Quod incepimus conficiemus.
I admire the folks out there blogging away.
Most of the blogs I see are either very well written and thought out reflections or what everyone sees, the myspace "hey I got laid yesterday", or the "hey world I am so depressed that I got dumped, but I don't need a man" blogs.
It is funny the capability that humans have of either being profound or profane. In the end I think this is humanity shouting to the heavens "hey everyone, this is me!" You can be the idealized version of yourself online, either the thoughtful intellect, or the nineteen year old party girl. I must confess, that I am much more scattered in mind, than might show here. I am a multitasker, as I sit here and type this, I am also thinking of verbage to put into a proposal to a company on behalf of my employer. Though thinking about my other blogs so far, you may very well see the scatterbrained person that is inside me!
It is hard to do this, everytime I write I come up with errant thoughts that I wish to explore, but unless I sit and do this, they will never see the light of day...
Let's go to politics... Granholm vs. DeVos, I am voting for Jennifer this fall, but I think that many who support DeVos have good points. He knows how to run a business, though my wife points out that the State of Michigan is it's people and business has turned to some extent away from being about its people and toward profit at any costs. I think that the republican point of view is that government should not interfere with the peoples lives more than necessary. This to me is their best argument. I agree that the government should stay as much as possible out of my life and pocketbook. But what about my bad behaviors? If there were no government representatives on the highway, would I speed much more than I might already? Would I poop in my neighbors well just because it is a convenient spot? Would my company spill terrible chemicals into the ground, because I could get a better return if I did not have to pay to get rid of toxins?
I think that we all live under a set of agreed behaviors, this is what we call civilization. The role of the government is to see that the rules are fair to all, and that all abide by the agreements made. Here is where government differs from business. Business, by its very nature is competitive. Driven to out-perform its competitors, business looks at everything within the framework of profit. Business will not employ a single person unless they contribute what is needed to make the desired profit. So by its nature business is not about it's people.
The best response to this is that people should not work for a company that treats them worse than average. But the problem, is that due to circumstances, people must endure jobs that are worse than average, in many cases far worse.
Government is supposed to be fair to all people. Business by its nature is seldom fair, so by this line of reason, we should be careful when electing a business person to office. This, of course, is only one line of thinking and the world is seldom so simple. But things can be reduced from large to small to help digest the issues.
I would not elect Dick Devos, simply because his wife has a history of super-conservatism with the republican party. I have noticed that Betsy DeVos has barely been mentioned in this campaign. Mostly I think because the mention of her name enflames the national democratic organizers so much, that it is better to keep her in the background.
As an aside, on the role of vouchers in the school system. I think that even if someone takes their children out of the public school system, everyone should contribute to the public system, as this is the only way to be fair. A private school education may give an advantage to its users, but this should be an additional expense to its users. The private schools are private for a reason, and do not benefit from the oversight of the public schools. By this measure, vouchers are unfair to the public as a whole, and therefore should not be a government program. (steps off his soapbox). To me this is an indication that the DeVos family would be likely to support legislation that gives an advantage to people similar to them...
Wow, I am getting out there and public with some private thoughts. I welcome your comments on my thoughts, and hope that a few people are reading... Let me know if you are checking this blog out!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Big move...
As my prior entry spoke of, I got married last year and while preparing for the wedding my wife and I agreed to look at different employment. I was working for Michigan International Speedway (which I mis-spelled in my last post), and felt like I was not contributing to humanity or society.
For some perspective, my wife works in non profit, and has mostly held jobs that were either non-profit, or in the field of helping people. I on the other hand have always worked for national corporations. As our relationship grew, I realized that my wife had a grounded perspective that I had missed since leaving school. As we talked the idea of working for a non-profit began to take root in my mind.
At some point in my job search I found an ad for my present position with. It was perfect, a job that was a new title, but doing similar things that I was used to. My non profit interviewers needed a fundraiser that could work with major corporations and develop sponsorship concepts for companies. This was what my job description essentially was at MIS (The Speedway). So now I am at: (DELETED). New acronym, same type of job. The difference being that I am now able to help a population that is actively marginalised by most of society (without being too PC, how many of you out there have called someone a retard some time in their life...).
So fulfillment has come in the form of bettering society in my own small way, being married to an intelligent beautiful woman, and having a smiley wonderful baby in the house.
To get back to the beginning of my PRIOR post. If we lift up the smallest, we are all greater for it. This is one of the bedrock basis of my beliefs. I feel that America has become one large nation of people scared of the bogeyman, and hiding under the umbrella of their own fears magnified by the convenient cause of TERRORISM. We no longer lift anything up, rather we cover our own arses, hoping that we are not involved in the "next incident".
I think that If you follow some of the good reverend Frederick Woodens latest blogs, you see the opinion that our brothers in the mid-east are not the easy devils that we make them out to be, but rather they are more like us than we are comfortable seeing. And if we come out from under the umbrella of fear, we might see that there are always reasons for old hatred and conflict, and that it is time to get to know them.
I challenge myself and all that stumble across these words to adopt an old Special Olympics Catch-phrase and "Inspire Greatness". Lift up those that are small, that we may all be great.
Peace.
As my prior entry spoke of, I got married last year and while preparing for the wedding my wife and I agreed to look at different employment. I was working for Michigan International Speedway (which I mis-spelled in my last post), and felt like I was not contributing to humanity or society.
For some perspective, my wife works in non profit, and has mostly held jobs that were either non-profit, or in the field of helping people. I on the other hand have always worked for national corporations. As our relationship grew, I realized that my wife had a grounded perspective that I had missed since leaving school. As we talked the idea of working for a non-profit began to take root in my mind.
At some point in my job search I found an ad for my present position with. It was perfect, a job that was a new title, but doing similar things that I was used to. My non profit interviewers needed a fundraiser that could work with major corporations and develop sponsorship concepts for companies. This was what my job description essentially was at MIS (The Speedway). So now I am at: (DELETED). New acronym, same type of job. The difference being that I am now able to help a population that is actively marginalised by most of society (without being too PC, how many of you out there have called someone a retard some time in their life...).
So fulfillment has come in the form of bettering society in my own small way, being married to an intelligent beautiful woman, and having a smiley wonderful baby in the house.
To get back to the beginning of my PRIOR post. If we lift up the smallest, we are all greater for it. This is one of the bedrock basis of my beliefs. I feel that America has become one large nation of people scared of the bogeyman, and hiding under the umbrella of their own fears magnified by the convenient cause of TERRORISM. We no longer lift anything up, rather we cover our own arses, hoping that we are not involved in the "next incident".
I think that If you follow some of the good reverend Frederick Woodens latest blogs, you see the opinion that our brothers in the mid-east are not the easy devils that we make them out to be, but rather they are more like us than we are comfortable seeing. And if we come out from under the umbrella of fear, we might see that there are always reasons for old hatred and conflict, and that it is time to get to know them.
I challenge myself and all that stumble across these words to adopt an old Special Olympics Catch-phrase and "Inspire Greatness". Lift up those that are small, that we may all be great.
Peace.
We must lift the smallest, so that all may be great.
This was a line in the sermon yesterday at Fountain street church. Our pastor is W. Frederick Wooden, whoose blogs "Aside from the Obvious" and "Ranting Rev" you will find on this Blogspot site. This line resonated with me on many levels. I am currently Director of Development for Special Olympics Michigan. This means that I raise money for our oganisation, while hopefully directing the organisation in a meaningful way, to utilize these funds in smart ways. I will take a sidetrack and say that for the most part Special Olympics is really good about being smart with its spending, most of the monies raised go directly to the programs which we put on. Our cost to raise a dollar is lower than most nonprofit companies at around twenty five cents. The reason that I hold my current position, is my lovely wife Amy. Last year, as we were planning my wedding, I was employed by ISC Corp, at Michigan National Speedway. ISC is owned by the France Family. For those of you whose lightbulbs did not go off, The France Family is the owner and operator of NASCAR. The original redneck billionaires, whose reach gets wider, and stronger each year.
Anyhow, I was good at my job. I was a Corporate Partnerships executive. This means that I spoke with corporations about the benefits of spending money on NASCAR. And lo the benefits are large, so large that I never had to sell anything. NASCAR today is so huge, that the benefits of dealing with it are well documented. Many negotiations have been finalized with "well your competitor is interested in this package, if they sign before you, you will get locked out of NASCAR". The monies involved are staggering, in the Billions, larger in fact than the gross domestic profit of over thirty percent of the small countries in the world!
In may ways I am lucky to have met my wife. She is a great person, full of the fire of life, and a sense of goodness that is not regularly found today. In her own quiet and kind way she forced me to realize that all I was doing for the world, was lining a very rich few persons pockets. As I began to ponder this, and with my upcoming nuptials, I decided to make a change.
I think I will break off and continue this post later, as I have realised that a lot of writing ideas are again flooding my head, and interfering with the actual writing. Next Up: How I cam to the Special Olympics, and changes in my outlook...
This was a line in the sermon yesterday at Fountain street church. Our pastor is W. Frederick Wooden, whoose blogs "Aside from the Obvious" and "Ranting Rev" you will find on this Blogspot site. This line resonated with me on many levels. I am currently Director of Development for Special Olympics Michigan. This means that I raise money for our oganisation, while hopefully directing the organisation in a meaningful way, to utilize these funds in smart ways. I will take a sidetrack and say that for the most part Special Olympics is really good about being smart with its spending, most of the monies raised go directly to the programs which we put on. Our cost to raise a dollar is lower than most nonprofit companies at around twenty five cents. The reason that I hold my current position, is my lovely wife Amy. Last year, as we were planning my wedding, I was employed by ISC Corp, at Michigan National Speedway. ISC is owned by the France Family. For those of you whose lightbulbs did not go off, The France Family is the owner and operator of NASCAR. The original redneck billionaires, whose reach gets wider, and stronger each year.
Anyhow, I was good at my job. I was a Corporate Partnerships executive. This means that I spoke with corporations about the benefits of spending money on NASCAR. And lo the benefits are large, so large that I never had to sell anything. NASCAR today is so huge, that the benefits of dealing with it are well documented. Many negotiations have been finalized with "well your competitor is interested in this package, if they sign before you, you will get locked out of NASCAR". The monies involved are staggering, in the Billions, larger in fact than the gross domestic profit of over thirty percent of the small countries in the world!
In may ways I am lucky to have met my wife. She is a great person, full of the fire of life, and a sense of goodness that is not regularly found today. In her own quiet and kind way she forced me to realize that all I was doing for the world, was lining a very rich few persons pockets. As I began to ponder this, and with my upcoming nuptials, I decided to make a change.
I think I will break off and continue this post later, as I have realised that a lot of writing ideas are again flooding my head, and interfering with the actual writing. Next Up: How I cam to the Special Olympics, and changes in my outlook...
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Wow, I didn't realize that the commitment to speak would be such a guilt-inducing pastime. It has been almost a week, and no second blog from me. The hard part is coming up with a coherent storyline. I could speak for hours on any number of subjects, but they would seem very stream of conciousnees to most people. Having lots of opinions and the will to write, means to me, that I owe it to my readers (assuming that I gain some) to be concise and have a reason for writing. If not, then all I am doing is rehashing what spins around in my brain all day. And I feel no need to do that. So, to the point here is a very short synopsys of the topics that are floating around in my head this fall of 2006:
1. The political arena:
I have increasingly felt that I need to involve myself in the process of governing society, I see many things happening that distress me
and I feel that we need to set a new course in how we as Michiganders, and as Americans relate to the rest of humanity.
2. My personal situation:
I have spoken with my wife AMY, and agreed that certain parts of our relationship are off limits here in the vast ether. But I do
have certain universal moments to explore
3. The nature of religion.
As a modern man, I have conflicting feeling about the role that religion plays in society, and have not decided about how much to explore
these issues publicly... (wow lots of the big questions, how much do we show our personal cards. Perhaps its own subject.)
4. My daughter WILLA, and how much love is possible from a father:
Limitless so far...
5. Excercise and the need for me to pursue.
6. Mortality:
My facing of my mothers recent bypass surgery, and facing mortality as well as my potential legacy***
I put a star there as this is a promising topic!
7. The dogs- Arlo and Greta:
Misadventures of practice fatherhood
8. SEX!
I might share some juicy stuff that is stuck in my head.
9. The amazing cost of living as an adult.
I am guessing that America is closer to bankruptcy that anyone will ever publicly admit.
10. My Job:
At the risk of pulling back the curtain....
OK there is a top ten, time to put some organisation into this thought process, and see where the road takes us!
1. The political arena:
I have increasingly felt that I need to involve myself in the process of governing society, I see many things happening that distress me
and I feel that we need to set a new course in how we as Michiganders, and as Americans relate to the rest of humanity.
2. My personal situation:
I have spoken with my wife AMY, and agreed that certain parts of our relationship are off limits here in the vast ether. But I do
have certain universal moments to explore
3. The nature of religion.
As a modern man, I have conflicting feeling about the role that religion plays in society, and have not decided about how much to explore
these issues publicly... (wow lots of the big questions, how much do we show our personal cards. Perhaps its own subject.)
4. My daughter WILLA, and how much love is possible from a father:
Limitless so far...
5. Excercise and the need for me to pursue.
6. Mortality:
My facing of my mothers recent bypass surgery, and facing mortality as well as my potential legacy***
I put a star there as this is a promising topic!
7. The dogs- Arlo and Greta:
Misadventures of practice fatherhood
8. SEX!
I might share some juicy stuff that is stuck in my head.
9. The amazing cost of living as an adult.
I am guessing that America is closer to bankruptcy that anyone will ever publicly admit.
10. My Job:
At the risk of pulling back the curtain....
OK there is a top ten, time to put some organisation into this thought process, and see where the road takes us!
Monday, September 11, 2006
I have never had the impulse to blog. I have heeded the warnings that putting things online may result in unintended consequences. So, I will start with a short disclaimer. In the distant future, when I run for Congress or Chairman of the Board, someone may snoop this blog to find out if I have any ideas to exploit... I will say at the start that my opinions change as I grow both in spirit and in knowledge. What I may post here are my thoughts at the time of writing, this may not hold true as I continue in my education, but I will try and keep you abreast of my growth. That being said, I am not much of a flip-flopper, and my thoughts have some reason for being.
I do not know if there is a significance in beginning my blog journey on September 11th, five years after THE September 11th, but I know that there is a lot in my head this fall, and I feel the need to react to the world in a public way. PLease let me know your thoughts as you read these words dear reader, and let me know if I am making sense, or just blithering...
Tomorrow, my mother goes in for Surgery on her aortic anyerism, I will explore my feelings throughout the week. Today I am just numb with an overwhelming work-load, and the quiet hope that tomorrow does not end my 38 year relationship with my mother. Facing mortality is a heavy load with a newborn at home and a new marriage that needs my full attention. And to be completely dramatic, the world needs saving as well, and I need to determine my role in its salvation...
I do not know if there is a significance in beginning my blog journey on September 11th, five years after THE September 11th, but I know that there is a lot in my head this fall, and I feel the need to react to the world in a public way. PLease let me know your thoughts as you read these words dear reader, and let me know if I am making sense, or just blithering...
Tomorrow, my mother goes in for Surgery on her aortic anyerism, I will explore my feelings throughout the week. Today I am just numb with an overwhelming work-load, and the quiet hope that tomorrow does not end my 38 year relationship with my mother. Facing mortality is a heavy load with a newborn at home and a new marriage that needs my full attention. And to be completely dramatic, the world needs saving as well, and I need to determine my role in its salvation...
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