...looking forward to battles on 2A and taxes. That's OK - just ignore the real problem of government spending.
Yea, it's going to be ugly.
Health wise, I think I may push my workouts and keep trying to change my diet habits - ever so hard when you have Christmas eve at the house, with all the yummy leftovers.
Who knows - perhaps Texas will call for me.
jc
Thoughts a few days later...
Evil people, insane people, will always exist. You can not legislate that... EVER. If you think so, you are one of them.
What we need are people that are not afraid.
Not afraid to defend, not afraid to offend, not afraid to act.
More sheepdogs, fewer shepherds. When it takes the police 20 minutes to respond AFTER someone starts killing, someone is just negligent
The old joke is that I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy truly applies here.
What ifs:
What we need are people that are not afraid.
Not afraid to defend, not afraid to offend, not afraid to act.
More sheepdogs, fewer shepherds. When it takes the police 20 minutes to respond AFTER someone starts killing, someone is just negligent
The old joke is that I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy truly applies here.
What ifs:
- The principal had a gun: Only the Mom would have died. They are insane, but they are still afraid of other people... especially the ones with guns.
- We had no guns in the USA: Nutburger would have used a machete, ampho explosives, or even a sharp stick to maim, mutilate, or kill.
- A responsible parent, security person, or staff member was designated as armed security: see above.
- Nutburger, being identified as dangerous, put into an institution (like pre 1970 America): nothing, just treatment.
- Nutburger saw the "gun free zone" sign and turned around: Ya, right.
Putting bans on guns (due to aesthetics , magical devices to safe or track the gun, or preventing the sale of ammo does nothing to secure our most vulnerable in society.
Gotta go to lunch...
jc
Just sent my Congress Critter this...
"Boehner offers to take debt limit off the table"
Get this man out of there.
He is in trap and he doesn't know how to get out.
Pass a budget, cut spending the way you want to do, then adjourn for Christmas.
Let POTUS squirm while on vacation.
But primarily, GET BOEHNER OUT!
jc
These "Republican" idiots are really pissing me off. They agreed to this idiotic "fiscal cliff" and yet they didn't have a clue that it is what Barry really wanted in the first place... Where is his incentive to negotiate???
Seriously - yank the whole bunch of them and start new.
jc
John Moses Browning, etc...
Thank God for John Moses Browning, Samuel Colt, and William B. Ruger, for with out them my family would be defenseless.
Sheepdog - never a sheep.
That is all.
jc
Sheepdog - never a sheep.
That is all.
jc
Been sick since Halloween...
Apparently, the only way to get my nose to stop running is to shove the sinus pills up my nose and use them as corks - internal use is worthless.
'night.
jc
'night.
jc
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Quick update
BMT doctor said that I am still OK, and I had an appointment with Dr. Lee and he said that all the tests are still OK.
Cramps - Still happening, and they kept me awake a few times recently.
Thyroid - They changed meds on me. Not the amount (still 100 mg), but the manufacturer. Have I seen a difference Yes and no. They want me to retest in a few weeks to make sure. However, I am getting some weird hot flashes and stuff. Joy.
The Back - Had a bad day Sunday... So bad that I cut our trip to Disneyland short (after riding Radiator Springs Racers). It started in the middle of the night. Must have slept funny. Two days of "on my back" it seems like all has reset... for now.
Still looking for the magic bullet when it comes to the cramping issue though.
Gotta go run kids...
jc
Cramps - Still happening, and they kept me awake a few times recently.
Thyroid - They changed meds on me. Not the amount (still 100 mg), but the manufacturer. Have I seen a difference Yes and no. They want me to retest in a few weeks to make sure. However, I am getting some weird hot flashes and stuff. Joy.
The Back - Had a bad day Sunday... So bad that I cut our trip to Disneyland short (after riding Radiator Springs Racers). It started in the middle of the night. Must have slept funny. Two days of "on my back" it seems like all has reset... for now.
Still looking for the magic bullet when it comes to the cramping issue though.
Gotta go run kids...
jc
Shocking!
Not Possible! Obama-care INCREASES health costs? Must be - well you know the rest...
I am surprised that people keep getting surprised by this.
http://news.investors.com/092412-626848-health-premiums-up-3065-obama-vowed-2500-cut.aspx
The funniest thing is that folks like my Sister-in-law thinks that this Obama-care will help her. Any employer that wants to stay in business will necessarily not provide insurance and just pay a fine. Tough shit new employee - go find another job in this +8% (actually +11%) unemployment economy.
Hope she is saving up for the tax increases on her and her two (uninsured?) children.
BUT HE PROMISED... actually, he wants you on the last ditch government plan so that you will continue to vote for him.
Ah, I love winning arguments against the straw men...
jc
Tip to pollsters...
When you call me in the evening, here are a few tips that may help you:
- Have someone that speaks un-accented English. This lady had a heavy accent and it was difficult for me to concentrate while I was semi-translating what she said.
- Have it quiet in the background. Background noise also is distracting - ever hear of cubicles?
- Read the script slowly. It was obvious that she was reading from a script, they all do. However - read it at a moderate pace. I know that you get paid by how many of these polls you do, but when discussing complex issues like Prop.32, take a breath between the first and 32nd line.
- If push polling, actually discuss the issue. Again, whenspeakingtoofasttheinfodoesn'tsinkin.
I don't mind getting polled, but please, make it somewhat enjoyable.
jc
Nothing new in Democrat politics.
Nope, nothing new here.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obamas-anti-romney-2012-ad-is-eerily-similar-to-carters-1980-anti-reagan-ad/#ooid=JtOTl2NTppTYFZainEs22C44KRS_m-8D
Oh, what a long election season it will be.
jc
The Machine: The Truth Behind Teachers Unions
I like how it is broken down...
Puts the problem of California in perspective.
jc
Marx and Obama
Via my twitter feed:
Read more at http://yfrog.com/g04nnrvvj#bJmC7S9kqhVtsykD.99
I couldn't quit laughing out loud when I saw this "only known photo of Karl Marx with Obama"yfrog.com/g04nnrvvj HT: my friend Susan
Read more at http://yfrog.com/g04nnrvvj#bJmC7S9kqhVtsykD.99
Yea, took me a second.
jc
Great article on Class in America
http://www.newgeography.com/content/003056-the-unseen-class-war-that-could-decide-the-presidential-election
Interesting article. I certainly fall into the Yoemenary class, and I know many in the clerisy class.
Sure makes sense to me, and it is interesting.
Wage war on the clerisy class? Well, if you limit government it sure will cut them down. I was surprised by the fact that over 20% of federal workers get over $100,000 per year! That is crazy!
Well, off to Foundation meetings, so we can privately finance the public schools...
jc
Interesting article. I certainly fall into the Yoemenary class, and I know many in the clerisy class.
Sure makes sense to me, and it is interesting.
Wage war on the clerisy class? Well, if you limit government it sure will cut them down. I was surprised by the fact that over 20% of federal workers get over $100,000 per year! That is crazy!
Well, off to Foundation meetings, so we can privately finance the public schools...
jc
President Narcisist
Heh.
Seriously, this Obama-Cult-of-Personality is wearing quite thin...
Eh, I gotta go to Costco to get overpriced food.
jc
Seriously, this Obama-Cult-of-Personality is wearing quite thin...
Eh, I gotta go to Costco to get overpriced food.
jc
Joe Biden's Greatest Hits!
What a hoot. If it wasn't for the liberal media ignoring him, he would have been laughed out of office decades ago.
I need to get chains...
jc
I need to get chains...
jc
S#!% Cancer Patients Say
This kid is brilliant - they should show this at the City of Hope and once an hour down in the chemo room at Lakeview...
jc
An e-mail I sent to a friend...
I sent this to a friend - who I shall keep nameless unless they want to speak up - about Obamacare. While not fully fleshed out, this and other postings will illuminate my opposition to this horrific piece of legislative excrement.
While I agree that if EVERYONE had insurance, it would be better, Obamacare isn't the way to get there.
Here are two articles that came up today:
http://news.investors.com/article/619306/201207250802/obamacare-could-add-to-uninsured.htm?p=full
Important paragraphs:
BUT, the IRS specifically can not use classic IRS collection techniques - thus you can flaunt the law up to the point that you are crippled, then get coverage... without penalty! So, this law is screwed up from the get-go.Studies consistently predict that around four million people will lose workplace coverage as a result of ObamaCare, despite the fines imposed on businesses that don't offer insurance. But the most recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office says the number could be as high as 20 million.And a study out this week by Deloitte finds that almost one in 10 businesses expect to drop coverage, with another 10% saying they weren't sure. A 2011 McKinsey & Co. surveyfound that 30% of companies "definitely or probably" would drop health benefits under ObamaCare.
Also, the effect on individual practitioners (like you would go to, Kaiser works diffrently) can be horrific.
http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/20/doc-says-physicians-have-reached-a-tipping-point-video/
He fears medicine will morph from a profession advocating for patients into a trade association advocating for physicians, and he proposes market-based solutions.
There are solutions to the problem, but no one is brave enough to propose them... My solution? Deregulation! No, you don't have to take everyone into your hospital... NO, you shouldn't have to birth a child for free... NO, companies shouldn't pay for insurance (this is a leftover from WWII price and wage freezes).
Yea, I am a bit of a crank on this.
jc
Obama Supporter Interviews Her 2008 Self
Gee, if you read my posts from the past... I WOULD BE RIGHT!
Time to get a life.
jc
Why I don't want BHO reelected part 2
In a post today, I mention that there is a new treatment path open to me, should the cancer come back.
In BHO's world, I would have to go to Congress to get this new treatment approved for use... at a Congressional pace.
In BHO's world, I would have to go to Congress to get this new treatment approved for use... at a Congressional pace.
- Convince someone that it is a good idea. Not my doctor, not Kaiser, not my wife... but some bureaucrat or (most likely) a politician at the national level (Senator or House member).
- Get on the calendar. Along with all the other novel treatments, I will be heard (eventually), in order. Oh, and there will be no doctors on the panel.
- Get funded.
- get the bureaucratic rule writing done.
- Await implementation so my insurance (assuming that we were able to keep Kaiser - a "Cadillac" plan) can fund it through the government protocols.
- Get treated.
Oh, the fun we will have. Retaining lobbyist after lobbyist, flying to and fro for hearings, calling, e-mailing, waiting, and ultimately... not getting treated.
Yes, all my well being will come from that swamp that was mostly filled in, Washington D.C.
I need to take a pill...
jc
Why I don't want BHO reelected (part 1)
This note shows that he is anti civil rights, and just wants to grab all the guns he can. As Professor Reynolds says:" It's easier to make them beggars..."
New Multiple Myeloma treatment
Faster Please...
Source: J Clin Oncol | Posted 5 days ago
Bortezomib Induction and Maintenance Treatment in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: Results of the Randomized Phase III HOVON-65/ GMMG-HD4 Trial; Sonneveld P, Schmidt-Wolf IG, van der Holt B, El Jarari L, Bertsch U, Salwender H, Zweegman S, Vellenga E, Broyl A, Blau IW, Weisel KC, Wittebol S, Bos GM, Stevens-Kroef M, Scheid C, Pfreundschuh M, Hose D, Jauch A, van der Velde H, Raymakers R, Schaafsma MR, Kersten MJ, van Marwijk-Kooy M, Duehrsen U, Lindemann W, Wijermans PW, Lokhorst HM, Goldschmidt HM; Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) (Jul 2012)
PURPOSE We investigated whether bortezomib during induction and maintenance improves survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).Patients And methodsIn all, 827 eligible patients with newly diagnosed symptomatic MM were randomly assigned to receive induction therapy with vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (VAD) or bortezomib, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (PAD) followed by high-dose melphalan and autologous stem-cell transplantation. Maintenance consisted of thalidomide 50 mg (VAD) once per day or bortezomib 1.3 mg/m(2) (PAD) once every 2 weeks for 2 years. The primary analysis was progression-free survival (PFS) adjusted for International Staging System (ISS) stage.ResultsComplete response (CR), including near CR, was superior after PAD induction (15% v 31%; P<.001) and bortezomib maintenance (34% v 49%; P<.001). After a median follow-up of 41 months, PFS was superior in the PAD arm (median of 28 months v 35 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.90; P = .002). In multivariate analysis, overall survival (OS) was better in the PAD arm (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.00; P = .049). In high-risk patients presenting with increased creatinine more than 2 mg/dL, bortezomib significantly improved PFS from a median of 13 months to 30 months (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.78; P = .004) and OS from a median of 21 months to 54 months (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.65; P<.001). A benefit was also observed in patients with deletion 17p13 (median PFS, 12 v 22 months; HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.86; P = .01; median OS, 24 months v not reached at 54 months; HR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.74; P = .003). CONCLUSIONBortezomib during induction and maintenance improves CR and achieves superior PFS and OS.
Malfeasance all around
We Californians are so screwed...
They budgeted 7.5% growth - in this economy. Guess what: it didn't happen.
Oh, and the money that they didn't "earn" will come out of the classroom. Texas anyone?
JULY 17, 2012
CALIFORNIA PENSION CRISIS UPDATE: Largest public pension fund earns dismal 1 percent. “The nation’s largest public pension fund collected a dismal 1 percent annual return on its investments, a figure far short of projections that will likely bring pressure on California’s state and local governments to contribute more money, officials said Monday. The return reported by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System was well below its projected return of 7.5 percent for the fiscal year that ended June 30 and is prompting administrators to consider changes to investment strategies.”
Key bit: “You just can’t rely on these optimistic assumptions that somehow the investment returns are going to be so great that you don’t have to worry about paying for this stuff.” Things that can’t go on forever, won’t. Debts that can’t be paid, won’t be.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Largest-public-pension-fund-earns-dismal-1-percent-3710740.php
I have a school fundraiser to plan...
jc
What's going on in California?
As a CSUF Alumni, it is sad to see the pathetic state of education around here.
It started a long time ago - CSUF built a new stadium for football (I only knew one football player there the whole time I was there), then canceled the program because it couldn't afford it.
As I go on campus now, there are shinny new student centers, a parking lot with a pool, and buildings all around... but do they graduate?
Go Titans...
Please.
jc
How Do Pain Relievers Work?
Interesting, I was on morphine for a while, and I could see how it could be addictive if you hurt all the time.
jc
Special Operations Speaks - Special Operations Speaks - SOS - homepage
Special Operations Speaks - Special Operations Speaks - SOS - homepage
This is a shoestring operation devoted to removing the leaker in chief.
Support it however you can.
I gotta do stuff -
jc
This is a shoestring operation devoted to removing the leaker in chief.
Support it however you can.
Raison d'etre
Special Operations is a surgical instrument of politics and war.
Special Operations can change the balance or center of gravity on the battlefield.
Special Operations can change the geopolitical center of gravity in public or in secret.
No one foreign or domestic should endanger the secrets, methods or targets of Special Operations.
Because Special Operations is a part of the United States of America’s military, it is accountable to the citizens of our sovereign republic.
I gotta do stuff -
jc
Quick reflections on the race for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave...
Yesterday's disastrous speech is followed up today by a new amnesty program by fiat. Evolving positions on homosexual issues gets followed up with evolving on marijuana laws.
Seriously - this is October surprise level stuff...
I have never seen such a desperate grasping for straws this early ever.
Their internals must be bad and getting worse.
He has had a disastrous last few weeks, with each attempt to divert the conversation on to Romney backfiring on him. The sharks are smelling blood in the water.
I have heard the theory that it will either be a squeaker or a crushing defeat, depending on whether they can cheat out a win in Florida or Ohio. I think it may be a crushing defeat.
Honestly, I thought that a Chicago thug politician would be better than this, but that is why it is called "second city".
If this desperation continues, how much longer before we see the Latino housekeeper come out to say how horrible the whole family is (Hello - Gloria Allred - are you working on this?).
Could this preference cascade end up sealing the deal before the conventions?
Just a few thoughts...
CHOOM!
jc
Seriously - this is October surprise level stuff...
I have never seen such a desperate grasping for straws this early ever.
Their internals must be bad and getting worse.
He has had a disastrous last few weeks, with each attempt to divert the conversation on to Romney backfiring on him. The sharks are smelling blood in the water.
I have heard the theory that it will either be a squeaker or a crushing defeat, depending on whether they can cheat out a win in Florida or Ohio. I think it may be a crushing defeat.
Honestly, I thought that a Chicago thug politician would be better than this, but that is why it is called "second city".
If this desperation continues, how much longer before we see the Latino housekeeper come out to say how horrible the whole family is (Hello - Gloria Allred - are you working on this?).
Could this preference cascade end up sealing the deal before the conventions?
Just a few thoughts...
CHOOM!
jc
We've Got Your Back Obama
Oh, yea.
Feel the cool.
If he has to appeal to his racial base THIS EARLY, things must be going real bad.
jc
City of Hope video of the BMT reunion
Thank You...bla, bla, bla... Hope...bla, bla,bla, THERE I AM!!!!!1!
Fast forward to 2:30, lower left corner, fat guy with a yellow shirt - THAT'S ME!
I am now famous... groupies can meet me on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only.
jc
Realization...
Trying to describe chemo brain:
It is like you have holes bored into your brain.
You can touch it, feel it, see it, smell it, taste it, hear it... but you have no f-ing clue as to call it.
Oh, and it is a familiar it.
So, if I look at you funny, and then go up and lick you, THAT IS CHEMO BRAIN.
I need something to lick...
jc
It is like you have holes bored into your brain.
You can touch it, feel it, see it, smell it, taste it, hear it... but you have no f-ing clue as to call it.
Oh, and it is a familiar it.
So, if I look at you funny, and then go up and lick you, THAT IS CHEMO BRAIN.
I need something to lick...
jc
Obama Is Not That Bright
Obama Is Not That Bright
Well, Duh!1!!!
jc
Mr. Obama has said a lot of unsmart things: there are 57 states; Canada has a president; "Austrian" is a language; America is "20 centuries" old; Arabic is spoken in Afghanistan. He's called the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) the Maldives, and declared it would be "unprecedented" for the Supreme Court to invalidate a law passed by Congress.
Well, Duh!1!!!
jc
The Worst Union in America by Troy Senik, City Journal Spring 2012
The Worst Union in America by Troy Senik, City Journal Spring 2012
Wow. Forgot how bad it actually is.
Teachers are usually nice people, but they can not - must not - run the state. It isn't their place.
jc
Wow. Forgot how bad it actually is.
Teachers are usually nice people, but they can not - must not - run the state. It isn't their place.
jc
Pent up snark for a Sunday morning...
Ah, I like these for their wit and wisdom...
Oh, and some questions that need answering...
Wow - good thing we got rid of that idiot Bush!
Just snark today - I deserve a growler....
jc
The streets of Heaven are protected by the USMC
http://talkstraight.tumblr.com/post/22332149526/indiana-12-year-old-boy-made-honorary-marine
Indiana: 12-Year-Old Boy Made Honorary Marine Before Succumbing To Cancer-Related Infection, Local Marine Stands Guard At His Hospital Door Entire Night Before He Passed Away…
12-year-old Cody Green has always admired the strength and courage of the marines. At 12:35 Saturday afternoon, it was the Marines admiring the strength and courage of Cody.
Cody had leukemia since he was 22 months old, but beat the disease three times. Although he was cancer-free, the chemotherapy lowered his immune system and Saturday afternoon, he died from a fungus that attacked his brain. Members of the Marines decided to step in and do something.
“They decided Cody, with the strength and honor and courage he showed through the whole thing, he should be a Marine,” said Cody’s father David Snowberger.
Cody was given Marine navigator wings and was made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps. For one Marine, that wasn’t enough, so he did even more.
“The night before Cody passed, he stood guard at Cody’s door at the hospital all night long for eight hours straight,” said Snowberger.
City of Hope BMT reunion # 4
I love going to these, but it does take a toll.
I didn't see many kids this year, that always weighs heavy on me... So they were either in another section, or not as many kids are getting cancer.
I pray the latter.
Again, I met more WONDERFUL people there. Seems like there are more and more Multiple Myeloma patients surviving longer and longer.
Add to that, my two favorite Bone Marrow Transplant Doctors:
I even had an extra cupcake. Bern would have wanted me to.
(sigh)
I need a nap...
jc
I didn't see many kids this year, that always weighs heavy on me... So they were either in another section, or not as many kids are getting cancer.
I pray the latter.
Again, I met more WONDERFUL people there. Seems like there are more and more Multiple Myeloma patients surviving longer and longer.
Add to that, my two favorite Bone Marrow Transplant Doctors:
I even had an extra cupcake. Bern would have wanted me to.
(sigh)
I need a nap...
jc
Bylaws
In a civil society (yes, as Heinlein said, an armed one) bylaws would be ignored.
Just wasted 45 minutes when someone objected to having a "co-president" vs. a "president" because it wasn't in section 3.3 or 3.4 of the bylaws.
Really?
They were working hand in glove with each other, a "grizzled vet" and a newbie, working together to pass on the knowledge of the ages for the future.
But Noooo - Ms. "Harvard law" came in to piss on the parade. She wanted to be president, so 45 minutes of wrangling and -- nope. No joy. Oh, they (the good ones) did get elected.
On my second Chocolate Bock, may need a third.
jc
Just wasted 45 minutes when someone objected to having a "co-president" vs. a "president" because it wasn't in section 3.3 or 3.4 of the bylaws.
Really?
They were working hand in glove with each other, a "grizzled vet" and a newbie, working together to pass on the knowledge of the ages for the future.
But Noooo - Ms. "Harvard law" came in to piss on the parade. She wanted to be president, so 45 minutes of wrangling and -- nope. No joy. Oh, they (the good ones) did get elected.
On my second Chocolate Bock, may need a third.
jc
More Obama Fail -- this time with Catholics
Obama in the tank with Catholics? Not feeling the hope-y-change-y thing...
Shocker: Obama’s Popularity Falls Among Catholics
Posted by Jammie on Apr 24, 2012 at 8:00 am
Quite frankly, how his approval among practicing Catholics isn’t in single digits is a mystery. There’s never been an administration more openly hostile to the church, and any Catholic who still supports this regime needs to do some soul-searching.President Obama has seen his standing among Catholic voters, a crucial segment of the electorate, slip in recent weeks, and a looming confrontation with Catholic activists could make it worse.Democrats want voters this year to focus on what they have branded a war on women, but the flip side of the debate — the so-called war on religion — is not going away anytime soon.Earlier this month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for two weeks of public protest in June and July against what it sees as growing government encroachment on religious freedom.The protests are expected to include priests and nuns and thousands of Catholic parishioners. Some activists expect civil disobedience, which could lead to powerful images of priests and nuns being led away in hand restraints.“This is the most dynamic situation I’ve ever seen since I’ve been involved in Catholics and politics,” said Deal Hudson, president of Catholic Advocate, who also headed Catholic outreach for the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in 2000 and 2004. “I think civil disobedience is almost inevitable. I think that kind of protest is on the way.”Civil disobedience that’s not ginned up by Obama and his union goons? Don’t expect much media coverage of that since it doesn’t go along with the narrative.Steven Wagner, the president of QEV Analytics, a polling firm that recently conducted a survey for The Catholic Association, said religion could emerge as a sleeper issue in the election: “Everyone says this election is about the economy. I can see the issue of religious liberty being what decides the race. If Obama continues to lose Catholics by the margin the Pew poll suggests, that means he could lose the key swing states of Florida, Ohio, Colorado and Iowa.”Losses in those states could cost Obama the White House, and the states are likely aware of that fact. Wagner noted the administration will likely try to be careful and avoid provoking Catholic activists before the election.The Obama strategy will probably be to just label them terrorists.
Confirmed: Conservatives understand liberal positions better than liberals understand conservative positions
Confirmed: Conservatives understand liberal positions better than liberals understand conservative positions
POSTED AT 1:21 PM ON APRIL 13, 2012 BY TINA KORBE
At The American, AEI resident scholar Andrew Biggs highlights an interesting study that confirms what most conservatives probably already know to be true of themselves: We understand why our liberal friends think what they think more than they understand why we think what we think.
[University of Virginia professor Jonathan] Haidt’s research asks individuals to answer questionnaires regarding their core moral beliefs—what sorts of values they consider sacred, which they would compromise on, and how much it would take to get them to make those compromises. By themselves, these exercises are interesting. (Try them online and see where you come out.)But Haidt’s research went one step further, asking self-indentified conservatives to answer those questionnaires as if they were liberals and for liberals to do the opposite. What Haidt found is that conservatives understand liberals’ moral values better than liberals understand where conservatives are coming from. Worse yet, liberals don’t know what they don’t know; they don’t understand how limited their knowledge of conservative values is. If anyone is close-minded here it’s not conservatives.
Haidt has one theory to explain his results, while Biggs has another. Haidt says conservatives speak a broader and more encompassing language of six moral values, while liberals focus on a narrow subset of those values. Biggs says conservatives understand liberal positions because they’re inundated with them — by the media, by academia, even to a certain extent by the culture.
Haidt and Biggs both have a point. It takes just about a year of actively debating politics or witnessing the debate of politics to realize that (a) the two parties to the debate don’t speak the same language and (b) the liberal party will have few opportunities to learn the conservative’s language. It’s not only that we don’t use the same words, it’s that we also assign completely different meanings to the same words.
The president’s prattling about the Buffett Rule is a perfect example. He repeatedly uses the word “fair” when he discusses this rule that would require anyone who earns more than $1 million a year to pay at least 30 percent in taxes. The Buffett Rule is actually officially named “The Paying a Fair Share Act.”
Conservatives have been quick to cede the word “fair” to the president. Instead of debating whether The Buffett Rule actually is fair, we’ve focused on the idea that economic growth and entitlement reform are the keys to deficit reduction. We know that our definition of “fair” is different than liberals’ definition of “fair,” so we’re never going to be able to convince liberals that the Buffett Rule actually is unfair. In a world dominated by liberal influences in the media, academy and culture, we have no choice but focus on the fact that The Buffett Rule would do very little to reduce the deficit.
If liberals understood the conservative definition of “fair,” they might better understand how it’s possible to oppose the Buffett Rule. As the debate stands at this moment, it’s conceivable that the average liberal thinks conservatives actually oppose a rule we think is fair just because we don’t think it will adequately reduce the deficit. But why would anybody oppose a fair rule? In fact, we oppose the Buffett Rule because, by our definition, it is unfair — not to mention that it does very little to reduce the deficit. (As an aside, I’ve been searching for an article in which a conservative argues explicitly that the Buffett Rule is unfair and am finding it surprisingly hard to find. Has anybody read a good one?)
The word “just” is defined as “based on right.” Our concept of what is fair starts with our concept of what is a right. Whereas progressives think that rights are given by the government, conservatives think that “we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.” Among our God-given rights is the right to keep the fruits of our labor. So far, I have never heard a good argument that we have a right or a claim to the fruits of others’ labor unless they have promised them to us for some reason. We certainly never have an intrinsic a priori claim on the fruits of someone else’s labor.
As long as he is allowed to keep what he has earned, the conservative thinks he has been treated fairly — even if others have more than he has. The liberal has a completely different definition of fairness. Liberals seem to think we have a right to the same fruits no matter what our labor.
It is true that different kinds and quantities of work yield different kinds and quantities of fruits. That is sometimes hard to take — but if, in the end, we receive the fruits we agreed to when we selected our labor, then the fruits we receive are fair. (For example, if we agree to a particular day’s wages and we receive that day’s wages, then we have been treated fairly. Nobody changed the deal to which we agreed.) In making the choice to be a secretary and not a hedge fund manager, for example, the secretary forgoes some of the fruits of the hedge fund manager — but obtains some fruits the hedge fund manager never tastes, say the fruit of more time to spend with family or the fruit of less stress. If we are not content with the fruits of our labor, perhaps we ought first to consider changing our labor, rather than demand we be given different fruits.
One last thought: Conservatives clearly have a more expansive view of what constitutes “fruits.” We do not measure success and fairness solely by money. In the example above, I recognize the worth of time off and less pressure — two intangibles. For all that liberals like to talk about conservative greed, it’s interesting that conservatives can content themselves with less money in exchange for other benefits whereas liberals seem blind to those benefits and just want the money.
What a day... so far
I tried to get this to the tune of the Beatles "A Day in the Life", but it just wouldn't fit.
Got up a bit early - like 5 minutes - when I heard my phone chirp that I had a text message. I was expecting the text, but when I got to the phone, it needed to reboot for some updates. >CRAP<
Fine. Update away, I need a Diet Coke.
10 minutes later, after a boot, screen, boot, screen loop, I yanked the battery to start over. >CRAP<
Fine. I need to get dressed.
10 minutes later, the phone is still boot - screen - boot. >CRAP<
Fine. I need to get the girls to school, plus their friend (the original text message) needs to be picked up.
Get the girls to school, everyone is happy. Go work out, come home, go online to see if I can hard boot this thing. Get in the que for Motorola 's chat line for help.
Fine. I need to get breakfast. >CRAP< no milk = no breakfast.
Chat concludes, no hard reboot possible with my fingers and IQ not working well today (did I mention no breakfast?).
Fine. Gotta shower and get over to Caitlyn's class for a talk she is giving on her book. >CRAP< Dropped Kristin's mirror on the floor, breaking it. Clean that up.
Get in the car, check in, go to her class for her presentation. Record it, give her a kiss and blaze out to the Verizon store.
They take the phone, take it to the "back room" and I go get brunch @ Burger King. Watch Caitlyn's video, but there seems to be no audio. >CRAP< I was too far away.
Go back to the Verizon store, wait a few more minutes, the doctor comes out and pronounces my phone dead. >CRAP< I have only had it a year.
Fine. Get a new phone, get in the car, pick up the girls from school, go home. >CRAP< Forgot the milk. Go to Target get milk and a mirror, come home.
I think I will hide in a bunker for the rest of the day...
jc
Got up a bit early - like 5 minutes - when I heard my phone chirp that I had a text message. I was expecting the text, but when I got to the phone, it needed to reboot for some updates. >CRAP<
Fine. Update away, I need a Diet Coke.
10 minutes later, after a boot, screen, boot, screen loop, I yanked the battery to start over. >CRAP<
Fine. I need to get dressed.
10 minutes later, the phone is still boot - screen - boot. >CRAP<
Fine. I need to get the girls to school, plus their friend (the original text message) needs to be picked up.
Get the girls to school, everyone is happy. Go work out, come home, go online to see if I can hard boot this thing. Get in the que for Motorola 's chat line for help.
Fine. I need to get breakfast. >CRAP< no milk = no breakfast.
Chat concludes, no hard reboot possible with my fingers and IQ not working well today (did I mention no breakfast?).
Fine. Gotta shower and get over to Caitlyn's class for a talk she is giving on her book. >CRAP< Dropped Kristin's mirror on the floor, breaking it. Clean that up.
Get in the car, check in, go to her class for her presentation. Record it, give her a kiss and blaze out to the Verizon store.
They take the phone, take it to the "back room" and I go get brunch @ Burger King. Watch Caitlyn's video, but there seems to be no audio. >CRAP< I was too far away.
Go back to the Verizon store, wait a few more minutes, the doctor comes out and pronounces my phone dead. >CRAP< I have only had it a year.
Fine. Get a new phone, get in the car, pick up the girls from school, go home. >CRAP< Forgot the milk. Go to Target get milk and a mirror, come home.
I think I will hide in a bunker for the rest of the day...
jc
Just a though...
Just realized how many groups and organizations want part of my (very pitiful) pile of cash.
1) St. Juliana Falconieri church just started their PSA campaign (again) wanting to expunge their debt of over $1million.
2) The Foundation The Acacia Partnership - Supporting Acacia Elementary School wants money to save programs on the cutting block
3) The GOP wants money so they can continue to be impotent in the face of any opposition
4) The City Of Hope wants money to keep researching my cancer in hopes of a cure - not a stand off
5) The NRA, CPRA, and NRA-ILA want money so I can keep my God given rights in place
6) Jerry Brown and his ass-hat clowns want more money so they won't cut funding to the Snail Darter Commission
7) Obama wants more money to teach people a lesson about having too much (or something)
Yes, I pay money to all these groups for various reasons... Not much, sometimes nothing (yes, I am looking you GOP), but stewardship of this world requires commitment of time and treasure.
Trust me, there is never enough of either.
jc
1) St. Juliana Falconieri church just started their PSA campaign (again) wanting to expunge their debt of over $1million.
2) The Foundation The Acacia Partnership - Supporting Acacia Elementary School wants money to save programs on the cutting block
3) The GOP wants money so they can continue to be impotent in the face of any opposition
4) The City Of Hope wants money to keep researching my cancer in hopes of a cure - not a stand off
5) The NRA, CPRA, and NRA-ILA want money so I can keep my God given rights in place
6) Jerry Brown and his ass-hat clowns want more money so they won't cut funding to the Snail Darter Commission
7) Obama wants more money to teach people a lesson about having too much (or something)
Yes, I pay money to all these groups for various reasons... Not much, sometimes nothing (yes, I am looking you GOP), but stewardship of this world requires commitment of time and treasure.
Trust me, there is never enough of either.
jc
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