It's almost a year since I opened this Blog. On Dec. 30, 2010 I posted my "Best of 2011," offering a wish list in advance of the new year. It contained my hopes and desires, instead of the usual recap of the past offered up each December by newspapers, websites, and TV shows.
I was looking back over that list this morning and thought it would be interesting to get inside my own head, as I wonder aloud about why I wanted these things in 2011. My projections from that early Blog Post are in italics, and my current thoughts are not.
My wish list for 2011 - in the rear view mirror:
1. Trucks and SUV's are now only owned and used by people who need a truck for work or an SUV to get through snow or sand. everyone else now has a solar powered car.
I continue to wish that humans were more logical, less egotistical, more conscious, and consumed far less oil and toys. My biggest disappointment with President Obama is that he did NOT force some of the major corporations the government bailed out to re-tool their manufacturing facilities to produce solar panels, wind generators, and all electric cars. We did not need a rejuvenated Chrysler making ghetto sedans.
2. The number of letters sent and read reached pre-1980 levels.
Fantasy #2 reflects my wish that communication would swing back to the written and spoken word. Texting has allowed young people to express themselves in sound bites. Our national education system was built on the foundation of the 3 R's; Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Technology has made the need for these nearly obsolete. If you understand human brain development, you know this basic reality is at the root of America's education crisis.
3. Three gov't businesses were sold to private companies and are now running efficiently: mail service, tax collection, and Congressional abuse investigations.
The government has proven to be the worst business in America. The USPS, IRS, Pentagon, and Congress have incredibly awful track records at efficiently conducting their business. It is actually a joke to even discuss their inefficiency when we all know they are famously corrupt and mismanaged.
4. All cell phone use, TV access, and Internet browsing are bundled and costs each person on the planet a total of $50 per month; you can choose from any provider whose commercial makes you feel happy.
The companies that provide our communication, home entertainment, and internet services are some of the most profitable and greedy in the world. One quick way to help Americans manage their family budgets and to stimulate the economy, would be to regulate these industries and cap their fees. Like healthcare, we need to accept that web access, phone use, and TV viewing are an integral part of our free society and should be available to everyone at an affordable price.
5. No athlete or entertainer makes more than 1 million dollars a year and all the rest of the profits from entertainment goes to feed and provide medical care for any people that are truly unable to work due to health, disability, or lack of access to clean water, agriculture, or doctors. This program is privately run as a non-profit in which no one makes any wage or salary.
This is one of my pet peeves. The lock-outs in the NFL and NBA collective bargaining issues in 2011 speak to my anger about the salaries paid to under-educated athletes. The greedy financial triangle created by the advertising industry, sports team owners, and the TV companies like CBS, NBC, ABC, and ESPN nauseate me as a sports purist. The concept that America is built on the principle that everyone has the right to earn as much money as possible at the expense of the 300 million other humans is revolting. My ideas are not socialist, they are human.
My next post will be my wish list for 2012. Check back soon while you enjoy your family and friends during the Holiday season. Namaste.
I was looking back over that list this morning and thought it would be interesting to get inside my own head, as I wonder aloud about why I wanted these things in 2011. My projections from that early Blog Post are in italics, and my current thoughts are not.
My wish list for 2011 - in the rear view mirror:
1. Trucks and SUV's are now only owned and used by people who need a truck for work or an SUV to get through snow or sand. everyone else now has a solar powered car.
I continue to wish that humans were more logical, less egotistical, more conscious, and consumed far less oil and toys. My biggest disappointment with President Obama is that he did NOT force some of the major corporations the government bailed out to re-tool their manufacturing facilities to produce solar panels, wind generators, and all electric cars. We did not need a rejuvenated Chrysler making ghetto sedans.
2. The number of letters sent and read reached pre-1980 levels.
Fantasy #2 reflects my wish that communication would swing back to the written and spoken word. Texting has allowed young people to express themselves in sound bites. Our national education system was built on the foundation of the 3 R's; Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Technology has made the need for these nearly obsolete. If you understand human brain development, you know this basic reality is at the root of America's education crisis.
3. Three gov't businesses were sold to private companies and are now running efficiently: mail service, tax collection, and Congressional abuse investigations.
The government has proven to be the worst business in America. The USPS, IRS, Pentagon, and Congress have incredibly awful track records at efficiently conducting their business. It is actually a joke to even discuss their inefficiency when we all know they are famously corrupt and mismanaged.
4. All cell phone use, TV access, and Internet browsing are bundled and costs each person on the planet a total of $50 per month; you can choose from any provider whose commercial makes you feel happy.
The companies that provide our communication, home entertainment, and internet services are some of the most profitable and greedy in the world. One quick way to help Americans manage their family budgets and to stimulate the economy, would be to regulate these industries and cap their fees. Like healthcare, we need to accept that web access, phone use, and TV viewing are an integral part of our free society and should be available to everyone at an affordable price.
5. No athlete or entertainer makes more than 1 million dollars a year and all the rest of the profits from entertainment goes to feed and provide medical care for any people that are truly unable to work due to health, disability, or lack of access to clean water, agriculture, or doctors. This program is privately run as a non-profit in which no one makes any wage or salary.
This is one of my pet peeves. The lock-outs in the NFL and NBA collective bargaining issues in 2011 speak to my anger about the salaries paid to under-educated athletes. The greedy financial triangle created by the advertising industry, sports team owners, and the TV companies like CBS, NBC, ABC, and ESPN nauseate me as a sports purist. The concept that America is built on the principle that everyone has the right to earn as much money as possible at the expense of the 300 million other humans is revolting. My ideas are not socialist, they are human.
My next post will be my wish list for 2012. Check back soon while you enjoy your family and friends during the Holiday season. Namaste.
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