How Would You Handle Our Social and Economic Problems?

I read a friend's Facebook post recently, where he pointed to a statistic saying that about 1/3 of the public is on some sort of welfare.  Welfare, for the sake of this article, includes cash assistance, food stamps and Medicaid for sure.  It may include other payments, but I'm not sure exactly what constitutes "welfare" in the articl.  My friend, understandably and justifiably, got a bit irate at this, and said that there's just too much disincentive to work.  I partially agree with this.  There are a lot of people who will just sit back and take free money, without contributing anything to society in return.  This, however, presented a larger question to me.  How do we fix this?

Once upon a time, Iowa had a law that basically said that you can only get welfare for a certain period of time during your lifetime.  I believe it was five years, but it may have been ten.  I'm also not sure if this law still exists.  I think this time limit counted only toward cash assistance.  I don't think the time limit applies to food assistance or medical assistance.  I think this goes a long way toward addressing the immediate problem, but doesn't deal with the root problem... making sure that all Americans are able to earn a decent wage.

There are several problems here that kind of all tie in together...

-Medical costs are too high.

-The cost of education is too high.

-There aren't enough decent paying jobs.

-There aren't enough full time jobs with benefits.

-There is too large of a pay gap between the highest paid and lowest paid individuals.

-Our expectations are too high.  We don't all need 5 bedroom houses.  We don't all need cell phones, and our 12 year old children certainly don't need them.  We don't need a TV in every room of the house.  We don't need multiple game consoles for our entertainment.

Some people say that we need to remove government regulation, which would increase innovation and spur economic growth.  That's partially true, but it's simplistic.  While it would increase innovation, removing government regulation, in my opinion, would also lead to the end of the 40 hour work week, more pollution and more chaos in the financial sector.

Other people believe that we need increased government regulation, such as increasing minimum wage and forcing business to offer benefits.  This is also true but simplistic.  Increasing minimum wage tends to cause layoffs in entry level positions and contributes to inflation, which, over the long haul, tends to wipe out the short-term gains of increases in minimum wage.

So, my question to you, is this:  If you could single-handedly implement a complete economic policy, what would you do?

Mixed Feelings About Robin Williams

Like many of you, I was saddened to hear about Robin Williams committing suicide.  The world has lost a tremendous talent.  There are many people far more eloquent than I who expressed their sense of loss far better than I ever could, so I won't really try.  I will, however, say that the world is a slightly less funny place, and there is a piece of me that is personally saddened from his death.  That doesn't happen very often.

I realize that depression is a crushing state of mind.  I've had a taste of it, and it's no fun.  It takes every ounce of willpower to get out of bed and to eat.  You don't sleep until you physically can't stay awake any longer.  You can't concentrate.  You want to cry, but you can't.  You can't explain the depth of your despair and emptiness.  Those who have never been depressed can't understand it.  My brief, shallow dance with depression was from a divorce... an acute case.  I realize that I'll never fully experience the depression that a lot of folks live every day.  I'm thankful for this.  I have a great deal of sympathy for the chronically depressed.

At the same time though, I can't allow that to justify suicide.  I vividly, painfully recall how I felt when I was going through my divorce.  It's without a doubt the single most painful time of my life.  But I never considered suicide.  I just couldn't do it.  It would have been the ultimate act of selfishness.  Okay, committing suicide will end your pain, but those around you will have to live with the pain for the rest of their lives.  You may take away your own agony, but you transfer it to those who carry on in your absence.  Sorry, I just can't justify that, and I just can't excuse it.  This is why I have mixed feelings about Robin Williams' death.  Yes, the world lost a genius.  But he selfishly removed himself from the world.

First Look at the Perception Expression 15.0

Last week I purchased a new Perception Expression 15.0 touring kayak.  My planned use for the boat is longer self-contained river trips.  The boat has a roomy cockpit, and plenty of room for storage.  The bungees on the deck allow for the option of putting gear in waterproof bags and stowing them on the deck.

I took the boat out to a local lake on Sunday and paddled around for a couple of hours.  First and foremost, the boat is fast, when compared to boats I've paddled in the past.  (I have extensive experience paddling canoes and whitewater kayaks.)  The retractable skeg helps the boat track very straight.  I also had the optional rudder installed.  The rudder helps the boat turn far more quickly than I had ever imagined.  Raising and lowering the skeg is incredibly fast and easy.  Raising and lowering the rudder is only slightly less fast.

The seat is highly adjustable, and very comfortable.  Even after sitting in the boat for a couple of hours, I never felt cramped or uncomfortable.

My setup has two possible downsides, which I have not yet tested.  Other owners of this boat say that the rudder and the height of the seat's backrest make rolling and self rescues somewhat problematic.  I haven't yet purchased a spray skirt, so I can't yet say one way or the other.  Once I try, I'll report back.

Overall, I am incredibly pleased with my purchase, and I can't wait to take the boat on its first extended expedition.  In the meantime, I will spend some time getting familiar with it, and some money equipping it.  I've read about some kayak sails that I'm excited to try out.

For more information on the boat, click here.

Minimum Wage and Welfare

I've been reading a lot about discussions to raise the federal minimum wage.  Generally speaking, Democrats support and Republicans are against it.  (Gee, surprise, surprise.)  I'd like to propose an alternative:  Let's raise minimum wage, but stop raising welfare.  Let's increase the incentive to work, and reduce the disincentive.

One of the Best Purchases I've Ever Made

Eight years ago this month I purchased a 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster.  I bought it primarily because I've always loved motorcycles, but used rising gas prices as my justification.  (They were hovering around $2.50 at the time.)  A small piece of me realized that I was buying to a lifestyle, but I really didn't understand the extent that it would impact my life.  Eight years later, I look back and realize this was one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Every day I ride is a day that's a little more free and happy than a day where I drive.  I can't count the number of days where I seriously considered riding on past the job and finding out where the open road would take me.

Though bikes start out relatively stock and similar, there are millions of possible modifications that make each person's bike unique.  I can virtually guarantee that nobody has a bike exactly the same as mine.  A bike is truly an extension of its owner.  Some worship horsepower.  Some covet comfort.  Some scream "look at me."  Every one is unique though.  Take my ride for example...

The day I bought it...

Today...

The most important part though, is that my kids love to ride with me.  My older daughter asks me to take her riding virtually every day that we both have the opportunity.  My younger daughter purchased her own motorcycle earlier this year, and we ride together frequently.  And my toddler grandson is already showing a love for motorcycles.  This is a bond that nobody can take away from me... from us.  Over the years, I've put thousands of miles on my bike with my girls on the back or on the bike next to me, and I look forward to doing this with my grandson as well.  This is probably the biggest reason that my bike is one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Getting Old Really Sucks!

I may be exercising and eating relatively healthy, and I might be far healthier than most men my age (and a lot of men far younger than me), but that doesn't mean that I'm immune to the ravages of time.  A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with back spasms.  It hurt bad enough that I stepped out of bed and nearly fell to the floor because of the pain.  I missed two weeks at the gym because I didn't want to aggravate the injury.

Yesterday, I went to a whitewater kayak clinic.  I haven't been in a boat for quite a while, but I didn't do anything strenuous.  My aging body once again objected, however, and I pulled a muscle in my side.  This was during flat water warm-up exercises!  When I pulled the muscle, I heard and felt the pop.  I was able to complete the class, but I paid for it.  Immediately after I got out of the boat, the muscles started seizing and inflaming.  It got to the point where if I twisted wrong, took a deep breath, laughed, coughed or sneezed, the pain nearly dropped me to my knees.

I think this means that I need to adjust my exercise routine to add some core strengthening and flexibility.  I hope to return to the gym Monday, but that depends on how quickly my side heals.  All of this leads me to one conclusion... getting old really sucks!

Words of Wisdom

Most of you probably know that I volunteer for the Humane Society.  Each month, I go to the humane society, pick out a dog, and take it to a retirement home to visit the residents.  Last week, I was asked to do an interview.  The guy doing the interview is doing his thesis for his Masters Degree.

I was asked how I started volunteering, how long I've been doing it, and how I select the dog that I take.  He asked me about some of my more memorable visits and some of my favorite residents.  I asked him about his thesis project.  At the end of the interview, he asked me what I consider the most important question he could ask:  "What is the one thing you would say to anyone who's thinking about volunteering?"  I replied with these words of wisdom (paraphrased, of course)...

"We as a society spend far too much time keeping up with the Joneses.  We spend all of this time working, so that we can buy a bigger house... so that we can afford that shiny new car.  We seem to have forgotten that life isn't about things; it's about relationships.  I'm fortunate to have realized at a relatively young age that I have enough, while I'm in a position to give back.  It doesn't really matter how you choose to volunteer your time.  What matters is that you do something.  Life's to short to waste it on things, when you could invest it in people."

The interviewer kind of paused for a second and said "That's a great statement."  It was apparent that I caught him a bit off guard.  I've never thought of myself as a sage.  What I said in the interview is simply a philosophy that I try to live by.  His reaction kind of made me realize though, that my philosophy is something that's sorely lacking in our society.  Maybe, just maybe, if I say it here, where anyone and everyone can see my words, it could make a small difference to a few people.  And maybe if it made a difference to a few people, it could have a domino effect.  I don't expect that to be the case, but I can always hope.

Like I said, life isn't about things.  It's about relationships.