Debt Versus Deficit

Politics.  That's what we've been witnessing.  The politics of re-election, not what's good for the country regardless  of what either the Republicans or Democrats would have you believe. In all it's self serving ugliness.

Blame is owned by both.  The Democrats for not having passed a budget for two years.  To use their term, continuing resolutions are no more than 'kicking the can down the road.'

The Republicans, on the other hand, are trying to tie two different problems together.  Let's look at debt first. We all carry debt.  Credit cards, car payments, mortgages, etc.  Anything you owe on is debt.  The same holds true for government.  It isn't just social security and medicare and military salaries.  It's everything from Boeing to the companies who make bullets for the troops.  The debt ceiling is how much we can afford to charge.

Deficit then is obviously when we spend more money than we've budgeted.  Of course actually having a budget helps.  But how many of us do and what happens when the bank sends you an insufficient funds notice?  Pay up.  What if you can't?  Default?  Bankruptcy?

So as I see the issues, Congress ought to raise the debt limit the absolute minimum amount needed to run the government for a year.  Then write a budget cutting what is feasible from the morass of programs out there and/or the programs themselves.  But in an orderly manner.

They keep talking about a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget.  That isn't likely to happen.  They should, however, make passing an annual budget mandatory.  Before spending dime one!

Both sides have muddied the water so much it's hard to sort it all out.  There have been cries for there to be adults in the room.  Don't be fooled by exasperated sighs and head shaking.  They are all acting like spoiled children.  My way or the highway.  The President has not put forward concrete ideas.  The Republicans, lead by the tea party caucus, are being bull headed over the tax part of the issues.  Closing loopholes should not be considered tax hikes. It's an exploitation of poorly written laws and should be eliminated.  Laws, by the way, written by Congress.

Congress can point fingers at the President all they want, but it shouldn't be forgotten they are the ones who voted to spend beyond our limits in the first place.  Both parties.  Over years.

What goes around comes around.  Now they've been hoisted on their own petard - of greed.

Is there anyone out there who will really put country first?  Oh, yes.  The young men and women who are still being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They understand the concept.  They have no lobbyists nor unions to bloat their salaries or benefits.  They just love their country - enough to  be willing to sacrifice their lives for it.

Politicians - take note.

Separation Of Church And State On A Different Level

While separation of church and state is on my mind, I've been doing some thinking about how it applies to politicians.   Especially Michele Bachmann.

I'm not about to criticize anyone for having faith and crediting it with who they are and what they've done with their life, but should there be a limit?  Especially with a politician.

Romney and Huntsman have the obstacle of being Mormon, yet neither talks about it.  It certainly isn't the reason either entered politics.

Michele can't stop talking about  her communication with God.  Often through her husband.  In a Financial Times article she tells of having a 'vision' while praying that led her to marry her husband. That God instilled in her heart that if she studied hard he'd take her to law school and instructed her husband to encourage her to get her post doctorate.

"The Lord says, 'Be submissive wives, you ought to be submissive to your husband'. I pursued this course of study," which she had not been interested in.

This line of conversation obviously resonates with some but it makes me uncomfortable. I thought it might have been somewhat misconstrued by the reporters.

Not so. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal , in an article about how her 'tax attorney' claim is a bit misleading, she reiterates that she continued her studies because God was calling her to do so through her husband.

It makes me wonder two things. Is she the one running for President or is it her husband, or for that matter, God? Two, has she ever had an idea of her own and how are we to tell the difference?

With her propensity for gaffes and lack of policy thus far, I don't think she's a viable candidate.  I cannot envision the President of the United States being subservient to anyone,  especially this day and age and especially to a spouse.

It's probably too late for her to win me over.  There is something rather Elmer Gantryish about her,  to a point where I question her sincerity versus effect.  I'd like my candidate to keep his or her faith a little closer to the vest rather than the showcase of the campaign.

It has it's place most certainly, but to wear it like an entitlement is disconcerting to those of us who are looking for political savvy and workable policies rather than an evangelist.

Art ~ Beyond The Work

Hub and I went to Art Walk as planned last Friday.  We didn't see anything that hit our hot button.  Well, we did, actually but couldn't afford it.  Oddly enough it was Ganesha.  We loved it.

Not finding something isn't unusual.  A mood can make the difference.  Even if you're looking at the work of an artist you love, a particular piece may just not appeal.  That does not diminish the piece in any way.  The person next to me is likely to love it.  Such is the world of "art".

Saturday I had a comment on my post from Thursday, on Ganesha, from the artist Rick Davis, in response to my comment that I'd seen nothing from the artist on why he had chosen to do that particular piece.

"The reason I originally chose to do this piece was at the suggestion of my Yoga teacher.  But as the project progressed, and I did more research into Ganesha, the themes that surround him seemed to be unfolding in my life.  So he became a 3 1/2 year teaching/learning moment for me."

Art, no matter what form it takes,  is probably the most subjective commodity in the world.  We either like what we see or we don't.  As with this month's Art Walk.  What shouldn't be forgotten, however, in viewing the finished product, there is a process behind it.  As Mr. Davis points out, his piece became a teaching/learning moment.  Certainly nothing sinister nor intended to offend.

I think it has to be a fundamental truth with every producing artist from a doodler to a master.  They are trying to convey something - an emotion, a mood, an enlightenment.  I know it's true for me.  When I undertake a chess set there is a great deal of research to be done.  Not unlike a writer researching a novel.

When I did my Lewis and Clark set I had the Corp of Discovery pitted against the Indians they met on their journey.  Who were they?  What sequence?  Were they friendly or hostile?  How did they dress?  I spent hours pouring over the history of the adventure and even more researching each tribe I  chose to represent.

It didn't stop there.  My work is mixed media/wood carving.  I then had to figure out how to make the accouterments.  Headdresses, weapons and so forth.  My goal was accuracy to the best of my ability and a history lesson for all who viewed the finished piece.

I cannot imagine any artist not going through the same hoops with their work.  The selection of a brush or chisel, the technique for a specific effect.  It's all part of the process.

Then comes knowledge of the artist him or herself.  As collectors, we've met many of those  whose work we collect.  Talking with them enriches the experience for we gain insight as to what inspires them.

Artists, gallery people and collectors know these truths.  Many who can do no more than appreciate do too.  It's something for the casual observer to bear in mind.  There is always a process behind a work, and more importantly, a person.  Just like you or me.  With the same feelings.

So if you don't like it, that's okay.  But to denigrate it without knowing the process is doing a disservice not only to the artist, but to yourself.  Let it be a teaching/learning moment.  Next thing you know you'll become an appreciator of the art form and the creator. It can be an awesome eye opener.

Ganesha As Public Art

I only write about local issues when they are so ludicrous they deserve scathing comment because I usually get myself in hot water.  So be it.

Those of you who know me,  know I'm a huge advocate of public art.  I was pleased to see Coeur d'Alene put in place such a program.  I wasn't so pleased to see the prejudicial outcry over one particular piece.  A depiction of Ganesha, the Hindu Deity depicted as an elephant riding a mouse.

Odd, our other notable public art is the depiction of Mudgy and Millie, a moose and his best friend,  a mouse.

The mouse, however, isn't the issue.  It's the elephant.  A group of misguided "Christians" see it as a violation of church and state, state being the city.  The representation of a heathen deity on our oh so "Christian" soil.  Please.

A petition is being circulated among various churches to have the offensive piece removed.  Everything is being seen in it from the trunk being a phallic symbol to variations of Nazi swastikas.  It's like seeing the Virgin Mary in your toast!

I am going to Art Walk tomorrow evening, camera in hand to take my own photos.  I have not seen one showing the mouse.  I also, have not seen comment from the artist as to why he chose this being, but to me it's an awesome representation of what we all should be striving for in our lives.

That anyone finds this symbol of Hinduism offensive hasn't done his homework.  He is a beautiful figure and I have included an illustration describing the symbolism of each of his parts.  The story in text can be found here .

There is nothing sexual nor evil about it.  How can anyone find fault with a deity of the 4th largest religion in the world?  The Lord of Success who shows his humility by riding a mouse, the lowliest of creatures.  The destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride.

All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief. To envision him as these few do makes me wonder what their god must think.  Or more so, what god they worship.

It's Time To Profile - Period

Here we go again!  We now hear that al Qaeda in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal, plans are being considered to implant explosive devices inside suicide bombers with the possible intent of targeting US airliners.  Note the italics.  Nothing concrete, mind you.  Just more chatter which seems to be what airport security is based on.

Homeland Security has warned the airlines that they're trying to make this functional.  Wow.  Now, among other things, they're experienced surgeons and engineers who can perfect an implanted explosive that can be set off with an injection of some sort of chemical.  Why do I not think this is imminent?  Sounds pretty sophisticated to me!

Of course the TSA has said it will intensify security procedures across the nations airports since the current invasive ones, from pat downs to x-rays, won't be able to detect an implant! What the heck is left to be searched by the 'enhanced tools and technology' they propose to use.  What the heck does that mean?  It makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Frankly, enough is enough.  It has long been way out of hand and is getting worse.  They will kill the airline industry pure and simple.  I don't fly.  Many of my readers have indicated they no longer fly.  Talk about destroying the American way of life!  The ability to get from point A to point B without being mentally and physically molested!  The inability to take a vacation anywhere we may like without the same.  Don't even think about the poor business traveler!

When will we, en masse, say no more.  We have to if we want it stopped.  The politicians won't.

It is time to profile.  If I appeared to be of middle eastern ethnicity, even if an American in good standing, I would accept the fact that those of a similar ethnicity are the perpetrators of this type of terrorism.  If it meant a more thorough questioning and going over I'd like to think I'd endure it, when appropriate, for the greater good.  That doesn't include every single time I might fly with no good reason.

But I'm not.  I'll never see 69 again, am Caucasian and have a bad back.  No one is going to plant a bomb in me and I'm not going to inject a chemical into myself to set it off.  Neither will anyone I know from the tiniest infant to those with even more years than my own.

Anyone who thinks knows who should be scrutinized more than others.  It has gone beyond the point of being ludicrous.  It's nearing criminality and it's about time someone, no, everyone, calls the government on it.

Right Michele?  Mitt?  The rest of you?  Are you paying any attention at all?