Things that “Grinds My Gears”

1. CD/DVD wrappers – Who's messed up idea was it to seal a CD in a tight plastic wrap? Opening these suckers is maddening. You start with your fingernails each time, but just before your head explodes from frustration, you resort to a sharp instrument. The trick is a quick angle stab. Once you tear the wrap away, you think you're done, but then you're faced with one more challenge – to remove the plastic tape placed on the edges. This part makes a little sense, because you often fling the freak'n disc while removing the first wrapper. This plastic wrap bullshit has to be the spew from a Mensa meat-head who giggles himself to sleep while reveling over the frustration that he's  unleashed on the world.
   
   
2. Burger King commercials – what's up with the creepy king and the “bucking chicken”?  Who is the brain-child behind this advertising diarrhea? These commercials are so bad, that I'm actually rooting against this franchise. They have invented their own anti-commercial!
   
   
3. People with over-sized noggins – you know exactly who I'm talking about here. Yes, I'm talking about the guy who provides a complete eclipse for your movie going experience.  I'm not talking about people with big hair, since they just have “big head” envy. When you see someone with an unusually large noggin, you will often see debris orbiting their massive skull. In my experience, a huge head does not equate to increased intelligence. In fact, these humans (I'm being generous here) tend to be rather dull-witted. I secretly want to deflate their head with a quick pin-prick.
   
   
4. Old men with caterpillar eyebrows – Dude, groom those god-forsaken things! Have you ever seen Any Rooney on 60 Minutes? Man, the eyebrows on this guy seem to have their own agenda. When he talks there is an entirely different show playing on his forehead. It looks like there are two furry creatures fighting for control of his brow.
   
   
5. Mimes – Let's just agree to kill these poor bastards before they have children! This isn't entertainment, it's public annoyance. In fact, this activity should just plain be outlawed.
   
   
6. Improvisational doctoring – when my dentist comes up to me and says, “Hey, I plan to try something new this time.”  I get pissed off.  I respond, “No, asshole, I want you to do what you always do.”  Let's face it, we generally don't want any doctor pulling this shit.

Why I blog

I've always wanted to write my thoughts down and share them with others, but I've never committed to the exercise because I felt that someone else probably already described my ideas better than anything that I could come up with. I'm not claiming that I have a set of unique ideas here, but over the years, like anyone else, I've read many books and I've accumulated some knowledge.

One day I was watching “60 minutes” and there was an piece on this professor from Carnegie Mellon named Randy Pausch. The poor fellow was dying of pancreatic cancer and it just so happens that his wife was pregnant. He knew that he would not live long enough for his child to know him, so he decided to write a lecture for his unborn child called “The Last Lecture”. He wanted the lecture to capture his true essence – something that represents the legacy of his wisdom.

I can only say that this narrative moved me and got me thinking about my legacy. So I decided that I would write my thoughts down for my family. I'm not sure how much they will appreciate this blog, but I hope that it allows them to learn about who I am and what I believe in. I hope that I can pass along some “words of wisdom” to them and others. Let me confess right now that my blog will not be entirely focused on serious subjects, but at times it will consists of rants, observations, and hopefully a few laughs along the way.

I'm particularly interested in history, politics, economics, human behavior, and philosophy. Similar to a physicist, I think that there is a “unified theory” that brings together these areas into a set of simple philosophies that are layered on top of each other to form a means for making good decisions that are moral and ethical. One of my goals is to identify and describe simple ideas that form the basis of my beliefs and to give some references to some of the readings that helped me along the way. I'm not dogmatic in my beliefs, but there are some ideas that I believe in solemnly.

I think that everyone's personal philosophy should be composed of a simple set of rules that are like axioms in mathematics (i.e. they are thoughts that are so obviously true that they almost do not require proof). In my opinion, these ideas form the building blocks of beliefs and I consider them whenever I'm involved in any decision that involves others. I prefer that my rules consist of fairly general statements that can be applied to a variety of situations, instead of specific rules.  

For example, I prefer a generic statement like “do not force someone to do something that they do not want to do”, instead of a specific statement like “prohibit slavery”. Although the specific statement is definitely true, the generic statement can be used in many more circumstances.

To conclude this blog entry, here are my three most important virtues (simple rules of life):

1. Always use reason and a consistent set of beliefs. Think critically and act rationally. Being inconsistent and unreasonable surely is not the way to the truth.
2. Always try to understand the other person's perspective. If anything, the ability to see from another's perspective is what sets humans apart from the rest of the animals. It is the basis of many of the qualities that we hold in highest regard: kindness, charity, mercy, welfare, forgiveness. Far from being irrational, empathy confers a distinct advantage in any social situation. It provides a foundation for promises, contracts, and deals. This is the glue that binds society.
3. Always try to consider the long term consequences of your decisions. All too often people make perfectly rational decisions which turn out to be bad because they were framed with too limited a scope. They fail to consider the real consequences (meaning) of their actions.

Why I am an atheist

Whenever I confess to someone that I'm an atheist, the conversation typically becomes quite and uncomfortable and eyebrows raise slightly. But to be fair, my atheist position does not paint a complete picture of me as a person. It certainly leaves folks wondering if I have morals or ethics. Being an atheist just tells others that I don't believe in God. But, it doesn't tell them what I do believe in. Most people think that atheists are amoral or worse immoral. A better description for me is that I am a Secular Humanist, which rejects supernatural and religious explanations and deeply encourages intellectual reasoning with critical and free thought, it advocates individualism, the scientific process, and ethics based on education and sound thinking.

Given what I know about the general temperament of the American public, I generally don't volunteer such information to strangers. You may disagree with me, feel sorry, hate, or you may not care, but my goal is to reveal to you, over time, the kind of person that I am. This blog is for my family.

Generally speaking, I am a simple person. I don't profess that I am the smartest person or that I have all the answers. The shape of my beliefs has evolved over my life and will continue to do so. I truly believe in being good for the benefits of it. It's that simple. I don't need the threat of hell hanging over me or the disapproval of god to frighten me to be good. When you are bad to people, bad things happen to you. When you are good to others, good things generally come back to you. Look, I'm a realist and I know that sometimes good actions don't always end in good results. Please don't underestimate the importance of these statements. This is perhaps the biggest revelation of my life.

My view didn't just come upon me in a flash nor was I brainwashed by some friend. As a kid, every time I learned about religion, I was struck by the lack of humanity that I discovered. As I learned about such atrocities as the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust, it almost seemed unreal to me that these acts not only occurred, but they persisted over long periods of time. In a world dominated by religious following, I am profoundly discouraged by the lack of humanity that often accompanies these types of dogmatic belief systems. This type of behavior is not just a figment of the past, in the modern world we see the subjugation of women, honor killing, we see tribal killings in Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.

Even passages within the Bible itself espouse cruelty, which confounds me even more because this position is the exact opposite that is preached by church-goers. So, of course, I often talk to my most devout friends to understand theses incongruities.

A key question from my nephew initially puzzled me because it cut through bull and struck a real nerve. He said, “Uncle Joe, how is that most of the people in the world believe in God, but you don't? Why are they wrong and you're right?”

It's funny how kids can stun you with beautifully innocent questions. But the answer is quite simple: most people have the same religious beliefs as their parents. If your parents are Jews, you are likely a Jew, if you parents are Catholics, your likely a Catholic, if your parents are Islamic, you are likely Islamic, etc. How many people do you know, who actually investigated all or several of the major religions and chose the religion that most aligned with their moral compass? I'd bet the answer is few.

What I find most astonishing is the weakness behind the Bible's most famous set of moral guidelines – the 10 commandments. So, here is the list in all its pure glory:

1. There is only one God and you shall have no other gods.
2. Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above - no false idols
3. Do not take the lord's name in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honor your Father and Mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house and wife

These commandments are weak to me because they don't cover many of the most basic and obvious human rights. This is probable because the Bible so openly endorses bad behavior:

1. It does not discourage or even admonish slavery
2. There are vast amounts of torture and cruelty throughout the text.
3. Honor your parents, but what about everyone else?
4. Men are given a superior status over women.
5. How about equal rights – regardless of any factor?
6. What about suffering?

Jesus spoke a far simpler version: Love God fully and your neighbor as yourself. But, there are so many inconsistencies in the Bible, that I cannot make it or any other religious text the basis for my beliefs.

Here are some alternative commandments:

The commandments not only apply to interacting with others, but they also apply to the way that you should treat yourself!

1. (Be Reasoable) Rely on logical reasoning, be open minded, think critically, act rationally, be consistent, and follow the scientific method
2. (Be Empathetic) Place yourself in other's shoes, be patient, forgiving, humble, and grateful
3. (Be Fair) Be orderly, judicious, just, seek compromise, consider the full consequences, and avoid prejudices
4. (Be Gracious) Be truthful, kind, genuine, courteous, and respectful
5. (Be Generous) Be generous, teach what you know, offer and deliver help sincerely to those who ask, need, deserve, and work to help themselves
6. (Be Dependable) Be faithful to your commitments and honorable in delivering your promises
7. (Do No Harm) Never steal, never cheat, never harm, and never force or deceive others to do something that they do not want to do
8. (Be Competent) Be diligent, competent, learned, practical, and productive
9. (Be Wise) Be efficient, resourceful, frugal, and prudent
10. (Be Balanced) Seek balance, simplicity, avoid waste and avoid excess

3D Movies are for suckers

You can say that I'm a bit of a movie goer, given that I probably see 3+ movies per month on average.  Typically, my partner is my nephew, whom I let choose the movie.  He's 16 years old, so naturally he's into Horror flicks.  I don't mind going to see these types of movies, even though I outgrew this genre many years ago.  Even though Horror is his preference, we see many other types of movies to mix things up a bit - especially comedies.

Recently, we went to see "My Soul to Take" and I was extremely disappointed in the lack of 3D affects within the movie.  We paid close to $30 for two tickets!  Although I enjoyed the movie, I feel that the extra charge for the 3D effects was a big-time rip-off.  I would recommend the movie in the 2D format, but it was only available in 3D at my locals venues.

Unfortunately, film makers are producing their movies in the 3D format just to crank up the price.  Having seen over a dozen different 3D flicks, I can honestly say that they are not worth the extra price.  The 3D affects do not add to the quality, richness, or overall enjoyability of the movie.   This is certainly not new technology, so I don't really understand the fanfare here. To me, the 3D movies do not look any better than the 3D "View-Finder" that I used as a kid.  The movie does not really give me a 3D feel, but rather it looks like layers of images at times.

Probably the most celebrated 3D movie is "Avatar".  To me, I enjoyed the lush 2D version of the movie just as much.  I'm probably not saying anything new that someone hasn't already said to themselves.  But, if you're like me, at some point you need to protest this overcharging movie industry a little bit.  So before you agree to see another 3D movie, please ask yourself, "Is the 3D version of the movie really worth the extra charge".  If you say "No" to yourself, then please go see the 2D version or don't see it at all.  The only way the movie industry is going to "get it" is by reduced profits.  

Bailout bull and the budget crisis (written Dec 2009)

The Facts

I'm just an average citizen, but over the last six months I've stood by and watched the government make big mistakes – at least in my mind. Here are some naked facts that stick out at me:

1. The current national debt is $10 Trillion.
2. Bailout#1, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, cost tax payers $152 Billion.
3. Bailout#2, the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) 2008, cost tax payers $700 Billion
4. Bailout#3, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (ARRP), cost tax payers $838 Billion
5. The current interest payment (only) per year on the national debt is $240 Billion (9% of the total federal budget).
6. Omnibus Appropriations Bill (March 11, 2009) cost $410 Billion (containing 8,000 earmarks which add $5.5 Billion in special interest projects)
7. In a recent news story, Obama details his plan to add another $634 Billion as a down payment to cover the cost of “universal health-care”. My guess, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

When will the spending end? Where does the money come from if they are not increasing taxes? How much debt is too much?

The Problems

To me, the dead elephant in the corner is the national debt. It is growing at an alarming rate and few politicians ever bring it up. The ultimate burden will fall to the next generation. The country's financial situation is already in a deep mess without taking on more troubles.

Politicians are interested in convincing themselves and others that the “economy is in a severe crisis” and that only “government help” can save the situation. I do agree that the economy is in bad shape, but I strongly disagree that the government holds the solution.

Elected officials are leveraging fear to get their way with the nation – sometimes their actions are even perverse. For example, I watched an interview with Bank of America's CEO, who recently had taken $25 Billion from TARP. The Bank executive told the reporter that they did not need the money, but government officials asked them to take it anyways. Something didn't sound quite right with this.

Later, we learn that the government gave the nation's top 10 banks money so that no one would know which banks were weak and which were strong. After receiving the government money, Bank of America purchases Merrill Lynch. I'm sure that this required little government cajoling, since Merrill Lynch cost less than the $25 Billion that the government already gave them. But, they had no idea what they were getting into. Now, the government (and FDIC) is promising Bank of America an additional $138 Billion due to the losses incurred from Merrill Lynch's “toxic assets”.

With the whispers of nationalizing certain banks, I fear that there will be no way to turn around the situation. Officials state that government control will be temporary, but I don't believe it. Once government gets control, I predict that we will hear a never ending list of reasons why returning the bank to the private sector will be detrimental to the best interest of the country. Government controlled banking does not work. Where is the competition? Because there is no choice, there is no competition. If government controlled banking worked, the USSR and other communist countries would be the dominant economic powers.

You might say that greedy capitalism got us here, but do really think that governments contain only righteous men? If the government is in charge and you have a problem, who do you turn to for help? Even though capitalism isn't perfect, government involvement should be minimized and used to temper the greed and corruption of men. Government must maintain neutrality with the business section. If it doesn't (by actually competing in certain sectors), how can it arbitrate?

What irritates me is that our government continues to throw good money after bad – rewarding poor business decisions with “bailout” money. As another example, the AIG bailout price tag is soring towards $150 Billion, and I do not see an end in sight. Are we giving AIG magic beans? I mean, do we really think that these executives will do something extraordinary and somehow turn their company around?

Tossing money at the problem, without real analysis, is irresponsible. The current economy is like a person with a virus, it cannot be treated with quick shot in the arm, we just have to ride out the fever.

I knew that once the government bailed out AIG, soon others would soon have their hands out. Sure enough, the automotive industry was the first at the door. Favoring one company or industry over another cannot be the policy of our government – which is supposed to be neutral concerning such matters.

Even though there is supposed to be “unprecedented scrutiny” and auditing, we're asking the same people that put their companies into dire financial shape to exercise better judgment with taxpayer money than they did with their own investor's money. Why do we think this will work?

It is easy to get caught up in the current financial tornado and forget where you are. I return to my original premise, the national debt is out of control and we need to find the basement.

Recently I read an the excellent book called, “Where Does the Money Go? Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis” by Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, where I learned some sobering facts that cannot be ignored:

1. Let me repeat for emphasis, the current US federal debt is $10 Trillion!
2. In the next two decades, the US population will age dramatically (over 80 million baby boomers will be retiring), and relatively fewer workers will be asked to support ever-larger costs for retirees with Social Security and medical payments.
3. Health care costs are a significant part of the US federal budget and represent 25% of the total outlay of all government spending. Social Security represents another 21.5%
4. Health care costs are rising 2.5% faster than the GDP.

So, it is stunning to me that government officials are completely ignoring the poor shape of our finances, only to make matters worse by bailing out troubled companies. My favorite quote:

Former U.S Comptroller General David Walker, the federal government's auditor, calls the baby boomers' retirement a "demographic tsunami" that will overwhelm the federal budget. By 2040, there will be little money for anything else other than Social Security, Medicare and interest on the debt -- unless something is done.

If you should listen to anyone, it should be the financial traffic cop of the country.

My Proposal

1. Stop bailouts and expedite the bankruptcy process by removing roadblocks.
2. Break up, through the normal bankruptcy process, any institution asking for government money: AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, any Automobile company, any Bank, and any other insolvent company
3. Stop the stimulus – this is just another name for a bailout
4. Reduce the budget, at the federal, state, and local levels and face long and short term financial realities
5. Encourage private investment and loans to projects promising innovation though tax incentives. Continuous innovation is the only real solution! We need to inspire, encourage, and look for ingenuity to get us out of this situation.
6. Rethink the current tax system and aggressively pursue a better proposal like the FairTax proposal, because it has many more benefits than liabilities.

Why

1. The national debt is out of control and it should not be increased.
2. Poor business judgments should not be rewarded. Government bailouts reward poor decision making.
3. The only reasonable component of the stimulus is the tax relief – since it lifts burdens from the consumers.
4. The State and Local Relief component of the stimulus rewards the poor decision making by the governors of those states. Let's face it, every state is suffering reduced revenues due to a downtrodden economy. Regrettably, just like in the private sector, this means making cuts and trimming spending. No one likes layoffs or reduced services, but everyone has to face difficult choices and governors should not be exempt.
5. The stimulus is a temporary remedy, but it is not a real solution. It may have positive short-term benefits, but history shows us that it only prolongs economic recovery. Unfortunately, these projects will allows government to compete and crowd out private growth and investment.
6. The bankruptcy process will stimulate growth because new, more agile, companies will spring up.
7. Many smaller companies mean more competition, which is good for consumers all around.
8. Toxic assets will be sold off as a loss, but at the best possible value determined by the market. Since we are breaking up these large corporations, the losses will be spread among the many smaller, but stronger, surviving companies.
9. Generally speaking, it is not in the best interest of a society when large companies have a significant influence over the economy – like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Therefore, by breaking up these giant corporations, the public will be less affected by a failure of any one of its off-springs in the future.
10. The government needs to take responsibility for its part in the overall economic downturn.

A funny thing happened yesterday, that I think you may enjoy.

Yesterday, I picked up a friend to go out to lunch at at a local Deli.  I was in his neighborhood for my quarterly visit to the doctor to have my trach changed.  After we ate, we went next door to see my cousin who works at CVS and she was telling us how proud she was with her two girls - both are now in college.  They truly are wonderful girls, she is absolutely right. 

During the conversation, she pointed at the ceiling and she said, "I owe God for having such great girls." Then she looked at me as said quickly,  "I know you don't believe in that stuff."

I was a little surprised by her comment, but generally she is correct.  So, then I responded and said, "Don't underestimate your contribution as a great mother."  As a result of the exchange, I was thinking about what she said in the background of my mind. 

She had to get back to work, so we left to take my friend back to his apartment.  On the way back, we were sitting at a traffic light waiting to take a turn.  As I was sitting there, I glanced up at the time and temperature sign and I saw something surprising.  The sign said, "Call" ... "Joe" ... "4:23".  I thought to myself, this must be a message from God.  I turned to my mom and friend and said, "Look at the sign, I think God is talking to me."   My friend read the sign and said, "No, that is a Joe Bornstein advertisement that's been going on all week for his law firm."  I said,  "Thanks for bursting my bubble, I thought I was having a religious experience."