The NEW America!

There is a well worn saying that goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”.  Does that really mean anything at all?  Basically it seems to promote the idea that all things are the same and nothing ever changes even though we think it does…..which implies we are all living in a fantasy world where we think things are changing and that makes us hopeful; or we are doomed to despair because nothing ever gets any better.  I digress…….

You may ask from what, and since I have not yet hinted what I am writing about, digression is simply a left turn to nowhere.  But I digress…..

Sarah Palin has joined Fox TV.  Are we surprised? (The more things change, the more they stay the same).  A match made in heaven, or wherever.  The vacuous brain comes to rest at the vacuous network where it can vomit forth its vacuous nonsense to be absorbed by its vacuous audience.  How perfect.  What is terrifying is that the vacuous audience is so large.  I grew up thinking that the nation of America was filled with intelligent, literate thinking individuals.  What I have discovered during the past several decades is that I was horribly misinformed.  America is filled with humans with sawdust for brains who only are concerned about things that have no relevance to anything.  Just think about this:

The media and the public has been riveted by comments made by Harry Reid that Obama would succeed because he was light skinned and could turn on his ‘Negro’ dialect when he needed it.  Now there is an important issue to focus on!---Just ask the Fox TV-ites!  Fortunately for all of us, Haiti has turned our attention to more pressing matters, however unfortunate for the Haitians.

Or how about some more ‘sturm and drang’ about how our privacy is being invaded by machines that check for bombs in our underwear!  Now there is an issue that bears some long-winded debate!  I wonder what Sarah Palin thinks about that!  Maybe her Presidential platform will include a plank to ban lead lined jockey shorts and aluminum thongs!

Oh, and let’s not miss the opportunity to dwell on whether Martha Coakley’s victory or defeat in Massachusetts portends whether all of our brilliant insightful citizens will turn the country over to the Republicans again in 2010.  I am sure Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck will spend countless hours analyzing that momentous possibility and characterizing the results of the special election as the ‘Hand of God Almighty spurning the Communist, Marxist, liberal progressives attempt to shackle the poor dumb citizenry with the chains of universal health care reform’!  (What?-- You didn’t realize that Pat Robertson is actually the closet spiritual advisor to the Fox Network….but I digress!)

Ah yes, and they say we are in decline!  How could that possibly be with gurus like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh to guide our misguided thinking.  We must all practice the politics of ‘NO’.  That is the true path to enlightenment and progress.  Our new national motto should be “Two steps backward, one step forward!”

It is time to throw out the old/new corruption in government and return a new/older corrupt government to power!  Now there is change we can believe in!  But I digress……

Sarah Palin for President!!…..or Pope…..or Community Organizer!

Congressional Guts

It is hard to believe, but it looks like the Congress will actually deliver a health care reform bill to the  President’s desk in January, and we can all sing ‘Hallelujah’ that finally we have struck one for the un-lobbied interests and the common folk of America.  All you have to do is look at all the self righteous Republicans, who to a man (or woman) voted against the reform in lock-step with some ideological premise that had them by genitals, issued forth by the health care and pharmaceutical lobby, to recognize the bald face of self interest and immorality.

This action has been a long time coming.  Ted Kennedy and all the other Democrats have been working on this for decades and finally.... finally!, have been able to beat back the naysayers and “Chicken Littles” to the advantage of all Americans.  It ain’t perfect, but it is at least a beginning.  For the first time, we will all have equal treatment by the insurance companies, and the Federal Government will have the ability to control the most egregious abuses.

Finally the Republicans have been rebuffed, and stopped in their two-decade old jihad to create a more fractious and self interested society.  Just look at the vote in the Senate and House.  Not one Republican could find it in their cold, tightly squeezed little hearts to find something good in this effort worth voting for.  Instead their leaders are warning of horrible budget deficits and higher premiums and higher taxes.  How does the party that brought us unregulated banking and the worst economic crisis in 70 years know with such certainty that all that bad stuff is going to sink the ship of state?  They don’t.  Just like they didn’t know in 1993 that Bill Clinton’s tax hike on the richest sliver of American society and tax cut on the poorest and smallest businesses would leave America with a  $559 Billion surplus, and yet they all voted in lock-step against that action too.  In fact that was the beginning of the current vitriolic partisanship that has epitomized this era of Republican self interest and self righteousness, complete with screaming, frothing talk show conservative loudmouths.

Expect the absolute worst from them over the near term, too!

I have a different hope.   I think that this is a good thing for our country if, for no other reason, than we have a chance to see if ‘change we can believe in’ , personified by this action of moral courage by the Democratic Party, can actually be realized.  Let’s give this a chance.  It certainly could not be any worse than what we are living with now!  As Timothy Egan of the New York Times says in an editorial today, “As people get a chance to see what’s actually in the bill, sentiment will shift. Over time, it closes the dreaded doughnut hole, which makes cash-strapped seniors pay for their meds at the point when they are most in hock to Big Pharma. It forces insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. By creating an exchange where people can shop for coverage, the bill seeks to bring care to 31 million additional Americans. And it does all this, according to the independent Congressional Budget Office, by reducing the deficit $132 billion over 10 years.”

What is so terrible about those things?  Just ask a Republican and they will tell you all the things it MIGHT cause.  Like I said before, why should we believe anything they say?  Look where they have led us……

Obama may have bitten off more than he should have with all the difficult issues he is trying to deal with, but let’s give the guy some kudos for having the balls to push on this so that at least we can say we tried to make things better.  And let’s at least give the Democrats the benefit of the doubt for the present, and our admiration for trying to do something in the people’s best interest for a change. 

Let time tell us whether this is a better path.  It is certainly better than no path at all!

Playing the American Taxpayers as Fools!

I swear I think I need to ‘up’ my blood pressure medication!  I read in today’s paper that all the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the bill that just passed yesterday in the House concerning new regulation of the banking industry!  And last week during the debate, they were urging over 100 lobbyists of the financial industries to work harder to defeat the bill!  What are they smoking?

After all we have been through over the last 18 months, which is a direct result of the banks playing fast and loose with money with virtually no regulatory oversight, you would think that at least some of these idiots would agree that there should be some reform in the nation’s banking system.  No!   Instead they fight tooth and nail to preserve a system which could turn on a dime and bring us back to the brink of economic disaster all over again.

Now these morons are telling us that this legislation would limit consumer choices and stunt financial market innovation.  Give me a break!

Financial market innovation and acrobatic financial instruments nearly brought down the banking system, and as far as consumer choices, well excuse me, but do any of you have lots of financial choices now when it comes to mortgages or car loans or credit cards?

As a result of the banking industry’s careless practices and absolute disregard for regulatory controls, we came about as close to a depression as you can get without falling into the abyss.  And now the banks are fighting any kind of reform, maybe because they really liked the billions of dollars they got from taxpayers to bail out their sorry asses, and don’t want us to meddle with that gravy train should they need it again!

I say, “Screw them!”  Put as much control over those greedy bastards as we can.  I want legislation in place that allows the government to split up companies that threaten the economy or just to let them fail if they play loose with our money again, and I want an agency that will oversee consumer banking transactions as well as alert us to shadowy financial practices that risk all our stability and savings.  Aren’t you a little tired of 30% interest rates and vanishing credit lines on your credit cards?

And as far as those imbecile Republican puppets who are working overtime to defeat reform and regulation in our legislative branch of government, remember their names and vote them the hell out of office next November!  In the meantime, yell long and hard at those selfish bastards NOW to back off opposing reform, and start thinking of us instead of themselves!

A Hidden Agenda

I attended a memorial service last night for an acquaintance that I have known for the past several years.  He was a very smart and savvy businessman here in Southwest Florida who was one of those rare people who reads constantly, traveled widely and was a member of a ‘critical thinking’ group here in Naples.  The group would meet once a week and discuss world and national issues and possible solutions to problems we have all been thinking about over the last several years.  I was not a member, but at the service last night I met several of the people who were, and they were people who were not afraid to engage in conversation about anything of import.

I started talking with a man who was perhaps in his mid eighties, and as we remembered my friend, this gentleman revealed that he was very much ‘left’ of center while our friend was clearly ‘right’ of center, but they were good friends nonetheless and could argue energetically without malice.  The reason I relate this to all of you is that we spent the better part of 30 minutes discussing President Obama (who he had strongly supported in last years election) and the speech he was about to make last night.

This man, who I will call Hal, was very concerned that the President was not fulfilling the promise of ‘people mandated‘ change in the country.  Hal said that Obama was having to sacrifice the mandate he had won just to get anything done, which speaks volumes about the process in Washington of getting consensus on anything. 

Now with this moment of decision about troop commitment in Afghanistan, Hal was fearful that we would be drawn into a commitment that no one wanted, but that Obama felt compelled to pursue because of the security issues that demanded continued vigilance against the terrorist threat from abroad.

I started thinking about that, and frankly, I am not as concerned about our ‘security’ as so many on the right seem to be.  Hal agreed.  Then he asked a question that was chilling, “Do you think that perhaps there is a threat that none of us really knows about that has compelled Obama to adjust his thinking?”  I asked him what he meant (already knowing what he was going to say!)
“What do you suppose happened to the 50 or so nuclear warheads that the Russians ‘misplaced’ when the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s?  No one knows where they are.  Suppose there are people who do know where they are and are afraid to let any of us know.”

That is a scary thought.  We have all been told repeatedly that there are controls on those devices and ‘as far as we can tell’ all are still secure. 

Do I really believe that?  Do you? 

Is it possible we feel compelled to pursue this band of rag tag Al Qaeda terrorists because there is a threat out there that no one is talking about publicly?  Hal just looked at me and his face took on a kind of pitiful smirk.  “There are many people who think we are not being told the entire truth about the threat.”

Suddenly, Obama’s position makes a little more sense. 

My own personal view is that we are on a fool’s errand in Afghanistan.  There is no way the  President can guarantee that we will start withdrawing troops in 2011.  Too many variables can disrupt that timetable.  But if there is a hidden agenda that we don’t know about, it might explain his compulsion to pursue this course of action, rather than to be strong enough to disengage and start focusing on nation building in the United States.

Hal looked at me, shook my hand and said, “Nice to meet you!”,  and I was suddenly more concerned than before we had met.

Down Time

I have had no agenda for the past week.  What a relief!  Life is so complicated these days that when you finally get a short spell where you don’t have any responsibility other than to exist and observe the world around you, it presents you with an opportunity to be open and observant.

We drove to Savannah last Sunday, with a stop overnight in Gainesville to see my youngest daughter for dinner.  Just the act of driving away from life’s circumstances releases the heaviness of the present.  I felt unencumbered and light.  All we had to do was talk and plan our week with no real schedule facing us.  We visited Caitlin and I marveled at how she has suddenly grown up!  She is enjoying her independence and is fully engaged in her life at school.  I think I saw her through unencumbered eyes for the first time because all I needed to do was to be with her without an agenda.

We were on our way the next morning to visit my wife’s cousin and watch him do some business in Savannah.  He created and manages a business that shows tour videos in hotels in major vacation cities.  He invited us to tag along with him for a few days while he shot some video, and since we have never explored Savannah, we combined that with a visit to some friends on Hilton Head Island, just a short drive further up the coast.

During our time in Savannah, my wife and I decided to take a city tour on one of the many open-air trolleys in Savannah.  In thirty years of marriage we had never done that.  Having been in the television production business for all those years, we had been to thousands of places working, but never as tourists.  What a new experience!  So for an hour and a half I was just a human blob absorbing everything without having to really concentrate.  As I listened to the tour guide droning on in the background, I dozed on and off and really didn’t care about what I was seeing or hearing.  It was divine!

Having no agenda frees your mind to dream and create possibilities.  That happens too rarely for most of us.  For the idle rich and comfortably retired, I imagine that being in the flow of no real pressure constantly might be boring after a while, but for me, it was a balm for my soul.  I have found myself actually dreaming up solutions to problems I face without concentrating on solving them!  How novel!

Our friends on Hilton Head took us to a Jazz Club last night for dinner and a show and I had the best time I have had in years just because I was unburdened by worries.  My spirit was able to soar with the music and I found myself getting lost in the pure joy of the moment.  I need more of this!  During the day, I had tagged along with my friend as he handled some responsibilities and errands, but I had no obligation to do anything but observe and comment while I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my face as we drove around.  He was dealing with real estate problems and other responsibilities and I knew that none of it concerned me.  How liberating!

Now I sit here on Saturday morning, a week later, wondering how the time evaporated so quickly!  When you have no agenda, everything just flows so easily that you lose track of time completely.  Tomorrow we start the long drive home, and while I long for the comfort of my own bed and the balmy breezes of Naples evenings, I also know that I have a long ‘list’ waiting for me when I get there.

So what do I learn from this, and what message of value can I pass along to you?   Take more vacations!!  It is easy to underestimate their value. 

And if you can’t take more vacations, live your life a little easier. Don’t take it all too seriously.   Remember that we are only here for a short while, and if you don’t find the opportunity to observe the beauty of the world and the loving people around you, none of the rest of your life is worth it!  Even short spells of 'no agenda' re-charge you with new energy, and make facing life's daily challenges somehow less daunting.

Can We Find More Cheese?

I read a wonderful book about 8 years ago called “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson.  It is a short book that is a parable, and an amazing way to look at change in your work and in your life.  It is the story of two mice who find their cheese at the same place every day until one day they don’t!  It just stops appearing outside the mousehole door.

One mouse eventually decides that the cheese has left for good and successfully goes out to discover another source of cheese.  The other mouse insists that if he waits long enough, the cheese will reappear.  Well, guess what?  He patiently waits for the cheese to reappear (which it never does) and he ultimately dies because he cannot bring himself to believe that his cheese is really gone for good.

In life, when your cheese is moved, you have to accept that someone has moved it, and you must search for new cheese.  That is what is happening in our American society today.  Our cheese, (the way we derive our economic sustenance has moved).  Yet many of us believe that if we just wait long enough it will come back.  Sorry folks, not gonna happen!

If we continue to wait for the economic climate to change back to what we had for the last 25 years we are going to ultimately 'starve'.   Change is needed.  Our leaders must look for cheese in another place since it is they who have the power to regulate and change conditions.  And herein lies the biggest problem we face.

The opposition party in today’s political universe is a party that really has no interest in change (looking for more cheese) or actually governing.  The Republican party has been co-opted by extremist voices like Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Glen Beck.  They feed the party base’s frenzy instead of trying to curb or channel it.  They turn obstructionist rather than bi-partisan, so they prevent the administration from actually dealing with the crises that face us.  They oppose regulation of Wall Street; they want to preserve the culture of lobbyist privilege and influence; they preach fear and the paranoia of Socialism, Naziism, and Communism hiding behind the curtains of the Oval Office. 

Elections, as agents of change,  tend to be determined by events and economic conditions rather than rationality. So the possibility of Tea Bagger Republicans winning big in the elections next fall because of the slow pace of change, the rising level of unemployment and the administration’s difficulty dealing with problems that require creative bi-partisan solutions is real.  What will that mean?

"The result would be that the United States would essentially become ungovernable in the middle of an ongoing economic disaster.  The point of all this is that the takeover of the Republican Party by the irrational right is no laughing matter" says Paul Krugman of the New York Times.  When Rush Limbaugh and his ilk made their appearance on the front lines of ‘talk radio’ back in the early 90’s I instinctively knew that they would be bad news for America.  I could never have imagined their present prominence, however, or their twisted arguments trying to stop positive change in its tracks.

The mice who believe the cheese will reappear if they just wait long enough may succeed in shackling the mice who are trying to find the new cheese to the front door of the mousehole!

What's So Bad About Universal Health Care?

Last night I happened to be channel cruising on my cable system and dropped into Michael Moore’s documentary “SICKO”, examining America's health care crisis.  I had heard a lot about it over the past year or two but never had the opportunity to view it.

RENT IT OR SEE IT SOMEHOW!!

It is classic Michael Moore in terms of his hyperbolic yet understated reaction to what he finds when he explores the health care systems of Canada, the UK, and France, and then compares those systems to what we have here in the US, but the people he meets and the stories they tell will give you a sense of shame and anger that will remain with you for a long time.

God Bless him, he goes to all these countries and walks the halls of the hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices, and actually talks (in more than 30 second sound bites) to real people who participate in these systems—both health care workers and patients.  He holds round-table discussions with expatriated Americans who live in these countries and who have experienced both systems as well as native born citizens in each country.

The picture that emerges is shocking, really.  All the myths that health industry lobbyists would have you believe regarding long waits and citizen dissatisfaction are just that – myths.  I am sure that some people are unhappy with some things, no system is perfect.  That is endemic to any bureaucracy.  But the picture that emerges of the lives of people who are not always thinking about being bankrupted by medical costs will give you pause……they seem so…..relaxed!   They all seem content with the health care systems in their own countries, and are amused and sympathetic with our preoccupation with cost; and horrified with the lack of readily available care, both critical and preventative, that  we experience here in America.  I guess you would expect as much from a Michael Moore documentary.

But, if you listen closely and really ponder the difference between what you see on the screen and how we all feel about the care we get here in the US, you will be so disgusted and shamed by what you see and hear that you will want to call your representatives in Congress and tell them to get off their fat asses and just change the system!  The tales of despair and downright neglect for our people are ….overwhelming!

I am left with the images of desperate economically underprivileged people  remaining sick and  no one caring about them.  I see case after case of middle class and working class citizens bankrupt or unable to get needed treatment because insurance companies deny them coverage or benefits.

And by the way, how come anyone over 65 in our country is not desperate when it comes to things medical?  Could it be that Medicare takes the worry out of getting care?  Omigod, does that mean we are socialists at heart??  A universal health care system for old people?  What about the rest of us???

I am not preaching socialism here, I am preaching humanism and morality for God’s sake!  Look at the statistics!  Our rankings in the international community for life expectancy, mortality, infant mortality and illness among the population fall lower than 30th place in all cases!

These are facts!  We don’t care about our population!  Money is the driving force behind health care in this country.  Private hospitals deny care to people who can’t pay, and are content to see people die in their emergency rooms waiting for transport to public hospitals!  Insurance companies are only concerned with how much money they can squeeze out of their enrollees and not what care they actually need.  There is no focus on preventative care here in America, while in other societies there is a constant preoccupation with preventative measures.

Wake up everyone!  We don’t have it so good here!  Our priorities are not right!  Watch this documentary and you decide, but watch it you must!  And then, for all our sakes, take some kind of action!  Before it is too late......

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