17 April 2011. I don’t vote for republicans or democrats. They are not serious people, but they pretend to be. Both parties conspire to prevent the emergence of third parties. Republicans claim to be fiscally conservative but are not: Meager reductions in the deficit are not conservative fiscal policy. Democrats claim to be caring but are not: Heaping debt on the next and following generations is crass and uncaring to the max. However, of the two parties, why would anyone ever vote for democrats? With the current administration the national debt has doubled, the number of men employed has reached its lowest level (as a percent of population) since the depression, and the coming campaign is more of the same. Are you really better off than you were under Bush? How are you doing at the pump and the grocery store? Are you making more or less money? Here’s the bottom line. Money not going to Washington stays local. Being for limited government and low taxes means you must do more for yourself, rather than pay bureaucrats to do it for you. Don’t be afraid. You can do it.
There is a case to be made for the federal government to defend the nation, not police the world. There is a case to be made for the federal government to set standards for reading, mathematics and science achievement, not fund the vested interests of teachers and support failing school systems. There is a case to be made for the federal government to care for the four or five percent of persons incapable of doing so themselves, not pay for every single medical expense for every single person in the country or ensure food on the table for 20 percent of the population. There is a case for a federal ability to respond to national disasters like the hurricane and flood damage in New Orleans or the coming major earthquakes in California, not funding local police and firefighters everywhere on a continuing basis.
Let’s be strong again, not afraid. By the way, there is nothing big government can do to keep you from meeting your maker.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Christian enthusiasm and a society of respect and manners
14 April 2011. Some in my family are evangelical, others are more conventional Christians. I respect their right to be so. I consider my own spiritual and religious beliefs to be a private concern. Yesterday I spoke at my brother Herb’s funeral held at his church. I would describe this church as an enthusiastic version of Christianity. Another of my brother’s, my nephew and a church friend of Herb's also spoke. Our combined thoughts, orally expressed, comprised about 25 minutes of the service. The remaining 30 to 40 minutes was comprised of two songs, one a favorite of my brother, and what I can only say were two sermons by the pastor of the church. In my view these were sermons that used Herb’s passing as a stimulus to strongly and at length profess the pastor's beliefs. Only respect for the fact that it was Herb’s church kept me from leaving. Here’s why.
A funeral is attended by the deceased relatives, friends, and others connected to the deceased person’s life. I think it is safe to say that a variety of faiths are present among the attendees (in fact, as I view faith as a private matter, I would not normally even bring the topic up). Attending such a service places one in a captive setting. All who speak to captive audiences ought to do so with a maximum respect for those who may hold beliefs that are quite different from those of the enthusiastic or evangelical Christian -- because the audience is captive and it is poor manners to deliver messages that they did not come to hear, and that implicitly, sometimes explicitly deny the validity of those beliefs. I do not begrudge or belittle the beliefs of enthusiastic and evangelical Christians. However, if I have placed myself in a setting devoted to the memory of my brother, I do not expect the event to be hijacked for the purpose of expressing enthusiasm for a particular view of Christianity. My brother would not have wanted that either – at the end of his life he was an enthusiastic Christian, but he was not impolite, unmannered, and insensitive to others.
A funeral is attended by the deceased relatives, friends, and others connected to the deceased person’s life. I think it is safe to say that a variety of faiths are present among the attendees (in fact, as I view faith as a private matter, I would not normally even bring the topic up). Attending such a service places one in a captive setting. All who speak to captive audiences ought to do so with a maximum respect for those who may hold beliefs that are quite different from those of the enthusiastic or evangelical Christian -- because the audience is captive and it is poor manners to deliver messages that they did not come to hear, and that implicitly, sometimes explicitly deny the validity of those beliefs. I do not begrudge or belittle the beliefs of enthusiastic and evangelical Christians. However, if I have placed myself in a setting devoted to the memory of my brother, I do not expect the event to be hijacked for the purpose of expressing enthusiasm for a particular view of Christianity. My brother would not have wanted that either – at the end of his life he was an enthusiastic Christian, but he was not impolite, unmannered, and insensitive to others.
Herb's Eulogy
13 April 2011
Before talking about Herb, I want to address some persons here now.
First, I thank Pastor …… and members of the …. for providing this facility, and thank members of the … who supported Herb – both before his stroke and during his stay at the nursing home. These persons did much to stay connected to Herb, and to connect him to the world. Next, I praise the staff of the home who gave care and service – to Herb and to many others unable to care for themselves – always under trying conditions. They do so with a tenderness and humor, and in a way intended to maintain patient dignity. Brian and Megan deserve warm and special thanks. These two made changes to their own lives in order to help Herb. They did so unselfishly. On Herb’s behalf, I say here I am proud of them. Last, I give honor and love to my father. He visited Herb three times a week while he was at the Pavilions and he tried everything he knew how to make Herb’s life more comfortable there.
My brother, Herb…
People who knew Herb know he had his strengths and weaknesses. He knew this himself – although in public he would deny any claim of his imperfection, all the while flashing his wry and rascally grin. I have much to remember but little to say about Herb’s strengths or weaknesses. All of us have them. They are what it means to be human. Herb was no different.
Here is a fact I know was important to Herb – because we talked about it once or twice a week from the time of his divorce until two days before the stroke that killed him. He loved each of his children. B, A, J, M, M and W, your father loved you. In life and in death, in contact or estranged, in pride or disappointment, in anger or joy, he loved you. Now, I hope each of you forgives him for any and all his faults however important they once may have seemed. I hope you will simply love him. I do.
Herb was fulfilled by working with his hands and mind. He could be a mad frenetic worker. When construction did not provide enough income, he had the courage to change professions. As his heart problem and later his kidney failure took from him the ability to do sustained work, he persevered. He adjusted, worked part-time, and kept on. Confined to a bed at the home, it was easy to see how restless he was. Yet he persevered as long as he could. I am happy he is at rest.
In my earlier visits with Herb at the home, he was more articulate. Speaking was quite difficult, yet from time to time he expressed some amazing things. He told me he was in love again. And I could see in his eyes that it was true. I remember – word for word – the last complete thought he said to me, uttered with that wry and rascally grin on his face, with that sparkle of truth in his eyes.
He said “I have been… no, I am enlightened.”
Wouldn’t we all be pleased if we could say that at the end of our own life?
Before talking about Herb, I want to address some persons here now.
First, I thank Pastor …… and members of the …. for providing this facility, and thank members of the … who supported Herb – both before his stroke and during his stay at the nursing home. These persons did much to stay connected to Herb, and to connect him to the world. Next, I praise the staff of the home who gave care and service – to Herb and to many others unable to care for themselves – always under trying conditions. They do so with a tenderness and humor, and in a way intended to maintain patient dignity. Brian and Megan deserve warm and special thanks. These two made changes to their own lives in order to help Herb. They did so unselfishly. On Herb’s behalf, I say here I am proud of them. Last, I give honor and love to my father. He visited Herb three times a week while he was at the Pavilions and he tried everything he knew how to make Herb’s life more comfortable there.
My brother, Herb…
People who knew Herb know he had his strengths and weaknesses. He knew this himself – although in public he would deny any claim of his imperfection, all the while flashing his wry and rascally grin. I have much to remember but little to say about Herb’s strengths or weaknesses. All of us have them. They are what it means to be human. Herb was no different.
Here is a fact I know was important to Herb – because we talked about it once or twice a week from the time of his divorce until two days before the stroke that killed him. He loved each of his children. B, A, J, M, M and W, your father loved you. In life and in death, in contact or estranged, in pride or disappointment, in anger or joy, he loved you. Now, I hope each of you forgives him for any and all his faults however important they once may have seemed. I hope you will simply love him. I do.
Herb was fulfilled by working with his hands and mind. He could be a mad frenetic worker. When construction did not provide enough income, he had the courage to change professions. As his heart problem and later his kidney failure took from him the ability to do sustained work, he persevered. He adjusted, worked part-time, and kept on. Confined to a bed at the home, it was easy to see how restless he was. Yet he persevered as long as he could. I am happy he is at rest.
In my earlier visits with Herb at the home, he was more articulate. Speaking was quite difficult, yet from time to time he expressed some amazing things. He told me he was in love again. And I could see in his eyes that it was true. I remember – word for word – the last complete thought he said to me, uttered with that wry and rascally grin on his face, with that sparkle of truth in his eyes.
He said “I have been… no, I am enlightened.”
Wouldn’t we all be pleased if we could say that at the end of our own life?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
A rare day
6 April 2011. Today is a rare desert day -- sky overcast and rain coming down, not as in thunderstorms rather in that way with a lot of space between drops. I enjoy going in and outside all day. Kelly gives me a haircut. I return home and as I sit watching the news my cousin calls from Florida to ask advice on a family matter. As I finish the sentence “I think you should do what you think is best for you”, the phone signals I have another call. I switch over and it’s Dad who says “Herb died today” and I say “I will call you right back, Leroy is on the other line”. “OK” I switch back and give Leroy the news and tell him I have to go, but before we say goodbye the phone signals again and I just say “Gotta go” and switch over. Herb’s son Brian says “Dad died today.” I say I know and we make arrangements to talk about plans later. I am back in this beautiful desert day. My brother would have loved it.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Bad policy invariably creates bad outcomes
5 April 2011. I am not rich – just say my earnings put in the lowest third of the upper middle class. You might think I’d jump on the democrat’s “tax the rich” solution to our country’s debt and deficit problems (Yeah get those bad rich people!). Alas, I read an array of economic texts, am a statistician by trade, and can spot specious arguments when I see them (read some of Huey Long’s speeches on taxing the rich – they are word for word paraphrases of Obama’s and other big government types rants against the rich, except that Huey wrote his speeches 70 years ago. Talk about failed policies of the past.). There are at least two flaws with this scheme.
First, consider the word “fair” in the jingle “the rich should pay their fair share”. Simply put they pay more than their fair share already. Take me for example. the federal taxes that I pay are enough to support a family of four for a year. Those who make more than me pay taxes that support many more such families. If my family of three supports a family of four then what does that family of four support? Government statistics indicate that half of income earners effectively pay no federal income taxes. What’s fair about half of potential tax payers not paying? It beats me.
Second, a lot of b…s… is being thrown around using tax takings as investments in America’s future. I have nothing against the persons who serve in government – I don’t think of them as evil. However, I do not think of them as the best people to be making investments either. If I want to invest, I want to entrust my money to people who have a track record of successful investment. We can’t afford to keep “investing” in education (double the spending in the last 30 years, no gains in student achievement), in poverty reduction (trillions spent, millions still crying for more), or alternative energies (How much farm and pasture land will it take to power America with solar panels – too much). No I don’t want these people to invest another dollar on my behalf with these types of outcomes. Economists generally agree that, performing optimally, government only mildly distorts capital investment efficiency (the cause of the growth of jobs) and, not performing optimally, markedly worsens capital investment efficiency, economic growth and job creation. Decide for yourself how our government is performing. I already have, and my conclusion is government has to be much, much, much smaller to start undoing 50 years of really bad policies.
You don’t think things are going to get worse if we don’t change course? Consider the following data point. In the 1990’s I went to Spain and had the opportunity to speak to many Spanish people. I learned most of the best and brightest university students were pursuing paths leading to government positions. Do we need most of the best and brightest to go into government? Perhaps, but look what’s happened to Spain in the past 20 years. It’s not an economically bright picture.
Bad policies sort of work until they don't. Then all the news is bad all of the time.
First, consider the word “fair” in the jingle “the rich should pay their fair share”. Simply put they pay more than their fair share already. Take me for example. the federal taxes that I pay are enough to support a family of four for a year. Those who make more than me pay taxes that support many more such families. If my family of three supports a family of four then what does that family of four support? Government statistics indicate that half of income earners effectively pay no federal income taxes. What’s fair about half of potential tax payers not paying? It beats me.
Second, a lot of b…s… is being thrown around using tax takings as investments in America’s future. I have nothing against the persons who serve in government – I don’t think of them as evil. However, I do not think of them as the best people to be making investments either. If I want to invest, I want to entrust my money to people who have a track record of successful investment. We can’t afford to keep “investing” in education (double the spending in the last 30 years, no gains in student achievement), in poverty reduction (trillions spent, millions still crying for more), or alternative energies (How much farm and pasture land will it take to power America with solar panels – too much). No I don’t want these people to invest another dollar on my behalf with these types of outcomes. Economists generally agree that, performing optimally, government only mildly distorts capital investment efficiency (the cause of the growth of jobs) and, not performing optimally, markedly worsens capital investment efficiency, economic growth and job creation. Decide for yourself how our government is performing. I already have, and my conclusion is government has to be much, much, much smaller to start undoing 50 years of really bad policies.
You don’t think things are going to get worse if we don’t change course? Consider the following data point. In the 1990’s I went to Spain and had the opportunity to speak to many Spanish people. I learned most of the best and brightest university students were pursuing paths leading to government positions. Do we need most of the best and brightest to go into government? Perhaps, but look what’s happened to Spain in the past 20 years. It’s not an economically bright picture.
Bad policies sort of work until they don't. Then all the news is bad all of the time.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Shifting gears but not principles
2 April 2011. After reaching a point of relative financial security, i.e., secure against all but an Armageddon created by hyperinflation and collapse of the currency , I have difficulty understanding the drive to make more and more money. Here’s a homey point about how little value money has relative to actual life experience.
Every morning from the beginning of December until the end of April, I have a cup of coffee and a large glass of orange juice while I read the Wall Street Journal – on my patio if weather permits. Once in a while, if home-made cookies are available, I will eat a couple of them or have a piece of raisin toast or an English muffin. This takes about an hour of my waking day. It’s the orange juice I want to describe here, and it is actually a 1 to 4 combination of grapefruit and orange juice. It is simply the best juice I ever drank any place in the world, including at four and five star hotels, in Arizona and Florida orange groves, and in Mexico and Spain where I drank fresh squeezed juice. What makes this juice so special? I believe it is my relation to my one grapefruit and three orange trees and the fruit they produce. All year round I make sure the trees have enough water. During the summer this means flood irrigating them about once a week. Occasionally, I call the nursery and have them prune and inspect the trees. I also treat them with iron once or twice a year. During harvest season, once or twice a week I pick enough fruit to squeeze a gallon of juice which my son and I drink it up. When I say squeeze I mean squeeze by hand. All of these activities imbue the juice with the quality that makes it the best in the world. I am connected to the juice by my efforts to make sure it exists. No amount of money will do the same thing because money is simply a medium for representing value, not the representation of lived positive experience.
When I travel and drink juices there, or from May through November when I am reduced to buying very expensive fresh juice as a replacement. I experience juice with a more disconnected quality. It’s ironic to me that this morning experience also ties me to the small plot of urban land I own in the middle of this hot desert. I wish I liked apple juice more than orange juice because then I could move back where the apple trees grow, the seasons are as I grew up, and I could sit outside on summer evenings. Oh the choices we make.
Every morning from the beginning of December until the end of April, I have a cup of coffee and a large glass of orange juice while I read the Wall Street Journal – on my patio if weather permits. Once in a while, if home-made cookies are available, I will eat a couple of them or have a piece of raisin toast or an English muffin. This takes about an hour of my waking day. It’s the orange juice I want to describe here, and it is actually a 1 to 4 combination of grapefruit and orange juice. It is simply the best juice I ever drank any place in the world, including at four and five star hotels, in Arizona and Florida orange groves, and in Mexico and Spain where I drank fresh squeezed juice. What makes this juice so special? I believe it is my relation to my one grapefruit and three orange trees and the fruit they produce. All year round I make sure the trees have enough water. During the summer this means flood irrigating them about once a week. Occasionally, I call the nursery and have them prune and inspect the trees. I also treat them with iron once or twice a year. During harvest season, once or twice a week I pick enough fruit to squeeze a gallon of juice which my son and I drink it up. When I say squeeze I mean squeeze by hand. All of these activities imbue the juice with the quality that makes it the best in the world. I am connected to the juice by my efforts to make sure it exists. No amount of money will do the same thing because money is simply a medium for representing value, not the representation of lived positive experience.
When I travel and drink juices there, or from May through November when I am reduced to buying very expensive fresh juice as a replacement. I experience juice with a more disconnected quality. It’s ironic to me that this morning experience also ties me to the small plot of urban land I own in the middle of this hot desert. I wish I liked apple juice more than orange juice because then I could move back where the apple trees grow, the seasons are as I grew up, and I could sit outside on summer evenings. Oh the choices we make.
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