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The good news hiding in plain sight.

3/24/2017

I just found a web site regarding the astounding imbalance of representation in Congress. I found their analysis interesting.
However, I disagree that any group larger than about 250 people can get anything useful done, whether they meet face to face in a single room or not. I also don't think that a body of 6000 voting online is going to produce nearly as good quality legislation as a much smaller body meeting in person. So I don't buy their 'solution' to the problem.
What I do buy is what's actually happening now. The states are starting to take the lead (where the ratios are much better) and even cities and towns are taking matters into their own hands and starting to do quite well with things like restorative justice, sustainable energy, better management of waste and recycling, minority rights, and so on.
Even in North Carolina, where the notorious HB2 (legislation restricted transgender rights) was passed, it's easy to forget how it all came about. It started when various cities and towns within the state voted to protect those very same rights. Legislators in their state capitol voted to quash those rights, state wide. So guess what? I predict that it won't stand, in the long run. The will of the people is really for tolerance and support of diversity.

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I'm sorry but, ...

3/24/2017

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This whole flap in Washington (over the 'repeal' of Obamacare) is only half the story. What nobody seems to be talking about is how badly managed and overpriced our entire medical system is. Doctors? Hospitals? Give me a break! We're arguing about how to pay their exorbitant bills with tax dollars but we're not working hard to reform the amazingly corrupt and messed up medical system we have in the first place.
For example, we have drug companies who have been "inventing diseases" for almost a century by now, just so they could sell their wares. We have doctors doing procedures that have been proven don't really help (such as stents), and getting paid handsomely for it. Until we attack that (with the same fervency that we're now devoting to Obamacare), then we're still not attacking the problem at its roots.
It's as if we're arguing about how much fertilizer to spread on a garden full of weeds that are already out of control. Let's uproot them and plant some real health instead! Then perhaps we can figure out how to pay for the medical care we really need!

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Why I don't hate people who voted for Donald Trump

3/23/2017

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... any of them. Really.

Well, I don't hate anyone, actually. Why do I say this now? Two reasons.

First, I've identified a bias in the main stream press (yes, you, too, NPR!). The bias? Way too much coverage of the US government in Washington D.C.! Oh, I get that there's a lot of controversy there, so the intense focus doesn't surprise me. But the effect I see is that it's wearing people down and leaving the public with increased feelings of pessimism and despair.

Second, I just came across this story about 'Deaths of Despair' among white middle aged residents of the US. There is another analysis in this research report.

Now, I'm a 'big picture' person, so I ponder the significance of stories way beyond their immediate shock value. I think about how this affects people of all races and backgrounds. Not only in the death rate, however. To me, the death rate is more of a signal for something larger, not just an immediate problem to be 'solved.'

Sure, a declining level of income, overall, certainly adds stress to people's lives. But that's just on average. As our economy is based on 'having a job' that means some people have work while others have none. Still others must work at jobs that are not only low paying but fail to take advantage of their true skills and experience. You see, I think it's more a decline in the sense of accomplishment, the very sense of self worth, as well as an expectation that the situation is bound to get worse in the future that's driving this, not just the lack of a good income.

Our 'American Dream' has become hollow over the decades. It's all about money. That's just wrong. It should be all about life! People are taking their own lives, overdosing on drugs, or killing themselves with alcohol as a result. That's because their quality of life is in decline with no end in sight.

So, why did many of them, in the most 'economically depressed' areas, switch from Democrat to Republican in the recent election? Because they want radical change. They didn't respond to the appeal to sexism and racism as much as they did to the talk about jobs. That's my take on it, anyway.

So, what are we going to do about this? I think we need some kind of fundamental change in how we approach work, jobs, community, and a sense of purpose. This is likely to involve letting go of our traditional assumptions, as much as it involves finding new innovative ideas.

I don't think getting money out of politics is going to solve this. And neither will term limits. Those are just tinkering with a system with much bigger problems than who gets elected or who is funding campaigns or lobbying elected representatives. This goes deep into the assumptions and expectations we all carry here in the USA. After all, these death rates are distinctly worse than they are in most other countries.

Perhaps Nikita Khrushchev, (head of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union in the 1950s) was right when he said, "... you’ll fall like overripe fruit into our hands." Of course he didn't live to see what's going on now (he died in 1971) and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. But the point is that we now seem to be living out his prediction. It's just that the "our hands" of which he spoke are now gone.

So, now, it's up to us. This is not something that can be solved with marches in the street with signs, it's something to be worked on within our own minds and through discussion with each other. Our task is to change our own assumptions about what's important in life, and then change how we interact with others to fundamentally reshape our economy. Sorry, there is no quick fix that I can see. You can search the web for "new economy." I know there are some groups at M.I.T. and Tufts University working on this, for starters. They are associated with a nation wide collaboration. Or you can take a look at this group.

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Why Citizenship is more than just voting, writing to Congress, or street demonstrations.

3/10/2017

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Let me put this as simply as I can. Any industry where only a few major corporations dominate their entire sector IS government for all practical purposes. They actually govern us just as much as the 'real' government does. In most of these sectors (banking, energy, transportation, insurance, food processing, news media, etc.), it's almost impossible to live without their influence in our daily lives. In other words, opting out is not really an option. That's why they are as good as government.
As we cannot vote these large business institutions in or out of office, we must find other ways to represent ourselves. One of our biggest tools for this is how we spend our money or choose what we partake of what they provide. So, to me, good citizenship is taking action toward these institutions whenever possible.
It is time we set the standards by which we will do business, and live, not these institutions. It is high time we set aside as much of our fear as possible and stand up.
Recently, a credit card I use, American Express, changed their policy on the card I use. I decided that they are now not in noncompliance with my policy. I wrote them a letter and sent it via US Mail. See if you agree with my position or have found yourself in similar circumstances.

------------------------

10 March 2017

American Express
P.O.Box 981535
El Paso, TX 79998-1535

To Member Services,

In reference to my card account ending in (x-xxxxx), with regard to your new terms concerning my Payment Due Date, I am writing to object to this change and am considering the cancellation of my account. Please do not cancel my account at this time, however.

Your new terms violate my personal credit and charge card policy. My policy is:
- at least 30 days to pay
- no late fee over $10
OR
- no annual fee

As of now, the terms on your card are in violation of my personal credit card policy and I am placing you on probation. That may seem a strange way to put it, but consider that I have had an account with you since 1979. I used to think of my American Express account as different from all my other credit card offerings. A ‘cut above’ so to speak. I expected to be treated like a responsible adult, rather than a school child who is late with his homework. That may also seem like a strange way to put it, but I fully understand the psychology used by banks when assigning late fees. The individual is made to feel ‘bad’ for being ‘late’ and therefore should be ‘punished.’ That’s why more people don’t rise up and object to these short payment times and fees more than they already do.

Well, I don’t appreciate being treated that way. I have paid my annual fee faithfully for decades, in expectation that I would avoid such manipulation. You are the giant bank. I am the self employed individual without the financial resources or extensive legal counsel that you enjoy. I am at a distinct disadvantage. I must act to protect myself against being fleeced by the banking system, more and more over time.

I judge that your new policy is just about raising revenue and not about whether I’ve done anything ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ There are times when I am away, or have I been sick (which is what happened most recently), and I get behind in paying my bills. Now, instead of 45 days or so (as it was decades ago) or 30 days, as it was recently, you now only allow 25 days before levying charges. This is no different from other cards. So why should I still pay an annual fee for the privilege?

Here’s a suggestion: I never use the ‘points’ you offer. Why don’t you offer ‘points’ that extend my payment deadline if I pay early at other times? One point for each day I’ve paid in full before the deadline, allows me one day to extend the deadline in a subsequent month, when I might need it. Why not? What is your plan that takes the pressure and stress off me with regard to my worry about bill deadlines? Do I have to jump when you say ‘jump’? Do I have to keep an eagle eye out for my in-box and grab and pay each and every bill as soon as I see it?

This is the world we increasingly live in, I guess, but I will not accept it. Do I have to cancel every credit card and pay cash from now on? Sadly, there are many online services for which there is no ‘brick and mortar’ equivalent, so I am stuck in the middle, having to use some kind of card, even if their terms don’t meet my card policy requirements.

So, I’m putting you on probation. You have six months to find a way to allow me flexibility in paying up to 45 days without fees or interest. If not, I will cease doing business with you. Plain and simple.

Sincerely,

(signed)
Glenn C. Koenig

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The good news hiding in plain sight.

I'm sorry but, ...

Why I don't hate people who voted for Donald Trump

Why Citizenship is more than just voting, writing to Congress, or street demonstrations.

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