Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
the crux of the matter
Here is the crux of the matter: I'm very right-wing on issues of crime and law and order, but very left-wing on environmental issues. Yet I see no contradiction here. The reason is that they both further the main goal I have in mind: making sure that the United States remains a first-world country.
On crime and law and order: The left maintains that the way to combat this is through poverty amelioration, affirmative action quotas, etc. As far as I can see, the main cause of poverty in this country is people having children they can't support. Even if they're working at jobs that should pay more-- and I'm a strong proponent of unions-- they still shouldn't have children they can't support. It seems as if these people do things the other way around, though: They have the children first and then try to figure out how to support them, through government handouts if possible, through working for a living if necessary.
On the other hand, I do think the government should be the employer of last resort. Sure, many of these jobs would be 'make-work' to some extent, but make-work is still work. It beats having these kids hanging out on street corners waiting to get into trouble. Idle hands are the devil's playmate. The older I get, the more accurate that piece of folk wisdom seems to me. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than warehousing them in our prisons, and at least it puts them 'on the ladder' in life, even if it's on an artificially created lower rung.
And having a government-created job would not be Club Med. I see it as similar to the military, something people would sign up for for two or three years, with the possibility of 're-upping' when one's 'tour' is up. It might even involve a military-style barracks-type living situation. But it would be a job, and a life of sorts.
As for environmental issues: A first-world nation is one in which science and technology are integrated into the popular culture. As far as I can see, the evidence for man-made global warming is now overwhelming. As a nonscientist, I have some idea of the basic science involved. I rely most heavily though, on studies showing that articles dealing with the subject in peer-reviewed scientific journals are something on the order of 97% in the 'warming' camp. That's about as close to unanimity as you're going to get in science, and that's good enough for me.
So I don't see these right-wing views (on crime and law and order) and left-wing views (on environmental issues) as being at all contradictory. They are two sides of the same coin, of assuring that the United States remains a first-world nation. And that's the coin of the realm.
On crime and law and order: The left maintains that the way to combat this is through poverty amelioration, affirmative action quotas, etc. As far as I can see, the main cause of poverty in this country is people having children they can't support. Even if they're working at jobs that should pay more-- and I'm a strong proponent of unions-- they still shouldn't have children they can't support. It seems as if these people do things the other way around, though: They have the children first and then try to figure out how to support them, through government handouts if possible, through working for a living if necessary.
On the other hand, I do think the government should be the employer of last resort. Sure, many of these jobs would be 'make-work' to some extent, but make-work is still work. It beats having these kids hanging out on street corners waiting to get into trouble. Idle hands are the devil's playmate. The older I get, the more accurate that piece of folk wisdom seems to me. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than warehousing them in our prisons, and at least it puts them 'on the ladder' in life, even if it's on an artificially created lower rung.
And having a government-created job would not be Club Med. I see it as similar to the military, something people would sign up for for two or three years, with the possibility of 're-upping' when one's 'tour' is up. It might even involve a military-style barracks-type living situation. But it would be a job, and a life of sorts.
As for environmental issues: A first-world nation is one in which science and technology are integrated into the popular culture. As far as I can see, the evidence for man-made global warming is now overwhelming. As a nonscientist, I have some idea of the basic science involved. I rely most heavily though, on studies showing that articles dealing with the subject in peer-reviewed scientific journals are something on the order of 97% in the 'warming' camp. That's about as close to unanimity as you're going to get in science, and that's good enough for me.
So I don't see these right-wing views (on crime and law and order) and left-wing views (on environmental issues) as being at all contradictory. They are two sides of the same coin, of assuring that the United States remains a first-world nation. And that's the coin of the realm.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
third world
If you accept the premise that first-world people are characterized by three major characteristics: they are civilized, educated, and responsible;
Then third-world people are characterized by the obverse: they are uncivilized, ignorant, and irresponsible. The high crime rate in the ghetto-- particularly violent crime-- is uncivilized. The high dropout rate and low academic achievement level are evidence of ignorance. The phenomenon of young girls getting pregnant, of males refusing to accept the responsibilities of fatherhood, and of a huge proportion of the inhabitants being supported by the taxpayer are overwhelming evidence of irresponsibility. This is why I say the ghetto is a third-world enclave in a first-world country. People with third-world values will create a third-world society.
Then third-world people are characterized by the obverse: they are uncivilized, ignorant, and irresponsible. The high crime rate in the ghetto-- particularly violent crime-- is uncivilized. The high dropout rate and low academic achievement level are evidence of ignorance. The phenomenon of young girls getting pregnant, of males refusing to accept the responsibilities of fatherhood, and of a huge proportion of the inhabitants being supported by the taxpayer are overwhelming evidence of irresponsibility. This is why I say the ghetto is a third-world enclave in a first-world country. People with third-world values will create a third-world society.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
science and technology
We need to move science and technology more to the center of our educational system and our culture generally. Everybody should have some general acquaintance with the scientific method. Everybody should have a basic grasp of quantitative methods and of statistics specifically. 'Math anxiety' is a psychological state that can probably be overcome. Having basic mathematical skills give one a basic confidence in life and opens up an understanding of all sorts of other fields.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
a republican case for climate action
I think this is huge news:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/opinion/a-republican-case-for-climate-action.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&seid=auto&_r=2&
Four former EPA heads-- all Republicans appointed by Republican presidents, going back to Nixon-- have come out with this statement affirming the reality of climate change:
"There is no longer any credible scientific debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm, with the last decade the hottest in modern records, and the deep ocean warming faster than the earth’s atmosphere. "
It's hard to see how this statement could be ignored in future FEP (Flat Earth Party) primaries and national elections. In the face of this, candidates will no longer be able to sluff this issue off as some kind of leftist hoax meant to 'take away our freedoms.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/opinion/a-republican-case-for-climate-action.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&seid=auto&_r=2&
Four former EPA heads-- all Republicans appointed by Republican presidents, going back to Nixon-- have come out with this statement affirming the reality of climate change:
"There is no longer any credible scientific debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm, with the last decade the hottest in modern records, and the deep ocean warming faster than the earth’s atmosphere. "
It's hard to see how this statement could be ignored in future FEP (Flat Earth Party) primaries and national elections. In the face of this, candidates will no longer be able to sluff this issue off as some kind of leftist hoax meant to 'take away our freedoms.'
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