Senator Clinton Cried Today...

Ok, to be perfectly accurate, she had 'wet eyes'.

In any event I heard two stories on NPR today that, in my opinion, are related...and bode poorly for our country.

The story about Senator Clinton becoming emotional after being asked by Marianne Pernold Young, a freelance photographer, "...how do you do it? [...] How do you, how do you keep upbeat and so wonderful?"

Sen. Clinton replied that, "It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I didn't passionately believe it was the right thing to do. You know, I have so many opportunities from this country just don't want to see us fall backwards." She said this with a tremble in her voice and a tear in her eye.

The second story was actually earlier in the day, but the piece on Senator Clinton sets the stage well for it. The story was on NPR's Talk of the Nation and was discussing, among other topics "Political Branding". One of the points made by the panelists was that after Gov. Huckabee's and Sen. Obama's won the Iowa Caucus, the other candidates were seeking to change their brand and messaging'. Many callers wanted to know what I was thinking - aren't they really just saying whatever people want to hear?

Which brings us back to Senator Clinton, today; she was one of the 're-branders' mentioned in the Talk of the Nation discussion. Specifically, she's re-branding herself to be more in line with what Obama is saying. Nothing really shocking, there...he's doing well...she wants to be doing well. All good, right?

No. Not in my book. If she was actually as passionate about her message as she claimed today, she wouldn't change it. She would be stoked about her message....her goals...her vision. Instead, she's stoked about taking power. Lest anyone think that I am just bashing her - I'm not. John Edwards and Mitt Romney are also hopping on the 'change' bandwagon. To me, that says these folks care more about getting into office than they do about why they are getting into office.

Whether you like these candidates or not - there is a problem. Compounding that problem is a shortened (compressed) primary season and LOTS AND LOTS of money. When all is said and done, I'm concerned that we will have glossed over why we are picking candidates to run for President.

So...why are you?

Brought over from the old site - 8/3//06

In the 1960's & early 70's, NASA sent a series of missions to Mars (and Venus) under the Mariner program. Of the probes headed to Mars, Mariner 3 failed on launch, Mariner 4, 6 and 7 turned up craters. No Marianas Trench, no Olympus Mons, nothing...except a surface that looked like our moon. Then Mariner 8 had a second stage failure that ended the mission before it could ever reach Mars.

NASA just kept launching and looking. Then, Mariner 9 hit the jackpot. The valleys, the volcanoes what looked like ancient rivers....it was all there. Mariner 9 *is* the reason that kids, today, think they want to go to Mars.

Now think about our own times. If we had found nothing on 3 previous missions and had two failures, to boot, do you think that Congress would give NASA more funding to go on what is, to a casual observer, a wild goose chase? Would you be supportive of continued exploration in the face of these facts? What wonders still lie undiscovered simply because we gave up looking for them, too soon?

Brought over from the old site - 8/21//06

What does it take to be a "good citizen" in a democracy? Following the laws? Sure. Voting? Yep. How about displaying the flag? Many people do that. One thing that I never hear mentioned, though, is talking about ideas. Fundamental to every decision making process in our nation is the discussion that precedes that decision. Knowing and understanding the various points of view that feed any debate is critical to arriving at the most ethical and mutually beneficial outcome. That understanding can only come from talking with our fellow citizens.

That said, too often we only converse with those that hold opinions similar to our own. Many of us view those that hold different views as "wrong", "our opponents" and "stupid". Think about the news, think about congressmen and women who have recently spoken about an issue, think about comments that you have made. Isn't it time that we start viewing each other as citizens, instead of opponents?

We would all do well to move outside of our comfort zone and talk with "those people". Find out why they think what they do. Tell them why you feel like you do. You may find that you agree on more than you think.

Brought over from the old site - 9/30/06

The two-party system that has come to be the norm for the United States has always been one of my least favorite aspects of our culture. It naturally polarizes groups of people, but recently that polarization has become more acute. Why is it that we feel that our views are unilaterally correct and our "opponents" are 100% wrong in all that they do? Such a position defies common sense, yet we cling to it. Do you ever ask yourself why that is? Do you ever ask anyone else?

Brought over from the old site - 10/13//06

A progressive, "flat" tax:

Pick an income level...I'd toss out 2x the federal poverty line - to be clear about that, twice the poverty limit for a family of two would be $26,400 and $40,000 for a family of four.¹ Every dollar earned up to and including that amount would be tax-free. Every dollar over that amount would be taxed at 25% - no deductions, no loopholes - with one exception (below). The base amount is there to pay for housing, food and the basics (clothing, school supplies, etc.) you would only be paying taxes on what you make beyond what you need.

The only exception that I would propose is that contributions to retirement, (and perhaps college savings accounts and medical savings accounts) should be taken off your income - i.e. it is as if you never earned that income from a tax standpoint.

As an example...a family of 4, the total family income is, let's say $70,000². So, take $40,000 off the top and you are left with $30,000. You owe 25% of that, or $7,500...Make $100,000 - you'd owe $15,000.

Based on that sort of tax revenue coming in, the federal budget should receive approximately the same amount of revenue as it does today.³

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

1 - based on the Dept. of HHS 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines
2 - the average family income in 2001-2004 was $70,700
3 - Based on census statistics and historical revenues that contribute to the federal budget

Brought over from the old site - 10/17//06

Do you know your local school board members? If not - why not? Even if you have no children, these people set the tone for your school system and they have a vast influence over the value of your home and the quality of people that will be attracted to your town. Don't think so? When businesses look at relocation - they look at the local school systems as a primary consideration (right behind how much they will owe in taxes¹ - to give you an idea of importance).

Take some time in the next few weeks to get to know these folks. Sure there are the national congressional contests and the race for Governor, but these local races are important, too. In many cases, these local politicians will have more of a direct, tangible impact on your life than your Senator will ever have.

1 - From a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania that evaluated major factors in deciding corporate headquartering and relocation.

Brought over from the old site - 11/3/06

Ohio Governor's Race

I heard a Ken Blackwell ad on the radio, today. It claimed that he was endorsed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.....I know The Plain Dealer.....It's probably the left-most leaning paper in Ohio...so I was a bit suspicious. It turns out that The Plain Dealer has endorsed Ted Strickland....not Blackwell. hmmm....

Hmmmm is right - if you read the fine print on the TV version of the same ad - The Plain Dealer apparently did endorse him in a race a few years ago????

I'm sorry, but that is just too much for me. I personally do not like Ted Strickland's proposed policies all that much. But, for me, Blackwell has demonstrated, via this set of ads, that he most likely lacks the maturity to lead any state, much less the one in which I live.

Brought over from the old site - 11/11/06

True leadership comes from example.

Do you want to make the improve the environment? Do you pick up litter when you see it?

Do you want to make an impact in reducing fossil fuel use? Do you turn off your lights when you aren't in a room? Do you turn off the TV when you are not watching?

Do you want to improve our foreign policy? Do you speak with your congressmen? Do you read about and discuss the issues?

Do you respect others' opinions enough to allow them to influence you? How do they perceive your opinions?

Brought over from the old site - 11/15/06

Foreign policy by public opinion

I'm very glad to see that power has shifted in Washington...for a variety of reasons. One thing that does worry me, though, is the current tone of conversations that I hear about our foreign policy and our motivations for that policy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - just because "the other side" did something doesn't make it inherently wrong or bad. We need to evaluate policies on their face; look at the probable outcomes of taking a certain action (and taking no action) determine a plan and go execute it. It may not be a plan that looks attractive in the short run. But that makes good foreign policy.

Foreign policy by public opinion doesn't work. It cannot - the result that you will have will be worse than what you have today.

Five minute attention spans and headline-driven news are not a good combination for pragmatic, in-depth thinking. We have to be willing to listen to others who may not think as we do, accept that we do not know or understand everything and hear others' opinions (and facts). Then we need to be willing to talk about options and outcomes. Finally we need to accept that our way is not always the best way.

Beer, Baseball & Politics

Alright - so it's finally up - the forum server, that is.

Beer, Baseball & Politics is born. Middle-Matt is my first 'co-admin' and we are ready to start having fun. Do you like baseball? Do you like fantasy baseball? Beer? Brewing? Politics? Or do you despise it all? Tell us. Tell the world. Get it off your chest - Just make sure that you have fun in the process!:)

I did make some compromises - The fantasy baseball module never made it into the site; neither did the image upload section. Ah well....I suppose that's the start of a good 'to-do' list. LOL.

Later.