People in politics (and business, and life, and school, and etc) can I think be lumped in to two groups. One group wants to be evaluated or judged on the basis of what they say. These people tend to have wonderful ideas. Unfortunately, many times somewhere between idea generation, and implementation, it just does not work out right, and the results are just not there. Other people want, and expect, to be judged on outcomes. They realize a good idea is a really good thing, but the proof is in the pudding. Talk is cheap, results are priceless.
One of the things this blog is dedicated to doing, is helping point out that many times our government, particularly at the state and federal levels, is more about saying what they think you want to hear, rather than actually doing something, accomplishing something, that actually makes a positive difference or makes progress. And I really might not care whether they accomplished something or not, except part of those $3.5 trillion dollars that will be spent by the federal government this year are mine. And, part of those dollars will be borrowed, and my children's children will pay for those.
A great example of this great idea/lack of execution happened last week. A friend of mine attended a meeting in which a US House Representative spoke. It was a lunch meeting, and the sole purpose of the meeting was to allow the people who pay the bills for the US government, to hear the US Representative talk.
I was not able to attend, so I asked my friend what she thought of the meeting. The two themes that stuck with her most about the meeting were the need for us to all get healthier, in order to help keep insurance costs down, and, the need to go Green with our energy consumption, lives, etc.
Lunch, by the way, was pizza. Beverages were primarily soda pop, in cans. So much for going healthy. There were no recycling receptacles for the aluminum cans, only trash cans. Ditto for the card board boxes. So much for going green. Talk really is cheap. Except it really isn't, because you and I are paying for the talk. Ouch!
My fellow citizens, this is a microcosm of how ridiculously irrelevant our government has become. You and I are being scammed. And we will continue to be scammed until enough of us say no more. You and I are paying the bills for a government that is so big, so intrusive, that it has far since passed the point of being effective. Read the writings of our founding fathers, which are the blueprint for our system of governance. They never in their wildness nightmares would have imagined a federal government this big. We must make a change.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
When did you find out you are a fill in the blank?
For me it was when I was driving home one day. I was minding my own business, driving home from work, listenin to the radio. I was in my mid 20's, almost 20 years ago, and the person on the radio began identifying personal values and using adjectives which described how I think and how I live. The person on the radio used one word to describe me and then BAM it happened, I had been labelled a fill in the blank.
Looking back its easy to see. But at the time I really did not realize what had happened. My parents never told me I was a fill in the blank. My teachers never told me, my friends never told me. My pastor never told me. But someone I've never met and will never meet, was able to label me with one word. Amazing.
Labels allow people we've never met to, well, label us. It allows someone you've never met to categorize you in such a way that may be 180 degrees off base. Maybe they know someone who is a fill in the blank, and they do not like that person, or something they stand for. Well, then they hear someone call you a fill in the blank, and BAM, they do not like you either. They have never met you, they have never heard your voice or your views, but because you are a fill in the blank, they have categorized you in such a way that fits their world view. Laziness is really what it is.
I suppose people have always used labels to put other people in a box. I suspect though, that the use of labels as a weapon has increased in the past 25 years or so. Two reasons why I think this. During the past 25 year period 'the media' has become more homogenized. By that I mean, if you turn on any of the 6:30 national media broadcasts, chances are regardless of the station you choose, the news you see will be the same. If you do not believe that, test it out. You'll see.
One other phenomenon of the past 25 years or so has been the rise of the audience of talk radio. Most of talk radio is labelled as conservative. The rise of talk radio has coincided with the homogenization of the major media outlets in to what many conservatives believe is simply a house organ for one political party and one ideology. If you make your living making sure your 6:30 news cast, or your news paper, is profitable, and this talk radio phenomenon starts taking market share from you, and you can label it as conservative, then demonize the term and people who subscribe to it, well then you just might start using that label as a club to beat up people with in order to protect your franchise.
Both sides do it, all sides do it. Its easy. To repeat myself, its lazy.
We are in a critical time in our country's history. Our federal government is behaving in unprecedented ways. It is of an unprecedented size, wielding $3.5 trillion dollars worth of power. I believe the debate has shifted. It has moved past liberal versus conservative, beyond Republican and Democrat. The debate has moved to right and wrong, smart and dumb, America loving or America trashing. Live your principles, and evaluate others' priciples based on what they do, not what they say. And limit your use of labels. If you use them too much you may come across as dumbing yourself down the same way the media has.
Looking back its easy to see. But at the time I really did not realize what had happened. My parents never told me I was a fill in the blank. My teachers never told me, my friends never told me. My pastor never told me. But someone I've never met and will never meet, was able to label me with one word. Amazing.
Labels allow people we've never met to, well, label us. It allows someone you've never met to categorize you in such a way that may be 180 degrees off base. Maybe they know someone who is a fill in the blank, and they do not like that person, or something they stand for. Well, then they hear someone call you a fill in the blank, and BAM, they do not like you either. They have never met you, they have never heard your voice or your views, but because you are a fill in the blank, they have categorized you in such a way that fits their world view. Laziness is really what it is.
I suppose people have always used labels to put other people in a box. I suspect though, that the use of labels as a weapon has increased in the past 25 years or so. Two reasons why I think this. During the past 25 year period 'the media' has become more homogenized. By that I mean, if you turn on any of the 6:30 national media broadcasts, chances are regardless of the station you choose, the news you see will be the same. If you do not believe that, test it out. You'll see.
One other phenomenon of the past 25 years or so has been the rise of the audience of talk radio. Most of talk radio is labelled as conservative. The rise of talk radio has coincided with the homogenization of the major media outlets in to what many conservatives believe is simply a house organ for one political party and one ideology. If you make your living making sure your 6:30 news cast, or your news paper, is profitable, and this talk radio phenomenon starts taking market share from you, and you can label it as conservative, then demonize the term and people who subscribe to it, well then you just might start using that label as a club to beat up people with in order to protect your franchise.
Both sides do it, all sides do it. Its easy. To repeat myself, its lazy.
We are in a critical time in our country's history. Our federal government is behaving in unprecedented ways. It is of an unprecedented size, wielding $3.5 trillion dollars worth of power. I believe the debate has shifted. It has moved past liberal versus conservative, beyond Republican and Democrat. The debate has moved to right and wrong, smart and dumb, America loving or America trashing. Live your principles, and evaluate others' priciples based on what they do, not what they say. And limit your use of labels. If you use them too much you may come across as dumbing yourself down the same way the media has.
Friday, April 10, 2009
How many pirates does it take to embarrass the world's strongest military?
How many pirates does it take to embarrass the world's strongest military? Apparently, only four.
Does it bother you, that apparently we, and we have to conclude the decision maker here is the president, do not have the will to deal with four thugs in a manner that might prevent a larger crisis? I mean, armed thugs boarded an American flagged vessel, have taken the captain of the ship hostage, and we are apparently unwilling to respond in kind. And not only that, they shot at the captain when he tried to escape! All within view of the sailors on the USS Bainbraidge, an $800 million dollar USN destroyer. I wonder what the life boat the thugs, and the US citizen are in, cost?
At one level this is silly. The Captain of a United States warship, and presumably, the Admiral of the Navy, the Secretary of State, and the President of the United States have all been involved in the decision to do--nothing!
But at another level this is scary. If we will not deal with four thugs in a lifeboat holding a gun to the head of a US Citizen, what will we deal with? Do you think for a second that the Chinese, the Russians, and the North Koreans are not taking notes? There will be a price to pay for our lack of resolve. And unfortunately, the people to pay that price will probably be our military.
I live in an area in which you would not be terribly surprised to encounter a bear, or a wolf. If you turn your back and run when encountering either of these types of animals, you are inviting them to chase you down and attack you from the back. We are doing exactly the same thing by how we are handling this stupid, silly situation. Our enemies, and make no mistake we do have enemies, are taking note of our lack of resolve, and will no doubt test us in some meaningful way in the future. God bless those citizens and our military, who will be at the forefront of that test, brought on by our bungled handling of four bungling pirates.
Does it bother you, that apparently we, and we have to conclude the decision maker here is the president, do not have the will to deal with four thugs in a manner that might prevent a larger crisis? I mean, armed thugs boarded an American flagged vessel, have taken the captain of the ship hostage, and we are apparently unwilling to respond in kind. And not only that, they shot at the captain when he tried to escape! All within view of the sailors on the USS Bainbraidge, an $800 million dollar USN destroyer. I wonder what the life boat the thugs, and the US citizen are in, cost?
At one level this is silly. The Captain of a United States warship, and presumably, the Admiral of the Navy, the Secretary of State, and the President of the United States have all been involved in the decision to do--nothing!
But at another level this is scary. If we will not deal with four thugs in a lifeboat holding a gun to the head of a US Citizen, what will we deal with? Do you think for a second that the Chinese, the Russians, and the North Koreans are not taking notes? There will be a price to pay for our lack of resolve. And unfortunately, the people to pay that price will probably be our military.
I live in an area in which you would not be terribly surprised to encounter a bear, or a wolf. If you turn your back and run when encountering either of these types of animals, you are inviting them to chase you down and attack you from the back. We are doing exactly the same thing by how we are handling this stupid, silly situation. Our enemies, and make no mistake we do have enemies, are taking note of our lack of resolve, and will no doubt test us in some meaningful way in the future. God bless those citizens and our military, who will be at the forefront of that test, brought on by our bungled handling of four bungling pirates.
Bumper Stickers, and why most politicians do not like speaking to small groups
My hometown, and the town where I currently work, is Asheville, NC. Due to its natural beauty, its place in American history, and its role as a center of commerce and arts for western North Carolina, Asheville is a special place.
One of the things that makes Asheville unique is the high percentage of its vehicles which sport bumper stickers. I believe that if a scientific study were to be done, Asheville would lead the nation in vehicles sporting multiple bumber stickers. Another unique feature of Asheville motorists is many of them have expanded the term bumper, to include any flat portion of the car that adhesive can stick to, up to and occasionally including glass. There is one pick up truck in Asheville that I believe has 0% of its paint showing. The vehicle is completely covered in bumper stickers.
Most bumper stickers in Asheville and elsewhere contain some form of political or social commentary. Most of these stickers make it clear which end of the political spectrum the vehicle owner agrees with. Messages like "I visited Rock City" seems to have almost all been replaced with messages that tend to cause you to want to reply with one of your fingers: either your thumb, or a different one.
There is one sticker though, that I have only seen once, that I really like. I like it because I believe it. I like it because I think it contains tremendous amounts of truth. And what is even better, BOTH, or should I even say all, sides of the political debate think this saying was invented for their side, to be used against the other side.
Here it is: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups". (Now, I realize the term "stupid people" is not politically correct, and its kind of not nice. But we are trying to have a big boy/big girl convesation, so stay with me.)
Does that resonate with you? I think it is brilliant. Simple, and brilliant. If you think Bush was an idiot, this statement probably appeals to you. If you believe Slick Willie succeeded via wit and charm, and checked his brain and judment somewhere in Arkansas, this statement may appeal to you as well. There are literally thousand of applications of the statement in the political realm, regarless of your ideology or political affiliation.
I have never studied psychology, but I do study people. I do not understand why this statement is true, but I believe it is. You put a stupid person in a small group, and if they have a stupid idea, usually that idea is not going to go anywhere. People are more direct in small groups. But you put a stupid person in big group and they shout out a stupid idea, many times the rest of the group is silent. They think if the person has the guts to shout out the idea, in front of all the people, it must be a good idea. They think if I stand up and say its not, and I'm wrong, then I might embarrass myself in front of this big group. Sound familiar? I'll bet you have seen that in action some time. If you are paying attention to the news right now, you might be witnessing it.
One of the things that makes Asheville unique is the high percentage of its vehicles which sport bumper stickers. I believe that if a scientific study were to be done, Asheville would lead the nation in vehicles sporting multiple bumber stickers. Another unique feature of Asheville motorists is many of them have expanded the term bumper, to include any flat portion of the car that adhesive can stick to, up to and occasionally including glass. There is one pick up truck in Asheville that I believe has 0% of its paint showing. The vehicle is completely covered in bumper stickers.
Most bumper stickers in Asheville and elsewhere contain some form of political or social commentary. Most of these stickers make it clear which end of the political spectrum the vehicle owner agrees with. Messages like "I visited Rock City" seems to have almost all been replaced with messages that tend to cause you to want to reply with one of your fingers: either your thumb, or a different one.
There is one sticker though, that I have only seen once, that I really like. I like it because I believe it. I like it because I think it contains tremendous amounts of truth. And what is even better, BOTH, or should I even say all, sides of the political debate think this saying was invented for their side, to be used against the other side.
Here it is: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups". (Now, I realize the term "stupid people" is not politically correct, and its kind of not nice. But we are trying to have a big boy/big girl convesation, so stay with me.)
Does that resonate with you? I think it is brilliant. Simple, and brilliant. If you think Bush was an idiot, this statement probably appeals to you. If you believe Slick Willie succeeded via wit and charm, and checked his brain and judment somewhere in Arkansas, this statement may appeal to you as well. There are literally thousand of applications of the statement in the political realm, regarless of your ideology or political affiliation.
I have never studied psychology, but I do study people. I do not understand why this statement is true, but I believe it is. You put a stupid person in a small group, and if they have a stupid idea, usually that idea is not going to go anywhere. People are more direct in small groups. But you put a stupid person in big group and they shout out a stupid idea, many times the rest of the group is silent. They think if the person has the guts to shout out the idea, in front of all the people, it must be a good idea. They think if I stand up and say its not, and I'm wrong, then I might embarrass myself in front of this big group. Sound familiar? I'll bet you have seen that in action some time. If you are paying attention to the news right now, you might be witnessing it.
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