Inexperience plus experience equals a modern ticket

The pundits have touched on it a bit today, but it might be a trend we are witnessing -- inexperienced presidential candidate picking an older, experienced running mate. It worked for Bush, now we will see if it works for Obama.

If it is a trend, it will be tested against McCain -- will more people want eperience in the Commander-In-Chief, or will they settle again for an experienced VP? Will McCain pick a youthful, inexperienced VP with a little charisma?

We will have a battle between image and experience, which might favor image if enough young voters come out to vote. The only thing that will hurt "image" is if enough people, young and old, begin thinking about the serious foreign relation problems we have before us. Will Biden provide enough weight to overcome the doubts regarding Obama's experience? If people believe the reported influence Cheney had on Bush, then Biden might be enough to push Obama to victory.

However, as the public becomes more knowledgeable of the fine points of foreign policy issues, just having experience backing you up might not be enough - the actual policy proposals are important. It seems to me an informed electorate might trump the number of people swayed by image and comforted with VP "experience". Just because someone is old and has been around congress for a long time doesn't mean that person will be make good recommendations or be a beneficial influence.

Biden was hawkish until recently as the possibility of being VP became a reality, so it's hard to determine what his foreign policy influence will be if Obama wins. More than likely, Biden will caution Obama not to hastily withdraw from a hot region like the middle east.

One thing is for sure, Biden's influence on raising taxes for those making over $250,000 a year will be enough for the Democrats to go full bore for tax hikes, if you consider it's what Obama has planned to implement if elected -- in this case Biden's influence isn't needed, but it will strengthen the call to "soak the rich" -- ditto windfall taxes on oil companies and a move closer to national health care.

This makes McCain's VP choice very interesting. Romney? Youth and inexperience, but someone the conservatives can embrace. With McCain, there is no doubt who will be in charge, so the VP will be a political manuever for votes.

I have to say, the choice of Biden is not surprising, but I don't really think it creates strength for Obama. If he had chosen Hillary, there is no doubt image would have overpowered all other concerns. Now, I think it comes down to practical choices based on each candidate's policies. Hollywood glamor fades and the hard choices of reality take center stage.

In my search for excellence

I can't say enough about what the young entrepreneur, Anthony Casalena, has done with Squarespace. He has been profitable from his first year, is financially beholding to no one and doesn't have free users eating up all the server space. He has built a valuable product, he charges for it, and it's worth what I pay.

Salute

Spirit Day

I have never been a religious person, but at times have felt a strong connection with what can only be accurately called the “spiritual” part of life, if, indeed, spirituality can be separated into a part of life. It may be that the times I don’t feel a spiritual connection at all, rather than living fully, I’m going on autopilot or existing by habit in the realm of the super-mundane.

I have no idea if a person can be fully connected at all times to the vital essence of life, in a state of high awareness and receptivity, but it seems like a worthy pursuit. I have recently decided to take at least one day a week and devote it to total awareness to determine if awareness, connectivity and receptivity can be increased and sustained.

I'm wondering if some types of music are more effective than others -- jazz? classical? rock? folk?. Also, I'm not sure what to wear -- jeans and tee-shirt is my first thought, but then a robe might work better. It seems to work for monks.

I'm thinking I probably shouldn't watch any tv, except maybe sports -- especially if C.C. Sabathia is pitching and being aired -- his curve ball is divine. Part of my spirituality is awareness of excellence, and right now Sabathia is the epitomy of excellence.

Speaking of excellence, excellence in speaking is a great connector and awareness-builder, except all the speeches I've heard in the last 20 years have left me wanting to forget English. Maybe a recording of an old MLK speech would help, or I could give my own speech with Puck the Terrier and Rudy the Chiquaqua as my audience -- I've always wanted to give a great speech --"Ladies and Gentlemen, I come here today as a humble messenger of God...."

I shouldn't eat much of anything with sugar, no doubt, but a day without a cinnamon roll would seem more like punishment than a spritual quest. Perhaps I can munch on carrots and broccoli and bread with just one cinnamon roll -- I think my mysterious form of godness would approve, although I'm not sure this godness I intuit actually "approves" in a human-like fashion -- it's more like pure lif/being, I think - like sitting on a river bank with no particular thoughts, just a flow of easiness and the warmth of sun -- any creeping feeling of anxiety would be a form of "disapproval".

So I will have to be aware of my emotional state to detect signals -- anger and irritability should be sure signs I'm getting off track. I'll have to be tolerant of my next door neighbor's weed-eater, and if someone mentions the elections, I'll have to immediately think of Jeffersonian ideals or tell a joke about the man who walked into a bar and sat next to parrot - he asked the parrot "they allow parrots in this bar?" and the parrot said, "they allow parrots in this bar?"....

I think it's worth the effort, to be aware of excellence, to connect with the spirit that rises above and never becomes trapped in cynicism and despair. Yet, I will still need to do ordinary work and get out among people on these days, because it will mean very little if this connectivity can happen only under tightly controlled conditions. If a real estae transaction goes south on me, rather than allowing my blood pressure to rise, I will use my spiritual connection, say the Serentity Prayer -- accept the things I cannot change, change the things I can, and have the wisdom to know the difference. However, to avoid the risk of dangerous repression/denial, I'll allow myself 10 seconds of loud profanity in solitude -- those around me will appreciate this.

I'll make a list of where to look for manifestations of this godness-excellence:

1. art
2. literature
3. job performance
4. humor
5. friendship
6. playing children
7. beauty
8. the struggle of the unfortunate
9. the achievements of the great
10. occasions of freedom
11. landscapes
12. innovation
13. acts of voluntary, unsolicited charity
14. animals
15. harmony among diversity

-- and I will add to this list each week. I was reluctant to include Ambrosia's in downtown Savannah because I've already mentioned cinnamon rolls. The purpose of  Spirit Day will be to gradually achieve longer, or even constant, conncectivity to spirituality as it manifests itself in the awareness of excellence, being receptive to all the signs and actuality around me.

I'll report my progress from time to time to let you know if it's working.

Should I tweet on Spirit Day?

Venezuela's march to destruction

A real, modern-day example to follow if you want see socialistic failure in action.

Two things need to happen and Venezuela will implode.

1. An increase in overall oil supply.

2. The resulting bubble burst and falling prices.

The destructive nature of socialism will handle the rest of the implosion.

One more reason to increase free trade and drill for oil at home. For the sake of the Venezualan people I hope the implosion comes sooner rather than later.

The world of freedom presumption

There is another, much smaller, world filled with the mindset that makes the presumption freedom of choice leads to far better results for human beings than behavior control. In this world people believe that free choice is the measure of what we all want and value, as long as our free choices don't violate the freedoms of others. In this world it is evil to force others against their will, if they are harming no one, or to control their behavior through the threat of violence.

In this world there is the presumption that people can decide for themselves what is good for them, and since they value their freedom should not violate the freedom of others by physical force as they would not want done to them. Those who physically force others to act against their free will are criminals and dealt with as such.

In this world regulation is seen as the very last resort when all else has failed, and implemented only because some anamoly in our society has created a situation where the power of some has physically coercive power over others -- the first reaction is freedom. In this world there are no special classes who possess the enlightenment necessary to control the behavior of others -- there are only civil servants and representatives chosen to protect the rights of all from physical coercion so that freedom is a reality for all not just a chosen class. There are courts of law designed to settle disputes when the issues aren't clear, and everyone has the right to defend their freedom in court against physical coercion.

In this world there are no special interests which trump common interests, and no regulatory agencies that hand out special favors.. This world exists only in theory at this point but it is alive through ideas that haven't yet been killed.

This is the world called a naive dream, yet as I've written before, the real naive dream is to think that a certain enlightened class of people can control the behavior of others, with no controls on them, without abusing that power and enslaving a large portion of the population.

I don't know which world you want to live in, but I prefer the world of freedom to pursue values as long as that pursuit doesn't violate the freedom of others. My gain is not your loss, your gain is not my loss, you can gain and I can gain and the world becomes a little better. Your values don't have to be my values, as long as we both understand we are at liberty to make our choices and respect each others freedom in doing so. If Walmart makes billions and does not physically coerce anyone to act against their will and doesn't commit  any violations of contract and doesn't commit fraud, then I see no reason to regulate their business just because they are making lots of money and beating others in competition -- the free market offers ways to combat such competition. Government has one way -- take what they have and give it to someone judged more worthy. In this world that's a criminal action.

A study was done a while back (i'll try to look it up and post it) that showed when people have internal motivation to create their own lives and don't worry that someone else has more money and possessions, they are far more happier than those who envy what others have and worry about how to re-distribute it. The former is a free person, the latter is a slave to the actions and position of others and will find all sorts of rationalizations to take what the other has in the name of equality and justice.