Come Out, Come Out Where Ever You Are!

Have you noticed nothing is working this silly season?  The vitriolic ads coming from the Democratic side are so fast, furious, mean spirited and inaccurate people are beginning to get disgusted with them.  Even with untold numbers of fund raisers, their results are lagging behind Romney's.  Time for a new strategy.  Get out the vote in key states.

That's a pretty good idea and probably less expensive than what they're doing now.  They're spending millions of dollars to defeat an invisible candidate!

Yesterday I had reason to spend hours in the car.  I listened to talk radio.  Ingraham and  Limbaugh who of course are conservative stalwarts to Jerry Doyle and Michael Savage who have yet to find a politician of either party they'd give the time of day to.  My kind of talk shows - equal opportunity bashers!

To a man, and a woman, they were all asking the same question.  Where the heck is Romney and the Republicans?  It's bad enough the candidate himself is missing in action but so is his entire party!  When Garry Trudeau does a rendition of Romney I expect it will be an enigmatic smile and nothing else.

If he were British I might understand his stiff upper lip doggedness,  gentlemanly don't you know, against everything being thrown at him.  But he's not British.  He's American and running for President.  I'd expect at least some vocal indignity from being accused of not paying his taxes, being a felon and causing the death of a woman to cancer!  But no.  Just that smile.

To take it a step further, where are the leaders of his party?  Mitch McConnell and John Boehner.  I haven't heard a word from either! And darn little from anyone else except the conservative pundits.  Flash to Romney,  they can't carry it for you.

My friends over at the Picket Project are advocating group collaboration as a tool to make a difference in our political climate.  Maybe it's time to collaborate on an Om Mantra to penetrate Romney's brain and inner circle and convince him he's got to answer back! Say something!  Last I heard they're considering a new strategy.  Get out the vote in key states.

That's the flavor of the day.  Who knows what it will be next week.  I have a feeling, however, that by November Ommmm will change to Zzzzzz and the only thing we'll be getting out is snow shovels.

The Sky's The Limit Unless We, Like Chicken Little, Let It Fall

If I had my druthers, youngsters of the future would have large heads like the one in the illustration filled with brains capable of creating wonders even greater than Curiosity. I fear, however, they will have permanently embedded cell phones and hands with no more than thumbs with which to text!

Why so pessimistic?  Just look around. The government is dysfunctional, taking our space program backward as well as the country as a whole.  Our kids are overweight and under exercised as are their parents and the world is at war.  What's encouraging?

Ah, but my memory serves me well.  That's one advantage of aging - until the mind goes.  Memories. I remember the glory days of space exploration.  I listened to launches and landings.  I remember the race between the Russians and the U.S.  The first animals then men in space, the first earth orbits, the tragedies and the triumphs and of course the pinnacle of the time, the moon landing.  All of this in my lifetime.  How incredibly exciting.  Yet the coverage on Curiosity lasted only a few news cycles.  It has already dimmed.

I cannot help but marvel at what the human brain can do.  Imagine being able to conceptualize a vehicle capable of traveling in a near vacuum, being able to land on unknown surfaces, even taking men and supplies to build a station where man can live and work. Imagine creating the cameras that send back data that morphs into spectacular photographs showing us what is beyond imagination. Even the technology it takes to launch these creations.  Did the scientists and engineers involved do it themselves?  Of course they did.  Government has no intellect.  Only money.  And it's ours at that.

The successful landing of Curiosity on a neighboring planet is testimony to the power of the human mind and spirit.  America has pioneered so much of it.  It shows what giving well educated, disciplined and focused minds free reign can accomplish.  New and even more bold technologies will come from it.  Success breeds success.  I know this is a litany of cliches but they are true.  It's a huge part of what America contributes to the world and because of our successes the world expects it of us.

 By what standard should the playing field be leveled?  Remember when the cream in your milk used to rise to the top?  That's a generational thing too, kids.  So it should be with the best and the brightest of this country.  Don't diminish that capability by wanting to be more like everyone else!  Don't diminish the reputation of the country further by continuing to lead from behind. Isn't that an oxymoron? Don't diminish how people see us further by continuing the vicious attack ads that destroy good people for the sake of a power trip.

A goal is improving on the already spectacular success of a Curiosity. Goals.  Are they still allowed?  The character assassination we're watching in this election cycle is pure, unadulterated destruction.  Which America are we?  Triumphant or self indulgent defeatists who blame everyone but ourselves for our problems?

Uncovering The Truth

Do we have a right to expect our Presidents to be paragons of integrity?  If so we're being failed by both the presidential candidates.

 Let's look at the current 'swiftboating' of Romney on his tax returns.  Many have advised him to release them.  Having had the presidency as a target for some time he should have known this would be asked of him.

Let's assume Harry Reid is blowing smoke and Romney has paid taxes over the past ten years.  I expect he has.  Is he hiding something or just afraid we'll not understand what we'll find?  That is my guess.  I suspect we'll find he paid the least amount allowed under law.  I suspect he's afraid it will intensify the already already viral 'it isn't fair' rant from the liberals.  I'd like to think we voters are better than that.  After all, how many of us don't take every deduction we're allowed?  I won't even start on those who pay nothing and scream the loudest.  But the resistance creates an exploitable opportunity and it's not being wasted by the Democrats.

That being said, Obama has his secrets too.

Let's go to his college transcripts and all else involved in the admission process.  Why is he keeping them hidden?  If his grades were less than stellar he'd not be alone among the presidential ranks.  There must be something else.  Why do so few classmates remember him?  If he got poor grades at Occidental before transferring, how did he get in to a school like Columbia?  Affirmative action?  There's no crime there.  How did he pay for it coming having come from modest means?  Scholarships?  Doubtful with poor grades.  What?

One thing I did not know before looking into this is he was adopted in Indonesia by his mother's second husband, Lolo Soetoro. According to Wayne Allyn Root , a classmate, he went by the name of Barry Soetoro at that time.

I haven't bought into the idea he wasn't born in the United States.  I am even willing to assume he didn't give up his U.S. citizenship when he was adopted - he was only around 6 years old.

So what's the question?  A self-admitted pothead with poor to mediocre grades transfers into an Ivy league school.  Mr. Allen speculates he could have used his Indonesian background to gain admission and financial aid much as Elizabeth Warren has used her high cheekbones to assume being Cherokee for similar purposes.  Rules for foreign exchange students are different than those for the rest of us.  For the sake of 'diversity' they often receive preferential treatment.  Quotas and all that nonsense that has nothing to do with education.

I'm not advocating any conspiracy theory but there has to be an reason those records have been sealed.  If he used unscrupulous means to get into prestigious universities we have a right to know.  Would it matter?  I don't know what other voters might think, only what I would.  What I do know is that I'd rather have that question answered than see Romney's tax returns.

 Sealing records is just as suspect as unwillingness to release tax returns. If either or both are hiding truths than neither should be President.  Either or both will have betrayed the public trust.

Dying To Stay Healthy

I'm feeling the need for a break from politics today so this is a generational post. As I age I find myself thinking more about my mortality.  I'm thinking more about years now rather than decades.

Forgetting what Obamacare is going to do to make maintaining my well being more difficult, I can't help but think about the commercials that emanate from television and the constant stream of contradictory studies that are reported religiously be they valid or not and the tests I'm encouraged to take.  What am I to do?

The commercials for various medications are the most intrusive.  By the time they list all the disclaimers the last thing I want to do is take the stuff.  I especially like it when they tell me to be sure to tell my doctor if I have high blood pressure or corns or whatever. If my doctor doesn't already know why would I have him in the first place?

It seems everything we eat is suspect.  Take wine for instance.  I enjoy good wine.  Too much is bad for me, just enough is supposed to be a tonic for my heart. What is it now, no more than a glass a day for a woman?  What size glass? A standard pour?  Is that four or six ounces? It can depend on whether you're buying wine by the glass at a wine bar or if you're in a tasting room! Actually,  I don't need a study to tell me.  If I have too much both my head and my stomach let me know in the morning.

Coffee - good or bad? How much?  Again, when I get the jitters it has been too much!  Sugar bad.  Artificial sweeteners came along and now the jury is out on them.  I could go on forever.

And the tests.  Bone density, mammograms, colonoscopies, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.  My Mom never had any of those, didn't worry about them and lived to a ripe old 95.  I fear if the disease doesn't kill me the worry about getting one will.

Why just today two headlines caught my attention. One informing me that butter flavoring may be linked to Alzheimer's and chemotherapy can boost cancer growth! Well, I don't like artificial butter or any other artificial flavoring.  My theory is a reasonable amount won't kill you.  What about my cholesterol?  If I'd get off my duff and away from this computer, and get out into the yard where something always needs done I'd have little to worry about.

I'll leave you with a couple more to ponder. High blood pressure drugs may be linked to lip cancer and you might be able to determine someone's sexuality by gazing into their eyes.

Maybe I'm too old for romance but the thought of kissing those lips and gazing into those eyes might give me pause.  Too much information and all that.

I often speak of my Mother's mantra, "I lived in the good old days."  Yep.  I finally get it.  The key word here is 'lived'!

The Picket Project - Surrendering Intellect by Over Trusting Experts

Here we are, Saturday again and time for another post from the Picket Project.  It's testimony to a point I often try to make - we need to think for ourselves.  As usual it takes my point and digs much deeper.  Enjoy.

When someone claims to have the right answers for solving a problem, the origin of their solutions is rarely obvious.  Every agenda may bring with it any number of unanswered questions:

• Is their reasoning for pushing this agenda valid?
• What do they know that I do not?
• Are they attempting to manipulate me for personal gain?

Since even well meaning, intelligent people make mistakes – it is important to challenge any agenda before accepting it as true.

Trusting Experts

While it is reasonable to assume that a person experienced in national and statewide decision making would be an invaluable resource for finding the right answers at the right time, the real question should not be about how much experience a person has had, but what have they learned from their experiences.  This is, however, much harder to gauge because experience does not always lead to expertise.  And even expertise is not a guarantee of infallibility.

Noreena Hertz talks about experts in a similar light. She discusses how we, as a people, rely too much on experts as a whole; that we surrender our uncertainty for the illusion of certainty. Experts in any particular field are prone to negative group thinking, close mindedness, over confidence, and a dismissal of outside opinions.



Even in the sciences, experts do not entirely base their understandings on strict, unchangeable natural laws – but also on ever-changing models that best represent what has been observed.  But these models are not perfect, and without proper analysis and criticism, they can contribute to a ‘tunnel vision’ mentality where obvious factors and beautiful solutions sometimes go unrecognized.  Over reliance on these imperfect models can solidify a certain way of looking at the world, creating a misguided interpretation of the facts.

While we cannot dismiss expertise entirely, we each need to do our own research to verify and validate the claims we are given.  To challenge what you are told, as well as what you already know, is a healthy decision to make.  This is a very reasonable and intuitive idea.

It is by challenging experts and asking the big questions, that we dig behind their expertise and recognize that their methodologies can easily be flawed.  By creating a space for actively managed dissent, new and diverse ideas can be brought into the discussion and analyzed in their own light.  It is by embracing the notion that non-experts can have a unique perspective on the problems at hand, that critical factors can be discovered which may normally be missed.

We at the Picket Project embrace the idea that whether a claim is made by a PhD or an accomplished government official, an expert’s opinion is only as good as the support he can provide for that opinion.  We each hold the right and the duty to challenge those claims. As we do, we foster knowledge in ourselves and promote better solutions for everyone. There is no place this idea is more important than in political theory and policy making where, more so now than ever, the best solutions are needed. 

As always, we look forward to hearing your opinions; we will be regularly updating our content based on the conversations started here through the comment system on the blog, our Facebook page, and Twitter using the #PicketProject hashtag.

Links:

• How to use experts - and when not to: Noreena Hertz on TED.com (ted.com)
• Rethinking the Concept of "Outliers": Why Non-Experts are Better at Disruptive Innovation (forbes.com)
• The shifting critics of experts and expert agencies (inpropriapersona.com)