Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #162

Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and Beyond

Through informing and networking Liberals and Liberal Organizations.

 

Our vision is hundreds of thousands of well-informed Puget Sound Liberals working together.

 

   3000 members                                     February 20, 2009                    formerly Lake Hills Liberals                

 

 

 

 

                                                     

Our Website                                   Our  Editor                  To Unsubscribe

 

              Table of Contents     *Featured Articles

 

About Puget Sound Liberals

Communication With Our Members

Calendars of Events

Opportunities and Petitions

 

Commentaries from Our Members

Rich Austin: Criticizing Israeli is Not Anti-Semitic

Don Smith: Some Ways We Need Government

 

Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef

Obama Watch – Month 1*

Immigration: A forgotten Issue?

Blue Dog Democrats Emphasize Fiscal Responsibility

 

State and Local Links to the Beef

Economic Opportunity Council: Helping Families

Trying to Understand Affordable Housing

Some Reactions to Democratic Party PCO Training*

Dow Constantine Runs for King County Executive

Two Bellevue Councilmen Support BNSF Transit Route

 

Nation and World Links to the Beef

Lots of Blame for Our Financial Crisis

How Much Credit and Consumption Do We Need?

David Korten Calls for Changing Our Economy*

A Black President Isn’t Enough.  Blacks Need More.

Our Stimulus-Investment Package Helps Seniors

 

Our Liberal Spirit

Caretaking and Personal Growth

 

Recommended Books

 

 

 

 

Our Political Values

 

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 Independence

·       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 5 Major Needs

·       Federal Funding for Health and Education

·       Stop Corporate Abuse

·       Public Campaign Financing

·       Substitute a Progressive Income Tax

·       Replacing Conservative Legislators

 

Quote of the Week

You can't help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.

H. Norman Schwarzkopf (1934 - )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Communication with Our Members

 

My favorite advocacy groups are ones which best address our major issues.  These include: Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI), Washington Public Campaigns, Washington CAN (Community Action Network), Statewide Poverty Action Network), Sightline, Futurewise, and Environmental Priorities Coalition (and its members.  This issue contains a second commentary concerning EOI’s concerns.

 

 

 

 

Calendars of Events                             

 

King County Democrats - LD Meetings            Some 2008 Legislature Lobby Days

Thurston County Progressive Net                  Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation

Alliance for Democracy                                Democratic Underground.Com                          

Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Calendar           Cool State Washington

Washington Public Campaigns Calendar          Town Hall Seattle Calendar

Washington State Labor Council                    Whatcom County Peace and Justice Calendar 

Conversation Cafe      Drinking Liberally          Seattle NOW          

Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice – Friday Night Movies      Liberal films on PBS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Calendar of Events

Thursday, February 26 at 7 PM at Sammamish Library (825 – 228th NE, Sammamish) – Issues in American Democracy Discussion Group, featuring five 5th Legislative District Democrats discussing their participation in President Obama’s Inauguration.  Dinner and appetizers at 6:30 PM.

Saturday, March 7 at 7 PM at Northlake Universalist Unitarian Church (308 Fourth Ave South, Kirkland) – David Korten addresses Real Security, Community and the New Economy.

Saturday, March 14 at 6 PM at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion – Futurewise Carnaval Dinner and Fundraiser, including live and silent auctions.  $85.  RSVP by March 6th.

 

Opportunities and Petitions

Opportunities

Useful Websites: contacts, maps, community organizing tools, and more.

Access to jillions of political cartoons.

Download Sightline Institute’s climate policy primer ‘Cap and Trade 101’.  About Sightline.

Learn more about the Obama-Biden policy agenda and share your ideas.

For updates from Obama-Biden Transition Project, including video of Obama’s weekly address.

Ask Democratic national committee Chair Tim Kaine about future of Democratic Party.

Obtain Progressive States Networks resources for improving many state government services.

 

Petitions and Donations

 

 

 

Commentaries From Our Members

 

Rich Austin: Criticism of Israeli Foreign Policy is not Anti-Semitic

 

Here in the land of freedom we all get to express our points of view on various issues.  Sometimes when we do express ourselves, others with different points of view will from time to time resort to ridiculous assertions to try to bolster their arguments.

 

Personally, I find it offensive for anyone to suggest that those of us who object to Israel’s  treatment of Palestinians in and around Gaza are “anti-Semites” or are expressing “anti-Semite” opinions.  If we were to follow that logic, that would mean that everyone who objected to the many atrocities committed by the Bush administration are therefore “anti-American”.  

 

People can’t have it both ways.  Opposing the decisions and actions of leaders in government – any government – is not synonymous with opposing the governed.  We can object to the actions of dictators, like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, while at the same time supporting the rights of the people there.

 

Sorry, but the cry “anti-Semite” rings hollow.  It is akin to Samuel Johnson’s warning that “patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”.   Johnson, of course, was not indicting patriotism in general, only false patriotism.   Rich Austin

 

Liberals and Democrats

 

Obama Watch – Month 1

 

Transition and Appointments

·         A large diverse transition team rapidly investigated government agencies and departments to begin determining priorities for reforming and strengthening them.

·         Key Whitehouse staff were appointed.  See who’s who.

·         All top Cabinet offices but two and many sub-cabinet offices have been filled. 

·         Other agency posts were filled.

 

President Obama’s inaugural address Read or View it.

·         Repeated his campaign commitments to our constitutional rights and to cooperating with other nations.

·         Reminded us that our struggles are many and will not be easy or quickly resolved. 

·         Informed us that resolving these struggles would require not only government action, but action by all of us collectively and individually. 

·         Called for an ethic of service.  His message was one that both Liberals and Conservatives could approve.  For more.  More.

 

Many Changes Begin

·         President Obama proclaimed a new transparency and accountability in government, established rules to separate his staff from lobbyists (for more), and placed a lid on their salaries, all oriented to gaining our trust. 

·         President Obama’s transition website, change.gov has been closed.  Three new websites have been created:

·         Whitehouse.gov to promote transparency and america.gov to tell America’s story to people abroad.

·         Organizing for America has been created to allow our grassnet people to continue their support for Liberal reforms.  For more.  For more. 

·         Recovery.gov has been created to provide transparency for the spending of our Stimulus and Recovery funds.

·         He blocked further implementation of Bush’s final regulations to assist his cronies. 

·         He prohibited torture, stopped military trials of accused terrorists and promised to close our Guantanamo prison within a year. 

 

Environmental, Health and Labor Actions

·         President Obama indicated that his administration will move quickly to allow states to set strict automobile emissions and fuel-efficiency standards.  For more.  For more.  And to limit global warming. 

·         He reversed Bush’s ban on aid to family planning agencies.  For more.  For more. 

·         With union leaders present, President Obama signed orders, which union officials say will undo Bush administration policies that tilted toward employers, would require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change, and would make it more difficult for federal contractors to discourage union activities.

·         President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act (video).  For more.

·         President Obama signed a children’s health bill, which adds 4 million children to the 9 million who were previously eligible for free health coverage.  For more. 

·         President Obama prepared to carefully expand cooperation with faith based programs.

 

Major Concern #1: Reviving Our American Economy

Only 24 days after Obama’s inauguration, congress passed a stimulus-investment package, which largely reflects President Obama’s initial proposals.  He has fulfilled his promise to cut taxes for 90% of Americans.  See more below.

He reached out to gain sufficient Republican support.  But only three Republican senators and no Republican representatives voted for the package.  Offering no comprehensive alternative, Republicans are now on record as opponents of stimulating and investing in our economy.  For more.  For more.  Note that only 1 Republican voted for the original Social Security bill. 

 

Major Concern #2: Foreign Policy

·         President Obama’s inaugural speech assured the world that we will no longer take a unilateral approach.

·         Together with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, a strong foreign policy team is in place to strongly address foreign issues.

·         President and Hillary Clinton have asserted that our foreign policy will rest on three legs: diplomacy, development and military. 

·         Obama gave his national security team the mission to end our war in Iraq.  For more.

·         As he has done with other issues, Obama has reframed the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  In an interview on Arab television, he said, “I think anybody who has studied the region recognizes that the situation for the ordinary Palestinian in many cases has not improved. And the bottom line in all these talks and all these conversations is, is a child in the Palestinian Territories going to be better off? Do they have a future for themselves? And is the child in Israel going to feel confident about his or her safety and security?  [Bold added]  And if we can keep our focus on making their lives better and look forward, and not simply think about all the conflicts and tragedies of the past, then I think that we have an opportunity to make real progress.”   For more.  For more.  George Mitchell was named to address Israel-Palestine justice and peace issues.

·         Richard Holbrook was named to address Afghanistan-Pakistan issues.  Perhaps another envoy will be named to address Iraq and Iran issues.

·         Less noticed, President is reorganizing the National Security Council to allow flexible participation by relevant agencies in national security issues.

 

Whew!  What a start.

Notice that President Obama is focusing upon improving our future.  Not on the past.  There is no thermometer of the extent to which the damage done by President Bush is being undone.  There are many issues which have not been addressed such as: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ , promoting unionization, regulation of corporate abuse, eliminating wasted subsidies and other spending, reforming immigration policies, altering free trade to fair trade, Darfur and other foreign conflicts.  But a tremendous start has been made during President Obama’s first month.  We can expect him to continue to address basic issues of governing, major economic and foreign policy issues, and a continuing series of other lesser issues.  In spite of the nit-picking of commercial media pundits, President Obama has made a tremendous unparalleled start.  He pledges to find and do what works. 

 

Immigration: A forgotten Issue?

 

President Obama has indicated that his administration will deal with many of the issues cited above as his political support and agenda allows.  But no attention has recently been given to reforming our immigration policies.  Until reform occurs, millions of our first generation immigrants are being abused by employers and enforcement of unconstructive immigration laws.  For more. 

 

Blue Dog Democrats Emphasize Fiscal Responsibility

 

My understanding is that Liberals believe both in fiscal responsibility and in spending government money for cost beneficial investments in our infrastructure and for cost beneficial safety net programs which support our less advantaged people, including people who are only temporarily disadvantaged.

Liberals vary concerning the extent to which we are willing to borrow to create and maintain such investments and safety net programs. 

 

The difference between Blue Dog and other Democrats is minor compared to the differences between Democrats and Republicans who oppose public investments and safety nets and are fiscally irresponsible in order to serve their cronies.  President Obama and Democrats who support fiscal stimulation, regard it as temporary, with a return toward a balanced budget when the stimulus is no longer needed.  For more.

 

Here’s the Beef

Is our Liberal movement created by Obama too beholden to him to provide critical analysis?

I love Rachel Maddow’s cheerful joyous sarcastic attacks on Conservative hypocrisy.

I disagree that Howard Dean should be a cabinet secretary, but he should have a political role.

Senator Arlen Specter obtained 34% increase in National Institutes of Health budget.

Will Congress or Justice Department investigate, publicize, punish Bush administration transgressions?

Our treaty commitments require us to punish Bush administration transgressions.

Activists ask President Obama to ban weapons which indiscriminately kill and maim civilians.

Paul Krugman: Republicans hypocritical, stimulus too small, bailout too vague.

Republicans stand on principle.  Wanting to get things done, Democrats are more bi-partisan.

 

State and Local

 

Economic Opportunity Council: Helping Families

 

Our Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI) is a progressive public policy center, working on economic security issues in Washington State.  It is dedicated to advancing new ideas to make Washington a better place to live, work and do business.  It pursues change through research, media outreach, public dialogue and policy initiatives that shape public debate and promote educational opportunity, modern work-life standards, retirement security, and a fair tax system for working families.  Our EOI does more than research and issuing reports, it actively works with other organizations to promote needed reforms, through legislative and other action. 

 

Our EOI recognizes the importance of our family lives and that more than a sustainable income is required.  EOI addresses the importance of and promotes quality early childhood education, both at home and at school.  For more.  For more.  EOI praises Washington’s leadership toward maintaining an equitable minimum income.  EOI promotes paid sick leave, flexible family leaves, family leave insurance.   EOI supports Universal Retirement Savings Accounts (UVRAs) which provide a portable supplement to Social Security.  EOI refutes the dire predictions about Social Security and defends it against those Conservatives who would wreck it.

 

I strongly recommend that you join, learn from and support our Thinking and Fighting EOI.  Sign up for EOI’s policy briefs.  I would like to see EOI also address increasing affordable housing near jobs, which would reduce urban sprawl, commuting, congestion and pollution.  By reducing commuting, it would greatly increase the time that working family members have to enjoy and support each other.  Dave Thomas

 

Trying to Understand Affordable Housing

 

I have been unable to find an affordable book which describes the various approaches to creating affordable housing.  The following are excerpts from a wikipedia article on affordable housing. 

·         In the United States and Canada, a commonly accepted guideline for housing affordability is a housing cost that does not exceed 30% of a household's gross income. Housing costs considered in this guideline generally include taxes and insurance for owners, and usually include utility costs. When the monthly carrying costs of a home exceed 30–35% of household income, then the housing is considered unaffordable for that household.

·         Where the supply of available housing is less than the demand, low- and moderate-income households often struggle to obtain housing that is affordable. In these housing markets, rising land values often outpace rising incomes. Such housing markets often have a limited supply of residential land, or a number of regulations that make it difficult or costly to increase housing supply at rents affordable to consumers at income ranges below the local average. In the United States, a key element in determining affordable housing is acceptable commuting time/distance.

·         In addition to the distress it causes families who cannot easily find a place to live, lack of affordable housing is considered by many urban planners to have negative effects on a community's overall health. For example, lack of affordable housing can make low-cost labor more scarce, and increase demands on transportation systems (as workers travel longer distances between jobs and affordable housing).

·         Numerous policies in the U.S. and abroad have been designed to address the problem of inadequate supplies of affordable housing. Sophisticated secondary market mechanisms, inclusionary zoning, and land banking are three prominent tools, as well as tax and fiscal policies that result in reducing the cost of mortgages and the cost of borrowing. Other more recently promoted policy tools include relaxation of prohibitions against accessory dwelling units, and reduction of the amount of parking that must be built for a new structure.

·         Affordable housing is a controversial reality of contemporary life, for gains in affordability often result from expanding land available for housing or increasing the density of housing units in a given area. Ensuring a steady supply of affordable housing means ensuring that communities weigh real and perceived livability impacts against the sheer necessity of affordability. The process of weighing the impacts of locating affordable housing is quite contentious, and is laden with race and class implications.

 

What’s Going On in Washington State

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission is a volunteer board appointed by the governor to represent various geographic, business, and public interests.  It is a publicly accountable, self-supporting team, dedicated to increasing housing access and affordability and to expanding the availability of quality community services for the people of Washington.  It provides a variety of information and funding.  The Washington State Community, Trade and Economic Development Housing Division invests public resources to create, preserve and enhance safe and affordable housing for Washington residents.

 

Seattle's Office of Housing funds affordable workforce housing, both rental and ownership, as well as supportive housing that helps vulnerable people achieve stability and move along a path toward self-sufficiency. Office of Housing initiatives also help stimulate housing development, allowing families to thrive and neighborhoods to provide a full range of housing choice and opportunity. The mission of the Seattle Office of Housing is to build strong healthy communities and increase opportunities for people of all income levels to live in our city.  Read a report about Seattle’s needs.  Among other services, assistance to people facing foreclosure has recently been announced.

 

The King County Housing Authority provides an array of affordable housing options. Subsidized housing communities are managed and maintained by KCHA, while people who receive Housing Choice vouchers receive subsidies that help them pay rent for apartments and other kinds of homes on the private market. People can also find subsidized units on the private market through the Private Housing program. 

 

Housing Development Consortium (HDC) is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting and facilitating the visibility, quality, sustainability and effectiveness of affordable housing by its nonprofit members, primarily throughout Seattle and King County.  Read their report on affordable housing trends.  The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance mobilizes people across the state who care about affordable housing and supportive services.  ARCH is an organization created by Eastside cities and King County to preserve and increase the supply of housing for low and moderate income households in East King County

 

Some Reactions to Democratic Party PCO Training

 

Deputy 2008 Gregoire Campaign Manager Zach Silk informed 250 of us of the importance and the effort of the grassroots campaign for re-electing Governor Gregoire.  Coordinated Campaign Field Director Chelsea Waliser presented a preview of our new organization Organizing for America.  For more.  The PCO handbook was distributed, which contains information about the structure of our Democratic Party, being a Precinct Committee Officer, Getting out the Vote, grassroots groups and the Voterfile.  

 

Voter Identification Canvassing

Our experience in canvassing our Lake Hills Neighborhood (12 precincts) in Bellevue suggests a different script for voter identification than that recommended in the PCO handbook

 

The following script is recommended, “Hi, I’m Ben Fitch and I live on 11th Avenue.  I’m the Democratic Precinct Committee Officer elected to represent our precinct.  I’m talking with neighbors to find out more about their politics.  Do you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican or Independent?”  Our experience is that this introduction results in 50 persons per precinct that won’t share their information with us.

 

I recommend instead, “Hi, I’m Dave Thomas.  I’m your neighbor.  I’m here because I enthusiastically support President Obama and I’m lookin’ for people who think pretty much the same.”  [We used to say, “I’m here because I’m disgusted with President Bush and Republicans in congress and I’m lookin’ for people who think pretty much the same.”]  80% of the time, this results in immediate identification, with a few other questions leaving only 5 per precinct who won’t share information with us.  Our approach is neighborly instead of sounding bureaucratic.

 

Notice also that our objective is to elect Democrats.  We don’t care whether the likely Democratic voter is one of the 60% who consider themselves Democrats or 40% who consider themselves independents.  By focusing upon people who consider themselves Democrats, many likely Democratic voters are ignored.

 

In Lake Hills, we have identified 90% of the likely Democratic voters, compared with 57% which have been identified statewide.  We also have email addresses for 30% of the identified likely Democratic voters and send them this newsletter each week.  This includes recommending our candidates which may be as good as other get-out-the-vote efforts.  Our State Democratic Party has 100,000 email addresses, but sends no regular newsletters to them.

 

Lonely PCOs often don’t canvass.  I recommend that each Legislative District Organization define about 15 clusters of precincts, create cluster teams to canvass each cluster, and after people have canvassed, encourage them to become PCOs.

 

Voter Databases

The PCO handbook and presentation also described the Democratic Party Voterfile.  Canvassing our cluster of 12 precincts as a team, we have been unable to access the Voterfile for all of our precincts.  Instead we have easily created our own MS Access file which began with all registered voters to which we have added other dwellings with no registered voters. 

 

It has columns for last and first name, age, address, including community and zip code, precinct and precinct cluster, phone number and email address.  Concerning party identification, we have D = Democrat, R = Republican, C = Cynic, U = Uncertain, X = can’t register or vote, and V = vacant.  We have columns for whether they receive our newsletter, and for monitor (willing to help canvass and get-out-the-vote, hold events, etc.). 

 

Legislative District Democratic Organization databases may also include participation columns (leader, attends meetings, works with action teams and other task groups); funding columns (pays dues, makes pledge, makes special contributions); grassroots participation (grassroots precinct cluster team member, canvassing experience, literature drop, phone bank); skills (computer, website, writing, editing, publishing, public speaking, training, mentoring, organizing) and more.  You get the idea.

 

I can give you the program I use which allows you to select people according to their characteristics in one or more columns and send emails to the selected ones.  For example, leaders, Communication Action Team members, Maple Valley residents, dues paying members, phone bankers, speakers, etc.  You can send them mailings, each person getting a separate email, as I do with this newsletter.

 

Our Recession and Stimulus-Investment Package

Seattle University Professor Russell Lidman and 9th District Congressman Adam Smith addressed us respectively about our recession and stimulus-investment package.  Both gave the impression that we should restore our credit so that we can continue to Borrow and Consume as we did before the recession.  I asked Adam Smith whether we needed to return to an Earn, Conserve and Invest economy, instead of borrowing and consuming.  He replied that if people want to consume, we should make it possible.

 

I am not sure people want to consume near as much as we have, except for the omnipresent commercial advertising and the credit pushing (like drug pushing).  And those who do want to consume a lot are destroying our planet’s resources at a ferocious rate.  I suspect that Congressman Adam Smith is typical of other congress members who are eager to enable our habits, whether good or bad.  It is such thinking which allows high credit card interest rates and paycheck lending, so that people can borrow, who can’t even get buy on their incomes, much less pay back borrowed money.

 

Two Bellevue Councilmen Support BNSF Transit Route

 

I am pleased to notice that two Bellevue Councilmen (Conrad Lee and Don Davidson support making light rail travel along the BNSF (Dinner Train) right of way.  Looking long run, this route would facilitate extending it south to Renton, east to Issaquah, north and east to Overlake and Redmond, further north and west to Kirkland, further north to Totem Lake and Bothell, and on to I-5. 

 

This route avoids severely impacting neighborhoods south of Bellevue’s central business district by going to the BNSF right of way, with a stop at SE 8 Street and 118th Avenue SE.  Somewhere between this stop and NE 8th Street, a link would go west to the central business district.

 

Here’s the Beef

Central Puget Sound’s population is 3.6 million, growing slightly slower the past several years.

Home-based person trips per household increased since 1961; Commuting requires 50% more time.

Transit and walk trips increased from 2.5 to 12% of all trips, transit trips increasing most in Seattle.

By 2040, 1.1 million (59%) jobs, 1.4 (56%) million people and 20 (41%) million trips will be added.

Pugetopolis’s population increase has fueled suburban development.

Will Washington attract lots of ‘Climate Refugees’?

Targeted tax increases instead of budget cutting are needed to stimulate Washington’s economy.

Oregon’s Work Share Program enables companies to cut back without laying off employees.

During recession, people support local stores.

Bellevue plans Bel-Red Corridor based on light rail stations.

Washington's new electronics recycling program is very successful.

 

Nation and World  

 

Lots of Blame for Our Financial Crisis

 

Time Magazine reported, “It is tempting to blame the whole political-industrial complex, starting with whoever first had the idea of lending $750,000 to someone making $17,000 a year; the regulators who said that was O.K. and the politicians who encouraged them; the financial geniuses who rolled up all those mistakes into a big ball of bad loans, chopped them up and sold them; and above all, the presiding executives who got performance bonuses whether they performed or not, buying and selling things whose value they could not possibly know, finding ways to reduce risk that instead greatly increased it, unleashing on the markets what Warren Buffett called "financial weapons of mass destruction.”  Time Magazine picked 25 people to blame for the financial crisis.  

 

My list would include: Milton Friedman and others of the Chicago School encouraged deregulation.  Presidents Carter, Reagan, father Bush, Clinton and son Bush all deregulated.  Fraudulent loan application solicitors, realtors, home builders, bank loan officers and appraisers granted poor mortgages, often to borrowers who lied.  Various other financial companies bought the mortgages.  Various people invented adjustable rate mortgages, mortgage based securities, including ones based upon mysterious mixtures of poor and good mortgages.  The Federal Reserve enabled cheap money (possible due to Chinese loans).  Large highly leveraged financial companies bought and resold mystery securities to other financial companies and mutual, pension, endowment, charity, hedge and other funds.  Rating agencies rated mystery securities highly and AIG insured them.  Financial advisors and the popular press encouraged people to buy and refinance houses, with highly leveraged down payments.  Many of us responded eagerly.  Regulatory agencies didn’t regulate, even when warned.  Few economists or others blew the whistle.  One who did was Dean Baker.

 

How Much Credit and Consumption Do We Need?

 

Comparing our lifestyles with those in other countries, it is apparent that we could be happy with much less consumption.  If we consume less and speculate less, we will use much less credit.  Especially if our earnings are higher. 

 

Having lost much of our speculative stock and housing gains, we are now saving by consuming less.  Unfortunately, this provides less demand to sustain our economy.  With less private consumption, we need to sustain the economy with public investment.  Realizing this, we have passed our economic stimulus-investment package to begin increasing public investment.  For more.

 

Needing less credit, we can let some large insolvent financial companies fail.  It will cost those of us who directly or indirectly own shares in them.  But as taxpayers, we will benefit from not having to pay for bailing them out. 

 

David Korten Calls for Changing Our Economy to Reduce Consumption

 

He says, “Our economic system has failed in every dimension: financial, environmental, and social. And the current financial collapse provides an incontestable demonstration that it has failed even on its own terms. Spending trillions of dollars in an effort to restore this system to its previous condition is a reckless waste of time and resources and may be the greatest misuse of federal government credit in history. The more intelligent course is to acknowledge the failure and to set about redesigning our economic system from the bottom up to align with the realities and opportunities of the twenty-first century.”

 

“We do, in fact, have the means to create an economy that fulfills six criteria of economic health. Such an economy would:

1.      Provide everyone with the opportunity for a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life.

2.      Bring human consumption into balance with Earth's natural systems.

3.      Nurture relationships within strong, caring communities.

4.      Honor sound, rule-based market principles.

5.      Support an equitable and socially efficient allocation of resources.

6.      Fulfill the democratic ideal of one-person, one-vote citizen sovereignty.”  For more.  For more.

 

David Korten’s thinking is in agreement with my formulation that our mindset and economy must change from Borrow, Consume and Speculate to Earn, Conserve and Invest.  Dave Thomas

 

A Black President Isn’t Enough.  Blacks Need More.

 

It isn’t enough when “you go home for the holidays and you gather with relatives at Christmas and cousins are locked up; and the men can't find a job; and the women are being paid too little at their jobs; and the kids' schools suck; and you realize the race is really just beginning."  For more.

 

Our Stimulus-Investment Package Helps Seniors

 

·         Providing a $250 relief payment for older Americans not eligible for the work credit;

·         Extending health insurance and unemployment benefits for those without jobs;

·         Sending assistance to states to protect health care for the most vulnerable;

·         Addressing the Social Security claims backlog;

·         Increasing food stamps and nutrition assistance; and

·         Improving health care through health information technology and comparative effectiveness research.

 

Here’s the Beef

Youth Promise Act will comprehensively prevent youth gangs and violence.

We should break up businesses that are too big to fail.

Insolvent banks can only recover if their mystery securities recover or are removed.

1 in 9 U.S. dwellings are vacant.  And we have increasing numbers of homeless people.

Homeless are occupying vacant houses.

Homeowners are delaying foreclosure by demanding mortgage documents.

Recovery of the world’s economy may stall.

We need to create 19 million jobs to create full employment.

Our stimulus package will help 37 our million poverty stricken people.

Our stimulus package costs $80 billion for green projects, none for coal or nuclear.

Will green jobs be good paying jobs?

5000 businesses now belong to the Green America Green Business Network

See where the stimulus package will fund high speed rail.

Our stimulus package provides $106 billion for education.

Massachusetts’ required private insurance health care plan isn’t working.  It’s too expensive.

Increasing productivity will offer opportunity to increased earnings.

Iranian distribution of power is complicated.  So diplomacy will require sensitivity.

Global climate change offers United States and China an opportunity to cooperate.

Intelligence official says global economic collapse may spawn more terrorism.

Israel systematically destroyed Gaza infrastructure.  It was collective punishment.

Resolution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

 

Our Liberal Spirit

 

Caretaking and Personal Growth

 

Two of my favorite movies are the Australian movie Tim and Rain Man, in which one person cares for another and in doing so, improves their life.  In Tim, a professional woman who helps a younger retarded man ends up marrying him.  In Rain Man, a man helps his mentally ill brother and becomes a much more sensitive and responsive person.

 

Like my father, I have spent much of my life caring for humanity in the abstract, but caring little for specific persons.  I have advocated for political, economic and social changes to help people.  But I have not helped people who have immediate needs.  I thought that institutional changes would help more people.  But failed to recognize the suffering that people have when they don’t quickly receive the care they need.  Even though I suffered and felt resentment when others didn’t give me the help I thought I needed.

 

Personally caring for other people is messy, often isn’t successful, requires responding to intrusions in one’s agenda and is often personally painful.  Advocating for people in general is abstract.  You don’t have to deeply experience their pain.  You can’t so easily measure your failure.  You don’t put yourself at personal risk.

 

In recent years, my wife’s health has deteriorated.  She has lost strength in her legs, needs to go to the toilet frequently, and has lost much of her near term memory.  She stubbornly resists having any one come in to stay with her.  So I only leave her for a few hours.  I maintain her medicines.  I ensure that she pays her bills.  I am doing more of the cooking.  I clean up after her.  I continually look for things she has misplaced. 

 

I enjoy doing these things because I love and respect her.  I enjoy her company.  When she is depressed, she sometimes says I only help her as an obligation.  I can only respond that she finds it difficult to accept that I love her, because she finds it difficult to love herself.

 

I miss not being able to get away more.  But otherwise, I am enjoying my caring for her.  Caring for her and publishing this newsletter have become my favorite activities.

 

I am more appreciative of others who are caring.  Who are caretakers.  I appreciate the importance of random acts of kindness.  Of paying it forward.  Not because I expect direct or indirect reciprocity.  Because I appreciate the pleasure or reduction of pain that results.  More abstractly, because I believe our world is better when people help each other.  Dave Thomas

 

Recommended Books – See our list of books for liberals

Jason L. Riley, 2008, Let Them In. The Case for Open Borders.

 

Jason Riley supports unregulated free markets and immigration, giving evidence that six arguments against immigration are wrong.  While I agree that the arguments are wrong, I believe that regulations are necessary to curb corporate abuse of immigrants and others.  The six arguments (which particularly apply to Hispanics, particularly those from Mexico) are:

Immigrants cause too much population increase.

Immigrants take American jobs.

Immigrants come here because of and use our welfare, causing increases in welfare costs.

Immigrants (especially those from Mexico) won’t assimilate into our American culture.

Immigrants commit a disproportionate number of crimes.

Immigrants (who may include terrorists) threaten our national security.

 

All of these arguments are wrong.  Immigrants come to work.  They create jobs through making production possible, spending money and paying taxes (For more.).  They use less welfare and commit less crime than natives.  They are providing workers helpful for supporting social security for the baby boom generation.  They have included no terrorists.  They and their descendents assimilate as rapidly as did earlier immigrants.   Birth rates and population increase in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America are declining.

 

Immigration benefits us, but should be made legal so that immigrants can be protected from abuse by employers.  Immigrants should have a path to citizenship.  Dave Thomas

 

 

 

 

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