Month: February 2022

February 28, 2022 – Running Out of Words

February 28, 2022 /

No, I don’t mean that I am quitting. You will have to read to get to the punchline today. First, we have a long and winding path to get there, so let’s get started.

Valentine’s Day is over, so what is next for merchandizing? Why Easter of course. What does this have to do with anything? I am getting there.

When I first met my wife, I was introduced to something that I don’t see often. It is tradition called cascarón. This is where you save your egg shells be used for Easter. Essentially, you try to preserve as much of an intact eggshell by cracking off one end of the egg. You want to build up a large inventory of egg shells for coloring and filling.

This is where it get’s fun. Some of the shells are filled with confetti, flour or oatmeal and some might be filled with money and occasionally, there might even be a raw egg! What you do is run around and crack them on peoples heads. We hide them with traditional Easter eggs and then inevitably wait to get cracked. If you want to participate in this tradition, now is the time to start building up your inventory of eggshells.

You should know by now, I am going to take this a lot deeper. One of my first Easters with my Wife’s family was in 1995. We were going to school over 200 miles away and of course it was a school weekend and we had little means to travel so they came to us for the day. They brought the cascarones.

My wife was living in a townhouse with several exchange students. One of them was Japanese and this holiday was foreign. So, we invited her to join us for the meal and the Easter egg hunt. She brought a friend to the dinner whose name was Ai (also a Japanese exchange student).

After the dinner, and when it came to cracking eggs (by surprise is the best) they quickly caught on to what was likely going to happen. Ai got so freaked out that she ran to her bicycle and peddled away not to come back again that day. This was our Sophomore year and consequently my wife became really good friends with her Japanese roommate.

We have kept in contact with her roommate over all these years. Her roommate and Ai came to our wedding. Five years later, we all met at her roommate’s wedding in California. Ai studied theater in college and dreamed of Hollywood, which she pursued. Yesterday, Ai died of cancer.

We had heard that it was terminal a few months ago. In December, Ai left California to go back to Japan for her final days. To be honest, we weren’t nearly as close to Ai as we are to my wife’s roommate and dealing and our own demons concerning cancer, it was out of sight and out of mind. But, it hits that this was someone who we know that left us too early.

My wife deals with strong survivor’s guilt. She had a coworker who was our age and kids are the same age that died of cancer a few years ago, that was hard. They had even done chemotherapy at the same time. Then she had another friend who was younger than us by probably ten years die a couple years ago, that was worse. It feels like we know too many people battling and losing to cancer way too young.

I know, this is being hypervigilant. I see it one place and my eyes are open to where else it could be. But, I also can’t help but wonder what God is telling me in this situation. Not just me either, for people with survivor’s guilt as strongly as my wife’s what can she get out of the situation? Is there a message here, am I trying to make a connection that doesn’t exist or is this a fact of life that now I am getting older the probability to bad endings happen in life?

I talked about the neighbor kid that is battling last week, my mother-in-law is in her second year of treatment, people that are in my inner circle are in the fight of their lives. I’ve gone through it with my wife too. Compassion and empathy are some of my weaker areas for sure. I think I have them, but it is really difficult to express them adequately. Maybe that is what God is trying to tell me?

Yesterday in church, the sermon was conceptually about making the most of a situation (not necessarily dying). What can you do with what you have. The question of the bucket list came up. I had never really given it much thought because I have never created one. At least for me, I came down to goals and achievements are for the living. I don’t really have a traditional bucket list because I think that when that time comes, I wont want to have a final bunch of experiences before I die. I think the point of making the most of the situation actually means living before dying.

End Your Programming Routine: Of course, we are all going to face the inevitable. There is no doubt that if we live long enough, we will see our fair share of tragedy – however we define it. I suppose that I can consider myself lucky not having to witness something like the holocaust or to be born into slavery. With all things, it is not how we handle the acute situation, but the aftermath that is going to make the difference.

February 25, 2022 – American Dream Series: Liberty

February 25, 2022 /

This week marks the half way point in the values that make up the American Dream. Hopefully, this week will be a little easier to quantify than rights last week.

I suppose the best place to start is the origin of the concept. According to Wikipedia, the idea came from ancient Greece. Essentially it meant to not be a slave. That is pretty plain, either you are a slave or you have liberty. The word itself is derived from the Latin word Libertas. Libertas was a Roman goddess representing liberty. The likeness has been used in France on money and was the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty.

Now that that is done, we can look a little deeper into what it means today. If we strictly take the Greek concept, we are not slaves. If you look a little harder, notice that doesn’t mean there are no laws, it means that we are free to operate within the laws that exist. And if we go back to last week, laws in theory should be based on our rights. In theory, laws should support or strengthen our rights and never restrict them.

I don’t want to get too far out of bounds with rights again this week, however you cant have liberty without recognized rights. It would seem that in reality, Rights are far more important than Liberty. Rights are going to define the boundaries that we can operate with said Liberty.

Do we have Liberty today? I actually think that we do for the most part. The notion that someone is doing something that we don’t want them to do, we enact a law preventing it. So, we are still free to operate within with the realm of legal, we just keep redefining what that means.

I think about all of the places that I have been, I would offer up China as an example. I am not an expert, but I am pretty sure Liberty is not among their cultural entitlements. Are the people slaves – no. Can they operate within the laws of municipality – yes. Are the laws applied universally – of course not and nowhere else (including the United States) for that matter. Do they have liberty – by that definition yes.

Just using that example above, it sort of downplays the importance of Liberty. The only situations I could think of where liberty would be a problem is when the boundaries are changing without the knowledge of the population or selective enforcement. In which case, people exist at the whim of the rulers or maybe we could call them slaves.

End Your Programming Routine: I really didn’t think that this was going to go this way. I suppose that I was because I had never really taken a deep dive into the definitions. I thought that I knew what I was talking about without truly understanding.

I have to admit that when I hear the word ‘Liberty’ one of two images come up immediately. They are either Libertas (sometimes the statue of Liberty) or the liberty eagle. Those are the signs of programming and invoke emotion rather than thought and understanding. I am not saying that I don’t want Liberty but now I know it’s place in the hierarchy.

February 24, 2022 – Sanitizing and Brewing Beer

February 24, 2022 /

With all the build up, we finally got here. My batch has been going for almost a week now. I am pretty sure that it is gong well but there is nothing that can be done if it is not at this point. I will just have to wait and see.

Speaking of going well, I think there is a lot of todo about sanitation. In fact, I think it is way overblown. I will explain. Most people’s foray into homebrewing starts with Charlie Papazian’s The Joy of Homebrewing. My starter equipment kit came with a copy. My used equipment also came with one. Before YouTube and the internet, books or classes were all that we had available for knowledge. While they are great for learning and reference, they lack wisdom.

The purpose of pitching yeast is to overwhelm anything else around and outcompete the wild yeast that may be present. We want the free sugar converted to alcohol as fast as possible to ensure that we are making the beer that we expect. Once there is no food (sugar) and alcohol, you have achieved self sanitation. These drinks are part of our culture because they were safer than water.

I feel as if every text that I have read treats sanitation as a religion. Please understand there is a difference between cleanliness and sanitation. There is a role for sanitation, breweries cannot afford to take risks for instance. For the homebrewer, I feel like the emphasis is highly overrated.

With all that said, I do sanitize where it seems appropriate. Here is where I do it, handling yeast (like my starter I made) and before brewing and on final clean-up. I sanitize my carboys and cap them after I clean them. I sanitize the funnel for pouring wort into the carboy and the fermentation valve before use. I will also add bleach to my bottle cleaning. But really that is it. The rest is extra work, risk and clean-up.

I think where people get really wacko is that it is possible to post ferment alcohol. For instance, making vinegar is done with a secondary fermentation that is caused by a bacteria. Clearly, if you desire one outcome and get another that is not really ideal. One text I read said that the bacteria is ever present, meaning it is always possible. The good news is the this is an aerobic bacteria, meaning dissolved oxygen is required to convert. The other good news is that no one should be re-oxygenating the beer or wine post fermentation because that will ruin your brew from oxidation as much as making vinegar. That is to say the amount of dissolved oxygen should be consumed by the yeast initially.

A few years ago, I heard a podcast from an author of a book called Make Mead Like a Viking. His point was that there was not all the knowledge of science and even sanitation in the past. I haven’t read the book but I think it will go on the list for the future. It definitely changed my perspective on this topic and made me realize that this was one of the things that go into the time to brew and thus decreasing my joy of homebrewing.

End Your Programming Routine: Charlie Papazian was right about one thing, “relax and have a homebrew”. What he was trying to say was don’t get so wound up about the details, science and technicalities. I am a firm believer in learning takes making mistakes and practice while paying attention to what you are doing will build proficiency. Hey, I am still trying and I have a chemistry degree so I understand the science. I probably started off too technical without the experience to understand where to care and where to let go.

February 23, 2022 – I am Interrupting This Series in Brewing…

February 23, 2022 /

Stuff happens. No one plans to get cancer, especially when the person is a child. Whether you are in middle school or middle age, health disruptions suddenly supersede any plans you have in life.

My son has a friend that was diagnosed with cancer last week. They are the same age and they live two blocks away. He has been over to my house many times sometimes for an hour or two and sometimes overnight. Even his siblings have spent time over here. This isn’t really an acquaintance, but someone that we know pretty well.

Speaking from experience, when you are in treatment your life is not your own. In 2010, my wife had a near death illness and in 2012 she was diagnosed with cancer. The severity of the tumor is graded on how treatable it is. In her case it was stage 4 (out of 5) meaning it was effecting multiple locations and was not possible to surgically remove.

I was pulling weeds in the garden one day, just kind of having some alone time. My wife was in the hospital and our pastor came by. He asked me how I was doing and what I thought about all of this. Since I had been through this once before, I knew the ropes with doctors, hospitals and all that. There was little fear about uncertainty of what the next few months of treatment would look like. The fear was really what the future would look like for me and two boys aged 4 and 6.

I told him, “After the last illness, I saw her faith and ability to appreciate life grow exponentially. I don’t think God’s lesson is for her this time. I think this is for the other people in her life, like me”. I won’t say that I turned the switch on exactly at that moment, but I will say that I started removing excuses in my life to change my ways in faith.

In my mind, I grew up attending church every week. As I moved out of the home, I knew my beliefs and I wasn’t opposed to church but nothing we tried really felt comfortable. I justified that I was well adjusted in faith because I spent every Sunday as a youth in church. As a result, I realized that believing is one thing but worship and congregation are part of the deal as well. That is super tough for me because I find it uncomfortable but you cannot reach your full potential as a closet Christian.

Consequently, there is no such thing as a perfect denomination. What is more important is getting plugged in and keep an open mind. I don’t 100% agree with everything my church does, but I can’t say that it is wrong on theology. It is more about the approach and my comfort level and what I would prefer. Quite frankly, I think being challenged and uncomfortable is actually healthy in faith.

I hate to admit this but sometimes I wish that I had been the one that got cancer and survived. I wish that I had the ability to appreciate things in the same lens as someone that see’s life as a gift. As much as I can empathize with the family on the support side of the treatment, as of now I cannot have the same level of appreciation as a survivor. Let me be clear, it is not that I want it, I just will not have the same level of understanding.

A few nights ago, we went to a short prayer service for this teen that is starting his journey. It was informal and we really don’t know the prognosis. I don’t want to be the one that blows smoke by sharing my story and potentially provide false hope or sound somewhat gloating as I won the lottery on survival. I am not saying that it would be received that way either. However, I have this forum to say whatever I want to say. Maybe my writing gives someone a kickstart into finding the right course in life too.

End Your Programming Routine: This isn’t the only cancer story that is currently active in my life. It does happen to be the one that I am more hopeful for and the one that fits my story today. I don’t think that we need crisis or tragedy to change our ways. One thing that those situations do very well is galvanize where you stand and can easily push a person to one side or the other. I hope for the best here, I will stay tuned to where my lesson is in the journey.

February 22, 2022 – Making a Yeast Starter

February 22, 2022 /

I dont have my old notes anymore. They sent them with my original set of brewing equipment when I sold it. However, from what I remember, it was an Octoberfest (or Marzen style) and I used a liquid yeast. I struggled with getting the fermentation started.

It was summertime in South Carolina; so it was hot. When my yeast arrived, the icepack had melted and the package was hot and bloated a little. I think my interpretation of the instructions were to pitch the yeast around room temperature and then take the temp down to fermenting temp over the course of a day.

I had a temperature controlled refrigerator so I pitched the yeast and hoped for the best. It did start fermenting, so I put it in the refrigerator and fermenting stopped. I think I tried it two or three more times to the point where I gave up and let it finish out at ale (room) temperature.

I guess to be technical, the brew didn’t fail. It just didn’t ferment at lager temperatures. It certainly didn’t result in what I wanted, because of the temperatures and I contrasted liquid versus dry yeast yesterday. This time, I thought that I would make a yeast starter to kick start my anticipated sluggish start.

Just like making bread, you get the yeast hydrated and give it some food. This in theory makes it ready to take off when pitched. So, I thought I would give it a shot.

Making a starter is a micro beer batch.

  1. A container with lid
  2. Yeast
  3. Malt Extract
  4. Sanitizer
  5. Water

This is probably a place where using Malt Extract makes sense even if you are doing whole grain brewing. In fact, yeast can be re-used if you are going to immediately start brewing the same style of beer. It can be stored in the refrigerator, in a sanitary container for a couple of weeks. I have never had enough space or bottles to do sequential brewing but it is a place to save $12 a batch if you were going to do such a thing. Maybe with this new kegging system I will speed up production volume?

Heat up water to boiling, pour into a sanitized container. Add 1/2 cup of malt extract and dissolve. Cool the liquid down to pitching temperature. Add the yeast and top the container with a sanitized lid (that will let CO2 out). Do this two up to two days before brewing and that is it. I did it the day before I brewed.

End Your Programming Routine: The reality is, I don’t know if this was the trick or the fact that the yeast was dry, not cooked or the brewing temperature is a little warmer than my Marzen attempt. The wort was fermenting the next morning. I won’t concretely say this is the way to go but I am pretty sure this is the fastest I have ever seen fermentation kick-off. Usually, it really starts going day 2.

February 21, 2020 – Preparing to Brew Beer

February 21, 2022 /

Again, I have another packed week. I am working behind the scenes on content that is taking some time that I would normally dedicate to this effort. This is another week that I am leaning toward putting my effort into Friday instead of making sure I have something every day. I thought today that I would start with the logical first steps of brewing which are the steps that I use to get prepared and a few odds and ends that are related.

First, I thought that I would talk about what a brew kit looks like. The picture of the contents are below but essentially it is a recipe with all of the ingredients already measured out and packaged together ready to go.

This is a pretty simple recipe: Malt extract, hops and yeast. What is missing is the water. The kit provider also supplies a ‘one sheet’ of precise instructions, including a place to write notes and to keep this as a permanent record. I have my own notebook that I use but for people getting started or less disciplined, this can be really handy.

This kit is characterized as extract brewing. What this really means is that one of the major steps in brewing has already been done. Malting takes a whole grain and steeps it in water. This causes the seed to begin to germinate. That process converts the stored starches into sugar by activating natural enzymes and the sugar is what is fermented.

Malting barley can also be done by the home brewer. It requires a more significant equipment investment and more time. This is something that I actually have the equipment and is on my radar for experimentation but has been stuck behind a lot of other things that I would rather do. This is getting me motivated to step it up however.

Malt extract is made by a manufacturer malting the barley by concentrating the sugar (liquid) or evaporating the water (dried). I find the dried easier to handle but I think the liquid makes a better end product. The other prime limitation of the liquid is that it seems to come in either 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) or 6lb containers. That means that often the brewer uses some of both in a recipe.

Yeast is the mojo that makes it work. Yeast is the trade secret in all beer makers businesses because it can be adjusted and modified and is really the unknown. In the past, I used exclusively liquid yeast. In theory and definitely in cost, it is superior to dried yeast. The downside to liquid yeast is that it can get too hot, shipping in the summer can literally cook it, despite the ice packs they tried to use.

I said last week my experience with homebrewing beer has left me less than satisfied. That has driven me towards not spending the extra money on liquid yeast and this batch is no exception. Since my previous attempt at lager brewing failed (it didn’t ferment at the low temperature a lager is supposed to but it did go once I let the batch come up to room temperature), I didn’t feel like risking the money for a perceived better result. I think I have made myself clear.

End Your Programming Routine: I am planning on talking about what I am doing differently this time, tomorrow. So, if you are interesting in this topic, stay tuned. Remember what my goals are? See if the Keezer is worthy of getting integrated into the wine cellar design and while I am at it, brew a lager. Hopefully, I will get to all grain brewing and the point where I can tell the difference between the ingredients, but that is too many variables right now.

February 18, 2022 – American Dream Series: Rights

February 18, 2022 /

This one could go a little technical or wordy if I am not careful so I will try to keep it approachable. At first glance, we hear all of these words frequently. And in context, they kind of, sort of make sense like we get it. But, I would ask to look a little deeper and what is the definition of a right?

A right is an entitlement that our culture has historically and by majority recognized as something that precedes the existence of government and is used in the creation and execution thereof. That is not to say that opinions or clarifications may not change. Going back to previous civilizations like Rome for example, citizens were male landowners. That carried through into this countries founding as well.

The idea of Human Rights differs slightly and transcends status of citizenship. I may have a right as a citizen to perform some activity that I don’t as a non-citizen (i.e. voting). However, human rights are recognized regardless of legal status.

I think the problem we have today is a misunderstanding of a legal right, a human right and what I want. It is further confused between “the movement” and “the demands” and what filter we are applying. In a larger issue, we have to break it down to smaller components, do the analysis and reassemble all of the results to have a clearer picture of what the analysis means.

I will skip all of the other hot button issues and focus on my current favorite Vaccine mandates. What does this mean? It means than an employer is requiring proof of vaccination to remain employed. OK, then let us break this down using American constructs. Here are some of the subtopics

  1. Is the vaccine harmful?
  2. Is the vaccine helpful?
  3. Is there scientific evidence supporting population health and virus transmission of 100% vaccination rates versus less than 100% versus no vaccination?
  4. Is there legal precedent to force me to consume anything against my will?
  5. Do employers have the right to require vaccinations?
  6. Do businesses have the right to require proof of vaccinations?

In one through three, the data I have seen is definitely inconclusive at best. Number four is generally no and five and six, the answer is yes with caveats. With that, I will skip the first three and talk about the second half.

As citizens, we have the right to our bodies. That is generally what we consume (or not) how much and it is regulated as to where. So, take smoking. When alone at home we can smoke all day if we so choose, In places where smoke can effect others it is accepted to regulate or restrict. It is also the case with children or indigents (who are not considered citizens because they are in the care of someone else legally) that they can be forced to do things against their will.

That brings us to five and six. There is some ‘depends’ in here. Do private business owners have the right to require things beyond the law for employment? The answer is yes, as long as it is universally enforced and agreed in the employment contract. Do businesses have the right to restrict customers? Again, if it is privately owned and universally applied the answer is yes. In my opinion, I do not think the same privilege is allowed to government. Meaning, I do not think it is a right for government to restrict the citizens access, that is a violation of our rights.

Where does my analysis come down to on rights? A “Vaccine Mandate” violates our legal rights when it comes to interaction with government. A “Vaccine Mandate” also violates our rights when it comes to private interactions because I should be able to decide that I don’t want to enforce proof of vaccination. A “Vaccine Mandate” is something that I want, not because there is scientific proof or legal precedent to support a change in the definition of entitlement.

I think that it is also worthy mentioning that rights are considered as things government are prohibited from infringing or principally altering. As with all civil rights debates, it comes down to defining the classes. To Whom does it apply? Would we as Americans agree on the same set of rights as those who live in Dubai? I would doubt that we could agree on a lot of anything. This is why rights are considered changeable, because they are somewhat subjective.

I was going to carry on using examples of gender fluidity and try to make a scientific argument to the contrary, but I think this is enough today. This is the reason that there are whole categories of law dedicated to civil rights. I am not going to do it justice in a blog post nor am I an expert or a lawyer

End Your Programming Routine: Where does this leave us on rights? It seems like we have some. It also seems like the accepted definition is not rigid. I suppose that certain groups may be gaining rights while others are losing them. This is a complicated subject to just do a summary and use some concrete examples. As it pertains to the American Dream, I would assert that our rights still exist for the most part but I would say that we are trending toward new rights for inclusion but losing rights that were traditionally held and it depends on where you sit as to the direction you think it is going.

February 16, 2022 – Brewing and Keezer Project

February 16, 2022 /

I’m going to do something that I haven’t done in quite a while. That is to make beer. But of course, I cant just do something that I am proficient with, I have to amp up the complexity and number of variables.

A long time ago, I tried to brew a lager beer (2003ish). That is done at temperatures between 45 and 60. I had a refrigerator that had temperature control but it just didn’t work well. I am not totally sure why I failed but I thought that I would do it again. Part of what is causing me to do it now is that I am watching my plum wine settle and I can see the temperature going between 48 and 58 depending on the day. That is just setting in the basement, no refrigeration required.

A couple of years ago, my friend gave me a keezer. That is a freezer that has been converted to hold and dispense kegs. This is also new to me. I have never kegged beer before. It allegedly reduces the clean-up (mostly bottling time). That is the biggest reason I have moved away from brewing.

So, in order of my issues

  1. Time spent on the brewing and bottling process
  2. Cost of materials, there is little money saving brewing
  3. The quality of what I was making was substandard, in my opinion

Combine those three together and I think you can see why I stopped. Or should I say shifted focus. If you remember a long time ago, I wrote about looking for free or cheap sources to brew. Hence the plum wine, they were given to me. Just to punctuate this a bit more my kit costs $50. That is malt, hops and yeast in sufficient quantity to make 5 gallons.

5 gals * 128 oz/gal = 640 ozs

640 oz / 12 oz/bottle = 53.33 bottles yield

53.33 bottles / 6 bottles = 8.88 six packs per batch

$50 / 8.88 = $5.63 per six pack

Now, that might sound alright given that I am seeing Modelo or Corona at $11-13 per six pack. However, the other factors time and effort as well as results come into play. Generally speaking, this is going to be a low alcohol content batch. The more things that go in, the price starts to go up. Malt extract is $5/pound and hops are running more like $15/oz. That means if you are brewing an imperial IPA with lots of hops and alcohol you are getting closer to $10 a six pack or about what you are going to buy it at.

I purchased a brewing kit that is styled as a Mexican Lager. I am shooting to have this ready for Cinco de Mayo. Hopefully, I have given myself plenty of time but not so much that it is gone before we get there! If all goes well, then something else I have never done is all grain brewing. That can save quite a bit of money. So, who knows maybe this is the key to getting back into brewing beer again?

I want to try kegging. I want to try lagering. I want get this keezer working to see if I would rather like to keep going, expand or get rid of it myself. If it works out, then it is going to figure prominently in the wine cellar design as well. This all ties back to the basement cleanup efforts. See my crazy logic?

End Your Programming Routine: This is going to be a quick mini-series on brewing beer, specifically what I did. I had talked about writing on brewing in my About page and some of my early writings, but I have rarely done it. I suppose it goes back the time and the cost. I am looking forward to kicking this process off.

February 15, 2022 – Valentine’s Babble

February 15, 2022 /

Life continues at warp speed. I am trying to recover from my trip, perform as a single dad, keep up with my job, etc. Last week, I was able to finish my day and spend time writing into the evening. This week, I may not be able to do that. So, my priority will be to get Friday’s post out on the American Dream over daily writing this week.

I am sure that all men were aware that yesterday was Valentine’s Day. My wife was in Texas but it doesn’t mean that I will get out of it. It means that it was just postponed for a couple of days. I will be making plans to have a belated celebration later this week.

My son wanted to buy himself some Valentine’s candy last night. We went to the grocery store last night right before it closed. I saw people walking into the store and I said to him, “those are people doing their valentine shopping”. Wouldn’t you know it when we walked in, men were hovered around the cards in hope to find that card before it was too late. Talk about taking it to the wire.

I try not to judge but I am curious, did they wait to shop for a super bowl party right before the game was over? Maybe they needed to wait for a paycheck to clear, maybe this is the beginning of their day, maybe they hate the idea of this holiday as much as I do. I saw candy and stuff on the shelf as soon as the Christmas decor was removed. Next year, don’t be that guy.

I will skip my griping on today’s cars and the amount of gizmos and electronics they contain. Suffice to say, When my Navigator sat for a week, the battery was stone cold dead. I tried to charge it Saturday and Sunday to no avail, so I took it back to where I bought it for evaluation. On my way, I saw some girls manning a table selling pre-made valentines baskets next to the highway.

I was really impressed at the level of hustle. They had a good location and a nice display. I suspect based on what I could see driving by that their target market was the teen in love or the machismo of the population. I thought to myself that this was something I have never seen. I don’t know how well they did, but if they kept trying ideas like that, something will work. Congrats to them.

End Your Programming Routine: I alluded to my distaste for Valentine’s Day above. What I think I have finally learned is that it is not about me. It doesn’t mean that I will like it any more but it changes my perspective. If it important to my partner then it is important to my relationship. And that is important to me.

February 11, 2022 – American Dream Series: Democracy

February 11, 2022 /

Using the five ideals of Wikipedia’s definition of the American dream, today I want to go deeper into the first one: Democracy. I think most people have somewhere in the past studied this, but just in case I will hit the highlights again. The concept originated with the Greeks in the 5th century BC. A random group of 500 citizens were enlisted to perform one year of civic duty.

The American form of democracy is a modification of that practice. We don’t randomly select all of our government. We elect a select few to represent us amongst a a group of others that have been elected. This is a ’representative’ form of democracy. In addition, we don’t have one government but a cartel of member states at the federal level.

I am not an expert in this, but I do believe that states have some flexibility in terms of how they are comprised with respect to democracy. In fact, the more local the government the more diverse the composition of size and function and reach. My state essentially mirrors the federal makeup in the three bodies of executive, legislative and judicial branches.

If you go a level down to the county you start to see some differences. For instance, there is no executive position. The legislative and executive functions are combined into on body, the county commission. Yes There are judges but there is also a sheriff. This is a new wrinkle in the power dynamic. Because they are directly elected by the citizens of the county they have assumed more power than perceived higher authority, like state police for example.

Alright, you all can study up on your specific governments. I am going to move on. In order to have the American Dream we need democracy. What does that mean? Well, to me it means that the people have ultimate control of the government. It also means that we can change representatives if we think that they are not performing a job in a way that we approve.

Let us think about this for a minute. A lot of people talk a good game about having the power but I really want to put it into perspective. Unless you are a sociopath, firing people is difficult. It makes a person evaluate themselves and consider the consequences for the other person. I choose to think about what is best for the organization and the individual forcing them to go somewhere where they can thrive rather than underperforming at the current post.

To be honest, most people have never really done the job. They want to talk tough about what they believe and think should happen, but they haven’t actually done the hardest part. That is looking in the eyes and actually doing the work. Electing politicians is a small microcosm of that. They don’t actually have the heart to do the job. Hence, we very rarely elect a new politician over an incumbent. We are highly swayed by party propaganda convincing us that the evil we know is better than the evil we don’t.

To carry this to the extreme, who really believes that politicians are representing our point of view as average citizens? They literally can do things that are illegal for citizens like insider trading and prosecution immunity. Let us assume that my representatives were 100% in lock step with my beliefs, they are still two out of 100 or one out of 435 at the federal level. Even at the state level it is one out of 60 or one out of 30 depending one which side of the congress they are on.

The reality of making meaningful change by me electing a new government is statistically impossible. In the best possible scenario given above, my representative equals slightly over three percent of the total vote. Maybe the American Dream is more about the illusion of control via democracy? Maybe people act differently or more free when they believe that they have more control than they actually have?

I am not going to go into whether there is corruption, I simply don’t have any facts. I will simply say that the money to fund campaigns has got to be tremendous and it doesn’t come without strings attached. Political parties and other donors expect something as a result of their support. At the very least, they can be gatekeepers for who gets to run.

End Your Programming Routine: So where does this leave us? The demented adaptation of democracy from the original vision of the founders still exists. I have always contended that the best environment to perform is a benevolent dictatorship. That leaves a person to operate without interference in conditions where someone else is dealing with the politics. I think that I might argue that democracy is a bit idealistic as a cornerstone of the American Dream. I think I have made the case today that we don’t have much control anyway.