Just curious, with liberals so far to the left and conservatives so far to the right, is it possible for a candidate in the middle to get elected? And if so, how in the world would they do it?
I'm not a republican or a democrat and I actually don't like either party although lately the republicans have been a little more scary to me than the democrats. I was thinking about a candidate that I would actually be excited about taking office and it's so far from current reality that it was almost depressing. Anyway, I thought I'd blog to nobody about how I think a candidate could get elected and change the country the way we all need it to be changed.
Campaign - I'd like to see a candidate run a clean campaign. I have a vision of him stopping in the middle of a heated debate and telling the American people that the two candidates running for office are the best two people that America could nominate and that either one of them will make a fine president and that there is no need to fear and no need to argue to the point of dividing the public. Not that it has to be true, it's still politics, but I'd like to see someone extend a hand to the other side not because they like them but because they realize that all the fighting that has been going on lately is a bigger problem than the ones they are trying to solve by fighting. I would listen to a president who explained in detail how he was going to facilitate the repair of the country, not by using government but by allowing free people to provide for themselves. That is how economic problems have been fixed successfully in the past. I want a president that inspires the public to act, not a president that inspires the public to vote for him by telling them how he is going to create programs that fix their problems without them having to lift a finger.
Goal - A president that is a leader and not a problem solver would also be a breath of fresh air. We have some serious cultural issues that should be addressed. The government cannot fix these problems w/ regulation. Someone needs to step up and tell the American people that they are free and to quit being stupid. Explain a few culturally accepted procedures that don't make sense and tell the people how they can fix it. Like home ownership for example, it's considered normal now to buy a house and spend the next 30 years paying it off. Most loans are through the government now so people spend 30 years of their life working to pay the government back. I see a real problem in that. I don't see why people need to live in a house that is pristine before they have earned it and I think a leader should tell people that spending a large chunk of their income on housing for 30 years of their life is greatly reducing their ability to prosper. I think home ownership needs to be the base from which we build a sustainable economy which is what I would like my presidents main goal to be.
Unemployment - In my opinion, organization and access to resources can fix unemployment very quickly. I'd like to see unemployment fixed not by government stimulus but by allowing companies and people access to unused land and other resources which are currently not allowable under law. Law's should not dictate the way people live, the way people live should dictate laws. Land happens to be one of a countries most valuable resources and if used properly can build capital where it does not exist. I think unemployment can be fixed by developing unused land for the people that need it. Think about how many jobs could be created if the government designated 100 square miles of federal land for development and gave it to development companies in exchange for them taking unemployed people off of government aid and putting them to work. The unemployed could build sustainable communities that shed some of the unneeded cultural baggage that we think is mandatory.
Sustainable communities - In my opinion there are a few main aspects to a sustainable community; food, water, shelter, energy, waste removal, maintenance and access to education. I'd like to see all of these handled on the local level. This would impede any entity from obtaining a monopoly on a life sustaining industry which would give security to communities.
Food - Like I said, I'd like to see food produced locally to protect communities from a food industry that is too big and mass produced to give a quality product to everyone. Specifically I'd like to see homes built with the type of garden seen here - http://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publication/Manuals/Walipini.pdf. This would provide communities with an affordable system of quality food production and would ease many of the problems that the agricultural industry is having now.
Water - Communities would need to be built in locations where clean water is available. That doesn't really need much explaining.
Shelter - I'd like to see a change in the way homes are built. Currently a person buys a home with credit and it takes them 30 years to pay it off. This is because they have to finance the floors, walls, plumbing, electric, paint, fixtures, etc. All a home really needs to be is something that keeps you out of the elements. All the extra's are nice but are they worth 30 years of work when they could be paid off in 15? I'd like to see homes built that, on the outside, look like this one - http://www.greenopia.com/BA/news/15615/10-8-2009/The-Most-Beautiful-Earthen-Homes-on-the-Planet. On the inside they would just be a big modifiable room. Basically just a buried concrete shell with pluming and electric coming out of the floor. This would do multiple things. From the outside it would make communities beautiful because they would blend in with nature. Because they are so simple they wouldn't need the massive amount of financing that conventional houses require. Once purchased they would be easily upgradeable, meaning that people could install bedrooms, flooring, cabinetry, etc as they have the cash to pay for it. By installing these with cash as you go along a person would save almost 50% because they didn't finance all the amenities. All of this money saved would be available to spend for usable goods instead of going to the Fanny May and Freddy Mac type companies that have a monopoly on the current system of home financing. I really think that housing like this could fix the huge cultural issue we currently have with the way we purchase our homes.
Energy - Sustainable energy for each local community or possibly each individual home is a must have for a sustainable economy and community. The technology is already out there to get away from coal and the other environmentally damaging ways to produce the energy needed to power our culture. And let's be honest, environmental nuts are annoying. I want to hear someone make an argument, not for saving the environment, but for how cool it would be to live in a city and not have to breathe smog every day and not have to put up with all the other crap we pollute our cities with. Saving the environment is obviously a plus but the benefits of living in a clean environment should be enough to sell it to anyone. Consider the following examples of how sustainable energy can be harnessed.
Wind - http://www.makanipower.com/. I think this is an awesome way to harness cheap sustainable energy. Installing this all over the U.S. would create tons of jobs while saving people money that they can spend in other areas of the hurting economy.
Solar - http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/3287-plant-mimicking-solar-cells-can-self-assemble. I thought this was awesome when I read it. It might not be quite ready to hit the market but the technology is there and if enough people make it a priority this kind of thing can become a reality really soon. http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/3263-plug-in-solar-appliance-brings-cheap-solar-power-t. Another article depicting the possibilities of energy production.
Wave - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEk74DIkuk. For areas near the ocean.
Geothermal - http://www.qualibouenergy.com/island-st.lucia.php. I actually don't know much about this but it's out there. Enjoy.
Energy storage - http://www.isentropic.co.uk/index.php?page=storage. A common problem with renewable energy is that it is hard to store once it is created meaning that while the wind's not blowing or the sun's not shining there is no energy unless it can be efficiently stored. This may or may not be a viable means of energy storage but it does provide an example of what's out there. If this doesn't work there are plenty of other ideas as well - http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/category/27.
Energy is a huge resource! With unemployment as high as it is, why can't a company get financing to employ Americans to start installing these everywhere? That bailout money for the housing industry could have been used for financing these kinds of things instead of saving the broken system we currently have. The good news is that it's still broken and eventually they are going to have to bail it out again or try something new. I would love to have a president explain this and tell Americans to mobilize and start these projects. Stop looking at the government for an answer and just expect the government to stay out of the way and let this happen. I'd vote for someone who said that!
Waste Removal - Reducing the amount of waste produced is one of the best ways to manage waste removal. Communities need to make it convenient to recycle locally. This means homes equipped with composting systems that can be used in gardens. Also, extra taxes on items purchased that produce un-recyclable waste. I'm ordinarily apposed to new taxes but what I think this would do is encourage companies to use recyclable materials and cut down on packaging waste which is a huge source of unneeded garbage. And hopefully when they accomplish this they wont be paying the extra tax anymore anyway but I think they need the financial incentive. This isn't really an area of expertise for me but there are already tons of proven programs that are working all over the country. Consider this as an example, http://www.wastezero.com/Press2.cfm
Maintenance - This isn't as crucial as some of the above mentioned areas so I'd like to share it as just an opinion. If the above mentioned ideas are put in place there will be a huge need for upkeep in the community. I'd like to see jobs like landscaping and maintenance be a priority. In our society we try to make everything so that it doesn't need to be maintained because that costs money. That's why so many houses in my neighborhood have ugly rock yards and so much concrete. It's really unappealing if you ask me. I think we need to change a cultural norm and start to value the way nature looks by integrating it into the way we live our daily lives. This would, however, create the need for someone to keep it up and I don't see why that's a bad thing because it creates a lasting job for someone that might not have one otherwise. I would suggest that communities be encouraged (but not required) to create community management companies that take care of things like local landscape and community maintenance. These jobs could be run by and employ people within the community which would help ease unemployment. Unlike the current system where on a local level some residents manage their own landscaping and maintenance and others don't which leaves the possibility for degradation of the neighborhood. And on a larger level the state employs huge companies with a bidding process to manage community landscape. Under a new restructuring process the costs of landscaping and maintenance could be spread out between more people and money could be kept within the community giving security to people that live there.
Education - Here's a huge issue that doesn't get enough attention. Education in America is not providing citizens with necessary tools to survive as well as tools to improve. As technology has increased people stopped feeling the need to know how to grow food and provide basic sustenance for themselves. This is a real problem. One result of this is a food industry that is now required to mass produce food at such an enormous level that they have begun to cut corners. Just go eat at McDonalds and my point will be proven. Think about what kind of food has become acceptable for consumption. It's disgusting! Watch Food Inc or Supersize Me. That is actually how many Americans live their lives and that is really sad. Education has failed because it didn't produce citizens that were smart enough to realize what was happening and instead just accepted insane solutions out of necessity because they had no other alternative. Obesity is out of control, heart disease and diabetes rates are skyrocketing as well as many other health risks. This is all a result of the unhealthy lifestyles we have come to think of as normal. Education needs to be restructured in order to teach people how to live better.
I would recommend a hybrid form of education where students go to the local school to learn how to live in the community and survive in a sustainable way. Locally they learn how to garden, build homes, purify water, take care of animals, socialize and basically learn how to actually perform physical work and live independent of the government so that they can avoid this - http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/photographer-capture-life-in-garbage-city.php. and this - http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/10/03/magazine/08wwln.1.html which is a photo of people waiting in line for government welfare. People wouldn't need to do that if they new how to provide for themselves in a sustainable way and had the freedom to do so. This is what local education should look like and it should not change too much because people should always have the ability to provide for themselves even if they choose not to.
I mentioned a hybrid form of education because I think computers need to be used for learning other subjects such as math, history, English, etc. This could be an online curriculum that is completed at home or students could commute to a school to learn them, the important thing is that they still learn these subjects. (BTW, I've got to throw this in there because of how bad it is. No Child Left Behind is the dumbest educational policy ever! When no child gets left behind no child advances either because there will always be children that get left behind. That is a reality that a policy cannot prevent and when a policy dictates that all available resources be spent to make sure no child gets left behind, that's exactly what happens - No child gets left behind because no child goes anywhere).
Adults also need access to affordable education as well. With technology I don't see why this hasn't happened yet. There is plenty of knowledge out there that nobody in particular owns. I don't see why this can't be organized and shared for free as a way for adults with access to the internet to receive education and get better jobs if they want to. Why does a University of Phoenix education cost an arm and a leg when you own the computer and all most students really need is an organized curriculum and a means of navigating it. UoP doesn't own the knowledge they are providing so why are the economical barriers so high? Adult's access to knowledge needs to be greatly reduced and they need to be provided with ways to show that they have achieved competency within certain fields. Here's an arbitrary example - A school shouldn't look to see if a teacher has a degree in order to hire them, they should look at real examples of work that the teacher has completed in order to judge competency and a teacher should be able to show schools how much time they have invested in their education not just show a piece of paper that has become much too easy to obtain. None of that needs to cost $20,000 or more. If this can be done it will allow adults to better themselves and when they can do that everyone will benefit.
Now, I've explained how I would like a president to fix our country and I've added a lot of detail that I'm sure should be adaptable because I'm not an expert on a lot of the topics I wrote about. However, I think I have at least laid out a rough draft that is plausible and should be considered. The immediate benefits to this are that developing land will create capital that can be used as a resource for creating jobs which will ease unemployment and stimulate the economy. The drawbacks are that homes wouldn't be sold with all the bells and whistles and living in these communities could require a little more work than living in conventional homes. The question is would the benefits of the changes outweigh the drawbacks? Worst case scenario is that the ideas I've laid out are impractical or impossible for the free market to accomplish and we can all go back to fighting with each other about gay marriage, healthcare, war, and all the other stupid issues that keep us from prospering.
I hope you've enjoyed reading my thoughts. Thanks for your time.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Book Recommendation
I've been reading a lot of fiction over the last year and a half or so and I've enjoyed it but I think I started to forget how enjoyable other types of books can be as well. So I grabbed a book off my bookshelf that was recommended to me by my brother in law a few years ago that I just never got to. I'ts called The Mystery of Capital by Hernando De Soto. He's a Peruvian author who works in a think tank that influences economic policy for developing countries. I've only got through the first chapter and a half but what I've read so far has blown my mind. It actually excites me to read about plausible solutions in a world where so much feels like it is out of control and hopeless.
I just want to summarize what I've read so far and maybe I'll write future posts as I read more.
The beginning of the book talks about how much dead wealth the poor in developing countries actually possess. It defines dead wealth or dead capital as usable goods that cannot be readily turned into liquid or capital. The premise is that the poor in developing countries live wherever they can in homes built in shanty towns and outskirts. He says that these homes do not have clear title but they are worth money in the small communities and are regularly traded and sold within the community which has it's own unofficial regulatory system that is enforced by local leaders and basic social norms. The book describes ways that capitalism can be successful in these communities by rewriting land laws to give the poor clear title to possessions that they obviously own and that nobody really has a chance at taking from them. (eg. would a government really go into a shanty town and evict people living there? Answer- Probably no so why not give them clear title to it). With this clear title, even though the equity would be minimal, they could use the possessions as collateral to receive loans and grow the small businesses that they are already operating. And if this was done for everyone in the shanty at the same time they would all have capital to buy each others goods and services and it would basically act as a springboard to get the community legally operating and growing. A lot of this is my interpretation of what would happen but the basic premise is that giving clear title to poor people's living arrangements free's up capital and what happens from there is up to the free market.
Anyway, it's a really interesting read so far and I just wanted to write a little about it and recommend the book to anyone that might stumble upon my blog.
I just want to summarize what I've read so far and maybe I'll write future posts as I read more.
The beginning of the book talks about how much dead wealth the poor in developing countries actually possess. It defines dead wealth or dead capital as usable goods that cannot be readily turned into liquid or capital. The premise is that the poor in developing countries live wherever they can in homes built in shanty towns and outskirts. He says that these homes do not have clear title but they are worth money in the small communities and are regularly traded and sold within the community which has it's own unofficial regulatory system that is enforced by local leaders and basic social norms. The book describes ways that capitalism can be successful in these communities by rewriting land laws to give the poor clear title to possessions that they obviously own and that nobody really has a chance at taking from them. (eg. would a government really go into a shanty town and evict people living there? Answer- Probably no so why not give them clear title to it). With this clear title, even though the equity would be minimal, they could use the possessions as collateral to receive loans and grow the small businesses that they are already operating. And if this was done for everyone in the shanty at the same time they would all have capital to buy each others goods and services and it would basically act as a springboard to get the community legally operating and growing. A lot of this is my interpretation of what would happen but the basic premise is that giving clear title to poor people's living arrangements free's up capital and what happens from there is up to the free market.
Anyway, it's a really interesting read so far and I just wanted to write a little about it and recommend the book to anyone that might stumble upon my blog.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thinking logically - Being effective does not mean something is justifiable
I was hanging out with my family this weekend because we were having a rummage sale to benefit cancer research for my aunt. Everyone know's you don't get to choose your family and I'm definitely no different. I got into a brief conversation with one of my cousins and the topic of border security came up. His solution involved placing chain guns at the border that could be controlled remotely through the internet. He thinks it would be a good idea to let citizens control the guns and shoot people that are trying to cross the border and I'm pretty sure he was serious... I was pretty appalled at first and asked, why? His only answer was that it would deter it and as soon as I started a counter argument he just kept repeating,"It would deter it, it would deter it." When I was able to finish a sentence I said, "At what cost? At the cost of human life? That's awful." At this point the conversation ended and he just shrugged his shoulders like I was the idiot that doesn't have the stomach to solve a problem quickly and effectively.
I was thinking about it later and there were a few things I wish I could have said to him but I didn't so I'm going to write it in this blog instead. If I had the chance, I'd ask him if he would punch his kids in the face when they behave poorly. When he says no, I'd say "But it would deter bad behavior, it would deter bad behavior." I'd try to make him realize that just because something is an effective deterrent, that doesn't mean that it is justifiable. Any reasonable person would agree to some extent. Small nuclear bombs at the border would be an effective deterrent as well but nobody in there right mind would suggest that. What scares me is that there are too many people out there like my dumb-ass cousin who are willing to metaphorically swallow a cat to catch a mouse or maybe in his case swallow an elephant to catch the mouse. Point is that killing people for committing a misdemeanor according to AZ state law would be a much bigger problem than undocumented immigration.
I realize that my cousin probably fell off the deep end on the right side of the spectrum and there's next to no chance of this actually happening but it's still a little unnerving that a firefighter who is a prominent member of society can say things like this and think people are going to agree with him or worse, actually have people agree with him. Persuasive people like him and his world view are how some of the most horrible things imaginable happen in a society. Start with a little problem, fix it with another problem, fix that problem with something worse and all of a sudden you're killing desperate people that are so poor they are willing to walk across a desert just to get away.
I don't really know what the point is that I want to make other than that I wish people would take a step back and think critically about their views and beliefs. Try to come up with ideas and solutions that benefit everyone instead of either being the best case scenario for their group or the worst case scenario for whoever their adversary is. Who can't agree with that, huh?
I was thinking about it later and there were a few things I wish I could have said to him but I didn't so I'm going to write it in this blog instead. If I had the chance, I'd ask him if he would punch his kids in the face when they behave poorly. When he says no, I'd say "But it would deter bad behavior, it would deter bad behavior." I'd try to make him realize that just because something is an effective deterrent, that doesn't mean that it is justifiable. Any reasonable person would agree to some extent. Small nuclear bombs at the border would be an effective deterrent as well but nobody in there right mind would suggest that. What scares me is that there are too many people out there like my dumb-ass cousin who are willing to metaphorically swallow a cat to catch a mouse or maybe in his case swallow an elephant to catch the mouse. Point is that killing people for committing a misdemeanor according to AZ state law would be a much bigger problem than undocumented immigration.
I realize that my cousin probably fell off the deep end on the right side of the spectrum and there's next to no chance of this actually happening but it's still a little unnerving that a firefighter who is a prominent member of society can say things like this and think people are going to agree with him or worse, actually have people agree with him. Persuasive people like him and his world view are how some of the most horrible things imaginable happen in a society. Start with a little problem, fix it with another problem, fix that problem with something worse and all of a sudden you're killing desperate people that are so poor they are willing to walk across a desert just to get away.
I don't really know what the point is that I want to make other than that I wish people would take a step back and think critically about their views and beliefs. Try to come up with ideas and solutions that benefit everyone instead of either being the best case scenario for their group or the worst case scenario for whoever their adversary is. Who can't agree with that, huh?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Stress Reduction Technique
I tend to think a lot about stress reduction in my life because I think it's an important part of being happy. In my opinion it is because our happiness depends on the way we think about situations and not necessarily about the situations themselves. If you can find ways to think about things in a non-stressful way you might be more happy than someone else in the same situation. So I'd like to share a way that I view a certain aspect of our lives that I think might be beneficial to other people.
Money, or more specifically the amount of money that we have can be an enormous cause of stress to people and I don't think it needs to be. I like to think about money in terms of panic points. The panic point is an arbitrary number at which a person freaks out because they don't have enough money to meet their needs. The panic point can be different for everyone but I think the most common panic point is $0. This happens to be a very stressful panic point because at $0 you actually don't have enough money for anything. When you get to this panic point you either use credit which digs the hole deeper, make lifestyle changes that reduce expenses or find ways to make more money. All three of those solutions can be stressful but I think all three can be avoided if a person just chooses to think about a different panic point.
I'm thinking about certain people that I know that always find a way to squeak by but never have any left over money and are always stressing about it because they only worry when they run out of money. But what if they started to worry when they got down to $1000 instead? Maintaining a $1000 balance is just as easy as maintaining a $0 balance once a person saves $1000. Having $1000 is, however, much less stressful than having $0. All a person needs to do is decide what changes they would make at $0 and instead start making those changes at $1000. The result is a reduction in stress because you act like you are out of money, which means you don't spend it, but it's less stressful because desperation isn't actually right around the corner.
So if you are someone who is stressed out about money, I suggest cutting cable bills, eating out and everything you can possibly cut, only for a time, until you reach the new panic point that you decide fits your lifestyle. Once there start pretending like the panic point is your new $0 level and I think you will find that stressing about money issues will go away.
Money, or more specifically the amount of money that we have can be an enormous cause of stress to people and I don't think it needs to be. I like to think about money in terms of panic points. The panic point is an arbitrary number at which a person freaks out because they don't have enough money to meet their needs. The panic point can be different for everyone but I think the most common panic point is $0. This happens to be a very stressful panic point because at $0 you actually don't have enough money for anything. When you get to this panic point you either use credit which digs the hole deeper, make lifestyle changes that reduce expenses or find ways to make more money. All three of those solutions can be stressful but I think all three can be avoided if a person just chooses to think about a different panic point.
I'm thinking about certain people that I know that always find a way to squeak by but never have any left over money and are always stressing about it because they only worry when they run out of money. But what if they started to worry when they got down to $1000 instead? Maintaining a $1000 balance is just as easy as maintaining a $0 balance once a person saves $1000. Having $1000 is, however, much less stressful than having $0. All a person needs to do is decide what changes they would make at $0 and instead start making those changes at $1000. The result is a reduction in stress because you act like you are out of money, which means you don't spend it, but it's less stressful because desperation isn't actually right around the corner.
So if you are someone who is stressed out about money, I suggest cutting cable bills, eating out and everything you can possibly cut, only for a time, until you reach the new panic point that you decide fits your lifestyle. Once there start pretending like the panic point is your new $0 level and I think you will find that stressing about money issues will go away.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
12 angry men
I watched one of my favorite movies a couple nights ago called 12 angry men. It's a really old black and white movie about a jury of 12 men that are deciding whether or not a boy is guilty of murdering his father. If found guilty the boy will receive the death penalty. The evidence against the boy is overwhelming at first and 11 of the 12 men vote guilty right away. As the movie unfolds the one man examines evidence and testimony and convinces the other 11 men that reasonable doubt exists and they should not convict him based on the evidence.
This is one of my favorite movies because it really exposes the dangers of prejudice, apathy, and a host of other injustices. I encourage anyone to watch it and think about how we treat people on a daily basis and whether or not there is anything you want to change.
This is one of my favorite movies because it really exposes the dangers of prejudice, apathy, and a host of other injustices. I encourage anyone to watch it and think about how we treat people on a daily basis and whether or not there is anything you want to change.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Using FrontLine Plus show's your pet you care???
Sometimes I hear advertisements and cringe at what I'm listening too. There happens to be an advertisement I hear on facebook all the time for a product called Frontline Plus that is quiet possibly the worst I've ever heard.
Frontline + is a tic product for dogs. The advertisement starts out with a man speaking in a very deep serious voice that says "Using Frontline Plus shows your pet you care." Seriously? When did we as a culture shut our brains off?
There are a few ways too look at this but I think is speaks volumes about the culture we've created. First, it says a lot about the way products and services are marketed to people. It is very deceptive and creates an emotional tie to the product that does not need to be there. The fact that this type of marketing is effective is pretty disturbing. If a company can successfully market a product based on a lie instead of a beneficial function then there is no longer any need for quality. When quality is tossed out the window the free market will no longer need to compete with quality products, they will only need to compete by marketing and advertising successfully. Just ask yourself how much junk you have laying around that you don't use very often? There is a good chance that these items were marketed based on a lie instead of a function. It might be a good idea to think about the way a product is marketed before you buy it. If it doesn't even attempt to give a good reason for needing the product then you probably don't.
Another way to look at this is by thinking about what kind of person actually falls for this kind of gimmick. I know there are a lot of stupid people out there but, really, how stupid do you have to be to actually believe that your pet can identify they brand of tic medicine and evoke a warm fuzzy feeling inside because they know you care about them. This is the subliminal message that the product is trying to instill. If you love your pet you will buy them Frontline Plus and they will know that you care about them because you did. The people that hear this advertisement and go buy Frontline Plus are either brainwashed or exceptionally stupid.
So, here's how this can change your life for the better. I don't think people that buy Frontline Plus are stupid, I think they probably just don't have time to think about it. Start listening to the advertisements that you hear and ask yourself if you actually need a particular brand because it is better and if you can't figure out if it is better or not then buy the generic because it's probably just as good. Also, if you look around and realize that you have tons of name brand junk just sitting around that never gets used, you are probably brainwashed by the marketing that you view and need to just start using your noggin a little more. It could save you a bunch of time and money that might make life a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable.
Frontline + is a tic product for dogs. The advertisement starts out with a man speaking in a very deep serious voice that says "Using Frontline Plus shows your pet you care." Seriously? When did we as a culture shut our brains off?
There are a few ways too look at this but I think is speaks volumes about the culture we've created. First, it says a lot about the way products and services are marketed to people. It is very deceptive and creates an emotional tie to the product that does not need to be there. The fact that this type of marketing is effective is pretty disturbing. If a company can successfully market a product based on a lie instead of a beneficial function then there is no longer any need for quality. When quality is tossed out the window the free market will no longer need to compete with quality products, they will only need to compete by marketing and advertising successfully. Just ask yourself how much junk you have laying around that you don't use very often? There is a good chance that these items were marketed based on a lie instead of a function. It might be a good idea to think about the way a product is marketed before you buy it. If it doesn't even attempt to give a good reason for needing the product then you probably don't.
Another way to look at this is by thinking about what kind of person actually falls for this kind of gimmick. I know there are a lot of stupid people out there but, really, how stupid do you have to be to actually believe that your pet can identify they brand of tic medicine and evoke a warm fuzzy feeling inside because they know you care about them. This is the subliminal message that the product is trying to instill. If you love your pet you will buy them Frontline Plus and they will know that you care about them because you did. The people that hear this advertisement and go buy Frontline Plus are either brainwashed or exceptionally stupid.
So, here's how this can change your life for the better. I don't think people that buy Frontline Plus are stupid, I think they probably just don't have time to think about it. Start listening to the advertisements that you hear and ask yourself if you actually need a particular brand because it is better and if you can't figure out if it is better or not then buy the generic because it's probably just as good. Also, if you look around and realize that you have tons of name brand junk just sitting around that never gets used, you are probably brainwashed by the marketing that you view and need to just start using your noggin a little more. It could save you a bunch of time and money that might make life a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dodgeball
My dodgeball league starts tonight so I thought I'd write about how I became interested in the sport and how it has been a positive influence in my life.
I've been playing fairly regularly for just over 3 years now. Playing dodgeball has become one of the highlights of my week on a regular basis. I started playing when I moved to Scottsdale to go to school at ASU Polytechnic. I moved there from Glendale, AZ which is about 30 miles to the west. At the time I didn't know anyone on this side of town except for my friend John who was my roommate. I was going to school 30 miles to the east so the friends I made out there weren't exactly in close proximity to where I lived either. Being a very outgoing person, I really missed having friends to hang out with regularly. I got connected with AZ Dodgeball when the owner of the league friend requested me on the social networking site Myspace, back when it was still popular. I looked at their website and realized they met on Thursday nights about 4 miles from where I lived. I decided to go check it out one week and was hooked immediately. I have played on a weekly basis, other than the few times that I have sustained injuries, ever since then.
At first it was just a fun way to be active during the week. Gradually, I became friends with many of the people in the league and started to hang out with them on the weekends. A few months later I was going on snowboarding trips and soon realized that my entire social life was grounded with people that I had met through playing dodgeball. Pretty soon I showed up one night and saw two girls warming up that I had never seen before. A friends girlfriend walked up to me and said, "That blond girl is really cute, you should go talk to her." I replied, "I don't know about her but her friend is hot!" Then I walked over and introduced myself to Renee who I have now been seeing for over 2 years. I continued playing and making friends and now I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't found out about this awesome sport!
What I learned from playing dodgeball is that there are a lot of benefits to joining a social athletic group other than just the fun to be had by playing. So I'd encourage anyone who wants to make friends and have fun to go out and join a dodgeball/kickball/bowling, etc league. It could change your life.
I've been playing fairly regularly for just over 3 years now. Playing dodgeball has become one of the highlights of my week on a regular basis. I started playing when I moved to Scottsdale to go to school at ASU Polytechnic. I moved there from Glendale, AZ which is about 30 miles to the west. At the time I didn't know anyone on this side of town except for my friend John who was my roommate. I was going to school 30 miles to the east so the friends I made out there weren't exactly in close proximity to where I lived either. Being a very outgoing person, I really missed having friends to hang out with regularly. I got connected with AZ Dodgeball when the owner of the league friend requested me on the social networking site Myspace, back when it was still popular. I looked at their website and realized they met on Thursday nights about 4 miles from where I lived. I decided to go check it out one week and was hooked immediately. I have played on a weekly basis, other than the few times that I have sustained injuries, ever since then.
At first it was just a fun way to be active during the week. Gradually, I became friends with many of the people in the league and started to hang out with them on the weekends. A few months later I was going on snowboarding trips and soon realized that my entire social life was grounded with people that I had met through playing dodgeball. Pretty soon I showed up one night and saw two girls warming up that I had never seen before. A friends girlfriend walked up to me and said, "That blond girl is really cute, you should go talk to her." I replied, "I don't know about her but her friend is hot!" Then I walked over and introduced myself to Renee who I have now been seeing for over 2 years. I continued playing and making friends and now I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't found out about this awesome sport!
What I learned from playing dodgeball is that there are a lot of benefits to joining a social athletic group other than just the fun to be had by playing. So I'd encourage anyone who wants to make friends and have fun to go out and join a dodgeball/kickball/bowling, etc league. It could change your life.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Business Idea
Owning a business is an aspiration that many Americans would like to do at some point but coming up with a profitable idea/service, business model and the capital to get it off the ground is an insurmountable feat most of the time. I'm not trying to be a pessimist but it has to be true because if it wasn't more people would own businesses. I happen to own a refrigerant recovery franchise but I'm always coming up with ideas for other businesses because it's just something I like to think about. Since I can't pursue any of these ideas I thought I'd share them on this blog from time to time and if anyone finds one of them interesting they can feel free to take it.
A lot of the most successful businesses over the last decade have been based on the internet. Facebook and Google are two that come to mind. The main reasons that these businesses are so successful is because they stay so user friendly and organized. Other reasons are that they network people and pitch services in a more personal manner because they can tell you "Hey your friend John used this service, you should use it too." People are a whole lot more likely to use something if they know a friend of theirs used it and was pleased. So far this has worked wonders for internet based companies. Many other companies have benefited greatly by using the viral marketing that Facebook offers. Other than the marketing, I have yet to see some of these ideas cross over into other industries. Technology is also becoming more and more affordable as time goes by.
The business idea that all of this led me to was to model a restaurant after Facebook. It could be called anything but my first thought was Pizzabook or something similar. My thought was that the inside could be painted in a Facebook theme with walls that people could write on with erasable marker. There could be sections of walls to put pictures of customers. Other sections, where customers could leave fliers for their businesses or interests, (ex. local real estate agent, upcoming concerts, etc). The restaurant would be clean, simple and small. I'm not really a design kind of guy, but you get the idea. I think it would fit in perfect in a college town. I actually had the idea when I was at Otto's pizza in Tempe, which is right next to ASU. I imagine a place that is a free wireless hotspot that makes it a great off campus place to study or hang out. It would be a coffee shop as well as a simple restaurant with a small menu and good food. I think people would find it new and fun to eat somewhere where you can write on the walls and leave your pictures up.
Technology integration would also need to be a key factor in a restaurant themed after FB. I envision a computer monitor at each table so that people could access the restaurants FB page which is where they would peruse the menu and order. The photo album could have a picture of each item on the menu so that people could see what it looks like when it comes out of the kitchen before ordering. I know this isn't a new idea but I don't see very many restaurants with pictures of everything they serve on their menu. This would also allow customers to "like" dishes that they order and when friends of theirs come into the restaurant they would be able to see which items their friends have ordered and liked. Customers could also write on the restaurants wall and be more interactive than with a traditional restaurant. Servers could either IM w/ the tables to take orders or even do a video call w/ the tables to take orders. This would allow a server to handle more tables at one time and would cut down on a lot of wait time by eliminating walking back and forth between tables and the kitchen to place orders. Once a server takes orders they can have bussers deliver food and keep drinks full. There could also be flatscreen tv's on the wall that have slideshow's playing of whatever customers might find interesting.
Anyway, I think this would be a new idea that would take successful aspects of online industry and apply them to things in real life that people do on a daily basis. I think people would find it creative and very enjoyable as long as the food and service is good.
A lot of the most successful businesses over the last decade have been based on the internet. Facebook and Google are two that come to mind. The main reasons that these businesses are so successful is because they stay so user friendly and organized. Other reasons are that they network people and pitch services in a more personal manner because they can tell you "Hey your friend John used this service, you should use it too." People are a whole lot more likely to use something if they know a friend of theirs used it and was pleased. So far this has worked wonders for internet based companies. Many other companies have benefited greatly by using the viral marketing that Facebook offers. Other than the marketing, I have yet to see some of these ideas cross over into other industries. Technology is also becoming more and more affordable as time goes by.
The business idea that all of this led me to was to model a restaurant after Facebook. It could be called anything but my first thought was Pizzabook or something similar. My thought was that the inside could be painted in a Facebook theme with walls that people could write on with erasable marker. There could be sections of walls to put pictures of customers. Other sections, where customers could leave fliers for their businesses or interests, (ex. local real estate agent, upcoming concerts, etc). The restaurant would be clean, simple and small. I'm not really a design kind of guy, but you get the idea. I think it would fit in perfect in a college town. I actually had the idea when I was at Otto's pizza in Tempe, which is right next to ASU. I imagine a place that is a free wireless hotspot that makes it a great off campus place to study or hang out. It would be a coffee shop as well as a simple restaurant with a small menu and good food. I think people would find it new and fun to eat somewhere where you can write on the walls and leave your pictures up.
Technology integration would also need to be a key factor in a restaurant themed after FB. I envision a computer monitor at each table so that people could access the restaurants FB page which is where they would peruse the menu and order. The photo album could have a picture of each item on the menu so that people could see what it looks like when it comes out of the kitchen before ordering. I know this isn't a new idea but I don't see very many restaurants with pictures of everything they serve on their menu. This would also allow customers to "like" dishes that they order and when friends of theirs come into the restaurant they would be able to see which items their friends have ordered and liked. Customers could also write on the restaurants wall and be more interactive than with a traditional restaurant. Servers could either IM w/ the tables to take orders or even do a video call w/ the tables to take orders. This would allow a server to handle more tables at one time and would cut down on a lot of wait time by eliminating walking back and forth between tables and the kitchen to place orders. Once a server takes orders they can have bussers deliver food and keep drinks full. There could also be flatscreen tv's on the wall that have slideshow's playing of whatever customers might find interesting.
Anyway, I think this would be a new idea that would take successful aspects of online industry and apply them to things in real life that people do on a daily basis. I think people would find it creative and very enjoyable as long as the food and service is good.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Simple Living
One of the best ways to be happy is to eliminate material items in your life that cause stress. I can't tell you how many people I know that live in nice houses and look like they've got everything together but they are some of the most stressed out people you could ever meet. Sometimes I think we need to take a look at what we really need and don't stress out about other stuff. Society tells us we need things that we really don't need at all like nice cars, nice houses, nice furniture and expensive toys. We don't really need any of that stuff and not having it can actually make you a more likable person and save you a lot of money.
Think for a second about times you've been spending time with people that own a car that's so nice that they don't want you to eat in it because you might get crumbs on the seat. It's so minor that you might not even recognize it but having nice things decreases their functionality. What if this was something that was listed on the amenities when purchasing a vehicle - Dual front side air bags, power windows, sun roof, 5 star crash rating, impossible to eat in... Impossible to eat in? That would actually really be a drawback if you thought of it that way but we don't. We buy it anyway and then just don't eat in it because we want to keep it nice. The functionality is effectively decreased due to the niceness and the outcome is the same as if you bought a car that was impossible to eat in. Eating in a car isn't where it stops. You probably wouldn't want to take it camping or do a whole host of other things with it. The end result is that you stress, even if it's only a little, about keeping your car nice. If this is the case wouldn't it be better to have a functional vehicle that didn't cause you stress? It would save you money, get you where you need to go and allow you to be a little more relaxed and easy going. The only drawback is that other people would see you in a less expensive vehicle. Do you really want to associate with people who care what kind of car you drive? Simplify, and reduce stress!
How about nice houses? I can remember going to certain friends of my parents houses when I was a kid. Everything was clean, expensive, and well protected. I couldn't play or do anything I wanted to do because I might track mud in the house or break something. The adults had to constantly watch and keep kids in line so that stuff didn't get broken. I think everyone would have had more fun if they had cheap stuff they didn't have to worry about and just let everyone have a good time, adults included.
I was at my moms the other day with my sister and her two sons, ages 4 and 3. My mom bought a big bag of plastic balls, the kind that used to be in ball-pits at McDonald's before everyone started caring about germs. It was always a fun game for me to throw the balls at my two nephews while they ran all around the house. All that changed the day my mom bought a big flat screen tv. I started throwing balls and was immediately told to stop by my mom and when I tried to keep playing my sister and brother jumped in and told me to quit too. Don't people realize that having fun and children being able to play and laugh is infinitely more important than a flat-screen tv? That tv caused stress and reduced fun. Why in the world would anyone want something that does that?
The points I'm trying to make with this blog are that you can't afford it if you can't break it and not care, you shouldn't buy it if you're going to try so hard to keep it pristine that it reduces the functionality of whatever you are purchasing and you shouldn't buy expensive things that you'll stress over so much that it will take away from things that are more important. Think about these things when you're buying stuff. Ask yourself if you'll be more happy without it if you just let it go. Being happy is more important than having cool stuff.
Think for a second about times you've been spending time with people that own a car that's so nice that they don't want you to eat in it because you might get crumbs on the seat. It's so minor that you might not even recognize it but having nice things decreases their functionality. What if this was something that was listed on the amenities when purchasing a vehicle - Dual front side air bags, power windows, sun roof, 5 star crash rating, impossible to eat in... Impossible to eat in? That would actually really be a drawback if you thought of it that way but we don't. We buy it anyway and then just don't eat in it because we want to keep it nice. The functionality is effectively decreased due to the niceness and the outcome is the same as if you bought a car that was impossible to eat in. Eating in a car isn't where it stops. You probably wouldn't want to take it camping or do a whole host of other things with it. The end result is that you stress, even if it's only a little, about keeping your car nice. If this is the case wouldn't it be better to have a functional vehicle that didn't cause you stress? It would save you money, get you where you need to go and allow you to be a little more relaxed and easy going. The only drawback is that other people would see you in a less expensive vehicle. Do you really want to associate with people who care what kind of car you drive? Simplify, and reduce stress!
How about nice houses? I can remember going to certain friends of my parents houses when I was a kid. Everything was clean, expensive, and well protected. I couldn't play or do anything I wanted to do because I might track mud in the house or break something. The adults had to constantly watch and keep kids in line so that stuff didn't get broken. I think everyone would have had more fun if they had cheap stuff they didn't have to worry about and just let everyone have a good time, adults included.
I was at my moms the other day with my sister and her two sons, ages 4 and 3. My mom bought a big bag of plastic balls, the kind that used to be in ball-pits at McDonald's before everyone started caring about germs. It was always a fun game for me to throw the balls at my two nephews while they ran all around the house. All that changed the day my mom bought a big flat screen tv. I started throwing balls and was immediately told to stop by my mom and when I tried to keep playing my sister and brother jumped in and told me to quit too. Don't people realize that having fun and children being able to play and laugh is infinitely more important than a flat-screen tv? That tv caused stress and reduced fun. Why in the world would anyone want something that does that?
The points I'm trying to make with this blog are that you can't afford it if you can't break it and not care, you shouldn't buy it if you're going to try so hard to keep it pristine that it reduces the functionality of whatever you are purchasing and you shouldn't buy expensive things that you'll stress over so much that it will take away from things that are more important. Think about these things when you're buying stuff. Ask yourself if you'll be more happy without it if you just let it go. Being happy is more important than having cool stuff.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Racial Tension
So there has been a ton of racial tension in AZ lately. So much so that I almost feel like I need to go out of my way when hanging out with Latinos that I don't know very well to make them feel comfortable. It didn't used to be like this a few years ago. Now it seems like there are so many white people getting angry over immigration that when I meet someone from south of the border they seem skeptical of me because they assume I'm anti-immigrant. I'm definitely not anti-immigrant but I'm not really pro-illegal border crossing either. Having people meet you and automatically be skeptical sucks no matter who is at fault! What I want to do with this blog post is analyze the issue and try to come up with solutions that cause people to start getting along again, not necessarily to voice my opinion.
Everyone take a second and think about the following virtues: Justice and Mercy. Seriously, think about it for just a second and try to decide which one is better. If you chose justice, do you think that it is wrong to be merciful? Or do you only value justice over mercy? And if you chose mercy, do you think that it is wrong to be just? Or do you merely value mercy more that justice? These are important questions because the answers can have a profound effect on how you view others and how you solve relational problems.
I think much of this race issue could be solved if people understood the other sides point of view a little better. I imagine that most of the anti-immigrant camp, at least in this circumstance, is valuing justice over mercy. It does makes sense, America is a nation of laws that need to be followed. If a country can't enforce it's laws then it can't keep it's citizens safe. Keeping citizens safe is a primary goal of a well functioning government. The conclusion for people that value justice over mercy is that the lawbreakers need to be brought to justice. The obvious solution is to reverse the crime - people came in illegally, send them back. It's as simple as that. I'm not making an argument right now, I just want pro-immigrant people to really understand this reasoning because in most circumstances it is very sound reasoning. Rules are a fundamental part of white American culture. As a white American I can attest to that. I started learning to strictly follow rules before I entered kindergarten and when I didn't follow the rules I got swatted with what my parents called a switch. It was a long thin stick like plant that used to grow next to the nectarine trees in my backyard. This is the culture that a lot of these people grew up in so be reasonable with them and take the high road if you think they are overbearing. The issue is becoming so polarizing that the pro-immigrant side can't see the anti-immigrant side for anything other than a bunch of hate mongers. This isn't true though, following/enforcing rules is just the culture that they grew up in. It is very important to them, so please do not return perceived hate with more hate. Understand that they are only acting according to their culture and be the first to bury the hatchet and show them kindness.
Now to the anti-immigrant group. If you are valuing justice over mercy in regards to this issue, what was your answer to the question "Is it wrong to be merciful or do you only value justice over mercy?" It's hard for me to imagine people saying that it is wrong to be merciful so I'm going to go ahead with the presumption that most of you value justice over mercy but that it's not wrong to be merciful. If I am mistaken here I'd love to have it explained to me how it can be wrong to be merciful and I mean wrong in a moral sense, not just the wrong choice. So, if I am correct so far and many of you do not believe that it is wrong to be merciful, why do I see so much anger? A large part of the pro-immigrant side just wants to be shown/show mercy to people who were destitute and traveled across a desert in search of a better life. Again, I'm not trying to make an argument for undocumented immigration, I just want white America to understand where these people came from and to think about that before getting so angry. Finding peace and getting along with people is something I value and believe is beneficial to everyone. Many of the undocumented immigrants came from conditions that we have never even come close to experiencing. They don't just go to bed a little hungrier than we do but it's not that big a deal. I know people that have been locked in a room for days and only given a coffee can to defecate in. This persons mother fled from her husband into the U.S. and became a prostitute in order to escape the horrors from where she came. Again, I'm not getting emotional and trying to justify anything but there is a misconception among the anti-immigrant group that these people are coming over here to hurt us and take our jobs but that's not the case most of the time. It's easy to be mad at someone who does that. It's harder to be mad at someone who is escaping conditions that we all know we'd do anything to escape as well. So my message to the anti-immigrant camp is to consider these things before you respond with anger. That only makes the problem worse. That's what makes the Latino at a party I went to last Saturday look at me with skepticism in his eyes. Try to understand the helplessness of the situation that they are in and at the very least don't let anger be an ingredient in the solutions you come up with.
Now, I've talked a lot about justice and mercy so far. Both of these are good ideals. I've never heard anyone say justice is bad or mercy is bad. They are both good but they are opposite, there needs to be a balance of justice and mercy. To much justice and you end up with a dictatorship. Too much mercy and you end up with anarchy. We need to ask ourselves where we are now and what is a possible solution? But we need to focus on a solution instead of a fight. The anti-immigrants want to close the border, deport all the undocumented immigrants and some of them want to change the 14th amendment so that children of undocumented immigrants wouldn't receive citizenship. I see a few problems with this. First is deporting so many people would cost a ridiculous amount of money and resources and in all likelihood wouldn't be feasible. Should we really attempt something that has next to no chance of success and is more likely to cause bigger more violent problems? I think a reasonable person would find a different solution. About the 14th amendment being repealed so that children of undocumented immigrants wouldn't receive citizenship, have you considered the long term affects of something like this? Think about how bad conditions in America could get 2 or 3 generations from now if we had millions of illegal people who were not immigrants, they were just illegal because 60 years ago their ancestors came here uninvited. They'd be a permanent lower class and a cancer to society because they would have no opportunity. I really don't think that's a reasonable solution either. The pro-immigrant solution might be to offer amnesty and allow undocumented immigrants a chance to work and better their position in the world.
So what kind of a solution is possible for an issue this messy and complicated? Should it be a solution of Justice? Because the only way I can think of to hand down justice to a group of 12 million people is to do it by force. Is it really worth that? Is crossing the border really a crime that warrants such a drastic solution? Or should it be a solution of mercy? If it's not morally wrong would it really make anyones life worse to show mercy to a group of people that are mostly poor? Let's not consider a solution that is the worst case for the opposition no matter which side you are on. Lets consider a solution that is best for everyone.
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Everyone take a second and think about the following virtues: Justice and Mercy. Seriously, think about it for just a second and try to decide which one is better. If you chose justice, do you think that it is wrong to be merciful? Or do you only value justice over mercy? And if you chose mercy, do you think that it is wrong to be just? Or do you merely value mercy more that justice? These are important questions because the answers can have a profound effect on how you view others and how you solve relational problems.
I think much of this race issue could be solved if people understood the other sides point of view a little better. I imagine that most of the anti-immigrant camp, at least in this circumstance, is valuing justice over mercy. It does makes sense, America is a nation of laws that need to be followed. If a country can't enforce it's laws then it can't keep it's citizens safe. Keeping citizens safe is a primary goal of a well functioning government. The conclusion for people that value justice over mercy is that the lawbreakers need to be brought to justice. The obvious solution is to reverse the crime - people came in illegally, send them back. It's as simple as that. I'm not making an argument right now, I just want pro-immigrant people to really understand this reasoning because in most circumstances it is very sound reasoning. Rules are a fundamental part of white American culture. As a white American I can attest to that. I started learning to strictly follow rules before I entered kindergarten and when I didn't follow the rules I got swatted with what my parents called a switch. It was a long thin stick like plant that used to grow next to the nectarine trees in my backyard. This is the culture that a lot of these people grew up in so be reasonable with them and take the high road if you think they are overbearing. The issue is becoming so polarizing that the pro-immigrant side can't see the anti-immigrant side for anything other than a bunch of hate mongers. This isn't true though, following/enforcing rules is just the culture that they grew up in. It is very important to them, so please do not return perceived hate with more hate. Understand that they are only acting according to their culture and be the first to bury the hatchet and show them kindness.
Now to the anti-immigrant group. If you are valuing justice over mercy in regards to this issue, what was your answer to the question "Is it wrong to be merciful or do you only value justice over mercy?" It's hard for me to imagine people saying that it is wrong to be merciful so I'm going to go ahead with the presumption that most of you value justice over mercy but that it's not wrong to be merciful. If I am mistaken here I'd love to have it explained to me how it can be wrong to be merciful and I mean wrong in a moral sense, not just the wrong choice. So, if I am correct so far and many of you do not believe that it is wrong to be merciful, why do I see so much anger? A large part of the pro-immigrant side just wants to be shown/show mercy to people who were destitute and traveled across a desert in search of a better life. Again, I'm not trying to make an argument for undocumented immigration, I just want white America to understand where these people came from and to think about that before getting so angry. Finding peace and getting along with people is something I value and believe is beneficial to everyone. Many of the undocumented immigrants came from conditions that we have never even come close to experiencing. They don't just go to bed a little hungrier than we do but it's not that big a deal. I know people that have been locked in a room for days and only given a coffee can to defecate in. This persons mother fled from her husband into the U.S. and became a prostitute in order to escape the horrors from where she came. Again, I'm not getting emotional and trying to justify anything but there is a misconception among the anti-immigrant group that these people are coming over here to hurt us and take our jobs but that's not the case most of the time. It's easy to be mad at someone who does that. It's harder to be mad at someone who is escaping conditions that we all know we'd do anything to escape as well. So my message to the anti-immigrant camp is to consider these things before you respond with anger. That only makes the problem worse. That's what makes the Latino at a party I went to last Saturday look at me with skepticism in his eyes. Try to understand the helplessness of the situation that they are in and at the very least don't let anger be an ingredient in the solutions you come up with.
Now, I've talked a lot about justice and mercy so far. Both of these are good ideals. I've never heard anyone say justice is bad or mercy is bad. They are both good but they are opposite, there needs to be a balance of justice and mercy. To much justice and you end up with a dictatorship. Too much mercy and you end up with anarchy. We need to ask ourselves where we are now and what is a possible solution? But we need to focus on a solution instead of a fight. The anti-immigrants want to close the border, deport all the undocumented immigrants and some of them want to change the 14th amendment so that children of undocumented immigrants wouldn't receive citizenship. I see a few problems with this. First is deporting so many people would cost a ridiculous amount of money and resources and in all likelihood wouldn't be feasible. Should we really attempt something that has next to no chance of success and is more likely to cause bigger more violent problems? I think a reasonable person would find a different solution. About the 14th amendment being repealed so that children of undocumented immigrants wouldn't receive citizenship, have you considered the long term affects of something like this? Think about how bad conditions in America could get 2 or 3 generations from now if we had millions of illegal people who were not immigrants, they were just illegal because 60 years ago their ancestors came here uninvited. They'd be a permanent lower class and a cancer to society because they would have no opportunity. I really don't think that's a reasonable solution either. The pro-immigrant solution might be to offer amnesty and allow undocumented immigrants a chance to work and better their position in the world.
So what kind of a solution is possible for an issue this messy and complicated? Should it be a solution of Justice? Because the only way I can think of to hand down justice to a group of 12 million people is to do it by force. Is it really worth that? Is crossing the border really a crime that warrants such a drastic solution? Or should it be a solution of mercy? If it's not morally wrong would it really make anyones life worse to show mercy to a group of people that are mostly poor? Let's not consider a solution that is the worst case for the opposition no matter which side you are on. Lets consider a solution that is best for everyone.
Micah 6:8 (New International Version)
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
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