Is it Possible to Rant about Reasonableness???

I have felt that there needed to be a rant (by me, others have already), about what is going on in this country right now.  Everytime I started to write about various issues facing us all, I became discouraged.  It seemed that all that I would say had been said.  I decided that health care is what it is, and will evolve in what ever direction it is blown by political winds.  There was no sense in ranting, raving, or probably even thinking about it anymore.  (It seems to me that not much will change.  The insurance companies will still hold the health of the nation in their hands).  Health care was the big issue for months and months, but is a non starter now.

Of course, taxes are a big item.  But April 15th has come and gone, and like all Americans I am not much interested after I get my refund.  So no rant about taxes and the waste of our money by our government.  It is just too late for that.

Then I read a blog by John Phipps which can be found at http://johnwphipps.blogspot.com/ .  He was talking about Epistemic Closure,  meaning being unreceptive to facts (or opinions) that don’t fit into the pre-approved worldview. { Parentheses Mine.}

One of the more striking features of the contemporary conservative movement is the extent to which it has been moving toward epistemic closure. Reality is defined by a multimedia array of interconnected and cross promoting conservative blogs, radio programs, magazines, and of course, Fox News. Whatever conflicts with that reality can be dismissed out of hand because it comes from the liberal media, and is therefore ipso facto not to be trusted. (How do you know they’re liberal? Well, they disagree with the conservative media!)  This epistemic closure can be a source of solidarity and energy, but it also renders the conservative media ecosystem fragile.

This argument was taken up both by heterodox conservatives and by liberals, who agree with the claim that Frum and Bruce Bartlett and other conservative apostates have been making: that in the era of Fox News, conservatives have effectively created their own reality which cannot be violated by outside facts. [More]




Now this I can get some dander up about!  I can rant and rave and even think (clearly I hope) about this.  This has been a problem I have noticed and been concerned about for some time.  There is no discourse between disagreeing factions in this country today.  I don't believe that the conservatives are alone to blame for this.  Too many times discussions by people who disagree devolve into calling each other stupid...for no other reason than they disagree.  


Hurling insults and disregarding any position for no other reason than it disagrees with one's preconceived notions, does not accomplish anything at all.  It just makes for causing enmity.  We do not need any more of that!  We have quite enough thank you.  


No matter how badly the other side (of any discussion or isssue) seems ill informed.  One should listen to opposing arguments.  ("you stupid so-in so is not an argument BTW, it is an opinion, even if it is true).  On occasion you can actually change another's mind, and even if that does not happen, you can see what is important to the other person.  Even when importance of an issue is nearly the same, different perspectives weigh the parts differently.  What is important to you, may only be slightly important to the other side.


I am so tired of  people shouting down opposing views, as if that makes their position correct.  It only makes them Loud, not right...and Loud is often substituted for real thought.  It also shows disrespect.  I firmly believe that if you are shouting you probably don't have anything to say.  If you did, you would say it not shout it.  


My father once said there were two kinds of people...the profound and the profane.  I believe that being profoundly profane does not make someone sound more intelligent nor does it make their arguments more sound.  Once again all it brings is Loudness to a situation that needs to be dialed down a few notches.  In fact, you can't even hear what you are saying when you are shouting.


So, if my viewpoint does not jibe with yours, don't call me stupid.  Don't say I am lying because Fox News (for example) disagrees.  Sharpen up your arguments with facts, I mean, real facts, not regurgitated Political opinion.  If I/you have a valid point there are facts that will back it up.  Use them!  


I promise to do the same!  

More Music

I liked this!  I was informed of this video by my friend Mike, who is in love with a Taylor Guitar!

update!

It has been some time since I last blogged...it's not that I have not had any Rants, Ravings, or even other thoughts on my mind, because I have all of the above.  I have been busy.  Not that is really an excuse, but it is the only one I can think of right now.

Health Care Reform, or the lack thereof, is on my mind.  Especially when I need to visit my doctor.  It comes to the forefront of my thinking when the headlines tell of the huge rate increases the Health Insurance Companies are instituting.  Increases instituted not because they were not making enough money but in fear that they might now make enough money in the future.  While Congress fiddles around we in America are burning our money, out bridges at both ends and just plain Burning!  I have no doubt that Congress can fiddle around until this term is up, and so the Insurance Companies will have caused those premium increases for naught.  They won't decrease them though, that's not the American Way.  If you get away with screwing your customers once keep on, and they will get used to it.  That seems to be the American Way. 

The Big Banks got Big Bucks and in order to be sure that those taxpayer dollars got spent properly, gave their COO's, CEO's, and any other C*O's, bonuses for doing a good job!  I'll admit there was some bad  press about that, and the president met with the bankers to resolve the problem...but not much happened did it?  But offer the people a helping hand with Health Care is Socialism...but bailing out Banks is good business!  Yeah, sure it is. 

I know everyone thinks that one day they will be Rich, and that is a good dream to have.  In case that should happen we would like to be able to Keep Our Riches.  But the truth is most of us are far from being Rich ,and fewer of us will ever be even Well to Do.  Most everyone is just hanging on, hanging in.  And as more and more of our jobs go overseas to other countries, that will become an increasing situation.  It appears that soon having one Part time job will be the norm, and who can feed their family on that.  Yeah, you can flip burgers at McDonald's..and then get another job part time at WallyWorld.  But no matter how hard you work you ain't ever going to be Rich.  Someone else will be from your work most likely...but not you.  No longer in America will intelligence and hard work make one wealthy... Not in the 21st Century!

Well, we bailed out GMC and Chrysler as well.  Not Socialism I hear...but it is!  But only socialism for corporations which I guess is OK.  We have lucked out so far.  We can still buy Fords and any of the 'foreign cars'.  Of course the Big 3 are mostly built in countries not the United States.  So all the cars are 'foreign' cars now.  So who did we bail out?  Americans or non-Americans?

Back to Health Care Reform again, (this is my Blog so I can jump around as much as I want) why don't we the people say that Congress, which has the most socialized medicine available in the world, should have to have the same Health Care that the rest of us Citizens have.  In other words, why don't we do away with the socialized health care enjoyed by all of the Four Government Entities.  Or give all us Citizens the same benefits that they enjoy.  I prefer the latter.  I would accept the former.  I don't believe the Justices, Congress or the President Need to have completely free health care For Life!  Actually I don't believe they need it
while in office.  They have a lot more disposable income than most of us, so let them buy their own insurance!

The way this Health Insurance problem is happening, soon only the wealthy will be able to get the 'elective' care.  The Care, like transplants, new knees, the latest Cancer treatments, along with the truly 'elective' care like plastic surgery.  The rest of us will just be getting 'basic' health care.  In other words, if you are Rich you live if you are not Rich you die.  I know everyone will die sooner or later, but why should wealth or lack of it determine when one dies.  The Rich are not better citizens nor better people, they are only more Wealthy.  Might should not make Right, especially in America.  That is a strictly European way of looking at life!

OK this has been a Raving Rant!  I will get to Other Thoughts next time!  Unless I am still Ranting and Raving, and I might!  Buffalo Bill

The more it changes...the more it stays the same!

Jean Ritchie singing Blue Diamond Mine....

Partisan Politics

John W Phipps in his blog,  http://johnwphipps.blogspot.com/ , was talking about the Federal Deficit and peripherally about partisan politics.  One comment was to the effect that partisan politics was not necessarily bad.  That got me to thinking, was partisan politics bad?

Partisan politics is the way the government is run, that seems very evident.  It has been run that way as long as I can remember.  It seems that the partisanship is running deeper now, and more vehemently. I have observed for some time, that what the Dems (or the GOP)  introduce this year as a good idea will become the most horrible idea of all time, when re-introduced by the opposing party.  The same bill with the same results is a bad bill when introduced by the 'other guys' party.

So is this bad?  Or is it good that our government is run that way.  Or is it 'not run' that way?  It seems that getting anything done is more difficult that way.  I am not sure that getting anything done is a good thing.  That is dependent on whether or not what is getting done affects me positively or negatively.  Notice I said 'affects me' positively or negatively.  That is a key point.  Whether or not I am in favor of a particular piece of legislation makes a huge difference. If I favor the legislation and the opposing party is not allowing it to pass, then partisan politics is definitely bad.  If my favored legislation is going to be passed because of partisan politics then partisan-ism is good.  In that case, getting something done is good as well.

But that all begs the question.  I believe that basically partisan politics is not a good thing.  It is bad.  No one is looking at the legislation on the merits of the legislation or how that Bill affects the citizens of the US of A.  We have elected individuals who do not even have the courtesy to consider the pros and cons of a piece of legislation.  It is easier to be a member of Congress if nothing has to be considered except which party introduced it.  I don't believe Congress was elected to do the easy way out.  I believe they were elected to consider the pros and cons and vote accordingly.  (Actually, they are supposed the vote the conscious of their constituents, but usually getting a consensus is impossible.)  Partisan Politics keeps that from happening.  So there is much legislation that is ill-considered and just plain detrimental to us Citizens.

My answer to the original question is Yes, Partisan Politics is bad, even when my ox is not the one being gored.  If  'business as usual', the 'status quo' is one's goal, the partisan politics is not a bad thing.  If one believes as I do, that we are paying those people to think and to not just blindly follow their party leadership then partisan politics is bad.  Bad.  Bad!

Something to look at on a Winter's Day

Amazing Driving Skills - Hyundai

Check this out!

Food for Thought! Check out this website.   http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts01272010.html

What the....

So now the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are  people?  What? And as people are entitled to all the rights in the Constitution?  So said 'people' can make as big contributions as they want to political parties or politicians, because corporations are people!

Now if I were a cynical person, I might believe that 5 of the Justices in the Supreme Court are being...what is an appropriate word here?...bribed...paid...in the pocket of...or some other phrase or word denoting possible dishonesty. Heck let's make that Probable Dishonesty.  Of course, I am not a cynical person. But if I were Oh my!  Once again my idea that the problem with cynicism is that it is so often right would come into play.

Now pundits are saying that 'Campaign Reform' is dead.  I agree.  However, it was never really alive in the first place.  In a way, having corporations actively contributing, openly contributing to political parties will let voters know which candidate is favored by 'Big Business'.  So maybe this will be a good thing?  Now contributions will be scrutinized, and not hidden?  Well maybe.  Maybe it just means that what the corporations are doing...have been doing...won't be illegal anymore. Our election process can  continue to be hijacked by moneyed interests, but now legally.  That has to be an improvement, doesn't it?

I wonder does this ruling allow foreign corporations constitutional rights?  Can a corporation doing business here in the United States, but owned by foreign nationals now enjoy all the rights of an American Citizen?  Which in effect would make it a citizen without taking any of the oaths that real foreigners have to take to become Citizens?  If that were the case, would it not seem that Citizenship was being purchased?  Would that be a good thing?

If Corporations are Citizens...or people...can the time be far behind when people are not Citizens, but non-people because Corporations are people?  Is it possible that we will lose our peoplehood, and our rights?
Is that thinking too far fetched?

No it is not!

Under 6 or over 65 Consult Your Doctor Before Use

    Yesterday morning I woke up with my allergies just raising all kinds of hob.  I could not stop chasing my nose all around.  It was running so  bad.  So before breakfast I took some generic Dayquil.  Then I had breakfast and took my wife to work.  I was miserable at McDonald's during my coffee hour with the guys.  I came home and used some 12 Hour Afrin.  I expected that to finish the work I hoped the Dayquil was doing.  It didn't, so around noon I took some more Dayquil. 
    That seemed to be ineffective as well.  I waited a couple of hours and then found some 12 Hour Benedryl. Generic of course.  I took that as well.  I then picked Lori up from work, still using  Kleenex by the carload.  We went to Mexican Restaurant  for supper, and I was still pretty unhappy.  I decided that I should buy some more Dayquil and take another shot. Which I did.
    Finally, my nose started to stop running!  Success!  About darn time!  We continued to the Grange to play music.
    Soon it was our turn to perform.  Lori chose That Was the Last Thing on My Mind . She kicked it off, and I started to sing.  Absolutely Nothing went right!  My fingers didn't make the right chords...I sounded like I was singing inside a barrel, and then the words all fell out of my mind!  I forgot what I had just sung!  OMG...disaster. 
    The band played on, until I just said Stop, we can't do this song!  They did and I did...I sort of saved the day, by doing Paradise.  I got through that one OK...but I have done it a thousand times.  I explained what had happened, and the audience loved it!  Lots of laughter!  Evidently that was just too much cold medicine in 10 hours!  But at least I could breathe!
    I took Nyquil before I went to bed...are you surprised to learn that I fell to sleep immediately?  I did make it into bed first.  This morning it is as if I never had any trouble yesterday. Almost.  Last night in my dreams I was floating down a river in Africa on a log, nearly naked, in cave man days, opening up a market for selling milk in plastic jugs.  It was Warm in my dream, though.

Music for a cold winter day

Tom Paxton and Ann Hills Home to me is any where you are...beautiful music

New year...New Decade???

The '00's have ended and the '10's have begun...We have embarked on a new Year.  But have we entered a new Decade?  Or will the Decade begin with the year 2011?  This is a huge controversy.  One that should be carefully considered by every thinking person.  (I am assuming that we all are thinking persons, but that may not be completely accurate.)  I almost hesitate to bring up this subject for fear that it will be used to divide the American People for some political gain or other.  But I will persevere.

Some said way back when the '00's began, that 2000 was the end of the 20th Century, rather than the beginning of the 21st Century.  Some said the earth would stop spinning on that day, that life as we knew it would end.  The computers wouldn't work and we would be harvesting each other for food before long.  There were a whole lot of predictions of gloom and doom because not only was 2000 the beginning of a new Century it was a whole new Millennium. I am sure that everyone remembers that, and what happened on Jan 1, 2000.  Absolutely nothing!  Just like every other New Year's day.

We were not out of the woods yet though, because some believed that the New Millennium didn't begin until Jan 1,2001!  However again nothing happened that had not happened before.  We all kept on being, computers worked and cannibalism has not become worse.

Now it seems to me that we need to decide whether or not our numbering system starts with 0 or 1.  We are taught to count in school starting with 1, with ten being the 10th number.  That makes sense doesn't it?  Following that way of thinking then '10 is the tenth year of the decade, so the new Decade will begin next January 1st.  So there we have it.  Everything is all settled.  An open and shut case.

But wait.  We are talking years here.  Not something like apples, where the difference between having none (0) and having one is very evident.  One apple is 1, ten apples is 10.  But years are different, it seems to me.  There is not all of a sudden one year.  It takes a whole year, 365 days, to make a year.  A year is a concept while an apple is an object.  Now the counting has to begin at zero (0) as in 0,1,2,-9. 10 is the beginning of the next Decade!

You doubt me??? Well, let's examine the problem from a different situation (sort of).  Say you have a child born to your family.  That child's birth day is the beginning of his life.  He has lived a whole year on his first birthday.  His life started at (0) when he was born.  The second year of his life begins on his first birthday, and the 10th year of his life begins on his 9th birthday.  So that decade ends on 9.  Clear as mud, right?

I am not actually in favor of counting years that way.  I just think that is the correct way.  Using that method of counting, I am half way through my 68th year rather than being 'only' 67.  Unfortunately that is correct.  I will have lived -completed- 68 years on my next birthday.  OMG... now I wish I had not started this blog.  67 is not so bad, only a little more that 65, but I am about to begin my 69th year which is almost 70 and 70 could be construed be mean 'OLD'...I believe I am going to get depressed!

Well OK, maybe not depressed.  I am sure that my 'true age' as found by those tests on the Internet would be around 40-45.  I am positive of it.  I have hardly changed at all since I was say 25.  Just ask my kids!  On second thought, don't.  I am sure our perspectives are quite different.  They will get to my perspective though.

I am sure that my clear thinking on this subject (whether or not 2010 is the beginning of a new Decade or not) has cast a bright light on any controversy and will put all and sundry other opinions at rest!

Happy New Year!  Happy New Decade!!  Let us hope that the new year and decade bring us a much better life than the did the past did!