tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83356118280237782372024-03-12T17:14:12.002-07:00Beer And IncenseOne is something I enjoy very much. The other gives me asthma attacks. Both have some meaningful symbolic and literal significance in my life and all the other blog names were already taken.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-13310199617836958982022-01-07T18:58:00.004-08:002022-01-07T19:00:10.840-08:00Am I Back?<p> I haven't looked at this blog in years. I had the thought to delete the whole thing. No particular reason, it was just an idea. An idea I was about to act on. I came here this evening to delete the blog in it's entirety but now that I'm here I've changed my mind.<br /><br />Why would I bother to delete? Well some of these posts were written so many years ago that I suspect I would be a bit embarrassed by them now. But maybe not. More importantly, so what if I am. In the deeper sense there's no one there to be embarrassed and the entity that thinks it's embarrassed probably deserves all the humility it can get.<br /><br />Anyway...maybe I'm back to writing here. Maybe I'm not. Maybe I won't come back for another five years and then it will be to delete and maybe I'll change my mind again.<br /><br />Is there a compelling reason to write more words and put them on the internet? Not really. And yet here I am, remembering that it could be fun to do that. Maybe we'll get back into it. What will we talk about? So much has changed. And so much hasn't.</p><p>Well until next time.... (if there is one)</p>Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-24440960853034958282014-11-25T18:06:00.011-08:002014-11-25T18:06:45.764-08:00FergusonI had another topic in mind for this week's post but some big shit happened in the wider world last night. Ferguson, MO. I would imagine everyone who's anyone (ha ha) is familiar with the situation so I won't waste time restating the obvious. I abstained from jumping into the Facebook cesspool of vitriol and uninformed opinion and have opted to come here to share my vitriol and uninformed opinion.<br /><br />
This is a tough one for me. I think both sides are right. I am sympathetic to both of the opposing views and I don't see a clear course of action on how to proceed from here.<br />
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First and most important, yes. There is an epidemic of police violence towards young black males. There is a four hundred year legacy of institutional racism and oppression in this country, and no matter how hard we may want to wish it away or pretend like it does not still color much of modern American life, the fact is that it does. White privilege. Guess what? A very real thing. I can vouch for it. I'm a white male. I've felt it and witnessed it and I can list specific examples of it; some of them so blatant that it would sound like I either made it up or like I was a child of pre-civil rights era America. <br />
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What's not surprising is that there are so many of us white males who are oblivious to the existence of white privilege. Try telling a struggling father working three jobs and still coming up short on the bills that he is "privileged". You're liable to get punched square in the nose. I understand that. <br />
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I could explain the reality of white privilege but that's not what this is about. The point I want to make with it is that it is very easy for people in my demographic (white male) to be oblivious to our special position in society. It is VERY easy for us to sit back and ask smug questions like: Why are they so mad? What do they think they will accomplish by lighting cars on fire and throwing rocks at police? Why can't they see that justice was served and this cop was just doing his job?<br />
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You know what? If I limit my perspective to just my immediate experience, I could ask those same questions. But one thing I've learned as I've gotten older is that using my own personal experience as a guage for the state of society at large is a mistake. <br />
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That being said, I will now venture into murkier waters and explain why I think it's possible both sides are right here. Let's deal with the pro Darren Wilson side first. From what I've seen of the evidence released by the grand jury - and it must be stated that grand juries are not required to release any evidence and they usually don't - this police officer was defending himself and his actions were legitimate. I can just hear all of the boos and hisses but the evidence shows that this was a man being attacked by a much larger, more powerful individual, and cops carry guns for a reason. Namely, to keep themselves alive in these exact scenarios. <br />
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He (the cop) acted legally and rationally. Is it a devastating and heartbreaking tragedy that an unarmed teenager lost his life? Hell yeah it is. Nothing I say here is meant to detract from that. Have there been many cases, probably hundreds, of white police officers using excessive force and often killing unarmed black teens? Again, hell yeah. It is not even in dispute if you are willing to accept hard, empirical statistics that are publicly available. However, each case has to be looked at individually and decided based on the facts specific to that case. <br />
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You cannot simply convict one white cop who kills an unarmed black teen on the basis that there have been other white cops who have unjustifiably killed unarmed black teens. You can't do it even if you know by NOT doing it there will be riots and violence and old, deep wounds will be re-opened. It's too bad that this tragedy has to be judged through the lens of race, but that is America. That is our history. There's no escaping it, and the process of overcoming it has been and will continue to be incredibly difficult. And I think it will take at least another couple of generations to truly work itself out, assuming it's even possible to completely work out. The fact is, it's a scar that may never go away. Some don't.<br />
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Now for the other half of my argument. There is rioting and sadness and anger erupting as I type this. At least from what I've seen, if you are a black American, you are outraged and feel that a grievous injustice has been committed here. And I think you are wrong. In this one specific case, unless the three forensic pathologists reports are all inaccurate, and the eye witness testimony completely fabricated, I cannot see how this police officer could have been convicted for murdering Michael Brown. <br />
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But hear me out before you discount me as another privileged, out of touch white guy.<br />
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Just because I don't think this one specific incident was a miscarriage of justice, please understand that I will admit without hesitation that there have been thousands of miscarriages of justice. Thousands of cases of racially motivated police brutality and murder that went completely unpunished, unnoticed, not even considered noteworthy because hey, it's so normal it's not even news. That is where this country has been. It's still happening now.<br />
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It appears that our status quo is that it's open season on young black males if you are a white police officer and maybe even just a white guy in general. Black mothers and fathers have every reason to be terrified for the safety of their children. It is perhaps fair to say that the biggest physical threat they face - and in many neighborhoods they face many - comes from the very people who are supposed to be protecting them. What do you do if you are the parent of a black teenager? What do you tell them? I have no answers for that. Not even from my privileged perspective here outside of the perimeter of the dangerous zone that is ordinary life for millions of my fellow Americans.<br />
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I cannot pretend to relate to the frustrations and legitimate grievances held by the black community in the wake of yet another young black kid killed by the police. And forgive me if this is presumptuous to say, but I understand why you are feeling rage and probably even hopelessness at this time. Your reaction is justified and based on a reality that so many of your fellow Americans don't see or just flat out pretend doesn't exist. Your struggle is real. Know that some of 'us' know that. <br />
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I tried to explain this to a friend today and what I said was imagine that someone has punched you in the face 100 times and you have just sat there and taken it. Then the 101th punch is just a fake but you strike back on that one. It almost doesn't even matter that the punch was just a fake. You are bloodied and bruised and have been pushed to the limit of human tolerance and patience. At some point frustration and a basic survival instinct kick in. That's what we have here.<br />
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When I see the smug, condescending, and insensitive reactions from many of my white Facebook friends, I get pretty pissed off. It would be easy for me to just choose sides and say welcome to Amerikkka, and go on about how an injustice has taken place. But I can't do that if I'm honest. I can say injustice has been committed en masse, against blacks in America, by whites in America. There are massive double standards about what constitutes acceptable behavior between white teenagers (just being typical rowdy youngsters) and black teenagers (dangerous thugs). All of this shit is real. But one injustice cannot make up for another. Convicting a white cop just because it feels like that's what should have been done would not bring back Michael Brown and would not erase the disease of racism that's still flowing through the veins of America. It would just be another injustice. <br />
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I feel anger and sadness like any sane person should. To the white assholes on Facebook who are celebrating like it's a sport...congratulations on being insensitive assholes who fan the flames of racial resentment. And from your privileged, sheltered little perch at that. To the black people who had their minds made up about this case before they even bothered to see the evidence...well, I'm not sure exactly what to say to you. Who am I to say anything to you really? Everything in your own experience and history gives you a million reasons to pre-judge this case. Hell, you are prejudged every day, every where you go. I'd like to say, please give the facts a chance here. Please be reasonable and look at the evidence. Don't project all of the true injustice that's been committed against you onto this particular incident. I'd like to say that but damn I know that's asking a lot. Would I be so noble if I were in your shoes? I can't say. What I can say is that I'm angry and heart broken too.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-40190041672102630332014-11-18T19:32:00.000-08:002014-11-18T19:32:03.781-08:00Something NovelCould there be anything more ridiculous than writing an essay about writing a novel when you haven't even written a novel? Ponder. And I shall do the same, sort of. <br />
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When I was a school boy there were multiple times when an elementary or middle school teacher would comment on my writing ability. It was good, they claimed. That, however, doesn't mean a damn thing because that's what school teachers do: encourage and inspire confidence in their students, especially the ones that demonstrate any remote interest or competence in a given subject. And that's about what I had...some small scrap of competence for stringing words together coherently. That probably stood out to the teachers because from what I observed at the time many of my peers were unable to grasp the basics of their native tongue. The bar was low.<br />
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Then came junior college English class, freshman year. We had to like, write stuff. I generally found it irritating but less irritating than some of my other classes. One of our first assignments was a "how to" essay. It could be about how to do anything. I wrote an essay on how to cruise the strip for girls in the small east Texas town where I went to high school. The teacher, bless her heart, really flipped for my essay. She pulled me aside after class, asked if she could save it and use it as an example for her future classes, told me I was really talented, and insisted that I sign up for the basic creative writing class there at the college. She was so emphatic about it that I agreed. It sounded like an easy credit.<br />
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The creative writing teacher was a more discerning and honest critic. She was, let's say, less than impressed with my verbal virtuosity. I did okay in the class but she made it clear that I should probably not count on becoming the next great American author. My feelings were not hurt because I didn't think of my self as a writer anyway. There were some actual serious writers in the class. People who wrote for the love of writing. People who were passionate about it and who had read great works of literature and actually knew what the hell they were doing. I, on the other hand, could only remember reading Charlotte's Web and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe up to that point. Maybe the Scarlet Letter too, which I detested. And thinking about it I remember some Geoffrey Chaucer as well. But I had read very little, had little to no understanding what made good writing or a good story, and my very presence in that class was probably an affront to the other students who actually were serious and gave a damn. I was an immature, self-absorbed, very young man, going through the kinds of weird things 19 year old boys go through, and as far as school went I was just going through the motions. Now if she would have told me I was not a good basketball player, my fragile self-esteem might have crumbled irreversibly; but writing? Blah.<br />
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I say all of that to say this: I am not a gifted writer. Not then, not now. Despite some kind words from some well-meaning people, I recognize that there are people out there with a natural talent with words and story-telling and that I am not one of them. <br />
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However...<br />
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I'm an adult now. Within the last decade I've discovered a love for reading that was not there when I was in school. I've sought out good literature and devoured dozens (or more) of very fine novels. Now an avid reader does not a writer make. I get this. To think so would be like saying all you have to do to become a great basketball player is have a deep admiration for Lebron James. That's not at all how it works. To be great or even good at something requires a combination of natural talent and very hard work. <br />
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What piques my curiosity though is the possibility that if I do have some small level of competence with the written word, could that now combine with my more mature appreciation and understanding of good writing to form a potential that is worth exploring? Most likely not. But it would just be exploring, after all. Specifically, could I write a novel?<br />
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The reason I wonder aloud here about this is because there is a pattern I have noticed in my life. When something makes a big impression on me it's not enough for me to remain just an observer. I have to try it. That's why videos appear here from time to time with me trying to imitate a Jimi Hendrix guitar solo. I am so taken by something I ask myself "how in the hell do they do that?". And I have to find out for myself. I see the same thing beginning to happen with writing. I experience the genius of David Mitchell or Tom Robbins or Charles Dickens and it leaves me with that same "How the hell do they do that?" feeling that eventually leads to me trying it myself. It's wildly pretentious, laughably ambitious, and will probably amount to nothing more than a mountain of frustration. I'm still intrigued by the possibilities and the challenge of it though. There are worse things that I could waste my time on.<br /><br />While I currently have zero plot ideas for a novel, I do think I have a good grasp of the elements that make a good novel. Of course, some of that is objective and everyone has different tastes. There are so many different genres and types of novels it would be hard to know where to start. I mentioned David Mitchell and Tom Robbins and what impresses me so much about them is that their work is really hard to put labels on. Anything can happen and there are no rules. For all I know that is probably the most difficult approach and one that only the most gifted can pull off, but it looks really fun. <br /><br />Where will this lead? Maybe not even beyond this blog post. I honestly don't know. Just thinking aloud as it were. Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-17016492060054734462014-09-23T20:09:00.002-07:002014-11-12T20:02:01.896-08:00Ben In ItalyI'm long overdue here, and I'm back. Not because I have anything profound to share this evening, but to see if I still know how to work a keyboard for anything longer than a snarky Facebook post. That is what my political and social commentary has devolved to. Never underestimate the fun that can be had alienating friends, ex-classmates, and co-workers with your outspoken political opinions. <br />
<br />
We recently fulfilled a dream that was in the making for the past decade or so. We have long wanted to go to Italy but until the last few years my wife had issues that prevented her from travelling. Finally, three or so weeks ago, we made our first journey across the Atlantic. From Fort Worth, to Amsterdam, to Italy. We spent about two weeks there, with the time almost equally split between Venice, Florence, and Rome. <br />
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Some random thoughts and observations from our travels...<br />
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Firstly, Ben's body does not respond well to rapidly crossing multiple time zones in a short period of time. Circadian rhythm disruption, also known as jet lag (but I hate that term), was a real bitch. It affects everyone differently, and apparently it affects me quite severely. This makes sense because I had sleeping problems up until my mid twenties which I eventually resolved by keeping a pretty regimented go to bed and wake up schedule. I learned some things to help next time though; primarily that melatonin is my friend in dark times. (See what I did there?)<br />
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Secondly, I tried to keep my expectations low for this long awaited adventure. To be clear, I expected it to be great but had no specific expectations about how things would be. My only preconceived notion was that I expected to like Venice the least. What was I thinking? Venice was my favorite. There is simply no other place like it in the world. It's filled with tourists but there's a valid reason for that. It's magical. Saint Mark's basilica was a standout for me. I'm not religious, I sure couldn't be classified as Christian, but I was filled with awe and my eyes filled with tears when I stepped through the doors there. I can't explain it but that was a powerful place for me. A dozen basilicas later I had sort of grown immune to their splendor, which is a shame. But Saint Mark's was my first, and I'll never forget it.<br />
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Thirdly, I expected people to speak more English there than they actually did. Now how stereotypically ignorant American is that? Guilty as charged. I just figured with millions of tourists flocking there, so many English speaking, that it would prevalent. It was not. We had many experiences dealing with people who do not speak our language, which can be both fun and frustrating. I should have taken the time to learn some basic Italian phrases. <br />
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Fourthly, If you ever go to Florence, climb the stairs to the top of Giotto's bell tower at the Duomo. The views of the city are breathtaking and the climb up will take your breath away also but no worries. That was another highlight of the trip for me.<br />
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Fifthly, To paraphrase both my wife and mom "boy, the Italians make us look like slobs". Now I can't get into the pointy shoes and skinny jeans look but there is no denying that they take much more pride in their appearance in public than we do here in America. What happened to people giving a shit? I'd like to know. People are dressed nice and you cannot find an overweight person. How does that work in a land where everyone eats pasta, gelato, and wine all the time? Another clue that the American food/health system is freaking scam. I'd be embarrassed to walk into a Chili's or McDonald's with a person from Italy. Or a Wal Mart. I'm just saying.<br />
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Well...I could certainly go on. But that regimented bed time thing is kicking in and I will conclude by saying that I feel like a person changed for the better by having had this experience. Sadly travel has become yet another status symbol in American culture and is possibly a little too hyped and glorified by people who feel the need to escape their normal life or just feel more special than people not fortunate enough to travel. However, I think anyone who makes it a priority could do it. And at the risk of adding to the cliché chorus, they should. If they can. It gives you a broader perspective and that's never a bad thing. And I'll practice what I preach as I'm looking forward to making another journey across the pond in another year or two. <br />
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<br />Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-63284268711125792282013-11-20T17:05:00.003-08:002013-11-20T17:07:37.302-08:00ObamaScare<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Obamacare rage is all the rage at the moment and since I
have been a supporter of healthcare reform I will chime in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not elegant but I’ve organized this into
sections that reflect my thinking on the ACA.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Legitimate
Healthcare System Problems Unaddressed by The Critics<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Millions of people like myself are shut-out of
health insurance outside of a large group, employment based plan.</span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thousands of people are routinely dropped by
their health insurers when they get sick and/or reach a lifetime policy cap</span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thousands of the ones who get sick and don’t get
dropped have their premiums increased to unaffordable rates because they are
costing insurers too much.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">49 million people are completely uninsured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If acknowledging the basic immorality and
inhumanity of this is too much to ask, just focus on the fact that these
uninsured people are making YOUR healthcare costs higher via expensive
emergency room treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re already
subsidizing them, just in the least efficient way possible.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">60%+ of all bankruptcies in the US are medical
bill related.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority of those
bankruptcies are from people who HAVE health insurance.</span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The US spends twice the per capita average of
the OECD countries for results that are average.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The people who are so giddy about all of the negative
headlines are offering no solutions for these very real problems. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because they don’t actually care about improving healthcare access and
delivery, they only care about attacking a president who makes them crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Media Hyperventilation</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the media would have devoted this level of
sensationalism and attention to the problems of the pre-ACA healthcare system
Americans would have demanded reform decades ago and we’d probably already be
on a single-payer style system like the rest of the civilized world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pre-ACA world has thousands of people who
were suddenly dropped from their coverage, or told their favorite doctor is no
longer in-network, or who had their premiums skyrocket from one year to the
next, or who were just flat denied coverage altogether due to a pre-existing
condition; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>plenty of real-life cases
that the media could have highlighted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the pre-ACA and post-ACA healthcare systems were given
a fair trial in the public media I have no doubt that “Obamacare” would come
out the clear winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, the
media has given zero coverage to the people who have already benefited from the
ACA or who will be benefiting over the next couple of years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And many of the ACA victim stories have been
roundly debunked, two prominent ones involved major features in the WSJ and on
CBS news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are often presented with an
incomplete story that turns out to be not as clear cut as the headline
sounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ACA has some very real
problems. The rollout has been terrible, and many of the criticisms are
legit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the media presentation is
making it out like the new healthcare law is ushering in the apocalypse for what
was a healthcare utopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And comparing
it to Bush’s response to hurricane Katrina?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because having some website glitches while you are trying to give people
better access to healthcare is JUST LIKE leaving hundreds of thousands of
people stranded and helpless after a devastating natural disaster. Please.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></o:p></u></b><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Republican Paradox<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Conservatives have claimed from day one that Obamacare
will be an unmitigated disaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they
truly believe this to be the case then they should view it as political gold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allowing Obamacare to be fully implemented
and then fail miserably could do more to discredit democrats/liberalism than
Roger Ailes could ever dream of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
they’ve tried 40+ times to repeal the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’ve desperately attempted to sabotage and defund it at every step of
the way, anything to prevent it from getting off the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because their true fear is that Obamacare will SUCCEED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And their true expectations are evident from
their actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you really believe
something will destroy your opponents, you sit back and enjoy the carnage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t fight desperately to stop it from
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Obamacare does succeed it
will be a devastating blow to the republican party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a party already suffering from
considerable demographic and image problems this cannot be a pleasant prospect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Incidentally, it’s
been hilarious to see conservative media and republican politicians all of the
sudden playing the role of consumer advocate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What hypocrites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where was this breathless
concern when insurance companies were cancelling policies, denying coverage,
and jacking up premiums prior to the ACA? </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rationale For
The Healthcare Law<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Insurance is simply the pooling of risk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The larger the pool, the lower the cost per
individual in the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an
actuarial fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea behind
Obamacare is to get more people into the risk pool, thereby lowering the
overall cost. It’s a sound concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Healthcare is not a “product” that a person can simply opt in or out
of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone will use the healthcare
system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, everyone who can
afford to should pay into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main
problem with Obamacare is that it relies on a patchwork of private, for-profit
insurance companies to achieve this larger insurance pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was set up this way in order to be “market
based” and therefore more palatable to conservatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A single, mandatory, all-inclusive insurance
pool (aka: single payer) would achieve the ACA’s objectives far more
effectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s interesting that most
of the ACA’s problems being pounced on by the opposition stem directly from the
compromises in the law that were intended to placate them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Them being the republicans who believe in
the magical fairy dust of the so called free-market.)</span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Democrats and
ACA Supporters Have A Tougher PR Job<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the central tenets of conservative politics is
playing on people’s inherent fear of change. Whether it’s the government coming
to get you, or the Muslims, or immigrants stealing your job and money, or
“socialized medicine”, the conservative machine thrives on fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is effective because fear of change is
natural to the human condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if
it’s changing from something terrible to something better, people are more
comfortable with the devil they know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Democrats and ACA supporters have always faced an uphill battle selling
the idea that healthcare system can change for the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Criticism Of
The ACA<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On principle I hate the idea that government can require
an individual to purchase a product from a private corporation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But again, this strange and unfair sounding
requirement stems from the fact that the ACA is a compromise designed to
appease republicans who demand a “market based” approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once it became clear that not a single
republican would vote for healthcare reform and that democrats would be accused
of being socialist Nazis no matter what they did, they should have scrapped the
market-based compromised and crafted a more “socialistic” program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the very least they should have included a
public-option that would have given individuals the ability to meet the
coverage requirement without having to deal with the for-profit health
insurance cartel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time the law
was being debated it was amusing to listen to the same people who say
government can’t do anything right also complain that a public-option would
have unfair advantage over our beloved private insurers.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second complaint with the ACA is how the individual
mandate is structured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The penalty for
not buying insurance is too low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
enforceability of the penalty is too weak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The viability of the ACA depends on younger, healthier individuals
entering the insurance pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
mechanism designed to get them there has no teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the new entrants to the insurance pool
are mostly older, sicker people, then health insurance companies will have no
choice but to raise premiums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would
be the true death-spiral for the healthcare law.</span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Prediction</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In one to two years time the benefits of the healthcare
law will be evident and hundreds of thousands will be enjoying the benefits:
grateful to be able to buy reasonably priced insurance even if they have a
pre-existing condition, not having to fear being dropped from their insurance
coverage when they need it most, and enjoying overall lower premiums due to an
expanded insurance pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to mention
the satisfaction of knowing their country has finally moved closer to making
sure the basic human need of accessible healthcare is now a reality for most of
their fellow citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think this
is just a stepping stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within thirty
years the absurdity and inefficiency of our privatized healthcare system will
become so obvious and undeniable that no amount of right-wing fear mongering
will be able to stop the move to a single-payer system.</span></div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-72047264037530459752013-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:002013-08-30T19:01:14.464-07:00The One Thing To KnowI'm one of those strange people who have never had the desire to have or raise children and luckily my wife is also one of those strange people. Some of the reasons for this have been mentioned in another blog post. Despite bearing no offspring I've often thought of some of the lessons I would try to teach to a young child based on my own life experience. The truth is, kids or no kids, I feel like we all have an obligation to pass on some of the hard earned wisdom that has been gained through experience. In theory the human race should be evolving for the better with each generation as the mistakes of the previous ones are avoided and knowledge is passed on. It doesn't appear to be working out quite that neatly but it's a good thought.<br />
<br />
Regarding the advice I would give, the first thing that comes to mind can be conveyed in two words.<br />
<br />
Be kind.<br />
<br />
That's more than a little cliché and too simple to be very interesting but I honestly can't imagine a more important value to instill in our little human beings in the making. If anything will make the world a better place to be, it's more love and kindness. Hat tip to the Beatles for preaching this message to millions of adoring and impressionable fans all over the world - all you need is love.<br />
<br />
The problem with my simple advice of "be kind" is that part of just about anyone will be asking, "what's in for me?". Well there is a lot in it for you. There is now scientific evidence proving there is something in it for you, but don't take anyone's word for it, just try it and find out. Be your own scientist. Life is one big experiment. Test the hypothesis and see what you get out of it. <br />
<br />
Knowing that there's a part in many of us that will still not have the 'what's in it for me?' feeling satisfied, and intrigued by the challenge of coming up with some less cliché words of wisdom, I'd like to contribute another small nugget. <br />
<br />
This one is meant to appeal purely to the sentiment of self-interest but will make being kind and everything else a much easier proposition. Unfortunately I can't summarize this one in two short words or even two long sentences but if I were given the opportunity to tip off a younger version of myself to a concept that would make all of life flow much more easily, this would be it:<br />
<br />
There is a part of you that is already whole, happy, peaceful, and perfectly at ease at all points within the wide range of human experience, from the beautiful to the horrifying. Seek out this part of yourself with every ounce of effort you can muster. Pardon another cliché, but look within. Be still and quiet. Take it on faith at first. Just know that it's there and it thrives no matter what life may throw at you; and life will throw many things at you. There will be very low and scary points and also very happy and exciting points, interspersed with periods of boredom or melancholy. The range of human emotions and experiences is vast and there is no escaping the fact that to some degree you will find yourself at every point along that spectrum. Just know there is that part of you that is perfectly at peace and happy regardless of outer circumstances.<br />
<br />
Put another way, develop an inner life. Start out with the simple faith that within yourself is this perfectly happy and peaceful awareness that is always present no matter what happens 'out there'. From that starting point seek out this part of yourself. There are many things you can do to progress from faith to firsthand experience. The most effective is to meditate. Learn to be still and quiet and to let all of the mental activity naturally quiet down and become familiar with what remains. Be there for extended periods of time. That's the most direct route.<br />
<br />
There are many helpful references that you can consult to assist with this primary objective of cultivating an inner life. Read and absorb the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and more modern authentic teachers of spirituality like Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta, Ramakrishna, Paramahansa Yogananda, and their contemporaries such as Eckhart Tolle, Roy Eugene Davis, and Adyashanti. These are just a few. There are many others, dozens if not hundreds of teachers that essentially have the same message presented in their own unique way. If eastern sounding teachers/teachings turn you off, there are western teachers as well. We all possess a unique set of personality characteristics and some presentations will appeal or click with us better than others. The point is that there are plenty of helpful guides out there if we feel inclined to consult with external sources in our effort to discover this part of ourselves that is always whole, happy, at peace, and untouched by external circumstances.<br />
<br />
It isn't necessary to put this in a religious or spiritual context. Religion has discredited itself over the millennia and a number of people are uncomfortable with the idea of spirituality, and if either of those apply to you, just think of it as a psychological exercise. Again, know there is a peaceful and still center within you and find it. The repetition here is intentional because it is the main message and theme of this post and if I could pass anything on to my own children or any that I might influence - this would be it. Adults too. I sincerely feel like it is the most valuable piece of advice that could be offered. It will make every other endeavor that much easier.<br />
<br />
This isn't the same as the grand, impossible sounding idea of Spiritual Enlightenment. It's practical and accessible to anyone and doesn't require an excessive amount of intelligence or material wealth. If you can begin to know that part of yourself that is <em>already whole </em>and is <em>untouchable </em>by outer circumstances, it will be an invaluable refuge when times are hard and a necessary grounding force when everything seems to be going perfectly. <br />
<br />
In an effort at clarity here are some more characteristics of this part of you that I am referring to; nothing can be subtracted or added to it, it requires no one's approval, it is there in all of it's fullness and wholeness even when everything else seems to be falling apart, it is deeper than any temporary emotion or feeling that you may be experiencing at any point in time, it could be said that it is perfect or flawless. Also: it is always 'there', it is the silent witness to everything happening inside and outside of you, it is unchanging, and it is what you have in common with every other living being in the universe. If any of that sounds too new agey or out there for your personal tastes, just overlook it. I am just trying to outline something and paint a picture and I'm limited by my own personality and perspective. Different adjectives and descriptions may work better for your disposition but the general idea is the same.<br />
<br />
Nothing can fully exempt any of us from the perils and fragility of the human experience but what I am describing here can definitely smooth the way. I personally haven't perfected living from the state of consciousness I am referring to but I have enough experience with it to know what I'm talking about and to confidently say it is the most valuable thing I could 'give' to another human being. (You can't give someone something they already have, but you can alert them to the fact that they have it.) <br />
<br />
The end result of this pursuit is the intuitive and pervading sense that at all times, in every circumstance, all is well. That doesn't mean all problems go away or that everything will always be perfect on the material or emotional level. It means they don't have to be and you are still okay. All is well. But please do not take my word for it. Experiment and find out for yourself. Be patient but be diligent. <br />
<br />
So there it is. My words of wisdom to my non-existent children (or anyone else who's interested).<br />
<br />
I could probably tighten this up and make it more concise but this will do for now. Be kind. All is well.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-90095715880289840102012-11-08T19:40:00.002-08:002012-11-11T08:42:21.472-08:00Piercing The Veil<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’d like to take some time here to describe a world that I’m pretty familiar with.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s a sort of parallel universe that is similar to ours, but different.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The people who inhabit it know certain things.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">They know that Barack Obama’s presidency has been a total disaster.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">They know he is the worst president ever in the history of history. Ever.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">In this parallel world, inhabited by these people who are privy to things the rest of us are not, there are some indisputable truths.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of them are as follows: Obama is the worst president in the history of the world. (Maybe I’ve already mentioned that one.) Obama has wrecked the American economy and the entrepreneurial spirit. His policies have ushered in an age of government dependency and socialism. He has put an unprecedented tax and regulatory burden on America’s job creators and its middle class. He has increased the national debt and deficit at a rate never before seen in the history of the United States. His foreign policy has been a disaster. After going on an apology tour to Muslim countries where he apologized profusely for American values, he lowered America’s standing in the world by signaling that he was a weak and indecisive leader of the free world. He’s been weak on terrorism. He hates the military. He hates Christians. He especially hates Christians that are in the military. He’s a radical. It’s obvious to everyone. He’ll be a one termer. Probably lose the election by a landslide, just like Jimmy Carter. He’s the black Jimmy Carter; biggest mistake America ever made. After all, everyone knows that O.B.A.M.A. stands for “One Big Ass Mistake America”! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I might have gotten a little carried away towards the end but that is a general outline of the parallel universe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, if you don’t inhabit that rarified plane or are otherwise unfamiliar with it, some of that stuff might sound a little crazy or extreme. You might get the impression that only really crazy and extreme people would believe those things, but you would be very wrong. You see, I am familiar with this other world because I know many people who live there. And most of them are not crazy or irrational or unreasonable at all. Many of them are very smart and even educated. They’re good people, many of my own friends and family. (To be fair, a few of them really are certifiably batshit looney, but not many!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This is a fascinating thing to me. Because while I am intimately familiar with this world where everyone knows – just knows! – these types of things to be true…I reside outside of this world. To me, each and every one of those “truths” mentioned above, are easily debunked luminous piles of horse shit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">To put it simply, anyone who is well informed from a variety of sources can quickly see that any and all of the statements above are either just flat wrong or at best are wildly exaggerated. There is objective, empirical, publicly available data that deflates most of the truths of our aforementioned alternate reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This parallel information universe has some names. Bill Maher calls it The Bubble. John Stewart refers to it as Bullshit Mountain. Even a prominent conservative, Julian Sanchez, wrote a piece several years ago describing it as “epistemic closure”. Whatever you want to call it, it is a closed circuit information loop - an echo chamber that operates outside of the established parameters of science, math, even history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">And some very good, otherwise smart people get stuck there; close friends and family of mine, people I respect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">All snark and sarcasm aside, I have exerted a great deal of effort at times to penetrate this bubble. I’ve found myself genuinely concerned and confused at the power and hold this phenomenon has on people. It’s like quicksand or a black hole for critical thinking. That sounds insulting, but I am not trying to be insulting. I’m just stating my personal experience and this is how it appears to me. The right wing media, which, for the most part I think of as Fox/Drudge/Limbaugh/Beck has a cult-like hold on the minds of far too many of my fellow Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m bringing this up now for a reason. During my career of trying to free minds from the Conservative Matrix I have tried to combat fantasy with reality by referring people to facts and figures. Things like changes in the unemployment rate, or debt added by the various presidents, or number of regulations enacted by one president versus another, or stock market and corporate profit data…in regards to Obama, basically anything that just shows that the kinds of wild exaggerations and assertions I listed above aren’t exactly on the mark. I’ve tried put things in historical perspective, provide some context. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes this is successful. Usually it is not. In terms of changing someone’s perspective with this method, my success rate is probably somewhere around 5%. Meaning maybe one in twenty people have come around. That doesn’t mean they suddenly love Obama or become a liberal. (Which isn’t what I’m after anyway.) It just means they acknowledge the problems with the kinds of claims I mentioned above; the beliefs that are gospel to the conservative faithful. They take a more critical look at the information sources that they’ve relied on to form their worldview. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">All I’m ever really after is trying to get people to agree to a common reality. Philosophical differences will always be there and that is fine. Smart and principled people can debate those differences intelligently. But statements like “Obama has added more taxes and regulations than any president in history” have no place in an intelligent discussion. We have hard data on this. There’s history. We can count and compare the number of regulations. We can look at the tax rates and the taxes collected. We don’t have to conjecture. I’m glad that we don’t all agree and debate is healthy and necessary. But having one half of the population that lives in its own made up reality is not healthy. It’s terrible for democracy and representative government and makes it impossible to solve actual problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m a little off on a tangent, so what’s my point. We’ve just had an election and what and how it all happened serves as the perfect illustration for the existence of and the dangers of The Bubble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of us could see this coming. This shock and disbelief, what must have felt like being shoved into the Twilight Zone for our friends and family who reside in the parallel conservative universe. Now I won’t even lie here. I had no idea who was going to win the election. When Romney chose Ryan as VP my best guess was that he just handed the election to Obama, but that was just an educated guess. After Obama’s first debate it was really in question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I truly thought Obama was going to win when it came down to it, but I wasn’t confident enough to make bold proclamations on Facebook or anywhere else. Most importantly, I didn’t rely on my gut feeling or for one news source for polling information when I was trying to gather facts and get a sense of who could win. I used a wide variety of sources, which is what I do. Nate Silver at 538 has a great track record. There were several other good polling aggregators out there as well. There was data. And the data was always clear: Look for a very close popular vote but Obama has Ohio, and therefore the election, in the bag. That never changed throughout the final few weeks. Even as Dick Morris and Michael Barrone of Fox, and Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal were somehow, with a straight face, predicting a landslide Romney victory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">George Will and several others were too. People inside the Echo Chamber believed them. Those of us outside shook our heads as usual. And as usual, the conservative media attacked the messenger(s) when they didn’t like the message. “The polling is biased.” “Nate Silver is effeminate and has a girly voice.” The usual shallow, inane, bullshit attacks on anyone who dares to intrude on right wing reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This isn’t a gloat post. This is a post about hope. It’s a hope that the millions of people who were convinced to ignore any outside information to the contrary and buy into conservative media’s version of reality will use this experience as a wake-up call. I saw it first hand. People who were genuinely shocked, surprised, baffled; it just can’t be. How can it be? There were literally tears shed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It didn’t have to be this way for the people that were on the losing end of this election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s all I’m saying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">A short venture outside of the parallel universe and into the wider world would’ve given these people a more realistic expectation and they would’ve been better prepared to handle the possibility that Romney wouldn’t win by a 30% margin. Even Romney and his campaign were utterly shocked and I have to wonder how that is possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">For all of us, there is a danger in believing our own bullshit. The right believed its own bullshit and was blindsided en masse. This was a visceral experience for many conservatives, a deep, and really a cruel disappointment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So…friends, family, and anyone else out there who has been ensnared by The Bubble. Please, please, take this as a learning experience and escape from the world where math and science don’t count if they conflict with your view point, where any news source that doesn’t toe the party line is biased. It’s a wide, wide world. Exciting and scary at times, sure. But please come back to the world of facts. Join us in reality. Even if we disagree, we need you here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-61962725533894528212012-10-21T20:13:00.001-07:002012-10-21T20:13:59.981-07:00Debt By Prez<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWkeyEbg4au6jNzADTOi-1KrTF_cbVJTaGvXM89CXP4vdkupo46_8pysGUkhd3e-feIDOgamXVolXYqgKfh28-qgaLnwLppMoRUYR3uDd7oRumHtPwU0YnodM24SW3TVSBnooNr59fe0/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWkeyEbg4au6jNzADTOi-1KrTF_cbVJTaGvXM89CXP4vdkupo46_8pysGUkhd3e-feIDOgamXVolXYqgKfh28-qgaLnwLppMoRUYR3uDd7oRumHtPwU0YnodM24SW3TVSBnooNr59fe0/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIfsvuLUvwspCvO2TUxqHjI00wEZAOMG0Ye_ifqDSmdA5NgbAV3u2UG-9nE3IS114jDGamyRHnYoeHbxwHCM6Ko_uxIddjnse8CUhCyte3ozGwar78bTknz2-GsxFFYeEl010e8BY7Zg/s1600/PrezTermCompare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIfsvuLUvwspCvO2TUxqHjI00wEZAOMG0Ye_ifqDSmdA5NgbAV3u2UG-9nE3IS114jDGamyRHnYoeHbxwHCM6Ko_uxIddjnse8CUhCyte3ozGwar78bTknz2-GsxFFYeEl010e8BY7Zg/s1600/PrezTermCompare.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I
created these two charts out of curiosity and really just as a reference for
myself but thought I’d go ahead and publish them here. This is the United States and the president
is not a dictator which limits the usefulness of a simplistic comparison like
this but it is still interesting and instructive. The president is the single
most powerful individual in government.
They set the tone and provide the leadership that moves policy one
direction or another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Since
republicans are breathlessly criticizing the president for increasing the
national debt and claiming, as usual, to be the party of fiscal responsibility,
this data seems especially relevant. To
put it simply, there is no historical basis for giving the republican party any
credibility on the subject of decreasing our debt. If past performance is any indication of
future results, we should expect the opposite.
At least over the course of my lifetime debt has grown much faster under
republican presidents than under democrats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Reagan
is the one who really jumps off the page here; the deified standard bearer,
universally praised for being the ultimate crusader against big government, and
yet, no president in recent history has even come close to exploding the
national debt in the way he did. More
than just an actor, Reagan must have been a master of mass hypnosis, as even in
death millions of Americans have a completely inaccurate view of his
presidency. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The fact that the hero of
the American right is someone who managed to preside over a debt increase of
189% tells you a lot about the modern American right. I think it's no coincidence that this hero
was a professional actor. He ushered in
the ultimate political con-job, “trickle down economics”, a wet dream for
economic elites that was so cynical even George H.W. Bush referred to it as
Voodoo Economics. It almost feels like a cruel joke that a republican
presidential candidate is able to sell this same failed formula thirty years
later. I am continually amazed at how
there never seems to be any real political consequences for republicans when
their ideas and policies fail miserably. </span></div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-4513156973137614952012-10-15T18:12:00.000-07:002012-10-15T18:29:32.223-07:00Our Cartoonish Electorate<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAw-NZNmOXqUqbYvmyjbrrJFeClBdVbgXhJN4p56jO7ovInWaTs0Ut6ImeW8Wdv7cCwV6FU97eF_3wwX8JosTg_h4pmm1MHNaNrQU0L6DwOzTqDs4YBMhYkQx9yUouenG8XuaDSIf-IE8/s1600/ObamaCow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAw-NZNmOXqUqbYvmyjbrrJFeClBdVbgXhJN4p56jO7ovInWaTs0Ut6ImeW8Wdv7cCwV6FU97eF_3wwX8JosTg_h4pmm1MHNaNrQU0L6DwOzTqDs4YBMhYkQx9yUouenG8XuaDSIf-IE8/s320/ObamaCow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its election season which means every few hours a graphic or
post like the one above pops up on my Facebook news feed. As a native and resident Texan whose friend
list is full of other Texans, almost all of the political posting falls somewhere
along the spectrum between Obama is the anti-Christ and Obama wants to eat your
babies.<br />
<br />
To say the least there’s not much in the way of diversity of political
thought ‘round here. That’s okay though.
As I’ve said before on this blog,
political views are determined mostly by geography. You can’t necessarily hold the geographical group think phenomenon
against people.</div>
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Now back to my picture.
See anything wrong with it? Nobody
on the Facebook thread that I copied it from seems to. Instead, there’s just the usual chorus of people
piling on with comments like “So True!” and “Amen!” and "Damn socialist!"</div>
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It should also be pointed out that several of the people
commenting on the thread are pretty engaged politically. So what’s wrong with the cartoon? Well, everything. Literally.
</div>
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Let’s look at each bucket in turn:</div>
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<b><u>AIG<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Group" target="_blank">AIG bailout</a> occurred on September 16, 2008, three and
a half months before Obama took office.
The federal government, under president George W. Bush, allocated $85
billion of U.S. Treasury funds so AIG could honor it’s collateral obligations.
(Most of that money was paid to Goldman Sachs incidentally.)</div>
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<b><u>Banks<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Economic_Stabilization_Act_of_2008" target="_blank">Emergency Economic Stabilization Act Of 2008</a> (aka the
bank bailouts) was signed into law in October of 2008, at the request of the
George W. Bush administration. $700 billion of U.S. Treasury funds were
allocated to purchase toxic assets from the too-big-to-fail banks. Again, two months before president Obama took
office.</div>
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<b><u>Housing<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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I can only assume that this one is supposed to represent
the collapse of the housing bubble. The
housing bubble began to deflate in 2007 and the volume of subprime mortgage
lending peaked between 2004-and 2006. By
mid to late 2008 the U.S. economy was in free fall, soon to be followed by the
global economy. Once again, all of this occurred
before Barack Hussein Obama became president.</div>
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<b><u>Autos<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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The initial auto industry bailout was initiated by
president George W. Bush in December of 2008.
$17.4 billion of U.S. Treasury funds were allocated to prevent GM and
Chrysler from going into what president Bush referred to as “disorderly bankruptcy”.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N5kRVfmMoE" target="_blank">Here's his speech</a> announcing the bailout.
Obama did expand the auto bailout later in 2009, so we can at least give
the Obama-hater who drew this cartoon a little credit there. But once again, the initial policy was
implemented before Obama became president.</div>
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There’s also a bucket that says “Ins.”. I have no idea what that is supposed to be so
I won’t comment on it.</div>
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So every single policy or event that this cartoonist is
trying to attribute to Obama actually occurred while George W. Bush was
president. You try to point this out and
without fail the reply is “When are you people going to stop blaming Bush!”. </div>
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If this type of thing was a one-off occurrence I wouldn’t
have bothered talking about it here. But
it’s rampant. It’s every day, all the time.
And I offer it up as further evidence that right wing, Obama-hating
America lives in an alternative universe, an information bubble that is
impervious to basic, factual understanding of real life, verifiable events. As bit
of a political loudmouth I feel like I’m in a constant game of whack-a-mole
with the phantom creations of the conservative echo chamber. </div>
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I’m only 35 years old so maybe my historical sample size
is too small, but the level at which this president gets blamed for all of the
disastrous policies and consequences of his predecessor feels unprecedented. The blind and hysterical
hatred that is directed at him is wildly disproportionate to his
accomplishments or lack of. Regardless
of one’s political leanings cartoons like the one above shouldn’t be going
viral on social media. Even a casual
familiarity with the news would be enough for anyone to quickly see how ridiculous
and misleading it is. But here in the land
of mass political amnesia, with our oh so selective interpretation of
reality, this thing becomes gospel.<br />
<br />
Regarding the person who posted this on Facebook, I kindly pointed out the inaccuracies and said what I often say in these cases: If you guys are upset with stuff that <strike>He Who Must Not Be Named</strike> George W. Bush did why don't you just say so and use HIS name and put his picture on your cartoons? You can imagine the response I got.</div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-37825678996894059592012-10-12T15:55:00.004-07:002012-10-12T15:57:13.969-07:00In Which I Agree With Bill O’Reilly<br />
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Saturday night the wife and I sprang for the $4.95 to watch
the live internet streaming debate between Bill O’Reilly and Jon Stewart. (Yes, we are party animals.) One of the questions was: “What do you think is the most fundamental
problem with the public political discourse?”
O’Reilly’s answer: “Capitalism.”</div>
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It’s a good thing I was drinking because I might’ve
collapsed in surprise at being in total agreement with ‘The Mayor Of Bullshit
Mountain’. O’Reilly explained how lucrative it is to be a professional hater –
an assassin – as he called it. Now
granted this is a bit like Ronald McDonald pinpointing French fries as the
culprit behind America’s obesity problem, but he has a point. The highest paid media personalities are the
ones most adept at working their audience into a blind rage every evening. </div>
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Bill O’ even suggested that a lot of times these haters
don’t even believe the stuff they are saying, they’re just playing to their crowd. I’ve said as much before myself. The problem is that their allegedly massive
audiences actually <b><i>do </i></b>believe what they are saying. And these are the people voting in primaries
and driving the discourse. </div>
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Although I basically agree with Bill here, I think he’s only
partly correct. Capitalism, or the fact
that the haters command these huge followings, is more of a symptom than the
root cause. I blame the people who dial
in to these pontificating buffoons more than the pontificating buffoons
themselves. Taken one step further, I
blame an educational and cultural system that produces such a large number of
people who are only interested in tuning in to media that reinforces their
pre-existing beliefs and caters to their prejudices and biases. </div>
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The haters are just offering what the market demands. There is so much anger and frustration out
there. The haters tap in to that and
channel it in ways that are appealing to their listeners/viewers. It’s really mental
laziness and lack of intellectual curiosity that make the success of the haters
possible. <br />
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Hard news doesn’t sell and thinking for one’s self takes
some effort which is why both are notably absent from the national public
dialogue. The cable and radio haters
don’t offer much in the way of actual news and they do your thinking for
you. In a complex and diverse world
with complex and diverse problems they offer simple explanations and even
simpler solutions. Add in their masterful
ability to play to the innate human need to feel victimized and you have a
winning formula.</div>
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So yes, O’Reilly is right.
Capitalism is dragging down the public discourse. But capitalism comes down to supply and
demand and it’s obvious there is huge demand for dumbed-down, vitriolic,
one-sided ‘info-tainment’. I hate to say
it but my conclusion would be that the public discourse has degraded because
the <i>public itself </i>has.</div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-68254591367873371272012-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:002012-10-08T19:38:23.782-07:00A 'Job Creator' SpeaksA <a href="http://www.blogger.com/A%20Bloomberg%20article%20that%20I%20read%20today%20sent%20me%20to%20the%20blog%20of%20former%20American%20Airlines%20chairman%20and%20CEO,%20Bob%20Crandall.%20%20The%20piece%20was%20about%20economic%20inequality%20in%20the%20US,%20a%20subject%20that%20I%20think%20is%20THE%20major%20issue%20of%20our%20time,%20and%20mentioned%20that%20even%20a%20successful,%20wealthy,%20and%20well-respected%20ex-CEO%20like%20Crandall%20was%20decrying%20the%20negative%20impacts%20of%20so%20much%20wealth%20concentrated%20at%20the%20top.%20%20Naturally%20this%20piqued%20my%20interest%20and%20I%20promptly%20made%20my%20way%20over%20to%20his%20blog%20and%20read%20the%20most%20recent%20dozen%20entries%20or%20so.%20Sure%20enough,%20this%20one-percenter%20makes%20some%20of%20the%20same%20observations%20and%20points%20that%20have%20seemed%20so%20obvious%20to%20me%20and%20many%20others.%20%20What%20makes%20it%20noteworthy%20is%20that%20this%20is%20yet%20another%20prominent%20business%20leader%20making%20statements%20that%20are%20blasphemous%20to%20American%20right%20wing%20ideology,%20an%20ideology%20that%20probably%2040%%20of%20the%20population%20takes%20as%20gospel,%20even%20as%20they%20are%20ravaged%20by%20the%20real-life%20consequences%20of%20its%20policies.%20%20It%E2%80%99s%20one%20thing%20for%20a%20bearded%20hippie%20living%20in%20a%20tent%20near%20central%20park%20to%20point%20out%20that%20the%20US%20is%20turning%20into%20a%20banana%20republic,%20but%20something%20else%20entirely%20when%20ex%20CEOs%20of%20iconic%20American%20corporations%20and%20billionaire%20investors%20do%20it.%20I%20appreciate%20and%20support%20the%20Occupy%20Wall%20Street%20movement.%20%20These%20are%20people%20who,%20regardless%20of%20their%20image%20or%20social%20status,%20at%20least%20understand%20the%20source%20of%20the%20problem.%20%20They%20get%20who%E2%80%99s%20screwing%20them.%20%20They%20are%20vocal%20and%20visible%20and%20reminiscent%20of%20the%20real%20people-power%20type%20of%20mass%20movements%20that%20were%20so%20successful%20at%20initiating%20social%20change%20in%20the%201960s.%20%20That%20is%20a%20great%20thing.%20%20And%20one%20conclusion%20that%20I%E2%80%99ve%20come%20to%20after%20five%20or%20six%20years%20of%20studying%20politics%20and%20power%20like%20a%20mad%20scientist%20is%20that%20positive%20social%20change%20starts%20from%20the%20bottom%20up.%20%20The%20people%20influence%20the%20leaders%20who%20are%20in%20a%20position%20to%20make%20public%20will%20a%20reality.%20So%20Occupy%20is%20great,%20but%20the%20mere%20fact%20that%20most%20of%20them%20are%20students%20or%20people%20who%20are%20otherwise%20not%20working%20a%20nine-to-five%20makes%20them%20easy%20for%20the%20media%20and%20much%20of%20society%20to%20marginalize.%20%20Sadly,%20there%20are%20millions%20of%20people%20in%20this%20country%20who%20just%20don%E2%80%99t%20think%20you%20count%20as%20a%20real%20human%20being%20with%20valid%20concerns%20unless%20you%E2%80%99ve%20had%20to%20%E2%80%9Cmake%20a%20payroll%E2%80%9D.%20%20An%20entire%20political%20party%20subscribes%20to%20this%20view.%20%20Nevermind%20the%20absurdity%20that%20only%20a%20small%20percentage%20of%20people%20who%20belong%20to%20that%20party%20actually%20meet%20their%20own%20criteria%20for%20being%20a%20worthy%20citizen.%20%20%20Bob%20Crandall%20is%20not%20the%20kind%20of%20person%20that%20the%20usual%20suspects%20can%20assail%20with%20the%20sneering%20%E2%80%9Ctake%20a%20shower%20and%20get%20a%20job%E2%80%9D%20line%20of%20attack.%20%20When%20someone%20of%20his%20social%20standing%20is%20willing%20to%20put%20aside%20their%20own%20narrow%20self-interests%20and%20openly%20discuss%20truths%20that%20are%20uncomfortable%20and%20inconvenient%20to%20his%20class,%20I%20find%20it%20encouraging%20and%20I%20think%20it%20should%20be%20applauded.%20%20The%20cry%20of%20%E2%80%9Cclass%20warfare%E2%80%9D%20is%20used%20by%20the%20very%20people%20who%20are%20successfully%20waging%20it.%20It%E2%80%99s%20nothing%20more%20than%20an%20attempt%20to%20shut%20down%20the%20discussion%20and%20far%20too%20often%20it%20works.%20%20But%20when%20people%20like%20Crandall%20lend%20their%20voice%20to%20this%20cause%20the%20efforts%20to%20turn%20it%20into%20a%20thought%20crime%20become%20less%20effective.%20Other%20business%20leaders%20have%20weighed%20in%20on%20this%20issue,%20most%20notably%20Warren%20Buffett%20who%20made%20the%20statement:%20%E2%80%9CThere%E2%80%99s%20class%20warfare%20alright,%20but%20it%E2%80%99s%20my%20class,%20the%20rich%20class,%20that%E2%80%99s%20making%20war,%20and%20we%E2%80%99re%20winning.%E2%80%9D%20%20There%E2%80%99s%20also%20venture%20capitalist%20Nick%20Hanauer%20who%20gave%20the%20must-see%20TED%20talk%20where%20he%20refers%20to%20%20trickle%20down%20economics%20as%20the%20biggest%20political%20con%20in%20history.%20%20%20And%20the%20big%20boogeyman%20of%20the%20American%20right,%20super-capitalist%20billionaire%20George%20Soros,%20also%20has%20a%20few%20things%20to%20say%20on%20the%20subject.%20Buffett,%20Hanauer,%20Soros,%20and%20Crandall%20are%20not%20the%20kind%20of%20people%20who%20can%20be%20brushed%20off%20by%20so-called%20conservatives%20as%20shiftless%20government%20dependents%20or%20socialist%20agitators.%20%20Although%20to%20be%20fair,%20I%E2%80%99ve%20seen%20them%20try,%20usually%20with%20pretty%20laughable%20results.%20(Ex:%20%E2%80%9CBut%20Buffett%20is%20just%20an%20investor,%20he%20hasn%E2%80%99t%20created%20any%20jobs!%E2%80%9D%E2%80%A6What?%20So%20you%20mean%20it%E2%80%99s%20possible%20to%20become%20the%20wealthiest%20human%20being%20on%20earth%20and%20not%20be%20a%20%E2%80%98job-creator%E2%80%99?%20Hmmm...)%20Each%20of%20these%20individuals%20has%20directly%20or%20indirectly%20advocated%20policies%20that%20would%20personally%20cost%20them%20money.%20%20They%E2%80%99ve%20acknowledged%20that%20the%20system%20is%20rigged%20in%20favor%20of%20people%20in%20their%20position%20at%20the%20expense%20of%20people%20who%20are%20not.%20%20They%E2%80%99ve%20admitted%20that%20such%20an%20imbalance%20of%20power%20and%20wealth%20has%20serious%20negative%20consequences%20on%20society.%20%20Why?%20%20My%20guess%20is%20that%20they%20feel%20a%20sense%20of%20responsibility%20and%20obligation%20to%20the%20country%20that%20allowed%20them%20to%20achieve%20such%20dramatic%20success.%20%20Does%20it%20upset%20others%20in%20their%20social%20class%20who%20do%20not%20feel%20that%20sense%20of%20responsibility?%20Of%20course%20it%20does.%20%20There%20will%20always%20be%20those%20who,%20despite%20their%20obscene%20wealth,%20think%20of%20nothing%20but%20getting%20more,%20whatever%20the%20impact%20that%20has%20on%20everyone%20else.%20%20Unfortunately,%20in%20terms%20of%20the%20one-percent%20they%20are%20in%20the%20majority.%20%20And%20that%20makes%20the%20Buffetts%20and%20Crandalls%20even%20more%20important%20to%20those%20of%20us%20who%20would%20like%20to%20see%20positive%20change.%20Getting%20back%20to%20Bob%20Crandall%E2%80%99s%20blog,%20here%20are%20some%20of%20the%20points%20he%20brings%20up%20which%20I%20think%20are%20spot%20on:%20%E2%80%A226%20of%20the%20country%E2%80%99s%20top%20CEOs%20personally%20made%20more%20money%20than%20their%20company%20paid%20in%20taxes%20in%202011.%20%20%20This%20is%20absurd%20and%20is%20a%20perfect%20example%20of%20the%20unfairness%20of%20tax%20laws%20and%20the%20need%20for%20changes%20in%20corporate%20governance%20rules.%20%E2%80%A2In%20order%20to%20address%20major%20problems%20and%20the%20looming%20national%20debt,%20the%20very%20wealthy%20and%20corporations%20need%20to%20pay%20higher%20taxes.%20%20The%20Bush%20tax%20cuts%20for%20incomes%20over%20$250K%20should%20be%20allowed%20to%20expire%20and%20the%20estate%20tax%20should%20be%20re-instated.%20%E2%80%A2The%20right%20likes%20to%20complain%20that%20the%20corporate%20tax%20rate%20is%20too%20high,%2039%%20they%20say.%20%20But%20statutory%20tax%20rates%20are%20different%20than%20effective%20tax%20rates%20and%20the%20effective%20rate%20(the%20one%20that%20actually%20reflects%20the%20percentage%20paid)%20of%20US%20corporations%20is%20roughly%2012%.%20%20As%20an%20example,%20Apple,%20now%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20richest%20company,%20only%20paid%20a%209.8%%20tax%20rate%20in%202011.%20%E2%80%A2The%20US%20government%20needs%20to%20spend%20more%20money%20in%20the%20short%20term%20to%20stimulate%20demand.%20Our%20infrastructure%20is%20outdated%20and%20crumbling%20and%20with%20interest%20rates%20at%20roughly%200%,%20now%20would%20be%20a%20great%20time%20to%20invest%20in%20some%20much%20needed%20improvements%20and%20put%20some%20people%20to%20work." target="_blank">Bloomberg article</a> that I read today sent me to the blog of
former American Airlines chairman and CEO, <a href="http://bobcrandallthinks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bob Crandall</a>. The piece was about economic inequality in
the US, a subject that I think is THE major issue of our time, and mentioned
that even a successful, wealthy, and well-respected ex-CEO like Crandall was
decrying the negative impacts of so much wealth concentrated at the top. Naturally this piqued my interest and I
promptly made my way over to his blog and read the most recent dozen entries or
so.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure enough, this one-percenter makes some of the same
observations and points that have seemed so obvious to me and many others. What makes it noteworthy is that this is yet
another prominent business leader making statements that are blasphemous to
American right wing ideology, an ideology that probably 40% of the population
takes as gospel, even as they are ravaged by the real-life consequences of its
policies. It’s one thing for a bearded
hippie living in a tent near central park to point out that the US is turning
into a banana republic, but something else entirely when ex CEOs of iconic
American corporations and billionaire investors do it.<br />
<br /></div>
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I appreciate and support the Occupy Wall Street
movement. These are people who,
regardless of their image or social status, at least understand the source of
the problem. They get who’s screwing
them. They are vocal and visible and
reminiscent of the real people-power type of mass movements that were so
successful at initiating social change in the 1960s. That is a great thing. And one conclusion that I’ve come to after
five or six years of studying politics and power like a mad scientist is that positive
social change starts from the bottom up.
The people influence the leaders who are in a position to make public
will a reality.<br />
<br /></div>
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So Occupy is great, but the mere fact that most of them are
students or people who are otherwise not working a nine-to-five makes them easy
for the media and much of society to marginalize. Sadly, there are millions of people in this
country who just don’t think you count as a real human being with valid
concerns unless you’ve had to “make a payroll”.
An entire political party subscribes to this view. Nevermind the absurdity that only a small
percentage of people who belong to that party actually meet their own criteria
for being a worthy citizen. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bob Crandall is not the kind of person that the usual
suspects can assail with the sneering “take a shower and get a job” line of
attack. When someone of his social
standing is willing to put aside their own narrow self-interests and openly
discuss truths that are uncomfortable and inconvenient to his class, I find it
encouraging and I think it should be applauded.
The cry of “class warfare” is used by the very people who are
successfully waging it. It’s nothing more than an attempt to shut down the
discussion and far too often it works. But
when people like Crandall lend their voice to this cause, the efforts to turn it
into a thought crime become less effective.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other business leaders have weighed in on this issue, most
notably Warren Buffett who made the statement: “There’s class warfare alright,
but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” There’s also venture capitalist Nick Hanauer
who gave the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBx2Y5HhplI" target="_blank">must-see TED talk</a> where he refers to trickle down economics as the biggest political
con in history. And the big boogeyman
of the American right, super-capitalist billionaire George Soros, also has a
few things to say on the subject.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Buffett, Hanauer, Soros, and Crandall are not the kind of
people who can be brushed off by so-called conservatives as shiftless
government dependents or socialist agitators.
Although to be fair, I’ve seen them try, usually with pretty laughable
results. (Ex: “But Buffett is just an investor, he hasn’t created any
jobs!”…What? So you mean it’s possible to become the wealthiest human being on
earth and not be a ‘job-creator’? Hmmm...)<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each of these individuals has directly or indirectly
advocated policies that would personally cost them money. They’ve acknowledged that the system is
rigged in favor of people in their position at the expense of people who are
not. They’ve admitted that such an
imbalance of power and wealth has serious negative consequences on society. Why? My
guess is that they feel a sense of responsibility and obligation to the country
that allowed them to achieve such dramatic success. Does it upset others in their social class
who do not feel that sense of responsibility? Of course it does. There will always be those who, despite their
obscene wealth, think of nothing but getting more, whatever the impact that has
on everyone else. Unfortunately, in
terms of the one-percent they are in the majority. And that makes the Buffetts and Crandalls out there even more important to those of us who would like to see positive change.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting back to Bob Crandall’s blog, here are some of the
points he brings up which I think are spot on:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">26 of the country’s top CEOs personally made
more money than their company paid in taxes in 2011. This is absurd and is a perfect example of
the unfairness of tax laws and the need for changes in corporate governance
rules.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In order to address major problems and the
looming national debt, the very wealthy and corporations need to pay higher
taxes. The Bush tax cuts for incomes
over $250K should be allowed to expire and the estate tax should be
re-instated.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The right likes to complain that the corporate
tax rate is too high, 39% they say. But
statutory tax rates are different than effective tax rates and the effective
rate (the one that actually reflects the percentage paid) of US corporations is
roughly 12%. As an example, Apple, now
the world’s richest company, only paid a 9.8% tax rate in 2011.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The US government needs to spend more money in
the short term to stimulate demand. Our infrastructure is outdated and
crumbling and with interest rates at roughly 0%, now would be a great time to
invest in some much needed improvements and put some people to work.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
I predict that as time goes on and the gold-plated, diamond encrusted, elephant in the room becomes even harder to ignore, more people like Bob Crandall will look beyond the self-interest of their own socio-economic class and speak up on behalf of the greater good. Then maybe we can quit pretending that this is a discussion about envy and treat it like the very real threat to American democracy that it is.</div>
</div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-80865306521344367992012-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:002012-10-08T18:00:23.685-07:00Romney - Man Of The PeopleWhat kind of political <s>blowhard</s> observer would I be
if I didn’t say something about Wednesday night’s presidential debate? Meant to do this sooner but we’ve had
technical difficulties for over a week now.
Very spotty internet service from AT&T broadband. I’m sure it’s the government’s fault
somehow.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyhow, I’ll try to be brief.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This debate was a snoozer.
One candidate must have agreed with me because he looked like he needed
a nap. He seemed bored and a little irritated to even be there. That would be our president. The other guy came off like he’d been downing
Red Bull all afternoon. If they were
trying to provide contrast they succeeded in that regard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Romney “won”.
Obama was blindsided and frankly, so was I. The Romney who has been campaigning the last
twelve months was not the same guy who was on stage Wednesday night. Not in
demeanor, but more importantly, not in policy.
Or so he’d have us believe. It’s pretty easy to win a debate when you
change your major policy positions on the fly and simply deny any of the
negative things associated with what you’ve proposed. I can’t blame Obama too
much. I have no idea how you are supposed to debate with that. It’s frowned on to look your opponent in the
eye and say “Governor, with all due respect, you are completely full of shit.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Romney started off with the standard right wing chorus:
regulations and taxes are killing the economy.
Less than fifteen minutes later we got to hear about how he loves
regulation, especially for Wall Street.
Then there was the big tax discussion that took up most of the
debate. Romney says he will cut tax
rates, especially for the wealthy, but don’t worry. He promises that that nobody, especially the
wealthy, will <i>actually pay less taxes</i>.
So don’t be concerned about those tax cuts impacting the deficit. Healthcare was a big topic too. Romney of course will ‘repeal Obamacare on
day one’. But again, don’t fret. He’s
keeping all the good parts. Romney
miraculously turned into Mr. Middle Class seemingly overnight. He was determined to use the phrase “middle
class” more than Obama. It would’ve made a good drinking game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In short, it appeared to me that Romney’s strategy for
beating Obama…was to sound more like Obama.
A man in love with regulation who is determined to see that the wealthy
don’t pay one less penny in taxes because they are ‘doing just fine’, who
thinks of nothing but the well being of the middle class and wants to make sure
that health insurance companies can’t deny people with pre-existing
conditions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Look – if the republican strategy for winning the presidency
is to pose as a democrat, we are winning.
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won’t bother with all the factual inaccuracies (one count
had Romney at 27 <s>lies</s> misstatements in 38 minutes) because anyone can
look that up. But even if he was sincere,
here is someone claiming that the United States can solve its debt problem,
create twelve million jobs, give everyone awesome healthcare, and nobody
anywhere will have to sacrifice a thing.
And we all get a free pony. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe in a country where football and little honey boo boo
get more attention than politics people will fall for this all gain no pain
fantasy. Maybe nobody will dig into the
details and see that Mitt Romney’s healthcare “plan” does indeed prevent insurance
companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions – <b>but only for people who have not had a
lapse in insurance coverage, </b>a provision that is <i>already law.</i> In other words, no change there. Maybe nobody will pick up on the fact that
this person who claims to be so serious about lowering the deficit and debt
never denied that his proposal calls for increasing the already outrageous
military budget by $2 trillion dollars.
Maybe nobody will ask how that gets paid for (and find out that it
doesn’t). Maybe nobody will question the
mathematical impossibility of cutting taxes by 20% without lowering actual
revenues. Maybe they’ll overlook the
fact that eliminating every single loophole and deduction would still not make
up that 20%. Maybe nobody will scratch
their head at how the guy who has spent his entire campaign breathlessly
decrying regulation just stood behind a podium in front of 17 million people
and literally said the words: “I like regulation!.” Maybe nobody will note how
utterly ridiculous and laughable it was, when asked for a single specific thing
he would cut to lower the deficit, all he could come up with was to defund Big
Bird. Maybe they won’t realize that
funding for public television and radio makes up a whopping .00014% ($135M) of
the total budget, or question why he wouldn’t touch the $7 BILLION of
government subsidies that go the oil companies. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sorry for all the maybes but it would take a massive amount
of cognitive dissonance and selective listening to even begin to think that is
a serious person with a meaningful vision.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, Obama flubbed the thing and ignored a wagon load of low
hanging fruit. I think part of it was falling victim to the baffled by bullshit
tactic that was deployed against him but that’s no excuse for his terrible
energy level and demeanor. As someone
who remains convinced that a Mitt Romney presidency will be George W. Bush Act
III, I sincerely hope that next time the president is rested and better
prepared to deal with a guy who will say anything on the fly.</div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-68116877204532480702012-09-22T12:10:00.002-07:002012-09-22T12:35:34.290-07:00You Sort Of Built That<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once upon a time I considered myself a conservative
republican. Political views are like religious views in that you are more or
less born into them. Geography and
environment determine both. Ideas are
imprinted onto our minds before we’ve had a chance to develop strong critical
thinking skills. We hear things over and over again and believe them. We want to belong to our tribe, etc. It’s only natural. I was raised in East Texas
and my political views up until my mid-twenties reflected that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My political change of heart happened for a combination of
reasons but I think the biggest factor was just spending enough time out in the
real world making a living and paying bills.
To be perfectly honest I just didn’t pay a lot of attention to this
stuff until my late twenties. Around that time I started getting a better
understanding of how the world actually works and started looking deeper into
politics and power and I shifted from right to left on the political
spectrum. There were beliefs I held that
just didn’t square with the reality I saw day to day and eventually I had to
admit it to myself and adjust accordingly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were a number of issues that I realized were just
plain wrong and maybe addressing each one individually is an idea for future
blog entries but the main one could be summarized like this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you are rich,
poor, or somewhere in between, it’s your own fault.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s really the big myth.
The rich deserve to be rich and the poor deserve to be poor because “the
market” and their own personal talent and hard work (or lack of) is what got
them there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lest this post be misconstrued as a product of
disappointment or jealousy resulting from personal failure, allow me to dispel
that now. I have exceeded my own
expectations of success – and my expectations were high. It was not a lack of personal achievement that
caused my change of heart. It’s been the opposite. My personal journey through the stages of
achieving reasonable economic success has been a large part of why I started
questioning the truth of the statement above.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be sure, there is some truth to the claim that one’s
fortunes or lack of are their own doing.
I’d estimate that the claim is about 50% valid. When looking at the sum total of factors
involved with determining an individual’s socio-economic status, I would argue
that personal talent and determination account for maybe half of the
total. The other half can be summarized
in a single word: luck.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are uncomfortable with the word luck we can also call
refer to it as <i>circumstances that are out
of one’s control.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you happen to be born into a stable, loving, financially
secure family, your odds of success are immediately much higher than someone
who was not. If your parents happen to
be bright people and intelligence is in your genetic makeup even better. If your parents happen to be not just
financially secure but wealthy, even better. If your parents happen to be not just
wealthy but also well connected and powerful in the community, even
better. And so on. Warren Buffett refers to this as the “Ovarian
Lottery” and the role it plays cannot be overstated. As the second wealthiest person on Earth he
acknowledges that being born in the right place at the right time with the
right kind of mind was a tremendous factor in his success. He realizes that not being born to a crack
head mother or alcoholic, gambling-addicted father was not the result of good
decision making skills on his part. Being raised in a comfortable suburban
neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska as opposed to a housing project in Compton, CA
was not based on any tenacity or talent that he possessed. It was chance, pure
and simple. The idea that we all get an
equal start is ludicrous but it’s a comfortable delusion for people born with
every possible advantage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And luck goes far beyond the accident of birth. There are countless examples of people who
have followed all of the rules, worked hard, done everything you are supposed
to do and still struggle to get by. The
fact is that there are innumerable factors outside of one’s personal control
that shape their economic outcome. The
big recent example would be the millions of people in the United States and all
over the world who have had their financial lives shattered because a handful
of greedy con-men from Wall Street wrecked the whole system. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thinking about my own case, yes there are certain things
I’ve done right but there are also situations that just happened to work out
for me that could have easily gone the other way and made a big
difference. I’ve been fortunate in ways
that went beyond anything accomplished by own individual efforts. Nobody is truly self-made. Even with rags to riches type stories
someone, somewhere gave someone else a chance.
Other people helped that person succeed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there are the various features of society that make
success possible: public education and universities, transportation
infrastructure, law enforcement, fire departments, the judicial and legal
system, patent protection, safe drinking water and food standards (and the
means of enforcement), a national defense, and the list could go on. Providing all of this to three hundred
million people is not free. As wealthy
venture capitalist Nick Hanauer put it, if zero government, taxes, and
regulation were truly the ideal environment for thriving businesses, places
like Somalia or the Congo would be the home to the world’s most successful
companies. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do think there is a realistic and reasonable path to a
comfortable life for almost anyone who has the capacity to learn, work hard,
and overcome the peer pressure to waste money on unneeded junk. Our decisions do go a long way towards
shaping our future but it’s too simplistic to think that personal effort and
ability are the only determinants of economic outcomes. A lot of people at the
very top would like us all to swallow that (especially those like David and
Charles Koch, the Walton heirs, and others who inherited dynastic wealth from
daddy) but I think that’s just so they can absolve themselves of any
responsibility to contribute and give back to the society that made their
opulent lifestyles possible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Note: Economic mobility can be measured by how closely a
son’s earnings are correlated to his father’s earnings. By this measure France, Germany, Sweden,
Canada, Finland, Norway, and Denmark are all more upwardly mobile than the
United States.)</div>
Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-78062865443866662802012-01-23T18:13:00.000-08:002012-01-23T19:12:42.594-08:00Stay Thirsty My FriendsAbout twelve years ago on a typical sweltering summer evening, I sat on the steps leading up to my apartment sipping on a lukewarm Coors Light (nectar of the gods at that time) longneck. Lukewarm because during July in Texas if you don’t down it in less than two minutes that’s what happens. I probably shotgunned the first one for that very reason but I was taking it easy on number two. There was no hurry. I had nowhere to be, nothing to do. I was almost always grateful for that condition back then. Not that I had a bustling social life. By then I had almost no social life. I’d phased it out over a number of years for reasons that were surely misunderstood by those who I ran with for so long before.<br /><br />I needed to explore and expand. I needed to start figuring out who I was and who I would be. I needed plenty of solitude and free time; time to dabble in loneliness and introversion and unfamiliarity. In short, time and space for an inward journey that had begun years before but was constrained by old habits and roles.<br /><br />It’s fascinating to feel yourself changing as it happens. To notice things that were once so deadly important to you become not that important at all. To watch your previous hopes and fears dissolve and be replaced by new hopes and fears; in my case, ones that were now mostly vague and undefined.<br /><br />Back in those days – I call them my apartment days – there were some very large and looming questions, intimidating but exciting. Will I graduate with a high enough GPA? Where will I live? What will my job be? How will I get that job? There will be a girl. Who will she be? What will she be like? How will we meet? Have we already met? <br /><br />These are fun questions. It’s only natural for there to be a little anxiety around questions like these, and for me there was, but more importantly there was just an underlying sense of knowing that it was all going to work out. I never knew how. I just knew it would work out. I never stressed myself over it too much. There was something beautiful about not knowing. That little bit of anxiety was really more like anticipation.<br /><br />Many a summer evening was spent sitting out on those steps, drinking beer and letting my thoughts wander where they may. Reflecting on where I’d been, looking out into a vague outline of the future. I always felt like I was ‘on my way up’ during that period, which made sense because as a college student that is really the only direction to go. And that is a very free feeling. Those college days had their stressors. Make no mistake about it. There were exams to study for and cumbersome, time consuming projects with approaching deadlines - always last minute undertakings for me. But there was also a certain wide open, anything is possible feeling of freedom that you really don’t appreciate when you actually have it.<br /><br />That’s one of the things they don’t tell you when you are young and on your way up. They don’t tell you that that nothing-to-lose feeling, though it may have a bit of an edge, is actually a very worthwhile state of being. It’s a bliss that will go away once you’ve established yourself, acquired the things you set out to acquire, and generally achieved what you set out to achieve.<br /><br />Sitting on those apartment steps ruminating away the summer evenings I often felt like I was starting to figure things out. It is so cliché but so undeniably true that when you’re young, totally inexperienced in the world, and know next to nothing, you really do think that you know it all. And that’s probably so because life hasn’t had time yet to confront you with what you don’t know. It’s easy to be convinced of your own brilliance when it’s been all theory and no practice. Nonetheless – it’s still a sublime state, a necessary one, and one that anyone over the age of thirty will probably find themselves missing at some point in their lives.<br /><br />Which I think leads me to the point of this meandering, out-of-practice, disjointed attempt at an internet age cave scrawling. When I was sitting there nursing that watered down beer twelve years ago, I really had figured out a lot. I knew change was coming. I knew I’d get to where I needed to be in life and that worrying too much about it was a waste of energy. I knew that if I completed the immediate steps that were there in front of me that the future would work itself out. The Universe would provide. It always had. <br /><br />But there was at least one epic truth that I was completely blind to. Success and achievement come with a price – a heavy price if we are honest with ourselves. And that price is a freedom and light-heartedness that can only exist when you have nothing to lose; when you have your whole life in front of you, when things are more theoretical than practical, more whimsical than utilitarian.<br /><br />I have a lot now, in every sense of the word. I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish. I feel both lucky and grateful for it. But I also have a lot to lose now. And I’m old enough to see how fragile life really is. How it can go so quickly, and how forces that are completely out of my control could take it from me. <br /><br />Do I long to go back to being twenty five, sitting on a balcony drinking beer with scarcely a care in the world and not much to lose? Not for a second. This is a different phase of the journey, with different happiness and different anxieties. I didn’t see the flipside of adulthood and success when I was twenty five but I can look back on some of my concerns from that time and be comforted and reassured about what lies ahead. Those old questions have been replaced with new ones that are no less intimidating or significant. But I have the experience now to know that worrying about them is not worth my precious time. Now, just as then, the Universe will provide. And knowing that is one of the things that make me smile when I sit out on the back porch and have a beer these days.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-70251260435305233182011-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:002011-10-02T16:13:30.090-07:00PerspectiveWhen you go over two months without writing a blog post you know what happens? You kind of forget how to make a blog post. But after that much times goes by you start to feel compelled to write something because over the years some friendships have formed and your only point of contact is the blog and it’s only fair to let those people know that you are still alive and that you still know how operate a keyboard. So…I am, and I do.<br /><br />I’ve often thought it would be kind of cool and useful to start writing little life lessons down that a 34 year old Ben would tell a 20 year old Ben (or some other young dude). I recently made a mental note that when I got back to this blog that is exactly what I would do, but as it is, I’m going to keep that on hold for the time being because something very significant happened a few weeks ago and it merits a mention here.<br /><br />A few weeks ago I received a message that my two year old niece had had a really bad accident and was in ICU at one of our local hospitals – one that just happens to be one of the best children’s hospitals in the United States. She had fractured her skull and face in multiple places and was on a breathing machine with an uncertain future. <br /><br />Getting this news was a 9/11 kind of moment for me (and obviously more so for my brother and his wife). I’ll never forget where I was and what I was doing at the time or the tones of voices of the various family members who I spoke to, all within maybe a five minute period. That period was followed by a frantic rush to get out of the house and to the hospital. On arriving at the hospital I saw the single worst sight I have ever seen in my entire life: that precious two year old girl with a hugely swollen face, large black/red circles around her eyes, small amounts of blood coming from her nose and ears, and numerous tubes coming out of her throat and limbs, and the various machinery that connected to those tubes; then of course my brother and sister and law, and the looks of horror and helplessness on their faces.<br /><br />I’m not going to try to describe the emotion or drama of that whole event. For one, I’d never do it justice but the main reason is because it doesn’t matter now. What matters now is that this is happy post. And these are happy times. These are times that are the little wake up calls reminding you that every moment is precious and nothing is to be taken for granted.<br /><br />To sum it up, my niece was in ICU on a ventilator machine for about five days. On the afternoon of the fifth day they removed her breathing tube (and the other various tubes) and she immediately began breathing on her own and her body began functioning as it should. It wasn’t an easy journey by any stretch but after two weeks she was released from the hospital, and now, on the third week, she is walking, talking, climbing, laughing, eating, and doing all the things that two year olds do; which is really something considering this time last week she could not walk without falling over or stand up without holding on to something. She is in a large neck brace and still has some physical therapy ahead of her but for the most part is back to her old self.<br /><br />I do not like the word miracle but this has been an extraordinary recovery and endless Gratitude is the name of the game for this uncle and this family.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-88085621182270405992011-07-27T21:13:00.000-07:002011-07-27T21:17:16.660-07:00On Civility, Or: Real Life Versus The InternetsThose of us who have spent a considerable amount of time discussing and debating politics and current events online have a tendency to become quite the vitriol spewing blowhards. There is something about this medium – primarily the anonymity and lack of physical proximity to one’s opponents – that just fosters over-the-top invective. As an admitted and experienced online socio-political demagogue, I’m more than qualified to express this observation. I’ve spent enough time engaged in this activity to realize that those of us who do this become cartoonish caricatures of normal, opinionated human beings.<br /><br />That’s not to say that it’s a completely negative or non-worthwhile hobby. To the contrary, if you hang out in the right online locales and tangle with enough well-informed, intelligent opponents, it can be quite the learning experience. But almost as a rule, it gets very nasty very fast and otherwise mature, reasonable adults end up in virtual shit-slinging fests that would (or should) be completely humiliating in a less anonymous, real world environment.<br /><br />I’m all for debate and discussion. Indeed, it is a pity to me that discussing politics is considered such an impolite taboo. It’s one of the things that drives me to online discussion forums. In the real world we are so concerned about not offending our peers that we have conditioned ourselves to just not discuss these matters that really do affect all of us very deeply. It’s like we’ve admitted that we lack the capacity to have grown up discussions about grown up topics. This, in my view, is a serious mistake. Vigorous debate is healthy, necessary even. Especially in a democracy where, allegedly, peons like us actually have some control of our political fortunes. It’s okay that we have strong disagreements. That is actually the point of a democratic republic; to have a structured and civilized way to direct public policy in a manner that accounts for differing viewpoints and preferences. It is more than a little tragic that it’s socially acceptable to spend hours arguing about sports or reality TV shows that have zero real impact on any of our lives, but it’s a big no-no to talk about the debt ceiling or healthcare debate, or tax policy, or our wars – things that, unlike whether or not Lady Gaga has a penis, actually <em><strong>do</strong></em> matter.<br /><br />The reason for me saying all of this is that yesterday I actually did call both of my senators (John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson) and my representative (Dr. Michael Burgess) to “make my voice heard” on this debt ceiling debacle. When an online demagogue like myself does something like this, the first thing you realize is that ranting and raving like a hysterical lunatic will get you absolutely nowhere. When you have an actual person on the phone (much less face to face) and they are speaking to you intelligently and with courtesy about these issues that you may feel so passionately about, you realize that, like you, they are human beings just trying to do the best they can. Pardon the corniness. Granted, this doesn’t apply to everyone but I think it’s safe to say that it applies to most. When talking to Michael Burgesse’s aide, who was (thankfully) being bombarded by calls yesterday, it certainly applied to her. When you are used to communicating these issues through hyperbole and angry rhetoric, actual contact with a reasonable human being kind of deflates your balloon. And what you realize – or what I realized – is that articulating your thoughts respectfully and in real time, to someone who is treating you – despite your strong disagreement on the issues – with courtesy and kindness, is a very rewarding and <em>challenging </em>thing.<br /><br />Being polite, sticking to facts, being specific, avoiding insults and inflammatory rhetoric, certainly feels more constructive than the ad-hominem, ball-kicking, hair-pulling internet brawls that have become the norm for many of us. But in our defense, because of the aforementioned strange cultural norm, the interwebs are the only outlet available to those of us who enjoy and see value in spirited debate and open political discourse.<br /><br />Now I may very well be deluding myself. My call yesterday might have been utterly meaningless in the scheme of things. But I don’t see how it could have been any more meaningless than getting in juvenile(ish) pissing matches with complete strangers online. The online thing has its place and purpose and I won’t deny that. But in theory, this democratic republic of ours affords some actual say and power to us individual citizens, and that power is not being put to any kind of meaningful use by simply yelling at people we disagree with online. There is probably not a single one of us who does not want change in some form and directing all of our political energy to the blogosphere will not do much to affect that change. In real life, calling someone a teahadist or libtard will do nothing but guarantee that other people will immediately discount you as an unreasonable extremist. If you want change, you do not want to be discounted. If you want to be able to persuade or inform your fellow citizens, you cannot come off as a blowhard. There will always be the real-life blowhards and they will always be the laughingstocks of everyone else. <br /><br />I’m not sure what the moral of the story is here. I do know that I had a conversation with someone yesterday who was near someone in power, and we were/are on opposite ends of the political divide. We talked in specifics, in a reasonable manner, and listened to one another receptively and at a bare minimum my views were registered and acknowledged. My “voice was heard”, for whatever that is worth. I’m as cynical as the next guy but that style of discourse sure felt more constructive than the anonymous, online variety.<br /><br />I’m familiar enough with history to know that social progress and positive change has always started from the ground up, with seemingly inconsequential people like you and me. Maybe the internet has, among other things, served as a kind of trap where otherwise politically active people who give a shit get stuck, instead of taking an approach that might have an actual impact. Just a thought.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-5562317819396753912011-07-16T15:51:00.000-07:002011-07-17T14:13:43.524-07:00The Mexican Fisherman<em>An American tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. <br /><br />Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. <br />The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." <br /><br />The tourist then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" <br /><br />The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." <br /><br />The tourist then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" <br /><br />The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life." <br /><br />The tourist scoffed, " I can help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you could run your ever-expanding enterprise." <br /><br />The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" <br />The tourist replied, "15 to 20 years." <br /><br />"But what then?" asked the Mexican. <br /><br />The tourist laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." <br /><br />"Millions?...Then what?" <br /><br />The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."</em><br /><br />I came across this a few weeks ago and have been meaning to put it here, for my own reference if nothing else. This story elegantly illustrates one of the fundamental problems of the collective American psyche – the over-emphasis of material and financial “success”. More is always better. As one person put it: We live to work, they work to live.<br /><br />One of the great things about America is that each individual is free to determine their own personal values and choose how they want to live their life. What’s so interesting is how little variation there actually is when it comes to those values and lifestyle choices. Our cookie cutter idea of success is so pervasive that the entire culture seems to be built around the acquisition of stuff and money. We express our unique, rugged individuality by pursuing the exact same goals as everyone else and conspicuously consuming the same products.<br /><br />It’s worth noting that a population willing to work ever longer hours, sacrifice their personal relationships, time with family, and opportunities to pursue other areas of human development chasing this pre-packaged ideal, works out very conveniently for the ultra-wealthy business owner and executive class. In short, people who can never have enough make for great employees. The carrot and stick approach is a fabulous way to get the most out of your human capital. Sadly, it can easily be observed that even when people do achieve this very narrowly defined version of success they are still just as discontent as before, often even more so. This myth about what is supposed to make us happy and what we are supposed to be is probably one of the greater ills of our time.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-86902966050972072142011-06-29T19:58:00.000-07:002011-06-30T16:13:08.946-07:00My Top 5 Fiction FavoritesI recently finished reading two Charles Dickens novels and liked one of them so much that I thought to myself, “you know, this is easily in my top five favorite novels of all time”. That thought prompted the question of what exactly are my top five favorite works of fiction and the answer came so easily that it seemed significant enough to get on record. I like to do this sort of thing because it’s a given that preferences will change over time and it’s neat to look back years later and see what my tastes were at a particular phase of my life.<br /><br />I’ve been an avid reader through most of my adult life but have always underestimated the value of fiction, being more concerned with history and fact and how the world works and why things are the way they are. You can go a long way towards that with non-fiction, assuming you do your homework and always try to get the background on the author’s motivation and agenda and what factors are involved with their particular point of view. Everyone is bullshitting you to some extent, just as you bullshit others and yourself to some degree. We can’t help it. But we can consider information that is presented to us with that in mind. The importance of this cannot be understated if you are truly interested in gaining an accurate view of the world.<br /><br />But anyway…I’ve generally neglected fiction because I’ve been interested in learning about reality and practical things that I can apply in my own life. It’s only been over the last few years that I have ventured off into the wide, wonderful world of novels. And in doing so I’ve come to realize you can learn a tremendous amount from them also. Instead of facts and figures you learn about the human condition and the limitless scope of human creativity and imagination. Non-fiction can make you smart but fiction can make you wise. Personally I have come to value wisdom over intelligence. <br /><br /><br />So without any further ado here are my top five favorite fiction works (in order):<br /><br />1. Jitterbug Perfume – Tom Robbins<br />2. Siddhartha – Herman Hesse<br />3. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens<br />4. Island – Aldous Huxley<br />5. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy – J.R.R. Tolkien<br /><br /><br />This, of course, is subject to change and the number five was totally arbitrary. <br /><br />Maybe next time I’ll do top ten.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-44559064702526378442011-06-22T18:10:00.000-07:002011-06-22T18:12:08.623-07:00Global MourningI recently found myself in a discussion about global warming, which is something I will only do with individuals who are least nominally capable of grappling with objective reality. On topics such as this that limits my prospects considerably.<br /><br />The conversation went through the typical motions and concluded with my associate making a statement along the lines of: The American people are hostile to government action that addresses global warming because they know it will increase their costs at the pump and quite frankly, many wouldn’t be able to afford it.<br /><br />Prior to the above statement I had been expressing my amusement and semi-bewilderment that the majority of the public had been convinced to believe something contrary to the conclusions of legitimate and rigorous scientific findings.<br />My associate’s retort was a valid one and we both commented on how common it was for individuals to be selectively skeptical of medical findings that interfere with lifestyle habits they are strongly attached to, downplaying the risks of smoking, eating Big Macs, or whatever.<br /><br />This is all well and good and I appreciate and agree with the point that was made, but my objection lies not so much with my fellow Americans being reluctant to pay higher gas prices, but rather with the fact that they have been convinced that there are no risks associated with that choice; that “global warming is a hoax” or that it is a hotly debated topic within the scientific community. My problem is with the multi-billion dollar public relations campaign being waged by the most powerful corporations on Earth to sow doubt and skepticism, and generally manipulate opinion in the same cynical fashion that had tobacco industry funded doctors publishing reports telling us that not only was smoking not bad for you, it actually had positive health benefits. The parallels between the “global warming is a hoax” and “smoking has no harmful health effects” campaigns are striking. Both are cases of incredibly powerful industries doing damage control when overwhelming evidence starts to show that their product is harming human beings.<br /><br />That Americans want to protect their pocketbook against higher gas prices is understandable and they cannot be faulted for that. But allowing themselves to be manipulated on such a mass scale to be “skeptical” of conclusions reached by over 90% of the experts in that field, while gullibly swallowing propaganda fed to them by oil companies is pathologically stupid. It’s unforgiveable.<br /><br /><br />The media presents the debate as if there are somehow two equal opposing sides. That the assertions of corporate-owned right wing politicians and television pundits, along with a few oil company funded “studies”, are the equivalent of the overwhelming, worldwide, scientific consensus on the topic. Given that no entity on Earth – with the exception of Wal Mart – rakes in more revenue than the five major energy corporations, and that the advertising dollars from these companies is staggering, perhaps it’s at least explainable (though by no means acceptable) that the media so complicit in this mass ignorance. <br /><br />It’s true that most Americans get their information about the outside world from watching television and don’t have the time to do in-depth research on all of the issues of the day. But this is a potentially tragic situation, and one that does not do the collective intellect of the American public justice.<br /><br />I would submit that given the opportunity to make a truly informed decision between lower gas prices now and taking action to reduce the consequences that science tells us will result from not lowering our carbon emissions, the result would be different than what we are now seeing.<br /><br />If the same discipline that brought us cell phones, modern medicine, and space travel is telling us that there are very real and likely catastrophic environmental costs associated with continuing to burn fossil fuels at the current pace, those costs should be reflected in the price at the pump. Otherwise the market, that Hallowed Deity, is grossly distorted. And if the public was more informed as to how our wars in the Middle East and the so called war on terror are directly related to oil, they would realize that those costs should also factor in to their price at the pump. <br /><br />The truth is that gas prices in the US are artificially low and this is solely the result of the power wielded by the energy corporations. Yes, this gives the illusion of being easier on the pocketbooks of American consumers, but the true cost is eventually paid one way or another. That may take the form of trillion dollar wars that costs lives in addition to taxpayer dollars, or environmental catastrophes with costs that we may not yet be able to comprehend but would be psychotic not to consider. By the time we begin to understand those costs it will probably be too late, and future generations will look back on us a society of gullible, short-sighted dupes that were either too selfish or too stupid to confront reality and make the necessary but difficult changes that could have prevented such a tragic predicament.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-69586159914847266622011-06-02T18:54:00.000-07:002011-06-02T19:08:31.199-07:00On ReproductionWhy no kids?<br /><br />It’s a question I have been asked so many times, a few of them with touching sincerity and genuine curiosity, and it’s one that I have never answered as earnestly as I should. In fact it is likely that I’ve never answered that question for myself in a comprehensive way; which, of itself provides a significant clue on the subject. To put it most honestly and simply, becoming a parent is something I just have never given that much thought to. And given the permanent, life changing implications and tremendous responsibility associated with child-rearing (what a weird phrase), I am of the mind that this is something one should feel passionately about if you’re going to go there. If it’s going to be a choice, which – let’s be honest – for many it isn’t/wasn’t, then it needs to be a well thought out and definitive choice. It needs to be something you want as much or more than anything else that earthly existence has to offer; something that stirs your soul. Something that you feel you cannot live without. <br /><br />For me, it never was. If and when I thought about it at all it just seemed to be something I vaguely knew that I didn’t want to do. Like becoming a professional taxidermist or entering a hot dog eating contest, it’s never been one of those things that required a great deal of internal debate to know that it was not my cup of tea. Contrast that with the many, perhaps the majority, who feel the intense, in some cases almost desperate desire to produce offspring. It is my opinion that the child bearing is best left to the people who fall into that category. It reasonable to assume that they feel that way for a good reason, and I feel the way I do for a good reason, although the reason seems much less important for those of us who chose to abstain (from conception, that is).<br /><br />Now. To go deeper into the issue it’s probably worth approaching the prospect of parenthood from the perspective of my view of life in general. For as long as I can remember I have felt an inner imperative to move through life as lightly and simply as possible. There have been decisions made that were not always congruent with this principle – who among us can truly say that they’ve lived up to their own values 100% of the time? – but for the most part, keeping the literal and metaphorical baggage to a minimum has been a consistent theme throughout my adult life. This is not something I feel compelled to justify to anyone anymore than I feel the need to explain my rationale for green being my favorite color. It is what it is. I had a seventh grade art teacher who gave the sage advice of K.I.S.S…Keep It Simple Stupid. Seeing as the act of living itself can be viewed as a form of art – perhaps the highest form – it made sense to me to apply this concept in the broadest context possible. <br /><br />Raising kids in this current environment that we find ourselves in is, in my opinion, wholly incompatible with the K.I.S.S. philosophy, which brings up another significant factor in my decision to be a non-breeder – environment. Human beings are screwing up the planet. And the more of us there are, the more rapidly we wreck the natural world. I realize that at one point in our evolutionary history it made sense for us to reproduce at the highest possible levels. Indeed, it was key to our survival as a species. But at this phase of our evolutionary development I am of the opinion that the reverse is now true. That is, indiscriminate and mass reproduction now actually threatens survival of the species. Humankind, in all its arrogance and folly, now threatens its host planet. Resource wars, despite the bullshit explanations proffered up by the powers that be, are already commonplace. Humans kill each other over access to oil now and we will likely do so over water in the not so distant future. And knowledgeable sources and agencies are already predicting food shortages within the coming decades.<br /><br />Not to be so heavy on the doom and gloom but ignoring problems will not make them go away and from my perspective these are reasonable things to take into account when considering making your own addition(s) to the Earth’s population.<br /><br />Then there are environmental considerations of a different sort. What kind of a society/environment would I want to introduce my own children into? Frankly, not this one. There are many great things about America but it is not a place I would want to raise kids. With so much emphasis on competition, materialism, money, greed, consumption, image, and so on, it seems like our values are exactly backwards from the ones I would want to instill into any child that I brought into this world. And I’m afraid that despite my best efforts, it would be impossible for me to shelter my child from a culture that appears to have gone so horribly wrong somehow. The forces of hyperconsumption and reckless, self-serving ambition permeate almost every aspect of American culture and the onslaught of conditioning starts well before preschool.<br /><br />There are also the metaphysical aspects of child-bearing. It is a hard truth, but life is suffering. Even for those of us who were blessed enough to be born into almost ideal circumstances, with an abundance of love and security, life is a difficult affair. It is also a beautiful, enriching, and rewarding one, and I do not mean to downplay the inherent good in human life, but nor will I deny the bad. And bringing a new life into that certain guaranteed amount of pain and suffering that is also inherent is something that generates significant resistance from my conscience. And as one of Aldous Huxley’s fictional characters in his book “Island” points out, any good Buddhist knows that childbirth is simply delayed assassination. Though I cannot rightfully claim to be a Buddhist, I am quite sympathetic to this sentiment.<br /><br />Furthermore, simply providing for kids and a family in today’s world is no small or simple feat. From a purely financial standpoint the act of parenting appears daunting to me. Were I a parent, providing materially for my children would be the single most important part of my life. It would, of necessity, override any and all other considerations. By no means would this be an insurmountable situation but I cannot see how the majority of one’s time, energy, and efforts would not be primarily directed towards this end at the exclusion of all others. And when I take an honest assessment of myself, I cannot deny that I am someone who requires a certain amount of freedom and latitude. I need time to think, time to be, time to explore, room to make mistakes, a fair amount of solitude and quiet, and time to pursue things other than providing materially for myself or others. Notice I included ‘myself’ there. I already feel that too much of my time and energy goes into the pursuit of money. It is a fact of life, and one that I accept and have adapted to, but not one that I will willingly excaserbate.<br /><br />All of this being said, I do not hold it against any of my peers - that being the majority - who feel differently. I do not feel contemptuous or superior to them. On the contrary, I am grateful for them. People have kids for a variety of reasons, some of which I do feel are ridiculous, but for those parents and kids who I am fortunate enough to have in my life, I am thankful. My young nieces and nephew give me feelings of delight and happiness that are uniquely wonderful, and – I might add – somewhat unexpected. (Who knew I loved little kids so much?) And I know whatever feelings of joy these little ones provide me is felt to an exponentially higher degree by their actual parents. I have no doubt that there is a level of satisfaction and fulfillment that can only be experienced and understood by parents, and I applaud them. And for the sacrifices and devotion and love that is given in such abundance by parents, I truly admire them. It is an enormous responsibility, and I am continually surprised and impressed by the skill and competency that I’ve observed in those close to me who find themselves tackling the various challenges associated with parenthood.<br /><br />Also, I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. If I were to find myself a parent I would know that it was meant to be and the resources and wherewithal necessary would appear in me, just as they have in those around me who have been thrust into parenthood. I’ve learned to never rule out any possibility. And woe unto him who ignores the admonition to ‘never say never’.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-29633998775469880742011-03-30T18:12:00.000-07:002011-03-30T18:31:14.193-07:00R.I.P. Joe BageantA master of wit, wisdom, and razor sharp social commentary, whose truly unique perspective will be sorely missed. Part philosopher, comic, and humanitarian, I count him among my significant influences. <br /><br />Thank you for being who you were Joe. That's all.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-90252465069716978362011-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:002011-03-27T19:35:55.988-07:00LibyaThis is an interesting case because many of us have found ourselves having a difficult time forming a definitive position on what is taking place. On the one hand, a tyrannical dictator was using fighter jets, tanks, and other heavy military equipment to attack a civilian population. This certainly qualifies as a humanitarian crisis. Nevermind that much of said military equipment is probably of US and European origin. It can be argued that the mass slaughter of civilians presents a moral obligation for a dominant, allegedly pro-democracy and pro-human rights country like the United States to intervene on behalf of the civilians who find themselves under attack. <br /><br />I’m sympathetic to this argument. However, a fair counter point is made. What of other similar cases of innocent people being slaughtered en masse where the US did not intervene?<br /><br />It is an excellent question and the fact is, when you look at US military action over the past twenty years, there is no clear or consistent standard of what constitutes justification for US intervention. This is one part of the problem for me. But the real problem is, historically, when has US military action in middle eastern countries ever had a net positive outcome? Our track record is abysmal. We have a spectacular ability to turn a bad situation into a hellish one and create a host of determined new enemies in the process. The term is blowback. And it’s what happens when you blow up lots of innocent people. Friends and relatives of blown up people do not give a shit about the US’s proclaimed intentions – even in the rare instance that our intentions are not blatantly self-serving.<br /><br />As to the legality of Obama’s actions, the fact that the decision for a no-fly zone originated within the UN and was mandated through a security council resolution (unlike Iraq) absolves him from any legal wrongdoing. The United Nations Participation Act passed in 1945 excuses the president from needing congressional approval for a case like this. No domestic or international laws have been broken by participating/leading the implementation of a no-fly zone over Libya. Anything beyond that is questionable.<br /><br />However, just because it is legal does not automatically mean that it is right. Other points have been made concerning the will of the Libyan population. It has been argued that that should be the foremost consideration concerning US involvement. I wholeheartedly agree with this argument. The weakness of this argument is that it views an entire civilian population as a monolithic bloc, which is really an impossible assumption. But every indication I have seen suggests that yes, in general, the Libyan rebels (which we are again assuming is representative of the larger population) asked for and support a UN implemented no-fly zone. <br /><br />It could be that I have succumbed to spin or propaganda from the various information sources I’ve used to form my opinions. As a rule I take every measure to avoid that but it’s not out of realm of possibility. Aside from the various news reports, it makes sense on a gut level. When civilians are being bombed by fighter jets and tanks it stands to reason that they support action alleviating that situation. With that in mind, I do break from some of the voices out there that I generally agree with on foreign policy issues, and find myself highly sympathetic to the view that the US/UN has a moral obligation to intervene and prevent the mass slaughter of civilians by the heavy firepower of their own government.<br /><br />With that being said, Middle Eastern as well as American citizens have every reason to be highly skeptical about this (and any) US military intervention. Reluctance and reservation are not just understandable, but – at this point – are the only sane and rational response to any military aggression by the US.<br /><br />And while I lean towards support of the no-fly zone, anything beyond that is suspect. Anything outside the specific mission outlined by the security council resolution is an immediate game changer. If US ground forces enter Libya, we’ll know we’ve been had (again). At this point one just hopes that this is that one out of twenty times when our intentions are pure and our action is justified.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-22318575093943087232011-03-16T18:27:00.000-07:002011-03-16T18:36:05.844-07:00Pursuing HappinessHat tip to JRB at <a href="http://www.ladypoverty.blogspot.com/">ladypoverty</a> for his always insightful commentary and for directing my attention to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576200471545379388.html">this</a> article from the WSJ.<br /><br />At the risk of (re)stating the obvious it should be pointed out that ours is a society that overwhelmingly emphasizes instant gratification, pleasure, and relentless pursuit and adoration of the superficial. Whether or not that is intentional isn’t important. What is important is understanding the effects that this particular trait of the collective psyche has on our overall health and well-being.<br /><br />The WSJ article talks about two kinds of happiness: eudaimonic – which refers to an overall sense of well-being, and hedonic – which refers to a more short term, fleeting kind of happiness.<br /><br />When one thinks in terms of economics – which, sadly, seems to be the best lens for gleaning cause and effect relationships in the real world – it’s easy to understand why the hedonic is more highly valued than the eudaimonic. The key word is value. Value means dollars, profits. Pursuing immediate, short-lived happiness keeps us spending because repeating those temporary thrills somehow, almost always, translates into buying something; something that we will either consume, discard, or lose interest in shortly after purchasing it. This works out great for companies selling us junk we don’t need and employers that appreciate employees who remain in a perpetual state of financial insecurity because they promptly blow their entire paycheck in a hedonic frenzy. (Financially insecure individuals are amazingly amenable to employer <s>demands</s> requests!)<br /><br />Probably as a result of the increasingly obvious perils of crass materialism starting to seep into the mass consciousness, more attention is being devoted to understanding how people might achieve authentic happiness. This could prove to be entertaining as any newly “exploding” field is destined to be latched onto by the marketing world as they seek to answer the question: how can this rising sentiment be exploited to sell our product?<br /><br />Self-fulfillment, purpose, and meaning aren’t concepts that easily lend themselves to the consumerist model. That doesn’t mean there won’t be, and haven’t already been, cynical attempts to do just that (designer yoga mats, $1500 meditation retreats?).<br /><br />I appreciate the WSJ article because the cited study provides empirical evidence strongly suggesting something that most of us have observed and intuitively felt: that our culture’s extreme emphasis on materialism is harmful to our psychological and physical health. <br /><br />Just what the rising awareness of this will mean in practical terms remains to be seen. There will be no sudden shift in American values, that much is certain. Human nature being what it is and the all-pervasive, highly sophisticated marketing machine being what it is both ensure this. But I don’t think resistance is futile. And it’s encouraging to speculate on how society might gradually reshape itself if our collective ideas of success and ambition are redefined to include meaning, purpose, and authentic self-fulfillment.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-41772259554687987392011-03-15T20:05:00.000-07:002011-03-15T20:42:22.375-07:00Gone AcousticA month or two I set a goal to write something new on this blog at least twice a week. That hasn't quite worked out as intended because life happens, and things come up. Things always come up. Amazing, that. <br /><br />Here's my excuse this week...<br /><br />This weekend, in anticipation of a modest but much welcomed tax-refund, I finally broke down and purchased an acoustic guitar. It was something I'd been thinking about for months if not years. That seems to be the way I work. I get an idea in my head, it lingers there and marinates for some length of time, and eventually I manage to act on it. Occasionally I do something impulsive but usually, for whatever reason, it takes awhile for my visions, ideas, or whatever to come to fruition. For instance, I've been thinking of planting a small vegetable garden because the idea of eating food that I've grown has become very appealling. Who knows when this will actually happen, but chances are that it will.<br /><br />So anyway - I bought this guitar Sunday morning, after playing maybe ten different prospects the day before. I didn't want to break the bank but I did want something decent. I ended up with a Seagull Entourage. (I'm too lazy and hurried to put up a picture or link right now.) <br /><br /><br />I've played (or attempted to) guitar for a number of years now but I've always been an electric guy. For the longest time acoustic just didn't appeal to me. But lately the simplicity, portability, and versatility of acoustic has kind of gradually drawn me that direction; possibly another outward expression of my inner state.<br /><br />I've had the guitar since Sunday and there hasn't been a tremendous amount of free time since then but what free time there has been, has been spent with the acoustic. It really is alot of fun and challenging in its own way. It's physically harder to play than the stratocaster but the quickness and ease with which you can learn songs is amazing. It's a totally different vibe and has really reignited my interest in playing music. Undoubtedly our trip to Austin two weekends ago tipped me over the edge on this. <br /><br />And thus goes my latest excuse for neglecting the blog. Maybe this weekend I can introduce the acoustic to the blog via the dinky iFlip camera, and we can have a little infomercial for Seagull guitars here. (And my adoring throngs of blog readers can see why I have a day job.)Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8335611828023778237.post-29966368631160772002011-03-10T17:47:00.001-08:002011-03-10T20:24:59.684-08:00On Spiked Penises And Union BustingThe cool thing about having your own blog is that you can write about whatever you want. And this evening seems as good as any for an impromptu discussion on how,<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110309/full/news.2011.148.html"> if not for evolution </a>, male human beings might have penises studded with "small, hard spines". That's right, spiked penises ladies and gentlemen. Female humanoids might take this opportunity to send gratitude out to the Universe for the evolutionary forces that intervened on their (and our) behalf. Crazy stuff, yo.<br /><br />Okay so I don't really intend to defile the hallowed ground of this blog with an essay devoted to penises. But I did come across this today and thought it was kind of disturbing and unique and I thought my distinguished readers might also find it as amusing, interesting, and grotesque as I did. So enjoy.<br /><br />One thing I do feel compelled to comment on, completely unrelated to the spikey penis thing, is this brouhaha in Wisconsin; and by brouhaha, I mean this latest assault on people who work for a living - the lower 99%, economically speaking. <br /><br />Wisconsin republicans managed to pass their cynically and euphemistically named "budget repair" bill last night. Many conservative, working class Americans are very enthusiastic about this because hey, now public employees in Wisconsin will be that much closer to sharing the same level of powerlessness, job-insecurity, and lowered standards that they currently enjoy.<br /><br />Teaching school is a very modestly paid and noble profession. And God knows it's a <em>difficult</em> profession, dealing with insolent, sometimes gun-toting, and heavily medicated kids, and apathetic or belligerent parents. One can't imagine a person making that career choice for the financial rewards. I know it's cliche, but there are few outside figures who will have a more lasting impact on a person than one's school teachers. Yes, like any profession, there are bad ones. But there are also really, really good ones. It's hard to think of a profession that contributes more to society and that we have somehow been persuaded to demonize school teachers is appalling and embarrassing. Only in a society that's gone horribly wrong can public school teacher become a symbol of greed and extravagance.<br /><br />Make no mistake, this move on the part of Governor Walker has nothing to do with balancing the budget. The teachers union agreed to the pay and benefit cuts that were requested. What they did <em>not</em> agree to was surrendering their collective bargaining rights, without which their union would be effectively neutered and meaningless. This bill was not about saving taxpayer money, it was about striking a blow to what's left of organized labor in this country. Solidarity among working people, public or private sector, terrifies the corporate oligarchy and must be crushed by whatever means necessary. <br /><br />They started this assault back when His Holiness The Ronald Reagan fired the unionized air-traffic controllers and made it cool to hate unions. Union membership in the US has fallen from almost 30% of the workforce in the late 70s to less than 8%currently. And the American middle class has suffered accordingly, as can be seen in the various studies that compare income/wealth inequality trends over the past 40 years.<br /><br />And it's not just wealth and income that has deteriorated for the working class. Long before public sector unions existed, private sector employees once enjoyed guaranteed pensions and generous health benefits. As political power and therefore policy has shifted further in favor of the economic elite, these benefits have eroded for private sector employees. Pensions have been replaced with 401Ks, shifting risk and expense from employer to employee, and the amounts employees contribute to their health insurance premiums have exploded. <br /><br />The Wisconsin situation is just another move to disempower the working class, ensuring cheap labor for the corporate elite. And if busting public employee unions becomes the trend it will affect more than just public employees and will be a significant factor contributing to further economic inequality in the US. Class war at it's finest.Ben Therehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09552547709669462400noreply@blogger.com8