Meh.
- Michael Folk
- Jun 25, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 26, 2021
Meh. Sad.
Meh. I have a good amount to say in response to this video, maybe I should do a video instead but here's some of my thoughts and responses.
Student loan debt forgiveness: Why not give everyone $50,000 then? and make 4 years of college free for those under 18. I disagree. We're only 28 trillion in debt and the Federal Reserve, independent from the government, prints out 20% of all dollars in a year, which lowers the dollars value and causes inflation and all this damage, but allows the U.S. to easier repay all this debt. Nope, disagree. Think we should make the interest rates on loans near zero or to match the inflation rate and no more. Penalties for late or missed payments, just charge a fee, don't raise the interest rate. Just be fair and decent. Is not rocket science. Economics isn't rocket science, or doesn't have to be.
Politicians, like people, can change their opinion and views about things, that's fine, but then say it and make it known. Or say why you thought it was good to make a compromise to get something passed. That's fine too. So is holding people accountable, that's very good. What's not good is saying you are for some thing just for politics sake - to get votes and to get re-elected.
And maybe I'm coming around a bit even on corporate donations. I actually do think it's fine to accept money from whoever, if they want to support a candidate and person, they should be able to. It could allow a poor good person with good views, opinions, etc. to come up. I also believe in ending corruption and any backroom type deals or contracts though with public servants/politicians and believe those who serve corporations for money deals if found guilty of fraud or working for a corporation, should go to jail if found guilty. It all should all be transparent and free, developed by free thinkers, this policy/law, to produce the best system free of corruption and also free to promote true competition for public office. My opinion.
On a jog after getting mad at Kyle for callng Lyndon B. Johnson a racist or implying that he was, because he used the hard N word. No Kyle, I don't think everyone who used that word back before the 1960s (or so) and earlier were all racists. That's just how things were. Was it a more racist kind of time? Yes. Yes, there was a lot more racism and racists, yeah. That doesn't mean all the people who used those or that word was racist. Even the black folks used that word talking about other black folks. Were they racist? Nope, of course not.
Critical race theory - Is true, but has more to do with the fact that the past shapes the future. And all culture is recreated by us every day and our actions, creating the culture, and who we are and what we think and believe, but more importantly do, is culture...
Listening to "Money Trees" by Kendrick Lamar on the run. https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-money-trees-lyrics
Lamar uses the soft N word repeatedly in the song.
"[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
is that not "racist" according to some? Logic (?) ...When I disagree with some people on Twitter that in my opinion, drugs should be illegal, even though I don't like the "for profit prison industrial complex" and some make the argument, saying "it's the governments fault" (they or some people have done corrupt things, true, doesn't mean every thing the government does is bad and evil neither obviously) and that it unfairly targets minorities and poorer people (ends up doing, yes, it sucks, agree).
Is the government pushing black gangster rap culture on people (some were implying that)? Glorifying selling and doing drugs, etc.,? No, I don't believe so. Do the policies end up having effects that might "unfairly" target black people, minorities and poor people? Yeah, no doubt about it.
Is it really a for profit system? Yes, corporations unfairly use the system to profit off people, often poor people with poor families. Its not right. Could it be better if jails etc. are made to be ran more independently without just being solely funded by public money? I'm not sure. Creating a good social democrat society, using a lot of common sense and decency would go a long way toward doing good.
And the police, and the judges and local government - it's all connected, right, that's what their saying a bit, yeah, and I could use doing actual research on how that all works and runs. Police do get rewarded in their job trying to reach quotas and whatnot, or so I've heard. It does appear to be quite true that if a person has money or fame, that they are allowed to break laws or get punished less than those without. True.
Anyway, also saying that if a person is a police, a fed, or judge etc. that then they work for the system. What about then though, the tax-paying, law abiding citizens - does not that (or "the") system benefit them if you just abide by the laws? Things can happen to people though, good, bad, whoever. Even the homeless benefit from police etc.,, and many local governments have really great caring people who help homeless people, obviously to be more safe from people (of any kind and type, including other homeless people I would think). Yeah, I don't believe in all that the far leftists push nor believe in all that the right will push. Use your brain, think for yourself. Have integrity, common sense and decency, keep learning...
Not to be self reaffirming or vain (arrogant) but liking my ideas and my opinions more and more - a UBI (I'm not sure how much could really be afforded with my proposed tax bracket and a balanced budget, etc.,), action on a global carbon tax (and some global rules would be nice imo as well), sane student debt policy, sane federal reserve and economic policies (no expert here), a smaller more quicker reacting fed. gov.(pass the Pro Act!), democratic socialism but a sane one (support of unions, voting rights and increasing democratic voting rights), doesn't have to be super "left" and support everything that some people on the left want or believe in, but as above, keep learning, is fine. Being strong in some areas (immigration, peace and anti-war), being more nuanced in others...
Dislike a lot of what is pushed by the left (but its fine, fine to disagree) in ways and how they/some go about treating others and some of their arrogance (sense of entitlement, also me). Cancel culture (slippery, dangerous path). Political correctness to the ^X degree. Wanting to push federal policy on everything ($15 min. wage) and not reversing unsound democrat policy/policies. Wanting to use the Gov. to fix all these problems in the country and all injustices by throwing money around like it's nothing, like it has no consequence. The decline of morality and things, and culture and tradition and history in some ways and just belief in nothing so much...authoritarian but they'll say, the other side is authoritarian. I don't know man, doesn't seem like it would result in being all that great to me. The world is unfair and has a bunch of rules and laws...just like I can't just go immigrate to any country I want and gain citizenship there...Anyway...
Lyndon B Johnson quote on a calendar at my parents house this month:
"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time".
----------------------------
Wonder if I'm being tracked. Probably. Feel like I've probably been tracked for a while now. Can get kind of mad and upset about things - the environment and I believe climate change is the #1 problem and should be priority over everything pretty much. Just my opinion though.
Trump was just a one and done 4 year President. He's not the "system" or "the government". Just a guy. Whatever. He definitely played the media masterfully. He's got a lot of charisma. Did some good things for America, hopefully his effects and legacy have an even more positive effect going forward. I disliked a lot of what he did and whatnot policy wise but the American people elected him and almost did again. As the left points out...yadda yadda... Sane is often boring. Politics should be sane...ideally I would think...I myself, need to stop being afraid. Take a dive and stir up the pot. Maybe it's my destiny. I feel it's what I'm supposed to do but I'm scared. I don't know of what, only myself holds me back I guess. I think most people maybe would like me, but I don't know. I get things stuck in my head, let things and other people bother me a lot, vanity, perfectionism, I guess, and sensitive. Baby. Has advantages and disadvantages, maybe its good for a politician, especially perfectionism on issues, I feel, really does help me develop more understanding. Some issues like the war on drugs/drug issue and the prison industrial complex are pretty complex, that's for sure, but common sense and decency goes a long way as does wanting a good fair just justice system.
-------------------
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/22/us-crime-rise-draws-fears-bloody-summer-calls-for-more-cops
Geez. It's really bad in some places. I wish we could have a society where people have more trust in the justice system and policy and cops were treated with a lot more respect and higher paid (by a lot), that people would vote and want that for their community and police officers. That the federal government supports things in a positive way (authority can be used for good, that's for sure) and that people would trust it and federal employees of any branch and department. Top to bottom, bottom to top.
Really good, should read:
Outreach in an ‘extraordinarily dark time’
The stakes are as high as human life, and those working to preserve it aren’t immune.
“It started with the pandemic, and then the George Floyd murder,” said Duncan, CRED’s co-founder.
“Those next six or eight weeks after that were honestly probably the worst six or eight weeks of my life. We had a staff member killed, we had three of our young men killed, we had a 20-month-old baby of one our men (that) was killed, and it was just an extraordinarily dark time.”
Just before CNN’s interview with Duncan and Hicks, a 16-year-old who Duncan said was “just starting” to engage with their program was shot and killed.
It’s a reality that adds urgency for outreach workers such as Hicks.
“I done had situations where I know (mediators) have been called and didn’t come out and a few hours later this individual done got locked up or maybe even shot,” said Hicks.
Building from the ground up is the only way to make any meaningful change, said Duncan, who also pushed back on negative stereotypes he says some of his men and women face because of their histories or because of how they look as Black men.
“Many of our staff used to shoot people. You can perceive them some way, (but) they are literally life savers every single day. We can’t win this battle without them,” said Duncan.
“Men who look like that, men who live in these neighborhoods, are giving everything they have. And I don’t want to get emotional saying this — they’re giving everything they have to create peace and to save the next generation. They are the answer,” continued Duncan.
“We care for real, I mean I don’t — I don’t get accolades for this, I don’t make social media posts about things that I done done. It’s not about me,” said Hicks. “If you want to be in the streets, so be it. If you want to change, that’s what we’re here for.”
Comments