As usual, I can see that Darryl has had more time to put fingers to keyboard and write. No, really, that’s not the reason I haven’t written in a while. I have to be in the mood to write, or it is just plain morose, and who wants to read that? I have about half a dozen journals that cover the years between 14 ½ to not long after I got married when I was almost 20. The journal entries since then have been so sporadic that entire decades have gone between them at times. There are two reasons for that. One is pretty basic. As a court reporter, I can write at over 250 wpm. Even when I am just typing on a computer, I write about 114 wpm. And longhand just takes.....soooooo......long....:) But the other reason is that I started collecting a lot of bad memories and didn’t want to write them down. Then when something good happened, I simply didn’t think to write about it. In a way, I really don’t regret not having a record of those bad times.....but I’m sure my kids would enjoy reading what was going on in my mind when they were born and went through the different stages of growing up. Oh, well. One more reason I’m not gonna win the Mother of the Century award, darn it all. Anyway, the past week or so has been pretty hard for me. I've had a lot on my mind, and I definitely didn't want to put THAT in our blog. I want it to go away, and the good news is that it does seem to be.
I did want to take the time, though, to write some thoughts I’ve had these past couple of days. Today is January 21, 2009. Yesterday the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was sworn into office. The feeling in the whole country (well, okay, there are a few “others”) is hopeful for the future. It’s been such a long eight years. I voted for Pres. Bush not once but twice, and I finally had to admit that I was sorely disappointed in what has happened while he’s been in office. I’m sure he’s a good man, and a President can only act on the information he’s given....and I wouldn’t have that job for all the wealth in the world, I can tell you!
As for No. 44, he is biracial, as are many, many people in our country, but because his father was actually African, the African-American population has felt an indescribable joy over seeing in their lifetimes a face in the Oval Office that looks an awful lot like theirs. I am so happy for those who suffered so long ago and have lived to see this happen. I can’t say that I can really know exactly how they feel, but only because I can only look on from the sidelines of life and see their pain. I sincerely hope that I have never been nor ever will be someone who adds to that pain. I’m so grateful that my children have been blessed to have grown up with children of many nationalities and racial backgrounds. I know that each generation in my family has been a little farther away, step by step, from the bigotry of the past, and it gives me such a feeling of pride and joy to know that, to my children, disliking someone for the color of his/her skin is weird.
As I watched the Inauguration, it was hard to miss the First Daughters. They look like a couple of characters, and I can see that there is a lot of love in that little family. And every girl deserves to be her daddy’s princess, and I’m so glad to see that our new President is filling that role quite nicely and unabashedly loving all three of his royal women.
Okay, enough politics. Work has been extremely slow recently, which doesn’t really surprise me, because it’s been the holiday season, followed immediately by the excitement of the Inauguration, which is basically a holiday in the DC/VA area. I just finished my last outstanding transcript today, though I have a short job tomorrow and then another job on Friday. It’s really scary that our financial situation continues to be so shaky. I really wish Darryl could get a job, because ever since I left my job at the court in Fresno, we haven’t had benefits, and it’s been really hard. Plus, being self-employed, we are constantly in a “feast or famine” situation. Right now we’re in a famine. And, of course, I have no idea when work will pick up so we can feast again. ::sigh::
One thing I’ve learned recently is that I simply am not able to please everybody. I’m sure that most people who are reading this (what, are there five of you?) are thinking, “Well, duh!” Okay, so I’m a little slow. No, my point is that I can strive every day to be a good person who loves others and makes the choice to be kind to everyone. I can urge my children to be good people, to do well in school, to be concerned about the world around them. But some people NEED to be in the center of drama. Some people NEED to have someone to blame for the problems in their lives. That one’s always bewildered me, because I know that I am to blame for most of my own problems....maybe *I* should find someone else to blame. It might make my self-esteem improve!
As I watch Lindsay get ready to graduate high school, I can see glimmers of the young woman she will be. She is really maturing, and I have high hopes for her in her future. Lauren is so active, and she can really try my patience, but she, too, is having an occasional glimmer...if we can survive her! LOL She is the most ambitious of all my kids, and I can't wait to see what she'll do with her life. Scott is at the awkward stage....11 years old, too smart for his own good, but he's one to watch. Kristi still amazes me with her compassion at such a young age. She was scolded recently for being rude to her sister, and she came to me later and said she needed to talk to me. She was very concerned, it seems, because she'd noticed that she'd been acting "mean" lately. We had a serious conversation about that, and while she continues to hassle her siblings, she is trying. I don't think it ever occurred to me at the age of 9 that *I* was ever the problem :)
I really enjoy having this blog, but mostly because I like reading what Darryl's thinking. He is my best friend, and he makes me laugh every single day. I'm so glad he saved my life 12 years ago. :)
So, yeah, thanks for hanging in to this point. I hope it hasn't been too painful!!
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Natural Consequences
Is it just me, or has the rest of the world forgotten a fundamental principle of business... and life...??? I'm talking, of course, about "natural consequences..." that "sister principle" to the Darwin Awards.
You remember that term... "natural consequences"? We try to teach it to our children. "If you do a bad thing, a bad thing will most likely happen. If you do a good thing, a good thing will most likely happen." It's not rocket science... unless you're 14 and have ADHD. But I digress.
Apparently, some in our country have never gotten this particular memo. I remember the old days, where your success as a business was based on your skill as a leader and the quality of the decisions you made. Not who was President. If you blew it, you blew it big-time. The "little people" paid dearly for it. As did you, when the Board of Directors got through with you.
In the old days, when businesses failed, plants closed, and masses were laid off, the pain was palpable... but transient. Those affected moved on, found different opportunities, and soon all that was left of the poor choices of management were bad memories. It was survival of the fittest in the most bone-jarringly honest sense of the phrase. Poorly-run companies died. Well-run companies succeeded. That simple fact created competition for jobs at well-run companies... they wound up attracting the top talent. Everyone knew the stakes were high, which caused those in power to take pause when making critical decisions. Lessons were learned (hopefully) from competitors who failed. Business paradigms shifted... albeit slowly... to accomodate these lessons so that similar fates could be avoided. It was the American Way.
Not anymore.
Today we just hop on our private jet and fly to Washington to beg for a bailout. We not only have NOT learned from the "junk mortgages" that wound up sinking us in the first place, we're now giving "junk mortgages" to Big Business on an exponentially larger scale. And it's going to have the same effect on us as a nation in the end. Our unwillingness to allow the natural consequences of monumental business blunders will financially enslave our children, and our children's children, for decades, if not millenia, to come. And they simply don't deserve that.
The pathetic part of all of this, of course, is that it was entirely avoidable. And there is more than enough blame to spread around. Coupled with Detroit's unwillingness to develop more efficient vehicles earlier is the rampant greed and entitlement mentality of the UAW.
Ask anyone who works for any of the Big Three and belongs to the UAW. Not only has their union, the UAW, strong-armed the Big Three for obscenely high wages, but they have all but destroyed any semblance of meaningful productivity. A more-than-typical example would include workers who, for instance, didn't even work the last couple of years they were employed. They just take "sick leave." And then retire at 95% of their normal salary.
The labor-hour cost for the Big Three is over $75/hour. Compared to $35/hour for Toyota and other foreign automakers. No wonder they're in trouble. When hourly laborers are paid on the same scale as MBA's, physicians, and dentists... without that pesky education to show for it... something is terribly, terribly wrong. Darwinian wrong. Epically wrong.
And in these extreme times of crisis... one would expect the UAW to step up to the plate, and offer deep concessions to "do their part" to help save Detroit from going under, right? No way. Not a dime, not an inch. Instead of being the Worker's Advocate, the UAW is quite content to roll the dice with the possible outcome being the untimely demise of the tens of thousands of jobs and the ensuing financial devastation that would cause. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Anything but having to actually sacrifice. That simply won't do. And that's the sum total of the mentality of our nation now. Sacrifice just "won't do."
I'm against the bailout. I'm against anything that gets in the way of natural consequences. I'm for those who have been wise, who have been frugal, who have been prudent... to succeed. I'm for those who have exercised poor judgement, unbridled arrogance, and limitless greed... to fail. Epically, if needed. That's how we learn, as a nation. And that's how we grow, hopefully avoiding the same mistakes in the future.
Unfortunately, the "bailout mentality" only breeds... MORE corruption... MORE greed... MORE carelessness... and MORE poor judgement and decision-making. It's a vicious, spirally cycle. After all, what motivation is there to actually do their jobs and LEAD? The government, having set the standard now, will always be there to follow after them with a super-sized broom and dustpan.
You remember that term... "natural consequences"? We try to teach it to our children. "If you do a bad thing, a bad thing will most likely happen. If you do a good thing, a good thing will most likely happen." It's not rocket science... unless you're 14 and have ADHD. But I digress.
Apparently, some in our country have never gotten this particular memo. I remember the old days, where your success as a business was based on your skill as a leader and the quality of the decisions you made. Not who was President. If you blew it, you blew it big-time. The "little people" paid dearly for it. As did you, when the Board of Directors got through with you.
In the old days, when businesses failed, plants closed, and masses were laid off, the pain was palpable... but transient. Those affected moved on, found different opportunities, and soon all that was left of the poor choices of management were bad memories. It was survival of the fittest in the most bone-jarringly honest sense of the phrase. Poorly-run companies died. Well-run companies succeeded. That simple fact created competition for jobs at well-run companies... they wound up attracting the top talent. Everyone knew the stakes were high, which caused those in power to take pause when making critical decisions. Lessons were learned (hopefully) from competitors who failed. Business paradigms shifted... albeit slowly... to accomodate these lessons so that similar fates could be avoided. It was the American Way.
Not anymore.
Today we just hop on our private jet and fly to Washington to beg for a bailout. We not only have NOT learned from the "junk mortgages" that wound up sinking us in the first place, we're now giving "junk mortgages" to Big Business on an exponentially larger scale. And it's going to have the same effect on us as a nation in the end. Our unwillingness to allow the natural consequences of monumental business blunders will financially enslave our children, and our children's children, for decades, if not millenia, to come. And they simply don't deserve that.
The pathetic part of all of this, of course, is that it was entirely avoidable. And there is more than enough blame to spread around. Coupled with Detroit's unwillingness to develop more efficient vehicles earlier is the rampant greed and entitlement mentality of the UAW.
Ask anyone who works for any of the Big Three and belongs to the UAW. Not only has their union, the UAW, strong-armed the Big Three for obscenely high wages, but they have all but destroyed any semblance of meaningful productivity. A more-than-typical example would include workers who, for instance, didn't even work the last couple of years they were employed. They just take "sick leave." And then retire at 95% of their normal salary.
The labor-hour cost for the Big Three is over $75/hour. Compared to $35/hour for Toyota and other foreign automakers. No wonder they're in trouble. When hourly laborers are paid on the same scale as MBA's, physicians, and dentists... without that pesky education to show for it... something is terribly, terribly wrong. Darwinian wrong. Epically wrong.
And in these extreme times of crisis... one would expect the UAW to step up to the plate, and offer deep concessions to "do their part" to help save Detroit from going under, right? No way. Not a dime, not an inch. Instead of being the Worker's Advocate, the UAW is quite content to roll the dice with the possible outcome being the untimely demise of the tens of thousands of jobs and the ensuing financial devastation that would cause. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Anything but having to actually sacrifice. That simply won't do. And that's the sum total of the mentality of our nation now. Sacrifice just "won't do."
I'm against the bailout. I'm against anything that gets in the way of natural consequences. I'm for those who have been wise, who have been frugal, who have been prudent... to succeed. I'm for those who have exercised poor judgement, unbridled arrogance, and limitless greed... to fail. Epically, if needed. That's how we learn, as a nation. And that's how we grow, hopefully avoiding the same mistakes in the future.
Unfortunately, the "bailout mentality" only breeds... MORE corruption... MORE greed... MORE carelessness... and MORE poor judgement and decision-making. It's a vicious, spirally cycle. After all, what motivation is there to actually do their jobs and LEAD? The government, having set the standard now, will always be there to follow after them with a super-sized broom and dustpan.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Prop 8 Opposition Still Baffles Me
OK, don't flame me, but I'm going to take a break from the fluffy and smarmy to actually talk about something that's been on my mind for some time now... Prop 8.
I preface my thoughts with an appropriate disclaimer... I'm not a gay-basher, nor am I in any way homophobic. I simply do not accept the homosexual lifestyle as being morally or socially "equal to" heterosexual marriage. And I never will. I do not believe in denying individuals the ability to live a homosexual lifestyle if they so choose. That would meddle unacceptably with their free agency. But their insistance that gay and lesbian lifestyles are morally equivalent to heterosexual marriage, and that it should be taught to school children as such, meddles unacceptably with MY free agency.
And my resistance to that notion is simply unacceptable to them for some reason. Their worldview is somewhat skewed... they are somehow free to feel they way they do, but anyone who feels differently should be silenced.
The crux of the argument against Prop 8, as I understand it from some of my gay friends and others, is that Prop 8 seeks to "take away the right of gay couples to marry like anyone else, and to be accepted on equal footing with heterosexual couples."
And therein lies the problem.
The argument is a screaming logical fallacy. It assumes the gays have, at one point or another, "had the inherent right to marry like hetersexual couples," and that that right has somehow been "taken away." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Neither can the most rabid of gay activists point to a time when this was the case. It is simply a fraudulent argument meant to intentionally deceive by suggesting that they have been deprived of something to which they are legally entitled. This is a clear case of an "entitlement mentality" run amuck.
In our society, "legal entitlements" are determined by... wait for it... the voice of the people, and those who they elect to represent them. In California, the voice of the people DENIED the attempts by gays to force their agenda on the citizenry... twice. And decisively, at that. As it turns out, the voice of the people has turned out to be heinously annoying to the gay and lesbian community. So, as any consciencious, civic-minded adult would do, the gay and lesbian community responded to this decisive mandate by figuratively (and sometimes literally) hurling themselves to the ground and throwing a screaming, kicking, and crying tantrum... and one which has already turned destructive, and which is poised to become blatantly violent at any moment.
I recognize that tactic. I've raise over a dozen small children. And it smacks of the same maturity level.
Of course, as is the tactic with all bigots... and yes, the gay and lesbian community are among the MOST bigotted and hateful of them all... they attempt to discourage opposition by attaching a stigma to anyone who disagrees... so they paint anyone who disagrees with them with the brush of "hatemonger." Being "hateful" is politically incorrect, doncha see?
It is simply not possible to disagree with gays, in their eyes, without being "homophobic" or a "hater." The goal is to make disagreeing with them so socially repugnant that those who are mildly against them or 'on the fence' will quickly withdraw from their opposition to the gay agenda. They may be childish, but they're not stupid. The tactic works more often than we'd like to admit.
So, after the weak have retreated to the safety of apathetic silence, the only ones left standing on the rainbow battlefield are... gays and those who staunchly, bravely, oppose their agenda and refuse to cower in the face of withering name-calling.
Isaiah saw our day and gave a dire warning to those who had "ears to hear";
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa 5:20)
I remember reading that scripture numerous times... but never have I seen it so literally fulfilled as when carefully examining the actions of those opposing Prop 8. And I certainly don't see anything unclear or confusing about why the gay/lesbian community has zero'd in on the LDS Church to focus their rage... Satan knows precisely where the seat of righteousness is. And he knows where his main opposition will come from.
The Evangelical camp is already divided. Sporadic barking from "Focus on the Family" aside, they can't even agree among themselves as to whether gays should be accepted as the "moral equivalent" of heterosexual unions. Many Protestant/Evangelical congregations and churches already not only embrace them and their lifestyle, but ordain them to their clergy. Since the Roman Catholic Church started vetting their potential priests more carefully to weed out homosexuals, their recruiting numbers have dropped through the basement. It is clear who the unapologetic holdouts are. It be us.
The good news is that we stand firmly on hallowed ground. The bad news is, the other side knows it. In my humble opinion, it's gonna get a whole heckuvalot worse, and ain't gettin' no better anytime soon. Which makes it even more important to have our own houses in order. To be doing what we should be... and keeping an eagle-eye on what's going on around us, particularly as it pertains to what our leaders are telling us. That's my opinion. Of course, your mileage may vary. :)
I preface my thoughts with an appropriate disclaimer... I'm not a gay-basher, nor am I in any way homophobic. I simply do not accept the homosexual lifestyle as being morally or socially "equal to" heterosexual marriage. And I never will. I do not believe in denying individuals the ability to live a homosexual lifestyle if they so choose. That would meddle unacceptably with their free agency. But their insistance that gay and lesbian lifestyles are morally equivalent to heterosexual marriage, and that it should be taught to school children as such, meddles unacceptably with MY free agency.
And my resistance to that notion is simply unacceptable to them for some reason. Their worldview is somewhat skewed... they are somehow free to feel they way they do, but anyone who feels differently should be silenced.
The crux of the argument against Prop 8, as I understand it from some of my gay friends and others, is that Prop 8 seeks to "take away the right of gay couples to marry like anyone else, and to be accepted on equal footing with heterosexual couples."
And therein lies the problem.
The argument is a screaming logical fallacy. It assumes the gays have, at one point or another, "had the inherent right to marry like hetersexual couples," and that that right has somehow been "taken away." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Neither can the most rabid of gay activists point to a time when this was the case. It is simply a fraudulent argument meant to intentionally deceive by suggesting that they have been deprived of something to which they are legally entitled. This is a clear case of an "entitlement mentality" run amuck.
In our society, "legal entitlements" are determined by... wait for it... the voice of the people, and those who they elect to represent them. In California, the voice of the people DENIED the attempts by gays to force their agenda on the citizenry... twice. And decisively, at that. As it turns out, the voice of the people has turned out to be heinously annoying to the gay and lesbian community. So, as any consciencious, civic-minded adult would do, the gay and lesbian community responded to this decisive mandate by figuratively (and sometimes literally) hurling themselves to the ground and throwing a screaming, kicking, and crying tantrum... and one which has already turned destructive, and which is poised to become blatantly violent at any moment.
I recognize that tactic. I've raise over a dozen small children. And it smacks of the same maturity level.
Of course, as is the tactic with all bigots... and yes, the gay and lesbian community are among the MOST bigotted and hateful of them all... they attempt to discourage opposition by attaching a stigma to anyone who disagrees... so they paint anyone who disagrees with them with the brush of "hatemonger." Being "hateful" is politically incorrect, doncha see?
It is simply not possible to disagree with gays, in their eyes, without being "homophobic" or a "hater." The goal is to make disagreeing with them so socially repugnant that those who are mildly against them or 'on the fence' will quickly withdraw from their opposition to the gay agenda. They may be childish, but they're not stupid. The tactic works more often than we'd like to admit.
So, after the weak have retreated to the safety of apathetic silence, the only ones left standing on the rainbow battlefield are... gays and those who staunchly, bravely, oppose their agenda and refuse to cower in the face of withering name-calling.
Isaiah saw our day and gave a dire warning to those who had "ears to hear";
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa 5:20)
I remember reading that scripture numerous times... but never have I seen it so literally fulfilled as when carefully examining the actions of those opposing Prop 8. And I certainly don't see anything unclear or confusing about why the gay/lesbian community has zero'd in on the LDS Church to focus their rage... Satan knows precisely where the seat of righteousness is. And he knows where his main opposition will come from.
The Evangelical camp is already divided. Sporadic barking from "Focus on the Family" aside, they can't even agree among themselves as to whether gays should be accepted as the "moral equivalent" of heterosexual unions. Many Protestant/Evangelical congregations and churches already not only embrace them and their lifestyle, but ordain them to their clergy. Since the Roman Catholic Church started vetting their potential priests more carefully to weed out homosexuals, their recruiting numbers have dropped through the basement. It is clear who the unapologetic holdouts are. It be us.
The good news is that we stand firmly on hallowed ground. The bad news is, the other side knows it. In my humble opinion, it's gonna get a whole heckuvalot worse, and ain't gettin' no better anytime soon. Which makes it even more important to have our own houses in order. To be doing what we should be... and keeping an eagle-eye on what's going on around us, particularly as it pertains to what our leaders are telling us. That's my opinion. Of course, your mileage may vary. :)
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