bootstraps

to those of you who believe the drive to pick one’s self up by one’s bootstraps with which one is born is all that is needed in this world, remember this: some were born without boots, and yet others were born without feet.

perhaps it is not the success of the rich that mark a country’s greatness. perhaps it is the compassion with which it treats its vulnerable.

perhaps we can work together to fashion feet for those who need them, then work with the bootless to get their feet covered, then teach those with boots how to tug on the straps.

and only then, when all has been made equal, can we criticize those who don’t pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

cry wolf

a couple of years ago, i had a job that put me in newly-constructed buildings as all of the electrical items and alarms were being installed. the company i worked for was a nurse-notification system installer. so, during every day i’d hear fire alarms, code blue alarms, bathroom slip-and-fall emergency alarms, and other security alarms for about 2-12 hours, and then again the next day, and the next day.

it is a little unsettling to train one’s self to NOT respond to these devices. and a little piece of irony here, i was there much of the time to train staff TO respond to those devices. do as i say, not as i do.

last night i was in a crowded theater to see a band play. as i looked around the theater, i saw the various fire alarms, sprinklers, and cameras scattered around the ceiling and walls. naturally, thoughts of the Great White tragedy came to mind and then suddenly, i felt a sense of relief. what? why? because i realized that if i were to hear one of these fire alarms, i would know what to do. fire alarm = exit. simple enough. i was so glad the ambiguity was gone (and that i was standing near a ground-level exit).

perhaps this realization happened during a very stressful presidential campaign where both sides manipulate facts to claim the opposition is downright bad and the economy just took a huge dive that needed to be “bailed out” by the government (or whatever that actually means)–perhaps i felt so glad to understand a clear directive at this very moment because there is so much nonsense to filter through in order to get facts about very important things, i feel more overwhelmed than i realize.

just moments ago i was overhearing 2 coworkers speaking passionately about politics. but what it came down to was they both realize they have absolutely no idea what the truth is, or where they could find it. despite how much they both care about our country and want to see the best choices being made, they don’t have the tools they need to make that happen. and that is frustrating and frightening.

if only directives for things as important as fire = exit could be so clear and without motive, agenda, or malice.

palin. one letter short of pain.

one can’t write off the importance of a presidential candidate’s choice for a vp, especially when the presidential candidate’s health is in question. that being said, my first reaction to mccain’s choice of palin was that is was a swift and brilliant political move that would make a lot of people happy, especially those who thought hillary was asked to step down because she is a woman. i was excited to learn more about this palin choice.

then i did.

and now i believe this move has turned out to be a horrible horrible mistake. i don’t mean just for the republican party. perhaps she’ll win it for them. i mean it is a mistake for our country. and this is why.

1. how does a candidate who shouted “ready to lead?” at a fellow congressman dare turn around a select a running mate with far less experience than his opponent? do you recall she said she didn’t even know what the vp does? well neither do i, but if i were in a position to want to be vp, you better believe i would know. and then there’s the point that she didn’t necessarily want the position… but come on, how does any red-blooded american pass that kind of invite up?
2. how does all of this hockey mom, get’er done, boot strapping, under dog, blather actually pan out? people think about it. you don’t want to vote for someone who you could go sit with at the local bar and drink a beer, and who don’t talk fancy because she’s a regular person with regular values, just like you. nope. do you all remember what happened the last time people voted for “aw shucks, speakin good ain’t important”? this isn’t a movie with a fool-proof (literally) happy ending. there is no deus ex machina to sweep in and save the day. (there is, however, a deus, who seems to getting mixed up in state affairs, because hey! why separate church and state?) 8 years later, some of our most significant national infrastructures are failing (economy, foreign policy, civil rights, etc.). why? because speakin good weren’t the only thing he weren’t good at. hmmm fool-proof. that’s one thing the keys to the helm of the entire united states is not. you screw up and it’s BIG.my president better be smarter than i am. and my president better be better at a lot of things than i am. i don’t care if i can’t relate to my president if my president is getting the job done well. so, past experience shows that saying “get’er done” and letting jesus take the wheel doesn’t actually get the job done. let us all learn from our mistakes and move forward.
3. okay, so back to palin. ah hem. sexism anyone? anyone? choosing a woman because she’s a woman is just as sexist as not choosing a woman because she’s a woman. i might even think that this is possibly more sexist because she’s being used as a tool to win an election. ridiculous.
4. talk about planning to win the battle and not the war. everyone’s touting mccain’s military experience but if his military strategy is nearly as short-sighted as his plan of attack on winning an election, we’re in trouble. so sometimes work piles up and you hire a temp to come in and help play catch-up. then the work is caught up and the temp goes home and you don’t have to deal with their questions and strange wardrobe choices and idiosyncrasies. where’s palin going after she wins this election for mccain? um, into the vp office. to stay. and quite possibly into the p office. where does that leave the rest of us? thanks mccain. thanks for planning ahead on that one. that was awesome.

so, after all of that. it is quite clear to me that voting for the ticket with palin’s name is right out. but you know? i hope i’m wrong. i hope i missed the mark entirely. i hope mccain made his selection with integrity and with the intent of providing our country with the best potential vice president that he could fathom. i hope that palin is not only qualified, but excited to go to office and make good things happen for all people in the country.

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in case you’re curious, my political affiliation:

here’s the deal. though i am technically registered democrat in the state of colorado, i used to be registered republican 4 years ago in pennsylvania. so what i am saying is, i don’t consider myself to be affiliated with either party and this election was wide open for me to think and choose what i feel best represents the needs of the country, not always MY needs, but rather what will keep my country healthy.

role model

for the first time in our country’s history, we may have an african american man, an man whose skin tone is half white and half black, be our president and leader. the positive impact of having a man of non-white skin tone lead our country as president is monumental and far-reaching.

not only is he in line to be president (an accomplishment in its own long-overdue in our country), but he carries an even broader message of HOPE–a message that has been missing from our presidency since franklin d. roosevelt, and from the underprivileged households and neighborhoods suffering from prejudice, drug abuse, and poverty.

a double whammy.

we’d all get a president who is inspirational (for the first time in my life time), and for the first time ever, middle class african american families get proof that their sacrifices have not been in vain. but the most exciting piece is that underprivileged african american boys will learn that there is hope for them. they don’t have to be destined for gang life and crime. there is something now, something big, for them to bootstrap-up to. at last the face of “the man” may be a black man and the ripple effect would be huge.

and that’s just within our country. what about the world view? let us not forget how crucial this is to our own economy and safety. though we tout our country as the great melting pot, racist and classist thought ooses in and out of decisions that affect all people of our nation, and therefore, foreign relations. when we have 8 years of gun-toting religious right shouting their very specific and exclusive beliefs as the voice of our people, no doubt others (including many of us in our own country) are offended.* at long last, we could have a man that can speak to other world leaders without the context of white privilege shrouding him.

for the first time, i care about an election. for the first time, i see a man who can speak to all of the people of this country as people and not just as demographics, case studies, and problems to work around. for the first time, i feel like we the people are on the agenda and that decisions will be made with us in the forefront of the process, not just an after-thought. for the first time, i see a man with compassion, intelligence, and a profound ability to unite and lead. and this, this is exactly what this country has needed for so very long now.

i know my expectations are high, but to the sad contrast, they have been set so very low by previous candidates.** even if he can’t solve every problem (which is a very tall order for one man), he is working to do so and is instilling HOPE in all of us. and hope is an invaluable gift. 2 years into his term, when we are upset that our problems have not been solved, i want to retain appreciation for the fact that at least they’re being addressed, and being addressed by a person who cares about his people and not just lining his pockets and those of his friends.

november 4th feels so far away. and after a victory for hope, january 20th feels even farther. but when the message is made that the people of this country chose hope over fear & hatred, and unity over bigotry & war, the wait will be well worth it.

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*in a country as physically, economically, and culturally vast as ours, it may very well be impossible to satisfy people of all beliefs at once. however, knowing that there is at least one person (the head person) who is trying to act in an inclusive, not exclusive, way, for the maximum benefit for the country, makes sacrificing or struggling so much more palatable.

**here’s an excellent example of political satire about the choices we had for the 2004 presidential election. South Park episode 808: Douche vs Turd

counting ballots makes me cooler than most people

part I

so today i counted early ballots for the primary election in colorado tomorrow. tomorrow will be crazy, they say.

the experience was odd. we were a motley crew of people who loved politics, or are retired and bored, or just really needed money. though, rarely were two of these qualities found in the same person. there was one common thread that seemed to cross categories and that was most people had bad knees or some other disability in common that meant they couldn’t stand all day. funny how the job description didn’t mention it was a “stand around all day” kind of gig.

in our group of about 30, there were 2 republicans and 1 undeclared. the democrats had the place by force. rarely would you find a room full of democrats and have them say, wow there are too many democrats here. but it happens. it will probably happen again here shortly when the Democratic National Convention-goers start to trickle in to town.

so this whole counting process involves wearing a red vest and shuffling loads of ballots from one box, into a big machine, then into another box. this requires little skill, little drive, and little general competency. apparently, it also requires little planning on the part of the government staff. it wasn’t until my red vest was bequeathed unto me that i felt like a walmart worker. until then, it was a pretty solid factory worker experience.

well, today i started as a puller. this job was pulling counted ballots from the machine and putting them in a box. my helper was a zen master from india. now if that doesn’t put a different perspective on politics, what does?

THEN my big excitement came when i was categorized as “a computer person” (don’t you love that? yes, i’ve built databases and websites and have written some formulas that i consider to be kickass in excel, but this term has nothing to do with that.

i am “a computer person” simply because i don’t shriek and pull up my petticoats at the idea of using a mouse. can you believe there are still people who do this? so yes, i can click “ok” and “cancel” on this big machine.). so how do you like me now? i’m “a computer person.” my training on clicking the “ok” and “cancel” buttons followed shortly thereafter.

now this was quite interesting. the machine spits out the ballots that people fill out incorrectly. to fill out a ballot properly, you blacken in a line. so, when people circle, X or check an option, the machine rejects the ballot. then a team of judges decides the voter’s intent of the mark and sends the ballot off to be reproduced on a new card so that it can be run through the machine correctly.

the funny part is that this job requires nearly no computer skill, but rather a hearty understanding of the ballot flow process. it is amazing to me that this system works at all, given the amount of training/competency of the workers.

after several hours of this, they sent us home.

part II

today i start at 3:00 pm and count ballots until they’re gone. any takers on how long i’ll be there?

part III – the dramatic conclusion

i know you’ve all been wringing your hands in sweaty anticipation of how long ballot counting took yesterday. certainly, none of you actually care who won the primaries in colorado. certainly. good thing too, because i’m not privy to that info yet. i haven’t bothered to look it up just yet…

so anyway, i left the counting facility at 1:30 am.

oh we were cranky by 10pm. you betcha. it was funny to watch it happen. you see, nobody told us things throughout the day. you know, pertinent information about being permitted to talk to certain people or not talk to certain people, how to mark boxes that don’t have the appropriate info on them, who you can help when their ballots are shooting all over the floor and who you can’t. so, instead of knowing what to do, we were yelled at for doing things wrong when we couldn’t find someone to give us answers. the beauty of this was that we were also told that we had to be independent. hmmmmm. this is part of why we were cranky by 10pm.

we were also cranky because we could see the inefficiency from miles away. (i mean, really–the trucks forgot to pick up a huge portion of the mid-day ballots? setting us back by at least 4 hours? isn’t this what the trucks do?) so, to some degree, we can say “hey, we’re paid hourly so who cares. the longer it takes, the better.” but really, watching people do stuff wrong and knowing we have to redo things because of it, then wait around doing nothing, then have management snip at us, doesn’t really balance out for me. apparently i wasn’t the only one.

the election commission is an unhappy place. these people are so threatened by media given the complications of the last few elections, that they’re so busy guarding themselves and there have effectively made themselves ineffective at what they do. yes folks, this is your tax dollars at work. but, if media weren’t driven by ratings and rating weren’t driven by people like us, we could sit back and criticize. as it is, if we stopped bitching about what we saw on tv, our tax money would be spent much more efficiently. and we know that won’t happen. it’s an amazing dynamic.

i suppose i’ll see if i can find out who my new state rep candidates are now…

oh yeah, i am soooo all up on ch7 news. that camera was up in my face all afternoon. great. can’t wait to see that footage.