There is a firestorm sweeping the nation. Petitions have been created on the We The People website, set up by the administration of President Obama, by people asking that their states be allowed to secede from the United States and establish their own governments. I lost count in there somewhere, but it appears there are about 60 petitioners asking for their states to be allowed to go their own way. But, aren't there only 50 states? Apparently, there are some major power struggles going on within Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
The website above, I believe to be a good idea. Quite often there are issues, of which the government is unaware. Major issues which affect a significant portion of the population. This gives anyone the opportunity to have their voice heard. If enough people are interested in an issue to sign a petition, the issue will be addressed. The results may not be perfect, but you will know your voice has been heard.
Someone could propose that the Public Office to Regulate Nudity, Entertainment of Adults and Lapdancing (PORNEAL, the secret to government success is a good acronym) be created and that I be named Chief Inspector (with an annual salary of $74,987 and an annual budget of $11,000,000, cover charges add up), all it would take is enough signatures and I could be well on my way along the road to ruin. Alas, it would probably end in some ugly tabloid scandal. Sigh.
One thing these petitions make painfully obvious is, a significant number of highly vocal people, who are extremely critical of our government, are sadly lacking in knowledge of the process of government. For a state to secede from the United States, there are 2 possible paths. The legal process begins when a majority of the citizens convince the state of the need. After that, the state, needs to convince Congress of the wisdom of the action, which would then (I'm assuming) require ratification by 2/3 of the remaining states. The other route requires enough armed people to take control of the state government, then seal the states borders and declare it's independence. Notice how neither route involves placing a petition, which has no legal status, on a website?
However, let's put on our boots of derangement, leap off into fantasy land, and see where secession takes us. For the purpose of this exercise, I'll use Indiana (new name: Republic of People Who Get Upset About Changing Their Clocks Twice a Year, abbreviated to "Duh").
Duh, has declared its independence and life is wonderful, at least until the alarm goes off that first day. Looks like the cable isn't working, or the cell phones. Strangely, the internet also seems to be having problems. You'll have to run to the bank to check on your accounts. Sadly, the banks are closed. A rather harried bank employee is explaining that all bank assets have been seized to pay outstanding debts to the United States. Has the whole world gone mad? Look around. The Land of Duh has no recognized government, no recognized laws, no accepted currency and the future is not exactly bright. All roads leading out of Duh are blocked, all airports are closed. Until diplomatic relations are established with the United States, no interstate (international now) commerce or travel is allowed. My personal estimate is that in less than 72 hours, the rioting and looting would make the L.A. riots of 1992 look like a church supper. I Pledge Allegiance to Duh...
Judging by how seldom it is done, and done well, the most difficult thing for a person to do, is think. Before rushing off to sign a petition (other than PORNEAL), think it through. Rather than crying about mistakes made in the past, or making disaster predictions for the future, work on today. What is past is history, an excellent field of study, but unchangeable. The future is undetermined. What we do today, sets the course.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
How the Molehill became Mt. Everest
In the very outdated, but extremely entertaining movie "Creator", Peter O'Toole frequently tells the other cast members they need to see "the big picture". Usually good advice, which most people ignore. Perspective allows us to see beyond the minor issues and worry about what is really important. At least, as we mature, this is what should happen. Remember your reaction to that first pimple? Or how devastated you were when that first crush decided they liked someone else? Do you still consider these to be major disasters?
At one time, we didn't have "the media", all we had was "the news". The news could be found on all three stations, all at the same time and all telling the same thing. At that time, everyone agreed on what was news and it was reported with minimal bias. About the only difference between the newscasts were the feel-good human interest stories, that ended each broadcast. One network might run a story about a successful pet rescue, another a piece on a service minded youth and the third something of the history of some town no one had heard of. Just a few minutes to leave the viewers with a positive outlook, with the feeling that there is something to smile about.
Fast Forward to the media dark ages. The world is in turmoil and a plague is sweeping the land. Each media source reports different "news". Some sources report major catastrophes that are only minor issues with the other media outlets. Rumor, supposition and propaganda are everywhere and many people are actually panicking. But over what?
Remember the Clinton/Lewinsky affair? I've met many people in my life, and many have been utterly faithful to their partner. Just as many, haven't quite achieved perfection in that area. My personal opinion is, given the perfect opportunity, with the ideal partner and zero chance of getting caught, 9 out of 10 would jump that fence. Don't worry, I'm certain that you personally, would never be tempted. (wink, wink) Looking back, did the actions of one horny president cause anything major? Anything to justify the media coverage and the congressional uproar? The sky did not fall.
Today we're looking at a similar situation. Similar in that a minor issue has been exaggerated into a major issue that threatens the future of our country. How did this happen?
Several times in the past, Libya, under the dictatorship of Colonel Gaddafi, has been chastised by the United States. Recently, with the help of the United States and the United Nations, the people of Libya managed to overthrow the ruthless Gaddafi regime. The new regime is still too young to decide whether it will also be ruthless or whether it will be friendly to the United States. Time for the big picture.
Libya is not a world power. At this point their major import is aid from the United States. If they become our most fervent ally, it matters very little to our defense. In area, it is slightly larger than Alaska and has 3/4 of the population of New York City. If not for their oil reserves, the country would rarely be mentioned. Yet, the most important issue for congress is an investigation into an attack on our embassy there. The attack resulted in four deaths, including Ambassador Stevens.
Perspective: The United States maintains hundreds of embassies and consulates around the world, plus many military bases. As Commander-in-Chief, the President ultimately is responsible for every U.S. service member. However, it is ridiculous to assume that at every moment he is cognizant of the location and operational availability of every U.S. military resource. Should he also be called to account if your children aren't getting enough exercise, or if you're not getting enough fiber in your diet?
Embassies and Consulates are different from military bases. A military base on foreign soil tends to exhibit a somewhat threatening image. Troops are constantly training and prepared for attack, especially in areas that tend to be hostile to us. Embassies and Consulates must show a more welcoming atmosphere. They do not have they manpower to provoke anger and resentment and tend to be low-profile. Any sufficiently armed attack on a U.S. Embassy or Consulate will almost certainly result in American deaths. This is the nature of foreign service.
Were mistakes made during and after the attack in Benghazi? Undoubtedly. New situations are very seldom responded to perfectly. This is why every incident, every accident, every emergency and every attack is critiqued by the people involved. What happened? Why did it happen? What did we do? What mistakes did we make? What can we do better? Could we have prevented this? How will we prepare against this in the future? Since September 11. 2012 every segment of the government involved has been asking these same questions, and hopefully coming up with answers. But those answers are not for you and I. Telling an enemy what you're prepared for, and how you're prepared, defeats the purpose of preparation.
During my time in the Navy, I went through quite a few of these incident reviews, although only one that had resulted in death. The issues ranged from a destroyed emergency generator to a flooded reactor compartment. From a $100,000 welding mistake to a $2,000,000 liquid nitrogen mistake. Our purpose wasn't to fix blame, but to find cause and find ways to make sure the same mistakes were not repeated.
Wasting millions to point fingers will not bring those people back to life, and will serve no purpose other than to prove to the people responsible that such attacks are a major blow to the United States. Making this molehill into a mountain only increases the likelihood of more such attacks. If you want to protect Americans, quit increasing their risks by not seeing "The Big Picture".
At one time, we didn't have "the media", all we had was "the news". The news could be found on all three stations, all at the same time and all telling the same thing. At that time, everyone agreed on what was news and it was reported with minimal bias. About the only difference between the newscasts were the feel-good human interest stories, that ended each broadcast. One network might run a story about a successful pet rescue, another a piece on a service minded youth and the third something of the history of some town no one had heard of. Just a few minutes to leave the viewers with a positive outlook, with the feeling that there is something to smile about.
Fast Forward to the media dark ages. The world is in turmoil and a plague is sweeping the land. Each media source reports different "news". Some sources report major catastrophes that are only minor issues with the other media outlets. Rumor, supposition and propaganda are everywhere and many people are actually panicking. But over what?
Remember the Clinton/Lewinsky affair? I've met many people in my life, and many have been utterly faithful to their partner. Just as many, haven't quite achieved perfection in that area. My personal opinion is, given the perfect opportunity, with the ideal partner and zero chance of getting caught, 9 out of 10 would jump that fence. Don't worry, I'm certain that you personally, would never be tempted. (wink, wink) Looking back, did the actions of one horny president cause anything major? Anything to justify the media coverage and the congressional uproar? The sky did not fall.
Today we're looking at a similar situation. Similar in that a minor issue has been exaggerated into a major issue that threatens the future of our country. How did this happen?
Several times in the past, Libya, under the dictatorship of Colonel Gaddafi, has been chastised by the United States. Recently, with the help of the United States and the United Nations, the people of Libya managed to overthrow the ruthless Gaddafi regime. The new regime is still too young to decide whether it will also be ruthless or whether it will be friendly to the United States. Time for the big picture.
Libya is not a world power. At this point their major import is aid from the United States. If they become our most fervent ally, it matters very little to our defense. In area, it is slightly larger than Alaska and has 3/4 of the population of New York City. If not for their oil reserves, the country would rarely be mentioned. Yet, the most important issue for congress is an investigation into an attack on our embassy there. The attack resulted in four deaths, including Ambassador Stevens.
Perspective: The United States maintains hundreds of embassies and consulates around the world, plus many military bases. As Commander-in-Chief, the President ultimately is responsible for every U.S. service member. However, it is ridiculous to assume that at every moment he is cognizant of the location and operational availability of every U.S. military resource. Should he also be called to account if your children aren't getting enough exercise, or if you're not getting enough fiber in your diet?
Embassies and Consulates are different from military bases. A military base on foreign soil tends to exhibit a somewhat threatening image. Troops are constantly training and prepared for attack, especially in areas that tend to be hostile to us. Embassies and Consulates must show a more welcoming atmosphere. They do not have they manpower to provoke anger and resentment and tend to be low-profile. Any sufficiently armed attack on a U.S. Embassy or Consulate will almost certainly result in American deaths. This is the nature of foreign service.
Were mistakes made during and after the attack in Benghazi? Undoubtedly. New situations are very seldom responded to perfectly. This is why every incident, every accident, every emergency and every attack is critiqued by the people involved. What happened? Why did it happen? What did we do? What mistakes did we make? What can we do better? Could we have prevented this? How will we prepare against this in the future? Since September 11. 2012 every segment of the government involved has been asking these same questions, and hopefully coming up with answers. But those answers are not for you and I. Telling an enemy what you're prepared for, and how you're prepared, defeats the purpose of preparation.
During my time in the Navy, I went through quite a few of these incident reviews, although only one that had resulted in death. The issues ranged from a destroyed emergency generator to a flooded reactor compartment. From a $100,000 welding mistake to a $2,000,000 liquid nitrogen mistake. Our purpose wasn't to fix blame, but to find cause and find ways to make sure the same mistakes were not repeated.
Wasting millions to point fingers will not bring those people back to life, and will serve no purpose other than to prove to the people responsible that such attacks are a major blow to the United States. Making this molehill into a mountain only increases the likelihood of more such attacks. If you want to protect Americans, quit increasing their risks by not seeing "The Big Picture".
Friday, November 9, 2012
Take 2 and Call Me in the Morning
Sometimes, when I feel I could completely lose my ability to become depressed, I pay attention. This is a sure cure and the only side effect is the ability to understand why people occasionally flip out and go on a killing spree, or listen to Justin Bieber. Sometimes it seems the only way to cope with the insanity we're faced with is to do something vile and reprehensible. For the Bieber fans, relax, he's no worse than the other teen idols I've watched rise and fall in my lifetime.
Paying attention does have a few risks. In rare cases, people grow dependent on paying attention and often fail to reply to text messages; while performing open heart surgery, or driving through heavy traffic. Paying attention could also result in; Realizing your _____(fill in the blank) is having an affair with their _____, Noticing _____ is stealing from _____, or Drug companies aren't nearly as interested in making us healthy as they are in making a profit. This may result in disillusionment or pop music.
Forty years ago a child that had trouble paying attention was given frequent doses of a "Swat on the Behind" ™ until they learned to pay attention. While there were no serious side effects, there was also no real market for the product, since any parent with a hand, belt or peach switch could make, prescribe and administer their own medicine. Fortunately, a solution was found and Ritalin, along with several other prescription medicines were introduced to halt the damage being caused to peach trees everywhere. No longer did parents have to pay attention and teach their children to pay attention, instead they could focus on the important decisions, like Beta or VHS.
Before anyone starts a killing spree with me at the top of the list, I understand that for some children, their difficulties require medication. However, since drug companies rely upon doctors to prescribe their medicine, and drug companies spend a great deal of money, convincing doctors to push their products, in ways that would be illegal if a multibillion dollar annual industry wasn't involved, many of these drugs are prescribed when not necessary.
Please don't feel that I'm singling out children or one classification of drugs. These drugs were just the first ones I became aware of, many years ago when I happened to be in a paying attention phase. The problem is that with the success of Ritalin, Viagra, and a host of other medicines, the pharmaceutical industry is identifying more and more problems that can be fixed by one simple pill (taken 3 times a day for the rest of your life). As the problems we need medication to save us from are becoming less of a nuisance if left untreated, the possible side effects are getting worse. I for one would rather put up with occasional heartburn if the cure could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver failure, severe depression, birth defects, heartburn or death.
Most of the drug advertisements tell us "before starting treatment with ____ consult your physician". Since the prescription has to come from my physiscian, that seems a waste of words. Instead they should tell you to consider other types of treatment. Many problems respond quite well to a good diet and regular exercise. From the drug company point of view, if you ask a doctor about one of their medications, they have won. Most doctors will be happy to write that prescription and then eagerly await their next visit from the drug company representatives. If you had seen some of these representatives, you'd understand why. All I'm saying is that if Playboy ever does a "Girls of Pfizer, Eli Lilly, etc." issue, I'm getting a subscription.
There are still a few good doctors out there, but they are becoming more difficult to find. A good doctor might tell you to stop watching the drug company ads, get off the couch once in awhile, and cut back on your 15 a day pork chop habit. But no matter how good, they probably won't have the nerve to tell you, what your child needs is not a pill, but a parent.
Paying attention does have a few risks. In rare cases, people grow dependent on paying attention and often fail to reply to text messages; while performing open heart surgery, or driving through heavy traffic. Paying attention could also result in; Realizing your _____(fill in the blank) is having an affair with their _____, Noticing _____ is stealing from _____, or Drug companies aren't nearly as interested in making us healthy as they are in making a profit. This may result in disillusionment or pop music.
Forty years ago a child that had trouble paying attention was given frequent doses of a "Swat on the Behind" ™ until they learned to pay attention. While there were no serious side effects, there was also no real market for the product, since any parent with a hand, belt or peach switch could make, prescribe and administer their own medicine. Fortunately, a solution was found and Ritalin, along with several other prescription medicines were introduced to halt the damage being caused to peach trees everywhere. No longer did parents have to pay attention and teach their children to pay attention, instead they could focus on the important decisions, like Beta or VHS.
Before anyone starts a killing spree with me at the top of the list, I understand that for some children, their difficulties require medication. However, since drug companies rely upon doctors to prescribe their medicine, and drug companies spend a great deal of money, convincing doctors to push their products, in ways that would be illegal if a multibillion dollar annual industry wasn't involved, many of these drugs are prescribed when not necessary.
Please don't feel that I'm singling out children or one classification of drugs. These drugs were just the first ones I became aware of, many years ago when I happened to be in a paying attention phase. The problem is that with the success of Ritalin, Viagra, and a host of other medicines, the pharmaceutical industry is identifying more and more problems that can be fixed by one simple pill (taken 3 times a day for the rest of your life). As the problems we need medication to save us from are becoming less of a nuisance if left untreated, the possible side effects are getting worse. I for one would rather put up with occasional heartburn if the cure could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver failure, severe depression, birth defects, heartburn or death.
Most of the drug advertisements tell us "before starting treatment with ____ consult your physician". Since the prescription has to come from my physiscian, that seems a waste of words. Instead they should tell you to consider other types of treatment. Many problems respond quite well to a good diet and regular exercise. From the drug company point of view, if you ask a doctor about one of their medications, they have won. Most doctors will be happy to write that prescription and then eagerly await their next visit from the drug company representatives. If you had seen some of these representatives, you'd understand why. All I'm saying is that if Playboy ever does a "Girls of Pfizer, Eli Lilly, etc." issue, I'm getting a subscription.
There are still a few good doctors out there, but they are becoming more difficult to find. A good doctor might tell you to stop watching the drug company ads, get off the couch once in awhile, and cut back on your 15 a day pork chop habit. But no matter how good, they probably won't have the nerve to tell you, what your child needs is not a pill, but a parent.
The War Has Begun
Brothers and Sisters, I come before you today with the gravest of tidings. Just yesterday I witnessed the first skirmishes, in a war that threatens, not only our way of life, but our very existence. This war will not be fought upon foreign shores. This is not a war where our brave soldiers can protect us. This is a war in which each of us must stand up and be counted. This is a war where the forces arrayed against us are vast, beyond imagining. This is the War Against Reason.
I will not burden you with the risks I undertook to bring you this information, and it sorrows me to say, that by reading this, you will share my fate. Someday, we will all die. But I vow to you, that while my heart beats and until my dying breath, I will live. And I will fight against the forces seeking to extinguish the flame of knowledge for all time.
The methods I used to extract information about the enemy's plans and activities, I shudder to speak of, but to achieve victory, we must not turn our backs on the truth. May I someday be forgiven for the horrors I feel I must reveal.
As you read this, operatives of the enemy are rounding up all those capable of thought, shipping them off to secret concentration camps, operated by FEMA, and subjecting them to alien tortures, perfected at Area 51, until they become mindless zombies. Currently, they are targeting people in Florida, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada and Ohio, where I myself, was nearly captured. Fortunately, I was able to overwhelm my would be captors with the mention of global warming and a handful of change. Taking them both prisoner, I subjected them to most brutal forms of torture imaginable, in order to gather every bit of information possible. The first, cracked quickly and told all he knew after I offered a lollipop and a bedtime story. The other was much tougher and I had to resort, Lord forgive me, to a Girls Gone Wild video and tickets to the Jerry Springer show.
Initially, I had hoped that we could convince their forces to defect and join with us on the side of reason. I have made every effort, but these minds can only be opened with power tools; a process that is invariably fatal and messy. Without any hope of massive defections, this is not an enemy we can defeat by conventional methods. To stand against them is futile, as they are impervious to reason and logic, and not susceptible to contemplation or any knowledge. To put it bluntly, our only hope is to be accepted amongst them. Some day, I hope that we can infiltrate to the highest levels, where their own weapons can be used to destroy the leaders of this army of unreason. Until that day, we must hide amongst them and conduct an unconventional war.
It is imperative that we each try to blend in and be accepted as a member of the thoughtless multitude, yet we must remain in communication. To remain in contact is of the utmost importance. If you are isolated, and cut off from rational thought for too long, you may end up lost to our cause. To make contact with others of our organization, you merely have to speak the code phrase "I had a thought." The correct response is "Too bad that's not contagious." This exchange sounds innocent enough and is undetectable by our enemies. The only risk is that the word contagious often triggers stories about gall stones or in-grown toenails.
At any time each of us must be prepared to react, in case our true nature is detected. By memorizing some of their catch phrases, you can quickly assure the enemy that you are no more capable of thought, than a cabbage. Here are a few examples that have proven very effective. Use them as necessary, or create your own:
"Most people are a lot smarter than average"
"If we want to appeal to more people, we have to avoid pandering to the moderates."
"The universities are full of liberal socialists and they teach kids to be un-American."
"It's all the media's fault."
"That's a proven fact, because it's in the Bible."
Each of these I have heard from the forces arrayed against us. They should serve us well. In an emergency, any expression of bigotry, especially combined with religion is very effective. You may also want to combine obvious contradictions, together with a vacant stare. My personal favorite is: "We need to love everyone equally and kill all the rest." As a last resort, if you have been discovered, and are about to be overwhelmed, you may have to use our secret weapon. A great deal of research has gone into developing this weapon, and I hope that we never have to use it. This weapon combines so many ridiculous elements, with its use, you can go from being a confirmed thinker, to being recognized as one of the greatest idiots of all time. You might even end up with your own syndicated radio show. "Classical music was created by Karl Marx in 1968 to make Americans worship Satan and make us think it was global warming."
The way ahead of us is difficult, and there is no guarantee of success, yet we cannot allow ourselves to fail. Often you will despair and feel the urge to scream "How Can You Be So STUPID?", but you must resist. Pointing out the obvious is... Damn! I've been discovered! I'll have to distract them quick! "Did you ever think that some of the stars might be farther away than the moon?"
Whew! That was close. I must go now, before they return. I am proud to know that each of you will continue to use your minds to resist the onslaught of unreason. I salute you all!
I will not burden you with the risks I undertook to bring you this information, and it sorrows me to say, that by reading this, you will share my fate. Someday, we will all die. But I vow to you, that while my heart beats and until my dying breath, I will live. And I will fight against the forces seeking to extinguish the flame of knowledge for all time.
The methods I used to extract information about the enemy's plans and activities, I shudder to speak of, but to achieve victory, we must not turn our backs on the truth. May I someday be forgiven for the horrors I feel I must reveal.
As you read this, operatives of the enemy are rounding up all those capable of thought, shipping them off to secret concentration camps, operated by FEMA, and subjecting them to alien tortures, perfected at Area 51, until they become mindless zombies. Currently, they are targeting people in Florida, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada and Ohio, where I myself, was nearly captured. Fortunately, I was able to overwhelm my would be captors with the mention of global warming and a handful of change. Taking them both prisoner, I subjected them to most brutal forms of torture imaginable, in order to gather every bit of information possible. The first, cracked quickly and told all he knew after I offered a lollipop and a bedtime story. The other was much tougher and I had to resort, Lord forgive me, to a Girls Gone Wild video and tickets to the Jerry Springer show.
Initially, I had hoped that we could convince their forces to defect and join with us on the side of reason. I have made every effort, but these minds can only be opened with power tools; a process that is invariably fatal and messy. Without any hope of massive defections, this is not an enemy we can defeat by conventional methods. To stand against them is futile, as they are impervious to reason and logic, and not susceptible to contemplation or any knowledge. To put it bluntly, our only hope is to be accepted amongst them. Some day, I hope that we can infiltrate to the highest levels, where their own weapons can be used to destroy the leaders of this army of unreason. Until that day, we must hide amongst them and conduct an unconventional war.
It is imperative that we each try to blend in and be accepted as a member of the thoughtless multitude, yet we must remain in communication. To remain in contact is of the utmost importance. If you are isolated, and cut off from rational thought for too long, you may end up lost to our cause. To make contact with others of our organization, you merely have to speak the code phrase "I had a thought." The correct response is "Too bad that's not contagious." This exchange sounds innocent enough and is undetectable by our enemies. The only risk is that the word contagious often triggers stories about gall stones or in-grown toenails.
At any time each of us must be prepared to react, in case our true nature is detected. By memorizing some of their catch phrases, you can quickly assure the enemy that you are no more capable of thought, than a cabbage. Here are a few examples that have proven very effective. Use them as necessary, or create your own:
"Most people are a lot smarter than average"
"If we want to appeal to more people, we have to avoid pandering to the moderates."
"The universities are full of liberal socialists and they teach kids to be un-American."
"It's all the media's fault."
"That's a proven fact, because it's in the Bible."
Each of these I have heard from the forces arrayed against us. They should serve us well. In an emergency, any expression of bigotry, especially combined with religion is very effective. You may also want to combine obvious contradictions, together with a vacant stare. My personal favorite is: "We need to love everyone equally and kill all the rest." As a last resort, if you have been discovered, and are about to be overwhelmed, you may have to use our secret weapon. A great deal of research has gone into developing this weapon, and I hope that we never have to use it. This weapon combines so many ridiculous elements, with its use, you can go from being a confirmed thinker, to being recognized as one of the greatest idiots of all time. You might even end up with your own syndicated radio show. "Classical music was created by Karl Marx in 1968 to make Americans worship Satan and make us think it was global warming."
The way ahead of us is difficult, and there is no guarantee of success, yet we cannot allow ourselves to fail. Often you will despair and feel the urge to scream "How Can You Be So STUPID?", but you must resist. Pointing out the obvious is... Damn! I've been discovered! I'll have to distract them quick! "Did you ever think that some of the stars might be farther away than the moon?"
Whew! That was close. I must go now, before they return. I am proud to know that each of you will continue to use your minds to resist the onslaught of unreason. I salute you all!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thought for Food
Blake, Charley and George were all born on the same day in different, but adjacent, lands. While still very young they met for the first time at the border, where their three countries converged. Although they each had friends and playmates amongst their own people, some affinity drew them together, and they soon became constant companions.
Prevented, by the fences, from the play and frolic, of which the young are so enamored, they turned to higher pursuits. Each day they gathered and pondered philosophy, history and science and debated the meaning of life. They shared their hopes and dreams, and their fears and made the grandest of plans. One day, they three, vowed to lead their respective peoples to rise up and tear down the fences. They would join together and usher in a golden age. Such are the flights of youth.
As they grew, the differences between each became more pronounced. Blake, the smallest of the group was quick witted and nimble. Although he was of only average size, he was very fine to look upon. Combined with his cheerful disposition, the others knew this would take him far in life.
Before they were half-grown, George dwarfed the other two and his strength seemed without limit. Even though his intellect was no match for Charlie or Blake, his commanding presence caused the others to defer to him in all matters.
Charley's mind was something spectacular. Always quick to grasp new ideas, he relentlessly studied to increase his knowledge of all things. His discussions often left the others bewildered and in awe of the truly spectacular intellect he possessed. Nearly as large as George, his idle nature and rich diet gave him a well padded physique.
One day, when to the time when a child's body begins the change, signalling the beginning of adulthood, they gathered at the fence, as was their habit. The easily excitable Blake spoke first. "I have some big news. It is very exciting, but I'm a little nervous about it." "What" George asked, "is it?" "My mother told me that I've been chosen, it means I will have to move away, but soon I will become a steer. It sounds very important." "That's great, and I just know you will be a great steer", George congratulated him.
"I also have big news" George continued. "I am going to become a bull. Someday I might rule over the entire herd, and then I can lead them to act upon our plans. But, that might not happen. Sometimes the biggest and strongest of the bulls are sent away to be great warriors and fight the enemies of our people. It is very dangerous, but the ones who survive become great heroes."
"Charley" Blake wanted to know, "What is the matter? Aren't you happy for us? Is there something wrong?" "Oh yes, I am happy for you both, and have news of my own, but first I must congratulate you both" he replied. "Blake, I'm sure that soon all of the other steers will love you and years from now they will tell how you were the best steer of all time." "And George, in ages to come, young bulls will hope to grow up to be just like you. I am so proud of you both."
"So tell us" Blake pleaded, "What is your news?" "Yes, please do" George echoed.
"Well" Charley said, thoughtfully, "Have either of you ever heard of veal?"
Prevented, by the fences, from the play and frolic, of which the young are so enamored, they turned to higher pursuits. Each day they gathered and pondered philosophy, history and science and debated the meaning of life. They shared their hopes and dreams, and their fears and made the grandest of plans. One day, they three, vowed to lead their respective peoples to rise up and tear down the fences. They would join together and usher in a golden age. Such are the flights of youth.
As they grew, the differences between each became more pronounced. Blake, the smallest of the group was quick witted and nimble. Although he was of only average size, he was very fine to look upon. Combined with his cheerful disposition, the others knew this would take him far in life.
Before they were half-grown, George dwarfed the other two and his strength seemed without limit. Even though his intellect was no match for Charlie or Blake, his commanding presence caused the others to defer to him in all matters.
Charley's mind was something spectacular. Always quick to grasp new ideas, he relentlessly studied to increase his knowledge of all things. His discussions often left the others bewildered and in awe of the truly spectacular intellect he possessed. Nearly as large as George, his idle nature and rich diet gave him a well padded physique.
One day, when to the time when a child's body begins the change, signalling the beginning of adulthood, they gathered at the fence, as was their habit. The easily excitable Blake spoke first. "I have some big news. It is very exciting, but I'm a little nervous about it." "What" George asked, "is it?" "My mother told me that I've been chosen, it means I will have to move away, but soon I will become a steer. It sounds very important." "That's great, and I just know you will be a great steer", George congratulated him.
"I also have big news" George continued. "I am going to become a bull. Someday I might rule over the entire herd, and then I can lead them to act upon our plans. But, that might not happen. Sometimes the biggest and strongest of the bulls are sent away to be great warriors and fight the enemies of our people. It is very dangerous, but the ones who survive become great heroes."
"Charley" Blake wanted to know, "What is the matter? Aren't you happy for us? Is there something wrong?" "Oh yes, I am happy for you both, and have news of my own, but first I must congratulate you both" he replied. "Blake, I'm sure that soon all of the other steers will love you and years from now they will tell how you were the best steer of all time." "And George, in ages to come, young bulls will hope to grow up to be just like you. I am so proud of you both."
"So tell us" Blake pleaded, "What is your news?" "Yes, please do" George echoed.
"Well" Charley said, thoughtfully, "Have either of you ever heard of veal?"
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
This Road Leads to the Future
It's over. No more political ads for awhile. Time to remove all of those yard signs, clear out the negativity, shut down the propaganda machines and get back to work. Time to stop preparing for the end of the world, the collapse of civilization and all of the horrors, that both parties assured us were tied to this election. Time for Congress to do what they are being paid an obscene amount of money to do.
As I hope everyone is aware, very early in President Obama's first term, Congressional Republicans decided on a policy of obstructionism. No compromise, no working together, a complete refusal to do anything that originated with the President, or the Democratic Party. This is nothing new. In fact, it is an entirely too common tactic. The President is ultimately blamed for everything. If he vetoes a bill, he is opposing the will of the people. If he tries to get his legislation through Congress, he is trying to destroy the Constitution, or force some secret agenda on the country, or he hates America. Blah, blah, blah.
Approaching any aspect of life with a closed mind is counter-productive. Principles and morals are good, but they require flexibility in order to deal with all situations. Refusing to kill for any reason makes you a willing accomplice, if an attack, you could have stopped, results in the death of you and your family. When you find yourself thinking in terms of "always" and "never", it's time to re-assess, because you have ceased to be useful to society. This is something our Congress needs to understand, this is something all Americans need to understand.
Pick your favorite issue, the one that you stand behind 100%, now flip it around and see if it makes sense. Here's an example: The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. Any attempt at regulation, or gun control is often regarded as an attempt to take everyone's guns away. Flip that to say that every American is required to, at all times, carry a gun. How safe do you feel now? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two extremes. Every issue becomes ridiculous if you run the same test on it. Whether the issue is abortion or welfare, the solution lies somewhere in the middle. Compromise is how we go forward.
Compromise is a beautiful concept, because it allows conflicting beliefs and principles to co-exist. It allows the vegans and the meat and potatoes folks to each partake of life's buffet. I don't have to be like you, to like you. No matter what your beliefs might be, I support them, until you require them to become my beliefs. The true beauty of compromise is that it allows everyone to follow their own principles, while still moving forward. The road to the future demands that we work together. Instead of "you can't" or "I must", let's focus on "we will".
The agenda to ensure that President Obama was a one term President has failed. For two years we've been running in circles. For two years Congress has been paid to do nothing. It's time to pick a direction and start moving towards it. The road will not be straight. The road will not be flat. For every hill we coast down, there is one we will struggle to climb. Stop insisting that we all have to go to the right, or that we all have to go to the left. Both extremes will ultimately drive us off a cliff. Let's start moving. You choose your path around obstacles and I'll follow mine. Ultimately, we'll leave it behind us and move on to the future.
As I hope everyone is aware, very early in President Obama's first term, Congressional Republicans decided on a policy of obstructionism. No compromise, no working together, a complete refusal to do anything that originated with the President, or the Democratic Party. This is nothing new. In fact, it is an entirely too common tactic. The President is ultimately blamed for everything. If he vetoes a bill, he is opposing the will of the people. If he tries to get his legislation through Congress, he is trying to destroy the Constitution, or force some secret agenda on the country, or he hates America. Blah, blah, blah.
Approaching any aspect of life with a closed mind is counter-productive. Principles and morals are good, but they require flexibility in order to deal with all situations. Refusing to kill for any reason makes you a willing accomplice, if an attack, you could have stopped, results in the death of you and your family. When you find yourself thinking in terms of "always" and "never", it's time to re-assess, because you have ceased to be useful to society. This is something our Congress needs to understand, this is something all Americans need to understand.
Pick your favorite issue, the one that you stand behind 100%, now flip it around and see if it makes sense. Here's an example: The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. Any attempt at regulation, or gun control is often regarded as an attempt to take everyone's guns away. Flip that to say that every American is required to, at all times, carry a gun. How safe do you feel now? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two extremes. Every issue becomes ridiculous if you run the same test on it. Whether the issue is abortion or welfare, the solution lies somewhere in the middle. Compromise is how we go forward.
Compromise is a beautiful concept, because it allows conflicting beliefs and principles to co-exist. It allows the vegans and the meat and potatoes folks to each partake of life's buffet. I don't have to be like you, to like you. No matter what your beliefs might be, I support them, until you require them to become my beliefs. The true beauty of compromise is that it allows everyone to follow their own principles, while still moving forward. The road to the future demands that we work together. Instead of "you can't" or "I must", let's focus on "we will".
The agenda to ensure that President Obama was a one term President has failed. For two years we've been running in circles. For two years Congress has been paid to do nothing. It's time to pick a direction and start moving towards it. The road will not be straight. The road will not be flat. For every hill we coast down, there is one we will struggle to climb. Stop insisting that we all have to go to the right, or that we all have to go to the left. Both extremes will ultimately drive us off a cliff. Let's start moving. You choose your path around obstacles and I'll follow mine. Ultimately, we'll leave it behind us and move on to the future.
Friday, November 2, 2012
The Bully Principle
In my ongoing, and futile attempt to educate the misinformed on the truth behind their political beliefs, it is time to tackle military issues. One point I keep hearing is that we need to keep our military strong and that Governor Romney will do that. The difficulty with that is very few seem to understand what our military and national strengths are, and how to maintain them. The Romney philosophy (a very common one, especially within the GOP) is to give hundreds of billions of dollars to the corporation that equip our armed forces with everything from bullets to uniforms. Tanks, ships, jets, bombs, guns, food... The list goes on and on and most of the items come from corporations that deal almost exclusively with military customers. These corporations take billions to make improvements to existing products that are often worth thousands, occasionally millions. And this somehow makes us stronger. Let me elaborate.
In 1980, when I joined the Navy, the work uniforms used a very tough polyester material for both the pants and shirts. The material itself was very long wearing and extremely durable. The downside for this uniform was that it would melt. If you find yourself in a situation where whether your clothes are going to melt or burst into flame, the issue is not going to be your top concern. However, in the interest of safety the switch was made to light denim pants and a cotton/polyester blend shirt. The new uniforms tended to wear out quickly and were very prone to tearing. I don't know how many millions were spent by our government to "improve" our uniforms by making them less durable, but I know the end result: Every enlisted man (below E-7 paygrade) had to spend money, they had too little of, to buy uniforms that, instead of lasting for decades, would wear out in a year or less. You see, the problem wasn't that the uniforms would melt. The problem was that the underpaid, overworked sailors weren't buying enough new uniforms.
What is strength? There are several possible choices, all have been tried in this country and each has its supporters and merits. Each also has a downside. Probably the most visible strength is the "Biggest, Baddest" type. In the movies, the biggest, baddest is almost always the bad guy, who will be brought down by the "Strong, Silent" type. Occasionally, the villain will be the "Dangerous Psycho", but the heroes are almost always the same. One important point, in all the movies, the hero gets a serious ass-kicking before finally winning the fight.
Biggest, Baddest has two variations, one is bullying by intimidation, the other is bullying by action. Bullying by intimidation was the method used during the Reagan administration. By spending lavishly on Defense and by frequently issuing threats, we maintained an image of strength. The G.W. Bush administration took the action route. For eight years we showed that we were willing to incur any expense in order to fight anyone that so much as looked at us wrong. From a foreign relations standpoint, not very successful.
Except for the past 70 years, our country's strength has not been the size of our military, or by the size of their guns. Until the cold war, following World War II, the end of a war meant a large scale reduction in the military and a significant reduction in military spending. The Spanish-American war found us completely out-gunned and out-manned against the second best Navy in the world (at the time, Great Britain was the top naval power. We ranked about 5th). Within days we had more volunteers than we had equipment for and the war was quickly ended, favorably for us. At the onset of WW I, we lacked manpower and equipment. Our ships were nearly obsolete, our tanks and heavy artillery were substandard and our aircraft were in short supply. WW II began with us in the same position. How did we persevere in each case when starting with such a huge handicap?
One of our country's greatest strengths has always been our natural resources. Nearly everything we could want or need is in abundant supply, or available if we need it. With a strong manufacturing base and available resources, we can quickly produce whatever we need. Another strength is that we're the good guys. People all over the world have wanted to come here, not for a free lunch, but for a chance for a better life. Our behavior (with the exception of from 2001-2008) has been admirable. We treated people with respect and dignity and backed that with quiet strength. It's very difficult to win a war against a country, when most of your population would rather live in that country. Lastly, our strength has been in our national consciousness. In times of need, we respond. Whether that need arises from an attack on Pearl Harbor or a devastating tsunami hitting Japan, we stand up to be counted and do our part.
Because of our location, we are resistant to most military action. Russia is not going to march 3 million soldiers through Siberia, across the arctic, and down through Canada to attack us. Paying millions of people to effectively do nothing, actually makes us weaker. Forgetting the cost of all those soldier, sailors, marines and airmen, let's look at the people themselves.
In a small, peacetime military, quality over quantity is the focus. The people allowed to join, and stay are there because they are good at their jobs, and because they want to be there. This means a competent, highly trained command structure, which can quickly grow to whatever size needed. As anyone who has served in at least the past 30 years can tell you, many ofthe people in the military don't want to be there, and probably shouldn't be there. Quite a few people join, not from any patriotism, or desire to serve, but for a guaranteed paycheck and some benefits which may come in handy later in life. This gives us a military which is sluggish and full of disciplinary problems. Sorry, but that is not strength.
We have many exceptional people serving in our military, and please don't think that I am in any way putting them down or insulting them. But mixed in with them are a significant number of people that are just there to meet a quota. To make our military stronger, we need to reduce the numbers and once again focus on quality. We need to stop handing out blank checks to the corporations and instead focus on intelligent application of our resources. At the moment, we pay billions to have corporations develop technology, then pay billions for the corporations to turn the technology into weapons, then pay billions to the corporations for the weapons that we have already paid them for twice. And after all of that we pay several times the worth of the finished product. If you want a fence around your yard, you pay someone to build a fence. You don't pay someone to buy themselves a forest and a sawmill so you can pay them for the boards they will use when you pay them to put up the fence.
In 1980, when I joined the Navy, the work uniforms used a very tough polyester material for both the pants and shirts. The material itself was very long wearing and extremely durable. The downside for this uniform was that it would melt. If you find yourself in a situation where whether your clothes are going to melt or burst into flame, the issue is not going to be your top concern. However, in the interest of safety the switch was made to light denim pants and a cotton/polyester blend shirt. The new uniforms tended to wear out quickly and were very prone to tearing. I don't know how many millions were spent by our government to "improve" our uniforms by making them less durable, but I know the end result: Every enlisted man (below E-7 paygrade) had to spend money, they had too little of, to buy uniforms that, instead of lasting for decades, would wear out in a year or less. You see, the problem wasn't that the uniforms would melt. The problem was that the underpaid, overworked sailors weren't buying enough new uniforms.
What is strength? There are several possible choices, all have been tried in this country and each has its supporters and merits. Each also has a downside. Probably the most visible strength is the "Biggest, Baddest" type. In the movies, the biggest, baddest is almost always the bad guy, who will be brought down by the "Strong, Silent" type. Occasionally, the villain will be the "Dangerous Psycho", but the heroes are almost always the same. One important point, in all the movies, the hero gets a serious ass-kicking before finally winning the fight.
Biggest, Baddest has two variations, one is bullying by intimidation, the other is bullying by action. Bullying by intimidation was the method used during the Reagan administration. By spending lavishly on Defense and by frequently issuing threats, we maintained an image of strength. The G.W. Bush administration took the action route. For eight years we showed that we were willing to incur any expense in order to fight anyone that so much as looked at us wrong. From a foreign relations standpoint, not very successful.
Except for the past 70 years, our country's strength has not been the size of our military, or by the size of their guns. Until the cold war, following World War II, the end of a war meant a large scale reduction in the military and a significant reduction in military spending. The Spanish-American war found us completely out-gunned and out-manned against the second best Navy in the world (at the time, Great Britain was the top naval power. We ranked about 5th). Within days we had more volunteers than we had equipment for and the war was quickly ended, favorably for us. At the onset of WW I, we lacked manpower and equipment. Our ships were nearly obsolete, our tanks and heavy artillery were substandard and our aircraft were in short supply. WW II began with us in the same position. How did we persevere in each case when starting with such a huge handicap?
One of our country's greatest strengths has always been our natural resources. Nearly everything we could want or need is in abundant supply, or available if we need it. With a strong manufacturing base and available resources, we can quickly produce whatever we need. Another strength is that we're the good guys. People all over the world have wanted to come here, not for a free lunch, but for a chance for a better life. Our behavior (with the exception of from 2001-2008) has been admirable. We treated people with respect and dignity and backed that with quiet strength. It's very difficult to win a war against a country, when most of your population would rather live in that country. Lastly, our strength has been in our national consciousness. In times of need, we respond. Whether that need arises from an attack on Pearl Harbor or a devastating tsunami hitting Japan, we stand up to be counted and do our part.
Because of our location, we are resistant to most military action. Russia is not going to march 3 million soldiers through Siberia, across the arctic, and down through Canada to attack us. Paying millions of people to effectively do nothing, actually makes us weaker. Forgetting the cost of all those soldier, sailors, marines and airmen, let's look at the people themselves.
In a small, peacetime military, quality over quantity is the focus. The people allowed to join, and stay are there because they are good at their jobs, and because they want to be there. This means a competent, highly trained command structure, which can quickly grow to whatever size needed. As anyone who has served in at least the past 30 years can tell you, many ofthe people in the military don't want to be there, and probably shouldn't be there. Quite a few people join, not from any patriotism, or desire to serve, but for a guaranteed paycheck and some benefits which may come in handy later in life. This gives us a military which is sluggish and full of disciplinary problems. Sorry, but that is not strength.
We have many exceptional people serving in our military, and please don't think that I am in any way putting them down or insulting them. But mixed in with them are a significant number of people that are just there to meet a quota. To make our military stronger, we need to reduce the numbers and once again focus on quality. We need to stop handing out blank checks to the corporations and instead focus on intelligent application of our resources. At the moment, we pay billions to have corporations develop technology, then pay billions for the corporations to turn the technology into weapons, then pay billions to the corporations for the weapons that we have already paid them for twice. And after all of that we pay several times the worth of the finished product. If you want a fence around your yard, you pay someone to build a fence. You don't pay someone to buy themselves a forest and a sawmill so you can pay them for the boards they will use when you pay them to put up the fence.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
This entry actually serves a dual purpose. Now that I think about it, every entry here serves at least a dual purpose. The first purpose is for me to work at getting my thoughts down in some coherent form, and the second is to inform and possibly entertain others. So, now this one has a triple purpose, since I'm going to give you a chance to learn a little something about me.
One thing that I value very highly is honesty. In fact, the first significant thing I will say at the beginning of a relationship is that I expect honesty. Just about anything can be forgiven as long as everyone is honest and open. Over the years, I've become quite adept at telling when someone is lying to me. I've also learned the value in not calling others on every lie. I just keep the knowledge to myself and slowly start building a wall to protect me from what will eventually come. At some point a person either has to admit to all the lies, or run away from them. Most people choose to run.
Since I'm already on the subject of honesty, it's time to discuss the Presidential campaigns. I've had several rabid Romney supporters spray me with claims about President Obama lying to us. The only trouble is, nobody has been able to fill me in on what the actual lies have been. He has not fulfilled all the campaign promises from 2008, true, but trying and failing to succeed is not the same as lying. Maybe if you can all get together, decide which specific lies are most important to you, and then present them to me, I can examine them for credibility.
Now to cross to the other candidate. Early in the Obama administration, the President signed the now famous auto bailout, to keep General Motors and Chrysler from bankruptcy. At the time Governor Romney opposed the bailout stating the companies should have to go through bankruptcy and then recover on their own. Recently he has amended this to ensure he would have given government loan guarantees to the companies after the bankruptcies. General Motors, Chrysler and the United Auto Workers consider the bailout to be very successful and credit it with saving many thousands of manufacturing jobs. Two states that were very positively affected by the bailout, Ohio and Wisconsin, are also contested states that Governor Romney needs to win in order to become the next President of the United States.
At this time, the Romney campaign is running advertisements in Ohio (and I assume Wisconsin) claiming the bailout cost manufacturing jobs and claiming Chrysler is moving Jeep production to China. This piece of misinformation comes thanks to a Bloomberg article in which Chrysler is noted as wanting to expand into China. What this means is that Chrysler wants to sell Jeeps to the Chinese. One of Governor Romney's hot points is the trade deficit with China. Ummm... Excuse me, but there are only 2 ways to fix a trade imbalance with China. Either we have to sell them more stuff, or we have to buy less stuff from them. How are we going to deal with this if you get upset at a company, which is again profitable thanks to the bailout you opposed, when they try to Sell More Stuff to China?
Just for the record, Chrysler issued a very clear and concise statement denying any plans to move Jeep production to China, and the Romney campaign was informed and aware of this before they began airing the advertisement in question. And now General Motors has issued a statement refuting the Romney claim about the bailout hurting the auto industry. Remember how I feel about honesty? Sorry, Governor, but you're not going to win my heart by lying and continuing to lie after you've been caught in the lie. All that I can assume is that the Republican party is courting the voters that are just too damn stupid to examine facts.
But, to be fair, let's look at the auto industry if Governor Romney had been in charge at the time of the bailout. Let them go through bankruptcy, so they can discharge excessive debt and then come out as leaner, stronger companies, I believe is how he put it during the recent debate. Time to decipher this innocent sounding sentence so we know what we are dealing with. This could take some time.
First off, bankruptcy is a friendly way of saying, I can't pay my bills and need some help. It happens and there are many people who have been able to turn their lives around through bankruptcy. The downside is the "discharge excessive debt" portion. When you're talking a corporation the size of GM, this is a very large number. That debt is owed to 2 main groups; employees and suppliers. When that excessive debt is "discharged" both of these groups are expected to eat part of that debt. Does this mean that the stockholders and the corporate management have to share these losses? Nope, even though they hold most of the responsibility for their mess, they don't have to pay for it. That is left to the people who actually did the work. How would you feel to find out your pension that you worked 40 years to get has suddenly been cut by 30%? Make you happy does it? How would you feel if you find out that the $10 million worth of parts that you made for someone is only going to pay you $4 million? Guess what happens in all of this? That's where "leaner and stronger" comes into play. People lose their jobs, making the companies "leaner" and the ones remaining are expected to do more for less, making them "stronger". Meanwhile, the stock price will rise which will benefit the stockholders and because, on paper, it looks like the company is doing great, the management that created the mess gets bonuses and pay raises. With or without government loan guarantees, this is the best case scenario under Governor Romney's method of handling the crisis.
Of course, things don't always turn out this well. All those pensions are protected and guaranteed by contract and it's not certain the UAW would have allowed those contracts to be amended. This would either shift 100% of the burden onto the suppliers or cause the court to forcibly amend the UAW contracts. If the court orders a violation of the contracts, the UAW closes the doors and the companies are just a piece of history. After all the assets have been sold, the pension plans are funded and perhaps 250,000 GM and Chrysler employees lose their jobs. If the suppliers are required to take all the burden, many would no longer be able to remain in business, and most would have to reduce employees in order to absorb the loss. The suppliers would also need to raise their prices for what they supply to other auto makers, probably resulting in parts being sourced overseas, costing more jobs and increasing that damn trade deficit.
In the United States, the auto industry is a very complex thing. Every major auto manufacturer builds cars in the United States. From BMW to Volvo, they all have plants here. But, those plants don't make all the parts that go into each car. The engines and transmissions are made elsewhere, as are the bumpers, windows, A/C systems, radiators, chassis' and, in fact, most of the parts that go into the car. These parts mainly come from outside suppliers and the suppliers typically make parts for several manufacturers. Because of this, any major problem with one manufacturer can affect every manufacturer. Although Chrysler is no longer one of the biggest car makers, if it closed it's doors (about 55,000 employees, unemployed) it would indirectly result in about 4 times as many additional jobs lost. Every Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep dealership closed. Property owners with useless property. Salespeople and mechanics out of work, plus the reduction in workforce at all of the suppliers.
Perhaps the reason that Governor Romney felt bankruptcy was the best route to take is because that has been a key factor in his own success. He could have learned from Donald Trump (who has used the bankruptcy card dozens of time, always to his profit and to the detriment of others), but whatever the inspiration, his business practices have cost the United States many thousands of good manufacturing jobs. Those same practices have created at least as many Chinese jobs, yet he wants to point the finger elsewhere? In this case I'll make an exception and call out someone for lying: Mr. Romney, quit lying to us.
One thing that I value very highly is honesty. In fact, the first significant thing I will say at the beginning of a relationship is that I expect honesty. Just about anything can be forgiven as long as everyone is honest and open. Over the years, I've become quite adept at telling when someone is lying to me. I've also learned the value in not calling others on every lie. I just keep the knowledge to myself and slowly start building a wall to protect me from what will eventually come. At some point a person either has to admit to all the lies, or run away from them. Most people choose to run.
Since I'm already on the subject of honesty, it's time to discuss the Presidential campaigns. I've had several rabid Romney supporters spray me with claims about President Obama lying to us. The only trouble is, nobody has been able to fill me in on what the actual lies have been. He has not fulfilled all the campaign promises from 2008, true, but trying and failing to succeed is not the same as lying. Maybe if you can all get together, decide which specific lies are most important to you, and then present them to me, I can examine them for credibility.
Now to cross to the other candidate. Early in the Obama administration, the President signed the now famous auto bailout, to keep General Motors and Chrysler from bankruptcy. At the time Governor Romney opposed the bailout stating the companies should have to go through bankruptcy and then recover on their own. Recently he has amended this to ensure he would have given government loan guarantees to the companies after the bankruptcies. General Motors, Chrysler and the United Auto Workers consider the bailout to be very successful and credit it with saving many thousands of manufacturing jobs. Two states that were very positively affected by the bailout, Ohio and Wisconsin, are also contested states that Governor Romney needs to win in order to become the next President of the United States.
At this time, the Romney campaign is running advertisements in Ohio (and I assume Wisconsin) claiming the bailout cost manufacturing jobs and claiming Chrysler is moving Jeep production to China. This piece of misinformation comes thanks to a Bloomberg article in which Chrysler is noted as wanting to expand into China. What this means is that Chrysler wants to sell Jeeps to the Chinese. One of Governor Romney's hot points is the trade deficit with China. Ummm... Excuse me, but there are only 2 ways to fix a trade imbalance with China. Either we have to sell them more stuff, or we have to buy less stuff from them. How are we going to deal with this if you get upset at a company, which is again profitable thanks to the bailout you opposed, when they try to Sell More Stuff to China?
Just for the record, Chrysler issued a very clear and concise statement denying any plans to move Jeep production to China, and the Romney campaign was informed and aware of this before they began airing the advertisement in question. And now General Motors has issued a statement refuting the Romney claim about the bailout hurting the auto industry. Remember how I feel about honesty? Sorry, Governor, but you're not going to win my heart by lying and continuing to lie after you've been caught in the lie. All that I can assume is that the Republican party is courting the voters that are just too damn stupid to examine facts.
But, to be fair, let's look at the auto industry if Governor Romney had been in charge at the time of the bailout. Let them go through bankruptcy, so they can discharge excessive debt and then come out as leaner, stronger companies, I believe is how he put it during the recent debate. Time to decipher this innocent sounding sentence so we know what we are dealing with. This could take some time.
First off, bankruptcy is a friendly way of saying, I can't pay my bills and need some help. It happens and there are many people who have been able to turn their lives around through bankruptcy. The downside is the "discharge excessive debt" portion. When you're talking a corporation the size of GM, this is a very large number. That debt is owed to 2 main groups; employees and suppliers. When that excessive debt is "discharged" both of these groups are expected to eat part of that debt. Does this mean that the stockholders and the corporate management have to share these losses? Nope, even though they hold most of the responsibility for their mess, they don't have to pay for it. That is left to the people who actually did the work. How would you feel to find out your pension that you worked 40 years to get has suddenly been cut by 30%? Make you happy does it? How would you feel if you find out that the $10 million worth of parts that you made for someone is only going to pay you $4 million? Guess what happens in all of this? That's where "leaner and stronger" comes into play. People lose their jobs, making the companies "leaner" and the ones remaining are expected to do more for less, making them "stronger". Meanwhile, the stock price will rise which will benefit the stockholders and because, on paper, it looks like the company is doing great, the management that created the mess gets bonuses and pay raises. With or without government loan guarantees, this is the best case scenario under Governor Romney's method of handling the crisis.
Of course, things don't always turn out this well. All those pensions are protected and guaranteed by contract and it's not certain the UAW would have allowed those contracts to be amended. This would either shift 100% of the burden onto the suppliers or cause the court to forcibly amend the UAW contracts. If the court orders a violation of the contracts, the UAW closes the doors and the companies are just a piece of history. After all the assets have been sold, the pension plans are funded and perhaps 250,000 GM and Chrysler employees lose their jobs. If the suppliers are required to take all the burden, many would no longer be able to remain in business, and most would have to reduce employees in order to absorb the loss. The suppliers would also need to raise their prices for what they supply to other auto makers, probably resulting in parts being sourced overseas, costing more jobs and increasing that damn trade deficit.
In the United States, the auto industry is a very complex thing. Every major auto manufacturer builds cars in the United States. From BMW to Volvo, they all have plants here. But, those plants don't make all the parts that go into each car. The engines and transmissions are made elsewhere, as are the bumpers, windows, A/C systems, radiators, chassis' and, in fact, most of the parts that go into the car. These parts mainly come from outside suppliers and the suppliers typically make parts for several manufacturers. Because of this, any major problem with one manufacturer can affect every manufacturer. Although Chrysler is no longer one of the biggest car makers, if it closed it's doors (about 55,000 employees, unemployed) it would indirectly result in about 4 times as many additional jobs lost. Every Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep dealership closed. Property owners with useless property. Salespeople and mechanics out of work, plus the reduction in workforce at all of the suppliers.
Perhaps the reason that Governor Romney felt bankruptcy was the best route to take is because that has been a key factor in his own success. He could have learned from Donald Trump (who has used the bankruptcy card dozens of time, always to his profit and to the detriment of others), but whatever the inspiration, his business practices have cost the United States many thousands of good manufacturing jobs. Those same practices have created at least as many Chinese jobs, yet he wants to point the finger elsewhere? In this case I'll make an exception and call out someone for lying: Mr. Romney, quit lying to us.
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