A stream of consciousness rant on Health Care Reform, Mormonism, And United States Politics.

Health care costs inflate 7 to 10% every year under the current system.
Our incomes inflate at 3% per year.
If the system is not changed health care will bankrupt us, or be out of reach for everybody.

I think what’s got me riled up more than anything during this whole health care, uh, “debate” is the reaction of the Utah Mormon populace.  If ever there was a group that should happily embrace the idea of caring for others, or having “all things equal” it ought to be the group that tried living the “law of consecration” more than once in the past.

But no.

And I can’t help but wonder why.  Why has this, the reddest of the red states decided that when the time came to choose between politics and religion that it was time to confuse the two?

There was a time, not so long ago, when the majority of Mormons were moderate in their political views, going about 50/50 democrat and republican.  The church was happy to see this behavior.   And even when we drifted to the conservative side, I don’t think it was a bad thing.

No, the bad part is our bizzare embracing of the extremists within our political parties, and our absolute devotion to a party rather than analysis by topic.  The Rush Limbaughs and the Glen Becks have gained media time and our consciousness has drifted so far to the right that the moderates within our society seem by comparison to be vastly liberal.

Here’s how it works:  If you have an extreme point of view, you get air time.  It’s true of both republican and democrat talking heads.  The more extreme and shocking your subjects and content, the more viewers you get, the more advertising money you recieve, the more extreme you want to be.

Money is what has prompted people to develop this extremism on both sides.  There’s no hint of morality in the motivations of these people. From Rush to Al Franken, there’s only the positive reinforcement of bad behavior.

It’s come out most obviously in the recent health care debate.  Instead of debating the facts of the different options available to overhaul health care all we did was snipe and yell at each other.  The conservative extremists were certainly the most shown in the liberal leaning media, but I’m sure there was a liberal counterpart.   People getting up and shouting – not debating, but simply shouting.   People repeating the outright lies they heard on the radio or read in an email as absolute truth.  And the more shocking the “truth” delivered to your inbox, the more likely you are to pass it on.

(It’s no wonder then, that lies like death panels and obama’s forged birth certificate are passed off as truth.  If you listen to Rush long enough, he’ll start making sense to you.  Then everything you hear is sent through your “Rush prism” and if it doesn’t mesh with what you’ve heard, you ignore it.)

Here’s my thoughts on health care:

I believe God has given us everything.
If everything comes from God, then everybody deserves what they need.

That’s it.
Everything else is just organizing how to do it.

Of course the proposed health care system isn’t perfect.      But I demand that if you have a complaint you also present a better idea.  If all you do is tell people what they’re doing wrong then I consider you to be a drain on society and worthless to any discussion.

Finally, my hope is for a return to civility.  Let’s not ostracize those whose views are opposed to ours, but instead try to understand.  If anything let us fight against those who hold views in the extreme!   When representative Wilson shouted “You Lie!” in the middle of a speech by President Obama, he attacked not only the man whose values he disagreed with, but also the office of the President, the dignity of the congress, and our system of government itself.   Didn’t he realize he was insulting not only the man, but the millions who actively voted for him, as well as all those who died to protect our right to even have the office of the president?

Of course not.  All he could think about was fighting.

We, as a people, need to regain our grip on civility.  We must remember that when our soldiers fight and die it is for the system of government for which they perish.   We say it till it becomes almost trite:  “they fight for our freedoms.”  Why can’t we seem to recognize that freedom comes with a price to be paid by every citizen?  It’s not just the blood of soldiers that allows us to cast our ballots, to speak our minds, and to change our lives at will; but it’s the suffering of each of us in turn as we all find at some time or another that the election didn’t go our way, or that the bank foreclosed on us, or that our business failed, and so on.

A life of freedom means a life of obligation and sacrifice as well; and never a life of complete entitlement.

Yet as we think about these truths we must remember how much higher we fly, how much brighter we shine, as a nation united in seeking mutual benefit over partisan politics.  Our sacrifices lift us higher, and our mistakes don’t bind us when we remember to embrace the ideals of unity and harmony that were laid down as the foundation of this, the greatest country on the earth today.

So when the vote doesn’t go your way, stop griping.  Don’t say such hateful things as “so-and-so is going to destroy the country.”  Instead consider saying “I’m glad the system still lets even those I disagree with have a voice.”  Then go to work with them and improve the world.

I thank God for a system that allows us to change and grow, even when some of us don’t want to.  I’m grateful that I can choose to help and be helped; that I can be so much more because I am a one of many.  Let’s not divide ourselves, but look for ways to unify.

 

-Greg

A profound question!

Thank you.

WatchMen Opening Credits/Alternate History

I wonder if I am the only one on this site who found himself in a late night screening of Watchmen on Thursday or Friday of last week…

Anyway, I really enjoyed the montage in the beginning of the film that sets up the alternate history. It was a very creative touch to bring the audience up to speed, set to “Times They are a-Changing” by Bob Dylan. The Watchmen opening credits clip can be seen here for the time being. If that link doesn’t work, you may find a new clip of it on YouTube that  has not yet been removed because of its copyrighted status. The few I found were taken down in a matter of hours.

I just wanted to comment on some of the things in that montage. You see, the trouble with doing an alternate history is that it may be lost on those who are not familiar with actual history. I found that many of the people waiting in line with me were barely old enough to get a ticket.  Many were clearly not versed in historical Americana. For example, I started laughing as soon as I saw Silhoutte walking up to the nurse after you see the “Japan Surrenders” headline on V-J day. The scene is an alternate history/parody of the sailor kissing the nurse in the famous WWII picture below (notice that the sailor was in the background of the montage scene). But I awkwardly found that I was the only one laughing until she planted a smooch on the nurses lips. I think they were laughing only because they saw two girls kiss. Haha. Lesbians.

Image taken the day victory was declared over Japan, ending the war.

I also read a comment on Youtube to effect that the writer was disturbed by the image of the girl putting a flower in the barrel of a gun, then getting shot. That’s understandable, but he seemed oblivious of the actual historical significance of that image. It is from another famous war picture, shown below. Because of the similarity between the image below and the film shot in watchmen, I think I had better make clear that in reality the soldiers did not open fire. That too is alternate history.

Picture taken at 1967 war protest outside the Pentagon. It became a symbol of the innocence of the peace movement on one hand, and the disproportionate use of force by the government on the other.

On a finer point, The JFK assassination has some noticeable differences with actual history (like the Comedian being the second gunman on the grassy knoll–a nice touch). If you watch the original footage, JFK’s head whips forward and the blood mist is to his front. The reenactment makes his head whip backward, and I think I can see blood spraying out behind him along the back of the car. This of course makes it appear that the shot came from the grassy knoll to JFK’s front, instead of coming from the book depository to his rear. I also like how the Comedian puffs his cigar right before he leaves, a possible reference to witnesses claiming to see smoke coming from the grassy knoll.

If you’re interested, here’s an ABC special that debunks the second gunman theory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSBXW1-VGmM&feature=related

Things could get better. But they could get much, much worse: An economic preview and personal convicitons.

The Great Wave

Are you sick of this yet?   Even if you’re unaffected by the recession of late, it’s likely you’re sick of the news, commentary, posturing, and problems.  I know I am.

Yet I can’t seem to let it go.  As a culture, I think, we all tend to look for some as-of-yet undefined, great, “The End,” somewhere ahead – a cataclysmic final page to the story of the individual, nation, or world.  It’s built into our upbringing as Americans.  And, just as I did during the first few days after September 11, 2001; I find myself wondering, “Is this it? This time?”   And though I find myself feeling more worried over time instead of less, I still feel confident in answering, “Nope.”

Similarly, I’ve been asking myself over the past few months “Is it over yet?  Is this it? Is now the time when things start turning around?”  Agian, I feel some level of confidence in answering, “Nope.”  What I want to do is tell you why I think that way.

The problems we face today, I feel, are caused by two problems with the great American economy.  They are specifically that we embrace debt, and that certain parts of the American Lifestyle grow in expense faster than the average earnings of the average American.   This second problem simply feeds the first, as we buy on credit so we can have the things we can’t truly afford.   We do this again and again for things as basic as insurance coverage to cars, homes, groceries, and any number of other things.  Eventually our flow of income is completely diverted to other sources and bills start going unpaid.  The once profitable flow of cash and income turns back upon itself in a crushing wave of debt.

Because Debt and payment plans in general are  such a basic part of the American Lifestyle it’s become an investable and insurable asset in the economy.  But when this debt wave began to crest  and break, those companies who invested heavily in debt instruments found themselves suddenly worthless.  (An example, I recently read that insurance giant The Hartford has a stock value now less than the actual value of it’s vast cash reserves.  Wild.)

It’s been a rough ride so far.  I’ve worked with several young families who one week had plans to begin their retirement investment program, or insurance program; and the next week they call to say they’ve lost their jobs and will be moving home with mom and dad.  (Mom and dad are usually in pretty dire situations, too.)

The big problem is that there are certain parts of the average American’s budget which grow bigger and bigger each year or each generation.  These monsters eventually consume the rest of the budget and force the individual into insolvency.   These are especially:  The cost of Health Care, which inflates at about 7% per year (or doubles in cost every 10 years if you want to think of it that way) and which increases as a person ages;  the cost of housing, which, on average, inflates at about 5% per year;  and the cost of an advanced education, which costs, on average, 7% more each year.

Most people only gain about 3% per year on their income.  Do you see the problem here?

With the help of the recent government plans and bailouts, etc, there could be an end to the current financial crisis very soon.  Things could get better.  But it could get much much worse.  Here’s how:

The U.S. Government is just like an individual in some ways.  The Government also has a budget, has ongoing financial obligations, and carries a huge amount of debt.   In recent times, that ebb and flow of income and payments has remained essentially in balance – though there are always those who disagree.

However, by the end of the next decade, a massive swell is moving down the pipe.  For most of us, we’re hoping that if we ignore it it will go away.  It wont.  It’s the cost of social security, medicaid and medicare.  In about ten more years the monster of health care doubling yet again plus the huge amount of retirees combine to completely devour the federal budget as it is today.

There are only two outcomes:  the federal aid programs continue, thus necessitating a vast tax increase; or the federal aid programs are diminished, thus requiring each individual to care for his or her own families’ needs.

It is most likely, in my opinion, that the government will write itself a credit line, trying to swallow up this problem in a long stream of gulps rather than all at once.  More credit means a much larger debt payment in the budget.  More payments means more taxes and cut programs.

Now imagine for  yourself – your health care costs have more than doubled as you are now 10 years more unhealthy and health care costs have inflated at 7%.  Your children’s education now costs twice as much as it does today.  And your tax bill has just increased.

Add to those the car payment, house payment, utilities, and other living expenses.  Will you have enough to even get by?

Now imagine if this begins to happen today.  More debts go unpaid.  More banks become insolvent and start to call in the debts they’re owed by the average cardholder.  The cycle continues and industry after industry fails.

In reality, these things have been going on bit by bit for a long time and will continue long after we’re through the current crisis.  It is unlikely that the ‘08-’09 recession will suddenly be driven into a second great depression.  If things get worse it will probably be gradual and will take place after the recovery from our current recession.  Putting off problems is our national pastime today just as it has been for the past century or so.

(It’s no wonder, then, that the youth of today have to take on more and more debt to get through college.  Nor, then, should it be a surprise that people are choosing to live with their parents for decades longer than they did a generation ago, or that the last thing a person does before leaving this world is to devour all their estate on paying for the high cost of long term care and other medical needs.  But I get off subject.)

The answer to this impending crisis, both individually and in a worldwide sense, is to avoid debt.  If, as a society, we weren’t clamoring for bigger and better homes than our parents and their parents had, and if banks hadn’t been willing to give it to us, treating debt like an unfailing and perfect resource,  it would not have come to this.

Avoid debt as much as you can.   Save up for yourself.  Only those who aren’t already stretched to their budgetary limits will survive if this next wave comes crashing down.

Here’s a nice blog by a nice guy.

While at work and spending time researching companies and industries in the area, I found a link from a local recording studio to No Sweat Apparel, and the blog of the owner, Adam Neiman.  In his most recent post he discusses how being a Jew and the election of Barak Obama have inter-played in unexpected ways.  It’s worth a read.

Other entries on his blog were also very insightful and well written.  I recommend you check it out.

-Greg

Some late night thoughts on movies.

I just watched the second chronicles of Narnia movie this evening.  It was okay, but it wasn’t as good as the first one.  This led to a brief discussion on movies, and what makes a good one.  That led to me thinking of some of my favorite movies, and what moments I like about them, including the first Narnia Movie.  Everybody has certain “parts” of movies that is their favorite.  These are some of mine:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Magic moments:  the reveal of the wardrobe, and the closing scene in the middle of the credits.  Everything else was just a decent adventure film.

Signs.
“There’s a monster outside my window.” and the realization at the end.  Other than these two excellent scenes, the movie as a whole was marvelous.

X-Men1.
the opening scene and “What makes you think I’m after you?”

X-Men2.
Magneto escapes, Magneto turns the tables at the end.

The Incredibles.
Mr. Incredible’s back pops back in, Syndrome looks down to see a sports car flying towards him.

Oceans 11.
Practically every scene, but especially the heist.  This is one of my all time favorite movies.

Bandits.
The cops at the drive through.  The brain tumor.  The final robbery.

Spirited Away.
first entering the world, the stink spirit, the train ride.  Another favorite movie, it’s hard to chose favorite moments when there are so many in the beautiful film.

Star trek 2.
“by the book.”

Rainmaker.
Opening monologue, and “this is how the uninsured die.”

Galaxy Quest.
The stompers.

what are some other good movies and their best moments?  I’m too tired to think of more.

A Brief History and Comment on Prop 8

I wrote this as a comment to Greg’s post from a little while back, but decided to put it on the front page instead. I’ve been blown away by news out of California. This whole thing has been just amazing. I’ve compiled a brief history here for context:

1. In the year 2000, California citizens approve California code amendment banning gay marriage (prop 22) with 61% majority.

2. State legislature TWICE approves bill allowing gay marriage (which would nullify the democratically enacted code amendment).

3. Governor twice vetoes the bill, citing the aforementioned democratically enacted Prop 22.

4. In 2008, California Supreme Court strikes down the democratically enacted code provision as unconstitutional (against the California constitution). The Court based its holding on the unprecedented view that sexual orientation was a protected class.

5. In Nov. 2008, California voters approve a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as only allowed between one man and one woman.

6. Today, Gay marriage proponents gnash their teeth, protest outside of temples, burn scriptures on LDS church doors, attack the elderly, make threats, intimidate proposition backers, and generally lose their minds. Oh yeah, they also have challenged the constitutionality of the constitutional amendment.

There is a theme running through this brief narrative: overriding the democratic will. Instead of garnering enough support to vote down these propositions, they have to sneak their tax perks and the title “marriage” in through some other way. I am amazed that a State Legislature would try to undermine a bill that was enacted by the will of the people.

I am also amazed that a State Supreme Court would read into its state statutes and constitution a provision that makes Gays a protected class when no other court has done this.

Finally, I’m amazed that people are publishing the names of supporters of the proposition in a blatant attempt to stifle and punish them for following their own consciences. Some have lost their jobs or had to resign because of their support of Prop 8. Make no mistake: if these people could get ahold of the ballots themselves, they would be retaliating against individual voters. But because they can’t find many voter necks to strangle, they take out their frustration on the LDS church.

So their ill-gotten gains are snatched away by the will of the people. I’d say “cry me a river,” if I wasn’t afraid that they’d beat-up my Grandma or use a Book of Mormon to set my house ablaze.

Family, Friends, Church, Law… Prop 8.

LISTEN TO ME!

California soon votes on a proposition that changes the definition of marriage in some way I don’t understand.  Honestly, I don’t intend to understand it.  I do not live in California, nor do I join facebook groups that support or fight political movements.  (if there were a facebook group that was “people who think things they read in email forwards are true are idiots” then I might join it.  Obama-is-a-muslim/antichrist/terrorist people, I’m looking in your direction.)

I don’t feel bad about not taking time to understand it.  While it could have ramifications which could stretch to my own life in the future, there’s little I can do about it now but encourage those who can vote to vote.

So vote.  There.  I’ve done my part.

What is interesting is a little debate on facebook between a few of my very conservative and very liberal relatives.

Person a says: the LDS Church, headquartered in Utah, should not try to influence it’s membership to vote one way or another.  The Church has to keep it’s nose out of state businesses.

Person b says: the LDS Church has an interest in it’s California and worldwide membership and has an obligation to encourage them to protect the standards they endorse.

I’d have never guessed that a California proposition could reach me here in lowly southern utah.  What’s interesting is that the debate on facebook (between my relatives) is not about the substance of the proposition – which, as I mentioned, I have never read – it’s about who should and should not share opinion and how opinion should be shared.

Is sharing political stance an obligation?  If it is, I’ve been lacking in my obligations.  While I frequently write my thoughts out online, I try to write both sides.  (this is what prevents me from having a high traffic site – I don’t write like an extremist.)  Should I be telling people what I think whether they want to hear it or not?

Here’s to the endless battle between conflicting freedoms.

-Greg

Fare thee well, vista…

Well, Ryan was right, as I knew he would be – at least in the eventuality of time I knew it – that I’d come limping back to linux after another disappointing Microsoft relationship; and that the only thing that could get her putrid smell off of me would be a long hot shower of open source love.

I just didn’t think it would only be a week.

The simple fact of the matter is that without an acutal vista install disk – only a laptop restore disk – I couldn’t negotiate the trecherous waters of that unseen land – the master boot record.  While trying, unsuccessfully, to use the fabled “Ultimate Boot CD” tools I was forced to study my alternatives.

The main thing that kept a partition of our hard drive relegated to a windows product was the need to use internet explorer for certain business transactions.  A simple google search for “internet explorer in ubuntu” revelealed, like moses to the children of israel, a way.

Not that I hated vista.

But it wasn’t that I liked her, either.

-Oreo

Fare thee well, Ubuntu…

The grand experiment is over.  

About a year ago I bought a laptop and destroyed Vista on it in favor of Ubuntu.  Things went very well while I finished my school experience.  I found I had no need for windows to be a productive student.  I learned to enjoy the interface and tools that are unique to the Gnome GUI.  

After school was over, the computer sat at home and was used for other tasks, and mainly used by my wife.  She would take advantage of the dual-boot setup to get into windows. 

Eventually, the computer was pretty much just left in windows all the time.  The partition that I had set aside for windows programs filled to overflowing, till I was installing program files in my ubuntu home directory.  It wasn’t really a bad way to operate, but it was a hassle. 

We talked it over, and since I haven’t got any specific need for linux, and she has a real need for windows… well…  The laptop has been restored to factory standards. (and then stripped of all the cumbersome additional programs that are bundled with the hardware and windows.)

I will miss the elegance of the Linux operating system.  Having now spent about 4 hours (and counting) updating and pruning vista, it becomes clear that vista is a system designed by a bunch of unrelated groups.  The programs, systems, and interfaces all bang against each other like rocks in a sock monkey.   Instead of asking me how I want to operate, these systems try to tell me how I will operate.  

Specifically, what I liked about linux:  

It’s free.  How amazing is that?  Here’s an operating system driven by passion instead of paychecks.

Vastly more customizable than other operating systems.  The icons, processes, desktops, graphic effects, were all as beautiful or spartan as I wanted them to be.  I was never forced to do anything if I didn’t want to be.  I was able to organize better.

More beautiful than windows.  Say what you will about vista’s new looks.  They’re still playing catch up.

Packages.  This was probably (in my mind) the most important difference between the two operating systems.  I didn’t have to search all over the internet for a free version of some program that does almost what I want it to do.  It’s all right there for me to discover, add and delete at my leisure. 

Stability.  I love that I didn’t have to restart Ubuntu after installing, deleting, or improperly using a program.

Speed.  After trimming down vista to its bare needs it actually starts pretty fast, but still not fast enough.

New computer smell.  I mean that since 1995 I’ve been staring at start buttons in the corner of my desktop.  Even when a new microsoft operating system comes out it’s still the same old thing.  With Ubuntu I was able to feel like I was experiencing something really new and unique.  It was exciting to just use the computer again. 

Well, it’s over for now.  And it’s not a bad over, just a change in needs.   But I haven’t give up hope that it wont be long before there will be no need for windows at all.