Things are “different” now

Stealing the vote seems to happen all the time. All too often I would say. Asian dictatorships are especially good at this idea and following legitimacy.

Now it seems many fellow Americans want to do it for their reasons and advantages, and are more obvious now than in the past. Many are bureaucrats, hired minions if you will, and will manipulate the system where they may live. After all they have their sincere opinions and beliefs, too. But still they only get one vote in the area where they live.

But it sure seems too many of them want to rule us in their way. One can even think of dictatorship in some USA sort of way, but there are other obvious also human ways to rule which ignore the vote.

Now there is nothing magical about the vote, other than the key idea that the ruled people are in charge.

So one guess is that the massive change going on includes the power of the vote. Yes, things are “different” now.

For example, I don’t want some drifter idealist who gets an election job at my local county elections office (though local family connections) deciding my vote. How about my “vote” counts, too.

Like the title suggests, things are “different” now. Or so I hope.

A soft revolution is underway

Let me define this idea. Much change is coming, as in the 100 year old status quo is changing throughout the world, and a soft revolution means many more people will live in the process. A hard revolution usually means death to so many humans in my definitions. Being soft, it will go on to maybe 2020.

Now this guess is at a World sort of view, but even in the USA new world, people are making it happen in their own way. Most humans don’t support failure, but rather success. And here in the USA that idea still seems to resonate. The present USA political system has been “under performing” at best. After all, we still have many vast riches to exploit, at least right now. Meantime a lot of people are going cold and hungry.

The motivations are pretty simple. Most people want to live, and provide for their family’s future. Now this is a whole World family idea, though those of us lucky enough to live the new world USA are provided an opportunity to do it our way.

There is always friction in the World, and now is no different. What is different, though, is that more humans have, or think they have, the power to vote where ever they live. Now maybe I am wrong, and dictatorships and tribal cultures will still have an influence for the foreseeable future. But my guess is even in these cases a soft revolution is underway. Change is coming to them, too.

Now let’s be realistic, too. For example, too; much of present day boundaries around the world are often boundaries decided by western diplomats back about 120 years ago. I think of this idea mostly in the Middle East and Caucus areas, though Africa counts, too. And old style dictatorships and tribal leaders still have a role now for muddling through and ruling in their way these days.

Bummer. And the times they are a changing. Thank goodness we in the USA have the advantage of all that our immigrants bring. Hopefully it will be a soft revolution here, too.

Analyze this

Much has been said about politics in USA America today. I myself have both the time and inclination to read much of it. Well, we all do have our own hobbies.

What still astounds me, as in disappointing me, is the amount of time pundits spend analyzing, which usually amounts to doing amateur psychobabble type stuff. And it seems to pay well these days as far as I can see, and read.

What I would like to point out is the alternative. Rather than try put oneself in some other’s shoes and analyze their way of thinking and their intents, try soothsaying their capabilities. In my mind, the latter option is both more reliable, and a better and easier way to predict the future.

Four examples come to mind.

1) Are the Democrats in the USA simply executing some party conspiracy, or simply incompetent, or is it something simpler? For my mind, I think they (the Congress and the Executive) are running our economy into the ground, and hopefully we can recover in some other new human world less likeable to we USA citizens than before. In this example, it is the capability I can act and vote on. I won’t waste my time trying to analyze this group’s intent.

2) In Zimbabwe, is it simple human greed and ego or something else that is forcing so many to starve, or emigrate away. Again, the idea of capabilities vice intents is an idea one can vote on. Either way, a big piece of land is being run into the ground, and it appears to be human caused.

3) In Moro land, aka the Southern Philippines, is the now century old Islamic insurrection still locally based, or now exploited by outsiders? Just how to deal with this brings me back to intents vice capabilities. I myself think of the Philippines as the 51st state, but would never venture into Moro land.

4) Is the present Islamic terrorist threat to so many (who want to live without such a threat) based on some Arab Wahhabi sect or some other Islamic idea that others like in Indonesia accept? Again the example is what is the intent? And again, what is the capability of those intending to kill some of us. I myself have done my math, lived in these areas, and even worked with these others in the USA. In my math, 99.99% of Muslims are good people, but with a world population of 1.6 billion Muslims, the remaining 0.01% still amounts to about 160,000 people. Now eliminate most non Arab Muslims, and I am still left with a big number of potential people who want to kill me. Now that is an example of capability. And where does their money come from?

Intents are one thing. Capability is another.

It is so obvious

There are few bad bureaucrats…only bad leaders.

I personally don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning wanting to do a bad job. And I mean this at any level: school board, city, county, state, and federal.

So if you want to shoot the messenger, so to speak, then keep the political leaders in your voting crosshairs, too. In my mind, the hard working “mindless” bureaucrats are doing the best they can with what they’ve got. And what they’ve got is what their political leaders lead them to. Like I said, I don’t know anyone who wakes up in the morning wanting to do a bad job.

And of course the political leaders are those we have elected.

So if we want to change things, like make the future better for our kids and grandkids, then we should think about who to vote for while we are alive and can vote.

One idea drives me crazy.

Now most families will work months for making house payments in order to raise their family, but if in the near future one family has to work months just to pay interest on all the federal borrowing that has already occurred, and that means they cannot borrow to buy a house for their family, then generational warfare is coming. At least that is what I would do.

Now generational warfare is an idea that is still evolving. Just what it means even I don’t know. There are options. One is revolt, one is simple default on the debt, one is civil war, and one I can think of is more gradual, like using their vote to change things and sort it out the best they can.

While one today is alive and can vote, do whatever you think is obvious.

I get to vote, too.

Now I also get to vote, too. Why the cynical title? Because I am suspicious that others may try to take away my vote. If and only if that happens, then some kind of physical revolution will occur in the USA.

Now some kind of political revolution is already occurring from where I sit on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. And the vote counts a lot, I think, in making the changes that are needed to keep our new world USA American idea going. Of course, much of what has happened and will happen is simple human selfishness, but what is wrong with being warm and eating and supporting a family at a reasonable rate? And if we exploit our resources to the end, so what? Let the voters decide what to do next, and then expect our elected representatives to do it. If they don’t do it, then I suspect more humans will step up the plate and get elected.

In my thoughts, and if you buy this argument, then capitalism is a good way to balance human behavior with creating wealth. Now let me define what I think creating wealth is…getting others to pay for my work in a way that benefits us both. In this example, all families benefit from their labor, or as John Kennedy is quoted as saying, a rising tide raises all boats. In the USA example, we don’t have to work through a caste system, like in India. After all we never started it.

Why do I worry, or become cynical? I have thought about this a lot. My answer is that our present USA political system has screwed us in the long term. Both of our present and old two National Parties are simply failing us. They had their chance, and have simply failed. And it is not the economic recession problems today, which are considerable. More it is what I think of as the interference with the wonderful human ideas that have made the USA the Mecca of the world. After all, people do vote with their feet and pocket book, and there is still much good going on here in the USA. As the military says, let’s reinforce success, not failure.

Not too many decades ago, this idea was called public policy, and our politicians used this idea to advance we in the USA.

Last idealism only goes so far. One has to be practical, too.

To me, that means voting at the local public school board level, the city level, the county level, the state level, and even the federal level. And continue paying taxes all these governments presently levy on us. Practically speaking let us just elect humans who will dispense our tax money the way we want it done using their hired bureaucrats, too. Of course this idea assumes our vote still counts.

Now to me I also buy the argument that one of the intrinsic faults of any kind of democracy is that when the have nots can vote themselves benefits from the haves, then the system will collapse in the end. Hence, let the majority vote!

And of course, practically speaking, historical change takes time. So do we humans I think.

Just another report from the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee

Just in the last month two things got my attention.

One was the answer to my question where do you come from? The fellow was probably from India in the long run, but his answer got my attention. His answer was that he was from London. And he was being honest, I think. He runs a local restaurant and beer store. Wine and liquor are not permitted for sales in this Putnum County.

Second was having my new “maid” show up to try keep up with all the main house upkeep. Now I am an OK cleaner, but the dust is still a constant problem when the local breezes flow through the main 1905 house. This is where I appreciated Bianca’s good work and time. Anyway, when I asked her where she was from, she answered Los Angeles. Now that got my attention, since I have about 6 years of my life in southern California.

Now I asked Bianca how she ended up living in the local city, Cookeville. She reported her grandmother moved out here from L.A., and then got her parents to move out here.

Now I am the beneficiary, at least for a while.

In the meantime, 12 out of 24 local county commissioners recently got elected as first time members. Here locally county commissioners are like the local legislature.

Last, local connections count, too. Recently an appointment to a routinely elected position was made by the local already elected politicians. Now that bothered me, even though I think well of the appointee.