Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts

Like many of you, I've been wondering about the upswing in reactionary and inflammatory behavior in recent protests and political events. The Tea Party rallies against Health Care Reform, Republican representatives responses to the same issue, it all keeps building upon itself. The most recent events have me particularly worried.

We have members of Congress being called niggers and faggots. We have their offices being vandalized and windows broken. Some have even received death threats. This is stepping over the line from freedom of speech to illegal activity, some even say sedition. How many of these incidents need to take place before they aren't looked upon just as isolated cases, but symptoms of a larger illness?

What I find most worrying, is the lack of response from the Republican party and other conservative leaders in the face of these actions. In fact, it seems like the conservative idea is to fan the flames. Sarah Palin advises conservatives to "not retreat, but reload." Representative Stupak, a pro life candidate, was called a Babykiller on the House floor. And we can't forget Representative Wilson's "You Lie!" When our political leaders can't be counted on to preserve rational discourse, we stand on the brink of anarchy.

In a broader sense, I think the GOP's obstructionist tactics also contribute to this polarization. Instead of modeling a difference of opinion or a contrary point of view, they are the party of 'no.' That's fine in the short term, and may win them seats in the next election cycle. But I hope that they begin to realize that simply being contrarian is not a political position, and is maneuvering them into being allied with some pretty shady organizations and individuals. It's not a political party, it's an undefined mob, fueled by hate and fear.

Slowly, there seem to be some Republican voices that are beginning to see the problems that lie ahead. A former Bush speechwriter is saying that "Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us and now we're discovering we work for Fox." Other conservatives have also started speaking out about this. And it's about time.

The growing Tea Party movement isn't a movement. As it functions now, it's a mob. It is a swirling irrationality, fueled by fear. Once the threats to our politicians began, the rage that was barely in check has released itself. This isn't a political movement, this is a back lash. We are looking at a ravenous creature, that will consume all that it can if it is not held in check. One Tea Party protestor, caught on film berating a counter protestor with Parkinsons, admits that he doesn't know what came over him, presumably he was caught up in the mob mentality.

This isn't to say that every Tea Partier is a violent individual. There are legitimate concerns that have been raised about how the government has prioritized various issues, whether you agree with them or not. There are questions about how we will pull ourselves out of this depression and if we will recover the lost jobs and the downturn in the housing market. But, the methodology being used in the Tea Party movement is not one of opposition to the Democratic party, but an all consuming nothing that will tear down whatever it can. It is the responsibility of all of our political leaders to address the needs of the people and not to fan the flames that already threaten to raze our country.

A very interesting article was published in the Boston Globe today. Apparently, there is a growing movement to provide nature with legal rights. A town in Maine made it possible for residents to file lawsuits on behalf of "natural assets." This was brought about as a proactive action against the Nestle Company in case they attempted to tap the local aquifer for it's bottled water products.

On one level, this seems to be an absurd over reaction and perhaps even a prime example of the hyper-litigious culture that exists today. On the other hand, two of the ways society can assign value are to place a monetary value upon it and to give it legal rights. The article points out [o]ther nonhuman entities have long enjoyed certain rights under our legal system: ships and corporations are two examples of entities entitled to “personhood,” meaning they can bring lawsuits to court. The notion that corporations are essentially people in the current legal structure has bothered me deeply, both as an expression of structural evil, and as an example of how the idea of inalienable rights has been divorced from the idea of inalienable responsibilites, ie. the social contract theory. But, I digress.

Upon reflection, I think that I'm also intrigued by the theological implications that this debate might open up. The idea of "personhood" in a legal sense leaning closer towards the idea of pantheism or panentheism; endowing nature with divine presence, as well as revisiting the Biblical story of Genesis, where humanity was installed as either caretakers or dominators of nature, depending on how Genesis is read. It also reminds me of the Talmudic debates about the nature of the golem, a humanoid creation of clay, whether it counted as a person for the minyan, the Jewish prayer circle, or the destruction of a golem would be considered murder or destruction of property.

Of course, another argument can be made that we are projecting human values and concerns onto nature by entering lawsuits on their behalf. The article also speaks to this position, and highlights it better than I think I could. A counter to this concern is that a similar issue could be found with ships and people as non-human "persons," as it isn't the bodies themselves, but rather humans speaking on their behalves that actually has the legal standing.

In short, re-visiting how society views nature is a very serious matter, with significant economic, religious, and political repercussions. In so far as it is an extra layer of protection for the environment, I support the effort, though I need to learn more before I'm fully convinced. It does seem like a neat solution to the issue with corporations being legal entities, though. In closing, the article points out another interesting fact, "What’s more, proponents say, the extension of rights invariably seems absurd before it happens. When the economy depended on slave labor, emancipation was unfathomable even to many who abhorred slavery. In retrospect, though, it seems morally imperative and historically inevitable."

When I talk to people about sustainability, sometimes it seems like an unlikely goal. Finding solutions and lifestyles that are better for the environment, economically realistic and benefit the community seems quite difficult, and often a study in cross purposes.

Today, the LA Times published a short article that wonderfully illustrates a sustainable solution to harsh cleaning agents. By slightly electrifying salt water, two solutions are created that are completely non-toxic and highly effective cleaner \ degreaser and a highly effective disinfectant. It costs about one cent per gallon.

Read the article here: Simple Elixir Called a 'Miracle' Liquid

Today, the New York Times published two OpEd pieces, "The End of the Financial World as We Know It" and "How to Repair a Broken Financial World," both written by Michael Lewis and David Einhorn. The titles are pretty self explanitory. While reading both articles, I kept thinking that it was about DAMN time someone was able to explain what's going on and what needs to be done about it.

These are pretty dense and bulky pieces, so make sure you have a few minutes before you dig in, but these are must reads. As we begin the new year and a new Presidential administration, I finally feel I know enough to understand and critique the coming changes.

On more than one occasion, I've been accused by some of my more right-wing family and acquaintances of being a conspiracy theorist. I've been known to say such wacky things as the United States government trained Osama bin Ladin and Saddam Hussein and overthrew democratic governments and supported dictators. I've been told that I've watched too many movies.

Well, cracked.com has collected a list of "Seven Insane Conspiracies That Actually Happened." It's an interesting read, especially the one that relates to the Bush family. What disturbs me is how many of these took place within the last century. I consider that to be within living memory. It makes me wonder about what is being missed or obscured today. The reason we went to war in Iraq? Hmmm......

In my daily web browsing, I came across a very interesting website: Kiva.org. It is a website that lets individuals give small loans to enterpeneurs in third world countries (or the two-thirds world). I've heard of microlending before, but I always thought of it as still being something that banks or financial organizations participated in, not individuals like myself. That's where kiva comes in. You can make a loan of as small as $25 dollars, with expected payback ususally from 6-18 months.

This appeals to me for a lot of different reasons. One, it's a practically painless way to get into the habit of supporting individuals. I'm not rich, nor do I ever really plan on becoming rich, yet I can give up $25 or so to support someone in need, especially when I will probably get that money back. Two, unlike a lot of mission or governmental work, this is giving money to people in need who are determining for themselves what they need. There is no governmental mandate for abstinence only sex education to receive AIDS funding, or church required evangelism to receive a new school. Third, it's giving me a new way to approach economics, a subject I previously thought of with as much affection as a root canal or driving during rush hour. I like the idea that the money I contribute will eventually come back to me, for me to re-invest or recoup as I see fit. And, if I lose the money, well, I can look at it as a charitable contribution that at least helped someone in need.

So, I'm starting to educate myself about micro financing and will be making an investment soon. I hope some of you do, too.

It makes me happier than Bert.