It’s Saturday.
I’m unmotivated to do anything but eat bacon and eggs with smoked salmon. I’m going to get fat like this.
Correction: Fatter.
Waking up to feed my daughter (she’s 8 weeks old) at 7:00am on a Saturday isn’t as bad as it seems.
Correction: Yet.
I could probably continue this blog post correcting myself after thinking about things for some time.
Correction: No I couldn’t.
Gregster
I start a new job on Jan 3rd. 11 years with my current employer. Big stuff. No time to write. I have documentation and transition strategy to work on.
This year I’m thankful for many things.
Gregster
I was following and supporting the Occupy Portland, Occupy Wall Street and related efforts up until today. I am ashamed of what I have been writing in highly public forums. I have been giving the movement undue attention, as the media has. Now I need to, for peace of mind mostly, recant and reconsider my position on this. It started out for me as it did for many Portlanders – supportive of Occupy on grounds that it echoed frustrations that were close to home. I’ve written about it before on this blog. Greed is everywhere, pollution is rampant, people are terrible to each other and this country is spiraling downward.
I’m no right wing nut job, but I’m a really conservative individual – to a point. My views are all over the map. We need quality social medicine. Education systems are failing students. Unions are destroying our ability to compete internationally when they could be helping the cause. The wealthiest Americans don’t pay their fair share in taxes. The IRS is illegal and should be replaced with simple tax collection bureau. Yep, I’m not opposed to major, sweeping reforms.
I am, however, a complete stickler for process and paying for what you agree to.
So much about what the Occupy movements are against is that which has provided for them up until the economy collapsed. When times were good, few of these folks were complaining. What they wanted and needed was there for them. I want to believe that what these folks are really upset about has more to do with personal losses and failure to understand the risks than anything else. These are fine-print times. If you don’t read it, that doesn’t mean you’re not bound by it. Just as important, the risk that isn’t spelled out is just as real as the one that is.
Wealth is at the base of the The Occupy movement. They believe in earnest that they represent 99% of Americans based on wealth distribution. If that’s true, does the 99% actually understand what goes into building wealth? Knowledge, luck, influence and business acumen to start with. Nobody is entitled to any wealth. It’s earned, swindled and/or built up – rarely handed over (unless you’re an heir or a prize winner, perhaps.) I guess my problem with Occupy basing their arguments on this wealth ‘imbalance’ is that it seems irrelevant to the major causes. A few people and corporations have wealth because the 99% let them have it. Sorry, that’s the way it is. We wanted something, they provided and we paid. We can’t take that back. Wall Street is as much the problem with the economy as we are.
The Occupy movement appears to be largely educated – degree holders abound. Sadly, it appears few have remembered what they learned in College. Education does not entitle to you to anything. Education is something you use to your advantage where you can. It’s not a ticket to anything other than a piece of paper and a bunch of knowledge that may or may not be useful. An educated individual will likely understand critical thinking, risks and a variety of other skills necessary to navigate the world. That said, nowhere in any education do we learn that we are entitled to anything other than “Life, Liberty and Freedom.” We’re fortunate to have that. Nowhere are we taught that we are entitled to “Fairness, Wealth and Handouts.”
Without a clear list of demands, the Occupy movements lack direction. Each individual is a supposed ‘leader’. This creates an interesting problem. A movement which is to be taken seriously needs to have a well defined purpose. As of late, the movement has splintered off into various cells of protest against various problems – coal burning, bank corruption and student loan grievances to name a few. There are lots of issues that the group is trying to tackle. I get it – an umbrella of ‘change now’ means power in numbers. It also spells disaster in numbers. Consider that if a splinter group, and perhaps a single member goes off and commits a major crime in the name of Occupy. They have just invited the press and everyone else to associate the entire Occupy effort with that one crime. No amount of damage control will fix it. This is what is happening with the insistence to protest in Jameson and Chapman Square in Downtown Portland. The focus is lost on the cause and instead placed on the means of execution. Sorry, we’re Americans. We have shallow attention capacity and refuse to employ that critical thinking we learned in college without personal cause.
In the times of Civil Rights reform, protestors defied the laws that they were oppressed by. Rosa Parks took to sitting where she pleased on a public bus, not camping out at the bus depot until she was allowed to sit at the front of the bus. Real courage means defying that which oppresses. Deliberately breaking non-oppressive laws to make your opinions heard is immoral. Being opposed to something, whatever it is, does not relieve you of your responsibility to abide by the law. That’s Anarchy, and I would hope that Occupy wants no part in being labeled Anarchists. Yet, that’s what they are doing by occupying parks and camping overnight.
So, I regret giving Occupy the attention. The movement doesn’t deserve it. It must be challenged to focus and held accountable for it’s immoral disobedience. Then, and only then, can I consider supporting Occupy. Based on what I’m seeing today, I have little hope that this movement will make the correction it needs to stay relevant and on course for the real change it’s many leaders dream of.
Life changed for me last Friday.
My daughter, Ella Mae, was born at 6:51AM that Friday. Healthy, beautiful and exactly as planned. 8lbs, 10oz and 20.5 inches long.
I’ve never been a father before, though I have helped a few old friends in the past with their child rearing responsibilities. This is different. This child is my responsibility.
So far, after a week of little sleep, late nights, crying in my ear, dirty diapers and trying to fit some work into it all – I love it. It’s work. It’s different. It’s a challenge.
I like good challenges. Particularly those that have rewards. This one has the biggest reward any human being could ask for – another human being raised and nurtured to become an adult.
I should be napping right now, but I’m not really tired. Not yet. It has only been a week.
Gregster
Beautiful sun out.
I’m stuck at a desk today.
It could be much worse.
This is not class warfare. This is stupidity.
Haves and have-nots are separated only by their net worth. The current anger is likely the result of those who have wealth left having more than those who have run out. Sure, SOME folks with wealth are unethical thieving bastards, but I have to imagine they are in the minority.
I’m left to think that most folks who have resources right now figured that systems like credit, subsidies and balloon economics were short lived and put their wealth elsewhere (cash, gold, silver, who knows.)
Others retain wealth through smart and/or lucky investments.
Still some hang on, working for less and less. Some are a paycheck away from losing everything.
Many find themselves without work due to skill sets that aren’t needed in the new nimble business world. Others are frustrated with having to go back to doing things they didn’t have to before the last layoff.
Others can’t find work. They didn’t finish high school, college or spend time in a field where there is demand now.
Some work 70 hour weeks toiling at their dream and love every second of it, despite the fact that they make less now than when they worked 40 hours a week behind a desk.
Still, others move out of the city and live a simpler life devoid of many of the modern conveniences that cost so much. Others move into the city to live a more compact life and taking advantage of plentiful services for the poor.
So how is that class warfare? That’s people making changes to their lifestyles, expectations, wealth bases, education and careers. It has nothing to do with ‘warring’.
The only people who are feeling attacked are the minority of wealthy individuals with no sense of ethics. Those who fought for paying less than their fair share of taxes. Sorry folks, it’s not a war between classes. It’s an attempt to fool you again on the part of the unethical wealthy minority.
Gregster
I found that I really do love to tinker with technology. I don’t love the hyper competitive nature of technology in the consumer world. Consumer technology trends have re-emerged as the ideology of classicism in the US. Technology should represent accessibility and empowerment for all.
Okay, I need to rent a video for a class paper I am to write this weekend. Are there even any video stores left with a decent selection?
Gregster
Being a student and a full time employee is challenging. There is no free time available in earnest. It comes in small blocks of an hour here or an hour there. It’s rarely a full day or two.
The Sabbath was one way for practicing Christians and Jews to ensure that rest was had, though by many accounts, a full day was required. This clearly made sense when working meant a full day of hard labor. With all the automation and the nature of our work today being less intensive, this becomes less necessary in my opinion.
Instead, we work most days of the week. It’s life. For me, it’s a result of choices made when I was very young – I chose not to finish college and instead pursue my career. Now that I’ve reached the top of my game, it’s time to finish college once and for all.
It’s time consuming, but not difficult – at least, not yet. I do have a statistics class coming up in about 6 months that I’m frankly dreading.
Our child is due October 20th. It’s very exciting.
Back to work….
Gregster