Driving this morning and shifting, I realized I went through these motions 10 ,000 times before I ever drive a car. In the car with my Dad and Grandfather, watching intently and knowing the sound of rpms before and after a shift, the thrill of acceleration after a new gear. Practicing up in the attic where my father built us a rocket (and gave us gear shifts and steering wheels), shifting for hours, yearning for a time when I could legally drive – and was still 10 to 12 years away.
The feel of shifting, steering tacitly makes the earth seem solid under me, even as I’m moving, making me trust that everything will be alright, in an otherwise much more tentative world. It harkens back to a subliminal place in my mind where I feel safe and at home – worry free and marveling at everything.
Heading down Perry Highway, I passed a section of woods and with the sun streaming down, I smell the peppery odor of dewy fern fronds pushing up and leaves, just starting to decay. It takes me back to the farm, Rivendell, the commune where I spent some of my adolescent summers - and simultaneously I feel in the moment, feeling air and sun.
As I moved in towards Westview village, I noticed trees with lush leaves, some Maples to the right hanging over the road, pushing out to find more sun. The car hugged the curve, even though I wasn’t going fast, slight acceleration made me feel alive.
When the senses are in tune and the conscious and subconscious are clicking, each moment is a gift. At any other time, a routine drive – what a marvel that a slight shift in focus changes how we perceive things.
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Republicans need a Democrat in the White House Too
You won't survive the current austerity for the middle class and poor, and riches for the upper class.
I don't think that most middle and middle upper-class Republicans recognize that their programmed hatred of Democrats stems from misunderstanding and intentional propaganda.
The austerity measures that the Republican congress wants adopted will starve the poor and bankrupt the middle class while furthering money spent on the rich, a new federal building, military projects and more.
They are offering businesses loans that still need to be paid back rather than using the taxes they paid in to help keep them afloat and deferring payroll taxes that will either be coming due post-election or if made permanent will hurt social security. That's not rescue but deferred punishment. Yet they give businesses and billionaires millions.
Look - I make a good salary and had a retirement pension plan that grew up to a couple of years ago (and still have a 401k). And social security is still 50% of what I am counting on for a meager retirement fund. Even if you are well invested, a chunk of that is your social security and while you may not have come to terms with it, it's been the best investment program you've been involved with. It didn't devalue in 2008 when your 401k did. It has remained a steady commitment despite conservative attempts to privatize. It continues to provide returns, with interest back to those that worked for it, which puts their money back into the economy.
Speaking of that - recognize that no Republican administration in the last 120 years has brought the middle class out of economic hardship. Democrats have done it numerous times, twice in huge disasters (the great recession and the great depression). Republicans rode Bull markets helping make them more bullish, but that doesn't work to help the poor much.
The poor don't have investments, tax breaks don't work as relief when you don't make enough money to pay taxes. And they only do a little for the middle class.
It's hard for some to admit that we depend on the social programs that are in place because of Democratic administrations, but they are keep some of our poorest in food and then bring that money back into markets - actually better than tax rebates do. And that money pays other workers and businesses and eventually prop big businesses up.
Beyond Social Security there are safety net programs that are used more by poor whites than any other part of the population. The racist narrative associated with welfare doesn't reflect the reality - and we all have the potential to need a hand up, especially in this economic period. Losing one's job is not generally a partisan specific problem - we are all vulnerable.
But these crucial services are things we built to protect even the most vulnerable of us from threats to survival. And when we pull this back, we expose our humanity (which is apparently the enemy of the wealthy, per Republican Libertarian philosophy). If you are under economic pressure, you need the help you paid into. And in the Republican world this only goes to those who have so much it's not impacting their survival - it's just underwriting their wealth against "harm".
What is needed right now is thoughtful planning and action. A plan to test, vaccinate, distance and practice public health reasonably and economic aid to allow us to do this sensibly. All you have from the current conservative politicians is short sighted pandering to those that cannot grow up enough to engage in practices that keep them, their families and their neighbors safe.
Biden is a moderate. And frankly, so is Harris. While the RNC tries to paint them as far left leaning, both have shown they don't swing the country far left. Ask any far-left leaning person - they weren't the first choice for the group because they were too conservative. Both turned down Medicare for all. Both support policing - Harris was a prosecutor - so the propaganda that is being served by the White House is trash.
Rather than accept what someone says about their opponent, however, I invite you to look at these candidates and understand there's compassion and an understanding of the true suffering people are going through now - and a plan to get through it. While the insults keep getting tweeted out, they are the adults in the room, figuring out how to help those of us that need it.
And that's something you are not getting from this President or your conservative representatives or Governors. They not seeing a role of the government in helping you to truly ride this out - instead of providing aid they're telling you must work or die. Your child must attend class in person or lose funding (your funding, that you paid for) or have it redirected to private schools that operate without public regulation. They direct funding for a new Federal building rather than to help those that are out of work, those whose businesses are shuttered.
I've heard time and time again that we wish to close the political divide, that we should forget the conflict, compromise and focus on moving forward.
Time to take that advice yourselves and understand you cannot survive the current administration easily and others cannot at all. That thousands have already died and are struggling to feed their families. It's every man for himself. It's "me first". The risk you take in voting for these moderate democrats is so mild - what they are suggesting is good-for-all policy. Healing. Helping yourself by helping others. The current administration has pushed "good for me" policy and left scorched earth. We are not offering up these candidates as perfect - they are human. But the philosophical basis they come from is what's needed. It's crossing the divide together.
You need a Democrat in the White House because they will provide a balanced economic recovery, allowing businesses and people to heal and get back to their lives. You need them because they're performed these recoveries before. And yes, that means opening your mind to the helping of others too - but in the end, our humanity defines us. The hand we extend and the help we need is what binds us. Every major religion tells us that. Every humane philosophy tells us that.
Vote for who you want but recognize that who you need is unquestionably a humane, compassionate, thoughtful administration that will act on your behalf. The current administration has had a chance to show who they are. Now we need to do better.
I don't think that most middle and middle upper-class Republicans recognize that their programmed hatred of Democrats stems from misunderstanding and intentional propaganda.
The austerity measures that the Republican congress wants adopted will starve the poor and bankrupt the middle class while furthering money spent on the rich, a new federal building, military projects and more.
They are offering businesses loans that still need to be paid back rather than using the taxes they paid in to help keep them afloat and deferring payroll taxes that will either be coming due post-election or if made permanent will hurt social security. That's not rescue but deferred punishment. Yet they give businesses and billionaires millions.
Look - I make a good salary and had a retirement pension plan that grew up to a couple of years ago (and still have a 401k). And social security is still 50% of what I am counting on for a meager retirement fund. Even if you are well invested, a chunk of that is your social security and while you may not have come to terms with it, it's been the best investment program you've been involved with. It didn't devalue in 2008 when your 401k did. It has remained a steady commitment despite conservative attempts to privatize. It continues to provide returns, with interest back to those that worked for it, which puts their money back into the economy.
Speaking of that - recognize that no Republican administration in the last 120 years has brought the middle class out of economic hardship. Democrats have done it numerous times, twice in huge disasters (the great recession and the great depression). Republicans rode Bull markets helping make them more bullish, but that doesn't work to help the poor much.
The poor don't have investments, tax breaks don't work as relief when you don't make enough money to pay taxes. And they only do a little for the middle class.
It's hard for some to admit that we depend on the social programs that are in place because of Democratic administrations, but they are keep some of our poorest in food and then bring that money back into markets - actually better than tax rebates do. And that money pays other workers and businesses and eventually prop big businesses up.
Beyond Social Security there are safety net programs that are used more by poor whites than any other part of the population. The racist narrative associated with welfare doesn't reflect the reality - and we all have the potential to need a hand up, especially in this economic period. Losing one's job is not generally a partisan specific problem - we are all vulnerable.
But these crucial services are things we built to protect even the most vulnerable of us from threats to survival. And when we pull this back, we expose our humanity (which is apparently the enemy of the wealthy, per Republican Libertarian philosophy). If you are under economic pressure, you need the help you paid into. And in the Republican world this only goes to those who have so much it's not impacting their survival - it's just underwriting their wealth against "harm".
What is needed right now is thoughtful planning and action. A plan to test, vaccinate, distance and practice public health reasonably and economic aid to allow us to do this sensibly. All you have from the current conservative politicians is short sighted pandering to those that cannot grow up enough to engage in practices that keep them, their families and their neighbors safe.
Biden is a moderate. And frankly, so is Harris. While the RNC tries to paint them as far left leaning, both have shown they don't swing the country far left. Ask any far-left leaning person - they weren't the first choice for the group because they were too conservative. Both turned down Medicare for all. Both support policing - Harris was a prosecutor - so the propaganda that is being served by the White House is trash.
Rather than accept what someone says about their opponent, however, I invite you to look at these candidates and understand there's compassion and an understanding of the true suffering people are going through now - and a plan to get through it. While the insults keep getting tweeted out, they are the adults in the room, figuring out how to help those of us that need it.
And that's something you are not getting from this President or your conservative representatives or Governors. They not seeing a role of the government in helping you to truly ride this out - instead of providing aid they're telling you must work or die. Your child must attend class in person or lose funding (your funding, that you paid for) or have it redirected to private schools that operate without public regulation. They direct funding for a new Federal building rather than to help those that are out of work, those whose businesses are shuttered.
I've heard time and time again that we wish to close the political divide, that we should forget the conflict, compromise and focus on moving forward.
Time to take that advice yourselves and understand you cannot survive the current administration easily and others cannot at all. That thousands have already died and are struggling to feed their families. It's every man for himself. It's "me first". The risk you take in voting for these moderate democrats is so mild - what they are suggesting is good-for-all policy. Healing. Helping yourself by helping others. The current administration has pushed "good for me" policy and left scorched earth. We are not offering up these candidates as perfect - they are human. But the philosophical basis they come from is what's needed. It's crossing the divide together.
You need a Democrat in the White House because they will provide a balanced economic recovery, allowing businesses and people to heal and get back to their lives. You need them because they're performed these recoveries before. And yes, that means opening your mind to the helping of others too - but in the end, our humanity defines us. The hand we extend and the help we need is what binds us. Every major religion tells us that. Every humane philosophy tells us that.
Vote for who you want but recognize that who you need is unquestionably a humane, compassionate, thoughtful administration that will act on your behalf. The current administration has had a chance to show who they are. Now we need to do better.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Survival
In this first world that I and many of you live in, we have built systems to help insulate us from many of the base issues that threatened our ancestors.
Very few of us will be eaten by wild animals. Food is plentiful and available and largely pre-prepared (which can mean anything from pasteurization and packing - to cooked and made into a ready-to-eat meal. We are able to weather cold winters and hot summers much better and we have ways of communicating far distances - and on and on.
We built governments to help secure our livelihoods and regulate our getting along together - both to leverage the world as a team, a working and buying collective, built in services to help arbitrate differences and set up alliances to protect ourselves.
It's at this level of insulation from or original survival issues that we are caught off guard then by something that doesn't pay attention to any of the rules we set. That might be personal illness or of course Covid-19 that represents dire personal illness and an issue for our civilization.
The threat is multifaceted. But the biggest threat to us are the individuals that will take advantage of the situation for personal or political gain. That hamstring the systems we set up to protect us. By either not caring/intervening and planning but even worse, by taking actions that threaten the whole.
The Post Office - a seemingly first world service, but millions rely on for delivery of information, money, medicine and supplies - is under attack by the administration. They have been for years, but the opportunity to squeeze hard, close to an election is an act of treason. It's strangling the population for the benefit of a few.
The education system - by pressing schools to reconvene too quickly they are having to choose between federal funding (our money) and the welfare of those involved. Again, the administration is turning the screws against the well-being of most of us, using our own contribution to injure us and profit.
The social safety net - again our dollars, are being held back in order to keep a "pro=business" atmosphere to "incent" people to go back to work. In other words, keep them starving, so they don't have mobility and save the money to return to the rich.
The common good - is being exploited in separation, a set of propaganda released over the years to re-enforce going against our own needs for the benefit of the landed and wealthy. That supports not helping out businesses that are failing and the poor, because they are portrayed as leeches on the wealthy, through taxes. In order to stay in power, they are disabling the post office and closing polling places - again top force people to choose between their health and their prosperity.
I could go on, but the point is, when these systems fail to serve the bulk of the community, the nation, then they need to be attended to. The deliberate acts of sabotage to coral them for personal game are treasonous. They are against the good of the whole.
And that, is life threatening. Your risk of being eaten by a tiger is low. Your risk of being eaten by the current administration's inaction, self-serving action and policies, is high.
Call your congressperson and tell them the post office needs to be saved. That education needs to be funded. That the safety net needs to be deployed for all in need. We absolutely need to vote - but we need to act before November in order to get to November.
Find your representatives contact information:
Voiceyourstance.com
Very few of us will be eaten by wild animals. Food is plentiful and available and largely pre-prepared (which can mean anything from pasteurization and packing - to cooked and made into a ready-to-eat meal. We are able to weather cold winters and hot summers much better and we have ways of communicating far distances - and on and on.
We built governments to help secure our livelihoods and regulate our getting along together - both to leverage the world as a team, a working and buying collective, built in services to help arbitrate differences and set up alliances to protect ourselves.
It's at this level of insulation from or original survival issues that we are caught off guard then by something that doesn't pay attention to any of the rules we set. That might be personal illness or of course Covid-19 that represents dire personal illness and an issue for our civilization.
The threat is multifaceted. But the biggest threat to us are the individuals that will take advantage of the situation for personal or political gain. That hamstring the systems we set up to protect us. By either not caring/intervening and planning but even worse, by taking actions that threaten the whole.
The Post Office - a seemingly first world service, but millions rely on for delivery of information, money, medicine and supplies - is under attack by the administration. They have been for years, but the opportunity to squeeze hard, close to an election is an act of treason. It's strangling the population for the benefit of a few.
The education system - by pressing schools to reconvene too quickly they are having to choose between federal funding (our money) and the welfare of those involved. Again, the administration is turning the screws against the well-being of most of us, using our own contribution to injure us and profit.
The social safety net - again our dollars, are being held back in order to keep a "pro=business" atmosphere to "incent" people to go back to work. In other words, keep them starving, so they don't have mobility and save the money to return to the rich.
The common good - is being exploited in separation, a set of propaganda released over the years to re-enforce going against our own needs for the benefit of the landed and wealthy. That supports not helping out businesses that are failing and the poor, because they are portrayed as leeches on the wealthy, through taxes. In order to stay in power, they are disabling the post office and closing polling places - again top force people to choose between their health and their prosperity.
I could go on, but the point is, when these systems fail to serve the bulk of the community, the nation, then they need to be attended to. The deliberate acts of sabotage to coral them for personal game are treasonous. They are against the good of the whole.
And that, is life threatening. Your risk of being eaten by a tiger is low. Your risk of being eaten by the current administration's inaction, self-serving action and policies, is high.
Call your congressperson and tell them the post office needs to be saved. That education needs to be funded. That the safety net needs to be deployed for all in need. We absolutely need to vote - but we need to act before November in order to get to November.
Find your representatives contact information:
Voiceyourstance.com
Sunday, August 02, 2020
Humanity vs Autocracy
As we watch the events of the last four years, indeed the last 50, held up against this pandemic, that there has been a coordinated effort to pull control of the democracy around the world away from the public. For all the pro-democracy claims, we have seen conservative moneyed interests – big oil, big pharma, big media, private healthcare, private education and others work to favor the moneyed class. We see the division of class being ever more present.
The efforts for this are well documented – the Kochs, The Scaifes, the Devoses, etc... all have worked to peck away at the government we built to protect and care for the needs of people.
It’s a struggle that is thousands of years old and told over and over again, but in our immediate past we can see efforts to define success as that of an individual and owe nothing to the group and therefore decimate attempts to lift people out of poverty, out of disease. To say freedom is individual couldn’t be farther from the truth.
We live and die as individuals yes, but we are dependent upon one another. When we convince ourselves that others should care only for themselves, when greed drives us, and we believe we are not responsible for our fellow human – is when we lose our humanity.
I’m not saying we must sing kumbaya together. But to complain when we pay taxes to have children in our community educated, to object to healthcare for everyone or god forbid we help provide a meal or a place to stay for others, when we feel to treat others as equals, then we have lost our humanity.
However, you can express yourself in support of your fellow human – in thought, in donation, in contribution – work to defeat those forces that allow people to starve and suffer to further their own cause. No effort to small or too big – whatever you can do. No judgement.
We live and die by each other's hand. Let’s make sure our efforts promote living to the extent possible.
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