Sunday Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Cameron Cardow - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Yep, I'm done with it. Tired of it. Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. Media, get off it now.

Rich Snobs in Philadelphia

I think the saying goes something like the first thing that comes to mind, or out of your mouth, is the how you really feel. The swim club president in Philadelphia said it all when first confronted with a majority African-American day care on his property. "It changes the complexion of the club". Yeah, white, rich snobs mixing with poor to middle income black kids. What a concept. It sounds like something out of the 60s and 70s, not today! Stop backpedaling, Mr. Duesler, you and your club have an issue. It's called racism, pure and simple.

On the other hand, you do have a private swim club. You may want to tell your staff that it's a white and wealthy only club, though. They didn't get the message when they allowed the day care to come. The Valley Swim Club has been labeled and so has its board, staff, and members. I hope the members stand up and demand changes in the way things are done because labels last a very long time.

Thoughts on a Friday

Every once in while, I look at the life around me, the chaos, the joy, and wonder if it could be different. How can it be different?

We are beginning a new journey, my family and I. Uprooting ourselves, for me after 20 years in Northern Indiana, Patty 7, Kaylin all her life. We are moving almost 1000 miles away to a new culture, new climate, and a pretty different way of life. Now is the time to make changes. Unload some baggage and find new choices.

We will be renting an apartment on Peaks Island which is a neighborhood off shore from Portland, Maine. The landlord seems wonderful and has been so very helpful. The house is situated in the woods just a few blocks from the beach and Kaylin's new school. The ferry ride over and back to college will be a welcome rest over the water. Patty and I are having new tires put on our bikes so once on the mainland, we can get around by bicycle.

It's a scary time for all of us. But we do well together and take the challenges as they come.

Do Right

Our Oceans Are a Waste Dump

Why am I just waking up to this? I fight for our environment, for sustainability, yet I have been so narrowly focused in my fights and education that these bits of news have just floated past me. What are we doing to ourselves?

CNN reports that the debris from the downed Air France plane may never be recovered because it will mingle with other ocean trash and be hard to separate. In an article that "Highlights Ocean Trash Problem"  they talk about an ocean trash pool the size of Texas! I know that we, in the North America, have been educating about the detriments of plastics, have been attempting to rid our stores of the dreaded plastic bags, and many have been volunteering for beach and river cleanup. Maybe it's time for the governments to stand up to the plastic lobby and regulate the amount of plastic that is being produced. I know, bigger government, but by what I see, enough people are unable to control or want to control their buying habits that the government has to get involved.

For now, write your grocery, ask them to get rid of plastic shopping bags (paper holds more anyway and reusables have handles that won't tear off). Get yourself a stainless drinking bottle or two and a reusable coffee mug to take to your LOCAL coffee shop (please, no Starbucks). Let's stop buying drinks in plastic bottles. Supply and demand, we have to decrease demand!

Politics and Auto Makers

Early this week, President Barack Obama was asked if his administration would step in to prevent GM from outsourcing its cars to China. The answer was no. The government was supplying funding but would not get involved in the day-to-day administration tasks of GM. Government and auto manufacturing? Traditionalism versus protectionism is another view. Why not look at both?

In the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith informed us that a country or state should stick with what it does best and let another country or state produce what it does best. It seems obvious by the state of GM and Chrysler that they do not make the best cars. So why bale them out? It appears to be tradition in the fact that America WAS the car capital of the world. Now, it is Japan and China. They have quickly grasped the concept of smaller and greener cars and turned over their manufacturing to produce them with ease. Why couldn’t GM or Chrysler do that? Are they expecting gas prices to go back down to where they were 5 years ago? Are they expecting that enough U.S. citizens will ignore climate change statistics and continue to buy a new SUV every 5 years? There are many small car manufacturers here in the U.S. that the government should be supporting. They are working toward fuel efficient, some wholly electric, cars and have listened to what the public wants. Let us make an interesting analogy.

Compare our automakers, known the world over as the Big Three, to our politics. Several companies make cars that are not based in Detroit, such as Tesla and Commuter Cars. There are also several other political parties compared to our Two Party System. The smaller parties attract people who do not believe they are being heard by the Democrats or Republicans. Like the smaller car companies Greens, Socialists, and Libertarians are largely ignored. What ever happened to President Jefferson’s vision to “unite in common efforts for the common good”? Ford Motors, the only auto company not taking a bailout, has joined with the electric car company Magna International to produce Ford’s electric car. Maybe we should all be looking for a partnership to make change.

Democrats have learned and should continue to learn about ideas from Greens and Socialists. Republicans should get back to their roots and take a lesson from the Libertarians. We have to look toward the future and get involved in the change. Too many people sit, complain, and write notes on newspaper articles on-line. We all need to be active in our government and unite for our own good. We can save our automakers and our politics.

Earth Hour

It's our Earth Hour. My family sits around the kitchen table playing cards by candle light. We had planned on being outside playing drums around a campfire. But, alas, March is leaving as lion and we have high winds and rain in Northern Indiana.

What did you do for Earth Hour?