Once upon a time I had a blog here... Attempts to find it produced little result. I wonder if the old info and log-in are still out there though... in the blogosphere... hurtling into the cosmos. That said, I am not sure it was so interesting back then. I had things to say... But it is definitely a new day. I have much bigger things to wonder about these days:
- The World Financial Situation - McCain is a decent man - a war hero also - but he seems old now and his ideas are mired in promises with little detail - he says he can save us billions; He has no idea - the economists differ in their opinions - the Reserve Chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Paulson are winging it. McCain has been in congress for years - what has he been waiting for? The economy has long been rushing headlong for this "surprise" - the tax bases across the US are drying up, the economies overseas have boomed through outsourcing of US work, but even now they are in trouble also because we are. What part of this system is so elusive?
How disconnected can politicians be? Plumbers making $250k a year - really? Republican bias toward their rich friends has gone overtime - empty promises to the people and drunken sailor profit-taking by the rich... Bush Junior and Bush Senior were and are in the oil business; Cheney was and is in the oil business; Halliburton and big oil is the singular booming market. And they get subsidies still?! They have had time to chase alternative energy - and they have the money to do it on their own. CEO pay - way out of control. If politicians were paid for performance, they would owe us everything. We all could have retired rich if they had invested social security... now they can't keep it afloat or pay enough to sustain our final years. I struggle to think of anything going well. Please - let this party be over! Out of the pool!!!!
The firmly entrenched actually need to be removed. Any system in place over a long enough time becomes corrupt and bureaucratic. Line item budget review, as Obama suggests, is needed - bigtime. Change itself spurs economic development. Fearing it is the wrong reaction. Any industry too long under major regulation probably needs deregulation... and vice-versa. There is no one answer or inevitable truth other than change - and it is exactly what we need. Darwin was right - adapt and experiment - or die. - The Presidential Election - Obama now has some detail to offer, but I understand why he paused before bringing these forward. He needs to get elected before he can pursue his agenda. And too many are still fearful of the needed change and hopeful that the old ways can simply return. Its easy to be nostalgic, but the 50s are gone - and the thinking that got us here is not going to get us out.
At the end of the day, any president has only the power that the system allows. Few political promises are delivered because no one person can promise much - the system is designed for consensus and mediation. Bush has enjoyed too much freedom in office at our expense - because he had the congress and ultimately most of the justice system aligned on his agenda; The checks and balances have not been working because the democrats were not on the field. Two years of a marginal representation in congress did little so far to upset the momentum of the Iraq war - Big Oil - Pro Business - Anti middle class spending spree. That democrats receive money from big oil as industry as much republicans do... they simply can no longer do otherwise; They can't get on the ballot without it. That is how broken our system is.
We were generally enamoured with the Kennedys some years back - their youth and eloquence - but I think we have forgotten what charisma and leadership look like. If Obama is scary in his message of hope and change, my advice is simple; The freight train has been barreling towards trouble for a while. Smooth as the ride has been, we have been apathetic and have abdicated our responsibilities as citizens. Change is inevitable. The brakes, some vision and depth, and an ability to think past the old ways - is what we need. As McCain said - Obama is a decent man and a family man; But more than that - he is smart enough to know that we have problems to fix. Our national education, our infratructure, and financial vigor are faltering... Obama is simply asking us for the courage to help get our respect back. It will take all of us and it will take work. But we need to change... We can take part in it and start using our voices again... or we can let the next crisis arrive unimpeded.
I think we need to "stay the course" on what started last election - getting the imbalance out. I think we need to displace yet more of the unfettered republican influence, and after that we need to oust the long-standing incumbents. Our founding fathers never imagined career politiains. The government is supposed to work at the consent of the governed... they have not listened to us for years. Their talking to us has been mostly pandering for re-election. Lets just get that out of the equation. We do not need term limits to oust the old men in place... we just need to vote our message. Enough already! - The Reality of Ecological Peril - That the republicans might actually get out the vote better than the democrats [they usually do] scares me to no end. The economic system abused - Is it no wonder the bigger system, our own ecosystem, is also in peril? It takes almost 50 years for the net effect of carbon emissions to be realized, and global warming is still accelerating... our change in behavior will likely come too late if we do not figure things out and take meaningful action soon. With the heat will come increased air quality issues - not just pollution, but also more pollen in the air and mosquitoes carrying disease. The weather will continue to surprise us with bigger storms, unprecedented drought, and more. Food chains are already being disrupted and some of our larger species are struggling - are we next? Being smart does not trump reality - it is only the potential for survival. You still have to move out of the way of the train
Solar has been viable for years - builders simply have not built them because we have not made them do it. There are real example of green buildings and whole countries that are way ahead of us in understanding and implementing true green ideas. Oil companies has us over a barrel[sorry about that] because we have not demanded alternatives; And car manufacturers were here in the 1970s learned nothing apparently. We ourselves knew in the 1960s... Mother Earth reigns supreme. The 60s radical was a visionary - the world chose not to listen. But we can listen now. Geothermal energy, wind power, alternate fuels... these are not new ideas, just inconvenient ones. You could have been disconnected from oil and power companies years ago.
I am not completely opposed to nuclear as many would be. Quite simply, unless we get very energy-frugal very fast, our current mechanisms may bury us. Solar requires a lot of real estate when done on a large scale; We can do things at home, but the trend is to wait for someone else -be it government or some other "free spirit". Wind also takes a lot of real estate. And neither is a silver bullet - there are cloudy days and days of low wind - we need to understand energy storage. Geothermal works - but we have so few who know how to implement it - so we wait again. If the economic engine needs power - and mother nature needs attention - we might need to do nuclear. I understand the challenges... but we truly have gotten better at managing the risks. We still need to identify better answers for nuclear waste... but given all the other truths on the table, we may have limited our choices already. We may need near-term nuclear just to avoid ecosystem calamity
Our disposable mentality has to change also. We try to recycle and tell ourselves we are doing plenty. In Seattle, we are soon charging for the super-thin plastic grocery bags... but Americans individually create nearly a ton of garbage a day[not just trash at home - think of what it takes to build a car, serve fast food, assemble buildings, and more]; Its not shopping bags. Its plastic though... and electronics. The plastic packaging on most consumer items represents an enormous part of it - little yogurt containers, packaging for scissors you need scissors to open - iPods and batteries that are easier to toss than repair. Not long ago, we bought economy sized things to save money - and it was ecological almost by accident. Now we recycle and yet generate trash faster still. How do we not see? - Healthcare & Education - As critical as this one is, it probably is number four. Economic collapse will make healthcare and education reform difficult; Ecologic cotastrophe negates any healthcare or education gains; And out political choices will drive all of this. Both candidates talk about affording college educations - but our children first need a foundation before college and public schools are also faltering. I group education and health - because they do go together - mind and body. That said, both need attention. McCain's health plan has holes all over it. $5000 is nothing for the elderly and at the rate of medical cost increase, it will not help young people long.This one to me is easy. Obama's kids are still early in their education - he is a young father - he will live long enough to see the results so you can bet he will think a bit harder on it.
- The other distractions - After we clear the major items above, most of the remaining is political distraction. The war is something we can not afford - We can not fix the world until we are strong at home again - and it is questionable that we should have tried. Simple national arrogance and opportunistic oil power thinking. Enough said.
Religion, abortion, safety, guns, immigration, equality of the races and sexes - these are distractions for the moment. We can not save everyone - so lets just make sure we have sensible protections. Guns - are a guaranteed right - lets simply punish the unlawful. Religion and abortion - whatever your position, these are not issues the country needs to pay attention to - Morality and religion are inward focused... Freedom does not mean freedom to be like everyone else; The constitution and bill of rights seek to preserve both the group and the individual. Seriously - let he who is without sin throw the first stone. Or more simply stated... but out. I am tired of the righteous imposing their values when they are mostly angry, annoying, dogmatic hypocrates themselves. And the politicians who seek to use these issues are trying to duck what matters - Don't let them. They don't care one way or the other, except for how they can manipulate voters with it. These issues are largely fear-mongering... Britney Spears doesn't matter and most of this does not either. We have bigger fish to fry.
I am [believe it or not] an optimist; This is me reflecting the evidence I see; I believe though enough in our capability as a species, our strength as Americans, and our desire to do the right thing. I rarely jump up and shout, though maybe I[we] should. But belief, faith, and hope is not enough; Apathy can not rule the day any longer. Action is called for: Find your truth, make your case, and get involved. If I am wrong, prove it... But get out of the lazyboy and do it soon.
Reading of Interest
The Tyranny of the Bottom Line
The Predator State
The New Golden Age
The Necessary Revolution
The Productivity Imperative
The World is Flat
Read for ideas - I do not advocate any particular book - but fresh ideas can only make our own ideas better. And pay attention to numbers - but question everything; Look for verification. Don't let the thoughts of others become your own without scrutiny.
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