Wednesday Musings - And Life Goes On!

I'm composing this while sitting in the McDonald's restaurant in Keyser, West Virginia. I came here this morning to connect to their AT&T wifi hot spot to download some large updates for various software on my laptop. Being a nomadic person without a fixed sticks and bricks base of my own, I have to improvise to maintain my online connectivity. This is where the wonders of our fantastic technology afford me the lifestyle of a nomad while still being able to maintain Internet, fax and phone communication.

The reason I'm using the McDonald's AT&T wifi hotspot is that downloading (or uploading) large data files on my current limited monthly AT&T data plan through my cellular phone service consumes a LOT of data and ends up costing me overage charges. These public wifi hotspots are free to use. So, even though it can be a bit inconvenient to come sit at a Mickey D's or similar locations where free wifi is available, it saves me lots in date overage fees. It's simply an accommodation I have to make for myself. And, honestly, I don't mind.

One of the side benefits of these pilgrimages is that I get to mingle with some of the local folks wherever I happen to be. This is perhaps one of the best parts of my nomadic lifestyle. I do my best to avoid the major tourist and transient restaurants and other establishments in order to relish the local flavor. As I have been sitting here I have been eavesdropping on the conversation of a number of local men from this rural area as they discuss the current events of our government. There are all kinds of names in the conversation including Bush, Clinton, Obama, Romney, Reagan, some congressional names and so on. The topics seem to be mainly around the economy and the Middle East and, perhaps, some degree of subterfuge.  I've overheard similar conversations in other parts of the country. Generally speaking, they tend to lean more conservative in the rural areas and more liberal in the larger city and outlying suburbs.

I also just spoke with a young man working here at this McDonalds. He was doing some of the ongoing clean-up chores and as he was working by my table he asked how I was doing and if everything was alright (I have been munching on a small low calorie - believe it or not - breakfast meal).  I told him everything was very good. I was downloading some upgraded software and a new version of my anti-virus program at that time, so I was free to enjoy the conversation while the computer was doing it's work.

I asked if the young man was a student at the local college, a branch of West Virginia University. He said he was not. This was the best and only job he could find in the area and he needed to work to take care of his young daughter and his newborn child. Wow! That was refreshing. He said he had to drop out of high school to take on this responsibility. But, he continued on that he had already completed his G.E.D.  I asked if he would go into the McDonald's management training program. He said that is not his goal. He is continually seeking a better job so he can get a place of his own and move his two children and his fiancée out of his parents home. He also indicated that he loved music and his aspirations are to become a music teacher. I asked, with a bit of tongue in cheek, when I might see him show up on one of the music programs on TV like The Voice or the American Idol. He said, he didn't know if that would ever happen, but never say never.

I found it very uplifting to have this conversation with this young man. Certainly, many of us of the older generation wonder what's going to become of our country in the hands of the last generation and the current up and coming generation. The sweeping generalization is that we're in big trouble. I'm sure our parents thought that about the Baby Boomers and their offspring. This young man left me with hope. I was also impressed that he introduced himself by name and I countered with my name and he left me to carry on his duties with a firm handshake. That made my morning.

I should also say that earlier this morning I had to send out a news email to the list of participants in the Veteran Speakers Retreat I've coordinated every year for almost a dozen years. The letter was to notify them of the death of one of the giants and pioneers in the professional speaking field, Christopher Hagerty. I met Chris a few times perhaps 27 to 30 years ago, but never had the opportunity to get to know him that well. While I have been sitting here at McDonalds, I was receiving feedback on the sad news when I received several emails from folks I know including the Executive Director of the National Speakers Association that I was a member of for 25 years.

The email from Stacy and the others alerted me to another sad bit of news. This morning, Zig Ziglar passed away at 86. I've known Zig for close to 35 years. He is probably one of the best known motivational, inspirational and sales training speakers in the country. He's also a best selling author of numerous books. While Zig and I were on a first name basis, I wasn't as close to him as I was to my dear, departed friend, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones who passed away about four years ago. Charlie and Zig were also great friends and colleagues on about the same par as far as international acclaim. But, Zig's passing marks the loss of another giant in the speaking profession. I just finished sending out another news email to the list I sent the earlier email out to about Chris Hagerty's passing.

Thank goodness for Dillon chatting me up and to my eavesdropping of the local group of men talking politics. It gave me cause to take pause and breathe a sigh of relief from the sad news I've been receiving. Yes, time marches on and life goes on, but we need to take a few moments every now and then to realize that each of our lives is in the here and now. Live free! Live large! Live fully!  

Tuesday Thoughts - The American Dream Revisited

Good morning on this overcast, damp, chilly day at base camp. Fortunately, I'm sitting inside my friend's house in a warm comfortable room looking out at My McVansion parked out front.

A few things have crossed my mind this morning. First, I believe there are a lot of people who may believe I'm a bit radical with some of my thinking or, perhaps, at my "advanced" age, some of the tungsten in my light bulb is no longer active and I'm not shining at full brightness - put another way, I'm getting a little dull. Well, let me assure you, from what seems to be a mainstream perspective, I probably am a bit radical . . . and I'm PROUD of it. As far as the brilliance of my light bulb, I can also assure you, it's still shining very brightly. But, if I am bothering some people, perhaps, even you, with some of my ideas, opinions and attitudes, then I'm achieving my objective which is to make people think. I don't care if you agree with me, buy into my ideas or not - I just care that you are thinking.

Revisiting Sandy and the American Dream

So, revisiting Sandy and her devastation, I have some very strong feelings and thoughts. First, I certainly sympathize and feel a certain empathy with the millions of people impacted by this super storm. And, certainly, I feel for those tens of thousands or, maybe it's hundreds of thousands, who have lost their homes and all their possessions. There is no question that losing everything (materially) is more then huge. Of course, some lost loved ones and that is even more devastating. But, everything material (for the most part) can eventually be replaced. Life won't be easy or convenient or comfortable, but it goes back to what I said before, life isn't fair.

I also put forward the question as to the use of federal funds to rebuild homes and businesses and I reiterate that federal funds is a misnomer. These are the funds of private citizens and businesses that have been involuntarily appropriated by the government(s), supposedly to be used for the common good, not for financing the misfortunes of individual citizens. Since no one knows the future, especially with regard to nature and natural events, there is no way to appropriate funds to finance Mother Nature's various and frequent tantrums. So, where does this money come from? It has to be reappropriated from it's common good purpose, possibly education or police, fire or national defense or other areas of common good. This either reduces their allocated funds for the common good or money has to be borrowed, thus, increasing the government(s) debt.

The Question!

So, the question I have to ask is simply this, should taxpayer funds be used to rebuild private lives and businesses? My answer has to be, with no malice towards anyone, anywhere who has suffered a loss to nature or natural disaster, an unequivocal, NO! And, while that may sound mean spirited, I'm not alone in that opinion. I read an op ed in the New York Times this morning (and, believe it or not, I do actually read the generally regarded mainstream news media, living free doesn't mean I'm a complete dolt) that explored that very question. It was also the op ed author's opinion that taxpayer funds should not be used for this purpose. And, further, virtually all the comments supported his opinion.

The point is simply this. If anyone chooses to take risks, they must assume individual responsibility for their actions. Let's look at a few simple examples. If one chooses to be a sky diver, a rock climber, an extreme skier or snowboarder, a NASCAR or Formula race car driver, a wing walker, you get the idea, or participate in any other risky and hazardous behavior, who is responsible if something disastrous happens? If you choose to work on tall towers, be a construction worker on skyscrapers or choose any other kind of known, hazardous work, who is responsible? So, with that same thought in mind, if you choose to build a home or a business (or both) in a hazardous and risky location, who is responsible? In every case this was a personal choice and with those choices come the burden of responsibility. Now, I don't have a problem with anyone choosing to do any of the things I enumerated (and a myriad of other possibilities). Go for it! But, if disaster strikes, don't expect everyone else to ante up to fix your problems.

But, some will say, there has never been a disaster of such a magnitude here before, so it was unanticipated. This is not an excuse. Anyone who lives near any coastal area knows that nature is unpredictable and just because she never displayed this level of devastation before doesn't mean anyone else holds any responsibility for what happened now. There are some pretty simple measures of risk. If the private sector, who exist to make profits and by minimizing their risks against losses, choose not to build factories or provide insurance, etc. in a certain region. There is a reason private insurance companies do not provide flood insurance. They will provide secondary water damage insurance like a roof leaking, for example, due to some wind damage. But, that's different then water rising from oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. That should tell one something. So, the federal government went into the flood insurance business - something they should not be in. Currently, they are something like $19 billion in debt in the flood insurance department. That could put several private insurance companies out of business. That's why they won't accept the risk.

What Insurance Companies Know That Some, Otherwise, Intelligent People Seem to Miss

Private insurance companies won't provide fire insurance in regions where wild fires are common. They won't provide earthquake insurance when someone chooses to build a home or business on a known earthquake fault. The same goes for mudslide, rock slide, avalanche, active volcano regions and similar high risk areas. That doesn't stop anyone from building anything they want to in that area, but AT THEIR OWN RISK. If you read your property insurance policies - homes, businesses, vehicles, etc. you'll notice a pretty standard clause that excludes damage due to Acts of God (i.e. nature), Acts of War and negligence. Why do those clauses exist? It's simple, really. An insurance company is in the gambling business. They make a bet that they'll never have to pay a lot of money out on covered claims for most policies, thus, they make a profit. But, they know that one can't bet against God or nature, the greed, corruption and inhumanity that is war or just the stupidity of human beings and their negligence. So, they opt out.

If these businesses know something we don't know, do you think we could figure it out by analyzing their reasoning? The reason the government(s) is (are) in so much financial trouble is because, first, they don't have the reasoning ability of private sector businesses who go out of business if they lose money. The government(s) don't really worry about that because it's not their money at risk - it's OUR money they risk and usually lose. Further, just as is being debated right now in Washington, DC, the government will simply find some obvious or nefarious way of taking more money from the taxpayer to fund their folly. Anything new here? Nope! What's new is that more and more people expect the government(s) to cover their asses rather then making good choices, limiting their risks and taking responsibility for their own actions.

No matter what position you or I take on the changing climate FACT, it's happening and it appears to be happening faster then predictions. Rebuilding coastal or flood prone cities that are below sea level is not only not smart, it's idiotic. Rebuilding the terribly devastated areas of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other massively destroyed coastal areas is just as idiotic. But, we'll do it. We'll build sea walls, jetties, dredge up and replenish the sand on the beaches. And, we'll believe that man can beat nature at her own game. New Orleans will suffer more devastation in the future, it's inevitable. The coastlines of the U.S. will suffer more frequent storms and the water levels will rise. The tunnels connecting New Jersey and the various boroughs of New York with Manhattan Island will flood again and again. The subway tunnels will be underwater as well. And that's just part of the areas that will be impacted.

I for one, will miss the Jersey Shore of my youth. While I haven't lived in Jersey for more then 45 years, it's still part of me and I'm saddened to see the losses. But, I don't think it should be my responsibility as a tax payer to rebuild something that I KNOW is going to be devastated again and again. If those people who have lost their homes and businesses choose to rebuild and remain there, I have no problem with that, just assume the responsibility for your choice, do it with your own money and hope, as the movie "Field of Dreams" suggested, "build it and they will come." Then you can count on voluntary funding by those visitors and tourists who will spend their money at the local businesses. But, I will also say that whether these areas are rebuilt or not, I will still spend some of my time returning to the ocean.

The Volunteer Farm

Now, on another topic, I received an email this morning from my friend Bob Blair. Bob is a former government employee and long-time retiree. Bob has spent his retirement years in volunteer service. For a number of years after his retirement he volunteered for search and rescue missions during disasters, natural and otherwise. He had this huge dog that he took through specialized search training at his own expense. He then provided his and his dog's services through a faith-based organization, the Methodist Church, I think. When both he and his dog were getting long of tooth and not as capable of performing the necessary search and rescue tasks, Bob moved in another direction. He had acquired a 65 acre Christmas tree farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia either prior to his retirement or just after. Again, as he was getting older, the rigors of running a Christmas tree farm were becoming a bit much. So, with his attitude of service he decided, about nine years ago, to create a "volunteer farm."

He dedicated five acres that year and solicited volunteers from local groups, churches and so on, to prepare the land, plant, cultivate and harvest the crops. He had a yield of thousands of pounds of fresh produce that was all donated to the regional food bank. Of course, this donation was gratefully accepted as it helped feed families in several surrounding counties. Since that time, Bob has cultivated more and more of that 65 acres until this year he donated 82.5 tons of food and has helped feed over 150,000 people per month. All of this has been with volunteer help. Volunteers have come from all across the U.S. to assist Bob with his service of love that he provides. They come from high school youth groups, faith-based youth groups, civic service groups, local folks, Personally, I think it's pretty amazing what one man's dream has done for so many people.

I don't see Bob very often and most of my contact with him is by email and the occasional face to face encounter, but I know Bob has the dream and I know he's been working on it, to expand his "volunteer farm" concept to livestock volunteer farms, dairy volunteer farms and to spread the idea across the U.S. Think about it. The U.S. government actually PAYS (they call it subsidize) farmers to NOT grow crops or livestock. They turn the surplus of milk into dry milk and warehouse it, then send it to foreign countries when we have people in our own cities, towns and counties that are undernourished. If Bob is helping some 150,000 people - PRIVATELY - in just his region of Virginia, I know there are many millions of folks throughout the country who could benefit from this kind of volunteerism.

Bob has set up the Volunteer Farm in Shenandoah County, Virginia as a 501c3 non-profit organization. Unfortunately, this may and is probably already impacting Bob's volunteer venture negatively due to the economic crisis of the past several years and the Fiscal Cliff the government has created and may be about to toss all of us over. If the government cuts back on tax deductions for charitable contributions, Bob's and tens of thousands of other organizations will likely be severely impacted. It's too bad our generosity in this country is so based on "what's in it for me" tax deductions. There are several organizations, especially faith-based organizations who provide various kinds of services for their communities, the Mormon religion, the Salvation Army and others to mention only a few. I hope that people will still find it in their hearts to give something to organizations like these and to Bob Blair's Volunteer Farm.

And, here's the unique thing about organizations like Bob's farm, he can use financial donations, donations of cars, other vehicles and farm equipment. But, here's one that lots of people can donate who don't have large financial resources - TIME. One can volunteer their time - as I call it, tithing your time.

Living Free isn't about depending on the government. The government should have the smallest impact and influence on our lives possible. The way we make this all work is by first, determining our individual dreams and definition of personal freedom. Second, by taking full and complete responsibility for our own lives, actions and choices, including living in a beach house where it may be swept away by Mother Nature. Go for it, just don't expect it to be anyone else's responsibility if your dream is swept away. Third, let's see if some of Bob Blair's attitude about helping others can rub off on all of us. It doesn't matter if we're financially wealthy or poor as a church mouse, if as individuals (not a government collective) we can each do a little to help make this a better place, IT WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. Just saying . . .

By the way, Bob is facing a financial crisis this year. He may not be able to keep the Volunteer Farm going in 2013. If you're interested in knowing more about the farm and his needs, you can go to www.volunteerfarm.org or email Bob directly at bblair@shentel.net or you can even call him at 540-459-3478. You won't find much about Bob on the Web site. It's not about Bob. I know he'll be happy to hear from you and if you told him you heard about the farm from me, he'll know the connection.

Bye, Bye American Dream?

Remember a couple decades or so ago there was a group of people who promoted the concept that God is dead? Well, of course, that is totally subjective and based on individual beliefs. Currently, there is a new belief system being put forth - the American Dream is dead!

Apparently 63% of college and university students in the U.S., according to recent surveys, believe the American Dream is dead. Unfortunately, I believe there is a large percentage of the high school population who share that belief system. And, to make it even worse, I believe there is a growing number of people in the 24 to 80+ year old bracket who are beginning to lean in that direction, too.

I was listening to several cable news commentators discussing this issue earlier today. There were a number of views expressed, but in general, I would have to say they agreed that the, so-called, American Dream is, indeed, dead. But, the discussions dug a little deeper into the subject and actually went to where my belief system rests.

THE American Dream

Yes! I do believe the American Dream is dead, but it's not "THE American Dream" that this country and republic was based on and founded on. No! The American Dream that is dead is the watered down, aberration that the current American Dream has become. Sure, the promise of a stable, good, well-paying, secure job with advancement opportunities, costly comprehensive health insurance, a great pension plan after 30 years or so, lots of vacation, paid holidays and personal/sick time, over-time pay or compensatory time off and other perks, is gone. The part of the dream that included a nice McMansion, with the picket fence, three car garage, at least three cars plus recreational toys like motor homes, boats, skimobiles, ATV's and multi-thousand dollar vacations, college educations for the kids, etc., etc. Yes! That American Dream is dead!

But, here's the funny thing. "THE American Dream," the dream that people braved sailing across wild oceans on small sailing ships for, leaving family and friends behind and risking everything, how little it might have been, to pursue, that dream, is still very much alive. That is the dream of opportunity. That is the dream that allows for the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a matter of fact, there are probably more opportunities today than at any time in the history of this country. However, that's not the dream that today's young people and the disillusioned are looking for. It seems THE American Dream was only good enough for the hearty pioneers who came here to enjoy "personal freedom" and the opportunity to build whatever kind of life they wanted.

Did everyone succeed? Absolutely not, but that's how it should be. Freedom is about both the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. There were no safety nets. You were responsible for yourself and accountable to yourself. If you failed, you did whatever it took to pick yourself up and start again, using what you had learned from your failure to move forward. There were no unions, no unemployment insurance, no free clinics, no staying on a parent's health insurance until age 26, no government backed student loans that allowed forever to pay back the loans, no welfare programs, etc., etc. Actually, there were safety nets of a sort, but it wasn't the government who provided them, it was your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community and your church who would help folks to get a new start. It was an imperfect system, but it worked. That's the reason that within two and a half or three centuries America became the wealthiest, most powerful, most innovative, most advanced society on the face of the planet. Unfortunately, the version of the American Dream that's now dead is why we're in the economic downturn, untenable national debt and are slowly (and possibly accelerating) losing the admiration of the rest of the world.

Today, everyone seems to know that the government has a program to bail them out. A natural disaster comes along today and everyone immediately goes to the government's teat to feed off. We hear the phrase "federal funds" will be allocated to rebuild private homes, private businesses, carry people while they have no income, provide shelter, clothes, food, etc. Sure, many people have insurance, but apparently, not enough insurance. Now, here's the real point. Federal funds is a misnomer. The federal (or state and local for that matter) governments have NO FUNDS. These are taxpayer funds. Who are the taxpayers? You and me. Thus, those "federal funds" are YOUR money and MY money.

So, the government is taking from the haves and giving to the have nots. Excuse me, isn't that the story of Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave to the poor? Who gave the government permission to take your money and my money and give it to individuals for their personal good. The government is about the common good, that's what we supposedly have our tax money taken from us for. So, we give money to these individuals and now we don't have money to fund the common welfare of the country, so the government has to borrow that money at higher and higher interest rates. Oh, yeah, and since the government has no funds of their own to repay these loans, who ends up holding the bag? You and me, of course.

So, here's the point. THE American Dream is STILL alive and well for anyone wanting to participate in it. But, THE American Dream doesn't provide for or give any guarantees. It only provides opportunities. Amazingly, the citizens of the U.S. are amazingly resilient and generous. Have you heard about all the people from across this country sending money, food, clothes and all kinds of other support to those impacted by Super Storm Sandy? The same thing happened with Katrina, Irene, the 9/11 tragedy and it's been that way since the beginning. Also, did you notice all the money, food, water, clothes and support we received from the rest of the world? Nothing! Nada! Zip! Yeah! Those are the same people we send our money and support to both from individuals and federal funds (that really are our money, not the government's).

The Whiners and Bitchers

I know life has been terribly uncomfortable and inconvenient for everyone effected by Sandy (and Irene, Katrina, etc.). But, it really bothered me to listen to all the whiners on the news sound bites wah-wahing and getting arrogant, indignant and angry because their power hadn't been restored, yet. I understand that they are insecure, uncomfortable, cold, hungry, displaced, frustrated, aggravated and a whole lot more. Who wouldn't be. 

But, wait a minute! Did any of them consider this was possibly the worst storm of it's kind in our history? Did any of them consider that there were eight million households and businesses in nearly half the states of this country without power? Did any of them consider that hundreds and maybe thousands of the people who were busting their asses to restore power everywhere at one time and provide emergency aid and assistance were coming from all over the country to assist them, in many cases, at their own expense and living in miserable accommodations and operating on minimal or no sleep and limited food resources? Did any of them consider many of those people who were busting their asses to restore power and other services had no power or services at their own homes and that their families were suffering from it all, too?

Ah, yes - I forgot, the American Dream as we seem to know it today is about everyone being entitled to whatever they want to bitch about it when they can't have it NOW. Hey, I didn't ask or tell any of those people to live in that area that has, since the beginning of time, been at risk from natural events such as this. The same is true for people who live in areas well-known for wild fires and mud slides. The same is true for people who live in areas known for serious earthquake activity on a fairly regular basis. No one made any of them live there. Those their choices and they need to accept the responsibility for those choices.

Ghost of THE American Dream

I find it interesting that there must be a different kind of people and mindset in the mid-west. The rivers flood, their crops are lost, their livestock is drowned, tornadoes come out of nowhere and wipe out towns and homes, but - for some reason, we seldom hear a lot of whining sound bites from them. They chose to live there. It's a way of life. They accept the risk. They accept their choice and responsibility. They know they either have to deal with it or leave. They simply do whatever it takes to regroup, support one another and get back to normal as soon as it's possible. Is it possible that these are the vestiges of the hearty pioneers who built this country and believed in THE original American Dream?

We, as a people, have milked this country and our fellow countrymen as far as we can. I believe we've reached the end of the rope. I totally believe THE American Dream our hearty pioneer great, great, great (add more greats) grand parents believed in and pursued is still alive and well. They believed in personal freedom. they lived life on their terms. They built their farms and businesses. They helped each other out when disasters struck. It wasn't easy and it was seldom fair, but life is not fair and never will be. Those who are self-made and successful - at whatever level they are comfortable at - deserve what they have earned and achieved. I feel bad for all of those who have suffered losses due to nature, but no one owes you anything. Deal with it. But, just remember, as a resilient and generous people, those of us who can send money, food, water, clothes, other support and volunteer our time to help YOU HELP YOURSELVES, we'll always be there. Just suck it up, appreciate it and deal with your own choices and take responsibility for them.

To be fair, there are lots and lots of the folks in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other states impacted by the recent super storm who are digging in, cleaning up and finding the resolve to start over again. I salute you and I support you. Make good decisions, Perhaps, since it's projected that due to the global climate changes we know are accelerating, where you have lived is very likely to be impacted again and again for an unknown period of the future. Nowmay be the time to relocate. But, if you choose to stay where you are, don't expect me to give my money to attempt to protect a geography that is constantly at risk for even worse forces of nature projected for the future. That's not my responsibility. You or the entire government cannot beat the forces of nature. Any fix is only temporary at best. THE American Dream is still yours just as it is for every college, university and high school student and everyone who has lost their jobs, homes and businesses.

Here are two pieces of advice. Remember, you can always learn something new and I'll gladly help anyone do that. If you give a person a fish, the person will eat for a day. If you teach a person to fish, they'll eat for a lifetime. Second, remember what Albert Einstein said, "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. He defines that as a form of insanity. No jobs when you get out of college? Be creative! Invent your own job. Create a business. EVERYONE can do something to be productive. Live in an area that is projected to be impacted again in the foreseeable future? It's time to move. It will be tough, inconvenient and unsettling. But you can do it. Bye, bye American Dream. Welcome back THE original American Dream.