The winter season is long in the tooth and the average temperatures of the coming month support the notion that it is now safe to make plans for enjoying some outdoor recreation.  Last night, in anticipation of glorious adventures in the sun, I decided to visit my Harley.  I flipped the light switch to illuminate the blue black darkness of our attached garage and was instantly rewarded with the twinkling brilliance of polished chrome.  There sat my ride, poised and patiently waiting to practice its primary function. 

I began to feel a little guilty for not having paid much attention to my bike over the winter.  I missed the feel of the throttle in my grip.  I missed the rumble of the twin cam power plant, the cackle of the dual exhaust.  I missed being held snuggly by the leather saddle.  I missed the wind in my hair and the sun on my back.    

It was still too cold to go for a ride but I longed for the simple pleasures of running my bike through the gears.  At that moment in time an idea floated into my head.  It was one of those ideas that, in retrospect, I should have let float right out of my head.  I just wasn’t in that space at that moment however and now, now I must live with what I have done.

It all started innocently enough as I cracked open the garage door and proceeded to start the bike.  Oh she sounded so good!  As I twisted the throttle back and forth she sang to me, “rrrrrooooowwwwwpaaaaw, rrrrrooooowwwwwpaaaaw, rrrrrooooowwwwwpaaaaw.

Her melody was so sweet.  Truly this was my American Idol.  Revving the twin cam 88 cubic inch motor was sweet but to truly appreciate the sound of a Harley you have to hear it scale through the gears.  That is when I spotted, in a dark corner of the garage, the two milk cartons which acted as a repository for an assortment of balls, Frisbees and the now illegal and potentially deadly lawn darts of my youth.  I quickly emptied the cartons of their contents and set one on each side of the back tire of my Harley.  Using my floor jack I lifted the back wheel off the floor just high enough that I could slip a carton under the rear wheel axel on each side of the bike.  Then, ever so gently, I released the hydraulic cylinder until my bike sat steadily propped on the crates with the rear tire about one inch above the concrete floor. 

This could work; I thought proudly to myself as I threw a leg over and climbed aboard.  I fired off the ignition and dropped the bike into first gear.  The fond and familiar clank of the gears meshing beneath me had me very excited at this point.  I rapped the bike out and reached for the clutch, lifted the shifter with my toe and hit second gear.  I was in heaven!  Third gear brought a slight feeling of instability as the free spinning back wheel began to provide some gyroscopic properties which I recognized and but remained confident that all was within known laws of the physical universe.  Fourth gear?  Why not?  My Road King will do about 90 miles per hour in fourth gear with the wheel on the ground, mine and the bikes weight and the wind resistance in front of us.  Spinning freely, I have no idea what the revolutions per minute beneath me would translate into as miles per hour had we been sailing down the highway. 

Shortly after shifting to fifth gear I became totally lost in my fantasy.  I closed my eyes and envisioned the center lines of the highway flashing before me as I powered down a sun drenched straightaway on my way to a distant event.  Even in my dream state I was aware that I must have hit a small bump in the road.  After that I never really had time to consider what was dream and what was real.  It seemed that my girth and that of my steel horse were too much for the plastic cartons and when they gave way the rear tire of the Road King caught traction on the concrete floor and launched me completely through the back of the garage and into my kitchen! 

I thank God that my wife was not at home doing dishes at the time I came crashing through the wall stopping just feet from her new refrigerator.  Pulling chunks of drywall from my hair and spitting dust I began to survey the damage.  I’m fairly certain I can make all the necessary repairs before my wife returns from Washington DC.  Does anybody know a good dry wall contractor?

Happy Birthday to me!  Wow, I turned forty-six years old yesterday.  I’m not all that shook up about it but it did cross my mind that I am now half way to 92 years old.  I think 92 would be a good age to shoot for.  I’m hopeful the next forty-six years will be as exciting as the first.  My son and I had a great visit this evening as we returned from my mother’s home where I had my traditional made-from-scratch banana birthday cake.  My poor mom is going to have to live to be 120 years old because if I don’t have that made-from-scratch banana birthday cake to look forward to each year until I am 92, I can not be certain it will be worth hanging around that long. 

On our return trip home my son, who is 17, and I were talking about this blog of mine and he was concerned that my postings could become too divisive.  He wanted to remind me that the country has plenty of opportunity to hear or read polarizing opinions which attack ideologies in over generalized and over simplified styles. 

As soon as I got the truck back on the road we began to discuss some of the issues that we feel are important to our times and how the best method to face those issues was to unite people on a message.  Alienating people for their perspective is just not working.  This led us to a discussion of how and why people see things differently and how fortunate we are to live in a land where that is possible.  This discussion would not have been complete without expressing our concern of the big brother tactics being employed by the current administration.  We agreed that a government of the people and by the people and for the people has no right to invade our privacy in an unwarranted fashion.  If we can not speak freely without fear that our conversation is monitored we are not free at all.  The warrant is the key.  We appreciate that to maintain our nation’s security the government needs the latitude to investigate suspicious behavior. 

What we do not appreciate is that the rules that are currently being applied offer no protection that such investigations are with no merit other than the suspicions of the police.  When law enforcement has the ability to secretly monitor its citizens we have no understanding of what they will do with that information.  When suspicion is adequate motivation to investigate our citizenry then we risk the dark treachery of McCarthyism where lives were destroyed and alliances were shaken out of the fear of guilt by association. 

There are all kinds of people in this great land of ours and each has their own belief system about what is important as it impacts their own lives.  We are at risk as we slide toward an intolerance of thinking that is not compatible with the ideologies of the majority who holds power

It is budget time in Washington DC.  This year’s federal budget deficit is projected to be approximately $400 billion.  That means for every six dollars your government spends this year they had to borrow a buck.  Two weeks ago Congress passed and the president signed a $40 billion, five-year deficit reduction.  How does that work?  Are they going to reduce the deficit $40 billion after this year’s additional $400 billion deficit or are they only going to actually take us in the hole $392 billion this year.  $40 billion divided by five years is a reduction of eight billion per year.

9/11, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and Hurricane Katrina happened.  I get that.  The people who don’t seem to get it are the ding-a-lings we sent to the Congress.  If you are stuck in a hole most American’s would have the common sense to stop digging.  Not Congress.  Fiscally responsible action by Congress should be to roll back tax cuts.  That doesn’t look likely to happen.  The Republican controlled legislature, who took control in 2001, love their tax cuts.  At the same time they have increased spending by an average of 7.5% each year.  That, my fiscally conservative friends is DOUBLE the rate in the last five years of the Clinton Administration.

The current overall national debt amounts to nearly $75,000 for every household in America according to USA Today.  The irony of legislative irresponsibility is that these deficits will eventually force tax increases.  The current debt will have to be paid but only after our dynamic leaders no longer have to worry about being reelected.  Most likely it will take a Democratic Legislature to make sound fiscal policy and then Rush and FOX can whine and moan about those tax crazy liberals! 

The current national debt, as of February 21st was $8,248,037,373,401.84.  I can help you out with that.  The number is in the trillions.  If you want to check out what the national debt was yesterday go to http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm 

So, what the hell is a trillion anyway?  A billion seconds ago it was 1959.  A billion minutes ago Jesus walked the earth.  A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.  A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.  I got that fun little fact from this web site, http://www.punahou.edu/acad/sanders/geometrypages/GP10BillionEtc.html   Ok; here are some more fun facts.  In Fiscal Year 2005, the U.S. Government spent $352 billion of your money just on interest payments to holders of the national debt.  (Think Asia and trade benefits associated with holding our debt)Compare that to the NASA budget, $15 billion, all Education spending, $61 billion, the Department of Transportation, $56 billion.  "How big is a billion? If a billion kids made a human tower, they would stand up past the moon. If you sat down to count from one to one billion, you would be counting for 95 years. If you found a goldfish bowl large enough hold a billion goldfish, it would be as big as a stadium."

Yep, it is budget time in Washington DC.  A budget is an itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period of time along with proposals for paying for them.  Our government is excellent at the intended expenditures portion of budgeting.  Paying for the budget is a concept they just have not yet grasped.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just kind of felt like something were missing?  Occasionally we all have one of those days where in spite of all the great things in our life we just felt a little blue.  Who is the person you spend more time with than any other?  It would seem wise that we put all the energy necessary into that relationship to make it as fulfilling as possible.  That other person we spend most of our time with day in and day out is ourselves.  Another person cannot prevent you from having periods when you feel lonely or lost but those feelings can be alleviated.  To alleviate the pain we feel when emptiness begins to encroach upon our psyche we need to come to value our own company.  We need to understand that we are worthwhile companions for ourselves. 

Most of us don’t suffer from feelings of emptiness for significant periods of time but when we do it can be a very uncomfortable feeling.  When we need to pay extra attention is when these feelings become debilitating.  Perhaps you find it difficult to concentrate at work or are distracted from the needs of others around you.  Maybe you just find it nearly impossible to get up for your days work or are unable to live in the moment.  When feelings such as that are floating around your head you need to take a step back and let those feelings go.  A friend of mine once said that it helps to say, “in with the good, out with the bad” as you take slow deep breaths. 

One of the misconceptions many of us have is that only another person can fill an empty place within us.  We believe if only that other person were more attentive or had more time to spend with us we would feel more complete.  The reality is that sometimes those feelings of emptiness remain even when that person or those persons we need in our lives are present. 

It would behoove us, when feeling alone or empty, to know that we are in good company.  When we stop looking to others to meet our needs we are then able to find creative ways to enjoy our own company.  Ellen Burstyn once said, “What a lovely surprise to discover how un-lonely being alone can be.”

Everybody from time to time reflects on their life as they have lived it or the future as they see it.  With any luck we can feel good about the big picture.  I would find it hard to believe that there are many among us who would have no regrets and possibly fewer of us who have no insecurities.  We all share from time to time some sort of self doubt as to where we have been or where we are going on this journey called life. 

            The Golden Rule, “Treat others as you want to be treated.” can be found in virtually all cultures, moral codes and religions.  “The rule” first shows up in the seventeenth century BC and is so prevalent in modern times that you would be hard pressed to find a kindergartener who could not recite it to you upon request. The fact that the golden rule occurs throughout history and across all cultures suggests that is built into us at birth.  So why do we screw it up so badly?

            There is no denying that when we apply the golden rule in our daily affairs we are at our best.  No experience is as fulfilling as helping somebody through a difficult situation.  When we lift somebody up and assure them that things will work out in the end we are able to realize the satisfaction that we have made a difference in somebody’s life.  That’s a good thing.

            Conversely, when we deny an individual of their dignity or leave them unattended in a time of need we damage ourselves and the victim of our aggression or inattentiveness.  Our motivation for treating others poorly is typically rooted in some personal dissatisfaction with whom we are or the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  Nothing in life should bother us more than to add injury to someone when we had the opportunity to provide help or hope.  Sometimes life is just damn hard and we all do our best to make our way day to day.  To make that struggle more difficult for someone is evil. 

A better interpretation of the Golden Rule is: “Treat others only in ways that you're willing to be treated in the same exact situation.”  This version gives a little more direction in how to apply the rule.  With this example if we have a basic understanding of another’s situation we can then provide help by using our own experience or imagination to give a hand up.  It also suggests some personal accountability.  If you would not be willing to be treated a certain way in a specific situation how can you possibly expect another to accept things as they are? 

As I look over the body of writings that make up this blog; “No Matter Where You Go, There You Are”, “Be Excellent To Each Other” and “There But For The Grace Of God Go I”, my central message always seems to come back to this idea of The Golden Rule.  The idea of “pay it forward” and looking out for our fellow passengers on this planet earth should be fundamental to the way we lead our lives.  How are we doing?

Saturday, while driving through Columbus, Ohio we found ourselves on Broad Street off of exit 97 from I-70.  North of the Columbus downtown area is one of those beautiful neighborhoods afforded by established money.  My daughter was curious as to what one would need to do for an income to be able to demonstrate such wealth.  I was cranky because traffic was heavy, and laden with mini vans, and we were having difficulty locating an attractive local eatery.  I shot back a response that alluded to the display of wealth being built upon the backs and hard work of people of lesser and lesser means to which she decried, “Dad, Stop being such a, such a Democrat!”

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five, speaking through Howard W. Campbell, 1966: “America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. To quote the American humorist Kin Hubbard, "It ain't no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be." It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: "If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" There will also be an American flag no larger than a child's hand -- glued to a lollipop stick and flying from the cash register. 

Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue… Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say, Napoleonic times.

Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves.”

We are a wealthy nation and I would suggest that all but the poorest of American poor are wealthy by global standards.  I have to wonder how far we will let those who have been marginalized in our current economy fall before we take notice.  Yet, with regard to my observations of the accumulation of wealth in the United States I note that tax cuts for the rich have not demonstrated improved growth and productivity over the years prior to the Bush Administration.  The failure of these tax cuts provides no evidence that tax rates on the very rich need to be maintained in order to keep the economy strong.  With regard to trends in place before the Bush tax cuts, with an emphasis placed on supply side economic growth begun under the Reagan Administration, there has been no proof that this model grows our economy better than demand side policies.  Demand driven economies focus on a more equitable distribution of financial resources so that all participants in the economy, through spending on consumer products which enhance quality of life, contribute more to economic expansion.

There is very little data about the distribution of wealth in America.  There is one source, the Survey of Consumer Finances, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Board that does provide data from 1983-2001. These data suggest that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of families. The wealthiest 1 percent of households owns roughly 33.4% of the nation's net worth, the top 10% of households owns over 71%, and the bottom 40% of households owns less than 1%. Further, in 1983 81.3% of America’s wealth was held by the top 20% of American households.  The second 20% held 12.6% of all American wealth.  The Bottom 60% of Americans shared 6.1% of all wealth.  In 1995 the top 20% held 83.9%; the next 20% held 11.4% and the bottom 60% held 4.7%.  By 2001 the richest 20% of households held 84.% the second 20% held 11.3% and the bottoms 60% held 4.2%  In light of these statistics the further polarization of income and wealth in the United States suports my observation that current economic policies promoting accumulated wealth is of little value to the vast majority of the American people.  The benefit falls primarily in the wallet of those who contribute most generously to politicians willing to sell out the American people.  I guess that is all ok though.  We should be willing to accept a diminishing opportunity to achieve the American dream so long as we can prevent Gays from joining in matrimony, offer lip service to Christian principles and unite in the hatred of an ambiguous enemy.