What if we could, with perfection, create a nation that provided equal opportunity?
Whatever that may mean to you, suppose it’s true. Every kid has the same chance to get to a good school and graduate from it. College? Available to all. While not important to this conversation, we could say that college could be free. There would be no need to worry about poor families being unable to send their bright children to the hallowed halls of higher eduction.
Poverty create hurdles due to inability to buy books, electricity or heat? Gone. We’ll adjust for it.
Any problem you might have that produces unequal opportunities has been answered. To your individual liking.
Everyone has the same chance.
Question:
What characteristic or quality would determine who succeeds?
Democrats canceled a political convention kick-off event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and will move the activities to Charlotte’s main business district, the convention’s host committee announced.
…
The move comes as party planners are grappling with a fundraising deficit of roughly $27 million, according to two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss internal party politics. With a party ban on direct contributions from corporations, the host committee has raised less than $10 million, well short of its $36.6 million goal, said one of the people.
Happily for Obama, he has implemented no such ban on direct contribution from corporations to his Super PACs.
A recent post over at Poison Your Mind got my attention. In it, nickgb ponders the assertion that we are all investors.
…I had a much different outrageous pull-quote to emphasize:
Romney’s opponents seem to be aghast that he has made money for investors (aren’t we all investors?), though they studiously ignore other greed-less facts: He never took a dime in salary for heading the Olympics in Salt Lake City nor as governor of Massachusetts, to mention a couple.
Those latter sentences are pretty stupid, because obviously Romney received gains from both of those ventures (both in reputation and financially). But aren’t we all investors? Who says that? Who still gets credit as a journalist after saying something like that?
In fact, the rate is depressingly low. And even if we excuse the low number due to the economy the highest we’ve been is 67% back in 2002.
Before I could post this data, however, reflectionephemeral beat me to the punch. The data he posted is below:
A revealing bit of data to be sure. One more in the collection of charts that show the distribution of wealth is skewed. However true that may be, the chart directly above doesn’t speak to investment participation.
At first I was struck by nickgb’s critique of the article, surely no one expects the reader to think that literally ALL of us are investors, but then when I saw the graph by reflectionephemeral, I was more struck by the thought process that would cause one of us to show data that explains the unequal distribution of wealth as the unequal distribution of risk.
Is it possible that as we all discuss this thing we call politic that we have failed to establish basic assumptions, have failed to agree upon a basic set of accepted bedrock givens?
I have full faith that the fellas over at PYM have the best interest of “folks” at heart. I like to think that I do too. Why is it that the two of us would take so different paths in responding to nickgb?
I live in a contained neighborhood. That is, to get to my place you have to turn off the main road and make you way through streets and turns that are self contained. There’s only one other way out.
There is no through traffic, no concept of city blocks. Generally the only people who drive our streets are us.
Now those streets are in horrible condition and need to be redone. The county has no money and it doesn’t look like we’re gonna get resurfacing any time soon. Which led me to wonder if we couldn’t raise the money ourselves. Which, in turn, made me think about how we govern, or, how we vote to have others govern.
Should we vote for our own selfish self-interests or should we vote for the good of all?
In my example above, there are homes that literally use 30 feet of the neighborhood roads. They’re the first home off the turn and literally only use that small little section to get in and then to get out. Those at the end of the neighborhood? They use it all, every inch of that road.
Should the cost of repaving this road be borne by all or should it be proportional? I’m willing to entertain the concept that the initial home owner sees his home value degrade if homes at the end of the line can’t sell their houses due to horrible roads.
But the question remains; should people vote for their own personal self interest or for the larger good of society?
Update: As regards to 5(C). I disagree with the policy but would have thought that the state could legislate that. Technically speaking, that means I agree with the legality Arizona was getting at and disagree with the Court.
Supreme Court Announces Ruling
This morning the Supreme Court released it’s ruling on the controversial Arizona immigration law passed in 2010. The highly anticipated ruling is one of two high visibility cases heard in this session. The Federal government had sued Arizona as a result of the law. Specifically 4 sections:
Section 3 – This section made failure to comply with Federal alien-registrations a state misdemeanor.
Section 6 – Authorizes state and local officers to arrest without a warrant a person “the officer has probable cause to believe . . . has committed any public offense that makes the person removable from the United States”
5(C) – This section makes it a misdemeanor for an unauthorized alien to look for or engage in work.
Section 2(B) – Requires officers conducting a stop, detention, or arrest to make efforts, in some circumstances, to verify the person’s immigration status with the Federal Government
I came across this video the other day. Someone I know posted it on Facebook and I took the two minutes to watch it:
It turns out that it wasn’t the first time that Freemasonry, Facebook and the Shriner’s Hospitals For Kids juxtaposed.
About 3 years ago a college roommate living in North Western Minnesota shared a link on Facebook. It turns out that his brother, living in the same town as him, had a little boy; a son of about 11 years old. This brother had just posted that he was outside the emergency room where his little boy had been taken and observed.
It turns out the kid had been complaining of knee pain for several days and was now complaining that it was dramatically more severe. It became so bad that he had to be brought to the hospital. The doctors couldn’t say for sure what the problem might be without further testing. They wanted the young man to be brought back for MRI’s and some x-rays. The boy’s folks wanted the best for their kid but were unsure of what the costs might be and where that money would come from. Additionally, the strain of being away from work only added to the pressure.
By the time I saw the post it was long past “real-time” and was now of the type, “Keep my brother in your prayers.” And it was 8:30 at night.
I called the Shriner’s Hospital in Minneapolis, explained that I was a Mason and requested that I be allowed to sponsor a patient. I went on to describe the condition of the child as best I could from the information I had. The nurse made an appointment for first AM Monday morning. When I told her that the family lived near 4 hours away, she let me know that she could change it to 1:00 if that would be easier.
I hesitated but pressed on. I mentioned that the family worked and may not be able to make the trip to Minneapolis and I would have to call back to confirm. She cheerfully explained that they had arrangements with a lodge in that area of the state and that a Mason would be called and a ride, to and from Minneapolis, would be arranged. It was hard to get my head around that. Again, explaining that the family might be able to make it based on their circumstances, I asked for lodging near the hospital, the less expensive the better. Again, she had an answer, “We allow families to stay on campus, we have rooms just for that purpose.”
One last thing…money might be an issue. As she wished me a good night she reassured me that all services would be provided to the family free of charge; there wouldn’t be a financial obligation to the family.
I was reminded:
Freemasonry stands for the exercise of Faith, Hope and Charity, the three cardinal virtues in the Freemasons’ creed. These are the principal rounds of that many-staved ladder, of which every stave represents an active virtue, which links earth to heaven, and which, though invisible, is a reality to the true Mason. Indeed, no man can be a true Mason without the exercise of these virtues in his daily life, for having Faith in God and His promises, he has the Faith which banishes doubt. He has also Faith in himself. Faith in his fellow-man. Faith in the boundless possibilities for a regenerate humanity, Faith in the ultimate happiness of all mankind, Faith in the enjoyment of perfect bliss throughout an endless life. With this Faith in his soul, the consistent Mason has hope. Hope for that in which he has Faith, Hope for himself. Hope for his fellows, Hope for all mankind—Hope for the present, Hope for the future — a Hope so firmly rooted in his soul, that it is steadfast, immovable, enduring to the end. And Charity, that perfection of all virtues, the choicest, rarest of all the jewels which adorn the life of a perfect Mason, that too Freemasonry stands for, although each Brother well knows the difficulty of its full attainment in this world of conflict, error, sin and tears. To bring help to a suffering humanity, to relieve the distressed stricken in body or mind, to shelter those whom a censorious world has cast out, and to throw a veil over the faults and failings of all weak and over- tempted souls—that is the Charity placed before us in a Freemasons’ Lodge.
(Reuters) – Germany humiliated Greece in the Euro 2012 soccer tournament on Friday, rubbing salt in the wounds of a nation reeling from a dire economic crisis which many blame on Berlin.
Greeks were aching for at least a measure of revenge against their euro zone tormentor in the needle match of the tournament’s quarter-finals, but it ended as yet another dashed dream with Germany rolling over their underdog rivals 4-2.
The euro zone paymaster gave what many Germans see as a profligate and lazy state yet another lesson, this time on the pitch – perhaps revenge for political headache after headache in a regional debt crisis unleashed by Athens in 2009 that now threatens the survival of the entire common European currency.
Not only is Greece in the middle of a financial catastrophe, but they even have to lose to the Germans in soccer.
I have no idea how many jobs will be created as a result of these craft breweries opening in the Triangle. I do know that they are opening as a result of North Carolina removing their restriction on “heavier” beers. Ever since North Carolina passed “Pop The Top” laws we’ve seen a veritable stampede of micro-brews and micro-breweries.
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A New Jersey woman who was struck in the face with a baseballat a Little League game is suing the young catcher who threw it.
Elizabeth Lloyd is seeking more than $150,000 in damages to cover medical costs stemming from the incident at a Manchester Little League game two years ago. She’s also seeking an undefined amount for pain and suffering.
Lloyd was sitting at a picnic table near a fenced-in bullpen when she was hit with the ball.
Catcher Matthew Migliaccio was 11 years old at the time and was warming up a pitcher.
The lawsuit filed April 24 alleges Migliaccio’s errant throw was intentional and reckless, “assaulted and battered” Lloyd and caused “severe, painful and permanent” injuries.
A second count alleges Migliaccio’s actions were negligent and careless through “engaging in inappropriate physical and/or sporting activity” near Lloyd. She continues to suffer pain and anguish, incur medical expenses and has been unable to carry out her usual duties and activities, the lawsuit says.
And Lloyd’s husband, in a third count, is suing for the loss of “services, society and consortium” of his wife. They’ve demanded a jury trial.
What kind of special hell must we live in before people just wake up and slap those around us into reality?
