15 Things That Make Me Blog

Time to brain dump. This is what happens when I don't blog for a while. I make no claim of immunity from my observations below.

1. The economy is bad. It has been worse, much worse. We (as in the over-consuming, fat, lazy, intrinsically entitled people that we call US citizens) caused the problem. We need to fix the problem, which is proving difficult given our token characteristics I just mentioned. It isn't going to fix itself. The government isn't going to fix it for us. We have to dig in and get to work... all day... every day. If you have the chance to speak to or read about someone who lived through the great depression, you'll find yourself in the midst of a reality check.
2. At what point does someone become intrinsically entitled to something, especially when it comes to money, work, status, cars, lawsuits, and the like? Is that possibly an oxymoron? It should be. Where did this idea come from. Unless you were born with an 11th toe or a tail, you pretty much started off on the same standing as everyone else. Whey you die, you have no entitlement, because there is no more you. Everything in between is what you make of it. You are not entitled to a job, a certain pay grade, health insurance, or even housing or food. What you are entitled to is the opportunity to play by society's rules to gain the things that society values. If you choose not to play by the rules, that's fine, but don't expect society to (and in pains me to even use this phrase any more) "bail you out." If you don't like your society, find another one. If you can't or won't, learn to deal with it. We all have problems.
3. There is no such thing as a religious child. They don't grasp the concept of religion. By extension, there is absolutely no such thing as religious specificity for a child. It's absurd. Saying that he or she is a "Catholic child" or a "Muslim child" or was born a Hindu is simply naive. Claiming that children can somehow be born with a pre-defined religious view is highly unlikely, given that all children just so happen to believe in the same religion as their parents until they reach the age of high reasoning. This is true of biological or adopted children ... this kind of logic drives staticians crazy.
4. Plastics suck. Plastics are the devil. Somehow they have been branded as a much cleaner alternative to glasses, woods, and metals. Where do plastics come from? Oil. Where do plastics go when we're done with it? A small portion is recycled, but most ends up in trash, landfills, and eventuall rivers and oceans. How long does plastic take to naturally bio-degrade? We really don't know, because it hasn't happened to any plastic that has ever been manufactured. The first plastic cup that was ever used is still with us, so is the first plastic grocery bag, plastic pen, plastic water bottle, and anything else that has the word "plastic" in the title. Sure, it breaks down into smaller pieces, causing issues for smaller and smaller forms of life, but it has yet to bio-degrade into its original components. How much is out there, well, see for yourself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22431379#22431379
   
5. Buying water is quite possibly the closest we come to insanity each day. Municipal water is safer and cleaner than bottled water, requires no plastic bottles, no fossil fuels to transport, and is already paid for by your and my tax dollars. Do us all a favor and use a drinking foundain, or at a minimum, just refill your old plastic water bottle from the tap.
6. Stop buying stupid shit. You know what I'm talking about. Just stop it.
7. Our primary and secondary education system is unacceptable. The workload is far too light for most students. No Child Left Behind is so silly that I don't even know where to start. There is far too little emphasis on the fundamentals: math, science, and grammar. We do not reward teachers in our society. We do not have a common (as in national) curriculum. We aren't keeping up with global trends in education. Parents are not demanding enough of their children's or children's teacher's performances.
8. This little love-in called "the healthcare system" needs to be squashed. Healthcare providers, HMOs, Insurance Companies, lawyers, and politicians are all part of one big gang bang while the patients and familes barely hold the rank of assistant fluffers. Patients that spend most of their time trying to kill themselves via tobacco, tanning, and french fries are part of the problem, as are patients that go to scientific health care institutions and expect miracles, but these really pale in comparison to the freakiness that's going on in the next room.
9. Stop complaining about the cost of gasoline, stamps, milk, and other basic items. For what they actually provide, they are amazingly inexpensive. If the USPS suddenly disappeared, how much would you charge to deliver letters anywhere in the country for someone you don't know? Have you ever walked a mile carrying four full bags of groceries? Try it, and then reconsider the cost of a gallon of gasoline, which could carry you, your groceries, your family, and a half ton vehicle your original mile plus another 20 or so. That plastic bottle of water in your plastic grocery bag probably cost you as much as the gallon of gas anyway.
10. If you're having trouble "making ends meet", perhaps you need to re-evaluate where you have placed your ends. Bitching about no money to ride the bus or buy bread doesn't say much when you have a cigarrette hanging out of your mouth. Ranting about gas prices doesn't have much affect when you're in the process of purchasing a lottery ticket.
11. Does anyone else find it interesting that our congress had time to inquire into the deeply troubling and obviously endangering precidents set by the Major League Baseball steroids scandal in 2006, while minor issues such as the war, healthcare, social security, our education system, and our dependence on foreign oil were pushed to the side? Seriously!? Pause, take a deep breath, and think about this for a good 5-10 seconds. The lack of responsibility is staggering.
    
12. Data access (internet, cell phone, etc.) in the USA is terrible. We have more unused fiber optic cabling than we know what to do with, but a significant portion of the country can't get anything better than dial-up networking with long distance charges. Here's an idea... put our tax dollars to work tearing out the legacy phone system and providing fiber to every house in the country. It creates jobs, provides free and open knowledge to the masses, and is sure to offer a much needed jump to porn sales.
13. Think before you talk. Don't just think about the words that you're going to say, think about what they mean to you and what they will mean to the recipients of the words. In particular, think about the differences in what they mean to the two parties involved. If there are any differences, stop, and reconsider.
14. To disagree with someone is not the same as to argue with someone. Just because someone holds a different view/belief/opinion than you do does not mean that they are assaulting you or that you need to defend yourself. Along these same lines, if you are arguing something that can not be proven, you need to re-evaluate your core reasoning skills, and/or quote possibly your medications. An argument that can be proven always trumps an argument that can not be proven.
15. Stop spending so much time trying to conform. If it feels good, it's probably okay. Unless you're mentally deranged, then not so much.

Now that I have that off my chest, I can start blogging about happy things again.