On September 15th Draper City had a primary election for its mayoral and councilperson races. As I have never missed an election (even on my mission) this was no exception and I dutifully filled out my absentee ballot. Before doing so I read the candidate bio sheet to try and make an informed decision. It was interesting how most of the candidates shared credit for the same things and boasted the same qualifications- with one major exception. A candidate named Mark Barrett said the following on his bio page:
Qualifications
-Not a land developer
-Not a personal friend of land developers
-Concerned citizen representing my neighbors best interests
I didn’t know that not doing something was a qualification and if it is I don’t know why he stopped at land developing. Why not add “I am not an adulterer or a murderer”. How about “I am not stupid or a klutz?”.
Wouldn’t it be great if we were judged by what we are not? I think all of us would be able to add much more to our qualification list! I for one am not an Olympian, not a hair-dresser, not a supermodel, not a astrophysicist, not Miss America. If you read over that list quickly I sound pretty amazing!
I wonder if Mark wanted to be elected at all? Surely he has some real qualifications. It’s not like it is president- just Draper City Council!
Readers to my blog will know I enjoy Glenn Beck. I know he can be a bit crazy but I agree with a lot of what he says. I don’t have time to write much today but I love this new “refounding” message he is talking about. The idea is our country can have a rebirth by reaching back to the principles and values of the founding. Beck is offering anonymous truth-telling with the hope of finding 56 people (the number of the original founders) that are willing to weed out excess and corruption. He talks about atonement and that we can get off the disastorous track we are on both financialy and morally. I will write more later but I was moved by Beck’s message. I love my country, and I want it to be back to the values we started with. My worry is that Beck won’t be able to find the 56 people in Congress willing to stand up. More and more it seems politicians are finding ways to stretch half-truths or outright lies to the American public. We’ve even reached a point where Governor’s can run off to Argentina without telling anyone and not get punished, where news shows have to air fact-checking, “keeping them honest” sessions after the President’s speeches, and where the Christian principles this country was founded on are treated with disdain and contempt. Before we know it the family is going to be watered down to nothing, our freedoms will be curtailed and there won’t be anybody to trust leading our nation. It’s sad that we turn tea partiers into extremists, town-hall visitors into non-patriots and brave soldiers into potential terrorists. I hope beyond hope that Beck is right. I pray for it every night. I will be curious for your thoughts. Will write more later.
My dear blog readers- let me draw your mind back to an entry of mine entitled “Why I think the stimulus plan is a bad idea.” It was one of my most popular entries- even getting a space on the blogroll at cnn.com! Now we have had several months of the plan, and I have been hoping it would prove me wrong with our economy showing signs of growth. Unfortunately, even the media is beginning to realize the plan isn’t working and economic disaster could be looming. In recent months we have seen GM declare bankruptcy (which the bailout was supposed to stop!), consumer spending go down, foreclosures increase, and unemployment rise (where are all those jobs the stimulus was supposed to create? There are some states with unemployment as high as 15%!).
I hope the media and the people keep a little bit of fire on their darling President Obama before he goes enacts another stimulus plan, which he is talking about doing! It is fascinating to me that repeatedly President Obama’s personal approval ratings are always higher than the ratings for his policies. Shouldn’t a politicians success be based on his policies? Sometimes I feel like with President Obama we’ve created royalty- everyone loves him for the image but nobody pays that much attention to what he is actually doing.
Judging his policies, it is just common sense to not go into massive amounts of debt when there is no sign of paying other’s back in the near future. There isn’t even a ghost of a chance we will be able to pay back the astronomical debts President Obama is creating- even he admits that. What the president is doing is kind of like GM- they took a poorly managed, in debt company, propped it up with money without changing much of anything, and big surprise bankruptcy happened. The infusion of money does not change ideas or policies- it merel gives bad ideas a longer timetable to waste money. For example, instead of GM declaring bankruptcy last fall like they should have, they did it in May after wasting 80 billion dollars. This is how President Obama views a productive economy! It’s nuts!
I encourage all of you to put pressure on the president and your individual representatives. Let them know we are not in favor of this ridiculous spending and the unnecessary programs that go with it (and the increased taxes, which President Obama promised not to start). Listen, I don’t think President Obama is a bad person. He just views the world differently than I do. He feels that spending will catapult the country out of economic disaster. I feel it is digging us into a deeper hole than ever before.
If you want an easy way to follow what your representatives are doing check out this bipartisan webpage http://www.thepeopledecide.us/home.php. On this page you can see upcoming and recent votes, learn more about bills and find ways to contact Congressman.
The only hope I have is the few representatives who are standing up against the spending. Keep going people like Jason Chaffetz! You are the type of person we all need representing us! Thanks for fighting against all of this crazy spending. Great job!
Here’s the article that blew me away:
Why Do Home Foreclosures Keep Rising? 6 Things You Need to Know
by Luke Mullins, USNews.com
Jul 20th, 2009
Five months after the Obama administration unveiled a sweeping initiative designed to reach 9 million struggling homeowners, home foreclosures continue to rise at an alarming rate. Foreclosure filings were reported on more than 1.5 million properties in the first six months of the year, a 15 percent increase over the same period of last year, according to RealtyTrac. All told, 1 in 84 American homes–or 1.19 percent–received a foreclosure filing during the period. “We talk about green shoots or about things getting worse at a slower rate, but this is one thing that is getting worse month by month,” says Patrick Newport, an economist for IHS Global Insight.
Here are six things you need to know about the rise in home foreclosures:
1. Unemployment: The erosion of the labor market–the unemployment rate recently hit 9.5 percent–is the key factor in the rise of home foreclosures, says Celia Chen, an economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “Employers continue to shed jobs, and that makes it difficult for even people with good credit who were doing fine to keep up with their mortgage payment,” Chen says. For example, a recent report issued by federal bank regulators found that home loans to borrowers with solid credit histories were going bad at a rapid clip. “Prime loans, which represented two thirds of all mortgages in the portfolio, experienced the highest percentage increase in serious delinquencies, climbing by more than 20 percent from the prior quarter to 2.9 percent of prime mortgages,” the report stated.
2. Plunging home values: Nearly three years after its peak, the painful decline in home prices continues. Although the pace of decline moderated slightly from the previous month, home prices in 20 major metro areas dropped 18.1 percent in April from a year earlier. Falling home values have dragged more than 20 percent of American homeowners “underwater”–meaning they owe more on their mortgages than the property is worth–as of the first quarter. By sucking equity out of homes, the price declines have also evaporated much of a homeowner’s financial incentive for paying their mortgage bill, Chen says. “When somebody doesn’t have equity in their house and they are struggling to pay their mortgage, the likelihood of a foreclosure is much higher,” she says. In addition, home owners with less equity in their homes will have a more difficult time refinancing their mortgage.
3. End of foreclosure moratoriums: The end of certain foreclosure moratoriums-including those of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were lifted in late March-also contributed to the rise in foreclosures during the period, Chen says. As these efforts unwound, lenders and servicers put additional properties into their foreclosure pipelines, she says.
4. Is Obama’s plan working?: A key component of Obama’s housing rescue plan is an effort to restructure–or modify–as many as 4 million troubled loans. So far, about 325,000 modification offers have been made through the program, according to Bloomberg news. Chen says the program is having an impact for certain individual borrowers, but the efforts–at least so far–have not put much of a dent into the national foreclosure epidemic. “The program is making progress. It’s just that there are a large number of distressed borrowers out there,” she says. “It’s so hard to process all of those loans, and then second of all, not all of those borrowers will qualify for the program.” Borrowers have complained of long delays and bureaucratic hurdles in their efforts to modify their mortgages.
Though the administration’s effort includes incentive payments to convince servicers to modify the loans, Newport says some may find it less costly to foreclose on the property. “My understanding is that there is going to be some pressure from the administration to get banks to start renegotiating more loans,” he says. “But if [modification is] not in [the servicer's] self-interest, I don’t think that they are going to do much.”
5. Mounting political pressure: Mortgage services appear to be facing mounting pressure from Washington to redouble their efforts. “We believe there is a general need for servicers to devote substantially more resources to this program for it to fully succeed and achieve the objectives we all share,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD chief Shaun Donovan said in a recent letter to 25 mortgage servicing
firms. In a hearing last week, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, expressed his frustration more directly. “Why am I still reading about lost files, understaffed and undertrained servicers, and hours spent on hold on the phone?” Dodd said in a prepared opening statement. “Why are servicers and lenders refusing to accept principal reduction so that homeowners can start building equity and get the housing market moving again?”
6. Foreclosure outlook: Despite this pressure, Newport expects foreclosure rates to creep higher for the next year or so. “It’s going to keep on getting worse until the unemployment rate peaks, which we think will happen in about the middle of next year,” he says. For her part, Chen argues that a successful mortgage rescue program could expedite a housing recovery. “The hope is that we will be able to push through enough mortgage modifications to prevent home prices from falling too much more,” she said.
About the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin said:
“I must own I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous importance to the welfare of millions now existing, and to exist in the posterity of a great nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler.”
How quickly we have moved from this foundation of faith to denying God’s influence in almost everything we do- the exact opposite of what Founder’s like Franklin believed. In my opinion, the further this nation gets from God the harder it will be to invoke His power and influence as we seek to govern.
The article below makes me sad in so many ways….
Atheists sue to keep ‘In God We Trust’ off Capitol Visitor Center
WASHINGTON — A California Republican congressman wants to do a little writing on the walls of Washington’s newest federal building. If Rep. Dan Lungren gets his way, Congress will spend nearly $100,000 to engrave the words “In God We Trust ” and the Pledge of Allegiance in prominent spots at the Capitol Visitor Center .
Lungren’s proposal drew only a whimper of opposition last week when the House of Representatives voted 410-8 to approve it. Now, however, Lungren finds himself tussling with a national atheists and agnostics group.
The Wisconsin -based Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc. sued this week to stop the engraving, accusing Lungren of trying to force his religious beliefs on as many as 15 percent of all U.S. adults. That comprises “atheists, agnostics, skeptics and freethinkers, none of whom possess a belief in a god,” according to the lawsuit.
“It really is a Judeo-Christian endorsement by our government, and so Lungren is wrong,” said Dan Barker of Madison, Wis. , a co-president of the foundation. “Lungren and others are pro-religious, and they want to actually use the machinery of government to promote their particular private religious views. That is unconstitutional, and that’s what we’re asking the court to decide.”
The Senate has approved a similar plan introduced by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina . The congressional directive orders the Capitol architect to make the changes in the design of the $621 million center, which opened last December.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation , which has 13,500 members, sued in U.S. District Court in Wisconsin . It alleges that Congress is trying to make belief in God synonymous with citizenship and “discouraging nonbelief” among Americans, a contention that Lungren rejects.
Lungren said that the phrase “In God We Trust ” had a long history and was consistent with the beliefs of America’s founding fathers. He also said that the Declaration of Independence referred to rights given by a creator.
Lungren, a former California attorney general, said that while the proposed engravings incorporated religious references, they didn’t violate the Constitution.
“What we’re doing is making a specific historical reference to the beginnings of this republic,” he said. “To ignore this or to forbid this statement or something like it to appear is to distort history. . . . We’re not trying to change history. We’re trying to enshrine history in the Capitol Visitor Center .”
Barker said history was better left to others.
“It’s not the job of our government and our government buildings to do that,” he said. “Historians can point out that many of our founders were indeed religious. But saying ‘In God We Trust’ in the visitors center of the Capitol is not just some historical reference. It’s actually government speaking for all of us Americans.”
Barker said the foundation had been waiting for the right case to challenge “In God We Trust .” He said government actions could be challenged on state-church grounds if they had specific religious agendas. In this case, he said, backers of Lungren’s plan have provided “the smoking guns” by giving specific, overt religious reasons for doing the engraving.
Barker said that atheists regarded the phrase “In God We Trust ” as rude, uncivil and un-American.
“Tens of millions of really good Americans don’t believe in God,” he said. “In fact, there’s many more nonbelievers than there are Jews, and we wouldn’t think of offending Jews on our national monuments. . . . Why is it wrong to offend a Jewish minority but it’s not wrong to offend those of us who serve in the military and sit on juries but we don’t believe in God?”
He said no hearing had been set.
Lungren is confident that a federal judge will allow the engraving to proceed.
“I never thought I’d see the day when someone would sue to stop us putting in the United States Capitol a statement of the national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance,” he said. “Suggesting that the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto is un-American in some way — talk about turning ideas on their heads.”
My friends, you are reading the blog of a right-wing extremist. At least that is what the media would have you believe. On April 15th I proudly attended a tea party held in Provo, Utah. Along with 700-1,000 concerned citizens I gathered in the cold snowy weather to protest for the first time in my life. As I have mentioned many times on this blog- I am not a die-hard Republican. In fact, I have realized lately that I lean more Libertarian than any other party; however, I do not define myself by a party. I define myself by my core values of faith, charity, integrity, hard work, and liberty. I have a deep patriotic vein within me, and I feel the United States of America is a sacred land. I believe it was founded by men inspired by God as a sanctuary for freedom.
What does freedom mean? I don’t know what it means to you, and I could go on a mini-rampage about the various theories, but I will spare you. I can tell you what freedom means to me.
One of my favorite books is called Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs or Linda Brent. In this stirring narrative Harriet Jacobs tells her story of fighting for freedom. Even as a little girl Harriet Jacobs refuses to concede the idea she is a slave- that she is property. Despite terrible trials she keeps the pursuit of freedom as an unending goal. Eventually she ends up hiding from her owner in a garret under her grandmother’s porch for 7 years- watching her children grow up, unable to mother them or help in any way. Why does she do it? Because she believes that freedom is worth the price. Of course, such a price should not be required of anyone, but it proves the point that freedom is a precious gift from God- worthy of sacrifice.
Harriet Jacobs wanted the chance to pursue happiness- to create her own life. That is what she and many others fought for. One of most famous phrases from the Declaration of Independence is:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
To me this phrase means that we are born equal and with the same potential for greatness- the same potential to pursue happiness. This is something Harriet legally did not have but she created it anyway. The triumph of her character would not be stifled. Just imagine what she could have done without the grasp of slavery trying to throw her down. Amazing. In many ways our current President, Barrack Obama, is proof that the potential for greatness is available for any American. He is the son of single mother who grew up in Hawaii. Of course, he is also the first African American president. Nothing stopped him from becoming a success.
So, back to my extremist activities. I believe this country is great. I want to keep it great. I want to be able to pursue happiness- to be free to own a business, raise a family, or live singly and happy. It is my opinion that the current over-spending in Washington is removing some of that ability from my life. They want to burden me with debt, regulation and my neighbors mortgage- something I resent as I have sacrificed to be debt-free. I feel strongly that 12.8 trillion dollars in debt (caused by both parties!) is drowning our country’s future. My sweet nieces will not be able to pursue happiness the way I have and certainly not the way the founders intended.
We have become a country that has twisted the Constitutional idea of equal creation with equal outcomes. Perhaps part of this is a result of the unequal beginnings groups such as African Americans, women, and other minorities clearly had. For years they had an unequal opportunity to succeed; therefore, the outcome was inherently unfair. Government intervention in such a situation is appropriate and fair. Today’s situation is mostly different (and where it isn’t intervention is still appropriate). For the most part, equal opportunities exist for all but naturally so do unequal outcomes. This is part of life in a free society. The government has decided to step in and create equal outcomes, which is not only costly but it strips freedom from citizens under the guise of equality. Because we are unwilling to see people (and yes big corporations) fail we are piling on more debt each second. We forget that part of freedom is the potential for unhappiness too.
It is my belief in freedom that pushed me to attend my first government protest- coined a “tea party” by the organizers. The tea party refers to the Boston Tea Party of the Revolutionary War, where angry citizens dumped tea in the Boston harbor because of the unfair tax Britain was imposing. This was a violent act perpetrated by men who were angry at having their freedom to chose taken. They were angry at being forced to pay for programs and a government they didn’t want or believe in. They felt their voice was marginalized and ignored.
In this modern movement the protesters ALSO FEEL MARGINALIZED AND IGNORED BY BOTH PARTIES. Instead of doing something violent, however, these men and women including myself peacefully gathered. I was proud to be there. I was proud to be waving my sign, and I will never forget the moment of connection I felt with my country. It was a great moment.
On a lighter note, it was also a lot of fun. I brought my sign and a couple of boxes of warmers and made friends with the crowd. I even got a few hugs! My friend Bethany Maddox and her family were there and we cheered together. It was interesting that even in Republican Provo, UT there were democrats in the audience waving signs. This is about anti-spending, not anti-Obama, or anti-Democrat. It is about pursuing happiness which according to some very wise men is my “unalienable right”. These were not weirdos or extremist as the media would have you believe. It was men and women who want small government, want less taxes and believe both parties have let them down. This is how I feel and I will do whatever I can to continue in this cause- even if it means running for local office down the road. It is like they said at my rally as they announced “This is the end” someone said “No, this is the beginning”. That is how I feel, so I guess this extremist is going to keep on being extreme until I see a difference. I am going to do my part that’s for sure.
Jason Chaffetz (who I just love) spoke at my event and here is some video I took of what he said. (sorry you can’t see him and the camera is shaky but you will get the idea).
Here is Jason again. I agree with what he is saying. He is the kind of representative I believe in.
The tea party was wonderful!! I encourage all to take part in anyway you can.
OK. I promise this will be my last political post for a while. So just skip it if you don’t like those posts.
Today I heard about a report made by the Missouri Information Analysis Center. In this report they study the dangers of the “Modern Militia Movement“. Now this is not just an analysis of radical groups such as those that follow the Turner diaries. This is a study of anyone who forms a group to protest the government. The study even includes those who read Tom Clancy novels and watch the movie Rambo. The report says such things have “glorified white males and portrayed them as morally upright heroes who were mentally and physically tough”. Given this definition I suppose Jack Bauer would be a terrorist and the 12.92 million viewers as suspects! For goodness sakes Tom Clancy has sold 55 million books. That’s a lot of people to be tracking, a lot of potential terrorists.
Now there are certainly groups in the United States that are worthy of observance; however, this report focuses its attention on “right wing extremest and militia leaders”. I contend that left wing extremists such as the wack jobs at PETA could be equally dangerous. With all the surveillance the study could only find 6 examples since September 11th of potential threats caused by right wing militia groups. Most, if not all, were instigated by individual members- not the group itself. Fortunately such attempts were thwarted and no damage or deaths occurred.
The report goes on to point its finger at Libertarians and “third party groups” such as the “Constitutional Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian Party. These members are usually supporters of former Presidential Candidate: Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr.” The report actually names these three candidates as being the source of “anti-government propaganda”. Since when was having an opinion considered propaganda? Plus, isn’t the whole point of free speech the right to speak out against your government? I believe it is- and that is true for both sides the right and the left. As long as we are obeying the law and are not conspiring to do harm to others we have the right to assemble and believe whatever we want to believe.
As far as Ron Paul goes- I want to stick up for him a little. I was impressed with what he said during the election and out of the candidates I actually agreed with him the most. I am proud to have voted for him in the Primary election. I certainly agreed more with him on the economy and on the war in Iraq than I did with either President Obama or John McCain. Here are Mr. Paul’s main positions and you see if it sounds like a terrorist or just someone who cares about our country?:
Ron Paul talking points (as taken from his website)
On the economy he supports an ending to the congressional pay raise through 2010.
He does not support deficit spending and entitlement programs.
He believes “economic freedom is based on a simple rule: everyone has the right to his or her life and property”
He thinks the bailout are unwise, unfair and will eventually make the economy more sluggish.
On foreign policy he believes:
We need to stop policing the world. He hates preemptive war and interventionist war
We need to bring the troops home from the 700 bases in 100 countries.
We need to protect our borders
On civil liberties he believes:
Economic freedom means economic activity should be free and voluntary and “that government shoudl stay out of personal affairs…and out of our wallets”
Government should protect our right to privacy and to bear arms.
Family should be the instructor of moral character not the government.
Those are just a few of his positions. Now really does this seem like a domestic terrorist to you? Do these positions really seem so out-of-wack? I actually agree with most of his positions and there is nothing but full patriotic blood running within me. I love my country more than almost anything else. Like Mr. Paul, I feel we are going down the wrong track and it scares me. It scares me enough to speak out in anyway I can, but I don’t want to be grouped as some potential terrorist. It’s just nuts!
Whether you agree with his ideas or not, I hope you can see that violating his right to say such things hurts everyone. Policing and analyzing such behavior, looking for unpatriotic holes, only ostracizes the legitimate followers of Mr. Paul and makes the radical nuts more radical. Part of being a democracy is the right to speak our minds- even if it is crazy! The government certainly has the right to monitor such individuals. However, let’s hope in the future they spend their money on the people that could be truly dangerous- not on those they may disagree with or find annoying.
Some may argue that such policing is the result of the Patriot Act, and there may be some truth to that claim. This is the danger in such acts. My main argument here is not on the legitimacy of such surveillance but its intended targets. The government has the right to watch Ron Paul and his fans but is it necessary or pertinent?
Certainly if Ron Paul is the standard of suspect than Bill Maher, Rush Limbagh, Sean Hannity, Al Franken, Oprah Winfrey, Bill O’Reilley, Reverend Wright, and others must also be under constant surveillance for statements they have made. Who knows I could be under surveillance for the posts I did on this blog, which I feel are consistently well thought-out and patriotic. The fact is that me and all of these people have a right to say what they wish, and that’s what makes America great. In China people are limited to what feelings they can express against the government partly because they are monitored on a daily basis. America is better than that- it should be better than that!
Let’s also remember that most of the great movements of change in this country were started by charismatic individuals who fought the status quo. The Women’s movement, the civil rights movement, and even the beginnings of this democracy were all started by radicals who pushed for change. I wouldn’t even put Mr. Paul in such a revolutionary category but this report treats him as a near-fascist instigator.
So to Ron Paul, Tom Clancy, and yes even Sylvester Stallone keep doing what you do. To the government- stop wasting our time and money and get things done!
Here’s an interview with Mr. Paul that I wished we had listened to last year. It makes a lot of sense to me.
I also thought this interview with Penn Gillette was good. By the way, he is no conservative that’s for sure. Glenn Beck also explains in this clip the Missouri Report.
So, I heard a term today that just made me laugh out loud. It is called affluenza. This is not a joke. It is an actual psychological diagnosable condition and to me it says a lot about how out of wack our society has gotten. How can something so obvious be a cause for debate and study? It’s another one of those scientific endeavors that can be summed up in old colloquial sayings such as “Money doesn’t buy happiness”. Listen to the wikipedia definition of affluenza and tell me if you don’t think it is crazy:
affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. (de Graaf [1])
affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. (PBS [1])
This isn’t just overspending. No it is a contagious socially transmitted condition of overload and debt! So now if we are in debt it isn’t our fault, merely the cause of a contagious condition we inherited- like strepp or AIDS. Watch out my friends! Watch out for your children! Affluenza may spread!
I certainly hope that Congress doesn’t hear about this condition or they might start claiming bouts of affluenza caused them to vote for the spending bill!
I hate to sound preachy on this blog but to me it is things like this that show how far off track our country has gotten from the religious foundations it was started with. Affluenza wouldn’t happen if you had a society based on brotherhood (and sisterhood), charity, freedom, independence and faith. It’s no accident that Jesus said ” It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).
Now, I came from a family with a middle to high class lifestyle. I certainly got everything I needed and most of the things I wanted. However, we never suffered from affluenza because my parents had us grounded in Christian values- focusing on service to others, the importance of family and the value of hard work. I could list lots of examples of how my parents demonstrated to me that money was not the purpose of life. One example is how my father has always been an avid home teacher. Home teaching is a program in our church of visiting fellow members and helping them in anyway possible. Many good home teachers still do it out of obligations or duty- not my dad. He loves it! He loves getting to know and serving people and most of them become his life-long friends. He’s even spoken at some of their funerals. For the record, my mother is also a diligent visiting teacher.
Another example is how both of my parents were always opening their home to friends. For instance, we had a number of foreign exchange students and visitors while I grew up. This enriched all of our lives and created great relationships all over the globe. Another memory I have is of our friends always being welcome to eat with our family. We had family meal every night. Even when I was in high school and my parents had two little ones and I was busy with activities, I still remember eating together most nights. Often one of my friends, or my brother’s friends would join us for dinner. They were always welcomed as one of our family. My parents weren’t perfect but in simple ways they taught me how to serve others and keep a heart free from greed.
As my sister and brother have gotten married they have also been good examples of reaching out to others and cultivating a non-materialistic home. My brother is passionate about many causes and has allowed friends to stay at their home, sharing meals together. My sister is great about giving of her time to other young mothers around her. She was just telling me yesterday about a small act of service she had planned for two of her acquaintances. She found out they were traveling with kids and decided to make them little kits to help the kids with the journey. It is such little acts of service that keep each of us grounded in what matters. Our country needs the same grounding. We certainly don’t need an excuse for our excesses like an affluenza epidemic.
I served my mission in Indiana and while there I met one of the richest ladies I have ever known. Her name is Sister Mary Turner. She lived in a tough part of Indianapolis and had very little material possessions. She actually lived off of social security and some welfare assistance from the church. Because she loved the missionaries she had a strong desire to feed all of us every week (4 elders, 2 sisters) but she refused to use any assistance or welfare money to do this. So to make a few extra dollars she started gathering soda pop cans and then turning them for cash. Eventually her neighborhood and our ward (congregation) joined in and everyone had a stash of cans to help Mary Turner feed the missionaries. With the few dollars she got every week she would then go to Aldee’s (a discount store in the midwest) and buy whatever was on sale. This usually led to some odd meal combinations including spaghetti and mashed potatoes or french fries and egg rolls. After the meal she would usually have some type of food gift for us such as a gallon of milk or a half gallon of ice cream.
I will never forget this sacrifice made in my behalf. She did not have to feed us. There were others who would have gladly done so, but she wanted to give to a cause she loved. The entire cycle of her money from creation, to spending, to giving was based on Christian values. It is a great example of charity and a wonderful way to live our lives- full of worry about how you can afford to help people, not how you can compete with the neighbors. Mary Turner suffered from the opposite of affluenza- giveluenza! Something our country could use a lot more of and that our leaders could work to develop.
In my life I try to do at least one day of community service a month. This has just started but already I have had some neat experiences including delivering cookies to the lonely and working at Festival of Trees for Primary Children Medical Center. Such endeavors have not only brought me happiness but hopefully helped others in my small way. They also keep me grounded in what matters and in the community I love. I think we need to write a similar prescription for anyone suffering from affluenza- find someone to serve, look at a neigbor as a friend not an enemy, and help someone accomplish their dreams. This is what makes life great not money!
In my last post I mentioned how inspired I felt by Glenn Beck’s new 9/12 initiative. Normally my posts are viewed by a handful of family and friends (15-35 visits a day). Both of the political posts I did caused huge upswings in visits- especially my last post. I was shocked to have nearly 500 visits in the last 3 days! That post also had a record 11 comments. It was great!
Clearly this discussion has touched a nerve with people and it caused me to wonder why?I asked the same question during the Democratic primaries- why was the country more interested in a community activist from Chicago than the slick experienced Clinton machine? I believe the election of President Obama, and to a smaller extent the initial response to the 9/12 project, shows the desire of the American people to connect with a cause- to be gathered together for a greater good.
This is an interesting trend because for years America appeared to be in the opposite direction. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s individulaism grew along with a new sense of self-suficiency. Without a major war or conflict to gather citizens, group behavior declined- particularly political action. Such involvement became more of a hobby, rather than a necessity.
These trends are demonstrated in two of my favorite non-fiction books: The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg and Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam. They are both excellent reads with eye-opening ideas.
In the Great Good Place Oldenberg says that every human being needs three places: the home, work, and the third place. The third place is the focus of the book because in it “neutral ground provides the place, and leveling sets the stage for the cardinal and sustaining activity of third places everywhere. That activity is conversation. Nothing more clearly indicates the third place than that the talk is good.” Examples of third places include bars, pubs, coffee houses, bookstores, cafes, parks and even lobbies. While these places may seem superficial and unnecessary, Oldenburg argues that they provide “precious and unique benefit” to those who frequent them including “the leveling primacy of conversation, certainty of meeting friends, looseness of structure, and eternal reign of the imp of fun all combine to set the stage for experiences unlikely to be found elsewhere. These benefits also derive from the sociable and conversational skills cultivated and exercised within the third place”. Basically the third place provides attendees an unpredictable and free environment of sharing that you just can’t get at work or in the home.
Having established the value of the third place Oldenburg goes on to explain their decline with the rise of suburbia. Actually it’s not so much a decline, as it is a replacement with mediocre substitutes. The carefully planned and placed Starbucks, Borders, and Chilis of the world attempt to create community but feel pretty lame in comparison with their traditional counterparts. I should know because I live in Utah- the home of chain everything. Especially in Utah County, it is hard to find any unique restaurants or stores- and if they aren’t chains then they are rapidly becoming one.
The best community involvement I seem to be able to do is sign up for a class at JoAnn Fabrics or look for a book club on Craigslist. There is almost nowhere I can go by myself to just hangout. The movies is the best I can come up with but still that’s kind of lame. The problem of not having a third place is that you end up either alone or surrounded by people who only think like you do. You never feel a real sense of belonging or sacrifice for the group. Oldenburg says “The effect of the third place is to raise participants spirits and it is an effect that never totally fades. Third place interaction is a matter of ‘making other people’s day’ even as they make one’s own in a situation where everyone gains.” As you interact together the patrons of the third place also get to see one another in a positive, happy light, instead of the grim view often found at work or are in other interactions together. Think about it if you had shared a Coke with a new friend- would you feel as inclined blow up at them if they cut you off in traffic? No. We have lost both a sense of authentic community and an outlet for free expression in our country, and I think it has consequences. For one, President Obama’s election (for better or worse) was certainly helped by the underlying need for community activism that he successfully tapped into.
In Bowling Alone, a similar vein of thought is followed. Instead of third places Putnam follows the registration numbers of civic organizations, clubs, and bowling leagues. Groups such as the Lions Club, Masons, Elks Lodge, League of Women Voters, etc have all seen declining memberships since the 50’s when they peaked. Putnam says the old members didn’t drop out “but community organizations were no longer continuously revitalized as they had been in the pst, by freshets of new members”. Even membership in the PTA has gone down every year since the 1960’s. This may seem like a meaningless statistic but it has many ramifications. For instance, the philanthropy encouraged by such organizations declines. “Altruism of all sorts is encouraged by social and community involvement. Churchgoing and clubgoing, for example are among the strongest predictors of giving blood…To predict whether I am likely to give time, money, blood, or even a minor favor, you need to know, above all how active I am in community life and how strong my ties to family, friends and neighbors are”.
The isolation that Putnam talks about has gotten so bad that most of us do not know our neighbors or have even introduced ourselves (myself included). We click the garage door and then are shut away in our little world. We then gather only with people that we have similar tastes with (which brings up another good book I just finished- The Big Sort by Bill Bishop but that’s for another entry). Even on the internet we communicate in social networking sites such as Facebook only with like minded friends who we agree to come into our lives. In the old civic organizations, clubs and churches a variety of people could participate and find common ground. In addition, people that in previous generations would have been included in community discussion- even begrudgingly- are now left alone (unless they are able to find other nerds to hang out with!). Instead of uniting our country, we keep dividing and dividing. Its no wonder the politicians in Washington are so diametrically opposed to each other’s policy. They have been living in a society where they are surrounded only by like-minded individuals and rarely have to branch out. When the founding father’s met they were able to find livable compromises within a diverse group of people. Perhaps this was partly due to the spirit of community they had been raised in? Perhaps if they had been isolated and only fed political dogma from one side, the compromises would not have happened and our country would not exist?
Who’s to know! Both authors have forced me to look at the world I live in differently. Maybe it is because I have lived on the east coast, west coast, Midwest and in Utah, but I pride myself in being open minded. In listening to every side of an argument and trying to find common ground. This seems to be a lost art and part of the blame goes to the loss of the third place and the community spirit. People like President Obama and Glenn Beck (to a smaller extent!) have tapped into this fundamental need and are allowing citizens to speak their peace- or at least giving them that feeling. It is a shame such attempts at community activism are not more diverse in opinions and ideas but they are a step in the right direction. Hopefully we will learn and find ways to expand our reach within the community. I know the few attempts I’ve made have benefited my life. I have a goal to do at least one act of community service a month. Plus, I also look for ways to reach out to new friends. I go to book clubs where I don’t know anyone, cake decorating classes, and even cruises! I am better person because of such endeavors and I challenge each of you to do the same! Also, read those books. I hope I explained their ideas in ways that make sense. They are great!
Before reading this post- if you get annoyed at political discussion stop reading now. This is just my opinion. I simply found something that motivated me to be a better person, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Take it or leave it!
Everyone knows I love politics. I enjoy hearing different opinions and arguments on all sides. I have always liked the passion behind a good debate. I am not sure why- just have. If the opportunity presents itself I would love to someday be a public servant in some small way. This would not be for my personal glory but to serve my country and support the values I believe in. Why does the idea of public service seem to be lost on our society? The early founders were practically forced into service and now the career path of a politician often feels like the journey of a Hollywood celebrity.
I think both parties are equally guilty of this game, which is why neither seems to care what public opinion currently thinks. For instance, nobody cares that the public has resoundingly opposed the stimulus package- from November on this has consistently been the case. A recent poll said the support for the package was below 37%. Another sign of discontent is that President Obama’s poll numbers have fallen dramatically in the first 100 days and they are now below President Bush’s at the same time in his presidency. Despite such disapproval nobody in Washington is listening. In fact, many of the politicians seem to think the American public is not educated enough to understand such tough economic conditions. If that is the case than your job as politicians is to educate us!
The problem is many in Washington not only think we are too stupid to understand what they are doing to our economy, but they think we do not care. In my last entry on the stimulus package I posted a video with Senator Charles Shumer. In it he calls the American people “the chattering masses” and says “the American people don’t care”. I found this statement shocking in its candor and disgusting in its implications. And remember this is not some no-name senator. It is the 3rd ranking democrat in the senate. My fear is that he was stupid enough to say what all the Senators and Congressional Representatives feel. They think we don’t care.
What if they are right? There are certainly a lot of people who don’t care enough to vote. The ones that do, rarely take the time to be informed on issues- even though such efforts only take a minute or two. It has always boggled my mind! Do they not understand issues like the stimulus bill effect our lives? They effect ALL of our jobs, investments, property, families and certainly our education.
I am not saying that everyone has to agree with me but CARE! If anything was gained by the election of President Obama it proved that American’s could get excited about a candidate and politics. For several months people watched debates instead of sitcoms and commented on interesting issues. Although I did not vote for President Obama, I felt the excitement of a candidate of change. Now I wonder- what has he changed? Not much. What promises has he kept? Not many. To name one failed promise, he swore time and again on the trail to stop earmarks in bills. Now the spending bill he signed has over 9,000 of them! 9,000! With the President’s current popularity I do not buy his excuse of needing to sign an “imperfect bill”. He had the political capital to at least reduce the earmarks and he failed to do so. I will also add that 40% of these earmarks came from Republicans, so they are equally guilty in ignoring what America wants. In fact, the Republicans are trying to make the Democrats seem like the bad guys while still sneaking in whatever spending of their own they can get in.
I am not writing this to bash President Obama or any other politician. I have hope for them all. Perhaps foolishly, I believe most of them are good men and woman with the right intentions; however, many have forgotten who they work for, and what we as Americans stand for. They have gotten so caught up in money- that it has become a type of panacea for every wound. Just throw more money at a problem and it will all be made better! Selfishness, greed and a loss of vision is leading us into debts both morally and financially. In a sea of money and political correctness, these politicians seem to have forgotten the fundamental values of honor, freedom, integrity, faith, justice and hard work that our government is there to support.
To be honest, this spending bill was making me depressed. I felt like no one was listening to me and millions of other Americans who find it crazy and irresponsible. Even the socialist nations of France and Germany are refusing to go along with the big spending! Now China has expressed worry that the $1 trillion in US treasury bonds they own is a bad investment. The Chinese, the French, the Germans, the majority of Americans all seem to think this is a bad idea! Why doesn’t anyone care?
Well, I found someone who does. I am not usually a talk radio/ tv news person. I love NPR and feel I am an Independent on most issues. However, I happened to catch the latest Glenn Beck Show on Fox News, and was very inspired with what I saw. I have heard Beck speak and been impressed in the past but this was something special. In the program he talks about his feelings after 9/11 (thus calling it the 9/12 project) and then contrasts with his current feelings. He talks about how no one is listening and how nobody in either party can be trusted. He asks every American who still believes in this country to send in their photos- he gets millions. He interviews Iraq veterans, 9/11 victim families and gives 9 principles and 12 values that exemplify the American spirit. I agree with every one of his 9 principles and 12 values. If I worked for a year to summarize my own values and principles in regards to this country they would end up the same as Beck’s. I love that he isn’t afraid to declare his belief in God, family, and America!
He actually gets emotional at several points, and I found the whole thing very moving. He tells us to remember how we felt on 9/12, and how we just knew what to do, and how we could help. Those feelings came out of our core beliefs and values. It is these values that will save America- not spending more on lavish programs or shopping to boost consumer confidence. Real confidence comes from an understanding of why we matter- why each of us matters to this country and to God. I can’t recommend the program highly enough. During the broadcast there were crowds all over the country watching and cheering. I wanted to cheer too! Put it on your DVR this weekend or watch it online if you can. It’s not just a political rant. It’s a reminder of what is good about America, and I felt validated by it.
Beck is a member of my church, so perhaps he presents his program in a way I understand. However, this basic message of integrity, service, friendship and courage is one any American can relate too. I promise it is not a partisan attack. Check it out!
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
12 Values
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Gratitude
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Ok so I normally don’t get into politics in this blog, but I can’t go on without stating my peace about this stimulus package. This is just my opinion, so take it for what it is worth. (You’all know I love politics- so it can’t come as much of a surprise!).
Recently President Obama has put forth a $800 billion stimulus package and that’s only a small portion of his $3.5 trillion budget. Even left-to-center media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times has called Obama’s plan and resulting projections “optimistic, even quixotic”. I agree. Do you know this package, inflation aside, is the “largest single spending bill in human history”?
Personally I have always been a believer in low to no debt- purchasing only what I need first and then what I want second. Call me old fashioned but I have lived to 28, gotten myself educated (earned my MBA last year), rent a nice apartment, and live a nice life without scraping up an ounce of debt- not for a car, credit card, nothing. Yes, I have been given some advantages to help me stay out of debt; however, there were certainly moments when I could have gotten credit card and other types of debt if I had let my guard down. For example, I went to an affordable graduate program, and I have always driven cheap cars. The truth is I”m not even that thrifty but on the other hand I have never allowed my spending to get out of control- to build into debt. If I can do it than the federal government can. It just has to be a priority and there has to be sacrifices.
Clearly I understand that debt is a necessary tool for our economy and that balancing the budget at this point with two expensive wars and other problems is an impossibility. However, that does not mean that we need to add to the debt by billions and trillions of dollars. Such a spending spree would be like me maxing out on my credit card when I am low on funds just to boost my confidence. Everyone would think I was crazy. Millions of people like myself feel the same way about the stimulus plan- a giant spending spree when we need to cutback! Why do you think Wall Street has failed to respond to the supposed promise of the stimulus package? It’s because economists know or at least are uncertain of the possible side effects of the plan’s high price tag.
Some will counter my argument by saying that the spending will increase consumer confidence, build public works and provide new jobs. I am not convinced we need to spend this much- if the concept is true to begin with. Obama’s stimulus package is often compared to 1940’s legislation such as the GI bill, which paid millions to educate our troops. Such legislation shows a clear investment benefit that I do not see from the stimulus package- nor do I believe such an investment would cost trillions of dollars. To me it feels like anything whether it is of value or not is being tagged as something that will stimulate the economy. It’s like a giant stimulus parade that keeps growing and growing- right along with our debt. Take a look at this interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about this over-spending. In it the author argues that such reckless spending actually hurts our economy and will force us into “a longer period of recession”:
“But after five weeks in office, it’s become clear that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence — and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.”
Others will argue that the New Deal of the 30’s and 40’s was an example of government stimulated growth. I used to think this to but in recent reading I have done there appears to be much debate on this topic. Economist’s Christina and David Romer (who incidentally actually work for Obama on his Council of Economic Advisers) said “a simple calculation indicated that nearly all of the observed recovery of the US economy prior to 1942 was due to monetary expansion. Huge gold inflows in the mid- and late- 1930’s swelled the US money stock and appear to have stimulated the economy by lowering real interest rates and encouraging investment spending and purchases of durable goods.”
Isn’t that interesting? My whole life I have been taught that the Roosevelt spending and the war got us out of the Great Depression. (Despite my mother arguing the opposite!) In fact, the National Bureau of Economic Research did a a study on the effect of the economy from military spending during World War II. They found that “military spending had virtually no effect”. Even if you do not accept such an argument, the stimulus presented in the 30’s and 40’s paled to what is being offered now- and my fear is that we’ve only just begun.
I do think that some of the New Deal programs had a positive economic impact merely for the motivation it gave melancholy unemployed workers. Massive groups of unhappy citizens are bad for democracy and create shaky policy, even revolutions; therefore, some government spending in this regard is appropriate- just not trillions of dollars.
There are clearly items such as stabilizing the credit market that need to be addressed- but wasn’t that what the $700 billion was for that we already spent? $700 billion we did not have? Now we are adding to it! To me it is outrageous. Do you all realize that with just this $700 billion you could give every American $3500 to spend how they wish? Doesn’t that put it in perspective!
Again, I recognize the need for some intervention and spending but I just think the stimulus plan and the budget are out of control. The fact is that before this our government was already in debt to China and other countries. Now we could end up as a pawn in their international games. I want a fiscally independent America. One that can look at this crisis and actually plan for a productive economy in the future- instead of building mountains of debt for future generations. Let’s have a little bit of perspective here and be willing to sacrifice pork programs (and even good but non-essential programs) for the plans that will truly build up the confidence and strength of Americans and our economy. I love this country and I want to see it succeed not flounder in wasteful debt!
Take a look at this video. It is admittedly right-wing but I think the statistics make some good points. To Senator Shumer- I am one of the chattering class, and I care:
