Here and There

The mariner attended his county’s off-year caucus a few days ago. There were about 80 or so in attendance. As he told a friend, the room was full of millennials – from the last millennium. If the Democratic Party is to “capture” the Bernie crowd, the union crowd and the under thirty-five crowd, they have a long way to go in 20 months.

Credit is due the 20th century centenarians. They came from all over the county and the dialogue included fixing the election process across the state. A few comments focused on how to increase party voters but the insights were curtailed by the attendee’s ages and the chasm between 1940’s culture and that of 2017. In a letter to his Congressman a few weeks ago, mariner suggested organizing the party not from the core members but from the groups of advocates who already are vocal and active about important party centric issues.

As to Donald, his libertine and selfish lifestyle is beginning to weaken his command of the netherworld. Amos believes, though, the art of the deal will allow him to abscond without persecution.

Mariner can think only of Yuval Noah Harari’s philosophy[1] when he listens to Paul Ryan expound on the virtues of the new health bill replacing the Affordable Care Act. Paul was pleased that the funding scheme slowly squeezed out the poorer half of the citizenry and the elderly. As Seth Meyers asked, “Doesn’t he understand how insurance works?”

Still, as other nations can attest, an unbalanced population, whether economically or actuarially, is dangerous to a nation’s wellbeing. The US must identify the correct solution. Mariner believes the oligarchy must be disassembled. Harari would think the gesture hopeless.

 

LIBERAL ARTS SECTION

Mariner encourages the reader to develop a daily route of web sites that are useful, entertaining, informative, and feed the spirit. On the mariner’s route is an entertaining and sometimes whimsical stop called “Arts and Letters Daily.” The web site offers several articles in an email distribution once each week. Subscriptions are free.[2] This week’s list is replicated below:

 

Of Ice and Art

From Burke’s sublime to Freud’s unconscious to Hemingway’s theory of artistic ingenuity, the iceberg has come to represent the creative process. Why?

 

Against Everything

Professions colonize our imaginations. So thought Ivan Illich, who was against schools, medicine, transportation, law, psychotherapy, and the media.

 

In Praise of ‘Useless’ Knowledge

The best scientific minds — Einstein, Faraday, Planck — have been driven by curiosity and intellectual challenge, not practical applications.

 

Gender Matters

Think of a powerful person. You probably pictured a man. To empower women, a different way of thinking about power is called for. Mary Beard explains.

 

The Impediments of Style

Terry Eagleton’s writing proceeds by jokey elaboration, winking asides, and absurdist flights of fancy. It’s fun, but frustrating.

Copyright © 2017 Arts and Letters Daily, All rights reserved.

 

Ancient Mariner

[1] See recent posts, Samples that confirm Harari 3-9-17 and Yuval Noah Harari talks about the Future 2-22-17.

[2] See: http://us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8cbd654fc43afe6be9455ae3b&id=07ca33e09e&e=af427aa89f

Samples that confirm Harari

A few posts ago, mariner introduced the writings of Yuval Noah Harari, a renowned futurist who has provided books, articles, lectures and opinions about how to interpret today’s reality and project the interpretations into mankind’s future. His new book is Homo Deus; he was interviewed in The Atlantic magazine for February 2017.

Harari takes a simplistic view of humanity, saying that humans may think fancy thoughts in the frontal lobe, but human behavior does not roam far from opinions controlled in the Hindbrain (Reptilian Brain). As you might guess from its name, it’s a piece of brain anatomy that we share with reptiles and is the most primitive. It’s in charge of our primal instincts and most basic functions – things like the instincts of survival, dominance, and mating. Freed from obedience to history books alone, Harari can project very broad patterns that are predetermined by the hindbrain. [think Donald]

Harari’s book is one of several new books on our culture, economy, morality and politics that, even as a small amount of material, provides the new core concepts that are driving H. sapiens history today and tomorrow. The handful of books is a fine college ‘major’ that will prepare you for judging new and sometimes disturbing values. Although touted as college material, all the sources are pleasant and frequently entertaining texts.

Mariner includes the above preface to aid in understanding the economic upheaval occurring today. There are two examples: the emergence of oligarchy and the phenomenon of the haves taking as much as they can from the have nots, specifically the Republican health care legislation designed to replace the Affordable Care Act AKA Obamacare or ACA.

The current emergence of oligarchy was launched by Ronald back in the 1980’s. It has exploded into our culture because of powerful advances in communication technology which naturally give an edge to those who have the resources to leverage rapid information; do not give credit for the healing GDP and historic stock prices to the election of Donald. Unpoliticized economists have long said the economy rises and falls regardless of who is President. Data storage and massive processing capability have allowed corporations to be virtually transportable, cutting costs and sending profits through the roof. Why hasn’t profit been shared with the lower income/little income/no income folks? Generalists say that this is just the cost of new economic growth; Harari says it’s the hindbrain protecting unfocused fears associated with survival and dominance – and sex if it applies. The hindbrain, incidentally, has little ability to manage morality; that’s managed by the limbic system. [think Donald]

This tennis game with the brain is informative but Harari suggests this leads to a troublesome future. It is simpler to ask readers to reflect on Bernie’s comment that 1 percent of the population holds 90 percent of the wealth. Over time, there will be less and less available to sustain this ratio. Overpopulation, diminishing resources, and increased imbalance in the biosphere will take its toll on “unneeded” people.

The second example, the new health bill, shows the same preference by conservatives to squeeze out humans who, not because they aren’t permitted but because they can’t afford the health services – a clear echo of hindbrain decision making. Conservatives rationalize that every resource must contribute to a safer economy or, frankly, it weakens the economy.

These examples are presented with the ideas Harari would utilize. This approach certainly has its detractors. What seems critical to the mariner is that if one takes a fair view of human history, it behaves very much like Harari suggests whatever the historical situation. That being the case, humans are in for some troubling times within a century or so.

Two thoughts predominate: overpopulation (implying disappearing resources) and globally based natural issues; near horizon is the effect of global warming; far effect is a major ice age (not that we have to wait for the ice age, the shift in orbit will catch the attention of tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and disruptive shifts in the weather.

See why some don’t like Yuval Noah Harari? There are no cuddle blankets. However, his no nonsense, no comforting fantasies about political theory and no guarantee about consistency, give us a clear image of the future for Homo sapiens, all things being equal.

Have a nice day.

Ancient Mariner

 

Wait, the Taxes are still being Audited.

Adam Davidson, a freelance journalist associated with PBS, wrote an article for New Yorker magazine that exposes neatly why Donald didn’t want to give up his taxes. When Donald was unexpectedly elected President, he was in the midst of a real estate deal with crooked government officials in Azerbaijan, a small nation that sits between Russia and Iran. The particular officials in question are a front for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – a militant political power in Iran that sponsors terrorism around the world. Donald backed out of the deal when he won the election.

It is an entertaining story in its own right, full of nonsensical arrangements and thinly veiled money laundering schemes.[1] Incidentally, any person or business, no exceptions, making private deals with foreign government officials is not allowed, period. Participating privately in foreign military affairs is not allowed, period. Privately aiding and abetting enemies of the state is not allowed, emphatically. Any of these will cost prison time and yuge, really yuge fines.

Learning of this business arrangement, and of two or three arrangements with Russian government officials, and another international deal involving the oust of the current President of Ukraine, the news broadcasts this week have had a pleasant element for a change. We must thank Donald for throwing in one of his pathological comments claiming Barack tapped his telephone. A comparison between Barack and Joe McCarthy was like an after dinner mint.

Lack of action to do something about their President pushes the Republicans further into a desperate corner. The less than victorious presentation of the replacement for the Affordable Care Act doesn’t help, either. Sooner or later dragging their feet will not be enough. Investigative committees and special prosecutors are in the wings. These special investigating teams have the authority to subpoena Donald’s tax records. He may well choose to resign the Presidency if his taxes are subpoenaed but he will not be able to escape prosecution for the type of behavior presented by Adam Davidson – unless Republicans offer him a deal…

Donald’s one dimensional view of reality is about to bring him down. Mariner suggests readers (to some degree) turn their attention to legislators in their own Federal and state districts. Remember redistricting will be performed by those who are elected 20 months from now.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal

About the Future of Voting

The latest impact of the election is just beginning to trickle in. It is hard to glean from the mismanagement of the administration compounded by the old Republican Congressional machine (which includes many democrats) with roots back to Reagan in the 80’s and birth certificates hovering around 1940-1955. The mariner has read several sources about which he trusts rationality, fairness, and unbiased evaluation. The best source, that is the richest in terms of providing future insight, is an article from The Atlantic by Ronald Brownstein.[1] The statistics pulled together by Brownstein are the data behind the mariner’s observations.

Things will be turned over to the millennials in the 2018 elections when for the first time baby-boomers will be outnumbered at the polls. This situation will be more influential when citizens born since 2001 will have 5% of the vote.

Still, the young voters will have hard economic times as the international philosophies of economics and cultural ethics come under great turmoil. The entire world is entering an economic crisis as the chasm between corporate profit and job/income come to loggerheads – at the blessing of massive automation.

Focusing on 2018 elections, it could be an evolutionary transition to Democratic Party ideals that is a move toward contemporary concern for individual citizens over the lifespan of their wellbeing. But this is not guaranteed. Many workers, many, many workers, will be jobless by 2020. It is not a simple political party or states’ rights issue anymore.

What the voters need more than anything is a strong, ethical, moral and educated government at Federal and state levels who will be able to sail the heavy seas over the next 50 years and deliver justice – however that is defined.

An example of how powerful party politics is can be observed in the recent news item about Montana’s election costs. In Montana, each county pays for elections whether Federal, state or local. Montana has sparse population and each county must spread government costs among very few taxpayers. Unfortunately, Montana has had three state-wide elections in a very short time. The election boards in each county met to discuss ways to reduce election cost. They quickly came to the conclusion that a mail-in system would be affordable.

Everyone thought this was a good solution until the republican controlled legislature vetoed the bill because the mail-in vote would be the demise of the republican controlled government.

The mariner suggests that one push one’s horizon of cause and effect as we enter a truly metamorphose period of human history.

HEALTH SECTION

Mariner, like most of you, is not interested in physical exercises. Still this is a lax attitude about serious physical weakness. One exercise he recommends is to walk up the stairs without the help of holding on to the railing. Simply walk up the stairs on your own two legs. You will be surprised how much more exercise is required of your quadriceps and how much more you must depend on balance. Don’t do this going down the stairs; you may die if you lose your balance.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/can-millennials-save-the-democratic-party/518523/

Emolument Clause Grows Weaker

Mariner was depending heavily on the Emolument Clause in the Constitution to be the baseball bat that would make Donald sit up and make a decision whether he was a business man or the President of a Democratic Republic. Understanding that a lawsuit would be the mechanism (Congress isn’t functioning at the moment) and it would end up in the Supreme Court if Donald resisted making a choice, Mariner opined that it would be served the moment he put his hand on the doorknob of the White House on Inauguration Day.

Many political and legal experts are expressing doubts whether the clause applies. The clause specifically references “appointed officers.” Donald is not appointed; Donald is elected.

Several pundits have used the words of Jesus: You cannot serve two masters. Quite applicable in Donald’s case. Already he has made it clear that the United State is not a democratic republic; it is the latest acquisition of his Corporation and he is the Chairman of the Board and CEO. Since the election, Chicken Little has not ventured outside the henhouse; among the electorate, Chicken sees the directness of authoritarian government as a pleasant relief from slow and deliberate democracy. An autocratic King might be a productive change to those without foresight.

Mariner learned on a newscast weeks ago that there is evidence that shows Donald, Rex, and Vladimir have conferred about reversing sanctions against Russia so that Rex’s corporation, Exxon, is allowed to drill oil in Russia. Turns out Vladimir needs Exxon’s technology to retrieve oil from difficult terrain.

So who is Secretary of State? Rex. Who is Secretary of the Treasury? Mnuchin who worked for Goldman Sachs and made billions from the housing market collapse. Who is Secretary of Health and Human Services? Price. He worked in the Health industry before being elected to the House where he frequently purchases stock in health services corporations then writes legislation that benefits the corporation which runs up the stock – making a tidy profit for Price. Price is one of the most adamant enemies of the Affordable Care Act. If nothing else, government-managed health care will put a damper on his antics in the stock market.

It is only the mariner’s opinion – and a general statement – that Donald has roamed the world of business working primarily with shady financers, organized crime leaders and making deals where he can exit at some point with all the cash (the casinos, several construction projects and sideline businesses –two of which ended in lawsuits). When Asked about Donald early in the 2016 campaign, Colin Powell, usually an understated individual, said “Trump is a pariah in the world of business.”

Narcissistic, defectively egocentric, pathological liar, immoral – all these detract from a positive administration that will look after the nation’s best interest. What mariner fears most is Donald’s ability to ignore all ethical arguments save one: profit, profit, and profit. His trashy business practices and his less than noble cohorts don’t bode well for Mr. and Mrs. Citizen.

Too bad about the Emolument thing.

Ancient Mariner

Generalisms

Mariner has been writing often about myths. Myths are a legitimate, indeed critical part of religious understanding; without myths, the indescribable spirituality we draw from our faith would not be possible. From the same box of tools for explanation is the generalism.

Everyone uses generalisms every day. We use generalisms to express opinion without having to give a lecture and in the context that offering the generalism does not mean it is absolute. A simple and innocuous example is:

Larry says, “Hello, Tom. I plan to have a Thanksgiving dinner this year. What do I need?” One knows instinctively that Larry does not want a half-dozen recipes dictated or directions to the library or a show and tell about Tom’s last four Thanksgiving dinners. Tom uses a general statement to offer Larry an opinion: “Oh, maybe the common items are a turkey, potatoes and gravy, some vegetables and desert, like a pumpkin pie.” A generalism is an excellent means for expressing a large, unofficial collection of information. It should be noted that a generalism is not an idea; it is an assimilation.

Like myths, while absolutely critical to insightful communication, generalisms can be abused:

One can adopt a literal value for a general statement. This is called prejudice. Good or bad in intention, a generalism is not a specific, formulated entity; making a general statement innately means there are many exceptions and diverse perspectives included – one cannot legislate by means of generalism. It is this error that confronts Donald at every turn. Further, one cannot live a healthy and insightful life trying to act according to a set of prejudices.

One cannot infer a further generalism from an existing generalism. That is the same as executing a split-middle in a syllogism: All cats are four-legged animals; all horses have four legs; therefore all horses are four-legged animals. The derived generalism: all animals have four legs; ducks are animals; therefore ducks have four legs.

However, it is this abuse, building a generalism referencing another generalism that is the foundation of racial prejudice in the US: Whites are successful; blacks are less successful; therefore blacks are not the same as whites. The derived generalism: Successful whites are ambitious; blacks are not as successful; therefore blacks are not as ambitious. One can imagine the multiplicity of prejudice by those who believe generalisms to be literally true.

Broadcast news has drifted from investigative reporting to information of viewer interest, that is, generalisms and placating viewers. This weakness has allowed Donald, among many other misrepresented issues, capable of running an entire campaign and Presidency leveraging generalisms. Donald’s flamboyant pontifications were the news – invalidated by facts. News organizations have lost credibility as a consequence; individuals and legislation hurtful to our culture succeed without scrutiny or public awareness. Generalisms are not always the proper form of communication for the task at hand.

Three cheers and a gold plaque for NBC White House press reporter Peter Alexander when he corrected Donald’s claim to have the Electoral College’s highest win votes in history since Ronald. Peter had done his investigative homework and called out Donald on his blatantly touted falsehood; Donald wasn’t even fourth. Asked how the public could have faith in him if he lies, Donald said someone else gave him the information. Except for Peter, would the public have accepted the generalism not knowing the facts that make the generalism false and self-serving?

Generalisms are not facts, they are presumptions.

Yet, because the public prefers not to spend time postulating and judging facts, generalisms are more entertaining therefore draw a larger viewer share. As the official prevaricator of information, broadcast news owes the public more than entertaining generalisms. A condition lasting several generations, the public will require therapy to restore the requirement for facts.

[The first news center was converted from a public service to a profit center in 1977 (20/20). By the late 80’s all news was competing for profit rather than better news based on facts.]

The public has become lax about being correctly informed – paradoxically, during an era when more facts are free, more information is quickly accessible and more available than ever. If the news won’t investigate, the viewer is vulnerable unless the viewer decomposes news generalisms into the ‘facts’ that may or may not support them.

Ancient Mariner

 

Are You Willing to have sex to pay for Education?

Sharyl Attkisson is an independent, somewhat conservative news journalist. She covers stories that are one step away from “Big News” stories that often are more telling than splashy headlines. Attkisson uncovered a situation affecting college students – particularly women.[1] It turns out there is a dating service that doesn’t advertise on television called “Sugar Daddy University.”

College students of both sexes (but one can imagine that the great majority are women – our daughters) who are desperate to pay their bills. Not necessarily tuition directly but fees, add-on costs, additional book fees, Lab fees, parking fees – over $800/month at New York University – etc. all of which are a pay-as-you-go economy. Students interviewed said it wasn’t really a pay for sex arrangement although if you consented, sex pays better.

What does this make our Congress? Pimps? The Congress refuses to assist any form of education or issue regulations or raise taxes to address the fact that students must pay $35 – $80 thousand dollars to obtain a college degree which, according to those who look at the future, is mandatory if our children will be eligible for decent paying jobs.

Even overlooking Congress-sanctioned prostitution, if the US has a prayer of being a leading power in twenty years, the key is education. Congress is not only immoral, it is stupid.

Friends, a 1985 Congress just won’t cut it any more. You all have your good ol’ buddy Congressmen that you’ve voted for all your life but that good ol’ boy is killing us far more than Donald is. When you vote, vote restricted only to fixing one issue; that keeps you from being distracted. And give serious consideration to the candidate’s age. Mariner is an ol’ codger himself. He knows if you grew up before students were shot and killed by the National Guard at Kent State University (1971), you have no idea what’s happening today.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/degree-of-debt for the full story of broken and abused budgets in colleges.

For Richer, For Poorer

Recently, the liberal economists and the conservative economists began expressing growing concern about the same thing: inequality. Virtually every validated and respected futurist, economist, even international banks, agree about the future: money is rushing faster and faster to only three sectors: manufacture of computers/information, international corporations, and banking/investment.

Mariner could toss lots of numbers and names of countries and corporations at the reader; that would take lots of words and trying to grow reader interest in a desert of information.

Though most readers are resistant to watching mariner’s Internet references, he implores the reader, he begs the reader, he insists the reader, he respectfully requests the reader watch an episode of Forward Thinking, “For Richer, For Poorer – the Dangers of Inequality” last broadcast on Bloomberg television June 17, 2016. In your search engine type:

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-17/forward-thinking-for-richer-for-poorer

Watch it in its entirety. It is not fake news; there is no special interest agenda; it is too complicated for politicians – that doesn’t mean it is too complicated for you.

Further, check your current Atlantic magazine for a review of what Donald is doing. Mariner will let Atlantic speak about the Donald in his stead. The reader also can read the articles at www.atlantic.com.

Ancient Mariner

 

If One Loves, One Loves Alone.

A couple of readers commented that the mariner has not written much about Donald and the Federal and state Governments. That is true. Mariner has written pointed letters to his Senators and Representative and responds to them often in behalf of Food and Water Watch. He chooses however, to avoid a horrid, depraved and broken place – a diseased Gehenna, Sheol itself. And his peers voted to place Lucifer in charge.

Even as love, compassion and Grace have no bounds, so, too, do depravity, thievery, deliberate enslavement and lust. White Man has never stopped committing genocide; it is close to wiping out an entire nation.

As to Donald, the simpleton electorate had opportunities to force him out and did not. Donald is something everyone complains about but does nothing about – just like THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE DYING EACH YEAR BY GUNS! The solution lies in the hands of the same flaccid electorate. God bless us everyone. Ironically, polls show 43 percent of the electorate thinks Lucifer is doing a good job. This is not mariner’s country; time to refurbish the boat…

The US Government looks more and more like the soulless oligarchy run by Vladimir. And Lucifer is leading the way.

Mariner could not help but hear today’s headline when Chief Turtle McConnell shut down Elizabeth Warren for reading Coretta King’s letter in opposition to making Jeff Sessions a judge. How dare Elizabeth impugn a blatant racist?

Mariner is not insane in his ethos, just alone.

Ancient Mariner

 

A Few Small Things

Increasingly, but now only a lightly utilized technology that soon will alter dramatically our economic theories of value, solar energy unbelievably will modify every nation’s model of what it costs to live a daily life. Put a few solar panels up in deep Africa and electricity will convert every human activity to an unexpectedly wonderful life style. Put a few panel arrays up in our backyards and the electric bill will disappear – electricity for free after installation. Electricity will be so free that home gas furnaces virtually will disappear.

Automobiles, trucks and boats already are moving toward solar. Industrial factories already are maximizing solar. The issue with solar energy is that it is provided free by our Sun. This does not sit well with fossil fuel investors. Interestingly, fossil fuel is so in charge of global economy right now that any shift to something else will cause significant disruption to world economy. It will settle out in a decade or two but the many investors who ride on fossil fuel will have to sing and dance a bit. Fortunately, both political parties are in favor of improving the US infrastructure; mariner doesn’t think the Donald party is happy about the upgrade to solar; his party is standing in oil up to their buttocks and can’t wait to remove all the Russian sanctions so Exxon, Donald and Rex can make a billion or two….

Given the displacement by free electricity of oil as an international commodity standard and further, the massive drop in the number of jobs that are dependent on the combined transportation and oil economies, does the reader think these changes will force a philosophical shift in how governments deal with work in general?

– – – –

Speaking of work, another question: Will the US finally concede to a required universal draft for a couple of years of young people to do government work? Even more necessary, how about a required universal draft for a couple of years of folks when they start retirement? The mariner ponders whether this could be a permanent solution to keep the voracious US budget under control AND confront joblessness while the culture eases into a new work concept? (Don’t tell anyone that FDR already did this to lift the US out of the Great Depression)

– – – –

The mariner worries about the abortion issue. There are valid human values about not having an abortion – there are valid human values about the right to have an abortion. The US principle of freedom to worship seems not to be a sufficient ethic to sustain the right to either one. The same applies to euthanasia although six States have begun to regulate the right to die. The mariner would be interested in new, untried solutions to abortion and euthanasia. He is NOT interested in lectures or advocacy about current opinions.

Speaking of population control, another question: sitting at seven billion people, there already are far more than the planet can support – evidenced by the quickening day each year the Earth can no longer provide replacements for what seven billion people consume.[1] When will the imbalance of wellbeing be addressed? This question must be answered long before humans reach twelve billion.

– – – –

A clear example of the opinion that governments aren’t run like businesses is visible in the manner which Donald and his cabinet are dismantling unwanted policies in the Departments. With one instruction, Global Warming no longer exists and therefore has no need of resources currently working on its policies; only one rationale exists for the Environmental Protection Agency: don’t interfere with fossil fuel. No doubt the same attitude will follow with regard to Agricultural chemicals. Department of Treasury is taking longer because Congressional jurisdiction is more direct.

Mariner opines that some lawsuits are forthcoming because one cannot run a government the same way one runs a business. The lawsuit mariner waits for with desperation is one with the word emolument in it.[2] It must be a lawsuit rather than impeachment – with this Congress?

 

REFERENCE SECTION

Mariner was browsing quote websites. It is quite entertaining and insightful as well. Try it sometime. On this occasion, he was reading Winston Churchill who has many pages of quotes. Here’s one:

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

Remember Bob Edwards? He said one of mariner’s favorites:

Now I know what a statesman is; he’s a dead politician. We need more statesmen.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See: http://www.overshootday.org/

[2] See: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/trump-could-be-in-violation-of-the-constitution-his-first-day-in-office/509810/