Ike Was Right

5 08 2010

 

When I was twelve I became a Republican and interested in politics in general.  Dwight Eisenhower was president and as the grandfather of our country at that time, he inspired me to his vision of the United States.  Historically, he will probably not go down in history as one of our best presidents but for me, looking back, he inspired a sense of purpose for me as a young person and through his vision for us as a country.  In his last speech to Congress he outlined a vision for our country that in some ways has been abandoned and in some ways, over time, has come to reality.  Here are some excerpts from that speech:

  “Throughout America’s adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt both at home and abroad.

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

“You and I — my fellow citizens — need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation’s great goals.

“To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.”

There are numerous lessons to be learned from this speech but the one I want to focus is the line about the “military industrial complex”.   Being an old soldier as he was, he saw the need for having a strong military.  He also observed in this speech that the R and D of the military were often used for peaceful purposes, thereby enhancing the lives of all of us.  But what he was concerned about was that the military would become so strong and unwieldy that it would be difficult to reign in.  We have seen this occur in so many ways.  Since WWII in every war that we have fought, except for Viet Nam, we have always left a large contingency of military in those countries.  In 2009 our military budget was $515.4B with other military related expenditures ballooning the military budget to about 1T.  Through the cold war it may have been important to have these kinds of expenditures and military strategy to fight a large land based war.  With the advent of terrorism, it has become apparent that we are fighting another kind of war that requires different strategies.  More emphasis is being placed on tactical warfare and technology.  Drones controlled in the U.S. are regularly attacking Taliban and Al Qaeda positions in Afghanistan.  We are even using drones for surveillance purposes on our Southern border.

With the continuing explosion of our national debt and the strain that it puts on all parts of our economy, much has been said about how the U.S. needs to cut spending.  But when it comes to making suggestions on where to cut, the military is the last to be mentioned.  The reality is that so many parts of our economy and our regional economies are dependent on military spending.  Some cut backs for closing bases and redundancies have occurred but we’ve also seen examples of the decimation of local economies such as Sealy, TX where a military truck contract held by a British company was moved to Wisconsin. Also, NASA with its $108billion Back to the Moon project, primarily based in Houston and Florida was scrapped.   In the case of the Sealy BAE contract it was more than likely a political payoff or retribution against Texas, but for Sealy it will create hardships for years.  So, government spending for the military dramatically impacts the overall private economy.  The same is true for NASA.  Thousands of jobs both governmental and private industry is at stake.  But we have to ask ourselves, is it scientifically or economically beneficial to maintain this program. 

But military spending is one area that our government might make some dramatic cutbacks.  Not only because of redundancies but also because of the different ways that we will possibly have to wage war in the future.  Suggestions of cutting back are met with deep concern.  It’s almost unpatriotic to suggest cutbacks.  And it’s not just here in the U.S.  What would happen to the South Korean economy if we made a substantial cut back in military spending there?  There is much concern about North Korea and its military interests in getting South Korea back, but many have suggested that North Korea, half the size of South Korea and with less than half as many fit persons to serve in the military, could not mount an all out war since it can’t even feed its own people, much less carry out a war.  And there are strong indications that China does not want to have to bolster the North Korean economy in case of war.

At the end of WWII there was tremendous built up demand for products and consumer technology that had not been available during the war.  Much of U. S. industry was tooled for military production.  And there was a great demand for higher education.  The nation quickly responded to these demands with the GI bill, the retooling of American industry and more consumer products.

 Even though this scenario is not completely analogous there are some similarities with our economy today.  One of the main issues after WWII was the transition from a military economy to a consumer and infrastructure economy.  With over $500.billion in direct expenditures and about $1Trillion in direct and indirect military costs it would seems important to take a hard look at these expenditures and see where we could cut now, where we could transition into peace time industries and where we need to emphasize our future military expenditure efforts.  Even border security could be enhanced by channeling existing troops, hardware, and technology to our borders.  But if our experience here in the Houston area is any indication of the hurdles to a change in direction in military spending, it will be a long, hard fight.


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Walter Cronkite—Where are You When We Need You?

2 08 2010

 

 

I usually don’t make comparisons to the way things are now, with the way things were.  Usually our fantasies about the past are just that—fantasies.  But in the case of news reporting, I think it helpful to compare the reporting of Walter Cronkite in the sixties and the seventies with our situation today.  Cronkite was called “the most trusted man in America” and held the American publics trust for many years even though he did not always tell us what we wanted to hear and sometimes got the facts wrong.  But even when we later learned that his reporting wasn’t completely accurate we still believed that it was an honest mistake and we forgave him.  The other two major networks NBC and ABC were always trying to hold themselves to Cronkite’s standards because he was the standard for ethical reporting. 

  Along the way something has happened that has created a mean spirited and ethically bankrupt journalistic (and I use the term loosely) environment.  This situation is primarily on the cable TV networks and on talk radio.  You can even extend that criticism to blogs (maybe even this one).  Accurate and civil reporting seems to be a thing of the past.  And because there is so much dead air that needs to be filled, we are inundated with the same meaningless or vitriolic material 24/7.  We only get relief early in the morning when the infomercials hit the airways.  Gauged by the stuff that we get during the day, infomercials are a paragon of truth and virtue.  And cable news continually rails about the same subjects over and over, not even giving us a variety of arguments.  How many times have we heard that tax cuts are the answer to creating jobs or that we need more government spending to get us out of the recession.  And the interviews, where they have up to six pundits shouting at each other at the same time, with the so called moderator hogging the mike and talking over the other guests, makes my head ache.  Nothing new is uttered and the information given is usually inane, unintelligible, or cut off by a commercial. 

 To make things worse, we are now seeing these cable stations taking pot shots at each other.  Whether it’s Fox TV shooting at Steven Colbert or Jon Stewart or vice versa, the new form seems intent on attacking each other.  Since I now have to check in with all these shows including Glen Beck, I realize that I’m contributing to the problem.  Even though I’d rather not be in that position, I’ve become addicted.  It’s like going to the Roman Coliseum and seeing the blood sports of the time—they repulse me, but I feel compelled to watch.  It’s sick.

 In a recent Gallup poll of July 28, 2010 it was shown that only 9% of people rated members of congress as having high ethical standards.  Business executives were rated at 12% with journalists rated at 23%.  And even though we have lost trust in these professions, our frustration and anger is fueled by the constant need for ratings and our thirst for blood lust.

 So, why do I keep watching??????


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An Ethical Crisis of Confidence

27 07 2010

 

Almighty God, we confess that we are often swept up in the tide of our

generation. We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a

people set apart for your divine purpose. We live more in apathy than

in passion born of hope. We are moved more by private ambition

than by social justice. We dream more of privilege and benefits than

service and sacrifice. Help us to make room in our hearts and lives for

you. Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen 

Nouriel Roubini

  The other day I was watching my stock market guru Jim Cramer on CNBC.  It was a down day in the market and he was railing against the Bears for their pessimism on the stock market.  Currently the stock market is in a very narrow range and actually seems to be slowly drifting down in spite of increased earnings by corporate America.  He was lamenting the fact that the retail investor like me seemed to be leaving the market in droves or at least was not investing as they had done in the past.  He only alluded to the fact that there was a crisis of confidence in the government, international affairs, and lack of confidence in Wall Street itself.  On other programs that I’ve watched recently that talked about the new Fin Regs just passed, there was less than enthusiastic endorsement of the new regulations.  Most of this was aimed at the fact that there was little confidence that these new regulations would make any difference and in fact would give the money merchants new loop holes to exploit.  The growing sentiment among many investors is that the Foxes are in the hen house and are making the new regulations and that everything is about the same as before.  Many people on both the left and the right believe that this is just the first step in our economic troubles.  Nouriel Roubini, author of Crisis Economics and one of those who first predicted the effects of the housing bubble contends that the next world economic crisis will occur in the next two years.  He predicts that there will be a long, painful, protracted economic downturn, evidenced first by deflation and then by hyper inflation. 

 So, what happens to all of us that are poor or middle class that have been living on borrowed money.  Roubini suggests two scenarios.  The first is Keynesian theory and the other is from the Austrian economic school.  With Keynes, the solution to economic crisis is infusion of capital into the economy by government in the form of stimulus dollars and direct payments for unemployment etc.  With the Austrian school approach the answer is “creative destruction” which is allowing the economy to go through the painful destruction of corporations, persons, or institutions that are weak or that have over committed.  The theory is that even though painful, the purging of inefficient and corrupt entities will be shorter and make for a stronger successor.  Roubini uses the term “moral hazard” to explain the behavior of some companies and individuals that take undue risks knowing that someone will bail them out if they get into financial trouble.  He uses Citi Bank as an example of the result of “moral hazard” going back to the great depression when the government bailed them out.  Since then, Citi Bank has been bailed several times because of credit problems due to being leveraged too much.  And who has had to pay for this?  The American tax payer.  “Moral hazard” also comes home to roost with individuals.  Many Americans have leveraged themselves into bankruptcy because they either want it now and easy credit is at hand or we live in a state of perpetual entitlement where our priorities are fixated on the material rather than the spiritual.  And who will suffer the most?  The poor and the young.  Neither Keynes or the Austrians have the whole answer to our situation, but most of us know that change is necessary.  Individual responsibility and self reliance are important but being concerned and committed to the whole is also important. 

 I contend that a solution lies in three areas—the long process of unwinding our debt, the preservation of person’s dignity and worth, and turning to the One that truly gives us meaning.  And the longer we wait to make these painful decisions and changes the more painful it will be.  So where do we place our faith?  Jeremiah and other prophets believed that the answer to our predicament lay in our turning away from the lesser gods of our culture and placing our faith in the God of new life and creation. “Nearly 90 percent of Americans, according to the CIA World Factbook, identify themselves with a religion. But only 12 percent of American adults say faith is a top priority in their life, according to a new study released Monday by the Barna Group.”   It may be charged that suggesting that we turn towards God in these times (as well as in good times) is naïve and impractical.   We’re not ready to give up our little gods and until we do, we will suffer the pain of attachment. 

 “I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger to this place and let them live in safety.  They will be my people, and I will be their God.  I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.  I will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will never stop doing good to them.”  Jeremiah 32: 37-39  

 Jeremiah states that God will gather all who have been banished and will be the God of all people.  I believe that even if there are those who do not accept the presence and influence of God, we are all still under God’s reign.  It is for those of us who believe in that reign to live into God’s purpose.  The outcome may not be what we want, but it will be God’s outcome.


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Just Walk Away

13 05 2010

 

 

Houston has been fortunate in that it’s not had the same foreclosure problems that other parts of the country have had.  Last Sunday Sixty Minutes aired a segment about people in Phoenix, AZ whose homes had dropped more than fifty per cent in value and in some cases even if they could afford to pay the mortgage, they were letting the homes go into foreclosure.  Yes, there credit would be hurt for several years but they had gotten to the point where they believed that the best course for them, was to walk away.  Several of those interviewed said that they had gotten past the shame of foreclosure and dealt with the realization that their neighbors would be angry with them.  They none the less saw foreclosure as the best course of action in their self interest.  The program went even further to point out several very large commercial foreclosures around the country that went into the billions of dollars.  Several credit counselors interviewed, stated that many large companies did what was expedient in their self interest.  Not only did some companies let real estate go, but laid off large numbers of workers, and even took bankruptcy while at the same time giving executives large bonuses.  The message seemed to be, “if the big guys can do it, then why can’t I?” 

 Having personally gone through bankruptcy in 1988, I know the shame and guilt associated with such a drastic measure.  I remember the words of my grandmother and father who both went through the depression and survived telling me how terrible it was to take bankruptcy and that it should be avoided at all costs.  Fortunately, we were able to pay our debts in full and survive for another day and the properties that had created the problems for us in the first place finally came into their own and now are solid investments. 

 Even though that experience was traumatic, we just didn’t walk away, even though we wanted to.  What we’re seeing today has affected the entire economy and could have far reaching and additional systemic risks for the future.  It’s not just the structural effects of foreclosures and bankruptcy that are at stake here.  It’s also the ethical issues involved and the far reaching implications of our actions.  When we enter into contracts, does it really matter whether we adhere to those contracts?  Does a promise to pay really mean anything?

 We are all part of a dramatically changing economic and social system that most often does not live up to the virtues and ethics of trust, honor and loyalty.  I contend that we’re all a part of that system and that we are complicit in its very nature.  In reading the Romans 3 passage, Paul points out that the mere fact that we are human makes us complicit in the events and the sinfulness of the world.  But Paul goes on the further state in Romans 3:23-ff, “God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin.  Having faith in him sets us clear.  God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, ….God sets things right.  He also makes it possible for us to live in the rightness.”   (Peterson)   Does our being spiritually set free also pertain to our debt and the other promises we make in life?  Is not fulfilling our covenants with one another, what Paul is talking about?  I don’t think so.  I think what he is saying is about our relationship with God, ourselves and others.  We don’t just exist in a vacuum.  In making commitments, we need to be aware of the consequences of our actions, while at the same time knowing that even in our failures, we are still loved unconditionally by God.   In the case of the economic meltdown, millions of people around the world are affected by our imprudent actions.  Someone in our life taught us about fulfilling our promises and to be sure we were making the right decision in the first place.  My grandmother who grew up dirt poor and went through the depression always told me to never go into debt.  My father on the other hand said, “if you’re going into debt borrow enough so if you get into trouble, the banker won’t want to foreclose on you.”  In a weird sort of way they were both right.  Not only do we need to be ethical and trustworthy in our dealings but we need   to teach our children about financial and relational responsibility—that it’s just not about “me”, and that we should put off our desire for instant gratification.  One of the most influential persons in the area of personal financial responsibility is Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University.  His message is simple—there’s no sin in not trying to keep up with the Jones.  Live within your means.  Thousands of people have successfully taken his course and are living lives that are more meaningful and fulfilling.  And where does he preach this message?  Many of these courses are taught in churches since what he talks about is financial responsibility but also addresses our basic values and the way we see ourselves. 

Getting our own financial and spiritual life in order is one way to begin changing the dominant culture of excess and instant gratification.  But it’s not popular in all circles.  Living within your means is almost unpatriotic.  Shortly after 9/11 President Bush told everyone to go out and buy something.  As if, that would fix things. “Consumerism infantilizes us, alienates us from one another, and makes us apathetic as citizens. What’s ironic is that even if you base human worth not on social responsibility but on individual happiness, consumerism still fails us. A consumer economy only works if consumption of goods provides only temporary pleasure. That is, if happiness is infinitely deferred, so that buyers continue to buy more and more goods and services. By definition, the consumer can never be satisfied, at rest or happy. Which means she will always feel lacking ”  (Philly online LLC, 2008)   A sense of economic salvation and coming to grips with the realization that our value is not tied up in what have or own,  eases our feelings of inadequacy brought on by being held hostage to the temporal, that does not free us but enslaves us.   Being dominated by this false culture of consumerism is a personal thing where we live in a bubble that supposedly protects us from the forces of evil and humanity.  But God continues to challenges us to live in openness and freedom to God’s loving grace.


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Internet Ethics—Caveat Emptor

8 05 2010

 

 

If you’re like me, you are forwarded e-mails that present stories that on their face seem plausible, particularly if they play into your own biases.  They are presented as truth and you’re encouraged to pass them along to your friends.  The latest one that I received purportedly is from a newspaper article including a picture of the article itself stating that Hispanics conducted a boycott in Victoria Texas that they concluded was successful.  The full document is included below.

 “Victoria, Texas is a town about 80 miles west of Houston. Local Hispanic leaders there, in opposition to pending Immigration Legislation, boycotted all Caucasian owned businesses last month as a demonstraton of their economic impact on the community.

The boycott was declared a success by the Hispanic community, noting revenue in Caucasian owned business was down by 19 percent.

Business owners declared the boycott a success as well, pointing out that shoplifting was reduced by 77 percent, money orders sent out of the country were down by 97 percent, and the cost of daily clean-up and trash collection was down by 84 percent. Shoppers reported they could actually hear english being spoken throughout the community for the first time in recently memory, and customers paid for purchases with real money, not government debit cards or food stamps! The handwritten date is August 12 – 18th, 2009”

 I would site the paper and author but as is often the case in these situations there’s no way to check the veracity of the article or any of the statistics.  Also you will note that “revenue in Caucasian owned business was down by 19 percent” and that “shoplifting was reduced by 77 percent, money orders sent out of the country were down by 97 percent, and the cost of daily clean-up and trash collection was down by 84 percent.”   I wonder who did the statistical analysis on this event and why didn’t the national media pick it up.  Even if the “liberal” press passed it up I would think a story like this, if found to be true, would make it to Fox News.

 The point of all this is that the internet is a wonderful source of information but more than ever we have to be vigilant in checking our sources.  I’m amazed at how many people believe these stories whether it’s that Obama is a Muslim, or that he gave up his citizenship and therefore can’t be president or that an autistic child captured a Troll and put him in a closet while his mother was at the grocery store.  With MSNBC and Fox News, when they run a story they at least cite a source.   With the internet we may not be so lucky.  To me acknowledging the veracity of these urban legends as true is like buying male enhancement drugs on line from Russia, or sending money and giving your bank number to the Prince of Nigeria in order to get the major portion of his ill gained $40million.  If you’re interested, there are several internet sites that check out rumors and urban legends.  One is called www.snopes.com  and another is called www.truthorfiction.com  . However, in the interest of full disclosure there are a lot of people who don’t think the site is truthful and as one comment said, “it’s owned by a flaming liberal and this man is in the tank for Obama.”

 Truth is hard enough to glean without being subjected to out and out fabrications and distortions.  We know that it’s even difficult for two people witnessing the same event to see it the same way.  The human mind has so much information to filter, we often find ourselves in overload.  And unfortunately with technology, we’ve just begun in the explosion of our ability to have access to interactive information that can help us critically assess this information.  But our minds have got to be open to these differences in perception and facts and filter through our biases realizing that your truth may not be mine.


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Whom Shall We Blame?

1 05 2010

 

 

Romans 3:  Peterson Version

“‘There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.  They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.  No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one.  Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mud slides.  Every word they speak is tinged with poison.  They open their mouths and pollute the air.  They race for the honor of sinner of the year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, don’t know the first thing about living with others.  They never give God the time of day.’

This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place!  And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else?  Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God.  What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.”

 The current economic problems have resulted in both consternation and real economic hardships to most Americans.  As some of you might have done, I watched a good bit of the Senate hearings on the role that Goldman Sachs might have played in the debacle.  But after all the dust settled, it seemed to me that even though GS acted unethically, they were not guilty of anything criminal (at least for now).  GS was a major player in the financial world when the house of cards fell, but they were only one player in the tragic game that ensued.  The final judgment is not in, but my guess is that not much will come of those hearings other than to further cloudy the water and create more consternation among Americans.  I decided to try and give a time line and the factors leading up to the meltdown and in particular to the sub-prime issue.  The history of the evolution of this situation goes back to 1938 when   Fannie Mae and later when Freddie Mac the quasi governmental agencies that bought loans from approved mortgage sellers were created to help low and moderate income families purchase homes.  So, here goes:

In 1938, as a result of the depression, Congress passed a bill to help people achieve the American dream of home ownership using the pass through vehicle Fannie Mae.  Fannie Mae buys loans from approved mortgage sellers, for a fee, and that carries Fannie Mae’s guarantee of timely payment of interest and principal. Fannie Mae may also securitize mortgages from its own loan portfolio and sells the resultant mortgage-backed security to investors in the   secondary mortgage market with a guarantee that the stated principal and interest payments will be timely passed through to the investor. By purchasing the mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide banks and other financial institutions with fresh money to make new loans. This gives the United States housing and credit markets flexibility and liquidity.

  1. Starting in 1993 the Clinton administration pressured Fannie Mae to make more loans to minorities and neighborhoods that were underserved in the loan market due to banks engaging in what was termed “red lining”. 
  2. In 2002 Bush signed the Single Family Affordable Housing Tax Credit Act to further expand home ownership.  During this period credit requirements and eligibility requirements were relaxed resulting in lower standards in credit worthiness.
  3. As a result of periodic recessions and the perception that the economy could be helped most by expanding home ownership, housing began to dramatically expand resulting in overheating of the housing market.
  4. In 2003 Bush signed the American Dream Down Payment Act, further expanding available housing to low income and moderate income persons which continued the practice of stretching credit with short term financing, etc.
  5. In 2004 Bush and Congress at the behest of the SEC deregulated the sub prime mortgage business opening it up to other entities such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns whereby these companies as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bundled high risk mortgages with supposedly low risk mortgages into packages, that were sold in the secondary market. Typically, the high risk loans were at either nothing down and interest only and substandard debt to income ratios.   These companies were able to convince the rating agencies of the overall security of the loan bundles resulting in them being given triple “A” ratings by rating agencies like Moody’s.  They were then sold to institutions and the public.  The deregulation resulted in banks and lending institutions being allowed to leverage up to 30 times their capital, making those companies even more vulnerable.
  6. In order to further insure that the loan packages, insurance was bought from companies like AIG to give investors more security even though unlike most insurance companies there were less funds to back up the packages.  But it can be argued that the AIG was relying on the rating agencies, who were relying on the information they were given by package brokers like Goldman Sacks, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, who were relying on the underwriting and implied guarantees of Fannie Mae and Freddie who were relying on those who originated the loans who were relying on valuations of the homes by appraisers and the market place for these homes.  And buyers were relying on loan brokers who told them that they qualified for the loans.
  7. In addition to the home loan market, equity loans were being made that were being made on homes with questionable value.  The premise was that the homes would continue to increase in value and as long as there were people to buy the loans, there was little risk on the part of the loan originators.
  8. As a result, home builders had little trouble borrowing money to build the homes since it seemed that there was a continuous stream of ready buyers, regardless of their credit worthiness. Overbuilding resulted in oversupply and prices began to fall.
  9. As a result of overbuilding and poor credit risks a crack in the financial dam resulted which grew to staggering proportions that eventually required the federal government to intervene.
  10. Before the dam could be saved companies like Bear Sterns, Wacovia Bank, and Lehman Brothers to name just three took bankruptcy.  AIG and a number of large banks deemed “too big to fail” were bailed out due to the fear that if they failed it would bring down the whole world banking industry.

 So, who do we blame?  As the noted scripture states, everyone is guilty.  Even those of us who weren’t directly involved but succumbed to the sirens song of easy credit and instant gratification have a part in what has happened.  When we don’t stay informed, or make rash judgments about the issues, or opt out because we don’t think we make a difference we are complicit.  But most of all, when we don’t trust God and God’s covenant and place other priorities above God, we are most complicit.  The outcome may not be what we want it to be, but God’s purpose will prevail and we are all a part of that purpose in the way we live and act towards God and to one another.


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An Alternative Strategy for Tea Partiers

26 04 2010

In the article Tea Party Angst, I sought statistics or stories about Tea Party followers.  Recently, the New York Times/CBS News poll made a survey of the 18% of Americans who say they support the Tea Party.

 A—Are men

B—Are white

C—Are age 45 or Older

D—Report a household income of over $100,000.

E—Describe themselves as very conservative

F—Have a college or post-graduate degree

 Even though 18% of those contacted considered themselves supportive of the Tea Party movement, given a list of 10 possible presidential candidates though, 49% chose “none of the above”.

 As you can see the numbers are skewed towards being a movement made up of white males over 45.  Even though a majority said that their financial situation was good or very good, none the less they were worried that someone in their family will be out of a job in the next year.  “More than 2/3rds say the recession has been difficult or caused hardship.”(Houston Chronicle, 4/15/10).  Nearly 3/4ths wanted smaller government but did not want to lose some of their Social Security, rather focusing on “waste”. 

 I don’t think that it’s an accident that the demographics of the movement is towards males.  My article “Save the Male” bears out the frustration and anger that older men in our society feel.  Some pundits have tried to make the case that since most of the Tea Partiers are white that this is a racial and gender response to Obama’s election.  I think it would be unfair to make that conclusion as no one can see what’s in another person’s heart.   And I would have to say that many of the concerns of the Tea Partiers are justified.  The national debt is out of control.  There is little evidence that entitlements will be held in check in the future.  Other questions that they have are a little puzzling though.    Such statements as “I want my country back” and “I want my freedom back” and “Let’s go back to what our founding father’s believed in” make me wonder exactly what they mean.  What was the country like that they want back?  Was it a country dominated by white males or a country where segregation was the social structure of the time or is it better schools, lower healthcare costs, a sound social security system,  a country where getting married and staying married was the thing to do, or a country where going to church every Sunday was the norm?  It’s paradoxical that they want change in government but to this point have not been able to articulate a cogent plan other than to lower taxes and cut spending.  In wanting less input from government they are actually seeking more government intervention.  These nebulous statements and the lack of a leader to rally them show the magnitude of the frustration of looking to government for answers.  The truth is, no government official or legislature can turn back the hands of time.  As I stated in Save the Male we have to save ourselves.  But let’s consider some other statistics that are either forgotten or are being ignored that if acknowledged might return us to reality.

The first number is the top income tax rates and the last two numbers are the beginning and end % of debt to national debt as a percentage of GDP during presidential tenure:

Truman—National debt as percentage of GDP  120% (due to WWII)

Top Income Tax Rate                             % of National Debt/GDP

  • Eisenhower—91%                                           Start 70%+ –End 55%
  • Kennedy, LBJ—91%–70%                             Start 55%+– End 38%           
  • Nixon 70%–                                                    Start 38% -End 30%
  • Carter 70% –                                                  Start, End 30%
  • Reagan 28% Bush 31%–                                 Start 30% End 66%
  • Clinton 39.5% —                                              Start 66%–End55%
  • Bush 2 –31%–                                               Start 55%–End75%

(The Washington Monthly; Politics.gather.com)

From these figures it would indicate that the good old days had high tax rates, lowering of the national debt and a rise in personal GDP and the creation of wealth by individuals and corporations.  This goes against the perceptions of many Tea Partiers.  But part of being ethical and responsible is looking deep within ourselves at what motivates us, what’s real and what we’re afraid of.  Being the age of many Tea Partiers and empathizing with many of their concerns, here are some strategies that I suggest those of us over forty five might consider:

  1. Make a covenant with God that we will follow His word in doing mercy and seeking justice. (Micah 6:8)
  2. That we will covenant to tithe ten percent of our income and time in our churches and community to build a better America based on mercy and justice.(Lev. 27:30)
  3. We will recognize that 80% of all Americans over 65 are white and that 70% of all Americans under 60 are persons of color and of foreign descent and that they are the future and that if we want our children and grand children to flourish they will have to deal with that reality.
  4. Our tithe will help transform our education system, our churches and our communities as we mentor, tutor, coach, staff food pantries, visit in prisons and the hundreds of other volunteer programs available to bring about change. 
  5. We will advocate for families and children so that each child will be able to flourish.

Making education of our youth and adults through the encouragement of immigration and total commitment of our nation to education is the primary solution to keeping social security solvent, getting people off welfare and Medicaid, keeping families together, and keeping people out of prisons and jails.  But it will take a Marshall Plan dedication by our nation to make this happen and it can’t be done by just throwing money at the problem.  It should be national policy to give all who are eligible a free education from pre-K to a community college certificate or degree so that they can be competitive in today’s world economy.  Money is a part of the solution, but as important is also having adults involved in the education of the young.  That’s why I advocate the tithe both in money and time.  Older adults have experience and wisdom that is often overlooked.   For many, the attitude is that they’ve done their part and they’re going to take it easy.  On the other hand I know men and women in their eighties who live out the double tithe of time helping in so many ways. 

 After WWII our country created a system that encouraged our veterans to go to college to become engineers, scientists, doctors, and business people.  We built a public school system unparallel to any in the world.  The values that Tea Partiers profess focus on personal responsibility and covenant.  It’s time to stop fantasizing about the good old days and dedicate ourselves to bringing ourselves into the realities of the 21st century.


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Categories : ethics

Save the Male

15 04 2010

 

 George Bernard Shaw wrote, “This is the true joy of life:  the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clot of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”  Warren;   The Purpose Driven Life

 For some time now many observers have said that the American male is in crisis.  Whether it’s the angry and depressed white man who feels that he has been displaced by women in the workforce or the angry and depressed young black who will either end up in prison or who has a poor education that relegates him to unemployment or underemployment, many American males find themselves living in a malaise of uncertainty and lack of direction.  Statistics can give us a glimpse at a situation that in many cases can help us understand the changing landscape facing men. 

  • In the latest economic downturn men are suffering more job loss than women.  The rate of white male unemployment is over 11% while the rate for white females is about 8%.  Men are also remaining unemployed longer.
  • Males make up about 80% of incarcerated prison inmates.
  • One in three black boys born in 2001 will spend time in prison
  • 60% of school drop outs are male.
  • Even though there is still a wage disparity in many companies between men and women, in the current recession as companies re-organize, management positions are more and more being offered to women.
  • Currently in college freshmen classes nearly 60% of entering freshmen are women.
  • Men are four times as likely to commit suicide and six times as likely to commit homicide as women.
  • Older white men commit suicide more often than any other demographic group.

 It’s impossible to generalize about all men or even men from different ethnic, social and economic groups.  And over time men can change.  But in order to reflect on the plight of the endangered male we have to make some assumptions about men in general and men in varying demographic groups to see if these men have things in common regardless of differences.  These sited statistics can possibly give us a glimpse of what is going on in men’s world.  .

 The simple answer is that many men have difficulty dealing with change.  In my work with couples as a marriage counselor several traits became clear about a majority of men. 

  1. Men had difficulty dealing with feelings unless it was anger which often turned into depression.
  2. Men tended to be more rule bound.  Not that they always followed the rules  but when engaged in counseling they tended to want a laundry list  of things to do and then they would try and do them. 
  3. The old joke about a mans wife asking him what he was thinking and him responding by saying, “nothing” is often the case. 
  4. Men lead very compartmentalized lives.  Family, friends, work, and pleasure tend to be separated and only shared with the appropriate groups and then the subject tends to be superficial. 

5.  Men tend to want to go it alone, rather than asking for help.

So what can we infer about men from these statistics and traits of men and the current situation of the endangered male.  Because many men feel left behind and impotent to being the man that they think they should be or that the world has dealt them a raw deal or that the system is against them, their responses are predictable.  Even though they might profess a philosophy of self reliance and autonomy they respond with rage and depression, often without seeing a way out.  Whether the rage is against government, big business, women, or the “man” their rage is focused on others rather than finding ways to help themselves.    

 And society doesn’t give them much encouragement.  Wives and family members may have their own financial expectations of the man, that if not fulfilled  to those expectations results in them becoming angry and rageful.  Men can’t just decide to stay home and play golf twice a week.  He’s expected to work and bring home the bacon.  Otherwise, he’s considered a drone.   But what of the drones in our society—men who father children out of wedlock and never participate in the rearing of those children. 

 In a recent visit to his prison inmate skills class, a friend of mine who was the facilitator asked his group how many of them had a relationship with their father’s.  Only two out of 10 had any kind contact with their father.  He then asked how many children had they fathered out of wedlock.  Of the nine men, there were eighteen children fathered out of wedlock.

 So, what is the answer?  One answer is for men to get their spiritual lives in order.  Since it seems that men respond best to direct imperatives here are some things to do.

  • God doesn’t care whether you’re rich, famous or good looking; only that you’re in relationship and covenant with Him.  We often listen too much to what the world holds out as success.  
  • God calls us to be in covenant with one another; with family, friends and co-workers.  Pray and study about what that means for your life.
  • God has given us all gifts but sometimes we don’t see them or we undervalue them.  This may mean that we have to retool for the future rather than being stuck in the past.  The Bible calls us to be faithful and responsible.  Society’s criterion for success often contradicts what Jesus calls us to be and do. 
  • Deal with your anger and your addictions.  They only cloud the mind to keep us from seeing God.  Join a twelve step program and stick with it.  Fake it until you make it.
  • God is always there, waiting for us and to give us his loving acceptance.  Stop thinking that you have to go it alone. 
  • Every man regardless of age should mentor a boy or another man.  Our wives, mothers or another woman can’t save us.  With God’s help and other men we can make our spiritual journey together.  That’s something that most all of us can do and if we will it will change our world. 

 We are living in an ever changing world.  Whether male or female, we’re in this together.  We can deal with change with anger or rage which only results in more anger and rage.  We can displace that anger on others or we can see ourselves as all being lovable in the eyes of God and the world may not be as we want it to be, but we can embrace the challenges of life, knowing that God is with us and suffers when we suffer and is joyful when we are joyful.


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Categories : ethics

Ethics and Accountability

11 04 2010

 

Romans 3:9-20

“So where does that put us?  Do we Jews get a better break than the others?  Not really.  Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners.  Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

‘There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys. No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one……Every word they speak is tinged with poison.  They open their mouths and pollute the air.  They race for the honor of sinner-of-the year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, don’t know the first thing about living with others.  They never give God the time of day.’

This makes it clear doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place?  Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God.  What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.”  Petersen’s, The Message.

 We humans have a blind spot.  Some would call it the unconscious, others would call it the Shadow and some would just call it denial and the Bible calls it sin.  Whatever you call it, it’s something that affects our moral and ethical behavior.  From the view of Christianity it’s why we have confession as a part of our worship or faith journey.  It’s how the person in a twelve step program can look deep inside to make a moral inventory as a part of recovery.  And it can be intensely painful to take that hard look at oneself. Even when we want to be aware of our shortcomings, prejudices and ethical lapses, we have difficulty seeing it or admitting it.  But within most of us, there is the capacity to see that part of self that is less than beautiful.  

John Wesley

 John Wesley used bands, classes and societies to create “a community of brotherhood of discipline, edification, correction and mutual aid, in conscious separation from the world, as the primary visible expression of the church.”  He did not just focus on “correction” but considered the whole person.  Most would say that implementing such a methodology would be impractical if not impossible in today’s complex, fragmented and secular society.   Being “corrected” by others smacks of guilt tripping and religion has too long had guilt as a way of keeping people subservient to the Church.

 Even today though, there are some Christians who are attempting to implement accountability among themselves.  To what degree they are successful is not known but most people would not see themselves in such a relationship.  I have heard stories of some men’s accountability groups that will meet at an IHOP once and week and go through a confessional procedure of accountability.  But one of the problems with this, particularly with men, is that we tend to be so competitive that we engage in one up-manship.  If a man states that he’s been struggling with lust, another one states that he’s actually carried out his lustful thoughts, while another might say that he’s carried out his lustful thoughts with three women. But who am I to judge.  If it works for them, it should tickle the hell out of me. 

 So, is there any answer to these challenges that more of us would embrace and be useful in holding ourselves and others accountable?   There may be some clues to help.  One of the greatest difficulties with self analysis is that we tend to be myopic.  We only see what we want to see and the more we surround ourselves with those who are either like we are or that will not address our shortcomings, the more difficult it is to change and be accountable.  I recently watched a TV program about Enron and was astonished at how pervasive the Skilling attitude of survival of the fittest and the religion of profits permeated the entire company.  It was as if no one believed that there was anything that they couldn’t get away with.  Trying to figure out ways to beat the system was the order of the day and anyone that denied that philosophy or questioned it did not last very long in the company. 

 Here are four possible ways to deal with this myopia.

             1.  Don’t just surround yourself with people who think or act like you, but with people who will give you honest feedback.  This should be a person with integrity as opposed to someone who will give into your weaknesses.  But they should not just be willing to give feedback but also to look at themselves with at least the same degree of objectivity that they give to you. Inbreeding within institutions becomes an anathema if allowed to go untested.  In those situations no one is willing to say “the emperor has no clothes.”  

             2.  Recognize that “we are complicit in everyone else’s sin.”   It’s not enough to just throw stones.  As an example, we may feel that our country is on the road to financial ruin. But if we give in to the religion of consumerism, easy credit and meism, we must recognize that in order to change the system we not only have to speak up but we have to make some fundamental changes in ourselves and our personal expectations. 

             3.  Look at our own prejudices and blindness.  Part of prejudice is taught from early childhood but part of it I believe is hard wired.  It’s hard to split out the influence of prejudice in our thinking, but if we’re honest with ourselves we have to admit its presence.  No one is free of prejudice.  What’s yours?

            4. Look beyond the obvious and see how interconnected sinfulness can be.  As we have shown in other articles, there is a cumulative effect to poor ethics.  One error in ethical behavior can permeate an entire system.  We tend to create a disconnect between our faith commitment and our actions.  I use the simple example of leaving the parking lot at church on Sunday morning.  We’ve just come from a sermon on compassion, brotherly love and kindness, only to charge out of the parking lot and not allow others to get out ahead of us.  (yes, I’m guilty). 

5. Know what the scripture says and put it into its proper context.  Jesus was always showing those in power that they were missing the intent of the law when they tried to impose the letter of the law.  A good example of this is the story of the woman caught in adultery.  The men gathered around the woman wanted to stone her as the law required but Jesus pointedly showed them that they were sinners too and that if any of them was without sin that they should be the first to stone her. 

 6. What about calling out elected officials on ethical issues?  Many persons may not agree with their faith community’s position on certain issues.  But do we point out this disconnect between their actions and their denominations position.  We currently see this on such issues as abortion, comprehensive immigration reform and fair distribution of wealth.  Or is that too legalistic and intrusive into the personal?  Does personal belief, despite denominational stance trump institutional positions?

It’s been said that in genteel company it is not proper to talk about religion or politics.  Maybe that’s the place that it should be discussed, but in a civil and respectful way.  What do you think?


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Categories : ethics

Tea Party Angst

1 04 2010

 

In earlier posts I talked extensively about Cultural Isolation in society.  In particular I discussed the issues of Language,  The Tyranny of the Expert, and feelings of entitlement.  In the responses of people who are being engaged by the Tea Party movement, we see all of these factors of influence. 

 If you listen to the followers, you hear much of the same mantra—“Washington is not listening to us”, “throw all the politicians out and start all over again”.  Their analysis of the problem comes from very personal experiences that come out as frustration and anger.  They believe that the course our country is on is only leading to disaster.  Whether it is the healthcare bill, cap and trade, immigration or taxation they believe the country is on the wrong track. 

 It would be too simplistic to assert that all their stories are the same, but I would like to hear some of the individual stories of the people involved.  I would have to assume that those who have become a part of the caravan that is now crossing America and going to Washington, have the ability to move around independently, whether they are retired or unemployed, or self-employed.  Their mantra seems to be along the same lines that Republicans have asserted—cut taxes and cut spending.  However, Tea Partiers have also tended to hearken back to some mythical past when life seemed better.  From my observation many of them were a bit past middle-aged but there was also a fair number of younger people represented.  They’ve taken on Sarah Palin as their hero even though she seems short on solutions and long on platitudes.  If you are a Tea Partier or have heard personal stories about why people are interested in the movement, please share those stories here.  I want to know how the current political system has personally affected them.  I know that they are concerned about the future for their children and grand children as most of us are, but I want to know the stories of how our system has personally affected them. 

 As I analyze what is happening around issues  like healthcare and reform of the banking system, I wonder if their anger is misplaced.  Who or what groups have the power over these issues.  Take the healthcare bill.  Who stands to benefit the most from the bill.  Well certainly the 25 million people who don’t currently have healthcare, but the real beneficiaries are the insurance companies that had 25 million new customer laid in their laps without any marketing on their part.  Also, the drug companies will benefit since the donut hole in Medicare part D will directly benefit the drug companies. 

 Then there’s the banking system.  It’s too early to make a call on this but as things are progressing it appears that not much is going to happen to “too big to fail” , the derivative situation and huge salaries and bonuses.  My guess is that it will be business as usual and that the only ones that will be adversely effected will be the public and community banks that may end up being gobbled up by the “too big to fail” banks.

 What about fixes on the spending and income side of government.  With 80% of the federal budget going for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, payment on the national debt and the military, where will we cut?  It’s easy to say, cut taxes and spend less, but as I see it those kind of Draconian changes will affect the poor and the middle class the most.  Which brings us to another interesting situation.  My guess is that most of the people who attend the Tea Party participants would consider themselves middle class, middle America and from the crowds, they’re also predominately white.  So why do they seem to align themselves with those people who have the most to gain from maintaining the status quo—the very wealthy.  Washington is representative in name only with lobbyists throwing money at both sides of the aisle.  The great debate is on as to how we’re going to pay for all this.  People making under $50,000 a year, depending on the state you live in, have   an effective tax rate of about 40%,  This includes federal and state income taxes, excise taxes on gasoline, tobacco, etc.,  sales taxes, and property taxes whether paid as homeowner or as a renter.  And if the federal government lowers taxes on an item, it tends to shift the same tax to the local and state governments.  And who pays for this?  Well, we all do.  But there’s something called regressive taxation that tends to hit lower-income earners.  Sales taxes are regressive, taxes on gasoline and tobacco are regressive and many of the tax fixes in the healthcare bill are regressive and all flow down to the middle class.  The primary taxes that are progressive are progressive income taxes and inheritance taxes.  Could it be that the majority of the Tea Partiers are the ones most effected by regressive taxes and feeling the pain associated with over taxation.  So, I’m a bit confused that in those rallies I don’t hear much about raising taxes on the rich and lower taxes on the middle class.  President Obama stated that taxes have been lowered for 95% of all Americans.  If that is true, then the question is, “is that enough?” and if not, how much is enough and how then do we balance the budget and where will the cuts come from?  My sense is that the Tea Partiers need to appraise who the enemy is and come up with realistic solutions for a change.   The question about ethics comes in trying to  identify the culprits in this mess.  We can blame Obama and his minions or we can blame the Republicans or the bankers or the drug companies, but my guess is that we all share in the creation of the problem.  If we identify the culprits, then what do we do?  In this case it seems that we are confronted with a Medusa creature that has many heads.  Perseus was only able to kill the Medusa by looking into her mirror rather than looking at her directly.  Maybe part of our answer is in looking beyond the obvious and answer for ourselves, “who stands to benefit the most from our current situation?”

 I’m like everyone else.  I don’t want my taxes raised but at the same time I don’t want to give up my Medicare or my Social Security.  And I want to be able to leave my children and grand children a major portion of the benefits of my lifetime financial success.  So, how will we solve the problem?  Time is running out to solve the problems we face in a pro-active way.  The longer we wait, the more Draconian our choices will be.


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