5/25/08

History Scorned

With so much to learn from history, why do we choose to ignore the lessons of the past? Is it a form of agnosticism? Is it egotism? Is it denial. The stink of wars has been well documented, yet we perfume our own wars with “ eau de patriotism”. The chasm between Islam and Christianity has been known for centuries, yet we insist on donning the armor of a crusader. The failures of nation building fill volumes of writings, yet we persist in trying to carve out nations in our own image. Misadventures in the Middle East are nothing new, yet we insist in perpetuating our own misadventure as a mission for democracy. History tells us that the Iraq War will never result in “ mission accomplished”. History tells us we may be able to declare a military victory but never a political victory. The Iraq War is eating away at the fabric of this country as a great democracy. Its time for an exit plan before we stand naked before the world.

5/19/08

Flim - Flam Man

Has anyone told McCain that he sounds like a flim-flam man ? He frequently prefaces his remarks with " My friends ...." - one almost expects the next words to be " I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you". Is this in fact what his campaign rhetoric is all about? Like a true flim - flam man he is constantly re-packaging his views on issues like Iraq, climate warming and the economy in order to make a sale.

5/15/08

Equal Access To Power

Why after two hundred and thirty-two years of a democracy do we still look at various members of our society with suspicion because of their color, gender, ethnic background or religious affiliation as they seek political office? One of the pillars of a democracy is all members of the society having equal access to power but in our democracy it is a pillar that is badly in need of repair. What better way to demonstrate that the pillar of equal access to power has been shored up than to overwhelmingly elect our first African - American president or our first woman president in November - not because of color or gender but because one of them is best qualified to be President of The United States.

5/10/08

The Only Thing We Have To Fear .....

As Republicans prepare an assault on Barack Obama’s foreign policy views we must keep in mind ( with a nod to FDR) that the only thing we have to fear is the politics of fear - unreasoning, unjustified arrogant statements which paralyze the diplomacy needed to convert conflict into peace.

5/7/08

Is Soylent Green Coming?

A New York Times article on 5/5/08 contained a startling statistic - 9 of 10 who live into their 80s will wind up unable to take care of themselves either because of frailty or dementia. In response to this problem Dartmouth Medical School research came up with the concept of “ slow medicine", a medical treatment approach that encourages less aggressive - and less costly - care at the end of life. ( I‘m not quite sure who determines the “end of life”. Is it the Doctor, the patient , the patient’s family or a committee of the foregoing? Let us not forget the saying that a camel was designed by a committee.) The concept of slow medicine is not all bad . If applied when a treatment or treatments present high risk and limited rewards it can reduce needless suffering. It surely reduces health care costs and it make a small contribution to the problem of overpopulation. Which brings me to the movie Soylent Green.

The movie depicted a country suffering from overpopulation, global warming, widespread unemployment, poverty, a shortage of fruit, vegetables and meat. Pick up any paper today and you will find reports about the danger of global warming, rising unemployment, rising food prices, soaring health care costs, and the graying of the population. Not quite the country portrayed in Soylent Green but one aching for a cure of its ills.

In the movie the elderly “Book” chose to end his life through government-assisted euthanasia. Is this what “ slow medicine “ is preparing us for?

5/5/08

Pay For Performance

The Cleveland Indians are playing horribly except for their starting pitching. Unfortunately baseball victories require hitting also. Fortunately the Indians are playing in a division where no one shows signs of taking charge. My solution for the Indian's anemic hitting - pay for performance. Restructure contracts so that a failure to perform results in a substantial loss in pay or even dismissal. It works elsewhere, why not in sports. I realize this is naive, but somewhere in the thought there must be a shred of a solution. Why do teams have unlimited patience with poor performance? Of course the answer is that the player is in a slump and will eventually snap out of it - too much is invested in him to turn him loose. Fine, keep him but pay him his millions when he starts performing! (One thing I know that will not cure poor play is experimenting with facial hair. Sloppy looks go with sloppy play. The same applies to managers and coaches. I hate to say it but the Yankees have it right when it comes to grooming!)

5/4/08

Know Which Side Bread Is Buttered ON

The latest reports are that Barack Obama is losing ground because of the defection of white working class voters. I suspect that he never really had these voters in the first place and the media's exposure of Jeremiah Wright rantings has merely provided an excuse for these voters not to vote for a black man. That's unfortunate because these same voters don't know which side their bread is buttered on. Barack Obama, regardless of his color is their best bet to have their plight heard and acted on in Washington. John McCain has yet to utter anything which seriously addresses how the flight of manufacturing jobs can be stopped and how we can become more than a service economy. Clinton II is busy apologizing for the the too aggressive moves of Clinton I in embracing free trade without providing safeguards against greedy corporations. The best they can do is tag Obama as elitist which for unknown reasons is supposed to raise fear among white working class voters. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elitist - was the New Deal anti working class? The more I think about it, just what is an elitist? Someone who wears a suit and tie ( or in the case of Hillary a suit and scarf)? Some one who has a comfortable bank account? Someone who has a command of the English language? Someone who is educated? Someone who eats with a knife and fork? If the answer is yes, I'm glad all of our presidential candidates are elitists. Now we must decide who will really fight for the working class voters - white, black , yellow and brown. These voters must decide which side their bread is buttered on soon. Just a hint - Barack Obama is pretty handy buttering bread!