Election 2012: Cutting Through Obfuscation

We are closing in fast on the presidential election of 2012.  All of us have a serious decision to make and our vote matters.  Luckily for me, I'm not harnessed to the dogmas of either political party.  I'm a conservative Independent and I refuse to be type cast as a Republican or a conservative minded Democrat.  In my opinion, both parties are much more interested in party interests than they are about getting things done.  The problems facing our nation are expansive enough to need ideas from both sides of the aisle.  Our government seems to have lost the ability to find middle ground.  The media, be it FOX or MSNBC, relishes the endless diatribe rushing forth from Washington DC.  Compromise is boring and makes for a poor news cycle.  Unfortunately, far too many of us tune in and hope to listen for what we want to hear.  We adore the reinforcing pundits who assure us that our way of thinking is "right".  The funny thing is, while we adore being told our views are best for the nation, we also mock our government for not getting anything done.  This drama unfolds everyday in our nation's capital.

Over the past four years, President Obama has made little effort to reach across the aisle for ideas.  Rather than getting things done, the Republicans have spent more energy trying to be sure that the president fails in his bid for reelection.  Meanwhile, those of us in the middle class have been ping ponged back and forth while both parties try to convince us that they have all the answers.  Of course, neither side has the answer for all of our country's travails.  So, what do we know for certain?  In 2008, the president roared into office waving his "Hope & Change" banner.  What has transpired since that time?  Let's blindfold ourselves for a moment and remove the labels Republican, Democrat, Liberal, or Conservative.  Have things gotten better since his election?  Does your dollar go further in 2012 than it did in 2008?  Have your cost of living expenses merely grown at the level of inflation or have they increased at a higher rate?  I've ended my post with a price table for common living expenses (www.thepeoplehistory.com/pricebasket.html).  It is a cost index comparison from 2008 to the third quarter of 2012.  This table clearly shows that the vast majority of us are seeing our dollar buy far less in 2012 than it did in 2008.  President Obama can talk all he wants to about being the valiant warrior fighting for the middle class however; I view this table as his four year report card.  If we were to grade him on a scale from A to F, in my book he'd deserve an F.  If they want, those on the left can hide behind their assertions that Romney is a liar but, they cannot avoid solid data showing the sinking four year trend-line for a single dollar.  

 My vote this year will be simple, I'm voting for the buying power of a single dollar and nothing else.  In my view, all other social issues for our nation are minuscule in comparison.  This means that I will not be casting a vote for the reelection of President Obama.  The"Hope & Change" banner has meant nothing positive for most of us.

Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Realty
House Rent	$800.00	$780.00	Aug. $945.00	Aug. $955.00	Aug. $1045.00
New House Buy	$238,880	$232,880	Nov. $268,700	Mar. $202,100	Aug. $263,200
Commodities
Gallon Gas	Sep. $3.39	Feb. $2.51	Aug. $2.73	Aug. $3.89	Sep. $3.91
KW Hour Elec	Nov. 11.03 ¢	Oct. 11.76 ¢	Sep. 11.97 ¢	Aug. 12.35 ¢	Aug. 13.30 ¢
Shopping Basket ** Foods Notes and Comments on Brands and Weights at end of table
Loaf Bread	Jan. $1.68	Aug. $1.77	Feb. $2.49	Aug. $1.98	Sep. $1.88
Lb Potatoes	Nov. 32 ¢	Aug. 55 ¢	Feb. 52 ¢	Aug. 60 ¢	Sep. 42 ¢
Gal Milk	$2.65	$2.69	$2.79	Aug. $3.39	Sep. $2.79
Lb Bacon	Dec. $2.96	Aug. $3.19	Jan. $3.22	Aug. $3.98	Sep. $4.48
Doz Eggs	Apr. $1.29	Aug. $1.34	Jan. $1.37	Aug. $1.25	Sep. $1.54
24 Pack Coke	$5.48	$5.98	$6.98	Aug. $6.98	Sep. $6.98
12 Pack Water	$1.90	$1.94	Feb. $2.08	Aug. $2.63	Sep. $2.68
Lb Tomatoes	68 ¢	75 ¢	Feb. 97 ¢	Aug. $1.59	Sep. $1.79
Lb TasteLikeButter	$1.90	$1.94	Dec. $2.28	Aug. $2.68	Sep. $2.68
Lg Cornflakes	$2.34	$2.68	Dec. $2.98	Aug. $3.50	Sep. $1.98
Frozen Pizza	$2.49	$2.49	Dec. $2.90	Aug. $3.00	Sep. $3.33
5 Lb Bag Sugar	$2.68	$2.78	Dec. $3.12	Aug. $2.92	Sep. $2.42
5 Lb Bag Flour	$1.97	$2.06	Dec. $2.18	Aug. $3.12	Sep. $2.98
Lb Ground Beef	$3.68	$3.99	Dec. $3.78	Aug. $3.78	Sep. $4.78
Tide Soap Powder	$5.98	$6.98	Dec. $7.97	Aug. $10.55	Sep. $17.97
Folgers Coffee	$5.49	$7.98	Dec. $8.78	Aug. $12.98	Sep. $8.98
Lb Green Grapes	$1.85	$2.15	Dec. $2.97	Aug. $1.96	Sep. $1.98
Toilet Paper	$3.49	$3.49	Dec. $3.98	Aug. $3.98	Sep. $3.96
Chicken Soup	$1.89	$1.95	Dec. $2.08	Aug. $2.10	Sep. $1.75
Employment
Wages	$40,523	$39,423	Nov. $39,856	Aug. $40,925	NA
Unemployment	Jan. 5.4%	May. 8.6%	Nov. 9.8%	Aug. 9.2%	Aug. 8.1%

Gay Friends

I've been lucky enough to have gay friends in my life.  Homosexuality is a complex social issue and being straight I've had my own problems with understanding just how I feel about gays and gay rights.  Admittedly,  I'm sure to continue to struggle with my understanding of gay rights however; last night was a real awakening for me. Several of us were gathered together for an evening of drinks and food.  We were at a local pub where several folks were eating, drinking, and watching the University of Oregon play football while others of us were lamenting the early closure of the Run to the Cascades motorcycle rally.  The evening included three straight couples and a gay gentleman.  With the exception of one, all of us were 50 years of age or older.  One couple have known the gay gentleman for a long time.  In fact, they've known him before he came out of the closet.  Think about "come out of the closet" for a moment.  What sort of cultural astigmatism would lead to the creation of such vernacular?

My wife and I have known this gay man for several years.  Who he is now, is all we've known.  It is very important that you make a philosophical distinction in how we've known him.  We know "him"; not the "gay" him.  His being gay has little if anything to do with who he is.  He is a loving, witty, incredibly devoted friend who would help us no matter the cause.  True friends in life are very hard to come by.

One of the couples have known him for over 20 years.  They've been friends since before he revealed to the world that he was gay.  Their love for him is unbelievably obvious.  One could easily see that they both have had no problems adjusting to a new facet in their relationship with him.  The easy banter, vociferous jibes, and hearty laughter could melt even the hardest of hearts and in the end, the "human heart" is what is at stake here.  Far too many of us have developed our views on gay America by blindly following cultural norms established by the majority.

The last couple in question spent a large part of the evening appearing aghast at the interactions of others around our table.  One would have to wonder why?  Are these two "bad" people?  No.  Do they live with hardened hearts?  No.  Have they possibly developed beliefs based upon long standing "straight" social norms?  Probably.  Were they threatened by his being gay?  Maybe.  Could they have been scared because they were placed in a situation where something "different" to them was in such close social proximity?  More than likely it was a combination of all of these things.

I've spent the better part of today contemplating the previous night's dinner.  It seems to me that the crux of the issue is whether or not we look at the other passerby's in this life as fellow human beings with all sorts of travails or, do we categorize them into neat little distinctions that make us feel safer while at the same time stifling free thought?  Why do we fear those that are different from us?  Is fear a natural born response or a learned reaction?  All of us need to look within ourselves, open our eyes, ears, and hearts and embrace the "him or her" of those around us and stop distracting ourselves with the question of why they're gay.  For myself, I'm far too busy trying to figure out just who I am and questioning if at the end of the day I've been a good person?  The never-ending personal pursuit of improving my relationship with my fellow man leaves me little time to fret over whether a person is gay.  I'm more interested in knowing if they're a person with commonalities akin to whom I'm trying to be.  Being human is far too strong a thing to be divided into neat little niches for our own self interests.

De Oppresso Liber

Healthcare Revisited

The United States Supreme Court has reached a decision.  President Obama's vision of a revamped health care system is constitutional.  Some have howled with anger at the court's decision.  Others have been overjoyed by it.  I prefer to step back for a moment, remove my over coat of factionalism, and analyze the process of our government.  First, I need to admit that I'm not a supporter of what has commonly been labeled as Obamacare.  I do however, have to admit that all of us should admire the effectiveness of the Supreme Court.  This court has a long history of not following the whims of political dogma.  President Jefferson was exacerbated by the court's decision in Marbury vs. Madison and it was quite comical to watch the conservative pundits on FOX News try to come to terms with Chief Justice Roberts decision.  After all, he is an icon of power for conservative viewpoints.  How could he do this?  He worked within the parameters of the Constitution and called Obamacare what it is - a tax.  Congress has the power to levy taxes thus, the law is constitutional.  The court's decision is sort of like a high lob back into your opponent's side of a tennis court. Your opponent must now decide on whether to smash it back over into your court for a decisive point or, to merely get it over the net deep into your side of the court.  Liberal pundits and left leaning politicians are now hilariously scrambling for a moniker to counteract the impact of the word "tax".  Since the days of the Boston Tea Party, the word "tax" has not been well received by us Americans.

I'm more concerned with the evolution of American culture.  Unlike many of my fellow conservative thinkers, I do not believe that we should trap ourselves within the confines of a paradigm constructed by our nation's founders.  We do however, need to pay attention to their philosophies on who we are and adapt them to the modern world.  I also oppose many on the left and don't believe that it serves us well to look towards Europe for insight on what effective government is.  American republicism is a relatively new idea and as Thoreau said long ago, "We should take the path less trodden."  The key to keeping our republic vibrant is to think anew.  As a nation, we must find our own answers to our unique problems.

I'm no different than many others.  Every question that I answer replicates itself with yet another question.  This is called life.  The search for answers and the quest for the unknown defines human existence.  As far as mandated healthcare is concerned, here are just a few of my questions:  Why is healthcare a right?  If it is a right and it is controlled by government, can they stipulate how I live in order to receive healthcare?  Why isn't healthcare considered an individual responsibility?  If I exercise every day, eat a balanced diet, don't smoke or drink alcohol while my neighbor eats Bic Macs, french fries, drinks beer, and never leaves his couch, should I be considered as "equal risk" under mandated healthcare?  Since healthcare is a "tax" will I be expected to pay for my neighbor's chosen lifestyle even though studies have shown that his choices can have deleterious effects on his long term health?  How will mandated healthcare evolve under the laws of unintended consequences?  So many questions with so few answers.  I believe in the certainty of one thing.  American exceptionalism is grounded on the foundation of individual responsibility.  Have we lost the desire to stand on our own two feet?  I hope not.

De Oppresso Liber