Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #145
Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and
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Our Website Our Editor To Unsubscribe Table of Contents *Featured Articles Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback Don’t Forget to Vote. Commentaries from Our Members David Spring: My Campaign for 5th LD
Representative* Roger Yockey on the Importance
of Unions Juanita Doyon: Terry Bergeson
Refuses to Cooperate Craig Salins: An Example of
Special-Interest Influence Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef John McCain Has No Good Cards Left* Obama’s End Game Advantage: Grass Roots Organizing Female Voters Outnumber Male Voters Drama-Seeking Media Downplay Obama’s Lead. Good. State and Local Links to the Beef Dick Burkhart on Light Rail from Renton to Bothell A Reconsideration of Proposition 1* Our Congress Members Fail to Express Values or
Vision Nation and World Links to the Beef White Men Began and End Our Conservative Era* Should We Eliminate 401(k) Retirement Plans? * Our Liberal Spirit Our Political Priorities ·
Fair Clean Elections and Open Government ·
Fair Taxes and Competent Spending ·
Investment for Productivity ·
Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income ·
Environmental Protection and Energy ·
Security and Equal Rights ·
Justice and Peace Everywhere ·
International Cooperation and Leadership Conservatives
oppose all of these Let’s End Our National Nightmare Let’s
Restore Our American Dream More
on Conservative opposition to our American Dream Washington State’s 4 Major Needs Federal Funding for Health
and Education ·
A
Progressive Income Tax ·
Replacing
Republican Legislators Quote of the Week Life is Unfair. Most of Us Are Better Off this Way. Dave
Thomas
King County Budget: Stable Revenue Sources Needed*
Calendar of Events
Friday, October 24 at 7 PM at
Keystone Congregational United
Saturday, October 25 at 6:30 at
Sunday, October 26 at 12:30 PM at
Monday October 27 at 5:30
(registration and cocktails), 6:30 (dinner) at the Westin (1900 Fifth Avenue,
Seattle) – 15th
Annual Warren G. Magnuson Awards Dinner & Awards Ceremony
with special guest speaker Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's brother. Sponsored by
Thursday, October 30 at 6 PM at
Reuben and Arlene Powell’ home (
Friday, November 7 at 10:30 AM at
Saturday, November 8 at 6:30PM at Bill Bradburd’s home (1640 S Lane Street,
Seattle) – inSpire Potluck, Presentation and
Discussion –
Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback
Communication with Our Members and Feedback
I have compiled all of my
commentaries on our economy into one document which is posted on
our website. I believe one hour
spent reading them will make you better informed than the vast majority of
Americans, including many of our congress members. Without
understanding our economic crises, their causes and needed solutions, you are
unable to act responsibly to correct the situation which affects all of
us. Dave Thomas
Take
a crash course (2½ hours) about our American economy (video).
Opportunities
Useful
Websites: contacts, maps, community organizing tools, and more.
Access
to jillions of political cartoons.
Download
Michael Moore’s latest movie ‘Slacker Uprising’ for free.
Sign up for a free
Brave New Films subscription to inform more people about the Real John McCain.
Download
Sightline Institute’s climate policy primer ‘Cap and Trade 101’. About
Sightline.
Petitions and Donations
Tell
our presidential candidates to address economic security, health care and
social security.
Sign a
petition supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.
Tell president Bush to
protect to marine reserves.
Commentaries From Our Members
David Spring: My Campaign Efforts Are Very Productive
It has been a very exhausting but productive week for all of us. With the
help of several volunteers, we have now placed over 1,0000 yard signs throughout the 5th District. That
is about 500 more than any other candidate and at least 700 more than my
opponent Glenn Anderson. So we have won the sign war. This should help greatly
in winning the votes of thousands of casual voters who select candidates based
on name recognition.
Prior to that, with the help of several volunteers, we were able to pass
out over 2,000 campaign flyers at the
Salmon Days parade and event on Saturday and Sunday. This was by far the
biggest direct voter contact weekend of the entire campaign.
Also, I have been getting very good press with articles in several papers.
Every major paper has now ran a story about me and Glenn and I have been
treated well in nearly all of them. In addition, Glenn and I will be appearing
on KUOW public radio from about 9:30 am
to 10 am this coming Monday morning. I hope you get the chance to listen
and call in asking Glenn to explain why raising the levy lid from 24% to 30% is
not a property tax increase because it sure looks like a property tax increase
to you.
In addition, I have now been endorsed by NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the
Washington Education Association (WEA), the Sierra Club, the Cascade Bicycle
Club, the Children’s
Also on the plus side, because of the huge turn out at the Beaver Creek
Lodge Event a couple of weeks ago, the State Democratic party will be doing three
mailings for me in the coming week at a total cost of just under $100,000.
There will be a “comparison” mailer sent by my campaign but paid for by the
HDCC, a “hit mailer” against Glenn Anderson sent out by an independent group,
and a Get out the Vote mailer sent to nearly everyone in the 5th LD
promoting me, Governor Gregoire, and Peter Goldmark for Lands Commissioner. Do
not ask me why Darcy Burner’s name was not included in this mailer, because I
do not know. Perhaps they felt Darcy had enough money to promote her own race.
I think the comparison mailer alone will get me thousands of extra voters among
those independent swing voters who actual research and compare the candidates.
The only negative news is I did not receive the Seattle Times endorsement.
But then neither did our Governor Chris Gregoire. In hindsight, I would not
want the endorsement of any group that would endorse Dino Rossi. But it was an
outrage that the Times would endorse a candidate (Glenn Anderson) who had
blatantly lied to them about several issues and was unable to answer any of
their questions. The Times claimed that Anderson was “well respected” by Democrats
and Republicans. This too is a lie. Glenn has failed to receive the support of
any Democrats for any of his major bills during the past 8 years. To the
contrary, most Democratic Legislators believe Glenn is the worst and least
effective legislator in Olympia.
This election between Glenn and I promises to be very close. So any votes
any of you can get for me during the next few days may be the ones that make
the difference!! I understand several of you will be out canvassing your
precincts this weekend. Be sure to mention that Glenn wants to raise
property taxes and I want to roll them back. The difference between us is about
$1,000 per year. This is what Corporate tax breaks are currently costing
each and every homeowner. My schedule includes being in Maple Valley at
Reuben’s event this afternoon and canvassing in North Bend with several
volunteers all day Sunday. The precinct we are canvassing is one that actually
voted for Glenn in the primary! We are hoping to turn that around.
I want to thank all of you for your help during this campaign. I also hope
that all of you will be able to attend our election night celebration at the
Tibbetts Creek Manor in Issaquah on Election night November 4th from 7 to 11 pm
(see attached invitation for directions). We will also be celebrating the
historic election of Barack Obama and hopefully, Chris Gregoire, Darcy Burner
and all of our other Democratic candidates.
There are only a couple of weeks left to go. Let’s all try for a strong
finish and then it will be up to the voters to render their decision. My own
cautious prediction is with Barack Obama on the ballot, I will win.. but likely
by less than one thousand votes out of an estimated 80,000 votes cast. But win
or lose, I want all of you to know I am very proud of what we have accomplished
in just a few short months. We have succeeded in attracting attention to our
race from political commentators around the State. Given that just a few months
ago, most observers gave me no chance at all of winning, I think we have
accomplished a miracle. What encourages me the most is that we are building an
excellent team of committed progressives here in the 5th District. Keep up the
good work! Regards, David Spring
Rich Austin on Assisted Suicide
Dear Dave: What follows is my
commentary on your article entitled "Assisted Suicide?" and
its commentary, "Assisted suicide is seldom necessary. All that’s needed is a medium kitchen size
plastic bag and a string, large enough so the oxygen is slowly depleted. A sedative or several martinis helps to keep
relaxed. To protect others, a signed note of intent should be left."
______
“Assisted suicide”? What pap!
Initiative 1000 simply provides the
wherewithal for the terminally ill to have choices over their own
bodies. One of the choices is death with
dignity..
Opponents of I-1000 argue that there are other ways to end life.
·
A person can shove a shotgun
into his/her mouth and ….(I’ll spare the gory details)
·
Then there is driving up a
lonely road, parking, running a hose from the exhaust pipe into the car.
·
Laying down in front of a
train.
·
Taking razor to wrist.
·
The possibilities are endless.
The choice I want (and please understand, it is a personal choice) is the
option contained in I-1000. Despite
false advertising by I-1000 opponents, despite the misleading ads by Martin
Sheen, I-1000 has safeguards. People
should read the initiative before putting their mouths in gear. (Or are they just repeating what they heard
in their particular house of worship?) It
is a matter of choice.
I have a deal for those who oppose I-1000. If you want to make decisions that affect me,
I’m willing to negotiate. Please
understand, however, that you do not get to pick and choose which parts of me
you want to monitor. Like I said, I’m
willing to negotiate. I will sign away
my right to choose a death with dignity
option if someone will assume responsibility for certain other choices
that I make. There is my mortgage
payment; my auto payment; taxes, food, power, insurance, clothing, medical care,
leisure activities including vacations, gifts to my children and grandchildren,
gas, and so forth.
Remember, you do not get to pick and choose. It’s the whole ball of wax or nothing. No takers?
Then butt out of my life! Leave
my personal choices to me. Don’t
interfere with my option to choose death with dignity. Support I-1000. Rich Austin
Roger Yockey on the Importance of
Unions
Boeing
Union workers have been on strike for 40 plus days and I see no mention in your
newsletter. Are Unions being taken for granted like too many Democrats do.
Candidates want union money and votes, but forget unions once elected. Roger
Yockey
I try to focus upon issues that aren’t widely
reported in our commercial news media, or to comment if I can better explore
issues (causes and solutions, more detail, etc.). I don’t think I have anything to add to what
most of you already know from other sources.
As I have frequently expressed, I believe that strengthening workers
ability to strike, negotiate and strike is crucial for giving them a fair share
of what they produce. Dave Thomas
Juanita Doyon: Terry Bergeson Refuses to Cooperate
Published by
It is unfortunate that Gary Locke and Higher Ed Board
Chairman Bill Grinstein (Wednesday guest column) are so out of step with the
majority of educators and legislators who know that state Superintendent of
Public Instruction Terry Bergeson is on a ledge by herself simply because she
is obstinate, not because she is correct in her support of her own educational
philosophies and schemes.
Nobody disputes the idea of teaching all students to a
level of applied learning and application, but those skills and abilities can
be built only on a solid foundation of developmentally appropriate basic knowledge
of subject matter.
Did Bergeson hide the complex statistical methods she used
to calculate a 92 percent pass rate for the Class of 2008? No, but she knows
very well that the average voter sees only the high percentage in the paper and
never delves into the manipulation behind it.
If Bergeson is on a "lonely ledge," it is because she has isolated herself from the reality of student needs and community desires. She has refused to listen to teachers and parents and failed to work with lawmakers to the point that she has long since lost the support of the teachers' union she once led and the lawmakers who once trusted her rhetoric. It is time for a change in the state superintendent's office. Juanita Doyon
Published by
Regarding Monday's front-page article "Freddie Mac hired 'stealth
lobbyist,' " of course it's outrageous that Freddie Mac would spend $2
million in corporate funds to hire a lobbyist to squash a regulatory bill
trimming Freddie's operations. But it's no surprise. It's only another example
of corporate special interest run amok. In 2007, the total spent on lobbying
Congress, all entities, was $2.8 billion.
But the real "stealth lobbying" is the hundreds of millions of
special interest dollars -- all private -- that is spent buying the re-election
campaigns of lawmakers, so that when the lobbyists come to visit, they're
greeted with open arms. That's what we need to change, to cut the undue
influence of lobbyist money.
Special interest money has been trumping every policy decision, polluting
our democracy. Government decisions are auctioned off to the highest bidder --
and the high bidder has not been
The Fair Elections Now Act -- proposed in Congress -- would do just that. Ask our state's senators
and members of Congress to support this proposal. And support organizations
working for real change.
Liberals and Democrats
John McCain Has
No Good Cards Left
Since the Democratic Convention,
John McCain has played a number of cards.
To no avail. He played his ‘Sarah
Palin’ Card. She stimulated his Republican
base; but alienated Independents and Democrats.
He played his ‘Negotiate the Financial Bailout’ card. It only made him look impetuously trying to
claim credit that he didn’t deserve. He
played his ‘Guilt by Association’ card.
But most people are more concerned with our credit collapse. He played his ‘Joe the
John McCain continues to play his ‘Traditional Conservative’ card: Cut taxes. Reduce government spending, especially earmarks. But Barack Obama has trumped this card with tax cuts for most people instead of primarily for the rich. After 8 years of Bush, most people no longer believe that trickle-down economics will work. It doesn’t appear that McCain has any more cards left to play during our final 10 days before our election.
Barack Obama’s End
Game Advantage: Grass Roots Organizing
Unlike Democratic presidential
candidates since John Kennedy, Barack Obama has melded his campaign
organization with our Democratic Party organization. Thus producing a stronger organization which
helps Obama’s coattails and elects congress members and state officials who
will help pass
John McCain’s limited campaign
organization has not melded well with the Republican Party, especially at the
state level. For more. The result is that McCain is slipping in the
polls and his campaign won’t be able to compete with
Female Voters
Outnumber Male Voters
During the past 40 years, the voting rate for both men and women has declined, much more for men. From 1964 to 2004, the male voting rate fell from 72% to 56%. Reasons for the decline in male voting may include lesser schooling, more convicted felons, and less civic consciousness. For more.
Women favor Barack Obama more than men. Thus, the superior percentage of women who vote helps him even more.
Drama-Seeking Commercial
Media Downplay Obama’s Lead. Good.
Our commercial media seek drama to attract audiences to their advertisements. A close election race is more dramatic than one with a clear winner. So the media are downplaying Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain in all the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 and some which voted for Bush. Obama has a significant lead in electoral votes and in the popular vote.
Democrats, including Obama, congressional and local candidates benefit from the appearance of tight races. We are motivated to get likely Democratic voters to vote. If Obama was portrayed as far ahead, many Democrats might slack off. Electing the maximum number of Democrats is important. To leave the Republicans with few viable candidates for future elections. Let’s encourage Liberals to vote and to vote against all Republicans.
Here’s the Beef
The debates almost ignored veterans’ issues. And women’s issues.
Compare Barack Obama and John McCain on reproductive justice and gender issues.
Liberal Catholics are organizing to support Barack Obama.
Women may gain 13 congressional seats, giving them 19% of all seats.
We don’t just need more Democratic congressional members, we need more Liberal ones.
Could another election be stolen?
MoveOn in 2004. ACORN in 2008. Republicans are scared of any group stimulates citizen activism.
Conservatives are already arguing that victorious Democrats must govern like Conservatives. For more.
Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama (video).
The Wall Street Journal describes the horrors of a Barack Obama administration.
Will Barack Obama be a transformational leader like Franklin Roosevelt was?
Based on history, the economy will be better under Barack Obama than it would be under John McCain.
Which economic advisors should Barack Obama listen to.
State and Local
Endorsements
for General Election Candidates
Our Sierra Club, Cascade Chapter expresses reasons for supporting Proposition 1.
Dick Burkhart on
Light Rail from
Sound Transit will be studying the Eastside BNSF line, but this is in a very preliminary stage. It will be several years before they will have a viable plan with good estimates of cost and ridership. Meanwhile all the other plans, light rail and commuter rail, are excellent, having been studied for many years.
The major problem with the eastside BNSF line from the point
of view of light rail is that it does not connect two or more major urban
centers, so they are looking at commuter rail for now. When the major urban
centers get connected, then they will work on the secondary centers, like
Proposition
1 provides funds for a potential capital contribution to a partnership for
Eastside passenger rail operation on existing railroad right-of-way. This
service will connect Woodinville,
A
Reconsideration of Proposition 1
I have received more information about Proposition 1. Andrew Villeneuve introduced me to Sound Transit’s Executive Director of Policy Planning and Public Affairs Ric Ilgenfritz and Government and Community Relations Specialist Andrew Schmid. They responded to my questions.
Unlike heavy rail, light rail is appropriate for routes with stops as often as every 4 miles. The only way to expand our light rail system is by extending our existing light rail. A disconnected segment wouldn’t receive riders from the a previously built part. Thus the first step to Eastside light rail is to bring light rail across Lake Washington from the existing light rail on the west side.
Many trips occur
between various Eastside and Westside sites.
Light rail across
My vision is a
light rail train which connects
Light rail trains
would also go from near
These various stops would have parking and be served by buses. Until the light rail is implemented, these routes could be served by express buses.
My major objection to Proposition 1 has been to a route that goes from the I-90 corridor north to Bellevue on the west side of I-405 instead of using the BNSF Dinner Train route that is cheaper and more compatible with later serving Renton, Issaquah, Kirkland and other points to the north, east and south. Ric Ilgenfritz assured me that the route hasn’t been chosen yet. The EIS is being written, with my preferred route on the east side of I-405 as one of the alternatives. The route will be chosen next year. With that in mind, I would support Proposition 1.
But then Sunday’s
paper contained a guide to Proposition 1, which clearly shows only the route on
the west side of I-405 which requires condemning expensive private property and
transgressing residential neighborhoods.
Suspecting that Sound Transit
greatly prefers western route, I am torn.
I believe we need light rail which crosses
If Proposition 1
doesn’t pass, we could see the results of the EIS before voting on a third
Proposition 1. If Proposition 1 does
pass, we should act to ensure that the route crosses
I also learned
from Ric Ilgenfritz that the political requirement for equity among 5 sub-areas
within the Sound Transit area is working fairly well. The furthest north and furthest south
sub-areas have been willing to allow more development in the areas closer to
Seattle PI endorses Proposition 1 for the jobs it would create.
Seattle PI guest columnist argues money for Proposition 1 could be better spent elsewhere.
Seattle PI
Editorial published
October 20, 2008
There's a word that describes
But before entering the debate about what programs to cut
and what taxes to increase, there are two things you need to know. First,
Both Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings give
It's those revenue trends that are the statewide issue for
county governments. The bottom line is that county governments have too few
taxing options: More than half the county's general fund revenues come from
property tax (with limits imposed by voters); less than a third from sales
taxes and the rest of the money comes from state and federal programs. Cities,
on the other hand, have more balanced revenue sources, roughly one-third from
property taxes, one-third from sales taxes and one-third from business and utility
taxes.
This is especially an important difference for
"The uncomfortable truth is,
That's natural. But in this particular crisis, we'd much
rather see an all-county caucus.
There are a variety of options that make sense. Counties
could reorder existing revenues if the Legislature removed strict language
about how to spend the funds. The CTED report suggested a new regional revenue
source for criminal justice or public health. And people who receive urban
levels of services from the county governments ought to pay the same taxes as
people who live in cities.
[The only effective solution for our state, counties,
cities and other government units is the substitution of a progressive income
tax for some of our existing regressive and unstable taxes. Dave Thomas]
Our
Congress Members Fail to Express Their Values or a Vision for
Notice the values and vision for
Examining the websites of our
two senators and 9 congress members (Patty
Murray, Maria Cantwell, Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Brian Baird, Doc Hastings, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott, Dave Reichert, Adam Smith), we
find that they usually contain a biography, resume and issues statements, which
list their background, specific policy interests and accomplishments.
They each present themselves as specialists.
There is no
None of
them express their basic political values, a vision for
I wonder if a check of the websites of our state
legislators and officials will produce the same results. No expressions of values or a vision for
Here’s the Beef
See who’s filing to
run for Washington state and federal offices.
See a description of the competitive legislative races.
Dave Reichert opposes using tax money to bail out Wall Street.
Darcy Burner says “No Blank Check” in bailout proposal.
Don’t let the Building Industry Association of
Governors have little control over a state’s economy, but get blamed or credited for it.
Bellingham developers and neighborhood groups disagree about promoting close in residential density.
Many ideas for rescuing Puget Sound.
Our ballot initiative process is subject to abuse.
Nation
and World
White Men Began
and End Our Conservative Era
Following the 1965 Voting Rights Act, southerners
began changing from Democrats to Republicans.
Increasing competition from
Republican policies led to housing mortgage/credit
bubble and collapse and stagflation.
Facing loss of jobs, incomes and savings and facing higher prices, a
higher percentage of White men are voting for Democrats. If Democrats create more jobs and are able to
control inflation, White men will continue to support them.
Another Stimulus Package?
Job
losses are increasing. Job
losses will contribute to mortgage defaults. Number of
homeless is increasing. To counter
our recession, Congress may hold a session after our November 4th
election, primarily to pass another stimulus
package. For more. For
more. Let’s hope they don’t pass one
like the last one which gave checks to many people who didn’t spend them to
create demand. Or spent them on foreign
products. A second stimulus package
should focus upon the same priorities which we can expect in 2009: creating
jobs and increasing incomes.
Ways to increase incomes might include:
·
extending the duration of unemployment benefits
·
increasing the minimum wage
·
increasing the earned income tax credit
·
offsetting FICA taxes for low wage workers with an income tax credit
·
encouraging unionization through the passing the Employee Free Choice Act For
more. For more.
·
increasing salaries for teachers and health care workers, especially in
culturally deprived areas with great educational challenges.
Ways to create more jobs might include
·
Maintaining and improving our physical and social infrastructure,
including grants to state and local governments.
·
Tax credits for conserving energy and other resources, which we
presently waste.
·
Tax credits for creating alternative energies, which uses
sustainable resources and doesn’t produce pollution. It should not produce greenhouse gases which
produce global warming pollution.
·
Tax credits for creating and implementing new technologies
relevant to our health, education, housing and other needs.
·
Preserving and improving our social safety net and improving our human
resources. Universal access to
quality health care. Universal access to
quality education. For
more.
·
Create
concentrated housing, especially affordable housing near jobs. To reduce the damage to our environment. To reduce the cost of providing
utilities. To reduce the amount of
commuting, fuel consumption, congestion and polluting. To increase the time that people have to
spend with their families, civic activities and other interests.
Of these alternatives, a stimulus package should
chose the ones which can be most quickly implemented. For more.
Should We
Eliminate 401(k) Retirement Plans?
From 1985 to 2005, the number of participants in
defined benefit plans declined from 29 to 21 million. The number with 401(k) plans increased from
10 to 47 million. Our government has
encouraged this shift, providing $80 billion in tax
With a defined-benefit plan, the employee risks that
the employer will be unable or unwilling to maintain the plan. But people with 401(k) plans typically manage
them poorly. And they especially depend
upon the behavior of the stock market in the decade before their retirement. If the economy does poorly, they are likely
to continue working, just when jobs are needed for younger workers. For
more. For
more.
Suppose that instead of employer offered retirement
plans, people could buy extra social security benefits. This would remove the risk of saving for
retirement. It would reduce stock market
speculation. It would allow our
government to borrow less from abroad.
What Is
Patriotism?
Sarah Palin and other Republicans have recently
claimed that some
Barack Obama has responded that all
However, we could agree with Sarah Palin and the
others that patriotism is a matter of values.
But differ with her concerning which values are patriotic. We could easily argue that our country’s
democratic heritage is basically Liberal, since before our
Conservatives
don’t think Blue Staters are patriotic.
Maybe we should let them get along without us.
Here’s
the Beef
A good brief history of our housing-credit bubble and collapse and suggested solutions.
Credit bubble and collapse created by hugely leveraged speculation allowed by deregulation.
Derivatives are unregulated bets. When losers can’t pay, defaults spread through the economy.
Joe Stiglitz explains his pessimism about our economy and makes recommendations.
Federal officials debate helping Wall Street vs. Main Street.
Bailout doesn’t include restrictions on CEO pay.
We will restore credit, but still suffer a recession. Investment in jobs is necessary (video).
Solving our economic crisis will require quitting Ronald Reagan’s ideology.
Regulation is needed. What kind?
65 million holders of 401(k) accounts stimulated our financial bubble and have paid for it.
Consumer owned credit unions avoided the credit bubble.
Amid our economic crisis, are we relearning the value of thrift?
Part of reclaiming our American Dream is taking back our time.
Do you want our American Dream. Go to Sweden.
Will an Obama Administration continue to support a huge military industrial complex to bankrupt us?
Unions help young voters to receive higher wages and more benefits.
Is your work killing you? Maybe you should become a bum.
Marriage equality is spreading, but it’s a struggle.
The Mormon Church is leading the fight against marriage equality in California. For more.
The quest for clean energy can jump start our economy.
Our Liberal Spirit
Living an Unfair
Life
When we experience misfortune, we
often lament upon life’s unfairness.
When we experience good fortune, we virtually
One of the major determinants of
our success or failure is which country we are born in. But we Americans often ignore this, assuming
that we are responsible for our success.
Generations before us have created and maintained our physical and
social infrastructure (legal and educational institutions; transportation, communications
and other physical infrastructure and much more) which enables our
success. We would be much less likely to
succeed if we lived in
We pay the capital, labor and supplies which are necessary to our success. But we often don’t pay for continuing to create and maintain our infrastructure. Taking our earnings without paying for our social heritage amounts to taking a free ride. Progressive income and estate taxes force us to pay for this social infrastructure. They provide fairness.
Beyond taxation, our compassion to assist people who have fewer freedoms and opportunities than the rest of us creates fairness. Compassion results from recognizing that life is unfair and attempting to create more fairness. From recognizing that we often do not deserve our good fortune. Recognizing that others often don’t deserve their bad fortune. Recognizing that there are more important values than satisfying our own wants.
Our basic outlook on our lives and what is important often results from way our parents raise us. People whose parents raised them to assume that they deserve that their wants should be satisfied are often resentful when this fails to occur. People whose parents raised them to understand that there are more important values than self satisfaction may not achieve as much. But are often more satisfied with what they do achieve and more compassionate toward others.
I once studied of 19th century American primary school readers. I found that they often presented two values. (1) Our more fortunate should be more compassionate. (2) Our less fortunate should be more disciplined. But the trend was away from such moral teaching toward entertainment. We might do well to return to emphasizing these moral values. Dave Thomas
Recommended Books – See our list of books for
liberals
Robert J. Shiller, 2003, The
New Financial Order, Risk in the 21st Century
Robert J. Shiller, 2005, Irrational Exuberance
Robert Shiller’s first book describes how innovations in risk management can be used to insure against risks which beset our poor and middle income people as well as our higher income ones. His second book describes the similarities between our housing and credit bubbles and our dot.com and earlier bubbles. These books offer new insights, but are tedious academic reading.
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Home
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Psychotherapist,
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