Us Old Dogs

            There was a time when ‘transportation’ meant walk, bike or bus.  That was after the word meant getting sent to Australia or Georgia to a penal colony.  And it was before transportation meant, “Get in the truck!”  It was a time when walking several blocks to the grocery store was how things were done.  Bicycling a couple of miles to the theater was de rigueur.  You took the streetcar, and later the bus to go downtown to the ‘department store’ or across town.  It was a greener world, and we have left it behind.  Today, when you go past a new car dealership, mostly what you see is enough SUV’s and 4WD trucks to turn the earth green with stomach tremors.  Times have changed, and so has our architecture, or rather municipal design.  We are nearing the logical conclusion of an automobile-centric concept of living.

            These days, the fringe is where people are talking about rating cities for “walkability’ and deeming it an asset to living well.  It is not a place where curb sidewalks are popular in residential areas—they are common, maybe even necessary in America’s downtowns—but dangerous places for families to walk where vehicle speeds increase, and speeders abound.  Pedestrian friendly design deserves a comeback.

            Around here, we frequently visit larger cities, and are plagued with the notion that we are doing it wrong (forgive the grammar).  Us old dogs remember when walkability was a way of life, not a fringe concept.       

Torn Between Two Loves

            Being active is a great love.  To me, it seems like fun to be fixing things, like replacing the hold-down strap on the gutter downspout, adjusting the sliding screen door, or replacing the trim on the shed door.  Painting is OK, and so is the sense of making a difference that results when the room, or the deck looks so much better.  Plus, my wife does an excellent job of picking colors, so I don’t have to worry about the broken spokes on my own color wheel.  And of course, you can’t make more of a difference than replacing a burned-out light bulb.  Mowing the grass, yeah right, but who can deny the eye-candy of an expanse of bluegrass…through a clean window.  So, do windows!

            I no longer bicycle, but know it to be a pleasant activity, and an earth-friendly way to go places in life.  These days, safety in traffic is more of a concern than it used to be, and the whole process requires more stamina than I have to spare.  Speaking of activity, a good walk in the fresh air on a bright day is hard to beat.  Even walking the dogs can be a good time if there aren’t too many loose and unrestrained “He-would-never-bite-you’s” around.  And one wants to deal with only a minimum of any of their alimentary achievements.  So, activity is one great love.  

             On the other hand, us old dogs do love to take a nap!

It's Our Pets' World--We Just Rent Space In It

            We drove 380 miles for Rosie, a Maltese / Yorkie mix of irresistible cuddly softness.  She traveled well in my wife’s arms, and eyed me with interest as if to say, “Your driving needs improvement!”  I of course replied, “My driving needs reduction,” by stealing furtive adoring looks at her.  Well…and my wife.

            We journeyed only about one fourth as far to get Picabo, a pure Maltese who was equally cuddly and adorable, eleven years ago.  She also traveled well as a puppy in arms, and of course, my driving was much worse all those years ago.  These days, Picabo is still sweet and loveable—but thinks my driving stinks when I take her to the Vet.  She has had a few health events, including a bladder stone, so she is a seasoned people manager.

            Meanwhile, Rosie, who had no idea last Sunday, that she was going to get a person, is working on her management skills by practicing whines, growls, and howls.  These are tired days for us tenants!  Sometimes it feels like we have chosen to rent living space in a petting zoo.  I remarked to Picabo recently, “If I am so much smarter than you, how come you dictate so much of what I do?”  She had no patience for philosophy and answered by dragging me out the door on a leash.

            Craig, everybody’s Vet around here, just smiles and says, “I think your rent is going up!”

Conspiracy Theory 101

            No matter who you are, there is somebody somewhere conspiring to take away what’s yours and bring about your dismal undoing.  In fact, I’m a little bit concerned with what I don’t know about you.  But you would never….

            Anyway, we all know there are people plotting things we can only suspect because they are so cunning.  Like compromising the great rugged individualist spirit of the American West, limiting religious freedom, undermining our government, infiltrating our lives, spying on individuals, verifying the truth of our words, or helping women do things some think the government should prevent them from doing.  Plotting things like cheating us out of our tax deductions, covering up the real purposes and consequences of foreign policy, and trying to make us believe we live in a free market society.  Plotting to steal our guns and steal God from our lives.  One only has to remember Wounded Knee, Philadelphia Mississippi, and the Crusades for egregious examples.

            Conspiracy theories are popular because they require only greed, fear and hate—verified facts are annoying distractions.  Skillful charlatans prey on trusting victims who have forgotten the old rule: “Trust, but verify.”  The real conspiracy is the emotional manipulation that relieves you of your civility, your grasp on reality, your cash and your responsibility for informed citizenship.  Around here, we call it the piracy that you do to yourself.  If there IS a conspiracy out there, it can only succeed in the presence of greed, and/or fear and hate.

Rice Rocket

            We should be spending our political energy debunking austerity, creating jobs and restoring our country’s economy, but conspiracy fantasists are too busy worrying about Susan Rice.  Their “no there there” conspiracy accusations about Benghazi dominate their headwaters like an addiction.  Despite being one of those wastebasket-of-history ideas, it does resonate with the uninformed.  Like the fake moon landing, the Loch Ness monster, and Piltdown man. 

           A good many people want to believe the government is lying—hiding a horrible truth.  They were there for Clinton, Bush, now Obama, and surely most of their predecessors.  But Obama’s horrible truth isn’t about Libya.  History will more likely judge it to be his drone attack death toll of innocent foreign civilians.  And, his political adversaries’ horrible truth will probably turn out to be that Affordable Health Care worked and saved lives, and they can’t stand that. 

            Another horrible truth, often disdainfully dismissed by the manifestly misguided, is that government is frequently the most efficient provider of public services.  All those familiar jokes to the contrary are slanderous distortions, with rare, notable exceptions.

           Susan Rice draws only second-tier emotional opprobrium—the clear winners there are Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.  But around here, their time hasn’t arrived.  So it’s Susan Rice who gets the talk radio razzing.  She obviously has something to offer our country that some believe to be valuable.  While her opponents go pale and get sick to their tummies, she has rocketed past them, and will get a chance to contribute that something.  

None Dare Call It Reason

            A multi-million dollar bill for ‘team building’ and making meetings warm and fuzzy is rightfully classified as a little too ‘last century’ by the acting head of the IRS.  But here’s something else to think about:  most of the loudest complainers hold ownership or employment in organizations that do exactly the same thing, paid for by tax payers!  You see, every large corporate training department spends similar sums on this century’s version of feel-good team building activity.  Then they reduce their net taxable income by the cost of those events, because they are deemed legitimate business expenses.  Hence they pay no taxes on those gross income dollars they wasted.

            Well, what is it? A legitimate expense or not?  If it is OK for corporations to pay less in taxes (for the government to spend taxpayers’ money on deductions), if that is OK, then why the big scat storm when the government does it elsewhere?  This whole event is further proof that there are those in business, media, and government who believe they should be able to have it both ways. 

           Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds, and surely mine is as small as any.  Still, around here we think consistent application of principles (reason) will help produce the revenue this country needs.  The IRS shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than reason dictates.  But it should be held to a higher standard than it is.  Now, let’s go kick some IRS ass! 

We and They

            We believe in straight forward conduct, but they mislead, misdirect, and hide the truth with complex and nebulous legislation and procedures.  We believe in strengthening our infrastructure; they pinch off our ability to care for roads, bridges, parks, and landmarks.  We believe investigative journalists aren’t doing enough; they want to jail them, and their sources.  We believe in getting things done; they believe in 3-day work weeks, lunches, and frequent recesses.  We believe in taking care of our planet; they ignore or deny climate change and refuse to consider capping carbon emissions.  We believe too many are unemployed; they are busy trying to embarrass each other and cutting unemployment benefits.  We believe America has an education crisis; they want to put guns in schools.  We believe in helping others, but they slash away safety nets and programs that help people in need, and refuse to support cost effective care providers with whom they disagree.  We believe in a level economic playing field; they listen to lobbyists and legislate taxpayer supported economic favoritism.  We think labor unions protect workers from abuse; they have worked diligently for forty plus years to crush unions.  We believe in independent thought, but those we elect to Washington abandon independence for partisanship. 

            It’s us, isn’t it?!  We keep electing them.  Around here, we think 2014 would be a good year to clean house…and senate…to get off the ones who ignore what we believe, and vote for grown ups who listen to US.