Tuesday, December 27, 2005

The Smoking Dilemma

Let'’s talk about smoking.

Normally, I would say of myself that I generally subscribe to an anarchist'’s point of view -– I don'’t need a judge to tell me what is right and what is wrong, and oh, by the way, get out of my face. People should be able to do what they want as long as it does not impinge on another'’s freedom to do the same.

When I smoked, there was nothing that riled me more than some goody two shoes who thought they could take away my right to light up when and where I wanted to. When I quite smoking, I vowed that I would never turn into that person. That was thirty-five years ago.

I would like to think that I have grown some in that period of time (and no, I'’m not talking about the waist). I have had to rethink my earlier position and here is what I now believe.

Folks should have the right to do what they want as long as it does not impinge on another'’s right to do the same.

Hmmm, looks familiar -– no? Problem is, smokers just can'’t do it.

What would you think if when you went down to the local pub with some friends on Friday night and every time your buddy on the left finished a beer, he would toss his cookies all over the table, your lap, your face, and even splash some into the beer you were just now raising to your lips? Would you:

A. Punch him out?
B. Punch him out and leave?
C. Stop going to the pub with him?
D. Suggest that he limit himself to intake and forgo the oral output?
E. All of the above?

If people could smoke without sharing the process with those around them, no one would complain (let'’s ignore the medical costs to society here. That'’s another kettle of fish.), but so far, no one has come up with a process that does that.

So, in my book, someone who smokes around anyone who objects violates my cardinal Rule of Freedom. For that reason, I am in favor of a complete ban on smoking in any public place. Let those who smoke do so freely in private (homes, clubs, private transport), but let those of us who choose not to smoke exercise our right to do so.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Broken System

  • Pols grant themselves pay raise while cutting social support systems.
  • Business heads overseas due in part to high health costs of american system.
  • Average CEO makes one bazillion times the common employee wage.
  • Congress votes to exploit remaining natural resources in race for consumption.
  • etcetera, etcetera, etcetera......

Excuse me, but is it just me that thinks this system is broken? I have some suggestions. I would like others to join in a discussion on their merits and make some of their own in an attempt to find new, and more sane, ways of moving all of us into the future.

My first suggestion is the abolishment of congressional elections. Instead, we should institute a draft that is mandatory and random within current electoral boundaries. My thoughts are these:
  • The current electoral process is too long, requires too much money, and tends to filter out all but the rich, the power hungry, or those willing to hitch their wagon to the nearest cash-laden special interest.
  • An arbitrary, mandatory, and random draft would select a representative group from amongst the governed instead of the elitist bunch we have in there now.
  • The draftees would enjoy the same benefits as the "common" person they govern. In other words, there pay would be tied to the "average" wage, their health care would be the same as the statistical "average" american, their pension would likewise mirror the conditions of the average Joe/Joette.
  • They would serve one term, but their non-governmental compensation "package" (what they were earning prior to being drafted) would be adjusted up or down by a percentage to bring them closer to the "average".
  • Since we would be trading "experience" for "uncommitted common folk", the goverment would have to be served by a dedicated civil service, not subject to replacement by the Congress. This civil service branch would also be rewarded in a fashion that would be tied to the "health" of the average american.
These are starting points for discussion. Obviously, much needs to be thought out and diagrammed. Let the fun begin.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Neophyte Ramblings

It's been a while. Part of the reason is that I am new to this world of blogs and sometimes unsure of what to do. I have so many questions. Like, how do you add other peoples blog sites to the side column of your own blog? I know one way to do it (copy the blog address of the other person's site while there, go back to your own log-in screen, go into edit template mode, search through the endless lines of html code for the right space, paste the address in, and republish) but this is such a long and arduous method. There has to be a better way.

And how do you adroitly post photos? How am I ever going to be a HNT regular when I fumble around on the most basic of things?

And what's with "tagging?" I read someone say, "So-and-so tagged me..." What does that mean?

Then there is the "meme" thing. I feel like I fell down the rabbit hole.

Not that I am complaining. I find this whole thing facinating. I spend WAY too much time just hitting the "next blog" button to see what pops up. Where else can you sit in one spot and entertain yourself with politics, religion, sex, crafts, craft/sex, diaries in mandarin, pet foto's, pet/sex, sport rants, recipes, sex/recipes, it goes on and on.

One thing I wish is that I had a laptop next to me when I read the paper in the morning for that is when I have the urge to expel my political gas. By the time I actually make it to the computer and go through my morning routine, I have lost my train of thought. Oh well. Ta.