America, Inc.

                                                                                     

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility, provide for the Common Defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

 A consummate democratic government would not make a profit, not take any losses and cost exactly as much as is necessary to provide the services it is expected to provide. This is hardly quintessential and exemplary for businesses. It is not apropos for an agglomerate of businesses to be concerned regarding a safe workplace, employee morale, providing benefits and appropriate salaries to workers. An innumerable amount of businesses could care less about the environmental impacts they beget and could care less about whether their employees had the right to pursue life, liberty, property and happiness. Unions are thorns to business, but a great benefit to our fellow citizens and apart of America’s moral fiber. A business seeks profit, nothing more, nothing less. Businesses are a dictatorship. Democracy in America is evocative of an Oligarchy as it is, why would we ever envisage it a business? An Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power lies with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, corporate, or military control. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term. Corporate oligarchy is a form of power, governmental or operational, where such power effectively rests with a small, elite group of inside individuals, sometimes from a small group of educational institutions, or influential economic entities or devices, such as banks, commercial entities that act in complicity with, or at the whim of the oligarchy, often with little or no regard for constitutionally protected prerogative. This is the antithesis of democracy and not what was intended when this country's founding principles were formalized. Without fail, the notion of running the government like a business always comes back, this time with a vengeance. Whether we are citizens, customers or shareholders depends on our profitability. If we're customers, the objective is to obtain from us as much profit as possible. As shareholders, the objective would be to obtain for us as much return as possible. As citizens, the objective is to woo us for votes, pleasing us collectively as much as possible. The culprits in America transitioned from "welfare queens in designer jeans" to "corporate welfare kings in chauffeured limousines," and with rhetorical genius on behalf of the Republicans, back again; from the people's focus on "the undeserving poor" to the people's outrage in support of "the deserving rich." And especially during a time when unemployment and healthcare cost has skyrocketed, it’s amazing how the Republicans spun the sentiment. It’s nothing short of brilliance on their part and blindness on behalf of the citizens, with some ignorant desperation thrown on top. It's like trying to hit a pinata, blindfolded, to get the prosperity to trickle down except the man who handed you the stick spun you to hit the other people waiting their turn.

 The Republicans are preaching "Less government in business and more business in government" (Warren Harding), or "the business of America is business" (Calvin Coolidge) and managed to make school teachers and single mothers needing nutritional assistance the enemy that has caused the country to delve into the economic abyss it has. Businesses exist to turn a profit providing goods and services only as it is profitable to do so, with prices set alienating and depriving a huge number of people, entire classes, from obtaining those goods and services. Governments are too provide public goods and services—that has deemed people's right to possess. I read from a satirist, in not so many words-old, sick, poor and very young people, don’t produce anything of economic value. They consume goods and services. The optimal economic growth policy isn’t to slash Social Security or Medicare benefits,Welfare or Medicaid- it’s to euthanize them and harvest their organs. Of course, The Path to Prosperity, proposed by the Republicans makes a declaration to eliminate Medicare. Just to mention, over 20 million families take care of an elderly parent and I am one of them. Providing for two aging baby boomer, terminally ill parents-watching as they have their benefits cut, go without medication for stretches at a time and all of us going into debt with each passing day. My stepfather has leukemia and his medication was dropped for three months, until I managed to get the Leukemia society to help out until his Medicare reverses the “donut hole” he was put into. Luckily, he remained in remission, but the outcome could have been a lot worse in the amount of time that lapsed with a blood cancer. Some of my mother’s medications have been dropped by Medicare, as she needs dialysis and is awaiting a kidney transplant. She is now being billed an obscene amount of money a week as copay for those treatments. Both of my parents are on Social Security.What is being proposed by the Republicans is going to leave millions of seniors destitute, if not dead. As noted above, businesses are supposed to turn a profit. Businesses provide profitable services and try to maximize revenue. However, Republican Congressman Todd Rokita, told MSNBC: "We have too much revenue as it is. We spend too much." His transition to, “too much revenue” to “too much spending” delineates much. Think Progress noted, the last time Republicans insinuated too much revenue flowing into the government, the problem was solved by creating the deficits of today.“More than any other reason", President Bush justified his 2001 tax cuts by claiming the budget surplus President Clinton created was actually bad. “A surplus in tax revenue, after all, means that taxpayers have been overcharged,” Bush explained. Of course, the Bush tax cuts are one of the largest contributors to today’s budget deficit by depriving the government of revenue in conjunction with increased spending. Let’s give an example of such; in 1961 the percent of profits corporations paid in taxes was 47.7 percent as opposed to 2011 in which that percentage was 11.1. Republicans have exhibited that the goal is to introduce the worst excesses of business—the incentive to poor service, the race to the bottom on wages, benefits, and workplace rights—and leave out the ideologically inconvenient bits like growth and the importance of revenue.

 It’s time for an about face of thought pertaining to government run like a business. In lieu of trying to have government utilize the most destructive logics of business; what should be emphasized is as Corey Robin writes in The Nation, "Unveil the ways that the unfettered profit motive hurts us and makes us less free, as individuals and as a society". Or, as President Obama put it himself when the microphone was left on in the notorious “Do you think we’re stupid” video, HERE, pound it home, saying “When Paul Ryan says his priority is to make sure he's just being America's accountant; this is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill -- but wasn't paid for...So it's not on the level.” Paul Ryan is praised as the Republicans' best economist, but it’s not economics at the heart. He presents nothing that economists could recognize as being related to the discipline of economics. The Heritage Foundation cranked out a study to support him, but that organization has become famous for the support of far-right schemes. The fact is that Ryan is invoking the theories of Ayn Rand, a novelist, who offered an image of society that is flipping Marxism upside down. Paul Ryan has said, “The reason I got into public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker...it would be Ayn Rand.” He requires his staffers to study Rand's Nietzschian tracts. Ayn Rand praised the people at the top of the economic pyramid – corporate leaders, bankers, the rich-- as the people who "contribute the most to all those below them" and suggest they receive too little in return. Also suggesting people at the bottom contribute nothing and are useless parasites; without those at the top, the poor starve in "hopeless ineptitude". Rand's idea is to direct more rewards to the creative few and to destroy the welfare state, which prevents people at the top from unleashing their creativity. I'm sure I do not have to annotate and rationalize how much further from the truth and reality that is. Ayn Rand’s philosophy is as follows- 1. Metaphysics: Objective Reality, 2. Epistemology:  Reason, 3. Ethics:  Self-interest, 4. Politics:  Capitalism.If you want this translated into simple language, it would read: 1.”Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed” or “Wishing won’t make it so.” 2. “You can’t eat your cake and eat it, too.” 3. “Man is an end in himself.” 4. “Give me liberty or give me death.”, Objectivism holds that: Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings wishes, hopes or fears. Reason is man’s only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival. Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man’s rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders; in a system full of capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church.

 When has the GOP embraced separation of church and state as well as based social ideologies on fact instead of fear or feelings? Where has the GOP not initiated physical force against others and nations? Where have Christian Conservatives in particular preached to not sacrifice themselves as Jesus did? Here’s the deal, in a stretch of the imagination, if one would like the government to be run like a business or be practically nonexistent providing nothing but defense (as unconstitutional as that is) and based on Rand’s philosophy then social debates over issues must come to an end.  Complete separation of church and state, same sex marriage would no longer be a topic up for debate because government would not be involved, no more abortion debates, no debates over ethical science funding, drugs would be legalized, no more subsidies to farmers’ for genetically engineered crops, no more foreign aid, no more corporate welfare and bailouts- because there are no morals in business and all of the above would be contradictory to Rand’s philosophies. Ryan's plan based on Ayn Rand’s writing is about reordering society not about wiping out the deficit. This philosophy is popular amongst Tea Partiers because they are convinced with conviction that they are being punished and stifled because government helps poor people and provides social services. Ryan is serving up a large dose of Social Darwinism at a time when such selfish and ugly sentiments are very popular. Governor Rick Scott of Florida is a notorious business man having planned and is executing running the state as much like a business as possible. Having below a 50 percent approval rate, being booed at baseball games, and people wanting to recall him, it’s clear electing a business man, not to mention having had a company with the largest Medicare and Medicaid fraud in history, to government, has caused citizens to realize the error of their ways. Scott's proposals would result in job losses for 300 thousand people (check out the pink slip rick website, HERE, along with it's ever amusing photos of the Governor) with major tax cuts to grow the private sector along with attempting to privatize Medicaid which will inadvertently make profits for his company, Solantic, which are urgent care centers that will take most of the Medicaid vouchers. The company was put in his wife’s name in order to avoid a conflict of interest; however some democrats are suing suggesting it still is in fact a conflict. I concur. Scott spent 70 million of his own dollars of his total 200 million net worth for a position that pays 200 grand. He is going to make that money back somewhere plus a profit and it’s through his new legislation. Not to mention his cuts to education, law enforcement and care for the disabled. 

 Scott’s budget proposal has republicans up in the air and democrats in a dead faint on the ground. Scott turned down the funding that was already approved for the high speed rail project that would have created thousands of jobs, hinting that his goal is not just running the state like a business but special interest, social engineering and conservative social agendas as well. Veering away from just models of economics and Rand's philosophies. Let’s hope Scott does not manage the state like his healthcare company where he had to pay the government 1.7 billion dollars because of fraud by Columbia/HCA. Hopefully, education won’t be privatized — like for-profit colleges and universities, which recently have been exposed for enrolling unqualified students with false promises and bombarding them with debt. Hopefully, government services won’t be turned into fee for services, for example 911 or the fire department, as seen in Tennessee.  In rural Tennessee, firefighters let a house burn down because the owner hadn't paid a $75 fee. The county does not have a county-wide firefighting service, but South Fulton offers fire coverage to rural residents for a fee. Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat. Cranick says he told the operator he would pay whatever is necessary to have the fire put out. His offer wasn't accepted, he said Firefighters did eventually show up, but only to fight the fire on the neighboring property, whose owner had paid the fee. Read the full article HERE. Absolutely a deplorable decision made on the fire fighters part. Benjamin Franklin was the first to start fire services and the created the first volunteer fire department. It’s such a cliché, but what are we really teaching the future generations with situations such as this? I'll tell you. I read about Kidzania, a multinational chain of family entertainment centers where kids try out professions that have been downsized, simplified, and made fun, not too long ago. It operates out of eight different countries and is planned to come the the United States by 2013. Kidzania is preparing kids for future jobs in corporations, but even have the corporations themselves be a governmental entity and have the children become perfectly immune to the concept. Children are called KidZanians, the citizens of the nation. They appropriately have a national anthem and a flag. Each park has a congress of 14 children, which meet once a month and take trips to see the sponsors of the park, as well as the various other parks around the world. The adult management uses governmental titles; the senior manager of each franchise is called the “Governor.” Add to that, the language of its ever prospering and growing nation-state and its legislation, including its very own bill of rights. At the center of the concept and the business of KidZania lies the motive of corporate consumerism. The rights to brand and help create activities at each franchise are sold off to real corporations. When learning factory work, it’s in a job bottling Coca-Cola, and when working at a restaurant, that “restaurant” has golden arches. The dentist office is sponsored by Crest. Some sponsors fit awkwardly in the park: selling Chevrolet to children is tough. The answer in these situations is often to put up a few computers in a booth where children can interact with the brand—in the Chevrolet case, by designing a customized Camaro. But KidZania seems to fail to emphasize the idea that education is important for reasons other than as a way to get a better-paying job, as if learning only pays off if it pays in cash. Dr. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and a psychologist at Harvard Medical School says, “child-driven, hands-on creative play is the foundation of learning, creativity and constructive problem-solving. When adults drive children’s play, those benefits are removed.” It’s just a scaled down version of our own world, except it’s creating the customer in place of the citizen right from the start.

 Surely the government’s business model would not resemble the 595,600 companies that closed and 43,546 that went bankrupt in 2008. Feasibly, the government could be modeled after Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, General Motors, Chrysler, Lehman Brothers, WorldCom or the favorite front runner, Enron. Maybe the defense contractor that stock piled costs on weapons programs to the sum of $296 billion dollars?  Hypocrisies amongst conservatives and businesses are ever present when the sh*t hits the fan, so to speak. When corporate profits were astronomical, CEO’s and Republicans ranted and raved about the foundation and impact of private enterprise and how regulation is Satan’s spawn. What happened when the bubble burst? It was a new song "Public-private partnerships” (aka bail-outs) are not only inspired, they are imperative. Again, along with ending the conservative social issues, if welfare and services are to be ended for the people that should include corporate welfare. In fact, former Pres. G.W. Bush held an MBA and his commitment to bringing business principles to the running of government was best encapsulated in these words he spoke on Nov. 2, 2000: "They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program." Wow. And we certainly see where he got us as well. President Obama, having graduated from Harvard with a law degree and specialized in civil rights and constitutional law, on the other hand is accused relentlessly of being a socialist. Truth be told; banks, corporations and Wall Street have done more to deter people’s distrust in American free enterprise than all of the “liberals” and "community organizers" combined. Except as stated above, in strokes of genius rhetoric, creativity and  sentiment that the Republicans have used- managed to turn citizen’s anger towards Main Street, in other words, themselves…against their own interests. Our government and constitution’s objective is not profit: it is service. Our government is just an entity that is not in business to receive revenue for itself but for the common good of its people. Our government is not in business to create its own goals, or to ignore the needs or wishes of the community. Businesses have to be creative and figure ways to strategically come up with ways to increase profit when they're no longer profitable and adhere to a cost-benefit ratio model with self-interest first. Our government is "We the People" and its purpose is to meet public demand through our votes as a business’s purpose, again, is not. In his second inaugural address, the only American ever elected president four times, Franklin D. Roosevelt, spoke these still-timely words: "We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics."We can petition our government and expect some useful reaction; we can petition a private business and expect it to continue to do as it pleases, whether or not it happens to be what you wanted, is not of any concern-it’s not a democracy after all.


Maybe Government he thought “Can’t be run like a business or store. “Maybe Government…perhaps…means a little bit more” 

                                                                             

PETA is Black and White in a Rainbow World (Hatchery Law Reform and Continued Awareness for the Ethical Treatment of Animals According to Omnivores)

                                                                             

“Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.”The world is not black and white. Many situations are not black and white. I am not comfortable with the mantra either you are with us or against us, circa President Bush; otherwise known as a very traumatic eight years for me. It is an age old argument whether or not to eat meat in response to the abuse happening inside the factory farms, being we are reasonable and morally conscious; and have options for other food sources through our advancement. One of my favorite quotes on the subject is that of Benjamin Franklin, he states “I had stuck to my resolution of not eating animal food... But I had formerly been a great lover of fish, and, when this came hot out of the frying-pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanced sometime between principle and inclination, till I recollected that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs; then thought I, 'If you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you.' So I dined upon cod very heartily, and continued to eat with other people, returning only now and then occasionally to a vegetable diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.” PETA is for the ethical treatment of animals as we’ve apprehended it to be. Though it’s often harsh tactics criminalizes people for not choosing the lifestyle of that of a vegan while correlating them to a terrorist, as you’ll read below. Humans are omnivores by nature. There are a number of popular myths about vegetarianism that have no scientific basis. One of these myths is that man is naturally a vegetarian because our bodies resemble herbivores, not carnivores. In fact we are omnivores. Much of the misinformation on the issue of man being a natural vegetarian arises from confusion between taxonomic (in biology, the procedure of classifying organisms in established categories) and dietary characteristics. All the available evidence indicates that the natural human diet is omnivorous and would include meat. We are not, however, required to consume animal protein. We have a choice. I choose to eat meat; understanding the natural ways of the biological world and the natural order of the food chain. Plus, I like hot dogs. By not choosing to persist as a vegan, it is a futile attempt to become a component of PETA. What this post is about, as an omnivore, is not whether to make a determination to espouse a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for ethical reasons; this is about the sustained abuse and torture of animals by workers and factories and stricter regulations of existing laws and laws that should be proposed, that condemn and criminalize the factories and corporations that perpetuate the behavior, as well as alternative methods of handling the chicks and ducklings in hatcheries. Throughout our agriculture history the first animals to be factory farmed were chickens. The discovery of vitamins and their role in animal nutrition, in the first two decades of the twentieth won't make much of a difference. The changes proposed include telling employees to be more efficient in sending culled chicks to their death via high-speed vacuum, grinding, or gassing — all legal, industry-approved methods.” It’s also stated that 0.1 percent of the 100,000 chicks hatched every day get caught in the machinery. That's 1,100 chicks, just at this one hatchery, being thrown out likecentury, led to vitamin supplements, which allowed chickens to be raised indoors. The discovery of antibiotics and vaccines facilitated raising livestock in larger numbers by reducing disease. Development of hormones allowed for chickens to be produced with bigger breasts to meet the growing demand. Chemicals developed for use in World War II gave rise to synthetic pesticides and all of the above stated advancements and arguments of contention are controversial in themselves, and rightly so.

The videos that caused me to become cognizant of the hatchery horrors, is of Hy-Line hatchery HERE and Cal-Cruz hatchery HERE. It’s disconcerting, disheartening and daunting the imagery that has been compiled and released, having been amassed by undercover documentarians on how major corporations and companies handle the production of animals in the food industry. Evidence of workers who sex chicks-weeding out the males and females-take the chicks, slam them onto the ground, while some are allowed to get stuck in the machinery and others are hosed out and just left for dead on the ground. A definite biological waste and disposal concern in conjunction with the moral aspects of abuse. The machinery the chicks are getting stuck in is a gigantic meat grinder and a machine that identifies the gender of the birds with the use of lasers. The workers phlegmatically carry the newly hatched chicks in baskets to a conveyor belt and dump the chicks for a leisurely ride to get ground up for meat. 150,000 male chicks per day are sorted out by operators known as "sexers" and ground alive because they cannot produce eggs and will not grow fast enough for meat. I was foolishly oblivious of what was done with the male chicks; naïve to believe that they were given to farms or sold at auctions. According to Change.org, “When they turned over the video footage to Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority and the District Attorney's Office, the follow-up investigation corroborated their evidence and led to the confiscation of 88 ducklings, over half of which had to be euthanized. A year later, the District Attorney's Office said they were not going to prosecute. California is one of the few states where the law doesn't distinguish between pets and food animals. Although the District Attorney's office says the evidence isn't sufficient, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't be pursuing this case if it had happened to puppies or kittens.” The company, Cal Cruz, has been in the industry for 50 years; the owner an upstanding enough citizen, goes on to make some suggestions. “Unless that involves dismantling the machinery or closing the business, it  trash every single day, many of them mutilated and suffering. Brian Collins said (the president of Cal-Cruz),

"If there is some industry standard I'm missing, educate me, or design something better." …That we can, if this is the industry standard. There are other alternatives to what could be done with these newborn animals, regardless if it’s more cost effective to turn them into feed. Hy-Line alleges that its hatchery procedures are supported and approved by the animal veterinary and scientific community, adding “Instantaneous euthanasia by maceration is specifically supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Federation of Animal Science Societies, Agriculture Canada, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and European Union (EU)”. Not hitting the mark enough, for those who want to enjoy their omelets in good conscience.

 It’s unacceptable and quite traumatizing to watch images of pigs being molested and abused, watch the video of Smithfield Food Products Farm’s HERE and an Iowa pig farm HERE. Both companies were appropriately persecuted. Staying on top of the issue, becoming aware, and not being reduced to complacency is part of the solution. There are right and wrong ways of doing things. It does not make you a hypocrite to support animal rights, be against abuse of animals and the ethical treatment of, and yet still consume meat. It’s understood by most, the capabilities and ranges of emotions and physical sensations and mental abilities animals feel and posses. More than 16 billion animals that are killed for food every year in the U.S. have little legal protection from cruelty that would be illegal if it were inflicted on companion dogs or cats. They are neglected, mutilated, genetically manipulated, put on drug regimens that cause chronic pain and crippling, transported through all weather extremes, and killed in gruesome and violent ways.  Even so-called "free-range" animals are often mutilated without the benefit of painkillers; kept in filthy, disease-ridden sheds; forced to endure long trips to the slaughterhouse without food or water; and killed in the same ways as animals from factory farms” Says PETA. Milk production is being increased from the utilization of bovine growth hormone, first harnessed by Monsanto, and the result of this on the cows is contemptible, highly abusive and not as widely recognized. Clearly it is a whole other argument on the dangers this has to humans. Though this IGF-1 occurs naturally in mothers' milk to be fed to their infants it produces adverse effects in non-infants, behaving as a cancer accelerator in adults and non-infants; this biologically active hormone is associated with breast cancer (correlation shown in premenopausal women), prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancers. The choice could be yours, whether or not to consume rBST enhanced milk. However, since we have no way of knowing which products we buy have used these companies’ methods, the decision on whether to consume the milk is arduous, because there are no regulations and no consumer labels put on the products. A fact worthy of note is the FDA, EPA, and USDA is overseen by former heads of Monsanto. Monsanto is a multinational agriculture biotechnology corporation. The cost already involved and what the cost would be projected to be, to provide more humane ways of managing and operating the food production industries and hatcheries, is extensive. Understandably, there is a careful balance of cost and profit. Such choices to be more humane tend to be pricier for consumers. One study suggested that humane improvements instituted by the United Egg Producers cooperative would raise the price of eggs by 8 to 10 cents per dozen -- and animal rights advocates criticize even those improvements as minimal. Prices for free-range chickens run more than 50 percent higher than standard brands.

 The conduct of the workers has to be more efficiently monitored, preferably by an outside party, and not tolerated to any degree, regardless of some arguments that the workers are underpaid. Human Rights Watch has said that slaughterhouse workers have "the most dangerous factory job in America." The industry has refused to do what's necessary to create safe working conditions for its employees, such as slowing down slaughter lines and supplying workers with appropriate safety gear, because these changes could cut into companies' bottom lines. Many workers endure crippling injuries and many have even lost their limbs—or their lives—from working with dangerous meat-processing machines. What it does for the environment is definitely reason enough to have more laws and regulation, in and of itself. Factory farms, and agriculture giants like Monsanto, pollute the air and water for miles in every direction, often spreading contamination and illness to the people who live and work nearby. Chronic sickness, brain damage, poisoned waterways, elevated cancer rates, and even death plague these communities, while the government does nothing to protect citizens or regulate the industry. It's up to Americans to help stop them.  Between 2000 and 2005, agribusinesses funneled more than $140 million to politicians, who helped to ensure that laws that might protect consumers, animals, and the environment did not pass. The federal government does little to protect human health, animal welfare, and our environment from the factory-farming industry's negligence and excess, However PETA has to, and rightly so, from their extremist position, that the only true answer is becoming vegan. Analogous of the way conservatives say abstinence is the solution; to underage pregnancy, disease, etc., and the morally righteous way. The answer is not extremist attitudes and ultimatums. I opt not to eat veal and fois gras, I’ve made the choice to never wear fur due to the fact, most of the fur industries have zero regulation, as seen in the videos of fur farms in China, HERE, where the animals are skinned alive, slammed in to the ground, bludgeoned in the head and thrown into a bin…some still breathing. When I see such things it feels as if pieces of my soul die. I am certainly aware of the films that exist of the abuse against cattle and other animals and you can check them out at the PETA websites or through searches.  A lot of the pharmaceutical companies are required by law to test on animals. Some testing is unreasonable and not necessary in my opinion. I cannot comprehend why Always and Carefree feminine products need to be tested on animals; or 3M and Hugo boss.




 I would be a supportive, active member of PETA to help facilitate an end to torture and abuse of animals, but PETA doesn’t support me. The animal rights group is certainly known for its shocking ads, aggressive tactics and bountiful photos of naked ladies touting vegetarianism, pet adoption and animal birth control. One of the latest posts on its blog still manages to push the envelope, with the aforementioned correlation between a meat eater and a terrorist. Blogger Logan Scherer writes a post about how Ghulam Rasool Khan, who was arrested in India with suspected links to al Qaeda and the Taliban, insists on eating large quantities of meat rather than the vegetarian food served in prison. Behold: a visit from Captain Obvious; As if the world needed another example of the proven link between violence against animals and violence against humans, Ghulam Rasool Khan--a suspected al-Qaida member jailed in India--refuses to eat the vegetarian food served to him, instead demanding "two kg of mutton and one kg of chicken daily." Khan has threatened to go on a hunger strike if he doesn't get his carcasses. But if PETA India's recent request that all jails serve only vegetarian meals is honored, then the bloodthirsty terrorist will be starving himself indefinitely. PETA also posted about how serial killers often torture animals before "graduating" to humans, suggesting that simply eating meat is the same sociopathic behavior as torturing small animals. Ironically, PETA itself was recently classified as a terrorist threat by the USDAR. There was another case in the news of vegan parents allowing their 11 month old child to die of malnutrition. HERE are five known cases of instances of vegan related child deaths. In essence and irony, in the name of not killing any animals, they killed their children. PETA actually suggests higher insurance rates for meat eaters, as if there aren’t enough attacks and singling out of people’s behaviors and on people’s lifestyles. The search for such "humanely raised" food is opening up new ground in what was previously a no-man's land between carnivores and vegetarians. An increasing number of consumers are acting as "ethical omnivores," saying that they'll only eat meat and dairy products that have been raised in a cruelty-free way. Industrial farms have been stung by high-profile campaigns and such books like "Dominion" where a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush details the economics of factory farming – having personally investigated several major animal industries, including those of hunting and whaling.  He traces the history of the animal rights movement and its philosophical underpinnings and argues for a balance between the cruel and cavalier treatment of animals and the more radical notions of the animal rights movement. This abuse cannot continue in the farms, slaughterhouses, industries and the horrors at the hatcheries. 

Some possible solutions I’ve seen offered up to assist those omnivores in this plight is the (triple R) RRR acronym-Refinement: minimize suffering and distress, Reduction: minimize number of animals used and Replacement: avoid the use of living animals. There are countless other materials and methods to use. Synthetic skin called Corrositex, Computer modeling, Improved Statistical Design and The Murine Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA); all are available and contribute to decrease the dependence on animal testing. Better standards and regulations are essential and perpetrators not in compliance of the decrees, persecuted. The answer is in awareness and support of bills that protect and regulate and sentence the criminality. It’s understandable that it is a difficult issue to talk and think about, however I hope more people become aware of what goes on so we can offer alternatives, law creation and stricter regulations. I am a firm believer in allowing people to live any lifestyle they choose. That’s the beauty of America…there are all the colors of our, hopefully more aware and compassionate, rainbow.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Green Energy Imaginary To Some (As I Wish They Were To Me)

                                                                            

“Either you love her or hate her”( truer words were never spoken) states India Today Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie, after introducing Sarah Palin as she gave a keynote address to the India Today Conclave on the importance of drilling and oil’s potential. Oil’s potential? Isn’t that an oxymoron like Palin’s intelligence?  Sarah Palin, of course, as we cannot consign to oblivion, coined the phrase “Drill Baby Drill” in 2008. She further stated “It’s a false Utopian fairy tale that you don't need to drill for energy needs” continuing “The present green technologies are not mature enough and Alaska's abundant oil and gas reserves would serve as the bridge to the future”. Our green technologies are not nearly advanced and efficient as they could be, that’s true. However, that does not diminish the importance or negate the fact our country has to unite in this green energy endeavor and not resort to the assumption our only salvation is to dig up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. All the while, Aroon Purie was “Poking fun at Palin’s creative vocabulary” and her polarizing effect in the United States; that’s putting it mildly. Creative was a nice way of saying low country beauty pageant twang. Sarah Palin states that “There is no future in green energy and it does not create a boost to an economy.” Did I read that correctly? It’s like the Northern lights are on in Palin’s head, but no one’s home…hence the oxymoron. Palin further stated “green jobs have eliminated more jobs than it has created.” Don’t go there. I think we’ve seen recently how job creation is the last priority amongst the Republicans agendas. Let’s review some statistics on green jobs.

First, what is a green job? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; Green jobs are either: Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. Examining different sectors of the job market, these are the projected growth statistics: Advanced Biofuels: 29,000 new jobs by 2012; 190,000 jobs by 2022. Energy efficient infrastructure: 280,000 jobs, nearly half of which would be created in the next 12 months. Solar energy: 110,000 new jobs at the end of 2010 in the U.S., plus solar job growth of 100% in Canada. Wind energy: 185,000 new jobs in the next 12 months. Overall 37 million renewable energy jobs by the year 2030, which would be 17% of all U.S. employment! Slap me in the face! With an Alaskan crab. What a fairytale utopia, kind of like Palin seeing herself as Commander-in-Chief. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has allowed funding of $11 billion for a smart grid, $2.3 billion for advanced battery technology, $6.3 billion to states and local governments for greater energy efficiency, and also guarantees $60 billion in loans for renewable energy power generation and electric transmission projects, plus $2.5 billion for energy research. There is a significant difference between spending and investing. Return for one. One aspect of the United States that has been tried and true; we have always built our way up and out of depressions with an unwavering spirit; build baby build. You have to spend money to make money. One out of every ten dollars of the GDP is related to transportation activity.  Needless to say, that is the true testament to patriotism, to make American the the best by investing in it, we have not invested in transportation or infrastructure since Eisenhower built the highway systems.

Let’s look at some oil facts: The U.S. consumes a quarter of the world’s oil supply while holding a mere 3% of global oil reserves. We cannot drill our way out of our energy problems, Mrs. Palin, in the same sense the definition of insanity is to do something over and over and expect different results. Currently, the U.S. imports over 60% of its oil. In 1972, the U.S. spent $4 billion on oil imports, an amount that equaled 1.2% of our defense budget. In 2006 it cost $260 billion, 2008-over $600 billion. We are paying foreign governments-including those that want to kill us infidels and kill their own for dancing with small rocks-more than we pay for our own defense. The 30 year old plus debate in whether or not to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been an ongoing political controversy. The Refuge and its undiscovered estimates are categorized as PROSPECTIVE resources and therefore, not proved. The Dept. of Energy reports “Consequently, there is considerable uncertainty regarding both the size and quality of the oil resources that exist. Thus, the potential ultimate oil recovery and potential yearly production are highly uncertain”. ANWR oil production is not projected to have a large impact on world oil prices. There’s a surprise."Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could neutralize any potential price impact of ANWR oil production by reducing its oil exports by an equal amount”. Many scientists have expressed concern about the world's remaining oil reserves; that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit. "Recent activity in the National petroleum reserve in Alaska, including 3-D seismic surveys, federal lease sales administered by the Bureau of Land Management and drilling of more than 30 exploration wells in the area provides geological information that is more indicative of gas than oil," the geological survey said.  Much of the debate over whether to drill in the 1002 area of ANWR rests on the amount of economically recoverable oil, as it relates to world oil markets. Taking into account the potential harm oil exploration might have upon the natural wildlife, in particular the calving ground of the caribou. Not to mention the ecological impact. Of course, Palin shoots caribou for political gain and fun; this is a woman who shot wolves and bears from a helicopter and called it hunting, so this would not likely invoke an ounce of compassion or concern from our ice princess.

There is a lot of money at stake, very heavy investments and interests, which is indicative of the ongoing problem and endurance of it.  I know I’ve been taught there is nothing that stabilizes and grows a portfolio like blue chips. Long ago, I was part owner of Exxon Mobil stock. I’m not talking Gordon Gekko ownership; I’m talking the size of a couple of atoms that make up a crumb of  the pie.  The dividends felt like my birthday, but I was cognizant it bequeathed my soul to the devil; money is the root of all evil and needless to say I nullified the arrangement with the man in the red body suit holding a pitchfork. We as a people cannot lose consciousness of the gargantuan disasters which are the denouement of our dependence on the black gold, the Texas Tea, the bubbling crude… HERE is a list of all of the oil disasters, in the event a refresher course is needed. The most recent catastrophe, of course, is the Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. This had a dead zone to begin with. The impact on the earth is massive, extensive and often irrevocable. Most birds affected by an oil spill die unless there is human intervention. Marine mammals exposed to oil spills are affected in similar ways as seabirds. Oil coats the fur of Sea otters and seals, reducing its insulation abilities and leading to body temperature fluctuations and hypothermia. Ingestion of the oil causes dehydration and impaired digestions. Because oil floats on top of water, less sunlight penetrates into the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton. This, as well as decreasing the fauna populations, affects the food chain in the ecosystem. There are three kinds of oil-consuming bacteria. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and acid-producing bacteria are anaerobic, while general aerobic bacteria (GAB) are aerobic. These bacteria occur naturally and will act to remove oil from an ecosystem, and their biomass will tend to replace other populations in the food chain. Affecting the food chain has impacts on a global level. In these disasters bodies of water, wetlands and entire environments are destroyed. It takes decades, if ever they recover combined with the fact there are always numerous oil spills and accidents happening at the same time. Energy and the economy are directly connected. Climate change affects grocery prices. This, I thought was common knowledge. HERE is a study from Perdue University on the impact of energy, climate and the economy. It can’t be assumed these are problems we are going to have to solve in the future, that they are problems that will not occur until the future. They are happening now. We have to understand and be aware of the problems in order to change them. We don’t need more research, we don’t need debates; we need bipartisan effort, my aforementioned definition of patriotism and more respect for the earth.

When Americans put their thick heads together, we have astounding accomplishments; with the age old adage if we could put a man on the moon we can do anything. I’ve seen the Republicans resort to some straw grasping, idiotic and endangering measures, but by far the worst to me is their stance that climate change is a myth and drilling for oil is our only redemption and option. Besides the fact 51% believe the president was born in Kenya. I undoubtedly question what the limit would have to be, what line has to be crossed before supporters leave the Republican Party. Evidently, Sarah Palin was not enough. It’s not as if I’ve never held more fiscal conservative views, but there came a time when I had to say to myself I cannot be a part of this GOP insane asylum. Sarah Palin is the political equivalent of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. One night with her and Palin's broken into our house and is boiling our bunnies. Besides realizing Sarah Palin is not going away anytime soon and she was allowed to go speak to other countries, you realize how prophetic Carter was when he installed the solar panels on the white house and with no surprise and complete predictably Reagan took them down. The panels had been dismantled to fix the roof underneath. Dale A. Petroskey, a White House spokesman, said ''Putting them back up would be very unwise, based on cost.'' …What!?!? At the time, Reagan said, “That’s enough of that!” when he ordered their removal. The act certainly was symbolic. In 1991, Unity College, an environmentally centered college in Maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria. The Reagan administration cut funding for renewable energy research and public renewable energy tax credits by 90%. His election campaign was strongly backed by the US oil and energy industry. What would have transpired as far as Americans attitude towards sustainable and green energy if Reagan didn’t remove them? Removing the panels was symbolic of the attitude, that this is America, I will consume as much as I like no matter the consequence because we have endless resources that God will replenish. It’s an attitude that Sarah Palin is perpetuating by stating green energy is a fantasy and it stifles the job market. It is THAT attitude that is unsustainable. Palin and a number of Republicans believe oil drilling and the continuation of our dependence on it, is somehow the light at the end of the tunnel, except it’s more like a black hole and we are at the event horizon.

                                                                         

(Please see my posts; Sarah Palin Gives Me Hypothermia and Climate Initiative Cooperation...or Rather Lack Thereof, for more of my perspective of the Former Governor and how the members of her brood are unconcerned with issues plaguing the planet and the overall health of it, as well as its inhabitants.)

Madhouse Photography

Coming shortly is a fantastic website of primarily New York City photography, I will post the link when they are finished with construction. Consisting of Cityscapes, Sunsets, Nature and Artistic shots; they are incredibly talented and had the luxury of awesome vantage points normally not available; and taken through a truly creative filter and comprised from a truly creative spirit. If you love city photography, in particular New York City and that urban essence, you will love this. There are also Nature shots and Artistic shots for those not into the concrete jungle scene, but appreciate art and are looking for exceptional prints, most of which can be sized up to 2'x4'. Madhouse Photography will suit the needs of office decor, businesses, house decor, etc. looking for that urban element. I love it, I've mentioned I'm always on the lookout for Art of any medium because individual expression, personal creativity and the realm of artistic impression are vital. If you would like more information email HERE.

Mexican in Shining Armor (The Tire Iron and The Tamale)

                                                                        

I encountered an article from The New York Times (you can read it here), called The Tire Iron and The Tamale. It is basically recapping experiences a man named Justin Horner had, as far as having multiple blow outs on the road or car trouble of sorts and the only people to come to his rescue were Mexican immigrants. Justin Horner is a graphic designer from Portland, OR.  Be forewarned this has absolutely nothing to do with illegal immigrants or immigration policies or opinions on the “Arizona” law, (which I’m completely against) it’s about attitude. There are two reasons why this has semblance and has struck me. One, I can painstakingly relate to this ordeal. With one contemptible exception; I had to pay one hundred dollars to the highway patrol for use of their jack… Two, the only thing Americans need to be threatened by sometimes concerning immigrants is their American spirit and humanity.

In the article, the man watched tow truck after tow truck; car after car ; pass him by without a crumb of help being thrown his way, even though he posted signs in the window of his car and offered money. A family of four Mexican immigrants, transiently in the country for the tedious task of picking cherries and peaches on a farms and then returning home; altruistically stopped and donated their assistance. But not to the extensiveness one would expect. At first the jack was too small and the father took out a saw and cut a log that was on the side of the road, to prop the jack on to. The tire iron broke; the wife devotedly and blissfully walked to a gas station to go by a new one. This irksome and burdensome ordeal had taken hours and after trying to pay the Mexicans for their troubles, they so graciously responded by asking the gentleman down on his luck if he was hungry. “The two of us were filthy and sweaty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up to the van and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could.” He said. The daughter benevolently handed him homemade tamale, where the man discovered the father had put the money inside the wrapper of the tamale. “The guy just smiled and, with what looked like great concentration, said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.” This family was here for such a brief time, probably underpaid, to perform work most Americans would not and all too grateful of this; all the while portraying the morals and character that Americans say they posses and standby but too often falling short.

                                                                             

When my car broke down on a highway in the south, in the winter and late at night; it was a tire blow out by an exit ramp and right in front of a toll booth; I did not have road service of any kind and I realized the monumental mistake of that. Myself and the person I was with asked the toll booth attendant if she had a jack, or if anyone inside the building had one; there was about seven cars in the parking lot. A security guard came out and said she did not have one either but would call over to the construction crew vigorously working on the opposite side of the highway and see if they had one. In the meantime, I was pitifully asking a couple of people who were stopping to pay a toll if they could offer any assistance. The toll booth attendant “allowed” this a couple of times but then proceeded to say we couldn’t do that anymore, even though no one complained, I suppose it was parallel to panhandling. The attendant had been weary to some degree from the start as if this was a set up and a ploy for a much bigger crime in the process. I made a sign just as the man did in the article, offering money as well and only one group of young kids traveling in a band stopped to help but their equipment was too small for our car. When desperately checked back with the security guard after an hour or so, she said the equipment the construction crew would have would be too big. What am I trapped in the Goldilocks and the Three Bears? I certainly wasn’t running into the surrounding forests; mind you there was nothing for miles and miles that we could see. I didn’t realize how desolate these areas were. I was also under the impression that southern hospitality wasn’t a myth. I certainly vocalized that. The toll booth attendant said to call the highway patrol and after calling, it was out of sheer principle that I wanted to avoid having to pay that much for use of a jack. We decided to drive the car as far as we could take it, in hopes there would be a gas station, going about 10mph with the hazard lights on, I watched state trooper after trooper zoom by with absolutely no regard to one of the only cars on the highway with hazard lights on crawling at a snail’s pace. When I came to the realization of no rescue and no gas stations were present, we pulled the car over, right by wafting wildfire smoke nonetheless, and called the highway patrol.

In the article the man thought to himself “This family, undoubtedly poorer than just about everyone else on that stretch of highway, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours out of their day to help a strange guy on the side of the road while people in tow trucks were just passing him by. I sat in my car eating the best tamale I’ve ever had, and I just started to cry.” It also made me think of my experience and past experiences. I remember once in my early twenties when I was in college and budgeting wasn’t a priority, I was outside of a 7-11 counting change so I could purchase milk. While other patrons were looking at me like I should be mortified and ashamed of my affliction and situation, a Hispanic woman came over and handed me whatever was in her pockets. Thinking of this and the situation with my car trouble; I thought to myself after paying enough for a month’s worth of electricity for use of the highways patrolman’s jack, being jerked around by the only people around for miles at the toll booth and silently being accused of a possible crime suspected I’d commit, being passed by half a dozen state troopers and suffering minor smoke inhalation, in retrospect, I would have given anything for a Mexican immigrant in shining armor.

                                                                              

Incoming...Man Down

                                                              

              First, I want to affirm that I have not read the book Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women are Better Cops, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers and Just About Everything Else By Dan Abrams. I just want to address the overall premise of it. Secondly, I want to reiterate that I would be established at the forefront of any feminist movement, but not to suggest I support radicalism in any sense. I read a quote all too relevant to this. “The anti-male philosophy of radical feminism has filtered into the culture at large is incontestable; indeed, this attitude has become so pervasive that we hardly notice it any longer". Whether I align with Charlotte Hay’s ideologies is a separate issue. I have to agree with that statement. I think that women can execute professionally and succeed as well as a man and should be compensated the same amount in their paycheck. I’m all for women deciding to have families on their own (as opposed to Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin), all for women having complete control over their bodies, to make their own decisions regarding them under privacy protection and I recognize the ongoing battle of sexism in this country. Many woman exhibit traits that some men do not and vice versa, as far as assigned social gender identity roles and that’s the point...individuality, personal characteristics and balance. I’m not a fan of this mantra that women are better than men or the other way around. I’m not a cheerleader for stereotypes articulating males are good in math and females are good with reading comprehension or any other somewhat demeaning "statistics" that are put forth. I’m shocked that is asserted. In fact, the most detrimental and worst thing you could be, is in the box society puts you in. To be packed snuggly in your assigned gender role with corresponding pink or blue foam packing peanuts…which is analogous to other “boxes” potentially set up for us to be packed in, either pertaining to class, creativity, intelligence, sexuality, religion, nationality, race etc. There are women who can build a mean house and a man who picks out killer throw pillows. When you watch talk shows or sitcoms they always portray the husband as a bumbling idiot and the wife as a savior. This is no better than and comparable to (minus the violence) showing the wife always in the kitchen with an apron and the husband raising his fist insinuating he’s going to launch her out of the stratosphere. They always show men trying to watch a game and the wife rolling her eyes. On the talk shows if the man said he thinks he’s better at something the crowd will boo, reverse it and the crowd goes wild. It is damaging enough that double standards run rampant, let us not contribute to it.

There exists examples, justifications, and accounts why sundry statistics are just that. Some women might excel at managing a budget possibly because she’s a single mother solely responsible for children and the finances or she has a degree in accounting, who knows!?! This is not always the case and completely irrelevant. Maybe men might get hit by lightening at a greater rate because their wives sent them out there to fix something or get something or maybe he jumped in the way of danger to protect his wife. It doesn’t matter. Dan Abrams says men are just being “dim bulbs” and their bravado got them in trouble which may be true, however, it’s not lost on me that bravado could save my ass. It’s more likely, a woman will sacrifice herself for her children; a man will sacrifice himself for his whole family or possibly someone else’s. There is an agglomeration of women that are shameful mothers and fathers who are raising children on their own that put others to shame. Some young women now, need to concentrate on being better versions of themselves,  the younger generations who don’t seem to take an interest in all that women had fought for a substantial amount of time to be able to assume form of a CEO or to attain to become president. Not just learning how to submerse your head in bleach, the art of tanning, the skill of finding a good plastic surgeon and fight over a romantic interest. A good number of young men should learn how to treat women with respect and not keep them on a score card deducting points for a girl being a “GRENADE”. It’s been said women have more of a pain threshold over men. Whatever the case may be, I’ve seen some individuals cry over a baby gash on their leg and others walk around with bullet holes, regardless of gender. The United States ranks lower as far as the amount of women in government and it’s been alleged that having more women in government causes it to be less corrupt. .whether that is the case or not, there should be a balance, a yin and yang in all scenarios.

 I’m sure you’ve read that the yin yang symbolizes contradicting forces that are interdependent upon one another in the natural world. They only exist in relation to each other, meaning without each other they don’t exist at all. There are varying degrees of this, many shades, but the principle in nature is always trying to achieve a state of equilibrium, homeostasis is critical to life. It’s a paradox in a sense that it seems in order to give women equal footing they have to push ahead to rise above by pushing men to the side and eventually down. In the same sense that an opponent tries to take out another opponent out of the competition when what should really happen is for the competitors be based on their performance equally and whoever wins…is the winner. We don’t need to keep breeding prejudices, it’s a slippery slope. For sometime men had been accused and convicted of sexual assault and related crimes just based on the woman’s testimony. Men have a presumption of being guilty more so than a woman. Women have a 50% more likely chance of beating a murder conviction. Men are 5x more likely to face the death penalty. There were policies that a man could not sit next to an unaccompanied child on a plane, out of perception that men were prone to be potential child abusers. This presumption that men are more inclined to be dangerous has lead to a disproportionate number of women in fields of nursing ,child care, end of life care, nursing homes, elementary education, and secretarial positions. An unfortunate comparison to the years men were disproportionate in everything else. You don’t have to give credit to an individual or gender or race by putting another down. Didn’t we learn that in elementary school not to bully someone or sabotage someone to make ourselves feel or look better? Women have needed to fight the good fight over the years, as well as minorities and this certainly does nothing to help the fight for people of vastly different lifestyles and sexualities. Misogyny has been all too apparent, let’s not increase the misandry and add that to the ever growing pile of phobias that perpetuate the ever increasing divide amongst us.The overall goal is to work AWAY from discrimination. I’m sure we’ve all felt depending on the situation which friend would best be suited to our time in need when we’ve needed one. It’s the same principle that it depends on individual qualities. I prefer individuals that are not male or female, black or white, gay or straight for the job or predicament, but the better qualified, the best suited and better at not being a jackass.

 

“As far as I'm concerned, being any gender is a drag.”- Patti Smith