Political Attention Deficit Disorder

The very recent imbroglio by and about CNBC's Rick Santelli and his rant about bailing out spendthrifts and wastrels in the mortgage crisis by using the dollars of honest and hardworking Americans is said to be the equivalent of the initial response to the designation of Sarah Palin as the VP Republican candidate. In a reaction very much along party lines, the Republicans are screaming bloody murder about the injustice of it all. In the truest sense of the word, this reaction is akin to a tantrum being thrown by a child whose toys have been removed from the living room to clean up for company. There are a hundred different ways to look at this, but the view I prefer is considering what we are hearing as an example of short term attention deficit disorder in the community-at--large which was previously known as Republicans.(FAKARS). These FAKARS are now on the outside looking in and after eight years of systematically destroying the foundation of our economic way of life from unmitigated and unregulated conduct based on greed. They profess to be shocked at the concept that the little people in our society are getting screwed by their neighbors who bought homes too expensive for their means. Let me give these people a little reality therapy. It is true. Some people who should not benefit will benefit. Two wrongs don't make a right. But, the bottom line is that things are such a mess, something has to be done. The FAKARS were the ;people who pushed through the idea that mortgages could not be adjusted in bankruptcy courts. They were the people who pushed through the selling concepts that money could be lent without restriction to people who could ill afford to pay by failing to disclose adequately the concepts of adjusted mortgage rates to thousands of people who just simply want to do better in life than previous generations. All this prattle about morality is disgusting and its superficiality will last about as long as Sarah Palin did on the national political scene.

Telling My Grand Kid About Global Warming

The supreme joy of my life has been the watching my three beautiful daughters grow up and assume their positions in this world as mothers, wives and thoughtful, functioning, loving, sensitive beings living daily with an obvious sense of purpose. (If I haven't said this positively enough, its not for not having tried. In truth, without wanting to sound maudling, I can't say enough about what I feel about each of them and how proud I am to be part of their existence). What I feel for them goes equally with my feelings for my grand kids. The occasional designation of them as 'rug rats' is meant only in jest and as a term of endearment. This hyperbole is preliminary to what I have to say about a serious topic; global warming because the continuity of future generations of my family and yours and the families of the rest of the world is contingent upon our immediate and necessary adaptation to the its peril. My parents were born in 1918, almost a century ago, and they were a meaningful part of my current family's makeup until recently. My point here is that when the perils of global warming are discussed, we are not talking about the future in a science fiction way, 10-15 generations down the road, but as having a direct impact on the children or grandchildren of those people in our lives at the moment. The latest comprehensive assessment of the impact of global warming has coastal water levels rising 1 1/2 to 3 feet throughout the world by the year 2100, i.e., about the time my grandchildren's lives are ending. Their children and their grandchildren, however, will be in the active stages of their lives and forced to deal or adapt with what our generations have wrought upon them. In truth, a substantial portion of the globe's population lives close to the various water's edges meaning that there will be intense competition as these populations move away from the danger. I envision, crudely, my home in Lakewood Ranch now approximately 15 miles inland, becoming the new lakefront property. Lot's of opportunity for humor here, but the thought of billions of people scrambling and fighting for new land tempers any such thought. The reality of this emerging problem has been politicized the past eight years, but the point is being missed entirely. It really doesn't matter whether global warming is man made or occurring as part of the cyclical nature of the universe. We need to deal with the issue either way by being prepared for the changes that are necessary in relocating millions of displaced persons from current living situations. The aftermath of Katrina presents only a small vision of what it may be like 90 years from now in locales throughout the world.

A Disturbing Trend: The Same Old Same Old

There is the kernel of a disturbing notion beginning to lodge somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind. This kernel is being created by the sorting together of separate pieces of information about Obama's presidential moves that are beginning to cause some discontent, sort of like the beginning of a rash or a severe head cold. The first incident was the decision of the Justice Department under Holder to continue with the the Bush policy of claiming the benefit of the Secrecy Act in the cases of the individuals who brought suit against the federal government for the process of illegal rendition. These persons were literally snatched without warrant or due process off the streets of the United States and transported to foreign countries where they were tortured and beaten. I haven't taken a head count, but I would surmise that pretty much everybody who voted for Obama, including the three judge panel sitting on the case, was surprised that the current government continued with the ruse that state secrets were too important a consideration to allow innocent citizens to proceed with their case. The most apt description I can come up with is that this continuation is the political equivalent of furthering the penetration of a dagger right into the very heart of our Constitution. The second piece that appears is the ruling by the Obama administration that is a gift to the gun lobby. The government says that it will, for now, continue to allow concealed, loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The third is the bending of the rules that puts Timothy Geithner in place as the head monitor of the stimulus program even after he gets caught trying to evade significant amounts of legally owed taxes. The next was the lobbyist guy who just had to come into the administration because of his expertise on defense and weapons systems. Are these two people really the only ones in the country who are qualified to perform their assigned tasks? I doubt it. While admittedly I don't quite know yet what to make of these disparate acts, something tells me that a pattern is emerging that is contrary to what I thought was going to happen on Obama's watch. Change was going to get us back to a simple concept; principles are important, more important than politics. Each of the disturbing pieces of the puzzle that I have mentioned suggest a disturbing trend that politics trump principle even in this new administration. Stay tuned; I am going top keep a watchful (and hopeful) eye on this ongoing saga. I think everyone will acknowledge that Obama is a lot smarter and more presidential than Bush in so many ways, but I sincerely hope that there is more principle-based substance to the man than these nagging incidents seem to suggest.

How Long?

We ate last evening at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Sarasota which holds an annual event where the consumption of food prepared by church members is so wonderful that one cannot simply get enough of it. We dined at long tables elbow to elbow with others and listened to Greek music and watched people dance to that music. Two observations fascinated me; First, the attendees were having a great time participating in an activity that was as far removed from the stereotypical American dance scene as one could imagine. Second was the realization that in this typical American city was this purely Greek ethnic festival that has been totally absorbed into the fabric of American society. I wondered aloud (nobody could hear me, however, because of the music and laughter) how long before a similar phenomenon for other sub-cultures of our society would require to take their rightful places in the melting pot which is the heart of America? Granted there are certain areas of our country where ethnic groups have flourished. Deaborn, Michigan is one where it is said that the city contains the largest number of Muslims in the world outside of the middle east. The Greeks retain their cultural identity and, yet, participate freely without bias or ethnic hatred in the activities of our society. The same holds true for the Irish, the Italian, the Polish and others. The assimilation and acceptance of the Muslim population, while starting, cannot come fast enough. How long? The truer we hold to our basic values and ideals that all people "are created equal", the lesson to the rest of the world will be seen as the change that was the preferred rhetoric of the last election.

President Obama, Come With Me

There are them and there are us. "Them" as we are finding out is that special class of people who think it's horrible and a fundamental flaw in moral character that a father or a single mother seeks help from the government to feed their kids, provide medical care or a roof over their heads. "Them" have no qualms in not paying their taxes or using unfathomable taxpayers monies for luxury jets, multi-thousand dollar waste baskets, and billions of dollars of bonuses for job performances at the level of null and void. When the government provides "them" with billions of dollars to save their sorry asses from their greedy and irresponsible management of their businesses, they thumb their noses at the taxpayers and refuse to divulge what they do with the money.

On the other hand, one of the dangers of the presidency as exemplified by Bush is the creation of a bubble in which the president lives aloof and remote from the reality of what is going on out here among "us." In that context I would like to relate information about a local clinic which provides free legal services to those who qualify. Legal Aid of Manasota handles civil areas of law including family law (limited to domestic violence, child abuse and/or neglect), guardianships, bankruptcy (to preserve homes), housing law, consumer law and probate for any person who resides in Sarasota or Manatee County or whose legal problem is in these counties who meet case eligibility guidelines and whose household income and assets are within 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (125% for family law). Legal Aid of Manasota also offers a Pro Se Divorce Clinic for income eligible people who would like to learn how to represent themselves in a divorce proceeding. This clinic is taught by attorneys who walk the clients through the necessary steps. Seniors, age 55 an over, or the terminally ill may qualify to obtain a will, power of attorney, or designation of health care surrogate without charge. Legal assistance is also provided to individuals with AIDS or who are HIV positive.

Before President Obama gets too far into his presidency, I respectfully invite him to visit this clinic with me which would help him bring into sharp focus what "us" are experiencing while the Nero's of American life are fiddling away our money. On a typical day, he will see and hear about scurrilous used car dealers screwing people out of hard earned dollars, banks foreclosing on disabled people living in mobile homes who simply cannot afford to meet monthly payments because of lost jobs, and other dastardly life situations caused by the current economic downturn such as to cause one's heart to nearly break. Mr. President, if you think giving up on the tax-cheating Tom Daschle was disturbing, try listening to the young father of four small children whose power was cut off the night of a near freeze in Bradenton because he could not pay the electric bill. This is the "us" of our society and it should be noted that Legal Aid of Manasota has just had its funding reduced so that employees are reduced to a four day week. It should also be noted that I make no claim personally to have experienced any of these profound hardships that one sees daily at this clinic. It is just that these people are the "us" of our society and they are hurting bad. They need help.

Weasels and Litigation

Weasels. Or, perhaps more appropriately, weasel-like behaviors on the part of humans who should know better is the reason why we need litigation. One of the lead stories in today's New York Times contains the information that the FDA had to seek permission from the Peanut Corporation of America in order to issue a recall of products known to contain Salmonella after a severe outbreak resulting in multiple deaths occurred in users. From information already available we know that officials at this Georgia-based company knew that their products were contaminated before they were shipped for human consumption. Now let me ask you a question; suppose that you were head of the FDA and knew that there was such a company shipping contaminated products, such as peanut butter eaten by most of the kids in the United States nearly every day, would you meekly approach that company and ask them if it is all right if you could send a recall notice to sellers of these products?

The answer to this question needs to be considered in the context of the role of litigation in our society in performing the vital conservative function of holding people and corporations responsible for their behaviors, including criminal wrongdoing. Big business, including the insurance and drug industries, have paid politicians and judges enough campaign money over the past twenty years in the conduct of a war on litigation that can best be characterized by their mantra 'nuisance lawsuits.' The public mind set, including brainwashed jurors, has been that every lawsuit brought is a nuisance lawsuit and that it is unfair to hold a giant corporation responsible for their conduct if the FDA said what they are doing is all right. The net result of this effort is that we now have a system that, by and large, says if the FDA has approved the marketing of drugs, medical devices and foods, this means that these substances are safe (unless, as in the present situation, the FDA is able to get a company to agree that there product may not be safe).

In the hours and days that passed while the FDA and the Peanut Company of America negotiated the language in the recall statement, how many children were killed? How many elderly people died? This is not the first and only time that this type of event has occurred. The list of catastrophes gone unpunished caused by the negligence and/or criminal behavior of the large industries in our society because they were protected by hiding behind the skirts of the FDA and bought judges and legislators would fill a note book, several note books.

The solution is simple; allow people hurt by a product to hold the manufacturer of that product responsible. I once represented a young man pro bono who was fired from his mid-level county government job because his hobby was writing letters to the editor of the local newspaper about the shenanigans of various elected county officials. The language of the appellate judge who reinstated this man to his job has stayed with me all these years because of the principle it supports; "If this is the way that [this county] treats letter writers, then we need more letter writers, not less." The analogy to the present discussion is apt; we need more litigation, not less, to restore the proper balance to our society. At the present time, the baby has been thrown out with the bath water.

A Vision; A Road Map

Halfway through our new president's speech yesterday I looked over at my wife and said, "This speech is pretty wonky." "What do you mean?", she asked. What I meant was that Obama, one of the greatest orators of our time and who can easily move people to tears, took a pass on the opportunity to do so in his moment of glory and, instead, laid out his vision of America and a road map for getting there. In my opinion his speech is a mark of the man, his character and integrity, and what he brings to the table. As a person who is committed to the principles of goal setting, I am always thinking, when setting a new goal, where do I want to go? What is the end point of my effort going to be? Obama's speech, in my judgment, set forth his road map to achieve the goals of our nation. Wonky? Yes. Terric also? Yes. In fulfilling the purpose of this blog site (letting my grand kids know a little about how their grandfather thinks) I take the liberty of putting Obama's speech in its entirety.

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January 20, 2009
Transcript
Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
Following is the transcript of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions:

PRESIDENT BARACK Thank you. Thank you.

CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama!

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation...

(APPLAUSE)

... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.

The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.

(APPLAUSE)

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

(APPLAUSE)

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.

It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

(APPLAUSE)

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...

(APPLAUSE)

... and lower its costs.

We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.

MR. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.

And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.

But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

(APPLAUSE)

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.

Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

(APPLAUSE)

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.

With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.

And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

(APPLAUSE)

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.

And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those...

(APPLAUSE)

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

(APPLAUSE)

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.

And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.

It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.

These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.

What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

(APPLAUSE)

So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.

In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.

The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.

At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you.

(APPLAUSE)

And God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)