A whole lot of skewing

Why you don't want government to get involved-- it skews (and screws) everything:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33354321/ns/business-the_new_york_times/page/2/

Yes, yes, MSN. Though they try to end the article on a more positive note, you cannot deny that even these liberals are somewhat back-tracking.

I remember all of my liberal friends and professors saying that if the government doesn't invest, then the economy will end up in the toilet.

I wish I could ask them to prove it.

I think their plan the entire time was:

a) If it (the bailout) failed: we just didn't invest enough. Oh, the long-standing explanation as to why the New Deal ended up largely a failure, and well, not that great of a deal. WWII got us out of the Great Depression. Not the New Deal.
b) If it worked: we rock and had the right answer all along.

The market knows best. Not government. The market.

Mammoths v polar bears (without Al Gore)

You missed me.

I missed myself.

I've been gone for a while. Alex has the computer (the one with the internet) all day, every day. The only time he doesn't have it is after we get home, and truly, after nine hours of work, the last thing I want to do is blog.

It's so overwhelming, isn't it? The pressure to blog, facebook. No, pressure is the wrong word. I enjoy doing it. But after being gone so long, it piles up, and the task becomes more daunting. Especially as more and more of my friends are becoming bloggers. So many blogs, so little internet time.

What's tonight's occasion? AJ is sick. He got it from me.

So, to reduce my pile of things I want to blog about, I give you the following, fascinating (it's all a matter of optimism and perspective, people) list of things to blog about:

1) Liberalification Project II: An Inconvenient Truth. I would first of all like to rename this into "An Inconvenient Self-Promotion Movie." No, I really did try to watch this with an open mind, but I have to start with the criticism. My immaturity, you see. But seriously. Have you see the movie? No? Let me break it down for you:

Al Gore on his laptop, looks up, and has a studious expression on his face as he gazes out the window.

And then the violins.

And then a sad story (the stories were legitimately sad, which made them all the more inappropriate in this film)

"I remember when my son got hit by a car. It changed my world. We didn't know if he was going to make it."

What's running through your mind as an audience member? "How horrible!" "Is he OK?"

And then Good Ol' Al inserts the bridge "And watching my son fight for his life, made it clear to me what I need to do. Promote Global Warming"

What in the world? Seriously? You related a very serious, close, personal event in your life to global warming? Even if you did believe in global warming-- come on! Oh, and don't you worry, Al did this a number of times, watching his sister die of lung cancer, and his father's death too. All tied back to global warming. Tacky, that's all I could think, tacky.

OK, let's be more diplomatic. I enjoyed the graphs, and the analysis. He made me think, and that's why I watched the video in the first place. One thing I am not entirely convinced of is the strength of the argument that global warming is caused by men. Al said that out of all of the people who wrote on global warming, none of them disagreed that mankind started it. Two things:

1) they may not have necessarily agreed. Maybe their opinion was mute.
2) "Out of all of the people that wrote on global warming" What about climatologists that didn't?

Other than that, he had sound arguments. I have to re-evaluate what exactly I think.

And one more thing:

Everything is all about the polar bears. If a were a living wholly mammoths today, I would sue. Discrimination. Saving the polar bears? blah. Nobody did anything to save us. So me, and my homeboys the saber tooth tiger, and the all of the other mammoths (did you know there were several breeds? I didn't until an interesting Discovery channel), and a select handful of aggressive cave men would march on capital hill. If we could stand the heat. We were around during the last global warming era, you know, before SUV's hit the highways. And where's all the concern about us? I'll tell you where that concern is: too busy cuddling up to polar bears.

2) Apparently the Nobel prize is all about intent. My intention? To make the best cornbread ever for Friday's church festival. Think I can get an Nobel for that? Oh, I think so. They're handing those things out like candy. And my cornbread deserves candy. Trust me.

3) Love Suppernanny.

4) I passed the water temple in Zelda.

5) I've been reading about the history of England. And another book on what it was like to be a Dark Age peasant. What I learned: you don't want to be a Dark Age peasant. It's dark. And infected.

6) And I am still on Atlas Shrugged. It's going to be a year long book.

Liberalification

So, in order to further expand my mind and broaden my views, I go through a weekly process of "liberalification."

Once a week, I liberalify myself by reading and watching heavily biased books and videos. And it makes me think. I try to have an open mind and absorb what the work wants to convey. The majority of the news I watch is liberal, but I am becoming so conservative that I decided I needed a little more liberal in my life. Hence liberalification. My new hobby.

But my liberalification project this week horrified me. In fact, it was so far left, it wasn't left. Tell me what you think:

I signed up for the Diversity Conference the State of Oregon was putting on for all employees. The conference was broken up into three sections-- one large gathering (there were about 500 people there), and two small break-out sessions. During the large assembly, I heard the following stories:

The first speaker talked about how similar she was to the friends that she grew up with: they watched the same TV shows, read the same books, did the same activities, etc. Except she was black. When she became more educated, she realized that her white friends were holding her back because they did not treat her like she was black, they treated her like she was one of them. Thus, by accepting her as one of them, they made her forget her heritage and not appreciate her black skin. They also (the white culture) taught her that celebrating Thanksgiving and Columbus Day were OK, even though those holidays are racist.

She then went on to say that she worked for an NGO in Arizona, and loved its diversity because it had no white people.

The second speaker, truth be told, was pretty good. She taught us about paradigm shifts. But she did say some crazy things... like she was at another diversity conference, and the speaker divided everybody up-- black women over there, white males over here, Asian women over there, etc-- and then had each group talk about how similar they are to each other, and how different they are from the rest of the groups. She had a white male friend that came in late and asked her (the second speaker) what was going on. She told him that they were separating into groups, to which the white male responded "I didn't know I was in a group." And she was shocked that this poor white man did not know he belonged to such an apparent click.

There's a name for an acitivity like that. What is it? No really, it's on the tip of my tongue...

Segra...

Segre...

Oh that's right, segregation! But wait, isn't that what we're fighting with these conferences, not promoting?

Oh, and she also taught us that one way we know we are not racist, and truly culturally diverse, is if we feel guilty about our individual demographics.

...

And then I went to the last break-out session. The speaker there told us about how they need to help the minorities of his County. The minorities are down, because the system (created by the wealthy) keeps them down, so we need to create a system that doesn't. So, I asked a really, what I thought to be, innocent question. And this is exactly how I phrased it:

"I know this is a very sensitive issue, so I want to be very careful. In your opinion, how much of these statistics is explained by there not being enough opportunities for minorities in the system, versus them simply not taking advantage of the opportunities that are available?"

And I was heckled.

The guy looked at me like I was from Mars. Granted, after his recovery he was very polite. He didn't really answer my question, but did go on to explain how the county received a federal loan to build a 50-mile bike-path, and he fought tooth and nail to not put any of the bike path (there were only 10 miles of it in dispute) in the white neighborhood because "they already had too much already."

...

I simply don't know how to respond to all of this. I got in the car and was so disheartened. We are a lot further from being a non-racist society than I thought. Is there racism? Sadly, yes. And truly, I was subjected to nearly 4 hours of it. I guess my idea of racism and their idea of racism are very different. And usually, in situations such as these, I try to justify the other side, try to find their point of view. But I can't. It's so entirely wrong, counter-intuitive, and void of logic. To emphasize race as a mechanism to decrease racism? To so resolutely separate people based on race as a means to promote cultural exchange? To categorize, group, and pigeon-hole everybody according to their race and sex is so utterly wrong. I don't care what the gender, race, religion, or whatever, of the other individual may be, they're different from everybody else. I could be more similar to a Latino man than to another white woman. That's entirely possible.

My idea of diversity is to listen to everybody. I am not going to focus on their age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, race, or whatever, as a means of passing judgment or preference. Everybody has valued positions, because everybody has lived life, gone through trials, and has learned something. That's diversity.

Oh, and I would like to dispel two myths, two assumptions, if you will that this conference was founded on:

1) Diversity comes in more ways than just differences in race-- there is also diversity of religion/value systems, gender, age, sexual orientation, nationality, language, culture, and so on.

2) There is such a thing as poor white people that need help. I know, it sounds crazy. But if you live a long time, you might be able to spot one.

If you have great ideas for future liberalification projects, please leave them in the comments section below.

Gracias

Co-existing with Hobbies

I find myself with a sudden need to create.

Not babies. No, not babies.

I was thinking of something with a less hefty price tag, and a little less responsibility. Like a book. I think I want to write. Fiction. I'm sick of poli sci writing. I don't mind reading it, but creating it can sometimes be tedious. I'm not sure what yet, and in truth I am not a good writer. But I want to write. So I think I will.

Maybe it's just separation anxiety. How to operate in a world that doesn't demand essays? No clue.

Oh, and I am taking watercolor classes in October. Sunset at the beach, anybody? I can tell you right now what it will be. Line of peach at the bottom, and a stripe of orange at the top, and that's about it. Oh, and swear words. But those don't end up on the canvas. But if any of you are doing your bathroom in those colors, it can be the perfect over-the-toilet-I-only-notice-it-when-I-am-bored-out-of-my-mind-curling-my-hair piece of art.

I come home from work and I'm bored. TV never really held my attention. And it still doesn't. Alex and I upped the ante and got actual, real, live cable. Sometimes I hold it in my hands. I didn't lie when I told you we were moving up in the food chain. But sadly, HGTV, Fox news, and even Chris Matthews don't do it for me anymore. I need something else.

I need more hobbies. And since I love to read so much, why not be on the other end?

This fad will more than likely pass. As all fads do. So I might end up with two chapters of poorly written words. That might be found in a closet by a girl centuries after I kick off. And the words I write might be a coded message to save the world from a dangerous threat. Like poisonous algae that is being spread by small Argentinian nuns. And the only way to save the world is to resurrect the vampires (vampires-- all the rave right now. Went to Wal-Mart and 3/4 of their books were about vampires.) that have built an immunity to that algae through eating vast amounts of Costco meatballs, which they accidentally mistook for large pig arteries. So they challenge the nuns to a weekly duel, but duels are only fought on Chimichanga Thursdays. Nuns only like to fight after they have had a proper meal. And this pattern continues for three and a half centuries. That is until the panda bears become, after several generations of genetic mutation, fighting machines that know the secret to cold fusion. They naturally start an uprising in a small town in southern China. And their fame begins to spread...fame spoken in hushed whispers: everybody knows Panda Bears have no tolerance for chimichanga-eaters.

And that's just from the top of my head.

It's been forever

Sorry. Not surprisingly, "Dear Journal, sorry I am not a better writer. I will try harder" appears on almost every journal entry I have heretofore written. New favorite word? Heretofore. Least favorite word? Anyways.

This month has been insane. I finished up my Masters at 7:37 am on August 3 (the last paper we had to email to the professor). We packed up the moving truck that night, left at 4 am on August 4 to Sacramento, stayed the night, and drove to Oregon August 5. We unpacked August 6, and I started my job August 7. I slept at least 10 hours every night for the ensuing week. We celebrated our 2nd anniversary August 17 ( love him). Alex started law school on August 19. He thinks he is going to like it- I hope he does. We don't get in fights very often, and even when we do, Alex never gets upset. He always says, very calmly "Sweetheart, there is no logic in what you are telling me. Walk me through, step by step, how you arrived at that conclusion, and maybe we can solve it." And no sentence is more offensive or annoying to my PMSing self than that one. Bottom line: I think Alex will be a good lawyer because of how he thinks. Another bottom line: I need to work on my PMSing self....

moving on

And now am working for the government. It would break my poor conservative heart to give this country one more unneeded bureaucrat. But, I realize I'm not an anarchist, and of all of the jobs I would assign to government, transportation would be one of them. Not education, not health care, not complete and utter domination of every American human being....(oh! the feds! they break my heart!) So, all in all, I think I will really like my job.

About the health care bill-- still reading it. It is insanely long. Some general conclusions thus far:

It's unfunded

It's a great plan-- if you happen to be young, and very healthy. For the old and infirm? Too sad to talk about.

What really shocks me about this bill is that there is already a government option. It's entitled Medicaid. You want to fix the government option? fix Medicaid, and see how that turns out. Let's not completely start a new policy.

It is a huge step toward socialized medicine. What's bad about socialized medicine? There's no incentive for doctors to do well. Innovation will decrease (there will be no financial rewards to create, say, a new pacemaker, or a better artificial heart) and doctors will not be compensated for their unique talents as they should. Further, people will flood the system. When it's free, they'll take it. I studied socialized medicine a little bit when I was in England. People would wait 9, 10 months to get knee surgery. Hospitals are over-filled with non-essential needs. The UK also has a much lower cancer survivor rate than the US. In fact, the US is first in treatment for nearly every disease or ailment. So, the quality of care you receive is substantially lessened. It's just an economic fact.

Does something need to happen to the system? Yes. But I really don't think that completely destroying it is a good way to fix it.

I have substantially more opinions on it. But in an effort to not be too biased, that's it so far.

More on it later.

Oh, oh yes, I almost forgot. Big Brother, oh I'm sorry, Obama, wants to dispel any health care myths that are floating around. So, if you find anything on this blog about the health care bill that is misleading, you can turn me into the feds, at:

flag@whitehouse.gov

You know, because if you are against the health care bill, you must not have had enough sense to a) read it and b) understand it. that's the only explanation for how anybody could disapprove of an amazing plan. Poor americans, we are simply too stupid. Better rely on Pelosi to make our decisions for us. Do I admit that myths against the health care bill are floating around? Yes. But do I also believe that myths that favor the health care bill are floating around as well? You bet. Obama doesn't want to hear about those myths, though.

I also love how Senators and the press are dismissing town hall participants as "angry mobs" and "the discontented minority" or "as stupid as dining room tables."

I've got news for you:

Those are the American people. And if you are finding them at every town hall meeting-- well, you've got a problem on your hands.

Blog = Mandarin Chinese books on physics

First things first (I love cliches that state the obvious).

I have been told my blog is boring because:

1) I talk too much about politics
2) I have no pictures

If I were a book in a library, I would never be read. Like that huge collection of Mandarin Chinese books on physics from the 1950's in the BYU library-- now seriously, how big is that client base?

Here's the deal, my blog is boring because I am boring.

I try to put the most entertaining things up here-- I don't have cute little ninos, I don't take pictures, and nothing really exciting occurs...what does occur? Politics. Delicious politics. Especially now. So controversial. I feel like an infant watching Baby Einstein while lying in my activity gym with lights flashing and music playing. Over-stimulation. Love it.

The kicker is that people don't like to talk about politics-- it's too controversial for them. "You stay over there, I stay over here, and we won't talk about it." blah. Whatever. Not me. I always think about politics. And that's what I write. I guess I can write what I don't think about... like Einstein's theory of relativity written in Mandarin Chinese.

Oh yes, feel free to disagree with my blog posts. Love discussion.

In fact, I obtained a significantly more boring background to match blog posts. The cuteness of "tin roof" just didn't portray the right ambiance for bashing socialism. I needed to go more hard-core-- hence the red.

As for the pictures--I'll try. No really, I will. Promise.

Big News

Three items fit under this title:

1) I got the job! I honestly can't believe it. Such a blessing. Blown away. I was on the phone with Carolyn a couple of nights previous to when they offered me an interview. I told her five reasons why I am not likely to get an interview with the State of Oregon government (1- this recession business, 2-people from CA's gov are flocking to OR because CA is virtually bankrupt, and oh yeah, they can hardly function, 3-I am not yet an official OR resident, 4- I still have two more classes for my MPA, 5-many govs are laying off, so they are only hiring internally.) Not only did I get the interview, I got the job! I flew out to Salem on Tuesday, went through the most intense interview process of my life on Wednesday (3 parts- interview before a panel, 20 minute presentation on Statute 319, and then 45 minutes to write a policy), and flew home Thursday. Luckily, some of our best friends already live in Salem, so they left their car for me at the airport (they were in VA for a week) and let me use their house. In short, I got the job that I wanted most out of all of the applications. By the by, I am a Program and Policy Analyst for the State of Oregon Department of Transportation. I basically evaluate operational and administrative procedures, and recommend more efficient methods of operation. I also get to organize and lead public hearings, and work on "task forces" to help pass legislation. So excited. Right up my ally. Very blessed.

2) In other Katie King Jones news, we found an apartment. TWO bedrooms, and wait for it

wait for it...

TWO full baths. Lap of luxury, I tell you what. We found this place on Craig's list. Come and see us. We have a spare bathroom for you to use. We move in five weeks from today.

3) Alex told me I need a hobby besides school, reading, Judge Judy, and watching select sections of Gone With the Wind. So far, this is what I am going to take up when I get to Oregon.

pottery- the city has a couple of classes. I should like it. I am not very creative, bless my heart, but it should be fun. If you get a deformed pot for Christmas... love it, cherish it.

gardening- always enjoyed this, but now that we have our own patio and a climate that actually likes green things, I should be able to grow something. Can we please take a moment to remember those dear Sweet Peas I planted, which met their fatal end last week when it reached over 110 degrees.

......

thank you.

Jewelry Making- Crystal and I use to do this a lot. I saw some cute beads at Michaels and have a new urge.

Badminton- who wants to play?