I am not a huge fan of the Oscars; however, the award for Best Documentary gave me hope that American will and are taking back our country from the "Excess Class". This is a new category I have developed to be added to our standard Class System: The Under Class, The Working Poor Class, The Middle Class, and The Upper Class. "The Excess Class" are the very powerful Top-level executives and politicians who have no moral compass other than GREED. The question asked of "The Excess Class" is simply: How much is enough? Followed by: Why? I guess it is always the "why" questions that trap us all.
I highly recommend we as Americans watch the movie "Inside Job", become aware of those stealing our country, and take actions to prosecute the guilty. For those who might not be aware this documentary film is about the financial meltdown caused by "Wall Street Bankers" of which not a single executive has gone to jail for almost destroying our nation.
Maybe history is repeating, I am thinking of the film "Network".
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Will the Middle Class become Extinct?
There is a very interesting discussion over at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen that deals with the Removal of The Middle Class. E .D. Kain has made an interesting point:
"The truth is that the traditional middle class is simply less necessary to the flow of commerce in an economy dominated by a super-rich elite investor class. So policies that favor the middle class in America have slowly been weeded out in favor of policies which tilt toward investment banks and multi-national corporations. Consciously or not, these policies are designed to replace the middle class with a low-paid service class (which nevertheless has access to long lines of credit). This service class has very little political clout, and will have less and less as whatever good service jobs are outsourced or, in the public sector, stripped of collective bargaining rights (and then privatized and promptly outsourced)."
As a pilot of a major airline (union member) and a student of history, the attack on the middle-class worker has and is a consistent jealousy from the CEOs and VPs of Corporate-America. Many of us had to read Upton Sinclair's famous book The Jungle in High School. Maybe America needs to read it again. The quote from Wikipedia says it so clearly:
"The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by journalist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair wrote the novel to point out the troubles of the working class and to show the corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early-20th century. The novel depicts in harsh tones poverty, absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and hopelessness prevalent among the working class, which is contrasted with the deeply-rooted corruption on the part of those in power. Sinclair's observations of the state of turn-of-the-century labor were placed front and center for the American public to see, suggesting that something needed to be changed to get rid of American "wage slavery"."
As an employee who has provided multiple concessions of wages and benefits to "keep the company afloat", I find it quite revealing that those in the CEO and VP category received "bonuses" while the employees received wage reductions. I have additionally noticed that those in the government (both national and state) "leadership" positions are requiring the workers to take concession all while they continue to receive tremendous benefits including high grossing salaries and retirement salary for the rest of their life. I wonder what that costs the taxpayer? Don't you find it interesting the Congress does not have to live under the policies they direct?
Austerity is needed, however this season of austerity must be on the backs of all Americans, not just the union worker, not just on the Middle Class. CEOs, VPs, Congress, etc. must also bear the pain and even more as they are the "leaders". If you lead you take responsibility, period, dot, end of statement.
Maybe it is time for the American Worker to remove and reduce the CEOs, VPs, & Congress Representatives in the state and national forum.
Workers Unite!
Eagle Driver
check 6
"The truth is that the traditional middle class is simply less necessary to the flow of commerce in an economy dominated by a super-rich elite investor class. So policies that favor the middle class in America have slowly been weeded out in favor of policies which tilt toward investment banks and multi-national corporations. Consciously or not, these policies are designed to replace the middle class with a low-paid service class (which nevertheless has access to long lines of credit). This service class has very little political clout, and will have less and less as whatever good service jobs are outsourced or, in the public sector, stripped of collective bargaining rights (and then privatized and promptly outsourced)."
As a pilot of a major airline (union member) and a student of history, the attack on the middle-class worker has and is a consistent jealousy from the CEOs and VPs of Corporate-America. Many of us had to read Upton Sinclair's famous book The Jungle in High School. Maybe America needs to read it again. The quote from Wikipedia says it so clearly:
"The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by journalist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair wrote the novel to point out the troubles of the working class and to show the corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early-20th century. The novel depicts in harsh tones poverty, absence of social programs, unpleasant living and working conditions, and hopelessness prevalent among the working class, which is contrasted with the deeply-rooted corruption on the part of those in power. Sinclair's observations of the state of turn-of-the-century labor were placed front and center for the American public to see, suggesting that something needed to be changed to get rid of American "wage slavery"."
As an employee who has provided multiple concessions of wages and benefits to "keep the company afloat", I find it quite revealing that those in the CEO and VP category received "bonuses" while the employees received wage reductions. I have additionally noticed that those in the government (both national and state) "leadership" positions are requiring the workers to take concession all while they continue to receive tremendous benefits including high grossing salaries and retirement salary for the rest of their life. I wonder what that costs the taxpayer? Don't you find it interesting the Congress does not have to live under the policies they direct?
Austerity is needed, however this season of austerity must be on the backs of all Americans, not just the union worker, not just on the Middle Class. CEOs, VPs, Congress, etc. must also bear the pain and even more as they are the "leaders". If you lead you take responsibility, period, dot, end of statement.
Maybe it is time for the American Worker to remove and reduce the CEOs, VPs, & Congress Representatives in the state and national forum.
Workers Unite!
Eagle Driver
check 6
Friday, January 21, 2011
Churchianity vs Christianity
I am halfway through a tremendous book by Michael Spencer titled: Mere Churchianity. For those of us who have left the "Church" this is our book of books. Michael has identified what we have seen, felt, and experienced in our attempt to "fit in" with the organized religions in America. I find his title very appropriate as C.S. Lewis wrote the definitive book on Christianity (Mere Christianity). Why have churches left their first love? Answer:
Where are the churches for the "miss-fits"? Remember the Christmas cartoon Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer?
Or as Michael Spencer writes so eloquently:
Food for Thought
If you are Hungry
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
"Our big problem with Jesus is that we want to control things, and he turns out to be remarkable difficult to control. In the Christian enterprise, we like to formulate definitions, establish norms, and set parameters for acceptable experiences. We have empowered ourselves to determine what is and is not an appropriate relationship with Jesus, based on how we think Christianity should look and work." (page 50, emphasis mine)
Where are the churches for the "miss-fits"? Remember the Christmas cartoon Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer?
Or as Michael Spencer writes so eloquently:
"Jesus was an expert on including those who were officially excluded." (pg. 51)
Food for Thought
If you are Hungry
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Spritual Narcissism
While on a trip I spent some time reading some of my favorite blogs and web sites. I came across an incredible article on Spiritual Narcissism and gained great wisdom. Here is a quote from it:
"While complaining about others and shaming a rule-breaker at an event intended to teach equanimity is -- like the story in the beginning of this blog -- ironic, it teaches an important warning: The desire to control others in order to create a "perfect" environment that nurtures our sensitivities is a calling card of spiritual narcissism. It is not a spiritual feat to feel equanimity only when everything is going exactly as one would like. True spirituality takes place in the holy messiness of the world, in open-hearted relationship with others, and in a kind smile to one who accidentally stepped on your foot."
Many pearls of wisdom in this article.
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
"While complaining about others and shaming a rule-breaker at an event intended to teach equanimity is -- like the story in the beginning of this blog -- ironic, it teaches an important warning: The desire to control others in order to create a "perfect" environment that nurtures our sensitivities is a calling card of spiritual narcissism. It is not a spiritual feat to feel equanimity only when everything is going exactly as one would like. True spirituality takes place in the holy messiness of the world, in open-hearted relationship with others, and in a kind smile to one who accidentally stepped on your foot."
Many pearls of wisdom in this article.
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Life is Great
In all the belly-aching, sky-is-falling, woe-is-me, talking-head-idiots-on-tv, unreality-is-king garbage we hear and see, I am determined to remind myself that life is great even in turmoil. Laughter is truly a great medicine as witnessed by the only real news programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. So I tip my whiskey glass and enjoy a good cigar to what the late and great Paul Harvey would say, "and now you know the rest of the story."
Be Careful out There
Eagle Driver
check 6
The Rest of the Story
Be Careful out There
Eagle Driver
check 6
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Search for Truth
As I journey along a path of life I have come to the conclusion that Truth spoken in kindness and compassion is called Wisdom. Additionally, when someone says they tell the cold, hard truth no matter what, they are simply brutally stating the truthful facts. Truth is always permeated with wisdom for with wisdom, a man or woman can speak the truth. So now I begin my search for wisdom and its core elements.
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding"
Proverbs 2:2
Proverbs 2:2
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw
I had a Tim McGraw moment in his song "Live like you were Dying". Chest X-Ray showed something on my lung. Met yesterday with the doctor and am now awaiting a CAT Scan hopefully on Thursday or Friday, with the reading of that CAT next week. "Its probably something else that is causing the cough, but we want to be sure it is not cancer" says the doc. The "C-word" was used 3 times in the doctor's visit. She's probably right but as I was leaving and still now, it (the idea of cancer in one's lung) has a "stop you on a dime" profundity and complexity that searches one's thoughts. So for a week I will wait the results with a quiet desperation. Like the doctor said "its probably something else" however until confirmed it is something to me.
So what have I learned? Stress kills, stress destroys, and stress removes you from life. For me I quit the stressed lifestyle of success, of winning, of got-to-have, of what-about-this promotion, of whatever that separates me from my family. There are people and adventures with those that I love that are more important than getting that report out on time. Time - what a deep philosophical and theological reality to one who may be short on it. As The Guess Who's famous song says, "I got no time, no time..."
I wear two hats now - one in public of calm and one in private of concern.
So here is the song that seems to be playing quite regularly in my mind:
"Love deeper, speak sweeter"
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
So what have I learned? Stress kills, stress destroys, and stress removes you from life. For me I quit the stressed lifestyle of success, of winning, of got-to-have, of what-about-this promotion, of whatever that separates me from my family. There are people and adventures with those that I love that are more important than getting that report out on time. Time - what a deep philosophical and theological reality to one who may be short on it. As The Guess Who's famous song says, "I got no time, no time..."
I wear two hats now - one in public of calm and one in private of concern.
So here is the song that seems to be playing quite regularly in my mind:
"Love deeper, speak sweeter"
C'ya
Eagle Driver
check 6
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