Flowing Up Economics Saturday Political Soap Box 37

Ah, elections!  The time when we should be discussing issues but instead focus on birth certificates and dogs on roofs of cars.  When the latest inadvertent misstatement is more important than the direction they'll take the country.  When the election of the other guy will lead to a thousand years of darkness.  In the face of that, I will continue to try to focus on some basic issues and what I believe is the direction we should take. And yes, I am taking a sacrifice in number of page views by going this route instead of the Mittbot Thurston Howell route or that darn Kenyan Socialist route.

I believe in Keynesian economics, or at least some modified version.  You only get out of recessions/depressions by accelerating demand.  This means government action and projects.  This means getting money into the hands of people that will spend it.  I prefer government works projects, research and development, infrastructure improvements, shoring up states and increased support off education.  But the cold hard facts are that the most effective stimulus is unemployment insurance and food stamps, at least for the immediate bang for the buck.  Austerity programs in the face of recession do nothing but fuel the recession.

The dominant Republican theory since the early eighties has been in something called trickle down economics.  This represents the belief that if you allow those at the top to have a very low tax rate and few regulations, the effects of this will trickle down and benefit the rest of us, in more jobs and opportunities, because those at the top have more money to invest in enterprises that will trickle down to support the rest of us.  In actuality, all this theory has down has allowed the continued acceleration and concentration of money at the top.  The rich save and become richer.  Their priority is often to save money and pass it on to their family.  Ergo, the vicious hatred of the estate tax.  They are as likely to invest overseas as they are domestically.  With some philanthropical exceptions, their major goal is to accumulate more wealth, not to benefit society as a whole.

Real economic growth comes from the bottom, not the top.  It is relatively full employment at good wages that contributes to a healthy society and a growing, vibrant middle class.  Businesses are fueled not by investment, but by demand.  If there is no demand for a product or service, why the hell would you invest in it?  The businessman Henry ford understood this.  He wanted to pay his workers enough so they could afford to buy the cars they built.  somehow, this fundamental principle has been completely and utterly lost.

When the engine of demand loses steam, that is when recession and depression hits.  And the only way to bring to back is to rev up demand.  You can give money to the wealthy all day long and it's not going to help much.  You can cut regulations, but why make even unregulated, unsafe things if there is no demand for them?  You can eliminate public sector jobs, and cut services to the poor and middle class, and all your austerity will do is further reduce demand, which further fuels the economic downturn, which cuts government revenues even further thereby increasing the deficit everyone was worried about.

I would love to see us in this country refocus on grand projects and dreams, and they can be public/private partnerships.  I would love to see a revived space program taking us to Mars and beyond.  It is fundamentally vital to the leadership of the United States and the preservation of our planet that we focus on green energy solutions.  And we will not lead the planet if we don't invest more practical dollars in PUBLIC education, and make higher education more accessible and affordable.

Austerity, anger against the poor, jealousy of public sector workers, giving more and more tax cuts to the wealthy and fewer and fewer services to those in need, is only going to result in a continuing  spiral downward  Whether they tell you they will or not, whoever is President will have to bend to Keynesian economic reality.  Bet your bottom dollar on that.

Pool Night in the Lighter Fay

A pool of intrepid solitude
Is broken by thoughts of you.
A light plays across the waters
Diffracted in a shimmering blue

No one saw me there
Behind a startle bush
I just watched in awe
And decided not to push

But then I saw her coming out of the water
Looking like a vision
Something you only dream about
Not to be measured against a reason

My eyes lit up as she dried off
Then she saw me, peering through trees
Giving me  a wicked smile
One that would automatically frees

Tyvale is far off
At least for me in waiting in the  trap,
The trap from sorcery's poisonous lips.
The trap is getting a bad rap


Soon, she was there beside me
A beautiful ghost who  walks with grace
Someone far beyond my ken
Someone with a radiant face

Come in, she pleads
The pool will refresh you
The promise will revive you
The hope will keep coming back to you.

I stand at the edge of the pool.
I so much want to go in
But that is not in my nature
I find it hard to lead the win

Goodbye, my pool friend!
So long, the tempting splash
Farewell, to the wicked smile
Hello, to an empty sash!

Ripping Good Yarns: Hall of Fame Movies

Hail to the mighty cinema!

There's nothing like going to the movie show!  The old drive-ins we went to with my parents, the large downtown movie theaters that even had balconies. the old Court Theater in Saginaw that on Saturday afternoons would show a double feature, cartoons, a serial chapter and more for no more than a quarter or two.  Even the suburban megaplexes with their cushier chairs, stadium seating, deluxe sound systems and 3D.  Of course, now, admission may take a trip to the small loan department!


So I could wax all day about my love affair with going to the movies.  And that's just one of many ways people see great movies now.  They might download them, watch them on TV, rent a DVD, or even see them on their phone.

For my new Ripping Good Yarn award, I would like to start a Hall of Fame for movies.  We will start with a general category, for movies all types.  The only rule?  It can't be a movie from the 21st century.  It needs to be from 1999 or earlier.

I will throw into contention five movies that did very well in our Facebook Faceoff from awhile back.  Feel free to comment on these and to nominate many more!

Wizard of Oz

Gone with the Wind

It's A Wonderful Life

Casablanca

Star Wars

I wait your input, Rippers!  The nominations are afoot!

Even Infomercials Can Have Great Moments

Our first lady, Michelle Obama, at the Democratic Convention, giving one of the best speeches of recent years.

It can be very infuriating, sometimes, to lean towards the side of the Democratic Party.  As a genuine progressive, their half steps and compromises can sometimes seem exasperating, constantly giving in where they do not need to. The party is of such a big tent nature that it includes very conservative members like Sen. Ben Nelson or Sen. Max Baucus, and these blue dogs drag progress out.  There are also those who sometimes seem more anxious to serve core liberal constituency groups than they are to solve problems for the betterment of the country.

But then someone with the dynamic, quiet strength of First Lady Michelle Obama comes along, and it helps crystallize why I identify so much more with this party than I do the other.  Her rhetorical skills, her caring, common sense approach, her love of family and this country shine through in everything she does.  It rips to shreds the complete lies and fabrications told by the opposition about the first family.

Here is the true American story.  Not in the story of second generation wealth, of those building their careers on wealthy family connections and manipulating the system to serve themselves, but in climbing the rungs of the American dream using one's intelligence and merit.  And yes, the use of government programs where necessary to help launch equality of opportunity.

There are so many great moments in this speech, so much that makes me proud to be an American and a progressive, but let me end with these two paragraphs quoted directly from her speech:

If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire...if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores...if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote...if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time...if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream...and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love...then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.

Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle.

Monday on a Tuesday

Labor Day weekend is almost a pure holiday down here in the South.  There's not much discussion about what it really means.  There is much discussion about how we need to grasp the real meaning of Christmas.  Everyone is made very clear that Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and even Fourth of July, has to do with the military and soldiers.  There seems to be no doubt about the purpose of Valentine's Day and Halloween (besides being a way to sell candy and costumes).  But Labor Day?  Except from a handful of my liberal friends, there seems to be little or no discussion as to the holiday's true purpose.

Not that people aren't out and about.  We went to St. Simon's, with my middle son Doug, scouting some of the locations for his upcoming wedding.  It was the first time in my many visits to the island that I set foot onto the resort The King and Prince.  Very fancy place, and the reception room they will use had a spectacular view of the ocean.  The beach was as crowded as I'd ever seen it.

We went to restaurant at the marina called The Coastal Kitchen, testing it out as a place for the rehearsal dinner.  This time the potential room for the dinner would be a beautiful overlook of the marina.  If they can accommodate a group that will be about half vegetarian, I think it will make an excellent choice.

I have decided to take a more active role in the production of Robin Hood.  What this means to any potential participation in A Christmas Story, I don't know.  But I am enjoying rewriting and working on some scenes, and I see a lot of potential for our Flying Dragon children to have a good ol' time.

We stand on the verge of another political convention, and although this is essentially my team, I'm not much more enthusiastic about it than I was the RepubliCorp one.  I do think it will be a well-managed convention with a clear message.  Infotainment at it's finest!

Today is what they call a furlough day in Pierce County.  It's a fancy way of cutting pay to those working in the school system.  The war against public employees continues, led by the Republican dominated Georgia state legislature and Governor.  When educators try to blame Barack Obama for this, it just makes me want to laugh and laugh and laugh.  And then cry just a wee bit.

Sadly, this week also saw the passing of Chase Brauda, a young man who had been valiantly battling leukemia for more than a year.  His family and friends will miss him a great deal.  The community has shown a great deal of support to Chase and his family, and I know that support and prayer will continue,

Until next time,

T.M. Strait

Bible Verses Important to Me 1

                     Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.  “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?  What do you read there?”  The lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

From Luke 10:25-27

An important distillation of the Ten Commandments, it demonstrates to me the simplistic yet comprehensive core practice of the faith.  I would also include the parable of the Samaritan that follows as an important definition expanding the concept of neighbor AND who may be operating within the law.

Ch-ch-changing! Global Warming Saturday Political Soap Box 36

This is a second in a series of posts clarifying issues that are important for our country and how they matter in our choices for the coming election.  As my first in this series clearly demonstrated, I am taking a page view hit in doing this.  I would get far more page views if I titled stuff more like Why the Mittbot Sucks or The Demercrats Want to Take Yore Guns.  Oh, well.

I believe that global warming is not as bad as the mass media is making it out to be.  I believe it is much, much worse.  The scientific evidence lies all about us.  The climate change occurring is no longer theoretical, and increasing at an exponential rate that is astonishing many scientists.  I believe we may have already passed the tipping point to be able to completely stop it, but that we shouldn't give up.


I admit.  This topic needs to be filled with researched facts.  And, believe me, they exist.  But here's the bottom line;  I don't know what good they do.  We all seem to go to our respective corners anyway.

You look out at the vastness of the ocean and you think - this planet is so vast that there is virtually nothing people can do to it to damage it.  Oh, sure, it might not be too good if we threw around thousands of nuclear weapons, but everything else, why, nature and market forces will take care of.  Everything will adjust and be perfectly fine.

Uhh, no it hasn't been and uhhh, no it won't be.  Mankind has had a tremendous effect on the environment, and it will continue to have an accelerating effect in the future.  We are constantly reshaping the planet.

The North American continent looked completely different before the arrival of European settlers.  They changed the way land was used, what kind of flora and fauna thrived in the new world.  Swarming hordes of buffalo were destroyed, whole forests were eliminated, top soils depleted, dust bowls started, pollution and smog.  Please don't tell mankind can't alter his environment.

We can do things that improve things, extend our time at the top of the global food chain.  We reversed acid rain, with the help of government legislation and regulation.  We saved the ozone through the regulation of fluorocarbons.  The Clean Air Act, the EPA, the green revolution in food - all these things and others have helped us gain time.

Now we are faced with the worst threat of all, the horrendous climate change most often referred to as global warming.  I don't believe the threat of global warming is as bad as the mass media is telling you.  I believe that it is much, much worse. I further believe that we are rapidly approaching the turning point of us being able to do anything about it.  Soon, if not already, the problems will accelerate of their own accord and there won't be anything we can do about it.

This is by far the most grave threat the world faces, and much of the American Public, along with the majority of politicians (including some Democrats) have their heads in the sand.  I don't know if we any longer have the will power to reverse this thing, like we have in times past.  We are so divided and unwilling to listen, I fear that we will, this time,  just let the window close.

And then where will we be?

The sun'll come out tomorrow, but you'll have to spend your bottom dollar on SPF 30,000.