Posted by Brandig on 05/19/09

When talking to some folks the other night, I was in a state of physical discomfort. I was having some headaches. This tilted my emotional stability.

When people shared, I had little to no toleration for their opinions that I disagreed with. In a healthier state, I typically have more empathy and can try to understand another's opinion. I can also see them as mere opinions-not a threat.

That night, however, I became angry. I know being ill increased that tendency to be cranky and impatient, but why get angry at other's opinions at all? Because of my ailment, I was privy to the inner workings of why this is so. When ill, my emotional defenses are down and the threshold lowered. This helped expose my thinking and emotion.

An individual supports Obama. They express their admiration and enjoyment of his presence in Washington. One black woman in the group I was in said she was thrilled because Michelle Obama is the First Lady and one white woman said she was grateful she didn't have to be embarrassed for her president any longer. We hear this kind of talk all the time.

Why did it anger me?

What was so clear this night is that I became angry and I became defensive because... I got scared. I have within myself a certain amount of fear regarding today's political realities. This is what shown tonight.

I want to explain any anger and fear that arises within me when becoming emotional about these topics. Conversely, I also want to express why I feel more optimistic than ever.


Let me introduce you to my fear.

We will work this backward. I see Obama act in Washington in ways that I believe will harm the country-so ultimately, me. I see him act in ways that I consider immoral-wasteful spending, extraordinary theft via taxation, support for drug prohibition, invasive foreign policy, stifling of relevant truths, inconsistent stances on important topics, etc. I see this happen and acknowledge that when immorality is done, results are unfavorable.

Think of it this way: few people disagree that bad will come from a policy of torture. Whether it is enemy motive or retaliation, the effects on the ones committing the torture, or a tearing of our American moral fabric which worsens the tendencies of Americans in general, many can see these potential outcomes.

This is what I, and others who think like me, see in the policies of Obama. America passively allows and supports the cold, facelessness that is the government seek unprecedented control of private corporations, banks and healthcare-this is socialism and proves destructive. With the bailouts, we see some Americans paying for others without the payer's consent-this is theft. Regarding the stimulus, we see the continuation and promotion of over-spending that put us in this compromised position. We know that this stimulus will help to delay and make worse the inevitable drop of our economic system. This is all being performed by the leadership with no regard or knowledge for what is truly responsible and appropriate.

Here is an excerpt from the Cato Institute's website:

And you don't want to think about the total bill as Washington bails out (almost $13 trillion worth so far) everyone within reach, "stimulates" (the bill passed earlier this year ran $787 billion) everything within reach, and spends money (Congress approved a budget of $3.5 trillion for next year) within reach. Indeed, according to CBO, the president's budget envisions increasing the additional collective federal deficit between 2010 and 2019 from $4.4 trillion to $9.3 trillion.) Then there will be more federal spending for government entities, such as the Federal Housing Administration; failing banks, which are being closed at a record rate by the FDIC; pension pay-offs for bankrupt companies, administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; and covering the big tab being up run up by Social Security and Medicare, which currently sport unfunded liabilities of around $100 trillion.
Oh, to be an American taxpayer - and especially a young American taxpayer - who will be paying Uncle Sam's endless bills for the rest of his or her life!



As we have no authority over these matters, we see all this and feel completely helpless-particularly when there is such avid support from the American public, as well as from much of the world, for this harm. We can only watch it occur and fear the dissolving of our once-proud, beacon of righteousness. We see America as the only place in the world today that has a chance to live and prosper and face challenges with freedom at the helm. We see America as the leader of the world because of freedom, not despite it. We see America as the place to function as the world's role-model.

(More challenging for me is seeing my friends, with whom I have connected, support radiantly this damaging momentum. The ones you love will anger you most when in disagreement about such topics. It is because I fear most their allegiance for this destruction.)


Now, rather than continuing to shine as a beacon, we see America lower its standards of individual freedom to the likes of the rest of the world. It doesn't fit. We don't believe it can fit. America is America and despite much of the world applauding our over-spending, big government, freedom soaking ways, the rest of the world, as well as America, of course, will be worse off. Is it not America's productivity that the rest of the world has/is enhanced from? Is it not America's freedom that led to this productivity to happen? So is not the current political landscape in America a threat to our freedom, thus, ours and the world's productivity and prosperity?

After I whittle down my anger, I see the realm of fear within me. I fear the negative outcome of such policy. I fear the mass ignorance of solid logic-logic replaced with faulty reasonings like; "look what the free market did" or "if drugs were legal everyone would get high" or "if the government didn't give domestic and foreign aid, no one would".

I get afraid when the fickle nature to trust and like someone is used to support these destructive policies. My fear flared that night when I considered people endorsing forced civil service and tax dollars being used for abortions all because it is also in favor to those before me to have a tan, presentable president. I see us letting our freedoms and continued prosperity be stolen from us via the ease in which people fall into favor with a leader.

*and here's an aside-I get it; I understand people's enthusiasm. I like Obama, too. I like him, but I abhor is policy. It isn't the support itself that scares me, because I understand how important looks and presentation are to winning over an audience. My fear comes from seeing this avid support countering any concern to be had about his activity. I see the tendency worldwide to like him and feed his political aspirations. It is those aspirations that sometimes scare me. The question is: why do we give such power to the executive branch? No power should be bestowed upon one person-especially in America where it was written to prevent such rule. People's fickle support for a president would not be a threat if his authority was at the appropriate level. I digress.*

This is not just Obama, of course. Most representatives in Washington condone this. But Obama represents a new low in this morality-that's just his way of presiding. He does not prefer individuals, or does not trust them, to do these acts on their own merit. He does not trust people, he does not trust freedom, and here in front of me tonight were two women applauding "all this"-or so my fear would tell me.

But, that is just the fear talking and I know this to be a defect. But when I do fear, and even get angry, I hope those that read this can understand a little better why that is.


More than the fear, however, I do have faith. I have three points of optimism which do outweigh this element of fear.

First, I can see that regardless of what happens to America, even if it would completely collapse, I will be okay. I am not attached to America in the sense that its status is mine. This enables me to see a world-view and not be tied to the happenings of one country. I can watch cars drive by with off-putting bumper stickers and observe it as sort of an outsider-even chuckle at the American sway these days. I realize that this is humans doing what humans do-being enamored with charisma, especially is times of struggle.

Second, there is that element, that X factor of the human spirit, if you will, that is seemingly, inevitably progressive and especially alive in America. What is that factor that has allowed us to continue toward prosperity? Poverty is being wiped out all over the world. Technology is accelerating. With all the ominous signs my fear wants to recognize, I cannot seem to ignore this obvious reality. This realization has me realize that though most may be ignorant of the illogical rhetoric in American leadership, people are content, and also seem to acknowledge, this "obvious reality". It can be frustrating to grant these people credit for their accuracy in this regard as they seem to mistake their leaders as appropriate, but that "mistake" does not mean they are wrong in their seemingly "baseless" optimism. I, too, can see the good around me.

Perhaps Obama is wrong about the items mentioned previously, but maybe it does not matter as much as I fear it does-not because he's "right" but because there are much larger forces at work. Obama may do his best to be himself and be the inspiring, presentable, albeit, illogical and misplaced leader that he is, but maybe it doesn't really matter THAT much.

Last, I've an enduring faith cemented as a result of my local political involvement. The maneuvers I once thought highly improbable now seem likely. It has made it so clear the situation that exists and the utter inevitability of its repair. I have a renewed optimism in seeing the clean, local, no-media-filter-cleanliness that is local politics, renew my optimism in the replacement of old leaders with new, better-fitting ones. I see this as the seed and foundation of policy in the near future. I see the cyclical nature of this political see-saw of leadership over time and the voter's preference for our turn at the helm.

I see how logic can prevail and truth can set the nation free again!

Ultimately, I relearn that though I prefer not losing my freedoms and prosperity and so will fight to my limits for what's right, I don't have to fear it. For even if powers greater than I do take away my freedoms, only I have the power to take away my happiness.

Fear is unnecessary.

And the more I observe, learn and see, the more I realize that I have less and less reason to fear.

Posted by Brandig on 05/18/09

The wisest among us-those few who foresaw this imminent economic collapse-avoided direct calamity, but were nevertheless caught up in the resulting political and economic repercussions.  And they are considered the "fortunate".    

How about the other 99% of people who didn't notice this bubble as it was happening?  For them, the damages range from inconvenient-not eating out quite as often, to the devastating-losing their home or retirement savings. 

(On my wall is a photograph taken by a local artist.  It is of an abandoned, boarded up home that sits across the street from an abandoned school built in 1992.)

There is much to realize about the interplay between different bubbles that occur in society.  To better understand them, we need to examine these relationships as well as decipher what factors allow bubbles to wreak havoc as they do.  Bubbles are dangerous and a destructive phenomena-but only potentially, and it depends on the type of societal bubble we are addressing.               

There are a thousand versions of the same story across America today of people who have been shocked, horrified, flabbergasted, and left speechless; so many seemingly blind-sided by today's crisis.  Countless Americans simply stepped on the social track and were, in a sense, victimized for taking what was considered smart, advisable action: buying more then they could reasonably afford or lend out more than could reasonably be paid back.  The destruction is obvious-shown in the photograph right beside me.      

In many examples this kind of social "follow the leader" behavior wouldn't be so harmful.  This kind of "American Mob" mentality happens all the time with fads like Tickle-Me Elmo and pop sensations like the latest American Idol winner.  In these minor, more benign examples, people are generally responsible and do not put themselves into harms way while riding the wave of popular trend. 

It's not so trivial, however, when it is people's livelihoods that are at stake.  In the late 90's, American's "followed the leader" toward an over-investment in dotcom stocks.  Many people lost money.  Until last year, a bolder, more pervasive example of this mentality helped to create a system making it popular to make bad home investments.  This inflated housing market was a statement about the excess and mismanagement of a nation's, bank's, and citizen's capital.  The Federal Reserve Bank gave away money to banks at incredibly low interest rates, so the banks lent irresponsibly, which led to the citizens borrowing recklessly.  All the while, the government, through its various offices and agencies, threw its enormous weight behind the entire process.  It was an entire culture gone astray.

Both the dotcom and the housing bubbles were examples of the American Mob putting itself behind the financial 8-ball.  Though many variables exist between them, the key variable is the scope of the housing bubble compared to that of the dotcom bubble and the notable contribution government had in helping make it possible. 
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Concurrently, there exists a population bubble.

The Baby Boomers, resulting from the returning soldiers from WWII, have always created a wake in their path.  The music they grew up with-The Beatles, Dylan-will always be regarded as "the greatest" partially because of the Boomer's popular weight.  Today they are retiring and we are inundated with what appeals to their aging concerns, i.e. Viagra. 

But their numbers create more than mere culture bias and marketing focus.  They overburden social programs like Social Security which is doomed to fail because of this population bubble.  We face real, large difficulties because of socialized elder care and the population inequality the Baby Boomers represent.  Whether pensions, Social Security, Medicare, and other retirement/aging expenses, this population bubble is costly, indeed.  Unfunded liabilities as those just mentioned are in the trillions and no answer is in sight.  

By themselves, the two bubbles described (the housing bubble and Baby Boomers) are unique and stand alone in their source and structure.  The housing bubble was a cultural err, a nation wrapped up in a momentous surge.  It was a societal binge that every sector drank up.  Today's result is a hangover of massive lost capital, jobs, and a markedly reduced level of excess for Americans to enjoy.  The Baby Boomers, on the other hand, are a byproduct of WWII.  They are a demanding pull on society's resources.  Now as they become most expensive and least productive, the toll becomes very heavy.  

How do the two bubbles relate?  In 2008, these two bubbles collided.  On the eve of the Baby Boomer's retirements, a time when a disproportionate amount of society's resources needed to be available for their (the Boomer's) disposal, our capital dried up.  As well, whose retirements were most effected by the Dow plummet?  Given their relative clout and current positions, we were witness to a panicked legislative effort referred to as the "Bail-outs".  Two bubbles intersected, demanding legislation lest the Boomer's 401Ks be sunk.     

The destruction of these bubbles becomes more so when realizing their lingering effects on future generations.  With our nation's recent trend of overconsumption, we all are going to suffer a little-that makes sense.  The problem is that we are not letting ourselves feel the sting that we should.  Rather, we are immaturely holding off the inevitable, hastily patching up this flawed system with financial support from those who didn't do any over-consuming-future tax payers.  This is immoral.  Younger generations, already stuck with the bill for the weighty Boomer's retirement in the form of Social Security and Medicare, are now stuck paying to prop up financial institutions to save the Boomer's retirement accounts.  How much we are going to have to pay for their lives-both now and indefinitely!

(WWII was obviously horrible enough.  Perhaps this latest, expensive reaction to the current economic crash is just a continuation of the destructiveness of war?)

And by the way, this is a side effect of the Baby Boomer's numbers and influence rather than a statement about their intent.  Just as when too many of one party is in power (no checks and balances equals corruption), so too, may be the unabashed influence of one over-populous generation.  In other words, any generation would probably be as reactive and proactive.

This brings to light the necessity to review governmental policy and its impact. 

Like the consumer fads of Tickle-Me Elmo mentioned earlier, population bubbles, too, might be merely benign.  Hearing about the "good 'ole days" and watching Viagra ads is annoying at worst.  But we reside in an economic system including elements of forced redistribution of wealth-each according to his need.  Because of this, we have our society exposed to the risk of a more populous generation coming along and "sinking the ship".  As well, the political pressure a more populous generation has will potentially sway current public disbursements of funds to themselves. 

Today, we are seeing this two-fold concern occur.  1. Economic policies that require future generations to pay for current ones like Social Security and Medicare are becoming overburdened.  2. We just saw a generation of people benefitting themselves at other taxpayers' expense with the recent string of bailouts.  This is an example of the destructive power of population bubbles in a state with socialized policies. 

This is happening in tandem with the mistaken idea that increased government can help what increased government assisted-the enhancement of the housing bubble.  We are seeing the unintended consequences of both intergenerational forced redistribution and redistribution devoted to what the government deems "appropriate"-in this latest case, housing.

This is, in large part, the result of a system that opened the door to this kind of economic abuse not a result of a population bubble or a bubble of consumer activity.  Is not the problem our system?-a system waiting for any overpowering generation or gross mal-investment to come along and "sink the ship"?  The idea is to have a system free from this potential. 

This idea isn't novel. 

I'll paraphrase Thomas Jefferson in saying that we have laws and government in our country because humans aren't angels.  Laws are there to protect us from our less-than-angelic tendencies.  So why do we use government to promote, or at least, make possible these tendencies to flourish?  Why did we set ourselves up for problems with such policies like Social Security in the first place?  Why do we let government have a role in lending and homeownership promotion?  That is not the American government's proper role.  Americans courageously fought for freedom.  These harmful policies are examples of Americans cowardly looking for answers-advocating legal theft via taxation to remedy people's fear of not being taken care of or not getting what they feel entitled to or for politicians to buy votes.     

233 yrs ago, the founding of this country was built with these tendencies in mind.  When we lose that respect for constitutional principles, if we let fear of insecurity tempt us into enacting these forced money movements, then this ignoring of the Constitution will come back to haunt us.  We will reap what we sow. 

We are. 

What can we learn?  First, do not look at events in isolation.  Broaden your view to see other factors at play.  Indeed, look back at the source of the boomers-WWII, and its main source-The Great Depression, which was a bursting bubble that led to the birth of Social Security.  We come full circle.  The Great Depression and the Baby Boomers' presence playing a significant hand in the today's crisis helps to reduce aim at any current group of people as being solely responsible. 

Second, people are not angels-they will take advantage of opportunities for their own security.  The mistake made in creating social policies of economics in the name of helping its citizens is that these policies will inevitably be abused by groups looking to help themselves and/or by a society that has the capability of erring with foolish investments.  Let us not multiply these traits with government, but absorb and minimize their potential with a focus on freedom.  We could use government to absorb the shock of this, like Europe tries, but that comes with the price of steep amorality-the theft of freedom.     

Bubbles, as these, seem to be an occurrence and product of humanity's expansion into new realms of challenge (war) and opportunity (ecommerce).  So to lessen the impact of these bubbles by shaping our society (or, perhaps, a lack of defined shape) in such a way as to minimize the effects of these seemingly inevitable events ought to be our goal.  The lack of control the Constitution asserts over American's lives gives us the best blueprint to absorb and evolve with each new shock that comes out way.  With regulations to "protect" we become rigid and everyone becomes inescapably and unnecessarily involved in other's bad decisions and those decision's consequences. 

While there will always be fads and poor investments, only government intervention had, in these latest events, the authority to make "bad" become "tragic".  Though Freedom cannot rid us of swarming to the malls for a Tickle-me Elmo or to the dotcom stocks, it reduces the sting when this tendency becomes harmful.

Though government may arguably have started or exaggerated these bubbles, how else are we to handle them than with help from government?  Look for liberty solutions to these problems.  More than just find the problem, find the answer for how to use freedom to save the country as we used it to found it.  Instead of a stimulus package, how about shrink government and decrease taxes?  There is a stimulus.