meddling in our Affairs

Why is it that it is acceptable for organizations outside of a state are allowed to influence laws and bills in that state? This story is but an example of one such Church group meddling in our affairs. In my opinion it should be illegal to donate money, time, or resources to putting an amendment on our constitution simply because they oppose the idea of Gay Marriage. Its none of their damn business what the f we do. If the supreme court of california feels that it is uncontitutional to not allow gay marriage, which I agree with, than who the hell are these people who feel they can dictate to us what the f they want. What the f ever happened to seperation of church and state. A church telling its member how to vote is not right. Voting is our right, not theirs to determine. Influencing people through their religion should be made illegal. Interfering in another states constitution is way worse than lobbiests. I can't think of something that would make me madder than having a church come in to my state and telling me how I should live(not that I am gay, I just think its none of their damn business). It pisses me off to no end to hear about people sending money from other states simply cause they are worried that if we allow it, they will have to. Well so what if you have to. Its like friggin racial descrimination, and the same as interracial marriage, which was very opposed at first as well. It is none of anyone other than the people getting married as to what their preferrence is to sleep with. No one is making them watch. What do they care. Bunch of MFing hipocrites is what i think. Do what I say, not what I do. I will dictate while you follow, thats what these groups are saying. Its rediculous.

Response to another Blog

RE:Energy Outlook
@ doug
You are being just a bit melodramatic. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say a "Mad Max future" and oil withdrawal at the same time.

But as has been said on this blog and in these comments before, even if we give the permission to drill everywhere right away, doesn't mean it will help one bit right now. In the future it might mean we have a larger amount available at first, but either way it will be gone after a short time. Nor will drilling everywhere help the cost. As Geoff has said, most likely the oil will hit the market in 10-12 years, either when we have found a way through(or around) this current price spike, thus not being worth as much, or we have simply weened ourselves off of oil as a society. Either way it does nothing now, but increase spending in infrastructure, at a time when even those costs are up.

I believe Geoff is right, we need an informed debate where both sides stop the PR spins. This is a decision that should be made at every level as well though. As the outcome will greatly effect everyone, we should let that reflect the populace.

But on the idea that there might not be much to do today, I strongly disagree. Now we are beginning to feel the first affects of addicts. We realize that we will have to pay more to get a high demand fix. And we get mad when we see waste.(gas guzzlers tax)And we get mad at the suppliers, who spent the money and effort to get the oil for us, who now are sitting back reaping the benefits of planning and situations.(big oil,record profits). So now is when we need to realize the truth of our addiction, and find a way to live with out it. Which is where we are at now. Figuring out what the future will be like. Kinda fun in a way. (end original Comment response to blog and comments)

Now what I'd like to add to this, is that I honestly don't care which way humanity goes in this venture, whether we kill the world, or turn it into a Green utopia, so long as we do whole heartedly, and honestly. If we just all turn a blind eye for a while, and hope it goes away, I will be sooo disappointed. If we destroy our planet in greed, at least let it be honest and intentional. It would be a sad waste of our history to do it simply from lack of caring one way or another, or acknowledging all the ramifications and consequences of our actions.

But personally I hope we get over our addiction to Oil so that the exploration(or exploitation) of the universe can begin. With so much so close, we should be working on our own solar system, not squabbling like school girls over what energy we should use. I think we should use it all, not just one or the other. We should have cars that use hydrogen, both fuel cell and as fuel. We should have cars that run on Biofuel, and gasoline, mixed or not. We should be building towards tomorrow, not arguing about the past, or apportioning blame, since we almost all use gas, whether we want to or not. ( I say almost, since I can't be 100% on this) I will look forward to the day when I can look back on earth, as the starting point of a future of human development and discovery!

Education In America

Todays post will focus on the failings of the public and private education systems. The first point I'd like to make is that this system is broken. Not just in the fact that more than half the students that graduate don't use any of their degrees. Not just that from one county to the next you are taught drastically different curriculum's, but that students mostly don't even care to learn the simple ideas we are teaching them. I've attended a number of Community college courses, from basic AA material, to focusing on Theater and stage technician. The classes I took regarding theater were good, but the teachers I had for the basic AA material were increasingly distracted and uncaring. One teacher's class i dropped because he didn't even bother to produce a syllabus, and liked to change assignments after assigning them. Not to mention as an English teacher teaching critical thinking, he spent much more time on the concepts of wisdom and random thought, then on actually thinking critically. Now i like the idea of teaching people wisdom, but that was not the point of the actual class, and is a waste of students time, who are actually looking for a critical thinking class.

The second point I'd like to make is how we don't really teach students anything they can truly use in life. What good is teaching someone advanced math or history if they just end up as a customer service tech in some dead end job? Also we waste the chance to really teach children new ideas, often kids take the point of view of their parents or guardians, often to their own detriment. We would be much better served to teach kids second or third languages while they are still learning their main one. Not only is the human brain more susceptible to learning languages while it is young, but children would be able to learn the rules for multiple languages at once. What I propose is a system where, by the age of 12 you have a good idea of skills you are able to learn well, and what you can't. Trade schools should replace the normal high school. And if you are good at learning, with plans grander than a simple trade, then those would be sent on to college prep, then college. This would allow those who have absolutely no interest in college and simply go because " its the thing to do after high school," and would give those who wish to learn the time to learn , and not spend their college years wasting time dealing with people who have no interest in their futures. It would also relieve those students who are tired of hearing from their teachers how showing up for class will make you a better student, since those attending these classes would be their for the right reasons. Also this would mean more people have a job, and one that pays better than simply working at Taco Bell or Target.

All in all I think we need to revamp our education system, so that we can produce brighter minds, with real hope for the future of our country. For if we continue in this fashion, soon you will see a difference between one country and the next. Already Japan leads in innovation of new technology. China has more Honor roll students than the entire student population of the United States. India more and more outsources our IT jobs, and we do nothing to compete with this. Now obviously there are countries out there that have worse education systems than ours, but no by much.

Parenting in America

Time for a new subject. Parenting, and what I really think about it. First, I'd like to say I have real respect for those parents who do raise their children well, and think about their future in the process. Now, that said lets begin with what bothers me about the current trends in parenting.

Lets start with discipline. Now I know that people think that it is no longer okay to discipline your child by spanking( with an implement other than your hand), and that for the most part we should simply tell them they've been bad and thats that. Well that isn't that. If kids could be told once not to do something than discipline wouldn't be an issue. But you can't simply coddle your children and hope they don't end up spoiled brats. So I think that parents should discipline their kids, but in relation to the offense. If a parent slaps their kid for backtalk, they might not backtalk, or they may strike out in other ways, but it is not relative to the offense, since a little back talk is simply what some kids do. A better way of dealing would be to simply ignore what they say for a while, all of it, or my favorite, take away privileges. Thats right, take em away, let them think on what they did, and then ask them for either written or spoken explanation of their punishment. Not only would that foster the understanding that discipline is fair, but with a reason as well. If after a while they are still doing the same things, well, then maybe a little slapping around is needed. Some people really need the physical threat of violence to keep them under control, at least in the teen years, my brother is a perfect example, without a male in the house that could slap him around, he would get very aggressive with our mother.

Another sore subject for me with parenting, is the idea that having children will some how make life better, or will save a relationship. This is patently untrue. Not only will children not make life better if its not already, it will kill any relationship that isn't truly ready for it. In my opinion prospective parents should be required to get a permit or license for child rearing. There is nothing worse than dooming a kid to repeat their parents mistakes simply for the lack of planning or true caring. I mean I'm sure that most women feel they love their children, or care for them, but the reality is quite the opposite in a lot of cases. What may seem to be done in the child's interest in reality is just an outlet for the mother. Not to mention having misconceptions about raising kids, and preconceptions based upon their childhood. We all want to give our kids what ever we can, but to spoil the child simply because you can just leads to either entitlement or brats. And brats don't always survive the transition to adult hood well.

What it all comes down to is that children are the future, but we load them up with so much of our past and issues, that we are lucky the world continues to work the way it does.

The Battle of the Bulge(lol)

Japans battle of the bulge

So I came across this article on Yahoo today, referring to Japans plan to battle obesity and Health Care costs regarding being overweight. Now I don't agree that they should be using a standard waist size, being that people, even the Japanese, come in every shape and size, and what is unhealthy for one individual, may be perfectly fine for another. But that is neither here nor there, because its about time a country took an interest in its citizens health, especially its weight. Something people here in America would definitely do to acknowledge.

Over the last decades, America has gotten fatter. Not just fatter, but obese. Now I have no real quarrel with people living their life in whatever way the deem correct, but to force their children to be overweight, even by failing to lead by example, is a tragedy. Why a person would want to be overweight is beyond me, since it limits your energy, ability to go out and do activities, especially with your children, who need as much physical activity as possible during their "formative years". Enforcing a physical fitness regime for all of its citizens would be one way to address this problem, another way would be to deliberately overstate the effects of obesity to "scare" kids and young adults into wanting to be fit. Now by fit I don't mean skin and bones. I'm talking healthy weights for children and adults, not the Media hyped version of skinny people with no muscle tone and sometimes not even much muscle.

Some reading material


With those numbers in mind, how can we not be vigilant on the obesity front. We can't simply ignore it and hope it will go away. We need to start educating everyone now on the dangers of letting it go(so to speak). One cause might be the types and varieties of food we eat, with fatty foods being available on almost every city street, health foods cost more, since they are scarcer, and people don't always have the time to eat right, especially when raising kids are involved. But that doesn't mean that we should just give up. We should be teaching kids about eating healthy and staying active as soon as they can understand it. That means elementary school health classes, teaching physical fitness at the earliest possible time. It would also mean increased penalties for Schools and or parents who underachieve in fitness. We should be leaving no child behind on the battle of fitness vs. laziness.

Essentially I am saying we need some legislation to battle this. Along with requiring schools to start at a much earlier age, we should not allow it to stop. There is no reason for one area to have different requirements for Physical fitness classes. When I moved to Nebraska to finish High School, they required only 1 1/2 years PE, instead of the 3 years required in some California schools. Additionally the health Classes offered usually refers to either Sex Education, or basic overview of the human body. What should also be covered are essential eating habits, addressing psychological issues( what we refer to as baggage so often) that can cause a person to not care about their future or health, and giving tips for young adults to (to borrow Kaiser's motto) thrive.

Now all of this might seem that I have some prejudice towards obese or overweight people. This couldn't be more wrong. Most of my extended family is overweight if not right out obese, I grew up thinking of course( since this is a rationalizers motto) that everyone was the size they were supposed to be, that to contemplate them being in shape was just unheard of. Now I realize that it not only jeopardizes your future, but costs so much more to live. A person who intakes in excess of 5000 calories a day, regardless of their metabolism, will put on weight, but will spend a fortune on food, clothes( which cost more due increased material), mpg in your car, even how much you will pay for a plane ticket in the future( yes this was just announced recently with the cost of gas going up, airlines are looking for ways to pass on the buck). And that is just the monetary costs of overeating or obesity. The physical implications have been expounded over and over, and are still be studied. To name a few: hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, etc etc. The list is continually getting bigger and bigger, while more and more you see people rationalizing away the danger to their life and their children's lives.

More Reading Material

So lets all take a second to think on what we could do to prevent this problem being passed on to our children, like the current generation is doing on Gas and Energy issues.

Numero Uno

MWelcome to the very first Daily Wood Rant. Today's rant will focus on the subject of Health Management Organizations. As I recently found out my Mother has Cancer, I have many opinions on this subject. Also my employment at Kaiser Permanente has given me a few insights into such a company.

First off I'd like to say this, these are my opinions, not always facts. So please take them accordingly. Now thats out of the way I can begin.

While the idea of an HMO is a very good one, almost bordering on socialism ideas, it application is something else entirely. The first big problem I have with HMO s is the need for review before acceptance of a claim or treatment. If someone is sick, they are sick. Period. Waiting around for some third party to assess whether or not something is needed (IOW will this cost more than what we are collecting in dues) can and does put those who are most at risk, at risk even more. To wait for an independent analysis of results can cause severe results in the health of a patient. It would make much more sense to automatically approve of treatments, and assess them as they go, and if it is found a person did not need a treatment, well, there are 2 people who could be at fault. The Doctor, or the patient. A treatment should never be denied because of business reason, for a persons life is not a business. It is life, the most Sacred thing ( not in a strictly religious sense) a person has. Not something to be thrown away simply because it might cost to much right now. I mean how do they plan on continuing to do business if all their members die from lack of caring?

Additionally, the idea of preventative medicine, while idealistic in the extreme, does not constitute a sound look at medicine. To diagnose someone, you need to know what it wrong, not what the symptoms are. To much in todays medicine do we practice the methods of drugging people and treating their symptoms, without ever addressing the cause of those symptoms. To treat a malady one needs to understand that which ales a person. To do that one needs to talk to the patient, discuss possibilities for exposure(in the case of a transmittable disease) or causes. Also we don't fully understand the Human body yet, so using drugs that would otherwise be highly illegal, we get everyone high till they cant feel anything anymore. What kind of life is that.