The Big Picture

Hello. You and I probably do not know each other but I'm sure if we sat down and had a beer together, we would become friends. It's an interesting phenomenon...that if we were all able to spend some quality time together, most of us would become friends. Sure we would have differing opinions about various issues, but in the end, we would find out that we really aren't that different. Most people in this country, and around the world, want the same basket of things in life: a good job, an opportunity to move up in the world, good friends, a good family, good health, a safe community, respect from others, freedom, honesty, and above all, love.

I am writing today because I am worried about our future. I would normally be minding my own business, but I'm afraid not enough people understand what's happening in the world today, nor do they understand the risks associated with their own ignorance (I can assure you I am aware of the risks of my own ignorance!). It's not easy to be informed when a large majority of our "news" outlets are owned by self-interested corporations that care more about the bottom line than the consequences of recklessly airing petty news and misinformation at the expense of real intelligent news.

This week, as we get swamped with another deluge of Jeremiah Wright drivel, I think it is past time to begin focusing our attention on measurable solutions to our long list of looming national problems. I don't believe it is unfair to say that ignorance is at the root of all our problems. I know people don't like being wrong, or being called ignorant, but it's time to put our need to be right down for a second and just focus on the Truth. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "information is the currency of democracy."

Today, we are awash in ignorance and misinformation, a combination fatal to a functioning democracy. Like Harry Burn's infamous high maintenance woman who thinks she is low maintenance, we, too, suffer from a similar misconception...most people in this country do not think they are ignorant. The truth has been so compromised in this country by bias (in part because Reagan terminated the Fairness Doctrine) that people now think bias and opinions are true! Many people, including some of you reading this right now who are probably very well educated, have not developed the necessary critical thinking skills to know the difference between bias and Truth. Many think they do but when it comes to their own turf wars, they tend to be blinded by their biases. What people don't realize is that there are very real consequences to ignorance (anyone who has lost a friend or family member in Iraq knows exactly how horrendous the consequences of ignorance can be). As long as we refuse to comprehend the measurable risks of believing misinformation, we will continue to devolve until one day we wake up without food or clean water and realize the tree-huggers were right all along.

Let's take stock of our future. On the short list of factual trends we've done nothing about, we are facing an aging baby boomer population that is on course to bankrupt Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare in less than 20 years. Combined, these two welfare programs account for almost 2/3 of our federal budget. Concomitantly, my generation (Gen X) does not have the people power to keep pace with the rising costs of these welfare programs. If unaddressed, costs will continue to rise and revenues will continue to fall, especially as we ship more jobs and cash overseas.

Secondly, not only are oil prices rising, and will continue to rise, most unbiased experts agree we have passed peak production and will see the end of oil in around 37 years (which is why Saudi Arabia hasn't increased production to provide any price relief...they no longer have supply power). Additionally, we are no closer to getting off oil than we were 30 years ago when President Carter first tried to make renewable energy a national priority. Cheap oil is what makes the modern world possible. Without it or a viable alternative, there is no modern world. Finding a viable alternative(s) to fossil fuels is in everyone's best interest...including Saudi Arabia and Republicans alike.

Thirdly, Global Warming is another potential game changer. Whether or not you believe human beings are contributing to the warming of the planet, it doesn't really matter. Facts matter. The polar ice caps are melting, as are all our glaciers. Our house is burning down and we're arguing about who should take out the trash. The time for action is now because if we do not act, the risk of doing nothing could be catastrophic. I could go on to include the threat of global water shortages, inflation, a weakened dollar, ballooning interest payments on our national debt, a degenerating infrastructure, increased job losses, raw material shortages, the housing crisis, failing healthcare and educational systems, global population growth, plummeting fish populations, deforestation, pollution, terrorism, etc., etc.

Critics might nervously label me an alarmist. But if you're going to accuse me of being an alarmist, then what's my motive? My only motive is to get the word out that ignorance and spin are destroying us. I want to do all I can to prevent economic and environmental catastrophe before it's too late. Ironically, I believe it is possible to use this unique time as an opportunity to grow a much stronger and more sustainable economy; one that truly is based on free market economics; one that includes the valuation of all externalities and long term costs. The one we have now is a faux-free market economy dictated by a hostile and greedy energy cartel. There is nothing "free" about an economy that relies on a monopolistic cartel to set global energy prices.

All these problems amplify exponentially when the complexities are combined with each other. We have never before faced such a diverse and abstruse set of variables in the history of the world! And the most dangerous variable in the entire equation is our historic propensity to value short term gains over long term goals. This is our Achilles Heel. For Americans to think it is not possible to fall from our extraordinary heights is just another symptom of our collective ignorance and hubris.

I bring all this up because as big business runs and ruins our government and our lives, we are sitting around bickering over nonsense like Jeremiah Wright. We need people in government who will take these monumental problems seriously...Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike. Most animals run for their lives when threatened by obvious danger. We just argue with each other on the tracks as the train fast approaches. I don't usually use this word literally but we've gone crazy.

While our politicians are mired in their short term corporate agendas, they're leaving your future and my future and our kid's future to chance. You don't have to go far to see some of the very real world consequences of government inaction and irresponsible short-term thinking as our financial system crumbles from the corrosive effects of unregulated greed in the marketplace. Politics is not a game, it's physics. With every action there is a reaction...eventually!

The Democratic Party, unfortunately, is our only hope. I have been embarrassed to call myself a Democrat over the past eight years but I know deep down that the essence of my party is the essence of America. We were right about getting off oil 30 years ago; we were right about global warming; we were right about environmental degradation (and will continue to be); we were right about George W. Bush; we were right about Iraq and Vietnam (Do you realize what we could have done in this country with the money spent on the Iraq war???); we were right about sustainability and corporate accountability; we were right about the Fairness Doctrine; and we were right about civil rights, social justice, and now Guantanamo. How the Republicans continue to dominate and denigrate our own message is beyond me. It needs to end, and it can end, with this election. But the only way it's going to end is if we muster enough strength and will power to take back the reigns of our government from the clutches of big business. Senator Clinton may be able to get it done but she has just as many ties to corporate lobbyists as Senator McCain. As much as I try to temper my enthusiasm for Senator Obama, he is the only one of the candidates to vociferously oppose corporate influence in government and to refuse corporate PAC money. Since legalized bribery, and our subsequent failure to do anything about it, is the root of all our problems, Senator Obama is, by definition, our best candidate. While he certainly isn't perfect, he gives us the highest probability of putting our government back where it belongs, in the hands of the American people. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and God bless.

Comments

[frustratedinohio]

Well Andrew, you had me until I saw your bias. Just another big commercial for Obama. I cannot believe that Obama's supporters are still buying his bullshit about not taking money from corporations. Does the Kool-Aid make you blind and deaf? It has been reported that he has bundlers and that he's taken money from big oil, the same way they all have with donations from many individuals. He likes to say he doesn't take money from lobbyists, but it is illegal for any of them to do that. It been on the news. Do you change the channel when it gets negative about Obama?

Also, when a candidate has a close relationship to someone who screams God Damn America, I not only want to know about it, but I want to know why. Especially when his wife blurts out anti-american thoughts. It has to make you wonder at the very least.

Having said that, I'm guessing you are directing your advice to the " ignorant" people who support Hillary. I don't appreciate that. You are only increasing the divide and helping to elect McCain when you insult us like that. That may be where your "ignorance" blind spot lies.

[aarentowicz]

First of all, Obama does not "take money from corporations." The only way a corporation can give money is through a corporate PAC, which Obama rejects. Yes, he does take money, and also bundled money (all candidates do), from people who work for corporations, but you are confounding two separate issues. Secondly, my support of Obama has nothing to do with drinking Kool Aid. If you followed my logic, the only reason I am supporting Obama is because he is the only candidate to speak out against corporate influence in government, which is the biggest issue facing Americans today. Thirdly, I never said, or implied, that Clinton supporters are "ignorant." Quite the contrary, if she wins, I will support her 100%. Fourth, go back and look at the context of Michele Obama's comments. They are far from "anti-American." Lastly, you and I, and everyone else in this country, have a right to be upset about Jeremiah Wright's comments. It's not what he said that was the problem, because blowback is a very real and well documented phenomenon. What was so upsetting about Wright's comments was HOW he said what he said. Obviously, this man is a pompous, callous, self-absorbed ass. But Wright is not Obama and the issue is now dead. If it comes up again, it should only come up when compared to Mr. McCain's racist spiritual adviser, John Hagee.

[JasonEverettMiller]

Except for the fact the Medicare and Social Security only make up a third of our total spending (defense, justice & earmarks account for the vast majority of spending) this was a petty good post. Medicare and Social Security would be just fine if we would stop raiding the cookie jar every time someone new gets in office and eliminated the cap.

[noodlebit]

Excellent post filled with useful timely information. Thank you for stepping up and writing it!

To newcomers to the age of reality that mainstream media is not to be trusted: HuffPost is a great jumping off place. Read the posts then use the Internet to validate the information. Insist upon references to everything, and follow them up yourself.

At the end of the day, while you may be tired from all the research, I think you'll find a certain sense of satisfaction of knowing The Truth.

And you'll be shocked to then turn on the TV, select one of the networks news programs, and hear the spin. It happens all the time, every day, to me. I have to endure this because at work, in the gym and in the cafeteria, are these obnoxious TVs that go constantly. But it serves to remind me that I am in fact in tune with what's going on as opposed to having been spun.

Thanks again, keep writing, make us think!

Talk to me!

Rick in NJ

[drblack]

At least the $300 billion to trillion of Your American tax dollars spent every year has won the War On Some Drugs, since nobody ever takes any drugs unless they are approved by your big pharmaceutical company.
If we declare a "War" on it the problem is solved. Especially if it is an emotion or inanimate object.

[WorkingClass]

The human race simply does not possess the collective intelligence to live together in peace and prosperity on this planet. My dad liked to tell me that ignorance could be fixed but stupid was forever. Well, if ignorance could be fixed it would be by now. No Andrew, our problem is that we are stupid. Events have overtaken us and we are powerless to save ourselves.

[Genisa]

I hate to admit it, but you are on point with this.

[speciallady2003]

We are no longer a democracy. We invade other countries on a whim--and it's increasingly looking like our President is poised to do it again. A large percentage of the electorate chooses media soundbites over an informed decision. How many primary dem voters have actually read the candidates platforms on their websites? Far too few.
I've wondered how in 150 years, why we haven't come up with something better than the combustion engine.
It's been clear that the working class is happy with the status quo and will happily be pandered to, while having the rug pulled out from under them. Their phobias are never ending. And they will be our undoing.

[GinnyinCO]

Aside from a few errors in your information (Social security is not part of the budget) very good observations. I agree that the information issue is a huge problem. We have been doubling our knowledge base in less than two years for awhile. In the last thirty years, the growth of new knowledge is astronomical.

The changing age demographics of our population has been identified as a world wide problem that will affect all countries except areas where AIDS and genocide have drastically changed demographics. See "The Empty Cradle".

I empathize completely with your alarmist perspective. Some of us have been wondering how bad this 'perfect storm' of crises would have to be before a critical mass started to push for the transformational changes needed.

It is weird to watch the primary campaign from this perspective. You really want to shake people, or perhaps try the John Wayne shape up slap in the face. ( Even advocates of zero tolerance to violence).

Check out the books on worldwide grassroots movements that are building momentum in addressing these problems. ("Blessed Unrest" ) "Society's Breakthrough" presents an excellent concept also developed in "Non-Violent Communication" The English language developed into an adversarial form of communication that is contrary to our history in tribal societies. The tendency to argue pro/con, right/wrong, stops creative thinking for problem solving.

Thanks for the post, the more of us who bring this up, the more who are thinking it will start joining the choir.

[Desiderata]

Here's some critical thinking for you. As we get closer to the General Election, why do the the rogues in the Executive Branch still carry an aura of invincibility? Bush dances. Cheney remains smug. I would expect the waning days of their power would darken their mood, maybe make them even afraid of having to face the legal consequences of their crimes; stripped of the shield that protected them for eight years.

Do they know something about the near future that will soon be sprung on all of us. Maybe it has something to do with that "Presidential Directive" Bush issued without fanfare last summer. You informed commentators know that Bush, then, decreed himself in charge of the entire government should a national emergency of his definition require him to declare martial law.

Of course something would have to provoke him to action before the General Election. I wonder what that could be.

All those internment camps Halliburton has been building across the USA? Hmmm, ask not why the camps are needed__they've been built for you. Ask not why Blackwater stormtroops policed New Orleans, it was practice for when they come for you.

[sjmarie]

We can all take a stand if we stop paying for the misinformation. For starters, cancel your cable news network.

[Lazyeye]

One of the more heated policy discussions came over taxes. O'Reilly demanded to know how much Clinton was going to "take out of my wallet," and when she listed a series of proposals to aid middle class families, O'Reilly interjected. "I'm not middle class, I'm a rich guy." Clinton responded (in an awkward moment), "Rich people, God bless us. We deserve all the opportunities to make sure our country and our blessings continue until the next generation."
+++++++++
Read the last line very carefully. Do you see the last five words? Does it say continue UNTIL the next generation.....?

[KillTheMessenger]

Here is a problem with this fantasy: last week we were overcharged by a major retail chain. The item under scrutiny was marked "3 for $9.99", the system charged us $12. It took the employee five minutes, two different pocket calculators (with completely equivalent function), a consult with her supervisor and a complete re-entry of the whole purchase into the system to figure out that they owed us $2.01 plus tax.

I don't expect her to understand a Gaussian or the geological distribution of oil or the history of major discoveries. I don't expect her to be able to calculate her own mortgage. I don't expect her to have family or friends who understand any of these things. I do not expect the vast majority of Americans to be trained on any level of abstraction. And sadly, reality seems to disappoint even the lowest of my expectations.

[tedbear]

Thank you soooooo much for writing. Perfect!!!!

You have said what I have been thinking for a long, long time. Tonight, while watching Jon Stewart in a very funny dig at the media and the Wright thing, I thought that maybe I am too serious like everyone says. Maybe my desperation to get Obama in there and working for us is just an over-reaction.
I logged on and there was your "letter." Perfect.

Thanks again.

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