more?

I'd really like to blog more. Really. But the time slots just aren't there. I take too long to develop my thoughts out, and even then they come out fairly convoluted. Just know, internets, that I have been thinking about you, and your time will come again. Sometime.

Paperclips and an Analogy of the Economy

So Isaac got us a digital converter box for our old TV that isn't hooked up to anything paid for. I pulled it out of the box, pulled out our old paperclip antenna, hooked it up and had it do its autoscan thing for channels, 15 found. We flip through them all and notice there's no OPB. What the crap? The picture sure looks good, but something is missing. So on a whim, we shoved the old paperclip wrapped in tin foil into the antenna in spot on the converter box, do another auto scan, and now we get 20 channels! I am very comforted to know that even in the digital age the role of the paperclip in improving reception has not been phased out.

On a completely different note, I came up with a visual representation of the American Economy and the incessent inane ridiculous and horrible bailouts. Many of you remember the snow storm last year, and that video of the car downtown that slid down the street, was out of control, but for some reason the driver thought that to regain control the best thing to do was to step on the accellerator even further.




I would argue that currently we are at about the 14 second mark of this clip.

At the start, we encountered some normal fluctuations in our reality, but we denied that they were a problem, got in our car and pressed on. It would have been possible to 'drive in the snow', if we had proceeded with caution, but we forged ahead at a speed that would be fine for normal conditions. In fact, when we encountered obstacles (mortgage bubble), we hit the gas even harder. (bailouts) But things still aren't working as fast as we want them to, we deny that it is snowing outside and maybe we should just slow down, and so congress is now pressing for even more bailouts. I mean, how are you supposed to drive a car without using the accelerator, I mean sheesh, we paid for this thing, thats what its there for. This bailout is the third corner of that intersection.

After 100 days or so into the BO administration after he's shot his wad, that will be the wall at the 4th corner. Then we will begin our long, slow slide backwards, until we come to rest against some other cars that have decided to lay off the accelerator long ago. Then we have to get out of the car and deal with what just has happened.

The United States is living at an unsustainable level of wealth, prosperity, expectation, entitlement and greed that does not match up with what can be realistically used from the earth and produced by our/any economy. We have to slow down and lower our expectations. Blaming a politician or political party may have its place but that is not where solutions start. Blame yourself for listening to the lies that they have been selling you. As old man Kenobi once said, "Who is more the fool, the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Real change begins with each individual. Especially once the government goes bankrupt. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for marching on Washington and demanding some accountability. Certainly the system is broken, Bernie Madoff drove that point home real well. Unfortunately, the way the government is being run currently is exactly a Ponzi/Madoff scheme. Using the money we can collect now from those gullible enough to believe in the system to pay off those who are more elite and have been entrenched and in bed with the system longer. Counting on money we will get in the future to finance priorities now.

But if the people rise up and and find ways to be contented with what we already have instead of always striving for what we might get tomorrow, we can survive this thing without anarchy. I am as guilty as everybody else of over consumption, but I'm really trying to cut back. But I still find myself obsessed with 99k homes that feel almost in reach of purchasing and not fully able to appreciate the good things I have now because of it. That I believe is the crux of the problem. Just slow that car down and it'll be OK. You cant dig yourself out of a hole.


Or, Isaac had a much more positive spin on the metaphor in his philosophical voice: "Like the snow, the bad conditions will melt away"

Updates

Getting married at 2PM June 27th at Peninsula Park. Lots still to do.

I put the red light up on school, teaching is still what I feel I want to do with my life but the license is going to have to wait for a year or two.

I joined Crossfit Portland for four months. It cost me an arm and a leg but so far its been worth it. I'm going to learn how to do tons of free weight exercises and its kicking my butt. I've got a workout log going in google documents, I'll share it with you if ya like.

I might finally be listening to Jake and some of his crazy health diet advice. We'll start with eating way more fresh produce and try to cut out many processed carbs.

The united states is ending, the national debt will bury us kinda like Khrushchev said. Personally I'm ready to embrace some elements of socialism, that's the way its going anyway, like it or not, so we might as well strive to draw out the positive elements. Personally I'm ready for some free public (indoor) spaces to just be that are not a store.