Show me the Money!

An upcoming election should be an opportunity for candidates to expose their positions and persuade the voters of their merits. I have been waiting, and searching the campaigns for such information, but to no avail. What I have
been subjected to is a contest on money raised, and still to be raised
by each party. Almost breathlessly they inform me that they are within so many
dollars of out raising the opposition and my contribution will bring victory
in the contest by some deadline. The media will then report which party raised the
most, as if that is meaningful in governing the nation.
This afternoon, after some absence from the computer, I found 16 inbox Emails, most
from well known political figures. Those were requests for money, none of which contained useful information that would influence my vote. But money does influence the votes of our legislators---not the $10 or $20 I might send, but the thousands that special interests give. Those contributions come with strings attached which
morph into chains on legislators independence.
Would public financing of elections, honestly and fairly administered eliminate the
corrupting influence of campaign contributions? It is worth exploring.

Declare defeat and go home.

No matter what spin the administration will put on our Afghanistan affair, we have
lost that war. Pouring more men and resources into that quagmire will compound the
damage to our nation, on many fronts.
The Taliban does not seek to defeat us by military means. It is their strategy to bleed us---to expose our impotence in that theatre of the conflict. As a side affect
the ongoing conflict is sowing division and rancor in our body politic. And they use
our presence in their lands as an effective propaganda tool to preach that America is out to destroy Islam.
Our policy relies on someday having a stable, honest, moderate, effective central government in Afghanistan. To bring that about we are working with Karzai, a brutal, corrupt, thieving scoundrel. His aim is to amass a fortune from American aid funds, and jump ship to the French Riviera or some like. Obama and his team have been so
intimidated by fears that the extreme right will blame them for defeat in Afghanistan that they are continuing to compound the damage of our inevitable retreat by surging troops and pouring in more treasure.
The lessons of Vietnam have been forgotten. We cannot defeat an indigenous insurgency in a far-off primitive theatre unless the native population is with us.
We are seen as foreign invaders who are bringing death and destruction to the civilian population in our wake.

In Defiance of Logic

The Bush tax cuts will be expiring soon. That is causing panic in the ranks of
the wealthy, and the foes of Big Government. Those are the very same people who
are also in a lather about the enormous national debt, the cosmic sized annual
deficits, and the economic drag resulting from interest payments on the debt which
make up one of the very largest non-discetionary portion of our annual budget.
Strangely, they seem to be blind to the contradictions in their positions.

The tax cuts were intended to stimulate employment and economic activity. There is plenty of evidence they did not serve those purposes. Job growth during the decade the
tax cuts were in effect was anemic at best, and any increased activity was based on bubbles and the creation of phony assets. We are now paying a severe price for
a failed policy. Even if we shrink the government significantly by cutting many
services the citizens have come to value, we can't shrink the interest we must pay.
Nor can we dodge the huge costs of wars on two fronts, and a bloated military.

If the tax cuts for the affluent are extended we will further starve government revenue and be forced to compensate by more deficit spending. That will mean more
heartburn for the deficit hawks. Why can't they see the connection?

Is it idealogical blindness?

Buried treasure

The latest financial reports of major companies reveal that many have enjoyed robust
earnings and accumulated large hoards of cash. It would seem logical that they would
put that cash to work, in the classic capitalistic fashion, to expand their ventures,
increase their market share, and earn greater returns for their stockholders. Such
reinvestment would create jobs in the private sector, which in turn increase demand--
all good for business. But this has not happened. It would be useful to learn why.

We can assume there exists a substantial lack of confidence in the fiscal policy of
the government, particularly as to taxes and deficit spending. The size of our
trade and budget deficits threaten the value of the dollar as the medium of exchange in international finance.
The continuing crisis in the real estate markets has eroded the asset base which supported our consumption based economy. Our failure as a nation to address our
reliance on imported petroleum bloats our deficit, further devaluing the dollar. Add to the above a dysfunctional Congress which cannot meaningfully address any of
these problems, and they all appear to explain the corporate decisions to hoard cash
and not hire. In the immediate future this might seem logical. In the long term this
policy is a recipe for extinction. Other developed countries will not sit on their
hands, or cash. They will capture our markets, domestic and foreign, and we will stagnate.
Where are the vaunted American enterprise, ingenuity, and boldness of yore when we desperately need them? Where is the leader who can inspire and motivate our business leaders to innovate and accept risk to seek reward? Our greatest danger may come from
playing it safe.

For whom the bell tolls..

How does one say a permanent farewell to a beloved adult son who
is departing in the prime of life? What hurts the most? What memories rise to comfort
a parent? What can bring understanding, if not acceptance, to an adoring wife?

Confronting these puzzling and troubling questions helps me understand the faith in
the deity which supports those who mourn the death of loved ones, even if I
do not share that faith.
I have always believed that by our behavior and principles we can act divinely. It is within us, by the nobility of will, not in some mysterious godlike power.
So, in grieving the death of my younger son David I will test my faith in my humanity. I will keep him with me, with all the memories, and he will for me
be eternal.

Watch out, here comes an intellectual.

We have come to the point, in our campaigns, where candidates for elected office believe they have to play dumb to be elected. The campaign commercials running
reflect the most elementary reasons for choosing a candidate, and usually negative
information about the opponents character and positions. Discussion about the nation's problems is kept to simple terms, all black and white, so the voting public can avoid thinking and vote by emotion or party loyalty. Digging deep you will
discover that most candidates are more intelligent than represented by their campaign, but in the prevailing political mood intellect frightens many potential voters. The simplistic, jingoistic Sarah Palin/Tea Party philosophy has so intimidated politicians that they feel compelled to echo it, even if aware of how
empty it is.

I could name several candidates for national office who have achieved brilliant
records in academe, and in public office, who are playing down or concealing their
achievements. I won't because revealing them may impair their election chances.
How sad! If ever we needed the Best and Brightest, now is the time. Let them rise
above ambition and teach while campaigning instead of joining the howling pack!

Playing with fire!

Each day I encounter propaganda, from left and right, which makes me think common
sense and reason are rapidly disappearing commodities in human behavior. The political temperature has risen to fever level and the
space between left and right in America
has become a chasm which could become unbridgeable. It may lead to violent confrontations between factions who harbor powerful emotional but erroneous opinions which they are convinced are facts. Those convictions are reinforced by
contrary opinions from LIBERALS, or TEA PARTIERS, or CONSERVATIVES, or RACISTS.

The PROTOCALS OF ZION were ancient forgeries created to stir up violent anti-Jewish
attitudes. They were long ago and time and again proven false, but every year they
appear, as truth, in some anti-semetic tract or speech and are believed by millions.
Today forgeries of TV clips, or media articles are becoming common in the anti-Obama crowd. This morning I saw an NBC video purportedly showing President Obama admitting,
in a speech to journalists that he was not born in the U.S. and is not eligible to be President. When the opposition stoops to lies and forgeries where are we headed?
Is some sick political ploy worth surrendering our nation's integrity and credibility? STOP, think, weigh the consequences of dishonest debate to our
vaunted democracy! It is too high a price!

Hold back the tide!

Immigration reform is now on the national stage, and as ever is the subject of more
rancor and partisan conflict than any of the other big legislative initiatives, including universal health insurance.
With thousands of miles of land border and coastline we can no better control the flow of immigrants than we can order the tides to stop.
The cycle of invasion by illegals parallels the state of the world economy. When ours is booming we are a magnet for the poor in other lands. Our entrepreneurs will
welcome, even assist, migrants to fill mostly laboring jobs. That labor enjoys no
protective labor and minimum wage laws. Most are paid in cash, the bulk of which they remit to families back in their home countries. Many are exploited
by substandard housing and living conditions. But there are some who are well treated. Some have taxes deducted from their wages even though they will never receive Social Security benefits.
Because of their illegal status they drive cars without driver licences or insurance.
If they are injured or ill, they use public hospital emergency services without payment.
If our economy slows, the tide reverses and they flow back to their home country.

The American people must recognize the vital contributions the illegals make to our economy and take measures to rationalize the flow and their status. We also need to take better control of our borders, recognizing that, at best we can only divert some areas of the tide. Let us do that in a rational and merciful manner. Provide
an opportunity for illegals to become legal and eventually citizens. If we manage our borders by temporary work permits, with employer cooperation, they and we can benefit from their labor while treating them humanely and respectfully.
We will be a nobler people for it.