What we need to help fix this financial crisis is a Jubilee. I am not suggesting a full scale Jubilee (if you don't know what a Jubilee is, read the Bible Lev 25), but merely a small, simple Jubilee to repair some of the damage. It would not fix everything, but it would go a long way to restoring confidence. I am suggesting that instead of injecting nearly a trillion dollars into the coffers of banks to push them to lend, we simply remove the damage-dealing toxic assets. Yes, the government should pay off the mortgages (or part of them anyway) of all the people who owe on these toxic-assets.
I think republicans should like this, because it is the same idea as tax-cuts, a direct infusion of funds into the hands of people (smaller loan payment=money in pocket). Although I am sure they will complain about giving to the "undeserving." But that is just an arrogant, elitist argument that I will address at a later time. Democrats... well, I think if it didn't look politically costly to do this, they would do it.
A Jubilee has the same benefits as the previous examples of generous government policy has had. The GI bill returned an average of 7 dollars for every 1 dollar spent. The Marshall Plan after WWII is the reason that Europe has a functioning economy. The New Deal built a large percentage of our current infrastructure, without which we would not have as strong an economy. Generosity not only makes more sense, it makes financial sense. And a Jubilee is the ultimate shot of generosity.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Purity on the Left
There are far too many people on the left who have purity issues. They see capitalism as impure (which it is) and try to cut out any connection with it from their lives. This is a DRASTIC MISTAKE. Personally, trying to maintain one's own purity is really self-righteous and selfish. Socially, it removes the influence all of us have over the society we live in. And with regard to the movement it is such SUCH a hindrance to effectively organizing and bringing about change.
To further explain what I am railing against, let me throw out a few examples. I see far too many people on the left simply refusing to befriend people whose ideology is counter to their own... whether they are capitalists or other sects of the left, like Maoists. There is such a stigma against some of these groups that people are afraid to interact or have them around.
< rant >
(an html joke, for those of you who are wondering what the "" is about)
Life is messy, people. Do not expect to be able to live by one's ideals, it is good to attempt it, but taking it to the level of a dogmatic view of purity is just going to cause pain and turbulence to one and the people around them. Condemning people for their failings will not change them, the only effect it seems to have is it makes people feel superior, which creates such a negative environment.
The biggest failing of the 60s New Left was it's purity driven mentality, it utterly destroyed the movement. Divisions and hatreds developed because people were arrogant enough to believe their way was the only way. I do not want to see that happen again. The greatest success of the New Left, ironically, came from its rank and file members making a compromise between the ideals of the movement and living in a capitalist society. By living differently but still interacting with society at a fundamental level, they have changed American and global culture drastically. So much of the hatreds they railed against in the 60s have much less influence now. Racism is merely the most obvious.
What does this teach us about succeeding as a movement? That it is messy, that you have to have real relationships with people who disagree with you and that you can't shut yourself out of a dirty world for purity's sake. It is like Thomas Merton (a kick-ass activist monk from the 60s, like so many of the prophets of social justice, he died in '68) said, "In the end, it is the power of personal relationships that saves everything." This is literally true, societal change does not come from over-throwing the government, it comes from making friends with people who disagree with you. It comes from convincing young people to change the way they behave. It comes from loving those who you see as your enemy. It does not come from sequestering yourself from the world and not listening to the minds of your fellow humans.
To further explain what I am railing against, let me throw out a few examples. I see far too many people on the left simply refusing to befriend people whose ideology is counter to their own... whether they are capitalists or other sects of the left, like Maoists. There is such a stigma against some of these groups that people are afraid to interact or have them around.
Life is messy, people. Do not expect to be able to live by one's ideals, it is good to attempt it, but taking it to the level of a dogmatic view of purity is just going to cause pain and turbulence to one and the people around them. Condemning people for their failings will not change them, the only effect it seems to have is it makes people feel superior, which creates such a negative environment.
The biggest failing of the 60s New Left was it's purity driven mentality, it utterly destroyed the movement. Divisions and hatreds developed because people were arrogant enough to believe their way was the only way. I do not want to see that happen again. The greatest success of the New Left, ironically, came from its rank and file members making a compromise between the ideals of the movement and living in a capitalist society. By living differently but still interacting with society at a fundamental level, they have changed American and global culture drastically. So much of the hatreds they railed against in the 60s have much less influence now. Racism is merely the most obvious.
What does this teach us about succeeding as a movement? That it is messy, that you have to have real relationships with people who disagree with you and that you can't shut yourself out of a dirty world for purity's sake. It is like Thomas Merton (a kick-ass activist monk from the 60s, like so many of the prophets of social justice, he died in '68) said, "In the end, it is the power of personal relationships that saves everything." This is literally true, societal change does not come from over-throwing the government, it comes from making friends with people who disagree with you. It comes from convincing young people to change the way they behave. It comes from loving those who you see as your enemy. It does not come from sequestering yourself from the world and not listening to the minds of your fellow humans.
< /rant >
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Walking
So, i am going to do 4 posts in rapid succession, since I have been slacking this month. Here is a short one I started at the beginning of the month about walking.
I am constantly amazed by the perception of walking as a hardship. It is not! Walking is a joy and a blessing. People are always surprised that I would prefer to walk places instead of riding my bike or driving. If I have the time, I would much rather walk. It is always such a blissful experience, especially in California. The sun beating down on your face, the fresh air, the soft breeze. It is truly a delight.
It is one of the few activities that has a high chance of yielding epiphanies. My finest thinking is done when I going to and fro, I have time on the journey to contemplate. And these epiphanies make me feel such a connection with the rest of the universe, I would be so much less happy if it were not for walking.
I am constantly amazed by the perception of walking as a hardship. It is not! Walking is a joy and a blessing. People are always surprised that I would prefer to walk places instead of riding my bike or driving. If I have the time, I would much rather walk. It is always such a blissful experience, especially in California. The sun beating down on your face, the fresh air, the soft breeze. It is truly a delight.
It is one of the few activities that has a high chance of yielding epiphanies. My finest thinking is done when I going to and fro, I have time on the journey to contemplate. And these epiphanies make me feel such a connection with the rest of the universe, I would be so much less happy if it were not for walking.
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