January 20, 2011 Born to be Mild

My friend Susan says she never reads blogs because people don’t write what they really think in case they ever run for office.  I guess Susan expects that people are thinking extreme thoughts and coming up with extreme ideas and then toning them down for communication. (Susan didn’t actually say this, it’s just my interpretation of her original comment).

Maybe I do that.  But I’m not really sure.  Considering how little tact I have I’ve always thought I didn’t tone down what I think, I just blurt it out.  What I think just seems to come spurting out of my mouth and I’m left there thinking “I can’t believe I just said that.”  This happens to me at least once a day.

This is why I don’t think I could ever run for political office.

Here’s the thing:  if I cared enough to run for political office, I’d live, breathe, and eat politics.  But if you’ve noticed, although my blog title suggests that I’m going to write solely about politics, I’m just as likely to write about my cats or my lack of internet skills.

Maybe what Susan meant to say is that she doesn’t read blogs because most of them are BORING. 

January 17, 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President Obama

Today we honor a great American, Martin Luther King, Jr., who eloquently conveyed the concept of an America whose citizens were decent, non-violent, and color-blind.  Forty two years after his tragic murder, we are no closer to achieving those goals than we were during the Civil Rights movement.  Yes, we have lots of laws that prevent overt discrimination, however, racism and racial inequality continue to plague our nation and prevent us from becoming a truly democratic society.

I do not agree with every concept held by Dr. King (e.g. I don’t believe that black Americans should be compensated financially for historical wrongs), however, I do strongly agree with his position on the Vietnam War, non-violent protest, and racial equality.

It is fact that, unfortunately, many Americans are not of this mind.  It is fact, that, many Americans are uncomfortable with a black American president.  They may say, and may believe, that they are not prejudiced, and however, by continuing to insist that President Barack Obama is not a natural born American presents their hand and their true opinions. 

The State of Hawaii has put a copy of President Obama’s Certificate of Live Birth on line for viewing.  Copies of both Honolulu newspapers carried the announcement of Barack Obama’s birth.  The obstetrician who delivered Barack Obama made comment of it to his friend (a teacher at the Honolulu prep school that Barack Obama attended) over dinner, who remembers this because Barack’s father was the first black student to attend the University of Hawaii.  For those whom this is not evidence enough that Barack Obama is an American citizen by birth, then I dare say they also believe that the sun revolves around the earth and that babies come from storks that drop them down the chimney.

And here’s to Martin Luther King, Jr., who made our country a better place.  And a prayer that more people like him will stand up and be counted.

January 16, 2011 Pictures

I’ve been asked by several readers to include more pictures in my blog.  Unfortunately, the Google website where I’ve got my blog located doesn’t seem to allow it.  Also, I understand from several of you that you are having difficulty making comments or “friending” my blog, even those of you who have Google accounts.  I would have thought Google would have been more friendly.  Or, it may be that I just don’t know how to use it properly—a scenario as likely as “it’s Google’s fault”.

So, to make a long story short, I’m going to find a different blog site very soon, so please be patient.  Starting a blog seems to have challenges other than “what do I write about today?”  It requires technical skills that I don’t have yet.  For instance, I tried to join Facebook with our business and I couldn’t figure it out.  Those of you who have greater internet skills than I could please advise me.  Or do it for me on your next visit.

January 15 Government Employees

In yesterday’s post, I was pretty harsh on government employees.  Today I am here to tell you that, like in every demographic, you have your good ones and you have your bad ones.  Fortunately for all of us, I believe that there are more good ones than bad ones.  In fact, I can name several excellent government employees in our local County and City jurisdictions (Nate and Sean—this is a Kudos for you!).  These people are hard-working and are an asset to the community.

But it’s always the bad ones that seem to get the attention, isn’t it?  And from the public’s perspective, it’s those government employees who use their position as one of power, rather than public service, that are the worst.  You don’t generally find that kind of attitude in the private sector (Dell employees are quite accommodating), but government and utility employees are too frequently in the position of acting like God over their small portion of the universe.

As I become more familiar with the U.S. Constitution, it becomes clear that the intent of the  Founding Fathers was to protect the public from the Government.  Looking at the Amendments, it’s clear that the first 9 deal directly on this:

1.       The government can't prohibit practice of any religion, free speech, or the press (to print whatever they want whether it be true or false)

2.       The government won’t infringe on a citizen’s right to bear arms (although I do tend to think that it might be a good idea to establish a limit on how many rounds of ammunition are included in a clip so that if a mass murderer decides to go into a crowd, it limits the number of people that can be shot in one go-round)

3.       The government can’t make private citizens house and feed the army in their own homes (but it says nothing about taxing us to take care of the army in this fashion—which I’m not complaining about merely making an observation)

4.       The government can’t just barge into a citizen’s house to search or seize belongings.  They need a warrant that describes good cause for doing this

5.       No citizen can be held without being charged for a crime and no citizen can be charged twice for the same crime and no citizen can be forced to testify against himself and private property can’t be taken without appropriate compensation

6.       The accused must get a speedy trial rather than sitting in jail for years on end without a trial.

7.       Citizens have the right to a trial by jury (they can’t just be accused and have a government employee decide the verdict)

8.       Excessive bail is not required, nor excessive fines, nor cruel and unusual punishment (although "cruel and unusual" can be subjective)

9.       Just because it isn’t listed in the Amendments, the government can’t declare that they have rights over the citizens.  For example, the government can’t declare that they have the right to control sexual behavior of the citizens (although I know that many good, church-going citizens seem to think they should)

It sounds like in the old days, government employees had a tendency to abuse their positions and so the Founding Fathers put rules in place to prevent this from happening again. 

January 14, 2011 California Cell Phones

Governor Jerry Brown’s first executive order is to eliminate half of the state-paid cell phones:  48,000.  And that’s only HALF!  And by eliminating 48,000 cell phones, the budget will be cut by $20 million per year.  I didn’t realize that my state taxes were being used to pay for state workers to call their wives or boyfriends or kids.  Or to play Solitaire and surf the web and search for the nearest coffee hutch with the Starbucks App.  Had I known this, I would have been pretty pissed off.  And if 48,000 cell phones are being recalled, that still means there are still another 48,000 still out there!

What a rip-off that California tax-payers are paying for state employee cell phones.  What else are we paying for?  Meals?  Laptops?  Why can’t state employees pay for their own cell phones and then highlight those calls on their bills that are work related?

And it’s not just the state that is abusing taxpayer money.  Cities, Counties, Water agencies and other utilities are using taxes and rate-payer money for employee perks.  There was a local scandal last year when it was discovered, at the same time that water rates were going up and new cars were on the budget to be purchased, that water agency employees were using their agency-owned cars for personal use.  A water agency car was seen at the boat arena towing a boat for a day of water skiing or fishing.  And I’ve frequently seen a water agency truck in the chiropractor parking lot.  This is clearly an abuse of rate-payer funds.

Regarding California’s budget, maybe the Governor could eliminate some of the boards and commissions?  Some are important and I believe they should be strengthened (e.g. the Fair Political Practices Commission).  Others, however, don’t seem to be providing a very big bang for the tax payer bucks we’re paying.  For instance, why do we need both a Children and Families Commission AND a Child Development Policy Advisory Commission?  It sounds like there’s some overlap there.  And who are they advising?  And why do we need a Board of Chiropractic Examiners?  Or a Horse-Racing Board?  Or a State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology?   I don’t want to pay for any of these.  It seems like some industries have been cherry-picked for government oversight.  Some industries are more “dirty” than others—but chiropractors?  Barbers?  Give me a break.  If any industry needs to have oversight, it should be government and utilities!

January 11, 2011 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

We bought a Toyota Prius a couple of years ago and we love the gas mileage:  45 MPG!  It has really made a difference to the amount of money we pay to Chevron every month.  Frank uses it to drive to his job and to run his errands.  However, if we have a long drive to San Diego, it’s our old SUV that we pack up because it is far more spacious and safer on the freeways that we have to share with semi’s, RV’s, and impatient speeders .  And the dogs aren’t allowed in the Prius and so it’s fairly fur-free, except for those stray pieces that have come off of our own clothes.

Apparently the Nissan Leaf is now being sold and driven around California.  A study performed by a market research company called NPD Group, Inc., concluded that driving behavior changes when gasoline prices reach $3 and driving patterns change when gasoline prices reach $4.  Uh, I could have told you that without a market research study!  According to the study, at $3, people are more likely to carpool or drive less.  At $4 people make more permanent changes like buy a hybrid vehicle (which is what we did last time the gas price was over $4), work from home, or get an apartment or house closer to work.

And rumor is that higher gas prices are coming.

We’re probably going to have to buy another gas-efficient car.  The Leaf has a driving range of only 100 miles, so it probably wouldn’t suit us with our rural address.  The Chevrolet Volt, which just came on the market, has a longer range because it also has a lithium-ion battery.  The Mini Cooper electric version also has a lithium battery (which is so big that the electric version is much heavier than the regular version), but you can only lease these vehicles rather than buy them.  And the small size wouldn’t be practical for toting around large dogs and groceries. 

I feel more comfortable with a hybrid car compared to an all-electric car.  It has an alternative fuel source so I don’t need to worry about running out of energy on Highway 88 in the middle of a January snow storm.  If I lived in a city, this probably wouldn’t be such an issue.

Of all the hybrids, the Prius continues to be the one with the best gas mileage—51 mpg in the city.

Electric and hybrid automobiles are on the rise.  The demand has been greater than manufacturing can keep up with (we had to wait 6 months to get our Prius).  The Japanese car companies saw the need and acted on it faster than the American and European car companies.    Will Ford, GM, or BMW be able to catch up with Toyota and Nissan?  Management of these companies underestimated the market for this technology and they are being punished for their short-sightedness. 

The next few years will be exciting to watch in the automobile industry.

January 9, 2011 Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

I’m shocked by the senseless shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a moderate Democrat from Arizona.  But as shocked as I am about that evil act, I am even more shocked by the response of many who claim to believe in the American ideals.  Conservatives are blaming the shooter as a “pot-smoking Liberal” while Liberals are blaming the Tea Party (and Sarah Palin) because Rep. Giffords was on her Target list.

First, let’s understand that Rep. Giffords was a Moderate.  And although she had the tag “Democrat” on her label, the important feature was that she was a Moderate.  How else could she have been elected THREE TIMES in a Republican state?  Because many of the Arizona Republicans are also Moderates!  And a moderate Republican is more likely to vote for a moderate Democratic candidate than a Tea Party candidate.  Politics is a spectrum, not a choice between black and white.  And those of us in the Middle are more likely to vote for others in the Middle, regardless of their political party.  I know, because I vote for both Republicans and Democrats on almost every ballot.  I vote for the person, and never the party. 

But in recent history, politics have become increasing partisan.  And when the number of extremists at either end of the political spectrum start to multiply, and the number of Moderates starts to diminish, then the Country becomes unbalanced as our government teeters and totters. 

This is especially disturbing when the symbology of one of the extremist groups suggest violence, such as Sarah Palin’s target list of elected leaders using a cross-hairs gun sight, and her urging to “don’t retreat, reload”.  Unfortunately, the Liberals have taken advantage of this marketing strategy (which is all it is), while Ms. Palin has been publically gracious toward the mourning families.  It’s a shame that everyone couldn’t put politics aside for one minute to mourn together this tragedy.

I read a comment by a Conservative who said that the shooter was just a Liberal who shot another Liberal.  Rep. Giffords may have been a Democrat, but she was not a Liberal; however, she was more liberal than the Conservative who made that comment.  And a comment made by a Liberal said that she may have been shot because she wasn’t supporting her Democratic constituents.   The shooter is best described as an emotionally unbalanced extremist, which is a term that can be used to describe extremists from either party. 

But the truth is not yet known because the political views of the shooter haven’t been made public.  It’s all speculation, each side pointing fingers at the other side.  And unfortunately for us Moderates, it means that all fingers are pointed at us.