No End to Government Excess

So I am finally going to tackle at least part of government excess.  There are so many different areas where government is wasteful that I could not physically or for that matter psychologically cover them all in one post.  For one, the post would probably be about 15 pages long and bore anyone reading it to death, and after contemplating the enormous amount of money that is wasted each year, my head might just literally fall off.  So to start off with, lets just tackle pork barrel spending, the process by which our elected representatives circumvent the normal budgetary process to squeeze extra money into the budget for their own wasteful projects.  Where does this extra money come from?  Our pockets.  All the information I am about to list here can be found on the following website:  Citizens Agains Government Waste.  For last year, 2010, there were 9,129 projects porked through at the taxpayers expense of $16.5 billion dollars.  Now, believe it or not, this is around a 10% decrease from 2009.  A couple of the most ridiculous projects are as follows:  Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia requested and received $7 million for the (you guessed it) Robert C. Byrd Institute of Advanced Flexible Manufacturing Systems.   Really?  Another project that $3.5 million was requested for and received funding from 3 senators in Kansas was for the National Institute for Aviation Research.  There are 9,129 of these projects spread out across the country.  Yet no taxpayer ever hears of it because it is never technically part of the budget, it is simply a byline that is added in after the fact to make sure the funding is received.  (I am dead serious, all of this information can be viewed on the aforementioned website in detail)  Since I am from Connecticut, I will share just a few statistics from this state.  Luckily, we are stuck at number 25 on the list recieving $115,613,800 dollars from our taxpayers.  One of the projects that blew my mind was the $800,000 that was requested and received for Hemostatic Combat Gauze.  Where is our representative's accountability.  If they actually held a job at a corporation that could fire them, they wouldn't last a freaking day.  Yet through our process, they remain in office for the given time and only come election time do they actually start making their promises again.  They claim that all of this money goes to creat jobs and fund important research.  ($800,000 for hemostatic combat gauze? Come on.)  The reality of the situation is, the state is already receiving money to fund the creation of jobs in the normal budget, these are excesses above and beyond what is normally appropriated.  The unfortunate part of this whole problem is, that in order to get these pork spenders out of office, you need to get enough people to vote them out.  And unfortunately, the majority of the population is apathetic when it comes to voting so these politicians remain in office, often times far longer than they should be.  In order to truly make a difference, we all need to get out and vote, make these politicians realize that they will answer for whatever actions they take on behalf of their constituents.  As it is right now, we only complain around election time.  If we voiced our complaints continuously throughout their term, then maybe they would start to listen.  The Tea Party started this process, but many of the politicians they put into office are carelessly cutting.  There needs to be a balance.  There does need to be excessive cutting, but more thought needs to go into the overall impact of what is actually being cut.  Is it an easy process?  No, but with enough constituent oversight and intervention, maybe We the People, could actually take back our government and reign in their extensive power and spending.  Well, the overall issue is really getting people out to vote.  The movement has started, but is not gone nearly far enough.  We need to continue headstrong until we see results that we are truly happy with, not results that we can live with, because I guarantee that if we just deal or live with the concessions, as soon as we turn our backs, the spending will jump right up again.  So the next time you have the opportunity to vote, get up off your arse and into a voting booth or don't complain when the government takes more money out of your pocket.  Next time on the blog, the scary divorce rate in this country.  You know what though, despite all of this, I had a great day.

Women's Rights

So I  know I just posted a few hours ago, but I have since been reading the news and feel the need to weigh in on a topic that is currently being heatedly debated in the government.  It regards the drastic cuts that would affect women, especially those in low-income families.  These cuts would affect funding for pre-natal nutrition and contraceptives amongst others.  These are the two areas I will focus on now.  First, pre-natal nutrition.  For low income families, it is imperative that they be able to receive assistance in both availability to nutritional supplements that could greatly improve the probability of a successful birth of a child and also general knowledge about how to prepare and successfully carry a child through pregnancy to birth.  For those who are well off this may not seem like a big issue, but low-income families are not able to afford the nutrients or the educational material necessary to successfully care for an unborn child.  Often times, they are also not able to pay for the basic healthy foods that a lot of us take for granted.  The fresh vegetables and produce that we buy at the supermarkets are more expensive than the pre-packaged variety and are often circumvented by those with less money to spend on food.  Cutting funding for programs that assist low-income families dealing with a pregnancy would greatly increase the frequency of children born with nutrient deficiencies and low weight greatly affecting their prospects of a healthy life.  Now lets move on to the issue of contraceptives, an even more heated topic.  In an editorial article in the NYTimes ( War on Women ), it is said that through these cuts, unintended pregnancies would rise resulting in 400,000 more abortions a year.  Now, contraceptives have been around for a long time, but personally, I do not believe that it should be the governments role to assist in providing for them.   An unintended pregnancy is just that, an unintended pregnancy, not an excuse to have an abortion.  An abortion is simply a way for women to excuse themselves from any responsibility for their actions.   If there is no way for a man to dissolve himself from any responsibility of an unintended pregnancy (child support), why should there be that option for women?  This boils down to the fact that our society increasingly offers alternatives to not take responsibility for our actions, be it woman or man.  If a man and women decide to have sex, they should be aware that one of the possibilities is creating a child.  When an unintended pregnancy occurs, a good number of women flee immediately for the day after pill or an abortion.   You knew it was a possibility, deal with it.  We could go on to discuss the fact that there are a number of scientists and women/men who say that a fetus is not a human.  Since when?  I have not heard of one case in human history where a pregnant woman gave birth to a monkey or a dolphin.  Every human pregnancy results in the birth of a human, period.  So yes, I have strong feelings on this topic, but it boils down to the fact that women should have the availability to resources to assist with bringing a pregnancy to full term, not eliminating responsibility for their actions.  I think I am done for now.  Till next time, lets all take think before we act and realize the consequences of what we are engaging in, regardless of what that act is.

We are all Human

So for now I will defer the topic of government excesses and instead focus on a real solution that I have alluded to before.  Before I get into it, I know that I have talked about holding people accountable for what they have done, looking at the origins of problems, and trying to figure these things out.  The most important thing that we must remember in trying to resolve any problem is that everyone we deal with is human.  Whether it be our neighbor, the corporate executive, the despot in the Middle East (Qadaffi), or the pirates in Somalia.  Regardless of how misguided people can be, we are all human; full of emotions, shortcomings, brilliant ideas, and the capacity to love.  Now you may ask, "How can you call Qadaffi human, hundreds of people are being murdered at his command?"  Well, regardless of what he has done or is doing, he is still a human being and as much as I would like to judge him, it is not my place to do so.  If I saw him face to face, would I have trouble treating him as an equal?  Yes, I would have an extremely difficult time doing so.  But you know what, he is a human that is misguided and in my mind broken, detached from love and emotion except where it suits him in regards to his family.  Perhaps the best way to approach others as equals is to deal with them in the present moment.  If we strip away the past and future, the very causes of anxiety, anger, depression, stress, and rage; then perhaps we can see these people for who they truly are.  If we dwell on the past, we can all to easily get caught up in anger at what was done, a sense of entitlement, and an overwhelming desire to make others pay.  If we get caught up in these emotions, they all to often grab hold of our minds like a vice and will not let go, blinding us to the humanity of others and forcing us to look at them  more like objects or animals to act upon rather than humans to communicate with.  (Am I being slightly hipocritical here in regards to what I have said in earlier posts, yes, because I also get caught in the trap of dwelling in the past).  As sappy as this may sound, maybe we should take a lesson from the 60's and the "hippies" who dealt in the present and relied on love and peace to make a difference.  You know what, it worked.  Look at the recent protests in Egypt which for the most part began and ended peacefully (although there was some rock throwing and beating involved).  The end result, communication between people (highly religious and highly intellectual) who before would never have even met face to face to have a discussion.  Dealing in the past will strip us of our capacity to love and will hinder any human progress.  It seems that more and more, we as a human population are diminishing our capacity to love.  Just look at the world today.   Lets look at what happens when we look to the future.  (Again, I have fallen into this trap in my posts as well).  When we look at our economy and where it is going, what happens?  I know I get stressed and anxious as to how things will turn out, how my family and I will make it, and how this will affect our children being born today.  In the overall scheme of things, does this really matter?  Not really.  If you woke up this morning, opened your eyes and took a breath, then you are ok.  Today is all that matters.  If we dwell in the future, our minds spin a web of anxiousness and stress, spiraling ever downwards and possibly leading to depression.  What is the use. If we spin this web, we then look to medications and doctors to fix them when they will do nothing unless we draw our minds back to the present.   If we are alive today, then we should be greatful for it.  If we all lived every moment like it was our last, our lives would garner so much more meaning.  In the present we are capable of loving those around us, we can see people for who they truly are; not monsters of the past or villians of the future, but humans struggling just as we do.  So what am I trying to say.  Well, we can not change the past, what is done is done and dwelling on it will not change anything.  The future does not exist, the only reason it will come to pass is by living today.  The future is based on what happens today.  As the cliche goes, the present is exactly that, a "present" for us to live.  If we live and love today, then maybe and only maybe can we do the same tomorrow.  Start today by kissing your loved ones, don't dwell on what they did yesterday or how it will affect tomorrow.  Live for the moment and live this quote "Carpe diem", sieze the day!

Modern Day Robin Hood

Its no secret that while the rich are getting richer, the poor and struggling are stagnating or getting poorer.  The rich, those generally running large corporations, elite athletes, rock and movie stars seem to increase the amount of money they earn every year.  And yet while the cost of living increases every year, due to rising oil, food, and product prices, everyone other than the rich seems to either have their wages or benefits reduced, or they get layed off altogether so that the rich don't see a decrease in their corporations bottom line which directly effects their profits.  This is not just a U.S. phenomenon, it is occurring worldwide.  If you need evidence of this fact, just take a look at the NYtimes Style magazine which is loaded with multiple page ads ( NYTimes Style ) of superfluous dresses some costing more than a low income family makes in a year.  How is this in touch with reality.  In addition, take a look back a few years ago at the bonuses that corporate executives were receiving and still are for essentially running a corporation into the ground to the point where American taxpayers had to help them out ( Executive Bonuses ).  What we need is someone who can stand up to these despicable persons and even out the playing ground.  Does it take a very knowledgeable person to run an enormous corporation?  Absolutely.  Should they be making more than others? Absolutely.  But they should not be receiving or basically giving themselves this extra money which could support hundreds of low-income families.  Their base pay should also be lowered and it should reflect the current economic climate.  Unfortunately, there is no one who is willing to take a stand against the Goliaths of the coroporate world.  Some try, but they are inevitably beaten down again and again and again.  Part of the problem is that the ones who are trying to fight them also make a lot more money than the average American does so when it is pointed out that they will also be receiving less they say, "Wait, I don't want to make less money, lets just keep things the way they are."  So despite efforts to increase taxes on the super wealthy, nothing seems to get done.  Hence our need for a modern day Robin Hood, someone who is not afraid to be villified by the wealthy and stay the ground till the income gap is shrunk.  Since increase income taxes on the wealthy do not seem to have that big of an effect, lets look at other alternatives (not stealing as the reference to Robin Hood suggests).  One idea that could work would be a flat tax on all products across the board of 27-30%.  This could work in theory, but might not have the effect desired.  Another option ( Fairer Tax ) is to tax lower priced items less (like a Toyota Camry) and higher priced items more (like a Ferrari).  This last idea would in essence force the wealthy who could afford a Ferrari to shell out more of their money to acquire it (because lets be honest, they don't want to be seen driving a Camry or Saturn around).  But there really is no straight answer.  It seems that whatever plan we come up with, the wealthy will find a way to circumvent it.  Someone needs to make them accountable for their excessive incomes.  I have worked for some of these people and some of the houses they live in are ten times the size of my 1200 sq. ft. home, their bedrooms sometimes equaling the first floor of my house.  To me it is just a little excessive (yes I have a sarcastic streak).  If someone has the guts to stand up to these people with a plan that can actually work, now is the time to step up to the plate.  Next time, we will go into the excesses of government and wasteful spending.  (Seems to be a hot topic these days).  But still, say hi to your neighbor and see if they need a hand.

Making a Difference

So since I started this blog about a week ago, I have been debating whether or not I want to have Google put ads on my blog page.  Originally I was against it thinking that it would be the proverbial "sell out".  But since then and after much deliberation, I have decided that I could use the ads as a way to make a difference.  I have talked much about making a difference in our own lives and by thus doing so can then turn outwards towards our community to make a difference.  I myself have dedicated a couple of hours every thursday to volunteer at a soup kitchen in New Haven, feeding the homeless.  This past thursday was a utterly moving experience.  At around 530, the main lady in charge opened the door and the homeless filed in, forming a line before the counter waiting for food.  She then went over the schedule for the week and invited one of them to say a blessing before eating.  A small little lady, little bits of gray stubble speckling her face, adorned on top by a worn wool cap, shot her hand up and immediately started her blessing.  With a suprisingly resonant voice, she was profusely thankful for all the volunteers there, thankful for the food that was donated, thankful simply for the fact that she would have a meal to eat, and expressed concern for all those who could not be there that night.  I was on the verge of tears by the time she ended her blessing, realizing how blessed I was to have a home to sleep in and a warm meal every evening to sustain myself.  Who knows how often these people get a warm place to sleep or a consistent meal.  In any case, I have decided to set up a food drive to bring more food in and to try and help even more.  How does this relate to putting ads on my blog page?  Well, 65 cents of every dollar earned from this page will go towards this soup kitchen.  If I raise enough through the ads, in addition to helping fund the soup kitchen, I will then put the extra money towards the homeless shelters in New Haven, either to help make improvements or simply to provide extra bedding and clothes.  And to be perfectly honest, the other 35 cents will go to myself.  I believe in complete transparency and at the end of the month of March, I will provide a full report of the earnings so the readers of my blog can see what was generated.  Now, I know at times, I will touch on controversial issues in this blog, some depressing, some uplifting, but it will reflect what is going on in the world.  The ads should be up within a few days and I hope that you urge your friends to view my blog and generate some money for the needy.  Together we can make a difference.  Lets step up, step out of comfort zones, and make a change. 

Unions and our Economy

Unions, whether you or for them or against them, have incited much anger recently.  The self-employed or those who are not members of a union have suffered tremendously over the past few years.  Economies all over the world have languished, sunk into recession, and are struggling to creep their way out.  Part of this problem (and only part) is the unions role, especially in the public sector of maintaining the status quo of pre-recession economics.  Before the recession hit hard, almost everyone had a pension, yearly salary increases, and assistance in paying for medical benefits.  Currently, those who were employed without a union suffered pay-cuts, pension roll backs, and some lost their medical benefits entirely.  Yet if you look at union based jobs, they have not suffered nearly as much, forcing tax-payers to shoulder the expense, especially that of teachers, police, and fire-fighters.  So while they maintain their current salaries and benefits, (which states budgets across the country have proven are unsustainable) the rest of us with less money are forced to shell out more.  How does this make sense?  Now at one point, unions were a necessity.  People were grossly underpayed by their employers and taken advantage of.  This was close to a hundred years ago.  I would like to think that we have made some improvements along the way in terms of labor reform and fair pay scales.  Yet pay scales and benefits should reflect our current economic situation and they do not.  Now what I am about to say is probably going to anger a lot of people including some within my own family, but you know what, it needs to be said, and people need to realize it.  Let us start with fire-fighters and police.  They hold high risk jobs, I will not deny, but they work far fewer years than almost anyone else and receive lucrative benefits once they retire.  How about talking to someone who is working at Walmart making minimum wage and will have to work till they can't stand anymore in order to receive a paltry pension, if they receive one at all.  You make the comparison.  These jobs are a necessity, (police and fire-fighters) are a necessity to be sure, but they are currently unfairly compensated in relation to the rest of the population.  Now lets jump to teachers.  One of my biggest issues, amongst others, is tenure.  Tenure is the process by which after working for a certain number of years, a teacher can not be fired unless they sexually assault a child, commit some grave crime within the school or in public, or unless a 3" binder full of complaints is compiled against them.  Not doing their job well does not fall under this criterion.  There are teachers still currently working who are so out of touch with reality, past their prime, barely teaching students, who can not be fired.  If someone working for a fortune 500 company slacks off even a little bit, they are fired without a second thought because there are plenty of replacements.  How come teachers are immune to this.  One idea being circulated is merit-based pay.  This is an idea that is grounded in reality and could increase the quality of teachers at public schools while reducing costs.  Yet teachers' unions are fighting it.  Why, because they are opposed to changing with the times.  Lets move on to government and their pension funds.  (This I know will anger someone in my family).  There are a slew of government employees who after working for 20-30 years can retire before the national retirement age and make more from their pensions than 3 low-income families combined.  Yet this pension falls on the shoulders of the taxpayers including those low-income families.  For the majority of us, we must diligently save our money throughout our life, investing strategically, if we want to be able to stop working at some point.  That is, if we have excess money to put away we can do this.  There are millions of people out there who currently make barely enough to pay their mortgage, pay for utilities, and feed their children.  Yet public-sector unions keep fighting to maintain current salaries and benefits, totally disregarding our current economic plight.  Since I am from CT, I will provide a small example of the excessive burden each family would have if the government was forced pay pension liabilites and health care benefits all at once.  The amount that each family would have to pay exceeds $30,000 dollars.  NYTimes Magazine Graph Unions are an entrenched and powerful part of our society, a relic of a bygone era, and in dire need of restructuring.  Unions, especially their presidents and advocates need to be held accountable, yet they are currently untouchable.  No matter how we try, unions will not go away.  Maybe they shouldn't go away entirely, but their influence and power needs to be diminished greatly if we are to avoid an even more dire economic landscape in the future.  If you read my profile, I am self employed and thus I am admittedly biased as anyone in a similar position would be.  Everyone, and I mean everyone needs to take more responsibility, especially fiscally, if we are going to get ourselves out of this recession.  If the current situation in states across the U.S. remains unchecked and austerity measures are not implemented, then the recession we are creeping out of will seem like paradise compared to what will come in the future.  Unions need to be scaled back, and that goes for government as well (which is a whole other topic to be discussed), and unless we can figure out collectively how to do this, we will have issues in our future.  Until next time, look at your own finances and put a little more money away.

Technology, Innovation, and Spaceports

I just recently read an article on a spaceport that is being built in New Mexico.  The only reason I came across it is because it is currently related to our economic situation in this country.  It appears that after years of recieving public support from the taxpayers of NM, the governor is now trying to privatize it and remove it from the taxpayers influence and funding.  This is the type of project that our country and others needs to invest more resources in.  During the boom of space exploration during the 50's and 60's, we as a country were united behind a specific goal to reach the moon.  We got there and in the process developed some of the greatest technology of the past century, velcro, plastics, food preservation, etc.  Since then, funding has languished as has our spirit of innovation and creativity.  There was a time, stemming from the moment this country was created, when we were a bastion of creativity and innovation, pumping out the light bulb, record player, motion pictures, the modern automobile and assembly line.  We have since stagnated, reliquishing funding for such projects and instead delegating it towards military conquests and medicinal research.  While we have reached some breakthroughs in these fields, they pale in comparison to what was achieved prior.  Instead of focusing our resources towards new technology and innovations, whether they be green technologies or outright beneficial inventions, we instead consistently send the money overseas to be spent on military efforts (most of which result in excessive collateral damage) and countries we deem to be allies (look at the 2 billion we send annually to Pakistan).  We need to focus instead on projects such as the spaceport in NM.  This project could represent a new frontier in space exploration and innovation.  Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic are already promising space flights out of the spaceport in NM.  Will they be expensive at first?  Absolutely with the price around 200K for a 4 hour flight.  But as with all technologies, the more it improves, the cheaper it will become.  I am fervent advocate of space exploration; one reason being our current rate of population growth in the world.  If we proceed at our given rate of growth without improvements in the technology of growing food and sustaining our population, we will exceed our resources.  We will need alternatives and we are not investing enough time or money in finding what will work best.  The international space station receives very little attention these days and is growing more obsolete by the day.  Yet we continue to waste our money on killing others or trying to eek out the last available resources from our fragile planet.  (Is there any real difference between us invading countries and killing their citizens or Qadaffi killing his own?)  We need to join together, pool our remaining resources, and rejuvate the spirit of discovery and exploring new frontiers.  Without doing this, we will be doomed to failure and all the innovations of the past will have been for naught.  Take a stand against this waste of money, after all, our tax dollars go towards funding it.  If we don't, then we only have ourselves to blame.  Until next time, waste a little less and lets get ourselves back on track. 

What has Qadaffi done?

The past few months have been filled news from the Middle East and northern Africa of protests, ousted leaders, and general discontent among these country's populations.  Perhaps the worst news, occurring over the past few weeks, has emanated from Libya, a rogue state bordering the Meditteranean.  For all those who are unaware, Libya was officially formed by Qadaffi after a bloodless coup over forty years ago, the monarchy was abolished, and a supposed direct democracy (rule by population) was put into place.  From the get-go, the system was flawed.  Qadaffi's government maintained control of the major businesses allowing some private ownership of smaller corporations.  In addition, he nationalized the petroleum industry allowing himself and his family fill their coffers with $60 billion.  Now to me, a direct democracy should have direct influence from the people in forming a constitution, and building the government.  Yet Qadaffi did most of this himself.  In addition, his little "Green Book", (technically a constitution based on socialism) is what led the governing in the country.  Why go through this history lesson?  Well, it all feeds in to who he is and how he came to where he is today; a violent, radical despot seeking to maintain his power and coffers.  Today, the only area that he has true control of in the country is Tripoli, and even that is being shaken.  His military was never formalized, and he has his own personal retinue of guards numbering about 3000 to protect him.  If his country were a true direct democracy, the people would have the power to remove him peacefully from his place of power and build a government based on their desires.  As we see, his democracy is in theory only, not actuality.  There are many ways to go about assessing him and his stance, but if we look throuhout history, anyone who remains in power without the popular support of the people is doomed to fail.  Also, oil and money have a funny way of corrupting people.  If he were to truly follow his Green Book of socialist ideas, (I must admit I have not read it and am only going off the idea of socialism), then the money gained from the petroleum industry in the country would flow to all the people, supporting an overall increase in the economy and quality of life.  Yet as we see today, this has not happened.  Why does he want to stay in power, because the petroleum industry is incredibly lucrative, especially with an ever growing world-wide population and an increased need for the fossil fuel.  Stepping down out of power would mean to a certain extent, giving up the money he makes.  In essence, the money has gone to his head.  Now to the killings.  This is not the first time where he has killed his own countrymen.  Decades ago, a large number of Libyans dissented and left the country.  What did he do, he sent out kill-squads to hunt them down and kill them abroad.  Now he is perpetrating the same agenda within his own country.  Anyone who does not emphatically support him dies by the hand of foreign mercenaries, part of his ad-hoc military.  How can he not see the the numbers of mercenaries are far out numbered by the population of his country, increasingly turning their backs on him in support of his removal.  It is time for Qadaffi to go.  He may not see, but the rest of the world certainly does.  He is yet another examply of a disassociated despot seeking to keep the money flowing to his pockets.  If he had actually worked on building his country and economy instead of filling his family's pockets with billions of dollars, there would be no protests in Libya.  But alas, money and oil are steeped in corruption and can turn people into mindless autocrats focused on one thing, producing more oil and making more money.  Support the people in your country, provide for the poor, and things would be a hell of a lot better than they are now.   For now, short of invading his country and solving their problems through violence, which as we have seen in the past only leads to more entrenched, corrupt leaders, lets focus on the oil giants at home.  Perhaps if they took some of their billions and supported the poor or maybe even focused the money on innovation and creativity in renewable sources of energy, our economy would be a little better off.  Till tomorrow when the topic will be a surprise, lets just make it through the day with a smile on our faces.

Piracy on the High Seas

Last Friday, an American couple on the journey of their lifetime, sailing around the world, had their 58' vessel hijacked by Somali pirates of the cost of Oman.  A few days ago, after attempted negotiations between U.S. navy vessels and the pirated yacht, the couple along with 2 others were killed.  We can all speculate why this happened, what could have been done to prevent this, but the truth is, none of us were there and the reports are varied.  Thats the news. Now, Somalia has been without a government since 1991 after civil war broke out.  Of course the U.S. played a role in this.  Lets jump back even a little bit farther to 1986 when 4 major oil companies secured contracts with the pro-U.S. government there to explore for oil and establish what would essentially be a new oil-based economy.  Up until the civil war broke out, the U.S. had been sending what they claimed to be humanitarian aid to the country in an attempt to help the poor starving citizens there.  As always with the U.S., it is never just about the humanitarian aspect.  Included in almost every humanitarian effort by our government is the desire to bring regional stability (reduce the prospect of terrorism) and increase the possiblity of financial exploitation.  There was no effort made to assist the government and its people to develop the oil fields on their own and possibly bring financial prosperity to their country.  All the major oil companies were foreign investors seeking to reap massive profits.  Now the oil fields were never expected to be as lucrative as those in Saudi Arabia or other countries in that region.  Perhaps that is part of the reason that when things went south (anybody remember Black Hawk Down?) we decided to cut our losses and remove ourselves from the conflict.  In Kuwait we made a much more concerted effort to protect much larger oil fields in a much smaller country.  Somalia is not as strategically important for the U.S. government as any of the Middle Eastern countries.  When we left, there was no strategic plan to develop democracy in the country or ensure the safety and welfare of its people, a true humanitarian effort.  As the country sank into anarchy over the ensuing decades, the warlords in control of their specific regions within the country profited leaving the majority of the population (unless closely affiliated with the warlords) to suffer immensely.  Lets jump ahead now to the present and the preceding years.  Somalia today has no effective economy per se, food is lacking, and overall morale is at a all time low.  Enter piracy.  At this point, I am going to do something drastic and take the point of view of the pirates and their situation.  Logically speaking, if there is no central government, no money flowing anywhere within the country, and the population generally left to fend for themselves; can we honestly say that we could expect this not to happen? If every avenue to build a life has been shut down and no one wants to help you, what recourse is there except to turn to force, piracy in this case, to build a life.  The majority of the people taken hostage by Somali pirates are treated well (given their circumstances) and held only for ransom.  The ships that are taken by the pirates hold no economic value to them with a non-existent economy.  The only means of making money that they have is to ransom these hostages for millions of dollars.  Given their circumstances, they have set up a brilliant system of making money.  Now let me state that in no way what so ever do I condone their actions or support them, but from their point of view there is no other way.  Have some people been killled?  Yes, but the current number of people being held, now close to 800, are treated well.   Why? because they are the only source of income that these people have.  It is a tragedy for the families of the people killed and I will not speculate as to what happened and why it turned out as it did.  But let me say this, violence begets violence.  If we, (meaning the U.S. navy)  enter into a situation expecting things to turn violent, then they often times will.  If you look at the times when people were killed in these pirate negotiations, most times, the violence was started by those trying to rescue the hostages.  In the most recent case, this doesn't seem to hold true, but for the most part it does.  Countries can discuss all the ways to "combat" piracy in the region that they want, but if there is really going to be a difference made, it must start again with the people in the country, humanitarian aid, and a concerted effort by our governments to actually deal one-on-one with these warlords to create a sustainable economy based not on oil, (unless they themselves are in control) but on the creativity of the people within that country.  Violence never inspires creativity, it stifles it, shoving it under the mat until peace comes returns.  Why do you think that our country itself has had its own innovations and creativity stifled?  It most likely stems from the fact that we pump billions of dollars into supporting foreign wars.  But alas, lets start by bringing a little peace into our own lives.  When that person driving next to you cuts you off, don't flip them off, take your foot off the gas and take a deep breath.  Life is too short to be angry.  Discussion tomorrow will remain in the African region, migrating to Libya and their despot Qadaffi.

Wedding Bliss or Financial Ruin?

What has happened to the idea of marriage?  These days, the so called fairy tale wedding has been transformed into an every day occurence, at the expense of parents or those getting married.  A "fairy tale wedding" should be just that, a fairy tale, something every girl should wish for, but something that only a few attain.  It seems that these days, weddings have become more about the glitz and the glamour than about the love between two people and their desire to spend the rest of their lives with each other.  A wedding day is just that, one solitary day signifying the beginning of the rest of the lives of two people.  Now why am I talking about weddings.  Well, the other day at work I heard a few mothers and a daughter going over the daughter's wedding registry.  Their discussion vacillated between the right color to request for a KitchenAid mixer, the size of the mixing bowl, the the attachments, and where to register for it.  Sporadically through the conversation, attention was brought to the huge diamond ring affixed to the young lady's finger and how often she would have to clean it.  Am I crazy, or has the American psyche gone past love to the objects supposedly representing love.  Not only are guests expected to donate money to the couple to help pay for the wedding (which in most cases it never does), but (as I heard the other day) people are expected to want to buy them gifts in addition.  These don't even begin to factor in the expenses of the wedding itself.  Now, the average wedding costs between 50 and 70 thousand dollars.  For one day.  Not two or three, ONE!  This is more than the majority of Americans make in a single year.  Hence the fairy tale wedding being ingrained as ordinary upon the young women of this country.  Does everyone want this?  Not necessarily.  Can everyone afford this? Most can't, at least not without taking out a second mortgage on a house or taking out massive loans, thus incurring more debt.  Now what happens to a couple who has to pay for this themselves.  In addition to probably paying for a house, they now have this extra burden which they will end up paying for for the next 20-30 years.  It seems the American wedding seems to be more about impressing others (the 200-300 guests in attendance) than about the actual ceremony itself.  Such a small percentage of the money spent on a wedding actually goes towards the ceremony itself.  If it is held in a church, most churches ask simply for a donation or some small fee for having it held there.  This begs the question, Why?  I for one do not have the answer, but if someone could enlighten me on the reason, I would greatly appreciate it.  Every time I try to wrap my head around this issue, my head starts spinning violently to the point where I think it might explode.  Lets also factor in to this issue a smidge of negativity.  The divorce rate in the U.S. is at or above 50%.  If all this money is spent on one day and the couple ends up going their separate ways, what is the point?  And what ever happened to upholding vows and promises.  People pay lip service to the notion of marriage knowing that at the first sign of marital strife, instead of working through the differences, they can hire a lawyer, split the difference, and go their separate ways.  Where am I going with this whole tirade?  I guess I am suggesting that instead of getting married simply for ceremony and party afterwards, people should make sure that they are getting involved with someone that they are compatible with and capable of loving deeply for the rest of their lives, through the good times AND the bad, through health AND sickness.  Love should be the center of marriage, not the dress, flowers, place settings, guests, locale, DJ, etc. etc. etc.  Lets also throw in a little fiscal responsibility and maybe, just maybe people will be a little bit happier and the divorce rate in this country will go down.  (I sincerely hope I did not offend anyone, and if I did, I apologize).  Till next time when I will discuss piracy on the high seas, (I am about to wax romantic here) look deeply into the eyes of the one you love, actually tell them that you love them, and give them a kiss.

Fat Monkeys (No Joke)

So I recently read an article on obesity and what the pharmaceutical industry is doing to try and combat it.  In addition to manufacturing hundreds of drugs to "assist" with weight loss, diabetes, and cholestorol, they are no fattening up monkeys to try and figure out what the real problem is.  Across the country, Oregon, Florida, Arizona, there are thousands of monkeys essentially sitting in solitary confinement being fattened up so they can be dissected to see the effects of excess weight on the brain and heart and also to test new weight loss drugs.  While the fact that this is being done to them is troubling enough, I would like to focus more on the reason this is being done to them; to test new drugs and "figure out" what essentially causes them to get fat.  As one commenter in the article stated, all you need to do is go park your car in front of a McDonald's to figure out why people are getting fat.  I agree, why people get fat is no real puzzle.  An increasing majority of our population (sound familiar) is leading a sedentary lifestyle, venturing out into the world only when they have to, and the rest of the time, either sitting in front of their TV or computer, munching away on processed foods full of chemical preservatives.  There used to be a time in our country when young children couldn't be pulled away from the great outdoors, now they (including adults) can't be pulled away from their TV's, video games, computers, ipads, etc.  We have essentially built our own solitary confinement chambers in our houses with one main path from the refrigerator to the TV/computer.  There was also a time when family's used to grow their own vegetables.  Now, we do lead busier lives so growing your own vegetables is not a feasible alternative for everyone, but getting fresh produce from the grocery store is.  If we stuck to the outer ring of the supermarket where all the fresh produce, meats, and dairy products are, we could start to chip away at the obesity epidemic currently plaguing our country.  Instead, a majority of the population goes for the pre-cut, pre-packaged, prepared meals lingering in the center of the grocery store.  And when that causes an increase in cholestorol, diabetes, and a slew of other health problems, they turn to the pharmaceutical industry for help instead of their own to legs (you know, doing that whole "walking" and "exercise" thing).  If we went by the standards of the pharmaceutical industry, they would have us believe that the healthiest person on earth would be the one taking the most medications.  Is this really the case?  No.  Most often, the people on the most medications are the ones with the most serious health problems because medications essentially mask the underlying problem.  And when a new problem arises, either from complications with the medication or something else, a new med is prescribed.  Has any one taking these medications listened to the warnings on TV; numbnessm, vomiting,  blurred vision, dizziness, liver failure, stroke, heart palpitations, death?   Why would anyone in their right mind put these meds through their body.  Lets keep in mind that they pharmaceutical industry is an industry like any other, they are their to make money.  If you need evidence for this fact, talk to the hundreds of doctors who receive stipends for pushing certain meds on their patients.  I know this may seem overbearing, but lets tie this in to my other posts a little.  The capacity lies within each of us to take care of ourselves without medications.  Is it easy? No.  But you know what, life isn't easy yet we keep on living every day.  Lets take responsibility for what we do to ourselves and make an effort to fix it ourselves without putting money into the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry.  Quite often, people complain that medications are so expensive.  Damn right they are!  They are more expensive than the fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store.  Do the math yourself and see if you could financially sustain yourself on a diet of processed foods and meds.  I for one could not.  Back to the fat monkeys.  There is no real reason to fatten up monkeys.  We all know why people gain weight.  Some may even say that it is a mental condition or phsycological.  All it takes to lose weight is a healthy diet and some determination, something that seems utterly lacking these days.  For myself, I am going to keep on walking my dogs every morning and keep on eating fresh produce from my garden.  Lets not forget that we are all human.  Say hello to a stranger today and listen to their story.  Maybe they need someone to listen to them.  As always, I look for other's opinions and want to promote discussion.  Next time I will delve into the ludicrous wedding industry.

Our Broken System

Our broken system of social reform, i.e. Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, had taken us to unimaginable levels of debt and ironically, insecurity.  As Ray posted and I whole heartedly agree with, our country with a few minor exceptions has forgotten what family, community, and brotherhood really mean.  (More on that as a solution later).  These programs that were enacted after the Great Depression to provide assistance to those in need and also to provide for the elderly when they retire, has gravely fallen short, in part through overborrowing from our government, and in part from abuses on the system from the public.  Just yesterday in the NYTimes, it was reported that there is currently a massive debate on how to reduce the size of government and eliminate runaway spending.  One idea thrown out is to raise the retirement age again.  The other is to bring up the size of Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid in hopes of reducing it.  The retirement age seems to be the way they are headed, but how high can we raise the retirement age before it exceeds the average life expectancy of a person in the U.S.  The other, which seems highly unlikely to be brought up, the overwhelming size of SS and M/M, is where we really need to go.  Although politicians recently voted in are proposing 60 billion in cuts over the next few months, they are cutting the wrong areas, affecting the livlihood of the states we live in, reducing money flowing to local governments, and cutting money that could otherwise assist in creating jobs.  If we perpetuate the current rate of spending on Social Security and the medical programs, but the year 2050, our government will effectively be spending the same amount of money on these programs that they raise in taxes in a year, grinding our country and government into utter stagnation.  (If you don't believe me, do a little research.)  Part of our current problem stems from the inability of people to save money.  Despite our recession, there is no impetus to put money away for when we really need it.  Most of us live with excesses that we could do without.  If you actually looked at your Social Security statement and how much you would receive upon retirement (if it is actually there), it comes no where close to amount of money we currently live off of.  Now don't get me wrong, these programs were enacted for the good of the people, but true social security should come from our local community and family.  There is no true sense of community amongst the majority of people these days, party due to urban sprawl, the automobile, and ironically, the mode of communication that I am currently using, the internet.  These causes deprive people of the basic need residing in everyone, human interaction.  While the internet claims to bring people together, (which it can), it also takes away our ability to see others for who they truly are.  Imagine the effect we could have if each one of us took the time to help just one family in need in our neighborhood.  There are plenty of people in need these days.  You could say, what about welfare?  Welfare is a hoax at this point, drained to the point of obsolesence by people who abuse the system.  Does it do some good, yes, but we could affect more people if we turned to our community to help.  If you think that welfare really helps, take a drive down John St. in Bridgeport underneath the Rt. 8/25 connector bridge and take a look at all the homeless who it doesn't help, or check out the Yale soup kitchen in New Haven and see the listless people come in for a meal provided for by the community, not by Social Security or Welfare.  These are difficult topics, which the government has no easy solution for.  If each one of us takes the time to make an impact on one other person that we don't know, that ramifications could be spectacular.  Just yesterday, I was at the bridge on John St. handing out bags of toiletries to the homeless.  To see the faces of these people, the human faces, thankful for some help, more thankful than that person you hold the door open for walking into the bank, is humbling.  I am only one person, and by no means am I perfect.  I just wanted to illustrate the effect we could have.  I could go on with these social programs and the effect they have, but to sum it up, we must change our view of community, family, and brotherhood if any change is to come about at all.  Till next when I will discuss fat monkeys and the pharmaceutical industry (really not joking), say high to your neighbor and listen to their story.

Starting Things Off

Why am I starting this blog?  I guess you could say that it is mainly to promote discussion, dissect the news, offer critique, and hopefully to inspire change whether it be on a personal level or on a social level.  (And yes, occasionally I will be talking about myself and trying not to complain to much.)  It appears to me that there is a general consensus among our population that our government is this enormous entity totaly separated from the will of the voters and attempting to inject themselves into every aspect of our everyday lives.  If we are going to criticize the government, we must first criticize ourselves.  Why should we do this?  Because we the people are the government.  Our country was created with a government of the people and for the people.  If we want change to occur, we must affect that change ourselves.   Unfortunately, there is a grave apathy engulfing the majority of our country.  This apathy, if allowed to grow unchecked, can and possibly will, lead to dictatorship.  Is this a worst case senario?  Yes, but on the same note, I believe that it will not happen.  You might ask then, if the majority of our population has sunk into apathy, what is there to do?  We must start small, on an individual level.  If what I write here inspires even one person to make a change, possibly vote, or even write a letter to their local representative; that alone can start a revolution.  The Tea Party was started as such, one person, one idea.  But it has not gone far enough.  Do I aspire to be that person?  No, but if I do inspire one person to change, then I will be happy.  Next time I post here, either later today or tomorrow morning, I will offer my thoughts on our broken social systems (welfare, social security, medicare, you get the point.)  Till then, be well and say hello to your neighbor.