WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US

Pogo,almost 40 years ago, uttered the admonishment "We have met the enemy and he is us". These words were expressed at time of spectacular economic growth and consumption. It also was a time of deep political and emotional divisions in the American populace which ranged over issues from the Vietnam war to the imagery of youth lifestyles as portrayed by Woodstock .

The imagery of these times seems to have reappeared with the election of Barack Obama. His proposal to assure that all Americans have access to health care have created a level of animosity not seen for many years. Feed by the demagoguery of self styled media pundits, many people express vocal outrage in any attempt at civil discussion. Ironically, many of the most vocal in opposition to the proposed health care programs are the elderly who are served by Medicare. Many of these elderly assert a vigorous rejection of any control of the government over their health care because they believe it may mean a limitation on their medical care. This perspective obviously reflects a voting population that doesn't even know that Medicare is a government administered health care program for the elderly. Recent attempts at town hall discussions of the subject by various members of congress dissipated into chaotic screaming sessions by these opponents. Given the intense emotional outbursts by these opponents one must wonder whether the opposition is based on a true question of the merits of the proposed program or simply an emotional distaste to the election of a black President that demagogues stir by characterizing his beliefs as Marxist and un-American.

Perhaps, civil discourse can be found. Until it can be found, Pogo's wisdom remains true to this day.

WHO AM I

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In today’s political commentary the country is divided between red and blue states, between Republicans and Democrats, between conservative and liberals and between secular atheists and evangelicals. The reality is much more complicated. Most thinking people do not meet a political litmus test or fit any simple political box. I use myself as an example. On some issues I would be viewed as conservative and religious. On other issues I would be considered to be liberal and secular.

• I strongly believe in a free market.
• I believe that business can generally outperform government at most services.
• I believe that the future of this country must be based on the creation of jobs in the private sector.
• I believe that excessive taxes can destroy economic incentive in the free market.
• I believe in the right to bear arms.
• I don’t believe that the government can, does or should watch out for my best interest.
• I believe in personal responsibility.
• I would never personally participate in the abortion of a life after conception.
• I believe in fiscal responsibility.
• I fear that the federal deficit will undermine economic growth for decades to come.
• I believe in family values.
• I believe in the rule of law and that no civilization can exist without a clear rule of law.
• I believe that judges are to apply the law based upon constitutional, legislative and common law principles rather than simply applying their personal philosophical beliefs.
• I believe that the term “judicial activists” simply means any judge that has ruled in a manner contrary to the speaker’s belief.
• I believe that the success of a society is best measured by the success of its least fortunate members of that society.
• I believe in First Amendment.
• I have been appalled at our Country’s wiliness to ignore constitutional principals in the name of security.
• I believe that we still have a long way to go in achieving true civil rights.
• I believe in a women’s right to chose what to do with her body until a fetus is viable.
• I believe that no one is entitled to wealth or status merely by virtue of their birthright.
• I believe in protecting the environment.
• I believe that society must provide a safety net to its weakest members especially children and the elderly.
• I believe that government must regulate some aspects of business that the profit motive does not consider. This includes activities such as control of adverse environmental practices or fraudulent conduct.
• I believe that we need to reduce our dependence on carbon fuels.
• I believe that global warming is a real event.
• I believe that a strong military is one of the best protections to a free society.
• I believe that government secrecy is generally bad and that the more someone wants to hide something the more likely it is that what has been hidden should never have been done.
• I believe in education.
• I believe that is government’s role to give everyone the opportunity to the best education they can achieve and that in the long run, such an educated society will outperform other societies.

Many of my friends in various “movements” consider me a conservative Republican. Other friends in the business community consider many of my views to be the ravings of a left wing liberal. In reality, like most Americans, my views do not fit a neat litmus test for political affiliation. On some issues, I am a traditionalist and conservative. If it isn’t broke we don’t need to try and fix it. On other the other hand, where our current policies do not enhance economic growth, civil liberty or environmental protection we can do better and my views would be considered liberal. 

On the whole, I pride myself in trying to listen to the facts which are often hard to decipher and the corresponding arguments. Unfortunately, much of the media is fact-less. What passes for news is simply spin. Commentators on television and talk radio tend to pander to demonization and stir political hatred in order to achieve ratings. This is not an appropriate use of the media but it is protected speech. Fortunately, these ravings can be easily disarmed if one takes the time to listen and evaluate. I have faith that most Americans take that time and recognize that litmus test politics serves no one except the persons promulgating the tests.

We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us (2)

The Florida Legislature had many critical issues to address in 2009. The economy was in a tailspin Unemployment was growing. Home foreclosures led the nation. For the first time in decades, growth was non existent. Ten of thousands of new residential properties sat without buyers. The State budget had multi-billion dollar deficit. Education was in severe financial distress. Trust Funds were being depleted to meet current operating expenses.

The legislative response was as direct as it was irrelevant irrelevant. With ten of thousands of homes and condominiums unsold and many more in foreclosure, the legislature decided that the economic woes of the State were due directly to the minimal limitations of Florida's Growth Management Act which has existed since 1986. This act placed some restrictions on unlimited development in areas without adequate schools, sewers, water or roads for any increased population. Implementation of this Act would not have allowed development in excess of 96 million people in the State over the next 50 years. Apparently this limit was too low and the Growth Management Act was effectively gutted. The State currently has several years of excess housing inventory. With the removal of growth management, development can now return to selling swamp land to foolish northerners even if they can't sell their own homes.

Capitalistic Democracy

The twin pillars of strength in this Country has been Democracy and Capitalism. A prime tenet of Capitalism has been a belief in the free market system. A lesser recognized but no less important tenet is the process of decision making in a free market system. This process contemplates that capital will follow profit and successful decisions in the marketplace. The more profitable that decisions made by management of a company prove to be, the more that shareholders will seek its stock. Recent history of corporate decisions and shareholder selection of companies belie these generally accepted tenets.

The market economy in this country appear to have created a class of management that perceives that it is entitled to significant compensation without regard to success It achieves this status because shareholders have too often been silent dupes in the world of high finance. Most corporate management have little fear of its shareholders and their decisions are not made on actions that will lead to long term profitability of a company but oin the short term benefit of the company management. This result is most evident in insurance industry, the finance and banking industry and the American automobile industry where historic institutions have been run into bankruptcy while management employees seek million dollar bonuses.

Many commentators complain that government bailouts constitute a road to socialism. They seem to overlook the corporate management that lead the American economy to the brink of insolvency.

Boaters Demonstrate True Community Spirit

While traveling down the inter-coastal waterway from St Petersburg to Clearwater Florida this past weekend I passed several dozen other boaters. On every occasion we exchanged waves. This pattern was consistent with virtually every time I am on the water. Friendly acknowledgement among boaters is a cultural routine meant to express appreciation of each other and the nature in which we have had the fortune to enjoy. A simply wave generates a feeling of community and well being.

I contrast this boating attitude with the typical response of drivers on the interstate or local roads. At best, drivers show a studious indifference to other drivers on the road. At worst, drivers demonstrate hostility and on occasion road rage to fellow drivers. There is little sense of community or harmony after a road trip. Few drivers feel a shared sense of community spirit. More likely is that driving generates a sense of isolation.

Our modern lives tend to fill with stress. Too often we isolate ourselves from our neighbors and even co-workers. On a day to day basis we seldom feel a sense of community with those we come in contact. Perhaps if we could translate the attitude we demonstrate when boating to all aspects of our lives, we could find more daily peace and harmony. Alternatively, find a way to get out on a boat regularly. It does wonders for one’s peace of mind.

Why Do We Need to Rely on Comedians To Tell the Truth?

In the world of talking heads on television news there is seldom an insightful analysis of the information presented. Presentations by representatives of a political point of view on “news programs” provide attractive "talking points" but offer even less analysis. Ironically, comedic shows seem too often be the best source of truly independent commentary. Will Rogers set the standard at the turn of the 20^th century. Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Colbert Report, or Jib Jam are setting the tone for the 21^st Century.

Many commentators have expressed concern that many college students use these comedic programs as the sole source of their news. Rather than concern, we may wish to applaud the discretion of such youth. They recognize several important facts.

We should never become so important that we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves.

There are few universal truths.

The greater the purported certainty of a claim, the less likely it is actual certain.

There are always more than one side to every position. One of the best ways to understand a position is to evaluate the point in which it becomes absurd.

This country is currently facing one of the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes. Unemployment is rapidly increasing. Bankruptcies and foreclosures have dramatically increased. Our trade deficit for the has caused the transfer of core assets of this country for decades. Our budget deficit has grown exponentially. Our ability to fund any government function can exist only if China continues to buy our debt. China of course is our primary economic and military rival. In this crisis Democrats and Republicans both assert the need for bipartisan solutions. When forced to debate the issues, however, both elected leaders of both parties resorted to party line votes with finger pointing across the aisle that the other was not willing to share their toys. When such serious leadership seems to have such limitations, maybe common sense suggests that we listen to our comics.