The Voters of Foxworld

In Foxworld... No, no, no, nope, nope, nope.
This is too blindingly stupid, even for Foxworld.

Vocabulary Conflict

I don't know why I didn't see it earlier.  Actually, I did.  But sometimes recognizing something requires the vocabulary to describe it, and I didn't really find that until Saturday morning.
    I was at my uncles house in Antlers, having attended his sister's funeral the day before, and I was checking my Facebook.  One of  my conservamentators had posted an anti-Socialism article, and had introduced it by saying that any ideology concerned with redistributing wealth was an evil ideology.  And suddenly I understood.  The problem was simply a matter of vocabulary.  In years past, I've had the same problem in talking to my brother.
    Essentially it goes like this:
    Person A defines S as X, while person B defines S as Q.  Person A fails to notice that person B is talking about Q, and continues to rail against X (a "straw man" argument.)  Person B doesn't disagree with person A about X, but fails to see the relevance because X is not Q. 
     In this real life situation, X = redistribution of wealth, whereas Q = community crowdfunding.  And a failure to recognize each other's definition begets conversations like this one in response to this picture:
 

Me: " Meanwhile, a Social Democrat will stop by your house while you are out of town and pick up all your fallen tree limbs. I know, 'cause it happened to me!
"Him: "Which is great, but doesn't negate the evil of the ideology." 

...which set me to wondering why the Edmond Street Department would be considered the product of an evil ideology.  I thought to ask if my friend is doing anything proactive to abolish institutions of Social Democracy in his own community, such as the street department, parks department, water department, public schools, public library, fire department, police department, sanitation department, or any other organizations that are crowdfunded by the community he lives in.  But I didn't. 
    Now the illustration above doesn't define socialism as redistributing wealth, per se, but it does conflate the policy objectives of Bernie Sanders with Communism and Totalitarianism, which is a stretch.  But such is the mindset of my friend, and he's not curious enough to try to understand why others disagree with him.
    This is an observation I've made before about him and others.  He's not curious.  He's not interested in finding out what's true and what works, nor in understanding the point of view of those who do not share his opinion.  He neatly divides every issue into convenient categories, vigorously defending some while completely dismissing others if they don't fit his world view.  If any idea or opinion does not agree with his, it's not worth the time it takes to understand it.  As a result, he's prone to straw man arguments, especially on topics related to Socialism (Socialists want to replace Capitalism! ), guns (Obama wants to take away your guns!), and climate change.  And if you point it out, well there's always the ad hominim.

    This is not to say that my friend is not intelligent.  But we humans are prone to prejudices, including the exaggerated estimation of our own intelligence, that can act as blinders and produce a willful ignorance.  I'm not immune.  But I want to be curious.  I think it is a great virtue.  The danger comes when you decide that you've reached the end of your search for understanding.
    So what do I understand about the issue above?  If you ask an economist about redistribution of wealth, he will tell you that it is a byproduct of taxation policy.  If taxes are progressive and high, wealth redistributes down.  If taxes are regressive and low, wealth redistributes up.  The enlargement of the welfare state is a byproduct of the latter, as is the exacerbation of income inequality and slow recovery from economic shocks.  This wasn't just an idea on paper; this is what has happened in real life to real people since the end of World War II.
    My conservamentators outnumber my liberamentators two to one, and they are pretty vocal (typal? copy and pastal?) with their opinions on this subject, so I think I have a fairly good grasp on what they think:  The Socialists in the government have set up a system by which those who do not wish to work for a living can instead live off Government handouts, which are paid for by taxes on those who have a work ethic and have jobs.  Higher taxes on the wealthy are a way to redistribute wealth from those who have money (because they worked for it) to those who don't have money (because they refuse to work and wish instead to live off the Government.) People voted for Obama, and now support Bernie Sanders because they are hoping to get some of this "free stuff" they are promising.  What they fail to realize, and what all Republicans can see clearly, is that this creates a dependency on Government, which will eventually lead to totalitarianism, which is the goal of the Democrats.  This is also the reason that the recovery from the recession has been slow.  Also, they're probably all on drugs.
    There's no data or statistics that confirm any of this; in fact, it's all flatly refuted.  But it's in my Facebook feed everyday, and even though I disagree with it, I never want to be in the position where someone can say I don't understand it.  I remain curious.  And hopefully my understanding will increase.

I Totally Carpéed That Diem

One of my biggest character flaws is self doubt.  It's kept me from doing a number of things in my life, and worse, kept me from even trying a lot more. 
    At the end of this coming summer, it is my intention to retire from the hotel and find a job with daytime hours.  I will have been nocturnal for thirteen years at that time, and, frankly, I'm tired.  I also know that some of the things I need to do for my own health and welfare are not going to get done as long as I'm working nights, so I need a life change to get me started.
    There are a number of things that I'm thinking of doing.  I enjoy hotel work, but I'm wondering if there is such a thing as an executive concierge. A former co-worker has gone to work for a tourism agency, and she gave me a card with a number to call.  Perhaps they have such a position.  But I'm open to different possibilities.  Another co-worker gave me some info about temp jobs for the State.
    My dear friend Ted wants to open a frame shop/ co-op art gallery with me.  I would love to do that more than anything, but he wants me to be a partner, not an employee, which means I'd have to come up with a chunk of cash for the investment, and neither of us wants to go into debt to get it.
    Then a few days ago, my Dad sent me this email: 

Ron,  I saw in yesterday's paper that the Edmond Public School District is going to have a teacher job fair on Tuesday, February 2 and Thursday, February 4 at 1001 W. Danforth.  I looks like there might be all kinds of opportunities.  They want people to bring their resume and be prepared to meet with the site principal for an interview. 

Dad

Edmond Public Schools is hosting a teacher job fair from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 and Thursday, Feb. 4 at the district’s administrative headquarters located at 1001 W. Danforth in Edmond.

“Despite the multi-million dollar cut to public education by the state which resulted in Edmond losing nearly $1.3 million in funding, we must still hire quality teachers,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Randy Decker. “A great teacher is critical to a student’s future success.”

The Feb. 2 event is for individuals interested in a job in secondary education. Prospective teachers interested in a job in elementary education should plan to attend the Feb. 4 job fair. The district will have open positions posted in the areas of elementary, early childhood, math, English and special education among others. "Already more than 30 teachers have notified us that they will retire or quit at the end of this academic year and that number will continue to rise, so we must replace them with the best educators possible.

”Participants should bring several copies of their resumes and be prepared to meet with site principals for interviews.  The district is also urging college graduates with non-teaching degrees to attend the job fair to learn more about the rewards of the profession. District staff will be available to offer information about alternative routes to teacher certification.Edmond offers teachers a starting salary among the highest in the metro area, extensive peer mentoring, paid life and disability insurance and the opportunity for supplemental pay for additional duties such as coaching or sponsoring a student club.  In addition, the district has unmatched community support of bond issues which funds the construction and maintenance of schools.   A full list of benefits can be found on the district’s website at www.edmondschools.net.

    Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from college with a degree in Art Education.  I never got to use it.  It was at a time when several school districts were eliminating their art programs, and a job close to home was difficult to find.  Family obligations required me to remain close to home, so I never ventured out further to look for a job.  After a few years, my teaching license expired, and I never renewed it.  Anyway, life's an adventure, and sometimes it takes you places you don't expect, particularly when you have trouble accepting who and what you are, and spend your life trying to be something you're not.
    The whole self-acceptance thing also translated into a lack of self confidence, and one of the things I find to criticize most about myself is my fear of failure, which, I guess, would be better described as a fear of trying.  I have missed so many opportunities in my life simply by not having the courage to try something outside my comfort zone. 
    After I got Dad's email, I spent a tortured couple of weeks trying to decide whether to even try applying for a teaching job.  On the one hand, I had no accreditation, and I had doubts that they would be interested in me.  And yet, Kansas is hiring people off the streets, practically, because their conservative tax policies have driven their economy into the ground, and they can't keep teachers in their schools.  Is Oklahoma to that point yet?  Is Edmond?  If so, do I want to work a job knowing that the reason I got it was because of circumstances I despise.  I described this situation to my friend Dane.  He said, "What's the worst they could say?  'No,' right?'
   "No, the worst they could say is 'Yes.'"
    And that was true.  It's been a quarter of a century since I've been in school, and I don't know how to make lesson plans, or how to assert myself to a bunch of unruly kids...  There's just too many bad scenarios in my head.  No confidence.  None at all.  What if they said yes, and I'm plunged into a situation that I'm just not prepared for?
    But then, do I really want another regret?
    True to form, I waited till the last minute, but I did it.  I got online and found a resume template  (a subscription, which I'm going to have to do something about sometime) and I printed off several copies.  I rummaged through the closet and found some dress pants that (almost) fit.  I shaved and gelled my hair.  And I set out to try.  Only a few minutes late.
    The first person I met, when I came in the door was Randy Decker, an old friend from college.  I expected him to be there, since he was mentioned in the email.  He recognized me right away.  It took me a moment; he looked twenty five years older than he did in 1991.  I reminded him that I still had his portrait that I had painted of him back in our college days hanging in my studio.
    He asked me if I had checked in, and then directed me to the place I needed to go.  In part of that check in process, I found out that, no, I was not qualified at this time, but there are some papers I can fill out to apply for re-accreditation.  I said goodbye to Randy, and went home.  And that was it.  No muss, no fuss.
    So I didn't get the job, but just the fact that I had tried is a big deal to me.  I was telling my Dad later about how it all went down, and that even though it turned out the way it did, I'm happy that I don't have the regrets that I would have had otherwise.
    He was pleased too.

Economics of Foxworld

 

In Foxworld, these five "truths" can't be disagreed with.

Wayward Republican Voters (Reading List for 1-29)

Potemkin Ideologies

What we’re seeing on the Republican side is that almost nobody except a handful of pundits and think-tank hired guns cares at all about the official party ideology...What’s really going on is (justified) fear over the erosion of white patriarchy. (That’s what the attack on Planned Parenthood is really about too.) That is, it’s about authority, not virtue. - Paul Krugman

Donald Trump is wrecking the conservative movement: How the billionaire is exposing its most toxic secret

Perhaps the most puzzled by what they’re seeing is the conservative movement old guard who spent decades creating the organizations that in recent years have risen up to challenge the Republican elites for supremacy of the party. They have made great strides, primarying apostates, defeating RINOs and even taking out good conservatives just to show they could. They showed the entire country that they are willing to destroy the government itself if that’s what it takes to demonstrate their commitment to their principles. They take no prisoners, give no quarter. And finally, after decades of hard work and strategizing, they are on the verge of total dominance.
Or they were until Trump came along and proved that many of the people they had been counting on to be the foot soldiers in this conservative revolution weren’t paying attention...
...They thought their years of carefully growing and indoctrinating the right wing of the Republican Party had resulted in a common belief in a certain conservative ideology, strategic vision and commitment to a specific agenda.  It turns out that a good number of the people they thought had signed on to their program just wanted someone to stick it to ethnic and racial minorities and make sure America is the biggest bad ass on the planet — authoritarian, white nationalism. If you’ve got a man who will deliver that you don’t need ideology. And he doesn’t need democracy. - Heather Digby Parton

David Brooks is freaking out: Why the voice of the conservative establishment is finally panicking

Then, by last week, Brooks was in a panic. His January 19 column, “Time for a Republican Conspiracy!” excoriates his party for failing to stand up to the Trump-Cruz juggernauts. He finally recognizes what has been obvious to others for years: That GOP voters are not really as anti-government as they appear. He misses the ever-present corollary, which is that conservative voters favor government when its benefits go to them, not to those lazy welfare moochers that every GOP candidate for over 40 years has brandished to scare people into voting Republican.
Do something! Do anything! Brooks pleads with the party. But don’t give up and cede the nomination to the vile hucksters who combine to attract over 50 percent of your voters! - Gary Legum

The Media of Foxworld

In Foxworld, WND is considered a reliable news source.

Having Withdrawals

Fact Check: Did Obama Withdraw From Iraq Too Soon, Allowing ISIS To Grow?

It was President George W. Bush who signed the Status of Forces agreement in 2008, which planned for all American troops to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
"The agreement lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq — a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge," he said in a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki at the time.
Moments later, an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the president. It is important to remember most Iraqis saw the Americans as occupiers and blame them for civilian deaths.
Maliki summed up the sentiment at the time, thus:

"The incomplete sovereignty and the presence of foreign troops are the most dangerous, most complicated and most burdensome legacy we have faced since the time of dictatorship. Iraq should get rid of them to protect its young democratic experiment."

Thousands of American troops had died, and by the time Obama announced the withdrawal, fully three-quarters of Americans supported the withdrawal (though a majority of Republicans did not).
Still, many had real concerns al Qaeda wasn't done for. And there were some, including U.S. senators, saying the troops should stay just in case things went downhill. They say Obama should have sold the idea, hard, to Maliki.
...
The State Department's lawyers said troops couldn't stay in Iraq unless the Iraqi parliament authorized them to do so, including granting them immunity from Iraqi law. The Iraqi parliamentarians would never OK such a decision, with Iraqi popular opinion staunchly against U.S. troops staying.
[Iraq analyst Kirk] Sowell saw State's decision as a deliberately insurmountable obstacle.
"It was a barrier that was very high," he said, "and there was no way it was going to be jumped over."

But, does Obama bear responsibility for the timing of the troop withdrawal? On balance, no.
He was following through on an agreement made by Bush and abiding by the will of the Iraqi and American people.

Iraq rejects US request to maintain bases after troop withdrawal

The US suffered a major diplomatic and military rebuff on Friday when Iraq finally rejected its pleas to maintain bases in the country beyond this year.
Barack Obama announced at a White House press conference that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of December, a decision forced by the final collapse of lengthy talks between the US and the Iraqi government on the issue....
Obama attempted to make the most of it by presenting the withdrawal as the fulfilment of one of his election promises.
"Today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," he told reporters.

But he had already announced this earlier this year, and the real significance today was in the failure of Obama, in spite of the cost to the US in dollars and deaths, to persuade the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to allow one or more American bases to be kept in the country.

Obama was formally told of Maliki's final decision on Friday morning in a video conference.
Speaking later to reporters, Obama glossed over the rejection, describing it as Iraq shaping its own future.
He told reporters that the "tide of war is receding", not only in Iraq but in Afghanistan and in Libya.
"The United States is moving forward to a position of strength. The long war in Iraq will come to an end by the end of this year. The transition in Afghanistan is moving forward and our troops are finally coming home," he said.