The lost art of letter writing

 The younger generation is missing out on one of the most pleasurable and personal forms of communication.
No matter how easy and efficient it may be to communicate with your friends and loved ones by texting or using email you'll never be able to achieve the closeness that comes from receiving a letter in the mail with recognizable handwriting on the outside of the envelope. The sight of that handwriting with its unique personalized  loops, curls, slants,capitals, style, and scent stimulates every sensory image of the reader before the envelop is even opened.. You don't have to look at the return address to know who wrote that letter.

Writing a letter takes time and requires the writer to search for the perfect words to express the thoughts and emotions that one wishes to convey. In days of old letters were routinely used  for purposes of courting and expressing devotion and love. Many a long distance romance between parted lovers kept the fire of passion alive. Mothers wrote letters to sons on the battlefield. Travelers sent letters back home describing their adventures. Business was conducted by letter also. Each form of communication required its own special protocol which was commonly known to all. 

Exchanging letters by mail (or the pony express) takes time and thus creates a certain delightful level of anticipation when awaiting a reply. There is no instant gratification when exchanging letters with someone which fact makes the waiting all the sweeter. Writing letters also requires that you chose your words carefully in order to prevent any possible misunderstandings. People often find it easier to express their emotions in letters rather than when talking face to face. Many a heart has been poured out on hand written page. Give it a try sometime you might find it rewarding. I promise you that whatever you write by hand and personally address in an envelope will be read much more carefully than anything you text or tweet.

                                                    Leaders from Hell
 When we start blaming our leaders for all of our  problems it's probably a sign that we've become too lazy and indifferent to solve our problems ourselves. After all our problems usually are "our" problems- not the politicians problems. If we take ownership of the problems we'll probably have better luck solving them than the politicians will because we're the ones that have to deal with these issues everyday.We're the experts not the politicians.

 Have you noticed how many politicians are buffing up their "so-called" leadership credentials lately? Technically a leader is someone who has the ability to bring people together in common cause. Hopefully those causes will be just and righteous but that's not always the case.  Hitler was a leader and so was Stalin, Castro, and Gengus Kahn.
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Given the recent performance of our current crop of politicians we'd probably have far better solving our challenges ourselves than letting them fester and hope our politicians will find solutions. If we step back and get some perspective on our daily lives, and the ways that we interact with one another, we seem to do a pretty good job of getting along and working together. The vast majority of us get up everyday and do the work that keeps the Country running with a high degree of efficiency and a minimum of discord. It's time for us to become leaders and let the politicians know who they work for and what we expect them to do.  We do that by voting, by writing letters, and making phone calls. 

The way to judge the skill of a  leader is to ask whether  they bring us together or pit us against one anther.The way to judge the quality of a leader is to ask if their actions are fair, just, wise, moral, and compassionate. Politicians who attempt to get elected by pitting us against each other should be turned out of office as quickly as possible. Don't forget to Vote!

                                                      Democracy doesn't have a "Party Line"

Only a few more days before the election and we'll be able to start answering our phones again!
It's interesting  to watch the ads on TV  that accuse the candidates of  consistently voting  for the so called "Party Line" of each political party. Communism has a "party line". Democracy doesn't. The sooner we get "Party" out of politics the better.

Scary days come  up! Ghosts, goblins and politicians prowling the streets looking for handouts and votes.
Hard to tell who is really behind those masks or what they plan to do after they count their goodies and claim their votes. It's scary to vote and even more scary not to! All those promises fade away in the morning like a fog burns off with the sunrise. They'll disappear by noon scuttling back to their caves and offices in the East. We won't hear from them for a few more years. No more ads, no more promises, no more masks. Let us be neighbors again. Let them swarm back to their nests. Leave us in peace!We're doing just fine without you!

Who was Ayn Rand?

This Russian immigrant probably had more influence on our Free Enterprise system than any other writer in the 20th Century. Her novels portrayed wealthy Oligarchs who controlled the major industries of the Nation and could be counted on to do what was best for the Country. Al Capp, one of America's noted social commentators who expressed his social views in the comic strip - Little Orphan Annie, created a wealthy Oligarch named "Daddy Warbucks". Not hard to figure out how he made his fortune. Any Rand created similar Oligarchs in her novels. She came to America as an Atheist knowing virtually nothing about a Free Enterprise system and for some unknown reason decided to write novels about heroic oligarchs. She wrote about a highly idealized concept of Free Enterprise which was so convincing that her philosophy became the bed rock of todays Republican Party. Alan Greenspan was among those who virtually worshiped at her feet.
Paul Ryan is another admirer. The characters in her books weren't just good business men, they were heroic and handsome as well and it goes without saying that their wives were gorgeous.  These larger than life characters owned the railroads and all of the major industries of the Nation. They created the jobs, financed the industries, and basically controlled every major segment of the economy. It's ironic that a Russian immigrant who had no concept of a true Free Enterprise system could have had such an enormous influence on many of our Nation's economists and investors over the years. She was a skilled writer. Her characters were larger than life, highly romanticized  and always could be counted on to know what was best for the country (and their own pocket books). Her appeal was largely to young college age boys (I confess to being enamored with her books in college). Her basic thesis was that Oligarchs could be trusted to do what was best for all of us. Alan Greenspan was so brain washed by Ayn Rand that to this day he can't believe that the bankers and the boys on Wall Street couldn't be trusted with the reins of our economy.

It's ironic that the core members of the Republican Party so admire a Godless Russian who promoted an Oligarchy controlled economic system. Her views were the very antithesis  of everything that our Free Enterprise system is supposed to represent.

Why Martha Stewart?

It's been five years since the economy collapsed in 2009 and so far the only CEO who's gone to jail is Martha Stewart. Not one of the Bank CEO's, not a single Wall Street CEO, has even been prosecuted but for some reason they went after Martha Steward for a stock transaction that was so small it;s hard to imagine how it even popped up on the radar of the Justice Department. They nailed her for so called "insider trading" as if the majority of the big players on Wall Street don't take advantage of "inside" information every day of the week. So what gives? Why did they pick on Martha Stewart and ignore the really big fish who nearly brought our economy to it's knees? Was she just an easy target, some  low hanging fruit that the Justice Department could parade around to show that they were actually going after the law breakers? Frankly I think she got the shaft. Who among us wouldn't buy or sell a stock if we knew someone who knew something. There are all kinds of experts who make a living by using insider information to buy and sell stocks. Every Fund manager has ties to market, financial, and corporate insiders and they all use that information to help them make profitable investments. Everybody who buys stocks has an ear to the ground trying to get insider information. If the Justice Department needed to make an example of someone why did they pick on Martha Stewart? Was it simply because she was so well known or did someone with some influence in the Department of Justice decide to take her down for other reasons? A business competitor for example, who makes big donations to a few powerful politicians? To quote the famous bard -there's definitely something rotten in Denmark! This had to be pay back from someone she crossed swords with.
The fact that she never complained and took her medicine without saying "why me?' may indicate that she knew who sent the message and why they sent it.

Falling in love with Fall....

What a great time of year to get out on the open road and leave the fumes and traffic of the city behind. Roll down the windows and breath in some fresh air. Give those tired eyeballs a chance to focus on something farther away than your smart phone. Breathe - exhale - breathe - exhale - let go of the tension and get in touch with the natural rhythms of nature. Give that adrenal gland a chance to rest and recharge. Dump those worries by the side of the road. Pick any road - it doesn't matter which one -  just pick one and drive away from the artificial insanity of all the things we think are so important. Dump those worries by the side of the road and you'll get much better emotional mileage out of those calories you've been burning 24/7. Friend the breeze, the clouds, the silence. Friend yourself.

Bon Voyage!

                                             Why can't politicians be more like us?

The over whelming majority of Americans go to work every day and get along with each other. We cooperate with one another. We work together to find solutions to our problems. We praise and encourage each other, and form long term rewarding relationships in the work place.

Politicians live in an entirely different world than ours. They live in a world of continuous conflict where people try to destroy each other instead of coming together to work as a team. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all acted like the politicians? Imagine a world where nothing every gets done, where every idea is opposed and every action is criticized. Imagine a world where your work mates primary goal is to get you fired from your job. Imagine a world driven by non-stop negativity . Imagine how much you would dread going to work every day if you had to work in that type of environment.

Why can't the politicians be more like us?

                                                                Violence

Violence comes in many forms. Physical, emotional, and spiritual. Violence in the Middle East takes the form of separating peoples heads from their bodies over religious beliefs. In Africa violence takes the form of  tribal warfare, starvation, and disease.  In China, Russia, and North Korea we see political violence emerge in the form of imprisonments and executions. In portions of Europe immigration issues produce prejudicial violence. In third world countries economic problems  produce a form of social violence we call poverty and starvation. World wide ethnic and racial prejudice produce psychological and economic violence. Competing religions often produce spiritual violence. Politicians thrive on ideological violence- which take the form of personal attacks on individuals occupying or running for office.

As we approach our mid-term elections in November we're bearing witness to some of the most infantile and reprehensible "dark money" attacks on candidates from both sides of the aisle. The thing about the so-called anonomous "dark  money" ads is that they produce violence against the "truth" without the liars risking legal penalties for libel .

We cam thank the Supreme Court for removing the legal barrier against libel for lying. If you want to express you opinions to the Justices of the bench of the Supreme Court for the infamous "Citizens United" decision you can write to the address shown below. You can also contact your local media outlets and let them know how you feel about them accepting money to run these vicious personal attacks on the candidates.

Supreme Court of the USA
One First Street
NE Washinton, D.C. 20543