Monthly Archives: August 2010

(Community Matters) Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel says the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.

Living through AIDS in the 80s and 90s taught me that silence, if not indifference itself, is at least its ally.  Therefore, I’m led to believe Mr. Wiesel would say that just as love shows itself in courageous extension of oneself on behalf of others, we can know indifference by the sound it doesn’t make.

Our President was courageous enough to stand up against hate, what about other politicians?

(Community Matters) An important WSJ article brought to my attention by Jeff Dachis

The End of Management

Corporate bureaucracy is becoming obsolete. Why managers should act like venture capitalists

Business guru Peter Drucker called management “the most important innovation of the 20th century.” It was well-justified praise. Techniques for running large corporations, pioneered by men like Alfred Sloan of General Motors and refined at a bevy of elite business schools, helped fuel a century of unprecedented global prosperity.

But can this great 20th century innovation survive and thrive in the 21st? Evidence suggests: Probably not. “Modern” management is nearing its existential moment.

Continue reading →

(Community Matters) NPR Story: Free Speech, Religious Freedom Face Off Nationwide

This is scary – it represents the worst in Americans. It is ANTI-AMERICAN to be prejudice against others because of their religion. Muslims didn’t attack the World Trade Center any more than Christians attacked the Federal Building in OKC or the IRS offices in Austin or Jews massacred Muslims at the Cave of the Patriarchs

(Community Matters) First, I’m freeballing here – history isn’t my forte, and I’m certainly no lawyer.  If I tried taking the time to research and diligently fact check, I’d never get these thoughts down “on paper.”  I’ll count on those much more learned to correct my faulty citations and assumptions.

The debate on whether our federal government should promote the interests of business while leaving the people’s business to the states goes back to Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson – distinguishing the Federalist Party from the Democratic Party.

Hamilton’s economic ideas were adopted by the Whig Party, predecessor to today’s Republican Party. Hamilton’s ideas about the federal government’s role in promoting the interests of business, commerce and trade reached another high during George W. Bush’s administration – when many cabinet agencies simply suspended their role in overisght and regulation, reinterpreted rules in favor of business, and during which John Roberts was appointed to the Supreme Court.  We often talk about a conservative majority on today’s court, but I’m not sure this is as adequate a description as a corporate majority.

So, the debate about the essential role of business in our country’s governance and our government’s role in promoting business isn’t new – it’s as old as our nation.  This debate simply seems as high pitched today as it’s been since before the Great Depression.

Are corporations granted rights under our constitution? I’d always thought of corporations as man-made animals granted life by the states and for which states could dictate their rights and responsibilities – including paying taxes in exchange for limiting the liability of their owners.  But, the Supreme Court decided in the 19th century that corporations are a legal person.  The current Supreme Court bumped this up significantly earlier this year, deciding that Congress cannot limit their political participation . . . . . wow, the preamble longer than the thesis.

Rupert Murdoch and Newscorp – Fox News – are they examples of no reins?  It was announced last week that NewsCorp donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association. Certainly Rupert Murdoch is not known for his largesse.  What could he want?  Changes to FCC regulations perhaps?  The FCC currently limits the number of stations, the cross over in media, and Murdoch wants a much larger, dominant share in all forms.  And Fox News – I contend it doesn’t even try to hide its bias, even its willingness to slant its reporting – hell , as we learned, through proxy even make up its stories. It froths up an electorate driven by its vulnerabilities, frightened because our country is changing, rightly or wrongly concerned that our country’s values & principles are being challenged.  Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly . . . . these guys are entertainers, paid millions of dollars to generate audiences and advertising revenues, and perhaps (let’s even say unknowingly) to move these vulnerable, frightened and concerned people to unknowingly support the candidates that’ll give Rupert what he wants. Imagine the unbridled influence of a corporation with near monopolistic power in every form of media, in every geography. http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_oreilly_factor.php

The US Chamber of Commerce spending $75 million in the 2010 election cycle, on top of nearly $200 million spent lobbying during this Congressional cycle.  The financial industry spending and donating nearly a billion dollars.  Ditto the insurance industry during healthcare reform.  And, yes, mostly on the other side, unions will spend upwards of $150 million on the 2010 elections, though they rarely represent business interests over that of individuals.

Which party reigns represents trillions of dollars in profits to powerful individuals and corporations. We’re in the middle of a street fight.  Whether 2013 – 2021 looks like 2001 – 2008 when the rich became much much richer, when the economic chasm between haves and have nots became a gulf threatening our democracy or like 1993 – 2000 when poverty decreased and the middle class thrived, these two scenarios are at play in our current elections – and the field increasingly feels tilted, indeed money sometimes rules.

(Community Matters) Sorry I’d missed this

big surprise, a baseball analogy from Evan: Mostly, in baseball terms, we hit them where they ain’t. We didn’t go following their reporters down the same rabbit holes and do the same stories.

(Community Matters) AAS: Deep cuts in family services proposed for 2012-13: More than 14,000 Texans in programs designed to prevent child abuse, neglect, delinquency would be affected.

This is really scary stuff. It does cost more to take care of the kids who fall through the cracks, and it’s true all across the state we do have to cut services to balance our budget. I am not for tax increases at this time either. Wondering if our state legislators are looking at alternatives to across the board cuts?

update: a friend wrote to ask me why not increase state taxes since ours are among the lowest and services already at bare bones.  My answer is because our state tax structure is so regressive and our economic situation so perilous.  State is different from national, we can’t really “float” ourselves.

if I wasn’t worried about those families making under $150k – in some ways even under $250k – and the vulnerability of small businesses, I might support an increase in state taxes to support critical services.  But, *so* many families are sitting right on the edge – barely covering bills, barely keeping their houses.  We know less than 40% even have 6 months of expenses in the bank, ie., 60% basically living paycheck to paycheck. And, so many small businesses are deferring hiring or even letting employees go.

It’s a different topic and I haven’t done adequate due diligence, but think I’m in favor of consumption based tax for individuals and a low, flat tax for corporations (assuming they are assessed costs for current externalities)

(Community Matters) Perhaps a cooling technique appropriate for the American south too

(Community Matters) For those wanting to help in Pakistan, I recommend giving through Concern Worldwide. They’ve been helping children in Pakistan since 2001, and over 87% of contributions go directly to aid. I work with Concern in Haiti – they are beyond outstanding. More here http://www.concern.net/blogs/pakistan-floods-coverage

Vodpod videos no longer available.

(Community Matters) It’s for charity

(Community Matters) This morning from Mike Allen:

PERMANENT TRUCE IN CULTURE WARS? Even the right downplays gays, abortion – Old flashpoints are now relics — Jonathan Martin and Ben Smith: “Much of the right – including the noisy and influential tea party movement – sees greater and more immediate danger from this administration and Congress on issues related to the role of government and the very meaning of America than from the old ‘social issues.’ … Obama has avoided single-issue fights on issues such as gays in the military and federal funding of abortions – angering parts of his base, in the process … The diminution of the old culture wars isn’t attributable just to Obama and the state of the economy … Glenn Beck reacted with visible incredulity when … Bill O’Reilly asked him whether he considered same-sex marriage ‘a threat the country.’ ‘Will the gays come and get us?’ Beck asked. ‘I believe what Thomas Jefferson said. If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me? … Honestly, I think we have bigger fish to fry.’ … … [F]ew think that Roe v. Wade is in danger … Illegal immigration is perhaps the only cultural issue currently animating Americans, and that’s in part because of its economic component. … Consecutive presidents of both parties effectively admitted youthful drug use. … Jerry Falwell is dead; Pat Robertson makes news only when he says something provocative; and James Dobson has retired.”  http://bit.ly/chfTlZ

(Community Matters) Good article in Advocate

(Community Matters) thanks Mitch Stewart & Jaime Citron for sending out the OFA email about Sen John McCain’s hold on the bill inclusive of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal.

He recently blocked action on the repeal, calling it “a betrayal,” “disgraceful,” and “purely a political promise.”

While McCain & some of his colleagues scream about the inappropriateness of DA/DT repeal being included as an amendment in a defense authorization bill, they forget to mention that it was passed as an amendment in a defense authorization bill.