I’m going to get in trouble for this.

With the recent “Occupy Wall Street” protests happening, it’s time for me to reflect on history.

As a historian, I have often seen the pendulum swing between conservativism and hedonism.  Note that I did not say liberalism – there is certainly a place for liberal thought in any society.  Any society that becomes great gets there because of an advantage, usually military force, but it can also be due to natural resources, religion or the will of the people (hard work).  Often, there is expansion: taking over someone else’s land, wealth or ideals.  Such movements usually start with conservatism and good government; family values and shared thinking (for better or worse.  Some shared thinking has led to Nazism, Communism and Al Queda).  As the society becomes affluent, that which once made the society great usually ceases to exist or dwindles severely.  The thing is, the money is still there from all that expansion; then expansion also ceases, and the society implodes or gets taken over by a “better” group.

What happens right before that implosion (usually in the form of an uprising) or hostile take-over is unsustainable spending (sound familiar?).  During these “height of the empire” times, the arts, education and culture are lifted up (yeah), but the commonality that was once shared splinters.  The rich become richer, the poor become poorer, family values go right out the window and the nuclear family splits apart.  People begin to “think for themselves,” a noble idea, but often with terrible consequences – love for one another goes away, and everybody becomes individualistic (read selfish) and proud of it.  Government morals decay; personal values decay.  Stealing and adultery become more the norm – and not just in government!  Things that go against established morals are actually seen as permissible and they are encouraged.  Everyone feels so entitled, but few can afford to be.  Debt rises.  People get angry at “the establishment” (those who were overlords, or were simply better at creating wealth), and they revolt.  Those who revolt (creating a new shared thought) often win, and in the process create a power and wealth vacuum.  Nothing happens for a while.  When a new government forms, it is usually poor, but with a healthy portion of conservatism, good government & family values.

So, where are we today America?  There has been a lot of talk about the 1%, but the truth is, if you are an American, you are the 1% according to the world, and the world would dearly love to see us fail.

Europe, who I estimate has always been slightly ahead of us in “direction,” is falling apart fast (China is too, but they won’t tell us that).  Are we headed in that direction?

What I see in this recent movement is: the angry poor mad at the corrupt rich.  I also see selfishness brought about by entitlement on both sides; and the poor willing to “steal” from the rich, rather than work hard.  Meanwhile, I see the rich unwilling to help their fellow man when they could use the help.  Our government is viewed as corrupt, and our values certainly aren’t what they used to be.  Few go to church anymore, marriage is secondary, sexual sin is becoming rampant (dare I say acceptable?), crime is on the rise.  How are we doing America?

On the plus side, I’m loving the arts, education and culture that we’re achieving.

http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-rich-taxed-less-secretaries-070642868.html

I have often heard that the rich are taxed less than the poor.  That didn’t seem right to me.  I also heard that the middle class takes more of the brunt on taxes than the rich.  That seemed a little more believable, but certainly didn’t ring true for me.  As a middle class guy, I found plenty of tax breaks available to me (and everyone else), if they would only look for them and plan accordingly.

I finally decided that all these tax generalizations were based in ignorance, not on reality.

I’m glad this article spelled some things out.

It turns out that there are tax breaks available for everyone, that the rich are NOT taxed less than the poor, or even the Middle Class, and that 47% of Americans (granted, poor Americans) don’t pay taxes at all!  It would seem then that the Middle Class and the rich do pay a lot of taxes, but largely because they can, and because a whole bunch of people can’t.

As I stated in my previous “random thoughts” article, Americans are taxed less than almost any other country in the world; an inconvenient truth to be sure.

Years ago, I was really getting behind the idea of a flat tax.  It simplified tax law, and it was fair to everyone.  I still believe this, but I also realize that 15% (or whatever the flat rate would be) to some is “more” than it is to others.

I liked the idea of a flat tax because it would greatly reduce the taxation of the middle class (Me!).  But I also noticed that the main proponents of the flat tax were exceedingly wealthy people.  This makes sense – they would get even more benefit from a flat tax.  The only losers would be the 47% who currently don’t pay taxes at all.  The flat tax seems fair, but only to the point where it doesn’t clash with a minimum standard of living.  That’s where things get tricky… and likely why we have a graduated tax system in place currently.  America is expensive, and the very poor can’t realistically live comfortable lives here.  We can’t ship them off to some other country because they are poor.  We must, at some level, take care of them.  Exactly what that means is up to the government… and that’s where things get messy.

I’m not trying to push a particular agenda, I’m just stating some observations, and trying to correct some historical inaccuracies that are generally taught in school.

A recent talk by a historian got me thinking about American Liberty.  He said that the original idea of liberty came from the Pilgrims, only it was liberty from religious persecution.  The thing is, the Pilgrims (and the Puritans) were sort of radical, and their idea of freedom of religion (another American ideal) meant that you were free to worship in the way they worshiped or you’d be kicked out of town.  If you returned to town (unrepentant) too many times, you were hung.  This did not bode well for anyone in Massachusetts who wasn’t Puritan or Pilgrim early on.  The Pilgrims didn’t want any of these “false” religions (in their eyes) on their soil.

The “liberty” that our founding fathers were talking about is the one we are more familiar with.  They wanted liberty from British taxation and the British in general.  The thing is, at this time in history, the Colonials were the richest people on the planet, and they paid very little in taxes.  They just wanted to do what they wanted to do.  Their liberty was actually pretty selfish and self-serving.  It was radicals like Samuel Adams (who, by the way, never brewed beer) who did the whole Boston Tea Party thing to protest against British taxes.  In reality, the British were applying the same tax to the Colonials that they had already applied to the British five years earlier, and they were charging the Colonials one tenth the tax.  The tax also only applied if you drank a gallon of tea every day for a year, and if you could do that, you’d pay eighty cents in taxes.  Sam and buddies, dressed unconvincingly as Mohawk Indians, threw overboard what would amount to 1.3 million dollars of tea today to protest a possible eighty cent tax.

OK, you’re probably saying, the tax was small, but what about the whole notion of “taxation without representation” which was the battle cry of this protest.  Er… no it wasn’t.  The Colonials would never have made that a battle cry (it actually started as part of a sermon, and was later attributed to James Otis… who probably never actually said it.).  They didn’t want representation in British Parliament for two reasons: 1) they would only get eight seats, and they would lose every vote; 2) being represented in Parliament meant acceptance of British Rule and British Laws, which they would have been against.  What they really wanted was “liberty” from British Rule.  (OK, to complete this though, someone, somewhere mentioned “taxation without representation” to the British Parliament at some point because Parliament claimed that Parliament represented ALL the British people, including the colonies, so no specific representatives from the colonies were needed).

And notice that their notion of liberty had nothing to do with equality.  They wanted liberty to do whatever they wanted.  They wanted “freedom”… from laws in general.  And this liberty was not applied equally; only to white male land owners.  If you were poor, black or a woman, forget about it.  It wasn’t until a few folks thought beyond themselves that we began to create a decent sort of liberty (Thanks John Adams for getting the ball rolling!).

So, 200+ years later, what has changed?  Well, we do have the equality thing sort of worked out, but aside from that, not much.  Americans are still the most entitled people in the world – just ask anyone who doesn’t live in America what they think about Americans.  We Americans still demand “liberty” to do what we want.  We still hate government involvement, and we still hate taxation.  Having said that, we continue to be the richest people in the world, and we pay way less in taxes on average than the any other country the world (also, because the rest of the world pays higher taxes, they demand good government.  Americans, for some reason, do not).  Even today, liberty to us means that we can do what we want; ignoring inconvenient laws, and avoiding civic duty if we can.  Liberty is still self-serving for the average American, but fortunately not to all (thanks to all who serve in our Armed Forces, and to those in Government who are actually representing the people).

We also think that we have overcome many of the flaws that the British had when they ruled over us, but we haven’t.  We really are their children and we have been trained well.  We are still imperialist, and we still rule over people who have no representation (Washington DC has representation in Congress, but no vote… and their citizens pay taxes.  There are several US territories that have no representation in Congress; at least they don’t pay taxes, but they do have to abide by our laws.).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43449348/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/chinese-copy-austrian-village-stirs-emotions/

I don’t know what to make of this: The Chinese are copying one of my most beloved sites on earth – the city of Hallstatt, Austria, which my family visited in 2010 (as seen here.  Also found on Google earth coordinates: Latitude: 47°33’44.64″N  Longitude: 13°38’57.41″E).  Apparently, they have been sending “spies” there for years to quietly map out the place.  Now that they have, they will create an exact duplicate (minus the Austrian people one would assume) in Huizhou, China (Guangdong Province, Google earth coordinates: Latitude: 23°07’51.85″N  Longitude: 114°26’29.45″E).  The article goes on to state that it will appeal to upscale Chinese citizens, and the vast population of Caucasian Expats living in Hong Kong about 60 miles/100 km to the south.

I sort of doubt that they will also copy the massive salt mine that is up in the hills of the original Hallstatt – the reason for the town’s existence (hall means salt and statt means place).  Nor will they likely duplicate the food, beer, or incredible culture of the place.  It will be pretty, but “plastic,” lacking true character.

Maybe Austria should recreate The Bund in Shanghai.

This is more of a random happening than a random thought…

So my son, Jeffrey, and I were joking about giving our dog a Mohawk because it’s time to give him his summer shave.  We tried to do this last year, but we were not too successful – no one noticed.  This year, we thought we’d make the Mohawk pink, and we were wondering if a salon would do the work.  Well, while we were talking about this, my daughter, Courtney, must have overheard us because she went outside and promptly “colored” our dog using food coloring.  When the dog came in, all his white parts were blue (formerly a gray and white dog).

At first I was worried about the permanence of food coloring – would it get all over everything?  Courtney’s fingers were blue, and so was her spaghetti by the middle of dinner (which she eats sans sauce, and with her fingers).  The dog however, didn’t leave any noticeable marks on floors or walls.  Three days later, he’s still blue.

Yesterday, Courtney also put a blue smiley face on the rear of her bunny and a star on the bunny’s forehead.  I’m sure Jeffrey’s bunny is making fun of my daughter’s bunny as we speak.

We’ve been calling our dog (Rudy) Blue, Aqua Pup & Grandpa Smurf.

My daughter cracks me up.  She was telling me today that she has a classmate whose mother is pregnant, and the family has been trying to come up with names.  Well, she and her friends joined in the fun and promoted two names for consideration: Noah, if it’s a boy, and May Bea if it’s a girl.  I know, those names are a bit unusual, and not the sort of thing seventh-grade girls usually recommend, but in this case, there was a specific reason: the classmate’s name is Yesa.  I’m pulling for Noah myself.

I read somewhere recently that most rich people don’t feel rich right now.  That conundrum fits a lot of people around here in Silicon Valley because while they make a fantastic salary, housing & gas are really expensive.  I know people with six figure salaries who shop at Goodwill out of necessity.  When you make that kind of money, shouldn’t you feel comfortable shopping at Macys or Nordstrom’s?  I know I never have, but maybe that’s because I’m an engineer (and hence frugal) – things have to make sense to me, and paying too much for clothing makes no sense to me.  I’m not that much into fashion, unless brightly colored Hawaiian shirts and shorts or jeans are considered the height of fashion (yes, admittedly rare, but when they do trend – I’ll look like a genius!).

So, are the clothes found at Goodwill mostly gathered from the deceased?  Yes, but here’s the thing – they’re dead!  They don’t need the clothes, I do, and the price is right.  I’ll still look like every other engineer – even ones making a six figure salary – but I will have saved a few bucks.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney

People work hard in the US, and really, really hard where I am in Silicon Valley.  They work too much!  I’ve been there, and I’ve fought against it for many years, but the culture here really is “work is above all else.”  Many people at my former job, me included, ate lunch while working, and consistently worked excessively long hours.  The majority didn’t take vacation time either, but “donated” those hours back to their employer.  How sad!    Now that I’m not working, my inclination is to not work at all, but to rest and let God take care of me.  This, of course, will only work for a short while.  God doesn’t want me to be lazy either.  Both extremes are wrong.

Mark 6:31-32

³¹ Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.  ³² So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

There are times when God wants us to rest and be alone.  It is healthy to do so.  God gave us the Sabbath so we can rest in Him, and it has the added benefit of recharging our own batteries as well, if we actually rest!  A recent study has also concluded that multiple, two-week-plus vacations during the year, without any ties to work, are necessary to maintain a healthy mind.  The Europeans have this one right: most get six weeks off per year (and have more holidays than we do in the US), and many will take the entire month of August off.  In the US, most only get two weeks of vacation per year – and then they don’t take it!

Overwork, and lack of vacation will make us tired, but it will also makes us less stable.  Our priorities will get out of whack!  Wayne Muller writes this (and it sure resonates with me – until recently, I was there!):  “Because we don’t rest, we lose our way.  Poisoned by the belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort… for want of rest our lives are in danger.  There are two kinds of “tired.”  The dissimilarity is like the difference between puffy spring rain clouds and those that precede a tornado.  One is temporary and the other is a chronic inner fatigue that accumulates over months and doesn’t always manifest itself in physical exhaustion.  In fact, it’s masked by frenetic activity and compulsive behavior: (a) you can’t relax over a meal or coffee. (b) You keep checking and rechecking your messages and emails. (c) Your nightstand’s piled high with periodicals designed to keep you “ahead of the game.” (d) Taking a day off seems impossible. (e) You don’t take breaks or vacations and you work every holiday. (f) You can’t sleep. (g) Any free time you have is spent in “escapist behavior” like eating, drinking, spending money, or watching TV.

But while you’re busy working hard and looking important, you can lose your ability to hear the voice of the One Who called you to the position initially.  Sure God expects you to work hard, but not by endangering your health, your family or your time with Him.”

God wants us to work hard when working, but also to rest and enjoy life.  There is a balance.  He has also established the priorities we are to follow: God first, spouse second, all else third.  Work is in that third category, not the first category.  Get it right.

Colossians 3:23-24

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

⁹ What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹² So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³ And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Thanks Matt Housel for writing “50 Fascinating Things I’ve Read Lately.” This article is a collection of Matt’s favorite recent quotes.  Here are the ones that resonated with me:

“Today, of Americans officially designated as ‘poor,’ 99 percent have electricity, running water, flush toilets, and a refrigerator; 95 percent have a television, 88 percent a telephone, 71 percent a car and 70 percent air conditioning. Cornelius Vanderbilt had none of these.”
–Matt Ridley

“If fertility drops much below 2.1 babies per woman, the population will shrink unless it is offset by higher immigration. For this reason, a demographic cloud hangs over China. It may be ‘the first country to grow old before it grows rich.’ … Its fertility rate is below two and its working-age population will start to decline around 2015.”
–Greg Ip

“Sudanese people live in unspeakable poverty, yet come to the U.S. and remark on how miserable Americans’ lives are. All we do is work. No time for family, friends, or social gatherings.”
–Adapted from the documentary God Grew Tired of Us

“In school they give you a question and ask you to find an answer. In the real world the answers are everywhere — the Internet, calculators, history books, reference manuals. The trick is asking the right questions.”
–Adapted from speech by Conrad Wolfram

“Small government is better than big government, but size is less important than quality. For example, Sweden’s government spends more than half of gross domestic product while Mexico’s spends only a quarter of its GDP. But Swedish government is efficient and honest while Mexico’s is inefficient and rife with corruption. That’s one reason Sweden is rich and Mexico is poor.”
–Greg Ip

“The fastest way to become rich is to socialize with the poor; the fastest way to become poor is to socialize with the rich.”
–Nassim Taleb

“The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.”
–John Kenneth Galbraith

“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”
–Mark Twain