About free college and other idealistic things

Some reservations I would have about Bernie Sanders tho I would vote for him, or any of the Democratic candidates who get the nomination.

Ideas, like free college seem far fetched unless the bulk of grass roots people get behind it. Back in my college days, college was, at least more affordable. Most of the cost of college was paid for by state taxpayers. At least at state run colleges where (I think) most students go. Around 70% of the cost was covered by the state. Today, the taxpayers pay only around 40% of the cost (here in Washington State at least) so tuition is much higher.

Washington is a "blue state," but we still have trouble raising taxes. Washington voters have turned down several initiatives to have a progressive income tax in this state.

Another problem is that the cost of college has gone way up since my college years. Much of that has to due with a growing gap of incomes between upper middle class "professionals" and average working people.

As for the salaries of upper income professionals, various institutions, including colleges, government agencies, private businesses and non profits have been in a bidding war to raise top level salaries as they strive to attract and retain what they consider to be their most talented staff. This bidding war drives up costs.

Spiraling property values for residential property has also driven up the need for the higher salaries due to rising costs of living.

We may be able to make college more affordable, but free college is a bit of a stretch.

Part of the problem is that people, like Bernie Sanders, try and blame everything on the 1%. The 1% may be the most to blame, but part of that money is tied up in the capital that runs business. A much bigger group of people is the top 20%, or so. Upper middle class. The gap between upper middle class and average workers has grown higher as well.

Upper middle class can be blamed for a lot of things like the NIMByism that makes it harder to build affordable housing.

It's true that the 1% is especially culpable in basically buying Congress. This has been made worse after the Citizen's United ruling.

Politicians don't like to blame upper middle class since that group has a lot of voters. In some ways, it seems more politically smart to blame the 1% because 99% can logically out vote 1%. The problem is, that logic has not worked. Much of the 99% still supports Donald Trump and other Republicans.

Not only is there big income gaps in our society, but there is also a cultural divide. Some of the 1% is liberal, culturally, while quite a lot of the 99% remain conservative.

Think of the liberal billionaires such as George Soros who support environmental causes. Think of what people often refer to as the "Hollywood elite." The cultural divide cuts differently than the income divide. We are dealing with both a cultural divide as well as the income divide, but they are somewhat different phenomenon.

Changes need to happen at the grassroots level. For things like free, or even just affordable college to work, the people have to be willing to pay for this.

Some say, just cut the military and pay for it via federal, rather than state government.

I am for cutting the military, but that is difficult to do also. It only takes a band of well organized criminals to create something like a 911. If that were to happen, fear would drive politics toward the military again. Even if a big military is not the best solution to the 911 problem (such as sending hundreds of tanks into Baghdad), people vote with their emotions all too often.

I hate to say it, but I think fear is a more powerful emotion than love. When it comes to emotions, fear trumps love. That could be a pun also.

I would say more head and probably less heart is needed in human culture. That may sound counter intuitive. We all have emotions (heart), but they don't often go in good directions. Greed, fear and so forth often prevail. Logic may not be perfect, but I think it is too often underrated.

More idealistic thinking is definitely possible, but it has to come from big cultural changes at the grassroots level.

Republicans aren't likely to pass taxes for infrastructure anyway

Trump walks out of meeting with congressional Democrats that was to be about infrastructure spending. Oh well, we can't increase infrastructure spending without raising taxes anyway; or maybe taking money from the military or adding to the debt. We can't do federal public infrastructure, that is. Private infrastructure; like toll roads can still be done and states can move forward also.

The fight wasn't about infrastructure, but it is the battle between Trump and the new Democratically elected House over investigations of the president. Investigations; even impeachment can take place in the House, but Trump is still highly protected by most of the Republicans in the Senate.

Beyond just the politics of Trump and Congress, the American people are divided. A good way toward better infrastructure is to raise the gas tax. A hard sell especially to Republicans, but to Democrats also. Democrats don't like regressive taxes, which a gas tax would be. They are reluctant to do this without raising taxes on the wealthy. Republicans are pretty set against the latter.

Trump might say, oh, hell, we've got almost full employment anyway without the damn infrastructure.

Yes, Americans are employed, but many are stuck in traffic, or unable to afford convenient housing.

Speaking of traffic, another question is, where are we going to put the infrastructure? In most cities, there is no room to add lanes to the freeway.

The old American way is no longer working. We need greener infrastructure, greener lifestyles and greener politics. Investigations or not, 2020 election is on its way. Are you going to vote?

Stripping Down the carbon footprint. My article related to June 7 naked bike ride in Bellingham 2019

Someone's chalk Art I found on sidewalk a week, or two, ago.

Painting party before and block party after ride. Events in front of Make.shift Art Gallery 306 Flora in downtown Bellingham. Friday June 7 2019.

Article I wrote for Betty Pages about:

Stripping down the carbon footprint

We need to find ways to make reducing the carbon footprint more fun. Just asking people to make sacrifices doesn't usually go over well.

Improving technology can help us reduce fossil fuel consumption. Things like LED lights can help as they use a lot less energy than old fashioned incandescent lighting. Generating more of our energy from solar power is needed also. Problem is, it takes a lot of time for the use of these new technologies to become widespread.

In the meantime, population keeps growing and more of the world's people rise out of poverty. Consumption of fossil fuels continues to increase. Few folks want to go back to the Dark Ages and sacrifice the pleasures of modern life.

How can we make conservation more enjoyable so the idea becomes popular?

One way is to think of other benefits besides just the value of having money and material wealth. How about the benefit of good health?

Bicycling may not be as fast as driving, but it's a good way to integrate exercise into one's means of transportation. Depending on the circumstances, it can be a lot of fun.

One really fun ride is the World Naked Bike Ride. This happens in many cities around the world; including here in Bellingham. Our local version of this ride is planned for Friday, June 7th. Starts by the Makeshift Gallery, 306 Flora around 6 pm.

The ride is non competitive. It can be enjoyed by folks from a wide range of ages and body types. One need not even be naked to participate. There are many versions of dress, or undress, depending on one's level of comfort. Volunteers are needed and quite a few folks just come downtown to cheer on the riders.

More information is available on their website.

There is usually a fun dance after the ride. I got to thinking that dancing is a form of exercise that a lot of people enjoy. They usually don't think of it as a chore; like maybe going to the gym. This is how we ought to view things like bicycling. We can also view other forms of reducing the carbon footprint in this way as well.

Folks are often striving to increase the GDP of our economy. This can be hard work and a burden for both the individual and the planet. How about spending more time away from the job? More time for friends and family, or even just time to get an adequate amount of sleep.

If we could measure the success of our economy in terms of our health, or the amount of connection we have with community, our task of reducing the carbon footprint would be a lot easier.

By Robert Ashworth

Adjusting to climate change, retooling culture and infrastructure. From my Facebook posts.

Very alarming if true.

We Have Five Years To Save Ourselves From Climate Change, Harvard Scientist Says

Yes, I say, human caused global warming is happening, but do we absolutely have to turn this ship (so to speak) around in only 5 years? This Harvard scientist says yes. Drastic reduction in our carbon emissions. He also talks about the need to artificially reflect more sunlight away from the atmosphere. I think it may have to come to that, if these dire predictions are true. Due to the economy and our culture, it doesn't look like we have the will to drastically cut carbon emissions in the real near future.

I would like to see some drastic changes, like higher gas taxes and so forth. It will take more than even that. It might be easier for me as a single person, on my bicycle, but (as people often say) I'm not raising a family.

Responding to another article, or part of an article.

Africa's high birth rate is keeping the continent poor

Overpopulation is a big problem in parts of Africa. Could be a source for more refugees and immigrants to the west. This article interested me, but, not being a subscriber to the Economist Magazine, I only saw the first few paragraphs.

Personally, I think about the debate over things like gay rights that's taking place within a lot of church denominations. Churches, such as the Episcopal and Methodist, are split between the more liberal theologies of their western branches and the more conservative, traditionalist theologies of their African branches. In many cases Africa wins by majority rule. Some of these church organizations are splitting.

I think we need less traditionalist theology to adjust to climate change; especially because most people of the world, even if poor, seem to aspire toward having a fairly consumptive lifestyle. Even if not as crazily consumptive as American, consumptive still. Don't be forcing lifestyles of procreation on every last person. We need a more feminist agenda. More friendly toward singles, gays and family planning.

And yet another.

People might think I'm Africa bashing, but this article comes to mind also. Yes, there's the rich elite in more countries than just the USA. It can be bad where ever it is; including USA, but Africa isn't necessarily of moral superiority.

Meanwhile back in USA.

A recent meeting about infrastructure, between Trump and Congressional Democrats, was discussed on this edition of On Point Radio. One analyst said Republicans, in Congress, would not allow much spending on infrastructure. Trump likes to sound good and offer some generous proposals that sound good to the Democrats. Republicans, except for Trump, normally ask; "where's the money going to come from?"

Money seems to only be able to come from more deficit spending. The idea of raising the federal gas tax is plausible. It needs to be higher, but the gas tax (and I would also say any carbon tax) is pretty much a regressive tax. Hits poor people who say they have to drive the most.

Democrats, in that meeting, were willing to consider a politically difficult gas tax if Republicans were willing to roll back the recent Republican tax breaks that mostly went to the wealthy.

Looks like we'll just continue with gridlock.

Show was opened up to callers who came up with some innovative ideas. Besides the normal political gridlock, we are on the cusp of some game changing technology. Think Uber, think self driving cars, think hail the car rather than owning and having to park the car. Think cyber travel and virtual reality, think information age. Think change.

Pete Buttigieg's liberal approach to Christianity is much needed

Liberal and accepting Christianity has been around for years, but it tends to not get a lot of attention. The candidacy of Pete Buttigieg for US president is bringing more media focus to the side of Christianity that is more open to diverse peoples. Also the recent coming out of a student at BYU, a Morman university, is in the news. Among the many podcasts I listen to as I do my custodial job.

One main point that is made by Buttigieg is that being gay is his natural state. What he was, basically born as. God made him that way. Not a choice. One conservative caller pointed out that there are a lot of traits in various human natures that are not necessarily good to express. Like the urge to murder, that some people face.

I got to thinking that there is also another way to justify the diversity that we call homosexuality. One can ask, what is the harm? Most people know there is harm from a lot of our human emotions such as the urge toward murder. There is good reason to suppress many of our less socially comparable desires. As for love or sexual feelings between two consenting adults, what's the harm? I almost like that argument better than the more common "we can't help it, this is our natural state" argument.

In my thinking, asking what the harm is can lead to one of my favorite points about alternative lifestyles that seldom gets discussed. The problem of population growth. If more people were gay, or at least not as into procreation, the environment would be less endangered. The world is still facing the challenge of dealing with global warming while a projected 3 billion more people will be living on the planet in the next few decades. Even with birthrates dropping, there is still enough growth in the pipeline to bring us from 7 billion to 10 billion in the next few decades. We are having trouble accommodating 7 billion. Think of all the refugees. Conservatives talk about the "flood" of immigrants. Seems like we are headed toward a world of hate unless we become more accepting to folks who aren't necessarily in the mainstream of procreation.