Why I'm Moving Back to Oklahoma

Around this time last year, I was having these VERY strong "premonitions" that something "big" was going to happen to me in 2011. I wasn't sure what, but I just KNEW something was going to happen! When I left Youth Court for Friends of the Elderly in February, I thought THAT might be it. But, instead, the feeling persisted.

As many of you know, while I loved the mission, the size (and the location!), etc. of Friends of the Elderly, I found soon after I started that the org was seriously effed up. Unfortunately, due to the terms of my "separation agreement," I can't share any details, but I think the "simple" fact that they are now looking for their SIXTH Executive Director in five years gives at least a hint of the "issues."

In any case, the end came rather suddenly - thanks to both parties. So I had to make a decision as to what to do next. Of course, for anyone that knows me, you'd probably NEVER guess I'd consider a return to Oklahoma. But over the past year or so, I actually found myself a little "homesick."

I went back in February for a week and really enjoyed hanging out with my sibs, parents, nieces & nephews, etc. Both my brother Danny and my kid sister Angel have adorable little girls I'd like to see more, and said kid sister is also in the midst of an exciting adventure to adopt a baby boy from Africa - an experience I'd like to share in and support.

My brother Danny actually has a wife that I like AND is an awesome and nice person! I don't know HOW he bagged her! ;)

Also, as it turns out, my kid brother Mikey recently returned to Oklahoma from an, er, "adventure" in Arizona, and I'd like to help support him in getting his life together, etc.

And, of course, the parental units (all three of them) are getting "up there" in years - like ME! - and I'd like to spend more time with them.

It's just unfortunate they all happen to live in Oklahoma! :) Also, my meager unemployment will definitely stretch much farther in Oklahoma, so...

Yes, I'll bitch about the weather. Yes, I'll bitch about the politics. And the culture. But due to the outrageous hours I was putting in at my job, I haven't really been "taking advantage" of living in San Francisco for over a year. And there is, frankly, no way I could find another job quickly enuf here to keep from losing my apt., my savings (such as they are), etc.

Too, there's probably the issue of my inherited "gypsy feet" - my grandma had that bad, and she passed it down! I only wish she were still around for me to see again. Best. Grandmother. Ever.

No doubt, this move is NOT permanent. I can not EVEN envision retiring there. But, due to cost of living, I can't imagine retiring in SF, either. Thus, my secret, master plan is to move back to OK and spend the next 3-5 years convincing folks to move to Portland, OR - where I just spent this past Thanksgiving and really enjoyed.

My date of departure is tentatively scheduled for 12/20. Hit me up if you wanna hang out before I leave!

SoC while watching "Inside Job"

"Inside Job" sat next to my TV longer than any movie outside of "A Clockwork Orange" - I was THAT scared of watching it. I will consider it a major disappointment if it does not enrage me. :) On the plus side, Blockbuster scored almost as much for me holding on to this movie as Netflix did for "Clockwork."

Oh yeah, I forgot about so many people losing their life's savings.

Reminder for all those folks saying that European Socialism is no better: note that Europe started going in the toilet only after they started adopting uber-Capitalistic policies and thieveries.

Oh yeah, Matt Damon is the narrator. Kewl. And some pretty powerful quotes during the opening credits.

Ah yes, the unintended and yet telling throwaway line "Since the 1980s..." in reference to the rise of the financial industry. Remind me again why people want to lionize that monster Reagan? Morning in America, my ass--he initiated America's sunset. Thanks again, Ronnie! (altho Clinton was no better, and Obama is also in Wall Street's pocket).

Oh wow, I actually forgot that some of the S&L guys were punished. But we can't do that now. Wouldn't be prudent.

Um, who knew that these big financial companies were heavily fined for artificially inflating internet stocks, thus creating the internet bust and the last big financial crisis, and as part of their "penance" they promised never to do it again? I did not know that. I didn't think it was possible for my contempt to grow for these scumbags.

WTF? Citibank laudered Mexican drug money? Credit Suisse funds Iranian weapons and nuclear facilities in direct violation of U.S. law? Well, as long as they're not a homeless Black guy stealing a donut...

Oh man, Enron. Derivatives. Larry Summers. Talk about your unholy trinity. Disgusting! A low-level Clinton staffer actually tried to staunch the bleeding and she was basically destroyed by Summers, and financial cronies wrote U.S. legislation banning the regulation of derivatives. That was the beginning of the end.

Sub-prime loans. The biggest financial bubble in history. Simply because of evil and greed. And OMFG the OBSCENE salaries for these guys who were knowingly working together to fuck whoever they could simply for more money. Disgusting beyond belief. But let's not punish anyone!

Oh wow, what a coincidence, the SEC was basically gutted during this time. Who says government is in bed with business?

It is absolutely astonishing to listen to some of these things. The numbers are unfathomable. The selfishness and greed is titanic. The COMPLETE lack of ethics. It's gross.

Reason alone for the Revolution: the guys who were gambling away your life savings were using their bonuses to snort coke off of hookers' asses. How satisfying is THAT, latest homeless woman?

Oh god, the ultimate. I almost forgot. When Goldman Sachs was selling crap derivatives and swaps and then actively betting against them - to get immediate short-terms profits and then a bonus when the mortgage/their own product failed. SO. FUCKING. GROSS.

OMG, I didn't realize the extent of the credit rating agencies' culpability!! I swear to god, if every American were forced to watch this movie, the country would be ON FIRE. And deservedly so.

Hmmm, there were major warnings by many important economists, as well as the IMF, for three years ahead of time? What a bunch of Chicken Littles!

OMFG I didn't know about the Bush administration's bungling of the Lehman bankruptcy. Unbelievable!

Oh, the Predatory Lending! It's like all the different evil things wrapped up in a completely amoral ball of shit. Ugh, esp now that they're doing a laundry list of the slimy CEOs salaries and BONUSES while they were destroying the economy. Let me repeat that: not only were the criminals responsible for ruining millions and millions of lives and savings NOT prosecuted, but they were REWARDED. God bless America!

Wow, to listen to this Chinese woman talk about the U.S. led worldwide recession causing her to lose her "high dollar" factory job where she was making $75 a month! I think that sums up everything and China, too!

Oh. My. God. THIS is where the 99% came from! The stats are creepy!

Quelle suprise - Obama "negotiated away" real reform and then put that crony Geithner in office. There is NO way I will vote for Obama now if for no other reason than his refusal to go after these disgusting, greedy, evil, selfish, corrupt, law-breaking assholes. OMFG, Summers is still Obama's economic advisor? INCREDIBLE!

Wow, Matt's final words make me feel like a piece of shit for not doing more. Guess I gotta get more involved with Occupy!

Manifesto for Change

I think one of the biggest challenges to reforming our obviously corrupt and messed up system is the fact said "system" keeps itself from being challenged by convincing us we are powerless to stop it. Historically, this has not proven to be the case–particularly in the past few decades (e.g., eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union), and one of our constant goals should be not letting the system wear us down, and keeping everyone else aware of the power we can hold collectively.

Another important tenet to constantly keep in mind is that wanting to change this country does NOT make one “unpatriotic.” In fact, it is my strong sense of patriotism—honed and intensified by being a lifelong student of History, that has pushed me into this stance. I simply can’t accept that environmental destruction, child poverty, murderous violence, rapacious greed, and the like are simply “the price to be paid” for enriching a significant minority of the population.

As often happens in history, a society “loses touch” with its originating principles. Because so many of us have now reaped the benefits of a relatively peaceful, free, and just society, we assume no caretaking on our part is required to maintain this “wonder of the age.” This assumption risks all we have worked for–or at least all that our ancestors have worked for. Although seen from the world in a different light than at our “ideological peak,” America still retains the strengths and foundation necessary to lead the world to light, rather than perpetuate the primitive and obvious horrors of a war-based solution to “challenges.”

By many accounts, America remains a free and just society. While justifiably envied by many in the world, we have also been surpassed by other nations in this realm. One of the ironies of our age is that the successful model of American Liberty & Justice has been appropriated by nations that now have citizenry leading free lives that trump even our own. Yet, America still retains the strengths necessary to get back to the “head of the class,” and once more demonstrate to the world how a nation of “mongrels” can provide a society unmatched in terms of personal liberty and supreme justice.

America can not be content to rest on its laurels. Yes, we led a triumphant battle against the forces of totalitarianism in the 20^th century; yes, we endured a decades-long “Cold War” in a struggle between a free system and one that was not–and triumphed. Yet our triumph in the latter was accomplished as much by example as by force of arms. By holding out hope, & showing how strong a free and just society can be, we “fomented” peaceful revolutions throughout eastern Europe & the largest empire of its day. Now, after winning the wars of the 20^th century, we are on the verge of losing the peace.

America has a long history of shattering repressive worldviews. Our nation’s birth, its successes, and its impact, have all been questioned and challenged virtually every step of the way. Yet we persevered. And we triumphed. While we are not the first nation to stand astride the world in a “colossus-esque” fashion, we are definitely the freest to have done so. And now we are at a turning point. Will our society slowly decay and dissolve as the Romans did? Will we simply be “replaced” by a new global power, as happened to the British? Perhaps we will chart a new historical path, as yet unimagined, but potentially disastrous not only to our nation, but the world at large. Or, instead, will we step up, as a nation, and once again shatter historical “truths” to fine tune and re-build our nation into a society that incorporates the lessons of the 20^th century into a roadmap for the 21^st as to how to be–once again–a world leader in Peace, Justice and Liberty?

Peace: As the “world’s melting pot,” America should provide, by glorious example, a leadership extolling the virtues of peace. We should work with the world’s nations, through the UN, rather than dictate to them. We should ratify generally world-accepted treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of Children. We do not suggest that America subordinate its interests to others, nor do we suggest a capitulation of will. Rather, we should embrace America’s historic role as a light unto others and–again–lead by example, using the full weight of our industry, vigor, and collective strength to bring to fruition one of mankind’s longest hoped for and most cherished dreams: world peace.

Liberty: America should not have the highest number of its citizens incarcerated. We are better than that. We should have the fewest, if any at all. America should have no impediments of any kind in allowing its citizens the right to vote. We “set the bar” here and it should continually be raised until it can be raised no higher. We should promote, extol, and streamline the process of participating in our Democracy wherever possible. America should not concern itself with the private lives of its citizens, nor impede the rights of her people to engage in acts that harm no one else. There are more important things to concern ourselves with. We should demonstrate to the world that the freedom to do as you wish, as long as you harm no others, remains a cornerstone of this great country–and is, indeed, what made it great.

Justice: While America is a nation of laws, those laws should have a “preferential tilt” towards the people and away from artificial entities such as corporations and/or the military-industrial complex. American entrepreneurship has a deservedly important role in our country’s history. We can be rightly proud of the scientific, technological, and economic breakthroughs that have their origins in our Democratic system. Yet, an increasingly obvious shift in “control” of the nation’s destiny–from its people to its corporate entities–has led us away from many of the values that made this country great. Don’t get me wrong, I know “true” people-power only existed for a brief period from FDR through LBJ, but the swing back towards late 19^th-early 20^th century level corruption has almost bypassed that era—if it hasn’t already. Our success as a nation should not be measured in dollar signs or profit margins, but rather in the happy, productive, and successful lives of our citizenry. We are a rich country–both in resources and “heart & soul”–and if any country should be able to solve the problem of systemic poverty it should be America. Also, remember back before Reagan when we treated our mentally ill rather than turned them out in the streets to create a new societal problem? I do. And don’t get me started on torture.

The genius of the American system of Democracy (for we are a Democratic society above, beyond, and before we are a Capitalist “system”), is its ability to adapt. While none of our founding fathers could have possibly foreseen the dramatic changes in American society as we “grew up,” they did have the foresight to create a system of government–of the people, for the people, and by the people–that could be “tweaked” or amended as the need arose to ensure this grand experiment in self rule, so novel at its inception, could continue and thrive as vitally as the people it serves.

But to create the change necessary at this time in our history, the current “ruling class” needs to be replaced en masse. That is, the current administration and legislative body must immediately step down. For stability’s sake, current “systems” will remain in place as a new, more representative, government is seated through free, open elections. Four amendments will immediately be added to the U.S. Constitution for the new government to be bound by, but the system that has served us so well for so long will, to a large extent, remain unchanged on a macro level.

Four Amendments for the 21^st Century

Voting: Abolish the electoral college and institute only publicly funded elections; free air time (this is the cornerstone as even good men have become corrupted by the system and of having to play the money game). As we are a nation of ideals, voting should be done so accordingly and not based on personalities or who has the best-funded campaigns. Congressional representation should be truly proportional. That is, for example, if a state has 10 representatives, and 30% of its citizenry vote “Green,” 30% vote “Democratic,” 30% vote “Republican,” and 10% vote “Libertarian,” that state’s makeup in Congress should include, respectively, 3, 3, 3, and 1 representative from each group.

Environment: No laws shall be made which threaten the natural environment in which we live. Our duty to our children and our children’s children demands that government, whenever possible, assists and facilitates industries, initiatives, technologies, and policies that promote a more responsible utilization of our finite resources. The potential for new industry, based on “remaking” society in a more environmentally sound way, is enormous.

Privacy: No laws shall be made that deprive a person of life, liberty, justice, peace, or the pursuit of happiness based simply on who they are, rather than something they’ve done. Nor shall any laws be made that punish what an individual does, as long as it harms no one else.

Internationalism: Renounces war; re-commits to working with, rather than dictating to, the world community. Will sell arms to no one, but will sell bread, etc. And dedicate itself to ending war throughout the world.

Photo Blog II

I took a little walk down to Union Square on 9/11/11 - or the tenth of anniversary of when "EVERYTHING CHANGED" (rolling eyes). Who do you think would be more patriotic on this day: Macy's or Victoria's Secret? Well, just look:




















Of course Union Square also has the monument to one of our very first "imperialistic adventures" - in the Philippines. I like the juxtaposition of this shot, esp. on 9/11, centered as it is between two symbols of what we fought to bring to George Bush's "little brown people" (okay, actually, we didn't bring them Saks; just turned them all into slave laborers for the stuff IN Saks!)

Of course, no 9/11 photo blog would be complete w/o a requisite pic of protestors. But note, these folks are a bit more "mature," recognize/accept that Al Qaeda was behind the attacks, but also wants all the bizarre, secret shit the gov't has kept from folks to come out. It's almost like "the guvmint" WANTS to promote a conspiracy theory to keep folks distracted (as I'm muzzled and wrestled from the room)...


The highlight of my walk, tho, was after I'd snapped a pic of one of the latest heart installments in Union Square. After I snapped my pic, a group of 4 women - looking very much like a Middle Eastern version of the "Sex & The City" gals - asked me to take a pic of the 4 of them in front of the heart.

"You are tourist, also?" asked the one with the camera.

I told her that, no, I actually live in SF, but they rotate the hearts and I wanted to get a shot of the new one. I asked where they were from and there was the slightest pause before she said, "Afghanistan." All I could think to say, stupidly, was "Oh. Cool." So literate. Should of asked to get a pic of them.

Finally, no photo blog of mine would be complete without a "purple pic" - this Union Square bush is a more "blue purple" as compared to the more "red purple" I saw last time. Peace out!

Photo Blog I

As I've been trying to walk whenever possible, I decided to start toting my camera to capture all the random cool scenic things in the City! I thought of it after looking out my window the other day to see they had FINALLY listened to me and painted the building catty-corner from me. Now my view is more enjoyable - and I like the quasi-British look of the building now.












This past weekend, I took a walk to the Lower Haight to try and find Plumeria oil for this weekend's Hawaiian bash (success!). On the way, I saw this funky ass mural and the extra-pretty purple climbing vine/flowers on the house. LOVE purple. Anyone know what kind of flowers those are?




Okay, clearly I'm having problems figuring out the layout - bear with me!

The last two pics are of a cute little church I'd never seen before - tucked away where North Beach meets Russian Hill meets Chinatown (this on a different walk, obviously--on my way to Trader Joe's down at the Wharf), and THE reddest house I've ever seen. One of those where you either love it or hate it.

I love it! :)

Obama's Tea Party

I had a very discomfiting epiphany the other day: The Tea Party is as Obama hoped to be.

Seriously, Obama campaigned on "Change you can believe in" - the idea that he would go into Washington and change the business as usual, radically overhaul our rotten system by bringing in universal health care, ending our two disastrous wars, stopping all of our repugnant extra-legal activities--including secret rendition and torture, correcting the grossly imbalanced economic structure that favors the rich and uber-rich over the poor and middle class, etc. etc. etc.

Fast forward to the recently-concluded, appallingly dysfunctional "debate" over our debt limit and economic policies. Once again, Obama "bargained away" any attempt at the true, radical change he campaigned on. Not only were NO new revenue streams included in this latest "compromise," but even grossly egregious things like fat cat corporate tax breaks weren't even touched. And don't get me started on the Bush tax cuts that he so EASILY could have let expire back when they were scheduled to, back when he had both houses of Congress. And even if he hadn't had them, again, the cuts would have expired on their own.

It's one thing to HAVE convictions and make pretty speeches and promise a new day, but when the rubber hits the road, when push comes to shove, words don't mean squat if they're not followed up with actions.

Now let's look at the Tea Party. Make no mistake, they are still a classic example of everything that's wrong with America: their greed, hypocrisy, and selfishness are only over-ridden by their supremely arrogant ignorance. Their xenophobia, racism, and violence only confirm the worst stereotypes many already have of Americans. And yet...

And yet, they have managed to completely control the debate. They have outlined an admittedly simplistic and woefully ignorant-of-modern-life "platform" that they have harped and hounded and hysterically shrilled about to no end. They have hijacked the normal functioning of the government, distracted the media and populace with inane, misspelled rants and raves, and--most amazingly and spectacularly--have managed to devolve "political discourse" in this country to an astonishing new low. No mean feat!

In sum, within a VERY short time, it's the Tea Party that has truly achieved what Obama campaigned on - a radical re-shifting of the American political debate and ushered in a new paradigm where the surreal is accepted as normal, where selfishness, stridency, and stupidity are the norms of the day, and where no deviation from their childishly stubborn and selfish demands are even considered or allowed. Sigh.

BTW, for a compelling piece on the true origins/nature of the Tea Party click HERE. Just an example from the piece:

Contradicting the mainstream media narrative that the Tea Party is a new populist movement that formed spontaneously in reaction to government bailouts or the Obama administration, the facts show that the Tea Party in Congress is merely the familiar old neo-Confederate Southern right under a new label. The threat of Southern Tea Party representatives and their sidekicks from the Midwest and elsewhere to destroy America's credit rating unless the federal government agrees to enact Dixie's economic agenda of preserving defense spending while slashing entitlements is simply the latest act of aggression by the Solid South.

Talk about your Mission Accomplished!

Deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon mots - XVI

Remember back in the "old days" - like 10-12 years ago - when you could easily spot a crazy person on the street? They'd be mumbling to themselves, and/or staring down stupidly as they walk down the street, occasionally bumping into you coz they're not watching where they're going, etc.

Well, now you can't tell who's crazy and who's not thanks to Smartphone users. Think about it. They do the same effing thing: gawk stupidly at their hand, devices half hidden, bumping into you coz they're not paying attention to where they're going, mumbling and/or shrieking at seemingly nothing, etc.

Smartphone users: the new mentally ill. Of course, eventually, they will be clinically deranged thanks to the radiation seeping into their heads.

Speaking of heads, and this should come as no surprise to anyone, it turns out that
there is an actual, physical difference between delicious Liberal brain and rotten Conservative brain. Apparently, Liberal brains have a larger anterior cingulate cortex - which regulates decision-making & critical thinking, while Conservative brains have larger amygdalas - which controls emotional learning and fear processing. No wonder Beck blubbers like a baby and sees bogeymen everywhere.

For more on this interesting phenomena, click HERE.

Switching gears, I just discovered a FANTASTIC holiday tradition in Sweden. According to Slate, every year on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m., half of Sweden sits down in front of the television for a family viewing of the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special, "From All of Us to All of You." Or as it is known in Sverige, Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul: "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas."

Seriously, literally half of the entire country spends a "traditional" Xmas Eve watching Donald Duck cartoons! I love it! Love it love it love it! And if you don't believe me, click HERE.

Staying abroad, here's a fun fact in case any of my Peace Corps buddies/former students are reading this:

Chance that a Russian believes the sun revolves around the Earth: 1 in 3

And before you trash the Russians, consider this:

Percentage of Mississippians who are unhappy with the outcome of the Civil War: 27%

Let me bang the drum again: Cut them loose, cut them loose, cut them loose!

Finally, I was happy to discover a place that lets me download free books on to me Kindle. It's all "classic" stuff, where the copyright has expired. I just got "The Count of Monte Cristo" coz it was the first one I saw from the daunting list that I hadn't read.

Rather than pore through the list, I thought I'd throw it out there for suggestions from folks as to what "classic" I should look for - in case I haven't read it. So let's hear your suggestions, folks!

And thanks!

Two Wars We Need to End

I was surprised, to put it mildly, when I saw The Chronicle's not-so-token Conservative columnist Debra Saunders write something last month calling for an end to "The War on Drugs." Something you think we would have learned during Prohibition. But it's nice to see folks coming around.

Since Nixon launched this so-called war 40 years ago, drug use is actually UP. Saunders rattled off 4 very good reasons to quit beating our collective heads against the wall on this useless and silly "war"

1) It encourages criminality: the DoJ reports that "mid-level and retail drug distribution in the U.S. was dominated by more than 900,000 criminally active gang members" representing more than 20,000 U.S. gangs

2) Institutional hypocrisy: It's well known that the last three Presidents used illegal drugs. A drug conviction probably would have prevented any of them from becoming President, yet all 3 were/are "drug warriors"

3) Deprived revenue: A Harvard economist estimated in '08 that legalizing drugs could save federal/state/local gov'ts $44 billion annually while taxing drugs could being in an additional $33 billion. But no, let's cut Medicare instead.

4) Limiting individual rights: This can best be summed up by a quote from Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore narcotics cop and Ex. Dir. of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: "President Obama needs to think about where he would be right now had he been caught with drugs as a young black man. It's probably not in the Oval Office, so why does he insist on ramping up a drug war that needlessly churns other young black men through the (broken) criminal justice system?"

It's time for Washington to LEAD public opinion on this issue - remember when real leaders did that?

The other stupid, useless war is, of course, in Afghanistan. I'm actually on the side of a Reverend on this one, who recently wrote in the Chron: "Some argue that our reasons for beginning this war were morally just. But after a decade of revenge, we rounded that corner long ago. Amid news of air strikes that kill children scavenging for kindling, midnight raids on homes that terrorize families in their sleep and support of a morally bankrupt government nearly as abhorrent to women's rights as the Taliban, we can no longer pretend that we are liberating Afghans. Our faith traditions teach us that every human being is a beloved child of God. This violence we continue to inflict on innocent civilians is immoral and disregards our most sacred precepts of the inherent worth and dignity of each human being."

I agree wholeheartedly with Rev. Schlosser and to quote him once more: "We can't afford this future, morally or financially. This path has cost us dearly. There's no official count for Afghan civilians killed by this war, but it's well into the thousands, many of them children. Others were breadwinners whose deaths plunged their families into poverty. Some were beloved community leaders with whole villages depending on them."

Amen!

No More Lead and More Abortion = Lower Crime!

Though you would never know it watching the news, crime is down. "If it bleeds, it leads" has to be the most contemptuous phrase ever uttered in terms of what the media thinks of their customers. I read in last Sunday's Chronicle that shows a continuing downward trend going back 40 years - yes, despite the surges in drug use.

So if the country has never been safer (Orange alert! Orange alert!), what is the reason? Luckily, the Chron trotted out all kinds of theories--some designed to really test your critical thinking skills:

PRISONS Fewer criminals means less crime, hard-liners argue. Record numbers of inmates behind bars means serious offenders are off the streets. But other countries such as Canada and England free inmates after shorter sentences, and those nations have noted a decline in crime, too.

JOBLESSNESS The widely held view that unemployment leads to crime doesn't compute. During the recession when jobless rates hit multi-decade highs, arrest rates not only didn't rise - they went down for both property and personal crime.

POLICE Been in a cop car lately? The vehicles are loaded with computers and video screens, tech gadgets that pinpoint hot spots so that police flood crime zones instead of aimlessly driving around. Better DNA tracking has nailed more offenders. But police budgets now face cuts. That sets up a test: If expenditures drop, then what will it do to crime rates?

DRUGS A wave of Mexican imports and armed drug gangs should be pumping crime, right? But one major crime generator, crack cocaine use, which fueled robberies and burglaries, has subsided.

SELF-DEFENSE What about all those Charles Bronson vigilante movies? A surge in home alarms, neighborhood watch patrols and even gun ownership could be pushing down crime. But there isn't much documented evidence. As for guns, there are studies on both sides of the question on whether having one handy helps - or gets the owner in deeper trouble.

LEAD A ban on lead in paint and gasoline in the 1980s removed a toxic substance that was linked to impaired judgment and poor self-control. Basically, we've become more clear-headed and restrained, and less likely to break the law. It may sound far-fetched, but researchers are lining up behind the argument.

OTHER IDEAS Does the prevalence of surveillance cameras inhibit criminals? Maybe low inflation rates have chopped the resale value of stolen goods. And - watch out on this one - access to abortion has supposedly cut the ranks of the unwanted and poor, who are disproportionate sources of crime. Also, the Brookings Institution think tank says the lower rates are a vote for diversity because a surge in immigration hasn't led to higher crime rates.

What do YOU think is the main contributing factor? Vote now!



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/03/EDMM1JOIVV.DTL#ixzz1OhkZ0cwJ

The Best Stats from the Best Feature from the Best Magazine in the World!

As I may have bleated in an earlier post (and if I haven't, shame on me for not doing so), Harper's Magazine is not only the best magazine in the world, but they have the best feature of any magazine in the world: Harper's Index (from which I am sure I've posted various, interesting tidbits). They have a relatively new, additional feature at the back of the mag, which is also hella cool, but more on that later.

Among the things I like about Harper's Index: The variety! The shock and amazement value! The juxtaposition of various stats that helps provide a searing commentary on humanity with no editorial comments necessary at all - just plain hard facts. A few examples from the most recent issue:

Average amount NATO spends each week enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya: $1,930,000
Estimated value of arms sent by NATO countries to Qadafi since 1969: $10,000,000,000

See? I don't even have to make a snarky comment about the hypocrisy of this - it's all laid out there in two simple facts!

Next:

Percentage of Republicans who said in March that they fear that ACORN will steal the 2012 election for Obama: 25
Date on which ACORN shut down: 11/2/10

This pair of stats is "great" because not only does it help illustrate the absurd ignorance of (at least) one-fourth of Republicans but it also shows a complete cluelessness about what ACORN was ever about and/or the "power" they supposedly wielded. To think, even if the fucking organization were still around, that so many people could honestly be so deranged as to think ACORN could--or even WOULD--"steal" an election! More appalling, those sad, clueless freaks wouldn't even DREAM of suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court "stole" the election for Dubya.

Next:

Amount of federal money that went to NPR in 2010: $2,700,000
To Jerry Falwell's Liberty University: $446,000,000

Again, just the stark reality, outrageousness, and simple lunacy of those stats is enough to make any sane, fair-minded person want to throw up.

Finally, talk about something both surreal and just flat out wrong:

Chances that a convict will be granted parole if his case comes up right after a judge has had breakfast: 70%
Chance right before lunch: 25%

I didn't even get to the stats that showed India has gained half of the current U.S. population in just ten years, that extra-religious people are WAY more likely to be obese; or how domestic violence increases whenever a local NFL team loses.

I didn't get into those coz I want to share what, for me, is the most interesting stat I've come across in a long time! As mentioned, beyond the Index, Harper's also has a really cool feature at the back called "Findings," which shares a variety of interesting/bizarre research findings. While many of them are often things that make you think, "Why the hell would they be researching THAT?" (e.g., "Existential anxiety was found to make people dislike Richard Dawkins" Seriously? Someone studied that?), there is always something truly interesting - altho, still, not necessarily of much practical use.

My favorite example from the latest issue is this tidbit: "The number of phonemes in a given language is inversely proportional to its distance from Africa." If, like me, you can't remember enough Language Arts to know what a phoneme is, click HERE to find out.

I'm not sure why, but this little factoid just fascinates me no end! You'd think it has SOMETHING to do with the fact that humans originated in Africa, but how? HOW??

My Arbitrary Top 5 Rules for Living in San Francisco

1) Be ready to dodge the gaggle of giggling/shrieking/OMG-ing girls from Tokyo or Sonoma out shopping en masse, with their H&M bags, too-high heels & too-short skirts. In fact, be ready to dodge tourists, period. Obviously, this doesn't apply (or at least so much) to people tucked away in those suburban SF neighborhoods like Diamond Heights or (shudder) the Richmond. To me, once you've gone west of Twin Peaks/the Haight/Pacific Heights, and/or south of the Castro/Mission/Soma, you've basically left "the City" and are in the burbs.

But, again, for living IN the City, it's hard to have anything better than a love/hate relationship with the ENDLESS and MASSIVE numbers of tourists. And speaking of massive, they stand out even more than tourists usually do--well, the American tourists stand out even more, that is--because they're all fat and San Francisco is the thinnest city in the country (click HERE for the list--and be unsurprised to see that Texas has HALF of the fattest cities in America; yep, everything IS grosser in Texas!).

The love/hate part--at least for me--is the understanding that tourism helps drive the City's economy, but wanting to kill so many of them for making it difficult for me to get through Union Square, or Macy's, or Westfield's, or the Castro, or the Haight, or or or. Yes, many of these areas have become/are becoming nothing BUT tourist havens in many ways, but dammit there's still things about each of them I like and, as a local, I shouldn't have to wade through (or, frankly, even have to see) such tremendous expanses of flesh just coz I wanna get high and go to Cliff's Variety.

And then again, on the love/hate side, while I'm cursing at them for blocking the sidewalk or corner or street or whatever, I'm then looking to see what they're gawking at/taking a picture of, and realize they've helped me with Rule #2 for living in San Francisco:

2) You can never live here long enough to see every possible awesome view "postcard" style photo shot. The combination of an ever-changing urban landscape, the funky fog variations (not to mention all other possible weather variations), the hills, the nation's only mobile national monument, and more...all these things combine in various permutations to provide endless variations. And you have to make an effort to see everything. I've walked up and down Sutter Street literally hundreds and hundreds of times and I still see things I've never noticed before.

I think that's one of the things I don't like about "country" life - it's, to me, just the same old shit, every day, day in and day out....zzzzzzzzzzzz. And before you flame on me for "slamming" country living, let me just say more power to you if you appreciate that kind of "bucolic" lifestyle - I'd be happy to read your blog post on the 5 things you love about living in snoozeville. ;) I'm sure, tho, at one point, it will naturally (and to some extent rightfully so in light of my own dig) lead to some kind of slam on San Francisco for being a "Socialist" state (yes, boo hoo, compare us to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and all those other countries with MUCH higher standards of living, lower crime rates, less poverty, etc.), and which leads us to:

3) If you're going to live in San Francisco, prepare to be mocked for being a decent human being: we're too "lenient" on the homeless, we're too GIVING with welfare, and heaven forbid we want our community values to include NOT allowing manipulative businesses the chance to bribe kids into putting crap in their body by hiding it behind a shiny new toy. And while I'd like to just say to those folks, "Go fuck yourselves, you hypocritical freaks!" I will instead say, simply, mock and laugh all you want: I'd much rather live in a City that actually gives a shit about its citizens, and our role in the world (as well as in our community), than in a banjo-strumming backwater hellhole where they go to church on Sunday, but every other day of the week they're either working in their meth lab (wanna see how the other half lives, BTW? rent: Winter's Bone), getting drunk and beating up their wife, or attending rallies with misspelled signs and threatening the President with guns - all while complaining about the lowest tax rate in over 50 years because, by GOD, "they're" money ain't meant to go to feeding no poor (i.e., Black) person.

And again, before you flame on me for being too "mean," let me just say I'm tired of capital L Liberals being bashed in this country. I'm tired of continually being put on the defensive for NOT wanting to send our country's youth to places we have no business to kill hundreds of innocent children and civilians for every 2 or 3 real terrorists we capture or kill. I'm sick of hearing selfish, proudly uneducated "Tea Partiers" piously tout their "Christianity" while savaging their fellow man. And yes, I'm sick of being mocked (even by "allies" like Jon Stewart) when San Francisco passes another "silly" law like the Happy Meal Law (now being copied).

It's amazing how many people seem to disregard that key component of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution that says "promote the general welfare." In the end, if you want to slam SF for being too "mothering," too "giving" to the poor and homeless, too "Liberal," fine. But quit trying to act like you're a Christian at the same time. Fucking grow a pair and admit that your true religion is Capitalism - and all the selfish individualism that goes along with it. I'd actually respect you more.

But with all that being said, and as much as I try to think well of my fellow human beings (no, really, I do!), understand that in San Francisco you WILL be accosted at some point by someone "gross," scary, smelly, crazy, drunk, and/or nude. Just gawk or walk!

OKAY! Moving on! Similar to #3, something else to keep in mind when you're in San Francisco:

4) You actually have to pay attention when you throw shit away! There's not just a "trash" can in a San Francisco home or restaurant or movie theater or or or. There is a "waste" can, a "recyclable" can, and a "compost" can. In San Francisco, the citizens are actually mandated by law to separate compostable items from their trash and recyclables. The City has a goal of sending NOTHING to landfills and/or incinerators by 2020. Again, mock away - we're actually trying to do something about the trash can we're turning the Earth into.

I have to admit, tho, as "green" as I try to be, this has been hard. And I still get confused at the movie theater coz the small and medium cups can go in the compost bin, but the large have to go in the recycling (okay, I DO get that one - the large ones are made of plastic). And I don't understand why you can't put heavily soiled food containers in the compost bin. I feel badly for the folks who work there and empty the bins--ditto the fast food workers that have to do theirs--coz you know if I'm having such a problem, and still making the effort, the numerous tourists who have no such "strictures" at home (in Fatland), are just tossing their shit wherever.

5) Finally, and most importantly, in San Francisco you must reconcile yourself to getting on the bus AFTER any/all Asian women at the bus stop - no matter when they arrived at the stop relative to you. This includes an "X Zone" where x is equal to however far an Asian woman can run when she sees the bus coming. If you think I'm joking about this last one, just try - TRY - and get on a bus before an old Asian woman. I double dog dare you!

Women & Children First......Into the Abyss, that is!

"Great" line from a recent article: In a time of war and record unemployment, the GOP is sending a message: fertile women are the country’s number one enemy, and their freedoms must be quashed at all costs. I know many people are thinking "What is UP with all this attack on women, children, and the poor lately?" And all I can say is lately? This country has historically, shamefully, lagged beyond other "modern," industrialized nations in how we treat women & children.

The just-passed Mother's Day prompted a piece in the Chronicle that shows the U.S. ranks 34th out of 44 developed countries in a ranking of conditions for motherhood. Of course the top ten is a Who's Who of those dirty "Socialist" countries that actually use their resources and taxes on helping people rather than killing them: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Belgium, Holland, and France. The U.S. is a whole 2 spots above Belarus and below such earthly paradises as: Slovakia, Croatia, and Latvia! Woo-hoo! BTW, they measured things like maternity leave, income, political clout, life expectancy, maternal & infant mortality, etc.).

Most shockingly, a woman in the U.S. is seven times as likely as a woman in Italy or Ireland to die from pregnancy-related causes, and her risk is FIFTEEN times that of a woman in Greece! SERIOUSLY? We need to send U.S. women to fucking Greece so that they're less likely to die in childbirth?? What's wrong with this picture??

Here on the home front, another recent study looked just at the U.S., and at women in general, to determine the "worst states to be a woman in." The list, on the whole, shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with half a brain: Mississippi, Texas, S. Dakota, Indiana, Oklahoma (top 5, baby!), Kansas, Minnesota(!), Georgia, Arizona, and Louisiana.

As mentioned, it's not enough that we treat women like shit, we have to be evil to the kids, too (I guess this is a good thing for little girls, so they can be ready for a lifetime of second-class citizenship). And if you think moms have it bad here, kids rank even worse: 34th (what's interesting here is that Japan ranks 2nd for kids, but 28th for moms).

Again, you've got your Swedens and your Norways and your Frances in the Top 10, while the U.S. languishes below such kid-friendly countries as Lituania and Hungary and right above Serbia! Woo-hoo! We beat Serbia! We're number 34! We're number 34!

I think what makes these stats most appalling is the ignorance in this country re: how "awesome" we are and how shitty everyone else is. But what does it say about a country that is SO rich, SO powerful, etc., and yet can't even crack the top 20 in terms of how we treat women & children? It's sad, scary, horrible, and anger-inducing beyond belief!

As the Chronicle so nicely summed it up, "The Hallmark cards, flowers, and family brunches are nice gestures. But...let us not be under any illusion that we are doing enough (for women)." Or children, for that matter. :(

For more info/stats on women & children throughout the world, click HERE.

For more info/stats on the 10 worst states to be a woman, click HERE.

Deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon mots - XV

Let's start with some "fun" facts from Harper's Index:

Estimated number of feet eastward that Japan's main island was moved by March's earthquake: 8

Confirmed number of terrorist plots against the U.S. perpetrated by Muslims in 2010: 10
By non-Muslims: 25

Amount the Defense Department spent last year on military bands: $317,000,000

Percent change in U.S. labor productivity since 1972: +114
Percent change in wages during that same period: -6

Percentage by which an American is more likely than a non-American to suffer from bipolar disorder: 100

Age of the youngest person facing life without parole in the U.S.: 13

Average salary difference between a starting New York public teacher and a first-year private lawyer in 1970: $2,000
Today: $106,000

Although all of the above stats are compelling, there are two that really stick out (well, 3): the last two, which goes to show what we think about/how we support children in this country - and the paired stats on productivity vs. wages.

On and on, Republican blowhards talk about poor businessmen being saddled with taxes (even tho we hear over and over how the biggest ones aren't paying squat), and how they're "punished" for driving the economy, and how unions are the real bad guys, etc., etc., etc.

And yet, despite more than DOUBLING worker productivity, the selfish, greedy, lying, hypocritical business owners have seen fit to CUT wages. In the meantime, CEO salaries and bonuses are through the roof. AGAIN, where is the fucking revolution??

Moving on! I kinda like that brief moment of confusion/weirdness when you open your mailbox to find a letter addressed to you in your own handwriting. There's that momentary, "WTF?" feeling that you've entered a parallel universe.....until you remember what/why you sent off a SASE, and what it includes, in the first place. Wild.

Random weirdness: just a month ago, I'd never heard the word "supernumerary" nor knew what it was. I've now heard it twice in the past couple of weeks in totally different contexts: Don's first post-divorce date on "Mad Men" and an article on a guy in New York who volunteered as a supernumerary for an opera house in NYC. Wild.

My new favorite lame commercial is from Comcast; it's a series of shout-outs from their employees (or actors playing employees) trying to convince us all that Comcast really gives a shit about any of their customers. What makes it my favorite is this one guy who says, "I'm a professional....At least I try to be."

What makes this fun is the slightly, tho (I assume) unintended, bitchy tone he uses. It's kind of like he's snidely referring to a co-worker who is NOT "professional." Like what he REALLY wants to say is "I'm a professional....At least I try to be.....unlike that bitch in Accounting!"

Better yet, towards the end, this guy says, in an almost resigned tone of voice, "We're only as good as our word.....and our word is good." That just seems like a letdown to me.

Finally - another drug besides heroin I would never consider doing: Whoonga! Altho it sounds fun, it actually is a cocktail of various detergents, rat poison, and--tragically--anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs being sent to deal with South Africa's AIDS crisis. So of course people are robbing HIV+ folks to get their ARVs. As if Africa hasn't suffered enough. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about whoonga:

The drug is described as highly addictive. Project Whoonga, a charity devoted to combating the drug, reports that users feel heavy cravings even on the first day of use. It is also dangerous, because it reduces both heart and lung function. In overdose, heart and lung function reduction becomes fatal. Withdrawal symptoms reportedly involve both craving and pain, which are temporarily relieved by fresh doses of the drug.

I just don't understand who comes up with these ideas! "Hey, let's mix up some detergent, rat poison, marijuana and/or heroin, and also throw in some ARVs just for shits and giggles!" The ARVs don't even contribute to the high! Sigh. It's a sad, scary world out there sometimes.

Since I don't want to end on a downer note, and speaking of Comcast, check out this fun article wherein this guy reports on efforts to determine if the "Live Chat Comcast Representative" is, in fact, a robot. Click HERE to check that out.

A Perfect Storm of Lameness

Unfortunately, I can't recall where I copied and pasted this article from (judging from the spelling, probably the BBC!), but it's pretty compelling so check it out:

Ex-US state department spokesman PJ Crowley, who quit after criticising the treatment of the man accused of leaking secret cables to Wikileaks, has told the BBC he has no regrets.

Mr Crowley told the HARDtalk programme that the treatment of Bradley Manning was undermining "a very legitimate" effort to prosecute him.

Pte Manning has been held in shackles in solitary confinement.

Mr Crowley left the department after calling his treatment "stupid".

"I thought the treatment of Bradley Manning was undermining what I considered to be a very legitimate prosecution of an individual who has profoundly affected US national security," Mr Crowley said in his first public remarks since stepping down on 13 March.

He said he had not anticipated his criticism of another arm of the US government - the military - would spark such a controversy, and said it was appropriate for him to step down because his remarks had put President Barack Obama in a "difficult position".

The Crowley controversy was the first, very public expression of the intense debate and tension that the Wikileaks Cablegate caused within the administration, including between the state department and the Pentagon.

For his first media interview since resigning, Mr Crowley spoke to the BBC and showed how strongly he feels about the military's handling of the Wikileaks suspect.

While many liberals took Mr Crowley's comments as a defence of Pte Manning, the former official makes clear he believes Pte Manning is in the right place.

He doesn't say why the DoD may be acting the way it is and steers clear from any criticism of President Barack Obama, who said he had been assured by the Pentagon that Pte Manning's treatment was appropriate.

"Quite honestly I didn't necessarily think the controversy would go as far as it did but I don't regret saying what I said," Mr Crowley said.

Mr Crowley, a former Air Force officer and national security aide to former President Bill Clinton, declined to say whether he had been asked to resign.

Pte Manning is being held at the US Marine Corps base in Quantico in the US state of Virginia, pending trial on 34 charges related to the leaking of 720,000 secret US military and diplomatic documents to the Wikileaks website.

Supporters say he has been held under harsh conditions, confined to a spartan cell for for 23 hours a day without a pillow, sheets, and personal possessions, and forced regularly to disrobe.

'Counterproductive, stupid'

At a forum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this month, Mr Crowley was asked to comment on the matter.

"What is happening to Manning is ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid, and I don't know why the DoD [Department of Defence] is doing it," he said. "Nevertheless, Manning is in the right place."

Mr Crowley affirmed his remarks were on the record but later clarified the opinions were his own, not those of the state department.

"I'm a believer in something like strategic narratives," he told HARDtalk on Monday, "that the US, as an exceptional country in the world, has to be seen as practicing what we preach."

The Most Rewarding Hour You'll Ever Spend

Barring an accident or other personal choices, we're all going to get old. And many of us - too many - will be isolated and all alone. Although I've been aware of this, peripherally, it's really been driven home for me the past few months.

To be honest, when I started working at Friends of the Elderly, it was mainly coz I needed to get away from Youth Court, I wanted a job in the City, etc. I hadn't worked before with an organization focusing on the elderly, and was a bit leery for a variety of reasons (something new, cranky elders, etc.).

Now, after barely two months, I'm so glad I came here. Seeing this program in action, what it means for the seniors, and what it means for the volunteers, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Heartwarming in the feedback we get from both elders and visiting volunteers about how much these visits mean to folks--and heartbreaking when you see how some of these folks live.

The first monthly "in-home" visit event I attended, I decided to go do a visit myself. I picked a guy who happens to live exactly one block over from me, whose name is also David. He's "only" 66 (the average age of our elders is 80!), is a retired MUNI driver, and lists his interests as movies, politics, reading, and history. Bingo on all counts for me!

So I show up at David's door and am immediately struck by his tiny living space. Although he does have his own bathroom, David lives in a SRO that barely has room in between his hospital bed and the "kitchenette" lining the opposite wall to get his wheelchair in between the two. He has pretty severe rheumatoid arthritis and spent our entire visit "working" his fingers out of a seemingly permanent "claw" position.

He also has slight TMJ and so his jaw would be clicking while he spoke. Oh, and did I mention he's a chain smoker in a tiny room with windows that won't open?

And STILL, despite the depressing surroundings, despite the smoke stinging my eyes (and infesting my clothes), despite my discomfort listening to the TMJ clicking and watching him constantly trying to pry/keep his fingers open, I toughed it out beyond the normal hour we ask folks to visit for about 90 minutes total. Partly out of a weird sense of guilt, partly out of "duty" as the Ex. Dir., but mostly coz I could see it meant a lot to David to have this human interaction.

We started talking about movies, and I ASSUMED he'd be all about the classics, or westerns, or boring "old" stuff, but I was a bit shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to find him interested in a wide range of movies and directors - some I also like and some I don't.

He's a big Aronofsky fan, as a matter of fact! He also liked "Happiness" - one of THE most twisted and darkly comic brilliant films I've ever seen and only few others know. And he's a bigger fan of the Cohen brothers than I am - much more accepting of their (IMHO) overly-gratuitous violence.

It turns out he was also involved in "The Movement" as he kept referring to it - as in the 60s counter-culture. When I mentioned my Peace Corps experience, he told me how those "in the movement" had a big debate about Peace Corps - some of them loved the idea, the goals, etc., while others saw it as a cynical ploy by JFK to "infiltrate" and/or validate some of the Latin American despotic regimes we were supporting. I'd never heard or thought of this. He said he'd been at "house discussions" in both Boston and Chicago in the late 60s where this was a big debate.

He used to hang out with Noam Chomsky back in Boston, and hitch-hiked cross-country with some other "movement folks" in 1968 (he never used the word hippies). Of course we also chatted quite a bit about history.

The low point of the visit came when he asked, somewhat sheepishly, if I were going to be "formally matched" with an elder. It turns out David is one of about 100 elders we have that have been assessed and are waiting to be matched with a regular visiting volunteer (the monthly in-homes we do are for folks who only want to do occasional visits).

I could tell David enjoyed my company/talking with me, and despite all the "sad" aspects of his living situation, I enjoyed visiting with him, too. But the smoke was just KILLING me. I don't know how I survived back in the day when we used to go clubbing and folks smoked all around me. But my eyes were on FIRE and as soon as I got home I had to take a long shower, toss my just-washed clothes in the hamper, etc.

And I told David it wouldn't be "right" for me to "play favorites" and get formally matched - but that I'd rather visit as many different elders as I could. This is, of course, only partially true - and truth be told, I went to David's thinking that if we hit it off, I would indeed be formally matched with him. Sigh.

We have another elder who is SO excited to have company/visitors, she tells everyone that comes to see her, over and over again during their visit, "I'm just so happy you're here to visit me!" and beams. She often interrupts herself to say that!

I hope hope hope against hope I don't end up like these folks we serve. I just can't imagine what it must be like to be stuck in a grungy little room, all day long, day after day, no work, no school - and no human interaction. No wonder these folks are so grateful!

We are doing in-home visits this Saturday before Easter, the 23rd. If you're interested in trying it, click HERE to register. If you're interested in becoming a regular visiting volunteer, and being matched with an elder - or want to try coming to a party or other social event, check out all our volunteer opportunities HERE.

I swear you won't find a much more rewarding volunteer opportunity - or spend a more valuable hour of your time. I SWEAR! :)

The Best Tax Day in DECADES for the RIch!

This month the rich have extra reason to celebrate - it's their best tax day in decades! DECADES! Coincidentally, since right before Reagan started the country down the road to ruin. Don't just take my word for it, tho - read these clips from other columnists:

From David Horsey, editorial cartoonist:

Over the past 30 years, as 40 percent of the nation's wealth has shifted to the top 1 percent of the population, less and less of it has been liable to taxation. The highest income tax rate, 55 percent in 1965, is 32 percent today. Taxes on capital gains and dividends have been slashed as well. Meanwhile, corporations have won a wide array of tax exemptions or have moved profits offshore.

Most of this tax cutting was done on the theory it would boost the economy, create new jobs and, thereby, increase tax revenue. Over the past decade, that theory has proved false. The benefits of growth have gone to the very rich, middle-class jobs and incomes have stagnated, and public revenue has plummeted.

Yet, in the face of gaping budget shortfalls, Republicans in state after state are handing out hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax breaks as if they are magic beans that will sprout a gigantic beanstalk of growth.

It's a fairy tale, and we are certainly not going to live happily ever after.

This is from Jesse Drucker, Bloomberg Business Week

For the well-off, this could be the best tax day since the early 1930s: Top tax rates on ordinary income, dividends, estates, and gifts will remain at or near historically low levels for at least the next two years. That's thanks in part to legislation passed in December 2010 by the 111th Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.

"This is clearly far and away the most generous tax situation that's existed," says Gregory D. Singer, a national managing director of the wealth management group at AllianceBernstein (NYSE:AB - News) in New York. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

For the 400 U.S. taxpayers with the highest adjusted gross income, the effective federal income tax rate -- what they actually pay -- fell from almost 30 percent in 1995 to just under 17 percent in 2007, according to the IRS. And for the approximately 1.4 million people who make up the top 1 percent of taxpayers, the effective federal income tax rate dropped from 29 percent to 23 percent in 2008. It may seem too fantastic to be true, but the top 400 end up paying a lower rate than the next 1,399,600 or so.

That's not just good luck. It's often the result of hard work, as suggested by some of the strategies in the following pages. Much of the top 400's income is from dividends and capital gains, generated by everything from appreciated real estate -- yes, there is some left -- to stocks and the sale of family businesses. As Warren Buffett likes to point out, since most of his income is from dividends, his tax rate is less than that of the people who clean his office.

The true effective rate for multimillionaires is actually far lower than that indicated by official government statistics. That's because those figures fail to include the additional income that's generated by many sophisticated tax-avoidance strategies. Several of those techniques involve some variation of complicated borrowings that never get repaid, netting the beneficiaries hundreds of millions in tax-free cash. From 2003 to 2008, for example, Los Angeles Dodgers owner and real estate developer Frank H. McCourt Jr. paid no federal or state regular income taxes, as stated in court records dug up by the Los Angeles Times. Developers such as McCourt, according to a declaration in his divorce proceeding, "typically fund their lifestyle through lines of credit and loan proceeds secured by their assets while paying little or no personal income taxes." A spokesman for McCourt said he availed himself of a tax code provision at the time that permitted purchasers of sports franchises to defer income taxes.

For those who can afford a shrewd accountant or attorney, our era is rife with opportunity to avoid, or at least defer, tax bills, according to tax specialists and public records. It's limited only by the boundaries of taste, creativity, and the ability to understand some very complex shelters.

Deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon mots - XIV

As reported in Harper's magazine's "Findings" section, a recent study found that autistics are more likely than non-autistics to blame a woman named Janet for the death of Janet's friend who dies of jellyfish stings after Janet tells her the jellyfish are harmless.

This begs SO many questions:
1) who thought to study such a thing in the first place?
2) did they also compare against folks with Asperger's?
3) why Janet, dammitt? (sorry, couldn't resist) are autistics less likely to blame a woman named Mary?
4) why jellyfish? what about bee stings?
5) finally, and most importantly, did Janet tell her friend that jellyfish stings are harmless or did she tell the autistic person that?

At first glance, this other study seemed odd, too: a study published in the journal Gut found that a black Labrador from Japan's St. Sugar Cancer Sniffing Dog Training Center (hey, there's your explanation for the why) was able, by sniffing the feces of patients, to detect the presence of colorectal cancer with greater effectiveness than the standard clinical screening, the fecal occult blood test.

I mean, I've always heard that a dog's sense of smell is, well, superhuman...or I guess suprahuman would be more appropos, here. So it makes sense to train dogs for this. And I find it amazing that scientists/trainers are able to even have the capacity themselves to be able to make a dog understand what cancer smells like in the first place. My guess is that it smells like the inside of a Payless Shoe Store. Seriously, go inside one and take a whiff. I bet the smell alone in there would KILL a dog!

Random thought from the other day: Why don’t we call the homeless—or, rather, I guess I should be asking when will we start calling the homeless “differently-domiciled”? I mean, we’ve moved from “retarded” to “developmentally disabled” to “differently-abled” so it seems to follow…

I think, if we did that—if we counted people like, say, Kyle who is currently couch-surfing after spending time in Folsom County Pri…..I mean , the Petaluma Shelter (apparently, one of the top shelters in the country! And to think I was fool enough to leave that town!)—then the number of “homeless” people would SKYrocket. Thanks again, Reagan! Instead of naming an airport after him, they should have called crack “Ronnie.”

Think about it: it would still sound cool/hip/funky/unique, and would be tied to its genesis as one of the contributing factors for homelessness—i.e., it was introduced into the Black community by the CIA during Reagan’s tenure. Thanks again, Ronnie! I mean, oh yeah, baby, I got some sweet Ronnie to smoke later – some seriously good shit, the best Ronnie you’ve ever had! I’ll even let you have a taste for free so you can see I’m not lying! (shaking slightly)

I mean, thank GAWD Reagan also cleverly manipulated the sentencing requirements for people busted for coke (i.e., the Bush twins demographic) vs. people busted for Ronnie (i.e., you know – THEM) so they could incarcerate all the Blacks they weren’t killing already with Ronnie and the horrible ramping up of uber-Capitalism as basically a fucking religion—a religion that requires a peonage class. Wal-Mart is its church. The Republicans are the high priests. And the Democrats are the squabbling, easily-manipulated and trod upon masses.

Finally, before sharing a couple of fun links, I have to give a shout out to the show "Friday Night Lights" - even if you don't like football, this is one of the best shows you'll ever see. I mean, I love me some "Glee," but "FNL" is so much better in terms of acting, realistic (although still dramatic) plots, and I swear to god almost every show makes me cry - not in a sad way, but in a "heartwarming" way and not like the club you over the head emotions "Glee" often tears out of you! :)

Now, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading Tom Tomorrow's strips, DO SO. He is far and away one of the most consistent, hysterical commentators on crap both left and right. His recent strip entitled "The Very Wealthy Man" is both funny as hell and horrifying in how we let crooks rob us blind with no punishment. Check it out here:

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/comics/this_modern_world/2011/01/04/this_modern_world

Finally, since I'm in a sharing mood this week, I want to share a link to one of Garrison Keillor's recent columns. Not only is it insightful and humorous, he said the same thing I've been bemoaning about myself and not being more sociable!!

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/garrison_keillor/2010/01/12/anonymity/index.html

Deep thoughts, cheap shots and bon mots - lucky XIII

From Michelle Bachman: "I'll tell you one thing, if I was ever to run for president of the United States, I think the first thing I would do in the first debate is offer my birth certificate, so we can get that off the table." Don't worry, honey, we know there ain't any other country around that could produce a similarly "viable" Presidential candidate or that would see such a ridiculous "issue" crop up in the first place!

I know this is futile (RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! - that should have been my blog title), but seriously do we have to see SO much speculation, handicapping, and all that crap on the 2012 Prez election that is still EIGHTEEN MONTHS away? I mean jeez, a woman could get pregnant, have a baby, and do it all again another time! Fucking chill!

Well it certainly didn't take me long to chase off one of the (two) staff we had at Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (oh yeah, we're working on re-branding!). Just as I was starting to fear that this young woman would be "difficult," she gave me a two-week notice as she had a "really good" offer to move on for more money. On the plus side, that means I will have selected 2 of the 3 folks helping me, so yay on that. (rubbing hands together evilly while thinking how to chase off the last one)

Okay, seriously now, are GOPigs so selfish and concerned with their tax breaks that this all-too-typical GOP front runner's comment isn't laughed all the way to the loser line: "Now is not the time for a president who wants to think; now is the time we need to act." - Rudy Giulani This is trumped only by Newt Gingrich's recent "Obama is weak! I would immediately institute a 'no-fly' zone over Libya," only to COMPLETELY reverse himself once Obama did that. Seriously, ANYONE that "respects" Newt Gingrich deserves as much scorn and ridicule as the man himself.

Here's an example of something ridiculously obvious and should be easy to fix to help CA's budget "difficulties" - apparently, the state hasn't been good about enforcing the maximum paid vacation time a retiring/fired/moving on state worker can collect. It's bad enough that the cap is 640 hours (or 16 fucking weeks!), but that recent individual hogs could collect over HALF A MILLION DOLLARS in unused vacation time in the past year, is just obscene. In fact, with an exception of something like 2 weeks, I don't see why we couldn't implement a "use it or lose it" policy for state workers in regards to vacation time. Vacation should be to help you rest & re-charge to be able to continue doing your job--not as a gravy train golden parachute.

BTW, can someone remind me why we're still kissing Pakistan's ass and sending them so much money? It's been WELL documented that the money and "aid" we're sending is being "re-directed" (i.e., stolen). They continue to threaten and imprison our people. They loathe and abuse us over there (barely 21% of the country has a decent opinion of the U.S.). And so on. I mean, seriously, I'm all about "helping thy neighbor" and what not - but not the neighbor that's stealing your shit, beating and killing you, and basically saying "Fuck you!" in response to your assistance. Is this supposed to be more change we can believe in? Oh wait, it's same old same old.

Moving west, isn't it nice how NATO/the U.S. has decided to help support the Libyan rebels? Lord knows, we gotta prop peeps that stand up against an oppressor - oh wait, it depends on if we "like" the oppressor. In Yemen, there is a very similar dynamic going on as in Libya - long-time despot (30+ years) dealing with daily protests and demands for his ouster, brutal crackdowns and attacks on his own people, etc. But you won't see us stepping in any time soon for a "no-fly" or similar over there. And why? Well, the Yemeni despot is a U.S. buddy/ally. Whew! Permission to continue persecuting your people granted, big guy! Shoot 'em up! Obama is too busy pressuring European "allies" to not prosecute Bush/Cheney for war crimes coz.....well......coz that would bring about change we can believe in. Can't have that.

Finally, although this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, I saw a really good analysis on the Tea Party, particularly the demographics of the folks involved, that basically sums up the "movement" as one of the selfish. Makes sense, then, for them to be in the "GOP Big Tent." Tea Partiers are overwhelmingly white, middle class, older, and employed--in other words, the demographic MOST likely to have health insurance already. We won't even mention their supposedly "Christian" identification since the selfishness they espouse is so VERY "un-Christian.

The article sums up their/GOP "anti-guvmint" policies as the distinction between the government that works for "us" and then that liberal government that "redistributes" to "them." For "us," we've already got our "Socialist" Medicare, our Social Security, our Defense contracts providing "make work" (i.e., welfare) jobs, etc. etc. etc.

But BY GAWD, if you try to give anything to "them" (i.e., non-white and/or poor), well then it's doomsday and it's time to get the guns and hurl the racial epithets and protest and mis-quote founding fathers, and threaten violence coz by golly by giving to "them" you just might, MIGHT, have to take something from "us," and by golly just cuzzin I go to church don't mean I really believe in that Socialist crap that Jesus spews. Humph!

Brought to you by the letter A

Assholes – is it just me or is there an increasing number of assholes these days? I’m being totally serious here. Latest example: just last night, I was crossing a street, with the light/little white walking pedestrian, and I was almost run over by a big ass 70s-style SUV turning the corner.

I stopped in surprise/fear/dread/etc., the guy barely stopped in time to avoid hitting me, and so I continue on my way, a quick glance and frown at him, and then walk off shaking my head, silently cursing Mr. Can’t-Be-Bothered-To-Pay-Attention, and he speeds around the corner and yells out something at me I can’t quite catch save for the word ??? but clearly slamming ME for having the effrontery to be in the crosswalk with the right of way when he needs to turn a corner. I mean, WTF? As “evil” as I am, when I fuck up like that, I at least have the decency to apologize or—at the very least—be abashed and do/say nothing. But no, this guy has to be an asshole about it. And, like I say, this is only a tame example, but the most recent.

I’m sure anyone reading this can up with more examples of recent dickhead behavior, but what I want to know is what is it that has led to this? I’m not naïve enough to think there have been halcyon days in the world when there were no assholes—and certainly never such a time in America—but it honestly does seem like the “per capita” percentage has increased. WHY?

Anger – sort of in conjunction with the above, and perhaps at least a possible explanation (or, alternately, simply a chicken-egg loop), is the marked and oft-noted explosion of ANGER. Everyone just gets SO. ANGRY. SO. EASILY.

I myself am admittedly guilty of this, but I am able to rationalize it thusly: the things that *I* get angry about are “bad” things like racism, homophobia, hypocrisy, torture, etc. Yet, incredibly, the people who rant and rage and vent their STUPENDOUS anger the most loudly are the very folks engaging in such things as I am angry about: hypocrisy, torture, etc. It’s kind of surreal.

Apples - Mmmmmm, Apples

Americans - I’m tired of people trying to play “the American card” when talking about immigrants or how Obama is trying to destroy the “real” America or whatever else seeps into the gaping maw that passes for their brain. And I’ve noticed that the people most often likely to play said American card are the ones who think they are the “real” Americans and people like me who complain about some of the outrageous things our country does should just “love it or leave it” and are obviously UN-American.

What makes it most appalling (to me me me) is that I could stack my “American credentials” up against virtually anyone in this country and come out on top: I have multiple branches of my family tree spreading back to the very early days of this country - in fact well before it even became a country! I’ve got German blood, Irish, Dutch, English, Austrian, Canadian, Scottish, etc. Hell, I even have Cherokee Indian blood on one side and am descended from Pocahontas on another! I’ve “served my country” (albeit in Peace Corps, not in the military), I’ve “progressed” from humble roots/living on welfare, I vote regularly, contact my elected representatives regularly, don’t bitch about paying my fair share in taxes to keep the country’s infrastructure and safety net going, etc. etc. etc.

And yet, SOMEHOW, *I* am “un-American” coz I want our leaders held accountable for illegal activities (conducting torture, leading us to war under false pretenses, etc.), because I think the Constitution actually does include such things as “promoting the general welfare” of our citizenry as laid out in the fucking preamble to the fucking document, coz I want our Democracy to be beholden more to the lesser amongst us rather than artificial entities like corporations. I mean, seriously, what am I missing here?

When did “American” suddenly start meaning “Angry Asshole”???

HUH?? WHEN??
(running from the room in tears)

Economic Survivor - The Great Republican Shakedown

I saw this "great" editorial cartoon recently that showed a fat old white guy, standing on a beach with a Mai Tai, wearing a skirt/sarong entitled "Wall Street Wheeler Dealers" waving goodbye to a raft of "everyday folks" with a sail that said "Lost Jobs, Lost Homes, Lost Pensions."

The folks on the raft were saying "Why are WE voted off the island? HE is the one who burned down the village!" And a little GOP elephant replied, "He OWNS the island." And that just about sums it up, doesn't it? Let a black man steal a TV and by god he'll go to jail, but let a bunch of Wall Street fat cats destroy the lives of millions, and, well, they'll just get a bigger bonus!

Saw another one with CA Gov. Jerry Brown being asked "What about the 800 pound gorilla in the room?" to which he responds "Which gorilla is that?" as he's surrounded by several large gorillas, with labels like "Politics," "Prop 13," "Public Pensions," Prisons/Guards," "Initiative System," and "Voter Ignorance."

Personally, I think that last one sums it up and of course leads to all the rest. When Glen Beck is validated as a "news source," we're doomed to government of the ignorant, by the ignorant, for the ignorant.

In the meantime, it's not hard to see the long, thoughtful planning of the eternally-selfish Republicans: deregulate everything, then when business people destroy the economy, use the new crisis to say stuff like "We can't afford environmental protection! We can't afford unions! Or public broadcasting! Or renewable energy! Or trains! Or heating assistance! Or Americorps! Or legal aid! Or health care! Or or or whatever all else we never liked!"

While I like to paraphrase and borrow other folks' nice points, I have to quote at length here from a recent piece by Robert Reich (Clinton's Labor Secretary), as I think he sums it up pretty well:

The truth is that while the proximate cause of America’s economic plunge was Wall Street’s excesses leading up to the crash of 2008, its underlying cause — and the reason the economy continues to be lousy for most Americans — is so much income and wealth have been going to the very top that the vast majority no longer has the purchasing power to lift the economy out of its doldrums. American’s aren’t buying cars (they bought 17 million new cars in 2005, just 12 million last year). They’re not buying homes (7.5 million in 2005, 4.6 million last year). They’re not going to the malls (high-end retailers are booming, but Walmart’s sales are down).

Only the richest 5 percent of Americans are back in the stores, because their stock portfolios have soared. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has doubled from its crisis low. Wall Street pay is up to record levels. Total compensation and benefits at the 25 major Wall Street firms had been $130 billion in 2007, before the crash; now it’s close to $140 billion.

But a strong recovery can’t be built on the purchases of the richest 5 percent.

The truth is, if the super-rich paid their fair share of taxes, government wouldn’t be broke. If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker hadn’t handed out tax breaks to corporations and the well-off, Wisconsin wouldn’t be in a budget crisis. If Washington hadn’t extended the Bush tax cuts for the rich, eviscerated the estate tax, and created loopholes for private-equity and hedge-fund managers, the federal budget wouldn’t look nearly as bad.

And if America had higher marginal tax rates and more tax brackets at the top — for those raking in $1 million, $5 million, $15 million a year — the budget would look even better. We wouldn’t be firing teachers or slashing Medicaid or hurting the most vulnerable members of our society. We wouldn’t be in a tizzy over Social Security. We’d slow the rise in health-care costs, but we wouldn’t cut Medicare. We’d cut defense spending and lop off subsidies to giant agribusinesses, but we wouldn’t view the government as our national nemesis.

The final truth is, as income and wealth have risen to the top, so has political power. The reason all of this is proving so difficult to get across is the super-rich, such as the Koch brothers, have been using their billions to corrupt politics, hoodwink the public, and enlarge and entrench their outsized fortunes. They’re bankrolling Republicans, who are mounting showdowns and threatening shutdowns, and who want the public to believe government spending is the problem.

They are behind the Republican shakedown.

These are the truths that Democrats must start telling, and soon. Otherwise the Republican shakedown may well succeed.