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Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category

Disparity

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, Quote, tagged on October 12, 2010| 2 Comments »

In expanding the field of knowledge we but increase the horizon of ignorance.
——Henry Miller

*****************

       I have written here in the past about the growing imbalance in income and wealth between the haves and the have-nots of this country, about how unhealthy it is for us as a nation to have so many people living below the poverty line.  One in seven, a little over 14%,  of us lives below the poverty line and for children it’s an even worse one in five, 20%.  For a country so full of itself in proclaiming ourselves the best at everything  (even when the numbers don’t bear it out) these are atrocious figures.

But I thought of an equally alarming disparity in our country, and the world,  when I came across the quote above from author Henry Miller.  We have a definite gap in education and knowledge in this country that runs pretty much through the same groups as the poverty line.   We are quickly becoming a more ignorant society, placing less and less emphasis on knowledge and wisdom.  In fact, we have become a country that is suspicious of anyone displaying a modicum of either, labeling them as elitists.

 We are at a point in human existence when we have more knowledge at our fingertips than at any time in prior history yet we have all the same problems that we have had for millenia.

Ethnic wars.  Racial intolerance.  Religious intolerance.  Subjugation.  Ignorance and poverty.  Famine and disease.

For all our knowledge of how we might best survive this world, these things continue and at exponentially higher levels.  Yes, we live in a time of wonder on many levels, with breakthroughs in medicine and technology.  But until we can make our knowledge accessible to everyone, at every social strata, we are doomed to be mired in the problems that have haunted us forever.

Do I have an answer?  Of course not.  In fact, I’m not even sure I’ve addressed the real problem with these few words.   But I am worried about these gaps between us.  In an increasingly more densely populated world, it makes for a volatile and dangerous situation.

 And that is not in anyone’s best interest.

 

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Folly of Resentment

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, tagged , on October 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Well, Rick Sanchez has moved on from what seemed to be a pretty good gig at CNN hosting his own show for a couple of hours every afternoon.  The man who has made a name for himself being tasered, as is happening in the photo shown here, fell prey to the folly of resentment. 

When asked about The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart on a Sirius Radio program, Sanchez chose to let his own personal insecurities overtake him.  He chose to attack Stewart’s success as being a product of something other than talent and hard work, inferring that Stewart was merely there because he was buddy-buddy with all the people like him who run all media– the so-called liberal elite and the Jews.  Of course.

What a fool.  In a few short moments Sanchez showed why he is considered “second-tier”, as he described, among newspeople.  It has nothing to do with his own ethnicity.  It has to do with performance.

It probably galled him that Stewart, a comedian and self-proclaimed fake journalist, is ridng a wave of popularity and now wears the mantle of  “most trusted newsman in America” that once belonged to Cronkite and other serious journalists.  Okay.  I understand that.  But instead of letting this resentment make you envious and prejudicial in your own thoughts and words, turn it into the impetus for making yourself a better journalist and a better person. 

 Rick, if you must ask yourself why Stewart is more popular and respected than you and the only answer that comes to mind is that it is because of him being favored by the perceived Jewish overlords who run all media, you’ve still got some work to do.

This story saddens me.  I was never a big Rick Sanchez fan but to see someone let their own feelings of inadequacy ruin all they’ve worked for is a sad thing.  And this event will probably only reinforce the resentment he was already feeling.

Sad.

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Idiots and Freedom Stealers

Posted in Current Events, Opinion on September 22, 2010| 2 Comments »

Page 10 of Walker's "Plan"

Oh, Wisconsin.

First, the Republican candidate for Governor, Scott Walker, recently released a 68-page plan for economic recovery in Wisconsin.

Impressive, huh?

Well, maybe not.  You see he released his in response to his Democratic opponent Tom Barrett’s 67-page plan, which was a serious outline to help jumpstart the struggling economy in Wisconsin.  So Walker outdid him with a stunning 68-page plan.  One page more–it must be better!

Unfortunately for the people of Wisconsin, Walker doesn’t take the problems of economic recovery there seriously and instead took this opportunity to act like a high school sophomore.  You see, his 68-page plan is done in a huge font that, when condensed to a typical font, actually covers less than 4 pages.  The plan is is full of slogans and fluff without any real depth of thought or planning.  Walker was more interested in acting like the class clown than a chief executive.  It is both idiotic and deceitful.   Apparently, that is what the folks in cities and towns of the Badger State want in theeir governor.  Walker is ahead of Barrett by 8 points.

Oh, Wisconsin.

And now there is the revealing of a plot involving the Wisconsin Republican Committee, the Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity and various Tea Party groups there to engage in the practice of voter caging in the upcoming elections.  Voter caging involves targeting minority and student voters– typically Democratic voters– in certain areas and challenging their residency eligibility at the polls on election day.  This forces the voter to then submit a provisional ballot which requires follow-up by the voter on the day after  the election.  It provides a false barrier that the voter must go over in order for their vote to be counted and as a result, many of the votes would go uncast.  There is an on-going investigation into this episode.

Funny how the Tea Party which claims the Constitution (well, their interpretation of it) is the basis for their whole movement would try to deny and steal the right to vote of the citizens of Wisconsin.  Sounds very un-American to me.  Sounds like the oposite of freedom and liberty.

Oh, Wisconsin.  I don’t mean to pick on your state.  I know your situation is no different than most states in the country.  It’s just your’s seems so typical of what is happening all over the country.  Simpletons with nothing more than talking points, populist rhetoric and little substance leading in the polls.  People like the Koch’s who manipulate the population like pawns on a chessboard and when that doesn’t seem enough, seek to steal the rights of those who might oppose them.

Let’s wake up, folks.  Democracy is not a spectator sport.  Put down your gadgets and toys and pay attention for once.  There is a lot at stake here and you need to be part of the process.

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A Rally I Might Actually Attend

Posted in Current Events, tagged , , on September 17, 2010| 1 Comment »

I’ve written here about the incivility of political discourse, about how maddening it is to see disagreement spiral out of control into shoutfests.  Instead of debating a side of an argument  based on common sense, our public political conversation has become debasing those who oppose our viewpoints with slurs.  Fear-mongers have spurred us to the furthest poles, leaving our political system stalled and  ineffective.

The vast majority of us don’t want this.  Most of us don’t see our president as a reincarnation of Hitler.  Most of us want our government to act quickly and responsibly on behalf of what is best for the majority, with all our interests kept in mind.  Most of us have the common sense to understand that while we may not like it, we have to expect to pay taxes to maintain our country and the life it provides for us.  Most of us just want calm discussion where each side actively listens to the other’s point of view and  compromise is not considered defeat.  Most of us just want to live our lives quietly and safely, free to go about our days free from fear.

 Most rallies are bent on stirring anger or passion in the attendees, to spur them to movement.  There aren’t rallies to ask us to take a breath and calm down.

Until now.

Jon Stewart announced last night on The Daily Show that they are holding a Rally To Restore Sanity on the Mall in Washington, DC on October 30, 2010.  They’re a little short on details but if you go to their website you can be put on their e-mail list for upcoming details.  Stewart has gained a reputation for his respectful treatment of  his guests, even those whose views are completely opposite his.  His interviews have a light tone but  have insightful direct questions and often reveal more information than those conducted by the supposed real press.  He’s providing a much-needed service to our country in these polarized times.

Of course, there must be an opposing movement for all rallies and this is no exception.  This comes in the form of Stephen Colbert’s March to Keep Fear Alive, also in DC on October 30.  I have no idea how these two rallies will coincide but I’m sure there will be something for everybody and, unless you viewpoint is at one of the far ends of the political spectrum, it will be provide more than a few laughs.

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Pop Culture Phenom

Posted in Current Events, Neat Stuff, tagged on August 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

I try to keep up with pop culture but it spreads so far to the horizon that sometimes there are phenomenons that go unnoticed in my little world.  It took seeing a clue on Jeopardy ( a year old repeat, at that) to bring this YouTube sensation to my attention.

It’s called The Evolution of Dance and has been viewed  almost 150 million times in the past few years, making it the most viewed video ever on YouTube.  It features motivational speaker/dancer Judson Laipply going through quick takes on pop dancing and while it’s pretty clever and entertaining, and while hedoes have a knack for communicating with his movement, I still find myself baffled at the huge popularity of the video. 

Even more baffling, and startling, is the amount of time spent watching this video.  Doing some quick math, the time spent watching this 6 minute video 150 million times amounts to 15 million hours.

Wow.  15 million hours spent in front of the computer screen to see just this.  Taken out even further, it’s 625,000 days.  Talk about lost productivity!  It makes one wonder about how we spend our time.  I know I feel like I’ve lost hige chunks of my precious time on earth gazing at much too much goofy stuff.

Anyway, if you’re one of the last people to have not seen this or heard of it, here it is.  Sorry for the lost time.  I know it’s 6 minutes I’ll never get back.

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The Sadness of the Crazies

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, tagged on August 11, 2010| 6 Comments »

We’ve been fairly fortunate in  this area to have been spared the full brunt of nutty political protests on a regular basis.  No big Tea Party gatherings.  No Obama Is Hitler signs. Very little to be seen around these parts.  It’s not that the people who support these causes aren’t around because they are out there.  Oh, yeah. They’re out there.

Yesterday, we got our first taste of it on a personal basis at our local Horseheads, NY post office.  On the the front corner of the property was a table with posters all around, saying the typical things like Impeach Obama.  Nothing remarkable.  Then I spotted it.

The Obama poster with the Hitler moustache.

I am all for First Amendment Rights, being able to make the public stage your own bully pulpit, but something about this just went against the grain for me.  There is something truly hateful in that poster that goes beyond mere protest.  Surely it shouldn’t be allowed on postal property.

So we complained and the post office supervisor apologized, saying she had tried everything but so long as they didn’t approach folks going in and out of the post office itself and weren’t campaigning, they were unable to have them removed.  She said she had received a non-stop stream of complaints all day and was clearly flustered by the ruckus.

Leaving, I noticed at the top of their posters the name of the website behind this crap.  It was Lyndon LaRouche!  The conspiracy-driven schemer, de-frauder  and ex-con was behind it!  I’m not going to go into the absurdity that is Lyndon LaRouche here.  There are thousands of sites to find out more for yourself.  His movement is classified by many not as a politcal movement but as a cult and has made him a wealthy man over the many decades he has been in action.

So the Obama-Hitler poster is his product!  The anger I felt at the fools standing in front of them turned quickly to a real sadness.  The sadness that comes from seeing weaker minded people being exploited.  Sad that these people, who were concerned and upset with our nation and with their lot in life, had fell prey to someone espousing such  hate and nonsense.  Someone who played to their deepest fears and stood to profit from it.

Even now, as I sit here this morning, it is not outrage I feel but a queasy mixture of sadness and worry.  Worried that their are so many others like these people out there, waiting rise up, without questioning with their own commone sense, at the call of someone like LaRouche. I had always seen the Obama Hitler poster as idiocyand hate but now see it also as  a symbol of exploitation…

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Feeling Trickled Down

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, tagged , on July 30, 2010| 4 Comments »

When I first heard the term trickle down used to describe supply-side economics, the idea that giving tax-relief to those at the highest income levels will cause them to create more jobs for those in the economics classes below them, I was around twenty years old.  I was working in a factory where the management was constantly striving to get more and more from its workers for less and less.  There was no sense of any sort of paternal feeling from this company. 

 Their job was to extract the most financial return from us at the lowest possible expense. 

I had no problem with this concept.  That is just a fundamental of business. 

But I knew that without the protection of our labor union and governmental agencies like OSHA, they would pare away at us without mercy.  They would pay us less and less.  They would change job specs to require less and less manpower, to the point where many jobs became exceedingly difficult and dangerous.  It was a neverending  struggle to maintain our status quo,  to keep a fair, decent wage and a safe workplace,  against their onslaught.

So when I heard about the trickle down theory, I was somewhat suspect.  Even at that age, with little life experience, I could see what would happen.  Oh, there would be a tiny trickle in the form of a few jobs but most of the cash would go into the coffers of those at the top and stay there.  They were at the top because they had a drive to continually make more and more.  Giving them more wasn’t going to make them spend more.  It would only serve to whet their appetite for even more wealth and power.

It seemed so obvious.

Now , the term is being bandied about again as the talk of the day turns to extending the Bush Tax Cuts of the early part of the decade.  Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t enjoy paying taxes any more than the next guy.  But the wealthiest 3% of the population are paying less now than at any point in the last 70 years.  The real income of the average American has been flat for over 20 years yet the growth rate for this top level over this same time period has been astronomical, creating a wealth gap between the haves and have-nots that rivals the days of the robber barons.  Our national deficit is growing  and there is a need to raise revenues.  Oddly enough, many of the same deficit hawks who think it is our number one economic priority at this point to cut our deficit are calling for the Bush Tax Cuts to be extended.  I say oddly because this will add a cool trillion dollars or so to our deficit.

You can’t have it both ways, folks.

It’s always perplexed me how this concept of giving money to the wealthy will somehow benefit the lower classes and over the decades since I have seen no proof that this works in any way.  Interestingly, yesterday on CNBC I saw one host, Erin Burnett, interviewing a proponent of extending the tax cuts , ask him if he had any proof, any real data,  that this idea of trickle down economics had ever worked.  He was at a loss for words and basically said no but taxes are bad.  You see, that’s the problem.  This is a theory that doesn’t work but is easy to sell to the masses by simply spouting the taxes are bad mantra over and over, even though the masses are little affected by the relatively small tax raises in the higher brackets.  There was a good article on the Financial Times of London’s website from Martin Wolf  called The Political Genius of Supply-Side Economics.  Very good read.

If you’re not sure how trickle down economics work, here a little primer from Stephen Colbert:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word – Ownership Society
www.colbertnation.com
 
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

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Marathon Men

Posted in Current Events, Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, Personal Mythology, tagged , on June 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

John Isner in the 5th Set

When I was doing research on my grandfather’s career as a professional wrestler in the earliest days of the sport, back in the first decade of the 1900’s, I came across a newspaper account of  one of his earliest matches.  It was held at the Kanaweola Club in Elmira which was one of the men’s sporting clubs of that era, a place where men gathered to to participate and watch sports.  Since there wasn’t ESPN, or television, or even radio, they often held live sporting events such as pro and amateur boxing and wrestling.  Oh, and they also would drink  a bit at the clubs.

In one of his headline matches at such a place, Shank, my grandfather’s wrestling moniker, started a match one evening at 9 PM and wrestled until midnight without either wrestler gaining a fall, which means neither was able to pin his opponent or get him to submit.  They stopped at midnight and resumed the following night, wrestling for another two and a half hours before Shank was finally pinned.  I wanted to lie there and say that Shank had gloriously persevered but I just couldn’t do it.  I was proud enough that he just competed in such a marathon and I think he might have been proud of the feat despite the loss.

I don’t know if the two competitors in the current marathon competition still in action on the tennis courts at Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut,  are ready to say they’re proud just to be involved in such a match.  To say so would be a psychological concession of sorts and they both aren’t ready to give in just yet.   They started this match Tuesday and played until dark.  The match resumed yesterday afternoon and stretched until they could barely see the balls.  Or stand.  Ten hours in all.  The fifth set, still unfinished, stands in at a time of 7 hours and 6 minutes, making it alone longer than the longest match ever.  The third day of this grinder takes palce this morning and I might have to watch.

At this point, the competition between these two men has transcended physical triumph of one over the other and moved into the realm of conquering their own psyches, convincing themselves that they can persevere.  Steeling themselves against the desire to just give in and let it be done.

It’s a remarkable thing to witness, this stalemate of wills between two equally matched competitors.  It’s liking stealing a raw glimpse of our desire to survive, our desire to overcome struggles of life and death.  To be wounded, hurt, but still rise to our feet and return to the fray.  Only in a safer way.  This is tennis, after all.

Good on both of you today, Mr. Isner and Mr. Mahut.  Don’t give up now.

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The Gas Controversy

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, tagged , on June 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I wrote a whole post this morning on the film Gasland, that premiered the other night on HBO and eexplores the adverse effects of natural gas drilling on the communities where it occurs.  But after reading it, I trashed it because I didn’t really know what I wanted to say.

By that I mean I understand the need for exploration of  energy sources.  We’re a growing country and just by the virtue of our continual growth we will consume more and more energy.  When I was a kid the population of the USA was around  185 million people.  Today, it’s 310 million.  More people,  more energy to transport and heat them.  Simple.

And I understand the landowners who lease their land to the gas companies.  Many are going through hard times, especially in the less affluent rural areas where many of these gas explorations are taking place.  I know. I live in such a place, with the controversial Marcellus Shale under my feet.   You see landowners and family farms that are facing more and more financial hardships just to stay afloat suddenly offered a boatload of cash backed by the promise that these companies are pros and nothing can go wrong.  Whay would you do if you had to choose between just scratching and just  maybe getting by or accepting an offer that would set you up financially for several years and perhaps not even have any effect on your property?

And I understand the great income the gas drillers offer for the local businessmen in the areas where they drill.   The motels are full with gas workers, the convernience stores and taverns bustling.  Hell, they even hire a local or two to work for the gas company.  It’s a little economic boom.

But at what cost? 

In a perfect world, nothing would go wrong.  The experts would always know everything and leave nothing to chance.  The contractors and workers would be professional and never cut a corner.  The gas companies would never put anyone in harm’s way for their own profit.  Besides, our regualory agencies oversee everything and protect  our best interests.

I would love to believe all of these things.  But this ain’t no perfect world, brother.  And, as the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe has taught us, the experts don’t always know everything.  People cut corners.  Companies put profit before people, animals and the environment.  And our regulatory agencies have divided allegiances to both us and their pals with the gas companies who they supposedly oversee.

Like I said, I don’t really know what I want to say here.  Perhaps just a cautionary note to those who stand to gain from risking their land.  Things go wrong.  People cheat and steal.  People lie.  And when the gas and the money’s gone, what will be left behind?

Look at both sides of the argument.  See Gasland.  Read the opposing views on the websites that have sprung up in defense of the gas industry.  And keep in mind what is the motivating force behind each.  Who is really looking out for you and who is looking out for their own pocketbooks?

Enough said…

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Crisis in the Gulf

Posted in Current Events, tagged on April 30, 2010| 5 Comments »

I spent a lot of time writing a post on the oilrig blowout and leak in the Gulf of Mexico but ended up deleting it.  Didn’t want to make some quick-to-the-draw, reactionary comments, which I sometimes do.  Well, which I always do although I try to keep them out of this blog.

I don’t want to comment on the impact to the wildlife or the habitat of the affected area, which will be immense.  Don’t want to comment on the silence of those have been chanting “Drill, Baby, Drill!”  or those who are always saying goverment regulation is stifling private enterprise.  Or those, like Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu who as recently as last month, claimed the risk and effect of such an event as minimal.  Don’t want to comment on the economic impact to the fishing and tourism industry of the area.  Or the economic impact to our economy in general.

You’ll be hearing about these from other sources…

My only comment is to ask if perhaps we should use this as catalyst to move more quickly into alternative energies.  While there are limitations and dangers, could a disaster anywhere near this serious ever happen in the solar or wind industry?  Are there any circumstances where anything even remotely close to this could happen in these industries?

This may be the sign that we really need to act now to move away from our addiction to oil and gas. This need for this energy is causing us to risk more and more, in economic and environmental terms,  in order to satisfy it.  And if we can’t change our behavior, the cost of this disaster will seem tiny to what may come next…

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