Revolution 2.0

Introduction “Medicare for All” is an intentional misnomer used to disguise free, single-payer insurance as the popular Medicare plan that so many are currently using for health insurance. Most parts of real Medicare require some form of cost sharing by patients. Medicare Part B, for outpatient medical expenses, has a standard premium of $1,626/per year with an annual deductible of $185, plus a 20% copayment. Dental coverage, vision insurance and useful drug coverage cost even more money. Medicare for All would have much broader coverage, no cost sharing, and fewer choices of healthcare plans.  MFA would cover a wide variety of dental, vision, drug and mental health services not covered by Medicare. The most recent version of the House bill would add long-term nursing and home healthcare. All of this would mean dramatically higher federal spending; the various estimates come in between $2.5T and $3.5T/year. That’s trillions of dollars per year with a current federal budget of $4.4T; meaning that the budget

Introduction Dignity, like self-esteem, cannot be conferred; it must come from within. There is a lot of talk from some quarters supporting giving people what they want in areas like healthcare, education and housing, as well as in cash, with a growing call for a guaranteed income. The reasons given include these benefits being “human rights” and that conferring these benefits will allow the recipients to live in “dignity.” The truth: like a feeling of accomplishment, dignity cannot be granted, it can only be earned. That’s the topic of today’s 10-minute podcast. Continuing There is an increasing amount of conversation–and action–around the subject of providing everything from free housing, free higher education and free healthcare to a universal income (free money) so that the recipients can “live in dignity.” Is having money a source of dignity? Henry VIII had vast wealth, and was by no measure dignified. Louis XIV, the wealthiest man on earth at the time, was an arrogant, out-o

Introduction What is more important, how well we live or how we live in comparison to others? If we have a life with decent food and clothing, access to healthcare, comfortable housing including heating and AC, transportation, a cell phone and a TV with multiple channels, does it matter if Warren Buffet is worth $87 Billion? That’s the subject of today’s 10-minute podcast. Continuing “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” -Unknown. Lots of people are going to say this person or that person first or most famously said this; the point is we all know this to be one of the major guiding truths in our lives. Or at least it should be. So why then is there an ever-increasing amount of conversation focusing on inequality, perhaps the most dangerous form of comparing ourselves to others? Let’s ask a few setup questions. Inequality in what? Results? I trust that no one is seriously saying that everyone’s results should be the same. Talent? I don’t have

Introduction When I was in grade school my classmates and I sang “Old Folks at Home” (also known as “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suwannee_River (Swanee River)“; that’s how I knew it.) Swanee River is a minstrel song written by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Foster (Stephen Foster) in 1851. Since 1935 it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. Here is the chorus from this 1851 song: “All de world am sad and dreary, Eb-rywhere I roam; Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary, Far from de old folks at home!” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Foster (Stephen Foster), is known as “The Father of American Music” because of the many lyrical and extremely popular songs he wrote, including “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camptown_Races (Camptown Races)“, “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Old_Kentucky_Home (My Old Kentucky Home)“, “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanie_with_the_Light_Brown_Hair (J

Summary “My mind is made up; don’t confuse me with the facts.” Do you know anyone whose mind was changed about the person or party they support as a result of the Mueller report? After two years years of investigation by top-line professionals with all sorts of investigative resources at their command, don’t you suppose there should have been general agreement about the Mueller report result?  Not a chance. The investigation produced a 400 page report–and no changed minds. Why? That’s the subject of today’s 10-minute podcast. Continuing The answer to the following question is telling: Are you angry or relieved that the President of the United States was not found guilty of colluding with a foreign power to alter the results of a presidential election? Some people are angry because they were convinced that Trump was guilty well before the report was released. Why? Because they simply wanted him gone? Because certain news sources had been telling them that for about two years? Others, the peopl

Summary That was the evening ritual as announced each night by “Auntoy”, my stepmother’s mother. Auntoy (her real name was Florence Pauly Carroll–but I don’t think I knew that until years later) was the savior of my youth. Today’s podcast is about the vital, no-substitute-for it, home life, family life. I have used the term https://revolution2-0.org/?s=dinner+table (dinner table) in the past as an anchor phrase for how wisdom and learning about everything from handling finances to faith to work ethic to understanding history to values to respect for authority to patriotism to how to think (not what to think) is shared and discussed at the family level. As a way of getting us into this discussion, I am going to take a moment out of our 10 minutes together to tell you a bit more about me. Then we’ll get into why family interracton, the dinner table, is the beginning of everything. Continuing My parents split when I was 1. My Dad got custody; I did not see my Mother for several years afterwards. For

Summary Barack Obama is ½ black, as is Tiger Woods. Both are seen as simply black. All-white Rachel Dolezal was elected president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP in 2014. Despite her darkening makeup, she was obviously very light-skinned. Yet she was welcomed as a leader in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Ms. Dolezal was 0/0 black. I am 1/14 black. Seven https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/what-percentage-indian-do-you-have-to-be-in-order-to-be-a-member-of-a-tribe-E2Nk86ICOEiAgDH1dnDGBg/ (Native American Tribes), including the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina, see you as qualified for membership if you are a 1/16th blood match. Twenty-three tribes, including the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Peoria Tribe of Indians and the Seminole Nation, will consider you if you have any sort of Native Americican lineage. To the Nazis, anyone, regardless of religious affiliation, who had two Jewish grandparents was classified as

Summary There is surprising controversy about wanting only legal immigrants, and then only those who want to assimilate into our culture. I see both as non-negotiable, but many do not. Some even want the opposite. I want to see tightly secured borders, a generous allowance for both the immigrants we want and those who need to be here for reasons of either economic or political persecution. And, yes, a final, post having well-secured borders amnesty for the millions of illegals already here. I am an ardent fan of the historically-successful American melting pot. For the same reasons, I am not a fan of an American salad bowl. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about who we think we are, who we think we should be, and what it is that immigrants need to assimilate into. Continuing I started the high tech electronics portion of my career in Silicon Valley in the early 80s. An emerging press relations (PR) firm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regis_McKenna (Regis McKenna), discovered, to their surprise, th

Summary A ratchet is a device that allows something like a nut or bolt to be turned in one direction–but not in reverse. It allows movement in one direction only; it does allow for the object to remain stationary, but no reverse–no “going back.” Isn’t that exactly what is happening almost all around us; in politics, religion, fashion, behavior and “what’s acceptable”, and in technology? In politics we are moving steadily to the left, in fashion and behavior ever more libertine, and technology continues to change our lives–for better and for worse. On the other hand, is education an area where the ratchet effect has us going backwards–not going forward? For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about the ratchet effect in America. Continuing Beginning with two-term Democratic President https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson (Woodrow Wilson), 1913-1921, the Democratic party has been moving ever to the left, emphasizing more government responsibilities and fewer individual respon

Summary Most of us have taken a position on climate change.  How do we know what the facts are, and what solutions would be effective? Here is my position: I want a cure that is not worse than the disease. For those who agree with, “The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.” virtually no cure would be too draconian. But do any rational people really believe we might have only 11 years and 10 months left before the world ends? Others are saying the world’s climate is always changing. This observation leads them to the conclusion that whatever we are doing now regarding protecting the planet is fine; all we need to do is keep it up and the earth will absorb the changes as it has always done. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about climate change, and what–if anything–to do about it. Continuing If anyone makes a prediction about climate change, a sales forecast, or a stock market or economic prediction, the first question we should ask is,

Summary What is the similarity between the well-known Salem witch trials and American politics today? Wait, Will, are there any similarities? Are there really things that tie witch trials and our politics together? Yes, several, in fact. I am sure that we all recoil in horror when we think about witch trials; trials that demonized the use of the wrong words, simple accusations treated as proof, being afraid of standing up for the truth for fear of being similarly accused, and the horrific and permanent punishments. We would never do anything like that, right? Right? Wrong. We do things like that everyday, either by being active participants or be standing by and allowing the active ones to get away with it. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about what American politics and witch trials have in common. Continuing Arthur Miller wrote the timeless play, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crucible (The Crucible), in 1953. Written during the McCarthy period, the play was focused on showing how human frail

Summary These five names represent people who have been much in the news, in part due to alleged crimes. Unless you count OJ’s conviction for stealing sports memorabilia, none were convicted in criminal court. They also represent the sad state of affairs in American politics, and gross imbalances in our vaunted system of justice and highly touted national https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritocracy (meritocracy). For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about imbalances in our politics, justice system and merit system. Continuing Let’s start this conversation with what our roles are in all of these instances. Yes, everyone knows that both OJ and Jussie are guilty. There is abundant evidence, including eyewitnesses and mounds of corroborating testimony and other evidence to remove any rational doubt. OJ was let off after committing two murders by a clearly biased jury. But we, all of us, including the jury, know that OJ is an unconvicted double murderer. After the trial, Johnny Cochrane, OJ’s def

Summary Have you heard a politician or a friend say, “I’m colorblind?” I am not colorblind, and I am not blind to gender, either. I am aware of color, gender, body type, accents, education, manners, wealth, personality type, and a lot more. And so are you. We all are. The question comes when we decide what to do with the observations that we all ma For the next 10 minutes, we will discuss what these observations–and any actions that may stem from these observations–mean to us as individuals and as a society. Transcript Have you heard a politician or a friend say, “I’m colorblind?” I am not colorblind, and I am not blind to gender, either. I am aware of color, gender, body type, accents, education, manners, wealth, personality type, and a lot more. And so are you. We all are. The question comes when we decide what to do with the observations that we all make. For the next 10 minutes, we will discuss what these observations–and any actions that may stem from these observations–mean

Summary If you ask someone why they want to go to college and the answer is, “To get a  job.” they intend to treat college as a vocational school. If the answer is something along the lines of learning from the great minds that went before them, to learn about our shared history and to learn how to think, then they are going to college. In either case, partying and other non-academic pursuits will be involved (more in the former case), but that is where the similarity ends. Individually and as a society, we benefit from both a broad liberal arts education and vocational training. Everyone should have some foundation in history, science, philosophy, languages, the arts and have some command of numbers. That’s a liberal arts education. And we all need specific skills, vocational skills, whether used in the home, professionally or both. You don’t need to go to college to give yourself a good liberal arts education; libraries are everywhere, and you can find/start a book club. You are more likely to need formal

Summary The recently often used word, inequality, is frequently used as an accusation or a condemnation rather than simply an observation. When people use inequality as a criticism, as something that needs to be corrected, are they talking about inequality under the law, inequality of opportunity (apart from the law), inequality of results or inherent inequalities e.g., height, longevity genes or attractiveness? For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about the answers to these two questions. Transcript The recently often used word, inequality, is frequently used as an accusation or a condemnation rather than simply an observation. When people use inequality as a criticism, as something that needs to be corrected, are they talking about inequality under the law, inequality of opportunity (apart from the law), inequality of results or inherent inequalities e.g., height, longevity genes or attractiveness? For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about the answers to these two questions. Let’s start by taking a

Summary Have you ever celebrated St. Patrick’s Day–even just a bit? Do you know of anyone else who has? I don’t mean only things like marching in a St. Patrick’s parade, drinking a bathtub full of green beer, or running around with a sign saying “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” I mean wearing a tiny piece of green to school because you were afraid that people would have a license to pinch you if you didn’t. Or planning on having corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Or maybe faking your best Irish accent as you said “Top o’ the mornin’” instead of “Hi” to your friends and coworkers. If you or anyone you know did anyone of these, was that cultural appropriation? If so, why? If not, why not?   For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about the answers to these two questions. Transcript Have you ever celebrated St. Patrick’s Day–even just a bit? Do you know of anyone else who has? I don’t mean only things like marching in a St. Patrick’s parade, drinking a bathtub full of green beer, or running around with a s

Summary An echo chamber is a space where all the voices sound like all the other voices. Do you live in a political echo chamber? Do all the voices you hear, family and friends, neighbors, co-workers, news media, etc., say (preach?) basically the same thing? Do most of your conversations end with head nodding agreement and wonderment–or worse–at how anyone could think anything substantially different? If any of that is true, be aware that equally intelligent, equally good-hearted people, people who have also thought things through, just may have opinions 180 degrees apart from yours. With the same head nodding and wonderment in their opposite echo chambers.    The solution is not to somehow drown out or belittle the other echo chambers, the different points of view. The solution is for everyone to open up to opinions that are all over the map. Change up your news sources, seek out those who will disagree with you. Challenge–at a core level–your own thinking. Always. The diversity th

Summary Question: Does what’s going on at our southern border constitute a national crisis? Answer: Yes. Could this crisis have been avoided? Of course. And fairly easily. Whose fault is it? “Round up the usual suspects.”  Trump and his administration, Democrats in Congress, and, well, us. You and me. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about what this means to us as individuals, and to the future of our republic. Transcript Question: Does what’s going on at our southern border constitute a national crisis? Answer: Yes. Could this crisis have been avoided? Of course. And fairly easily. Whose fault is it? “Round up the usual suspects.”  Trump and his administration, Democrats in Congress, and, well, us. You and me. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about what this means to us as individuals, and to the future of our republic. Pause for some perspective here: Since 1979, US presidents, including Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, “W” and Obama, have used the National Emergencies Ac

Summary Part of the miracle of 1776, pulled off by a then nondescript group of nobodies from a tiny, backwater British colony, was the correct observation that our rights to “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” come from our Creator, not from monarchs or elected governments. Those rights, which are not the subject of this podcast, are everyone’s responsibility. God granted those rights, and we must have each other’s back to defend them. The so-called rights that are today’s subject matter are the right to taxpayer-paid housing, education, healthcare, etc. And the etcetera is getting more etcetera all the time. Remembering that with every right comes an equal or greater responsibility, today’s key question is whether benefits like housing, healthcare, food and education should be granted at no cost to the user, or should reasonable access be guaranteed to these products and services?  Free or reasonable access is the question. Are an individual’s food, education and housing some

Summary Representative Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, AOC as she identifies herself, or “Alex from the Bronx”, as others call her, is a product of our lazy thinking times. I can remember participating in discussions with as much passion for making everything right, and the same naive, uninformed and misinformed information base, and wandering approach to logistics and planning as AOC’s. But we were sophomores in high school then. This goes far beyond AOC; many of her party’s leaders are actively supporting her, and few–if any–have challenged her. And we–all of us–are a part of the problem. Ill or uninformed voters are dangerous enough. Politicians of the same type are even more dangerous. And our fault. If we want better candidates and better office holders, we need to be better voters. For the next 10 minutes, we will talk about what this means for everything from our personal lives to the future of the republic. Transcript Representative Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, AOC as she identifies herself,