Government Shutdown After March 5th?

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Once again it looks like our representatives in the House and Senate are going to play brinksmanship with the welfare of their constituents.  Rather than engage in meaningful and honest debate to solve our financial problems, they set up a faux reality of fear to see who will back down first.

Of course the United States is in a lousy financial condition.  The “due date” on our reckless spending over decades will eventually come to pass.  Failure to begin tackling the tough decisions will only result in unnecessary distress for everyone.

As I watch the many protesters arguing for their own priorities on cutting spending, particularly with regard to Social Security and Medicare, I have a personal interest at stake   If there is a shutdown after March 5^th, my Social Security check will NOT be in the mail as usual.  I am one who receives my deposit on the second Wednesday each month.  That comes after the shutdown.  So, who takes up the slack for those of us who are on fixed income based on that monthly check?  That check is calculated on the amount of time we have worked and what we and our employers have contributed over our work life.  This is NOT welfare.

There are NO EASY ANSWERS, but there will NEVER be any answers if our representatives do not get serious about solving the problem.  We are ALL going to have to make reasonable sacrifices.  Our representatives have their government health care.  They have their $174,000 plus salaries.  They have four retirement benefit options for life.  They are so far removed from the people they are supposed to be serving that it should not surprise us that they cannot negotiate in good faith. 

Let them go without their paychecks. 

Let them go without their health care. 

Let them live on Social Security when they retire.

So have your fun scaring the living daylights out of some of us while you dither away precious time that could be used toward solving the problem.

The Glenn Beck Rally and Our Society

Anyone who has followed this blog or my “Notes” on Facebook is aware that I do not have much use for the likes of Glenn Beck, Fox Noise, the Tea Party, or most of those who follow the rants of this narcissistic nut ball. (Friends and relatives excepted! –LOL) His visions of personal grandeur and self-importance make me want to hurl my breakfast.

That having been said I determined this morning that I might have to write an essay acknowledging the fact that Glenn Beck did in fact get his crowd together for the rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Never mind that this event, in my opinion, was a mockery of all that Dr. Martin Luther King stood for.  However, I certainly recognize that he has tapped into the enormous sense of dissatisfaction with the way things are in society and government today. That does not mean I agree with any single word that comes out of his mouth.

I am not feeling particularly charitable, especially after reviewing the Katrina 5th anniversary programs this week and the reminder of how totally incompetent our government has become in most areas of our lives.  And that is what really scares me.  When unrest is further encouraged by those who are least sane, or least competent to understand the power of one negative assault after another on the public psyche, there is considerable concern about the possibility of someone finally lighting the actual fuse of revolution.  When those seeking public office have as their mandate the course of exercising their “Second Amendment remedies” (read Sharron Angle of Nevada) if government does not do what they think government should do, we are in deep trouble.

There is no question many folks are very unhappy with what is happening in our country.  I am very upset about many of the same things.  But what I am most unhappy about is the failure of our politicians to demonstrate even a vestige of integrity or genuine concern, let alone any awareness, of the plight of an increasing portion of the populace.  I cannot, will not, go into all of the aspects at the root of this dissatisfaction, except to say that the devastating financial divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is at the breaking point.  There is very definitely a different philosophical base between the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue.  That philosophy could be debated reasonably, but it is not.

Frankly, and here comes my basic negativity about things, I think we may have passed the point of no return when it comes to our ability to engage constructively with one another.  I believe we have come to the point where many think it really is necessary to wear guns to rallies to showcase our opinions.  We are almost at the point of the only argument being, “My gun is bigger than your gun!”

Some may be saying, “It is easy to complain.  Why don’t you offer some alternatives?”  I guess what I feel about that is my expressions of other ways of thinking, feeling, and living don’t seem to resonate with those caught up with the Glenn Becks of this society.  I have stated my position in hundreds of articles over the years and in two books.  So now I will just cop out.  Of course that is not much better than the position of the radical right and left who complain and offer such radical alternatives that there is no room to compromise.

For anyone who feels strongly about what I have said, I invite your comments.  You have as much right to your opinions as Glenn Beck does and as I do.  Opinions are cheap, aren’t they?  They require very little other than a means to state them.

Does Anything Really Make A Difference Anymore?

One of the network channels offers a weekly news item on their program dedicated to persons who are making a difference in our sometimes-discouraging world of affairs.  This effort to show bright spots in what is often a shadowy world of indifference and self-centeredness is certainly needed.  When one news story after another can make one feel that there is little reason to be hopeful, little cause for celebrating our apparent successes, it is not difficult to understand why so many people are angry, disillusioned or just plain don’t care anymore!

I find myself slipping into that mood at times.  After the tragic years of the Bush/Cheney administration and the long-lasting destruction caused by their narrow-minded aggressive tendencies, it will be generations before we overcome the devastating effects of their so-called leadership.  Today, we need only look at the ruining of the environment in the Gulf of Mexico, the loss of livelihood of family businesses built over generations, the death of untold numbers of fish, fowl, mammals and other life forms to realize that our country (its politicians and business leaders) have abandoned the principles that made this country what it was on its way to becoming.  I say on its way to becoming because we had only begun to realize the limitless capacity of our citizens to invent, build and deploy imaginative ideas and products for the benefit of humankind.

I am not a Tea Party person nor am I a sympathizer with most of what I see them display through their thoughtless accusations and actions. Really, some of these people must be from another planet!  That we as a nation have come to the point where our mutual anger and frustration has taken on the psuedo leadership of dropout dysfunctionaries as Sarah Palin and the discredited John McCain only shows how far from understanding our democracy and its founding documents we have come.

I cannot even begin to put into words my disgust about the priorities our Congressional members have determined to be important.  What I can say is that they are clearly based on greed and avarice. The money that controls our representatives and senators has become so much a part of their function that they can in no way continue to represent the people.  They clearly are in bed with their financiers.  Look at the literal bed-hopping of the Minerals Management Agency office in Denver, responsible for granting licenses and policing the oil companies.  And, again, look at the Gulf disaster. It is government policy and lack of enforcement of big business that has largely been responsible for the chaos we are currently facing.

Even in the face of these catastrophes the Republicans maintain their belief that business does not need regulation.  It needs to be left free to market action.  This belief that business will self-control is an impossible dream when the unimaginable amounts of money to be gained are on the table, up for grabs for those who don’t give a damn about people or country! Don’t begin to disregard my comments as simply the rant of an unhappy Democrat.  I am NOT a Democrat either.  Neither of the two parties offers policies or purposes that are compatible with my own. 

What I am in favor of is the real grass roots efforts of those who are free of party dictates.  I believe wholesale change in government is necessary—Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court.  Consistent with this concept is my belief in the need for a Constitutional Convention, the purpose of which is to re-evaluate the relationship of that document to the desires and priorities of we the people.  The world we live in is a vastly different world than that of our forefathers.  Just as any business with an operational procedures manual must regularly update that document so that it represents current priorities and policies, so must our government review and update our Constitution where necessary.  It may not require any changes, but just reading it again should be a benefit.  I recently picked up a copy and read it thoroughly.  I keep it handy for when stupidity raises its ugly head so I can remind myself of what our founders really said, not what someone thought was in there.

The difficulty of bringing about change in our country today was clearly demonstrated following the last election.  A majority of people said they believed in the change Obama promised.  Unfortunately, we forgot that no one has the power to change anything where government is concerned.  I fully supported Obama and I was also swept up in the belief that here was a person who could really get it done!  Well, he couldn’t and he didn’t. Maybe his staff isn’t as good at managing government as it was in managing a campaign. It certainly does not help that the Republicans simply decided to withdraw from any role in governing.  Saying “No” was all they had to do to stop change in its tracks.  And of course we all know the Democrats are the original “bad news bears” whose way to handle differences of opinion is to form a circular firing squad.  OMG, is this not clearly apparent to the general public?  I guess not.  And because I see no real powerful leadership, I am deeply concerned.  I probably will not be around when the pillars of democracy tumble, as they surely will if nothing changes. 

So, why should I care?  Does anything really make a difference any more?  I have to find my own answer to this question, as each of you who have continued to read this far along in this essay will have to do. It is not my nature to be negative. However, I am so totally disgusted with the apparent hopelessness of the situation that I just do not have an answer.  I write.  That is something I know a little about.  I wish I were able to be eloquent enough, with opportunities sufficient to command an audience, that together we could begin to make the difference that will bring the true light of individual responsibility and strength of character to lead that is needed.

I am not going to give up.  I think I will have to give up listening to the news, however. 

Random Notes

Something To Think About

I recently read an article in one of the blogs I follow: The View From My Tiny Window. The article discussed a variety of views of government and ways in which it works (or doesn’t). It prompted this response from me and I decided to share it with you.

Finally, someone has dared to say we are not ready for universal health care! That on the “front end” we do everything to kill ourselves with excesses in food, self-indulgence and laziness, and then expect the government to take care of our illnesses is just another form of “not in my back yard-ism.” By that I mean we want to do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it and we want government to stay out of our lives. Then when we get into trouble we want the government to take care of us without our need to make any changes in our behavior.

How to find the balance between individual responsibility and assistance from our “groups” (family, local, regional, national government) will ultimately rely on our development of efficient systems and cooperation among the various entities, rather than fortress building and competitive power bases. Finally, I have to take care of myself and form bonds within my closest group, usually the family, so that we are able to care for each other. This then extends, where necessary to the next level of groups. Were this plan executed responsibly there would be a much smaller government, integrated and focused more specifically. The highest level would only do what those beneath it could not do.

Yes, I am aware that this is a more Libertarian approach, which goes to show you that there is some good in all political ideologies.

And Then There Is Star Trek!

I am a sci-fi fan so it was important for me to get out and go see the latest version of going where no man has gone before! I haven’t been out to a movie for at least two years. I am patient. I wait for the movie to show up on television.

In this prequel to the original series, which I watched faithfully with my family in the sixties and seventies, a whole new experience thrilled me. I saw it at an Imax theater, also a first for me. Fortunately, I am still able to hear, in fact maybe better since the powerfully smashing sounds of space ships coming apart all over the cosmos probably shook loose some of the clutter in my hearing system.

Chris Pine as the rowdy, super egotistical, yet genius James T. Kirk surpassed my expectations. (I think he is more likeable and real than William Shatner.) As Spock I was totally surprised to see the great performance of Zachary Quinto, who is the ominous dark character, Sylar, in Heroes. Of course, we are getting used to what can be done digitally now in the movies and TV, but the graphics were truly out of this world for me! What a contrast to the original black and white TV series.

Well, I just had to share this personal note with you all. I hope you get out to see the new Star Trek, especially if you are a sci-fi fan. Incidentally, at this showing there were more people of my generation than from the younger generations.

Give me warp speed, Scotty!

How To Get Attention

Well, now I know first hand how to get the attention of my government. All you have to do is post an article on a blog using the word “guns.”

After I posted my article: High Noon At the OK Corral, in which I voiced my opinion about the gun mentality in this country (incidentally, supported by numerous news commentaries) I began to immediately see hits on my blog from government surveillance agencies, U.S. Military Communications Tech sites, hacker security companies and even a telephone company in the Midwest. That telephone company monitored my blog for over 21 hours straight. You remember the phone company cooperation with the Bush White House spying on private citizens don’t you?

My blog has mostly maintained a low profile, not controversial enough to warrant much attention. However, I do have an increasing number of hits from countries around the world. After the OK Corral article I picked up several readers from China, Malaysia and Singapore. I guess if you put guns and Asia together it warrants a “look see!” It’s a good thing I am not paranoid or I might trip over myself looking over my shoulder to see who is following me.

I always knew there were “crawlers” out there searching the Internet for key word activity, after all, that’s what Google is all about. I just find it so interesting that as I sit here typing by my study window my mind wonders if some spy satellite is watching. Gosh, I’ve seen my own pickup truck in the parking lot using Google Earth, so who knows?