizing the importance of education and the roll that it should play.
Is this expensive? YES. Are we going to have to cut other things to have this? YES. Will this require sacrifice by all levels of society? YES. Is it worth it? ABSOLULY. I believe the long term benefits of taking education seriously are immeasurable. I believe that radical education reform is necessary if America is to remain at the forefront of this technological revolution. Our very survival as a society may be at stake.
I will be watching this president very closely. Just because I voted for him doesn’t mean he gets a free pass. I would like to hear what others think this administration should do.
This is what I would like to see done. The question we all need to find the answer to is
WHAT WILL OBAMA DO.
WWOD
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
REALITY
Most people in this country would admit that America has some pretty serious challenges. There are people however on both sides of the spectrum. There are nuts like Sean Hannity that say we are not in a recession and we liberals are paranoid. There are also people that think we are FREAKED and that any effort to solve our problems would be an exercise in futility. I am an optimistic realist. The reality of the situation is that we have MAJOR problems that need to be fixed RIGHT NOW. They cannot wait until the next generation or the next election cycle or maybe not even until next year. Our future as both Americans and citizens of this planet is in jeopardy. In my opinion these are the four biggest problems our country currently faces in my perceived order of importance.
1. Environment – I believe this is the most important problem our generation faces. This are affects every aspect of our lives. I believe that if we do not drastically alter the course we are on this planet will not be able to sustain us. I believe the planet will one day repair itself but I don’t believe we as a civilization will be around to see it. Most sensible people would agree with this statement. Most people do not agree with me with the immediacy this scenario will play out. If we stay at our current rate of growth I believe we will reach a level of catastrophe in decades, not in a century or a generation. The reason for the urgency lies in the nature of the solution. It will take years to implement any plan of action. We can not be a polluting careless society one day, and then a completely environmentally conscious one on the very next day. This transition will take time. If we wait too much longer any solution we try will be too late. Indeed there are some that already believe we have passed the point of no return.
People may question why I could put the environment first when we have so many problems. To people who hold this opinion let me ask a series of questions. What would our national security and foreign policy look like if we weren’t using any Middle Eastern oil? What would our economy look like if companies didn’t have to build the cost of fuel into their profit margins? What would the stock market look like if we weren’t going trillions of dollars in debt to other countries because of what we are consuming? What would health care look like if all our citizens were breathing clean air? What would health care look like if we could remove the environmental component to cancer and other complex diseases? What would our country look like if we did not have to deal with record flooding and increasing number of hurricanes? Many of these problems may still occur with improved environmental policy but one cannot deny the role that bad environmental policy has played on every aspect of this country. This issue is the biggest threat to our way of life and our continued existence on this planet.
2. Education – Education is absolutely essential for making sure this country is competitive in everyway in 21st century. We have lost track of how important education is. Education is one of the principles that have made this country great. The idea of public education is essential to the American dream. The idea that America is place where one can rise as far as their ability will take them is IMPOSSIBLE in the absence of an excellent public education system. This is the idea that attracted hard working dedicated people from all over the world and education is the vehicle that allowed them to attain much of their success. In the later part of the 19th century we as a country adopted the principle that education is the great equalizer. No matter where you were born, no matter where your parents came from, No matter your economic status America had free public education and if you worked hard you could attain your dreams. That is the American dream. The reality is that many people’s life outcomes are determined by their zip code. There are two school systems in this county. There is the one that the wealthy and middle classed has access to and then there is the school system in rural and urban areas. The second school system does not work. It is completely inadequate for the 19th century to say nothing of the 21st. America can not be good at anything when a significant portion of the society is relegated to being a permanent illiterate underclass.
The second part of education deals with the university experience. We have the best universities in the entire world. These institutions are becoming less accessible to the average person. More opportunities must be made to grant access to worthy individuals to pursue their academic endeavors. The third part of education deals with the training and retraining of a work force. It is estimated that the average American will change careers (NOT JOBS) three times in their life time. In a fluid dynamic economy it is essential to have a training mechanism that can train and retrain large groups of people quickly and effectively.
3. Health Care - America has a staggering 9 trillion dollar debt. This debt is growing at a record pace. The scarier number is that we have 54 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. At this rate the dollar will become completely worthless. If the dollar is no longer valued we are SCREWED. People say this could never happen but when you look at the situation objectively how could it NOT happen. Most of this 54 trillion dollars comes from medicare/medicade and other healthcare cost that the government has obligated itself to pay. This number cannot be reduced until healthcare is fixed. Further more I do not believe American businesses can compete in a global market place as long as they are saddled with health care obligation. In addition to this, no one wants a significant number of people to go without basic medical care. It is a tragedy that people die of so many preventable causes.
4. Infrastructure - There are several parts of this country’s infrastructure that need to be completely rebuilt. We have a power grid that was built a century ago when electricity was not being used at the rate it is today. In addition to this the power grid leaks electricity and it does not allow us to take advantage of modern technology. We have a highway system that can not handle the increasing population. We have a complete lack of public transportation infrastructure. In addition to this we have levees, bridges, and roads that we depend upon for our very survival (in some cases) that are completely falling apart. We cannot wait another fifty years for these things to be fixed. They must be fixed now.
Notice that I didn’t mention the economy or job creation. If you fix our energy policy, our healthcare, and our education you will fix the economy. If you fix these problems you will create jobs and a better country for ourselves and our children.
I think the world as we knew it is coming to an end. America has had a wonderful 100 year window. We could spend as much money as we want and not worry about paying it back. We had a nice big ocean that separated us from most of the world. We could pick and choose who we wanted to be friends with and keep our enemies ad a distance. We could enact any policy we chose and not worry about the consequences. We were in a situation where no one could really hurt us. We could betray our fundamental convictions and no one would see anything other then what we wanted them to see. We could make any crappy merchandise we wanted and we could sell it to every one with out any competition. We were the only game in town. We had tons of free fuel and the fuel we didn’t have we could manipulate others into selling it to us cheaply.
THE PARTY IS OVER. That world no longer exists. This care free Leave it to Beaver world that we all know as Americans is gone. The reality of the situation is that the difficulties we are facing are a fraction of the pain that most of the world has been facing for centuries. We are now in the same rat race that everyone else is in. “The conspiracy of comfort as” Marty McConnal so eloquently has kept us from seeing the reality of our circumstances. It has put us into a situation where we could first ignore that we had problems and then delay implementing the solutions. We are not in a position where we can pretend any more. Maybe putting and end to this conspiracy is not such a bad thing. It is not a bad thing that we can see the problems the rest of the world is facing. Maybe it is not completely bad that we are in this world with our neighbors and we will have to work together to solve these problems. The fact that others have an increasing standard of living is not a bad thing. The fact that this increasing standard comes partly at our expense may bad a bad thing. The fact that America was caught unprepared for this new reality is the problem.
In spite of the grave reality I have outlined, I am still optimistic. I still think that we can work to solve these problems. I believe that we have an amazing opportunity to correct some of the longstanding injustices and emerge from this era a better country a better people and a better civilization. I think if we can solve these problems the world we will be left with will be a wonderful place. It will be a place where all of the world’s citizens will have hope. I believe that we are not passed the point of fixing these problems but we have to start solving them now.
I would love to hear what problems you think are the most important and why.
My next blog entry will be about the steps I would like to see the new leadership of this country take in solving these problems.
1. Environment – I believe this is the most important problem our generation faces. This are affects every aspect of our lives. I believe that if we do not drastically alter the course we are on this planet will not be able to sustain us. I believe the planet will one day repair itself but I don’t believe we as a civilization will be around to see it. Most sensible people would agree with this statement. Most people do not agree with me with the immediacy this scenario will play out. If we stay at our current rate of growth I believe we will reach a level of catastrophe in decades, not in a century or a generation. The reason for the urgency lies in the nature of the solution. It will take years to implement any plan of action. We can not be a polluting careless society one day, and then a completely environmentally conscious one on the very next day. This transition will take time. If we wait too much longer any solution we try will be too late. Indeed there are some that already believe we have passed the point of no return.
People may question why I could put the environment first when we have so many problems. To people who hold this opinion let me ask a series of questions. What would our national security and foreign policy look like if we weren’t using any Middle Eastern oil? What would our economy look like if companies didn’t have to build the cost of fuel into their profit margins? What would the stock market look like if we weren’t going trillions of dollars in debt to other countries because of what we are consuming? What would health care look like if all our citizens were breathing clean air? What would health care look like if we could remove the environmental component to cancer and other complex diseases? What would our country look like if we did not have to deal with record flooding and increasing number of hurricanes? Many of these problems may still occur with improved environmental policy but one cannot deny the role that bad environmental policy has played on every aspect of this country. This issue is the biggest threat to our way of life and our continued existence on this planet.
2. Education – Education is absolutely essential for making sure this country is competitive in everyway in 21st century. We have lost track of how important education is. Education is one of the principles that have made this country great. The idea of public education is essential to the American dream. The idea that America is place where one can rise as far as their ability will take them is IMPOSSIBLE in the absence of an excellent public education system. This is the idea that attracted hard working dedicated people from all over the world and education is the vehicle that allowed them to attain much of their success. In the later part of the 19th century we as a country adopted the principle that education is the great equalizer. No matter where you were born, no matter where your parents came from, No matter your economic status America had free public education and if you worked hard you could attain your dreams. That is the American dream. The reality is that many people’s life outcomes are determined by their zip code. There are two school systems in this county. There is the one that the wealthy and middle classed has access to and then there is the school system in rural and urban areas. The second school system does not work. It is completely inadequate for the 19th century to say nothing of the 21st. America can not be good at anything when a significant portion of the society is relegated to being a permanent illiterate underclass.
The second part of education deals with the university experience. We have the best universities in the entire world. These institutions are becoming less accessible to the average person. More opportunities must be made to grant access to worthy individuals to pursue their academic endeavors. The third part of education deals with the training and retraining of a work force. It is estimated that the average American will change careers (NOT JOBS) three times in their life time. In a fluid dynamic economy it is essential to have a training mechanism that can train and retrain large groups of people quickly and effectively.
3. Health Care - America has a staggering 9 trillion dollar debt. This debt is growing at a record pace. The scarier number is that we have 54 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. At this rate the dollar will become completely worthless. If the dollar is no longer valued we are SCREWED. People say this could never happen but when you look at the situation objectively how could it NOT happen. Most of this 54 trillion dollars comes from medicare/medicade and other healthcare cost that the government has obligated itself to pay. This number cannot be reduced until healthcare is fixed. Further more I do not believe American businesses can compete in a global market place as long as they are saddled with health care obligation. In addition to this, no one wants a significant number of people to go without basic medical care. It is a tragedy that people die of so many preventable causes.
4. Infrastructure - There are several parts of this country’s infrastructure that need to be completely rebuilt. We have a power grid that was built a century ago when electricity was not being used at the rate it is today. In addition to this the power grid leaks electricity and it does not allow us to take advantage of modern technology. We have a highway system that can not handle the increasing population. We have a complete lack of public transportation infrastructure. In addition to this we have levees, bridges, and roads that we depend upon for our very survival (in some cases) that are completely falling apart. We cannot wait another fifty years for these things to be fixed. They must be fixed now.
Notice that I didn’t mention the economy or job creation. If you fix our energy policy, our healthcare, and our education you will fix the economy. If you fix these problems you will create jobs and a better country for ourselves and our children.
I think the world as we knew it is coming to an end. America has had a wonderful 100 year window. We could spend as much money as we want and not worry about paying it back. We had a nice big ocean that separated us from most of the world. We could pick and choose who we wanted to be friends with and keep our enemies ad a distance. We could enact any policy we chose and not worry about the consequences. We were in a situation where no one could really hurt us. We could betray our fundamental convictions and no one would see anything other then what we wanted them to see. We could make any crappy merchandise we wanted and we could sell it to every one with out any competition. We were the only game in town. We had tons of free fuel and the fuel we didn’t have we could manipulate others into selling it to us cheaply.
THE PARTY IS OVER. That world no longer exists. This care free Leave it to Beaver world that we all know as Americans is gone. The reality of the situation is that the difficulties we are facing are a fraction of the pain that most of the world has been facing for centuries. We are now in the same rat race that everyone else is in. “The conspiracy of comfort as” Marty McConnal so eloquently has kept us from seeing the reality of our circumstances. It has put us into a situation where we could first ignore that we had problems and then delay implementing the solutions. We are not in a position where we can pretend any more. Maybe putting and end to this conspiracy is not such a bad thing. It is not a bad thing that we can see the problems the rest of the world is facing. Maybe it is not completely bad that we are in this world with our neighbors and we will have to work together to solve these problems. The fact that others have an increasing standard of living is not a bad thing. The fact that this increasing standard comes partly at our expense may bad a bad thing. The fact that America was caught unprepared for this new reality is the problem.
In spite of the grave reality I have outlined, I am still optimistic. I still think that we can work to solve these problems. I believe that we have an amazing opportunity to correct some of the longstanding injustices and emerge from this era a better country a better people and a better civilization. I think if we can solve these problems the world we will be left with will be a wonderful place. It will be a place where all of the world’s citizens will have hope. I believe that we are not passed the point of fixing these problems but we have to start solving them now.
I would love to hear what problems you think are the most important and why.
My next blog entry will be about the steps I would like to see the new leadership of this country take in solving these problems.
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