Summing up Average American Interests

One of the more frustrating things about being from a politically interested family, and having a driving need to know what is going on in the world and in my country, is that you frequently run into people who do not care about politics. At all. They don't read the news, they don't vote for local elections, and sometimes don't vote for president because it is a "waste of time" or "it doesn't matter."

Some people care, but only through esoteric theory, "I am a Marxist/Anarchist/Socialist," or a combination thereof. They have a stance and a point of view, but they focus on the negative or overview of the system leaving out legislation that reflects their views, or historical precedent that shows a complete failure in terms of application. These people will generalize and name call their way through black and white arguments, where clear-cut right and wrong define the world. They also don't vote because, deciding that the status quo will drown out their voices. They have a point, radicals and revolutionaries are frequently so fractured in goals and issues that they cannot create a loud enough voice to accomplish much. A pity really, at least about some topics.

To get back to my real issue; the people who just don't care. They feel that there are more interesting and more important things in life. The picture is of this morning's CNN front page. Another celebrity died this year, and thankfully she was not popular enough/idolized to give us another 8 months of culturally inundating "biographic tributes" the way Michael Jackson did.

Below this "popular story" we see a reference to the Health-Care bill working its way through the partisan and morbidly convoluted halls of government. A topic that is hard to discuss with anyone who only cares to read the top layer of their favorite newspaper/site. If you are going to care enough to talk about the importance of this massive reform, please read enough that "death panels" "public options" "socialism" and "saving American lives" become information beyond buzzwords and angry accusations.

At the same time as this, rather long-winded and winding rant/op-ed, there are a few dozen articles about how Americans are only intellectually aware of the Afghan war. They describe the differences of how we are perceiving this war versus World War II and Vietnam. Some describe appalling conditions in bases and how foreign governments are approaching their respective roles. There are articles and op-eds and research papers being posted about immigration and how employers need to be truly taken to task for hiring illegal immigrants. Or about how manufacturing in America can be helped to grow. Unfortunately, of course, Brittany Murphy died yesterday, and some large portion of people won't get beyond that story.

To paraphrase Emma Goldman: To avoid real discussion on change, we are distracted by the trivial and the re-discovery of old problems long ignored and unresolvable.

In Keeping With the News: 2000-2010

I am not going to recount the last ten years' headlines or world events; I do not have the time, the patience, and frankly I am not a good enough writer to even come close to keeping you entertained long enough to make it past Y2K. I am, instead, going to summarize what I think the theme of the decade was (is for another few weeks). The term is "zeitgeist."

Essentially it is the all encompassing defining trait of a period of time; there was the era wherein a ton of old monarchies fell and colonies became independent, this was the "revolutionary era." Or some such.

I think this decade has been the "exclusive era" or maybe the "polarized era." Personally, I favor the less polished "Us Versus Them Era." Competition, difference of opinion, patriotism and nationalism are not new concepts, but in the last 10 years we have experienced a ...division... into black and white, you and me, us and them along every line of every topic. Are you pro life or pro choice? red state or blue? Intelligent Design or Darwinist? Are you pro Walmart or for small businesses?

The middle ground eroded away into two camps. It did not matter the topic, or the importance; compromise was reviled and rejected. All-in, on everything. You could change sides, but god forbid you soften your leftist stance and say, "Maybe George Bush has some good points" or "I think Iraq needed to happen." You were now; despite voting democrat, or driving a Prius, or attending pro-choice rallies every alternate Thursday nights, a red blooded tried and true tyranny-loving Republican. Your family owned slaves and burned gasoline for fun, all while worshiping Jesus Christ and the holy trinity of guns, free trade, and racism.

Conversely if you argued the opposite; you became a traitor or a pussy or any number of unclever and hurtful names. Either G.W. was going to kill everyone and destroy America, or the terrorists were.

I am not excluding myself from this; I have veered from a pro-agrarian Liberal Anarchist (original definition of "Liberal" not the present one); essentially a "burn it all down and start from scratch" type. Governments were evil and the dependence on law and money was crushing the inherent goodness of mankind. I would now have problems defining my political views, or even whether or not I believe mankind to be essentially good, evil, or neither.

It is still going strong, this distaste for shades-of-gray thinking. The last election was a good example, health care a better one, and global warming another. This kind of thinking is what drove me to create this blog.

And it is global; Russia vs. Ukraine, Europe vs. Iran, Christianity vs. Islam, UN vs. North Korea. On and on, someone vs someone else. Inside a country, a town, or even a family... we are losing common ground.

Which really just means we are losing the only real game in town; the one for progress.

Issue 2: Afghanistan

With the announcement of a likely additional 7,000 troops coming from our NATO allies I have started to think a bit more about how I understand the situation.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is going to grow in the next year, by troops, by funding, and by social service projects. We know, and have known for a while, that the government in place in Kabul is weak, corrupt, and undisciplined... and for some reason that does not prevent NATO from pouring money into it. Nearly every member country is facing public disapproval, funding shortages and a lack of morale. Part of that public disapproval is that Afghanistan seems so far away that people do not associate it with being a threat back home (a problem that has been an issue since at least World War I), and outside of another massive attack on home soil that does not seem likely to change.

The other major part is the cost, the investment of time, money and lives. Every region we seem to secure is later fraught with poppy production, insurgents, corruption and a general lack of progress. We send thousands of soldiers from about 25 or 30 counties in modern and expensive vehicles, with modern and expensive weapons and modern and expensive training to protect huts? Rocks? Farmers? Criminals? The ineffable "American way of life?"

The government is releasing information in a way that I think is self defeating in terms of public support. We have news releases of civilian deaths, killed in action reports, insurgent attacks, drone missile attacks and a series of other disheartening and generally depressing items of information. I propose an positive propaganda campaign. No "kill the enemy because they are so-and-sos," or any other type of dehumanizing advertising, but certainly we could do with a press release or two that specifically and clearly lays out what has been accomplished, protected and built. A series of award ceremonies, so we can put a face to the men and women fighting, as well as some heroes. I am tired of reading stories where some faceless soldier did some great thing and the first I hear about it, if I hear about it, is something unrelated and unremarkable about 4 years later. Without that, the situation feeds the anti-war sentiment and the resentment.

Without a specificpositive message beyond "it's important to be there" or "we are spreading democracy," we are not driving it home that this is helpful, that this is productive, and that there is a point.

To that end, I suggest a clear report, or press release, that lists the specific examples of what we are fighting for and what we are funding.

Which brings me back to the corruption that causes so much rancor. Sending money to Kabul is risky. Let us, and our allies, create projects and efforts for goodwill, both at home and in Afghanistan with the money we would otherwise be using to prop up functionaries and crooks. While they sort out the rampant nastiness in the capital, we can build wind-farms, irrigation, and schools. We can replace bridges and make parks. To be fair, we do these things already, but they cost an exorbitant amount of money for shoddy work because we go through a government too riddled with lined pockets and greased palms.

Then, and here's the kicker, We (NATO/investors, not just America, though we could too) tell the whole damn world, in glorious bullet points, human interest stories and pictures. If pro-ratings media want to report only the bad news, then we have to shove the heroes, the awards, and the beneficial actions down their throats.

You can not win over the television generation with silence, bad news and anonymous faces. We require stories, plot and victories.

A quick irritation

I am not a Republican, and even if I were, I am not the type to vote party lines. However, I find myself irritated by the strange stereotyping of Republicans as a bunch of old rich white dudes, overly zealous Christian white people, NASCAR fans, and Jingoists. This keeps showing up on websites, in magazines, sit-coms. It's as bad as the stereotype of Democrats as pot smoking, tree hugging, pro-choicers that feel bad when they say something politically incorrect. Both are the extreme versions of the party, and I have always felt that judging anything by its worst part is probably a really piss-poor way to understand anything.

This division amongst the general voting population is killing us, and distracting us.

As J. Billingston Bulworth once said, "Black people and white people have more in common than they have with rich people." Well I think, the average Republican has more in common with the average Democrat, than either has for a Rush Limbaugh, or a Nancy Pelosi.

Issue 1: Education

This may not be the most important today, but it is an important one regardless.

It's falling apart around here, and as far as I can tell from talking to teachers and friends, it is pretty much falling apart across the country. We still produce the occasional genius or bottom to top underdog story, but they are fewer than they used to be. As a whole we are developing poor work habits, study habits and eating habits from an early age.

This is not the fault of the educator, they are a product of a society that doesn't want to pay them, ties them down with restrictions and bureaucracy and does not have the resources to allow the children to compete in a global market. And increasingly seems to not want them to compete.

We still have school days that run on a farm calendar, despite the fact that we have passed through an agrarian society to a manufacturing one, and passed that into a service one. That isn't my biggest issue though. My largest concern is about subject matter.

There are two classes that need to be taught in schools; basic personal finance and basic nutrition. If your response is that these things are the responsibility of the parents, then look around you. We are all scrambling around because most adults do not understand these two very basic ideas. How many times did you have to talk to someone about what APR is? What is a 401k and how does it work? What is an HSA? How do you sign up for unemployment benefits if you need them? How do you get a car loan and whats a good rate? We have no idea until after the fact, or we have a parent who did their homework.

Nutrition is absolutely lacking, and it is having an effect on us and our image. We are suffering from obesity on an epic scale, heart disease and diabetes are rampant, basic body functions are failing, all because we want that laaaaaast slice of cake. For the arguement that there are people who suffer from thyroid or genetic issues that prevent them from being thin: yes there are, but because they feel they can never be thin they give up. I live in the midwest, where "husky" and "bigboned" or "big appetite" have been excuses for years.

Whole business empires have been created to cater to our failing to understand what is good for us, finacially or nutritionally. If nothng else, we need to learn to teach these things before we go through another credit crunch by a country unwilling to do an abdominal one.

It Begins

I created this to write down my thoughts on modern day America, and obviously, how I feel about daily politics, the direction I think things are going in, and where I feel we would be better off going.

I am a Moderate, and I feel that the polarizations and self-absorptive behavior in present day America is disgusting. Strong words I know, but its true. It is Palin vs. Pelosi in a grudge match for the future of this country, and considering how much influence we still have, the world.

I want to put in my two cents, and if no one hears them, that is fine (not really). If you feel that this description follows yours, I ask that you join me in pursuit of dignity and progress. If you are reactionary or radical, you will find little you agree with here. I will admit that my opinions and ideas do have somethings in common with both, here or there. I am not "moderate" by being middle of the road on everything, but by being a mixture of everything. You will not find hemming and hawing here, but strong words and strong opinions.

But if you have been Missing Moderatism in this crazed quest for "winning America" then maybe you will find some things you agree with here. We will have differences of opinion on some things, but hopefully we can remain friends despite that.