Money, Power and Wall Street

Watch Money, Power and Wall Street: Part One on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

This documentary is an extensive background on why and how the stock market crashed in 2008 and what was and is being done about it. Ben and I have watched 2 of the 4 hour-long episodes of this PBS series with jaws dropped to the floor with shock and amazement.

Honestly, you must, MUST watch this. Don't worry, I'm about the farthest thing away from an economist there is, and it's keeping my attention. And this is me watching it after 10pm at 38 weeks pregnant, mind you, so that's a significant statement. Besides that, it is truly brilliantly pieced together. And the two dozen or more interviewees are top-notch.

I'm chomping at the bit to watch the other two episodes. But I'm waiting until Ben gets back from his night rotation on the psych unit. Last time, a patient made a death threat on him. We'll see if that kind of atmosphere puts him in the mood to watch a documentary about the economic crash.

$16 Muffins

People complain about no jobs to be had, but I think I know how to make a buck. Open up a high-end bakery in Washington DC and solicit to Capitol Hill. Just read the newspaper article below.

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By Jerry Seper

-

 Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Washington Times

Taxpayers foot the bill for Justice Department’s $16 muffins

The Justice Department and several of its agencies engaged in “extravagant and wasteful” spending on food, beverages and event planning for law enforcement conferences, including paying $16 each for muffins, $76 per person for lunch and more than $8 for a cup of coffee, according to an audit released Tuesday by the department’s Office of Inspector General.

At one conference, a workshop on enhancing judicial skills, participants were served snacks of Cracker Jack, popcorn and candy during a break, costing $32 a person, and also were provided a “deluxe” ice cream assortment that cost $10 per person. ...

The audit also is critical of money the Justice Department spent on event planners for some of the conferences, describing as an “unallowable cost” the hiring of a consultant in Anchorage, Alaska, to act as the liaison for a conference being held at a hotel in Palm Springs, Calif.

Because the consultant was based in Anchorage, the audit says, he had to travel the 2,400 miles to Palm Springs at least three times and subsequently billed the department $3,454 in travel costs. The audit also criticizes the $29,000 cost of travel, lodging and food and beverages for a face-to-face meeting in Palm Springs a year before the conference with members of the consultant’s firm. It describes that as “unreasonable.”...

The inquiry specifically focused on taxpayer expenditures by the Justice Department at 10 of 1,832 conferences it hosted or participated in during fiscal 2008 and 2009. Those 10 conferences represented $4.4 million of the $121 million Justice spent on conferences during that time. The audit says the cost of food and beverages at the 10 conferences was nearly $490,000, or 11 percent of the total estimated cost of the events.

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This renders to my mind the scene from a little book by Charles Dickens: the marquis eating chocolate with his 4 chocolate attendants to assist him. Ring a bell?

Nothing says big government like $76 lunches for government workers. Or "workers". I mean they do have to make time to eat all those snacks. 

Sounds like trimming the budget by 1 trillion+ dollars should be cake. Or lack of cake.

WikiSecrets

Do you consider a documentary a movie? Cause I just labeled this post a movie.

So, this particular movie has haunted me for weeks. You've heard about wikileaks? Well, this here will introduce you to Julian Assange and the whole lot of them. Haunting why? I'm trying to put my finger on that. I think it's partially the vulnerabilities and lurking dangers of our digital world.

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

But more than that, I'm haunted by the almost charming, strangely secretive, anti-government movement leaders out there working to unravel society. I'm worried about the people cheering for them. I'm reeling that it's in the name of "freedom". And that I can see them trying to redefine morality while they're at it.

I won't pretend I didn't see Code Pink make its appearance, Glenn.

Doctor Hotspot

Ben and I watched the "Doctor Hotspot" section of this Frontline video episode. It seems to me a solid, implementable, rather brilliant idea to reduce health care costs that's also patient-centered. I move for a vote on this. Anyone to second the motion?

Background for if you watch it: it skips the first minute where this doctor explains the beginning of this experience. He hears a gunshot outside of his house and soon goes outside to see if someone needs medical attention. He asks policemen on the scene where the victim is. They point across by one of the cars: a man dying by himself. This doctor goes to him, but the victim soon dies. The video picks up there.

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
or view here.

Power Surge

Watching videos on PBS has become a new hobby. So much to learn, it's awesome.

I've not thought much about flipping lights on and off until watching this video. Super interesting. It's made me more thankful for turning on my hair straightener, more interested in clean energy, and more aware of doing my part in conserving energy in our home.

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

The Other Side of Immigration

I grew up just outside Portland, Oregon and many Mexican workers migrate there. I'm embarrassed to admit I sometimes harbored a "why have you come to my country?" attitude. Behind the unkind attitude, however, the question was real: "Why have you come to this country?"

This hour-long documentary answers that question. The director interviewed many Mexicans on camera. Their answers are so eye-opening. It gets to the root of the problem, and even offers some solutions. And most valuably, you see that this political issue involves real, intelligent, caring people with real families and real problems. I think everyone should watch this film!

Never mind the music.

Understanding Need to Defend Religious Freedom

Being a religious person it makes sense that I would want to defend religious freedom. But I didn't really understand why it's necessary or what attitudes to defend against. Watching this interview with Elder Oaks pulled the strings of many lightbulbs.

So, good citizen, watch it and learn muy importante things.

I wish I could just embed it, but no can do. I guess you'll have to do the extra work of clicking the link.

A Good Interview

I'll calm down with all this heavy politics stuff on here, promise. But hey, I'm really going strong with my State of the Union day resolution. So I had to show this pre-super bowl Bill O'Reilly interview with President Obama for all those who didn't see it. Really great questions.

Also, sorry for anyone who actually reads this that's tired of long videos as well. I guess that's why the blog's called "what speaks to me" and not "what speaks to most people". It is, in fact, meant to be for my interests, so maybe I should stop apologizing huh? Yeah.

Watching C-Span

Okay people, I'm starting strong on my recent resolution. I just watched C-Span for one hour. (Yes it's Friday night. Ben's at the hospital for school tonight, okay?) Anyway, I learned something.* Well, a few things. Here:

You can watch The State of the Union address. You can also watch this:

And you can watch that:

And you might find it interesting or enlightening or a bunch of lies. You probably wonder what to believe. But it's when you watch C-Span that you get a real feel for what's going on in our government. And you get specific ideas and form more opinionated opinions about what's going on. I suggest you watch it. Though, maybe not on Friday night.

*For those interested, I watched one of the top Medicare/Medicare officials, Richard Foster, respond to questions of members of the House in Budget Committee hearing about Health Care and Federal Budget. Here's what Mr. Foster admitted in the hearing:

- not true in all cases that "if you like your plan you can keep it"

- currently not enough physicians to take on the estimated 20 million new medicaid patients

- no specific plan or provisions how to pay for 20 million new medicaid patients

- states and federal gov't expected to pay through general revenue, but he admits he doesn't know how states are going to pick up their portions of that cost

- Mr. Foster concerned about putting intensified pressure on private providers

- costs for Medicare and Medicaid in new health plan were analyzed for next 10 years, but didn't look beyond 10 years

Note: This is not what Republican house members thought; this is coming from the "chief actuary" of welfare health services.

Noted with concern: Democrat House member from my home Portland, Oregon, very critical of lack of specifications, planning and provisions.

Noted with even more concern: Mr. Foster seemed scarily confused and unable to feign any confidence about this healthcare plan.

I wish I were a great economist so I could fully understand this whole healthcare deal and brilliantly mend it! I should put Lisa Christensen on the task. I bet she could do it if she had a free afternoon.

Wealth and Poverty

Maybe it's because I just read A Tale of Two Cities...which I still need to post about...Maybe it's because I'm thinking about the responsibility we'll have to society once Ben is a doctor.

For whatever reason, I decided to pick up the Readings for Inventive Writers book the other night and read two opposing essays about wealth and poverty. Both disturbing.

The first is called "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor". It was written by an American ecologist in 1974 and published in Psychology Today. Read if you dare. And by the way, he's serious. I had to look up his bio to see if he was known for being a satirical writer. Unfortunately, no.

The other essay is just as strong in the opposing opinion. It is called, "Socioeconomic Inequality: The Haves and the Have-Nots". It was written by a BYU Sociology professor in 1990 and published in BYU Today. It is not in response to the other article, only in stark contrast to it.

If you're going to read one, read "Socioeconomic Inequality".

The BYU professor's point disturbed me in realizing he's kind of painfully right. Or even definitely painfully right. Right about the prevalent attitude toward the poor and needy. And also that it is not just a problem to society but to our spiritual standing before God. That's strong stuff. Read it and see what you think.

A few of its zingers and good questions:

LDS scriptures state clearly that the obligation to assist the poor remains intact whether or not the poor are judged to be deserving. Second, how can one reasonably view the growing millions of poor children as blameworthy, no matter what one thinks of their parents?

......

A major point from the widow’s mite seems to be that the moral judgement over the use of money is based not on how much we give, but on how much we keep for ourselves.

.......

Indeed, throughout history only a relative few have been afforded the “opportunity” to engage in selfish political or economic oppression. Now, for the first time, the test seems to be underway on a truly massive scale. There may even be more people alive today exercising substantial political and economic agency—facing real choices between personal luxury and Christian charity—than in all previous centuries combined. How will they handle their “opportunity” to engage in direct or indirect oppression, their choice to hoard or to share? How are we handling ours?

.......

It becomes a difficult moral and financial dilemma that each of us must work out individually. How much are we justified in keeping to meet our needs, and how much are we keeping selfishly to satisfy our wants?

It reminds me of how I felt after watching and reading about Gandhi. It's not easy to read or think about because it's asking you to change the way you think and live somehow. I'm still on the thinking part.

State of the Union Address 2011

I'm intimidated by several things: sewing, big social functions, paperwork from Northwestern Mutual. Another is trying to understand what's going on in politics, having an opinion about it and discussing it. Yikes.

So I'm not going to attempt a really opinionated article here. But I did listen to Obama's State of the Union address. And I did think about it.

Maybe it was mushy like the interviewed Elkhart residents said. Maybe some points were vague. Maybe, likely, it means a bigger national deficient. But I'll share 2 things I liked.

1) Revamping No Child Left Behind.

I guess it was in the works anyway, but I was glad to hear it. There's this to consider, but then this from September sounds like an improvement to me.

2) My own call to action

I felt like this might be a good time to start knowing what's going on in the government and to start getting opinions about it. I plan to read every so often to see what bills are on the floor and what the arguments. I even have a mind to watch c-span. I also thought maybe I should read Bush's book to see what he has to say. We'll see about that one.

Who knows, maybe next January I'll have something very enlightened to say.

P.S. Oh and I liked that Congressmen were mixing and sitting next to people of both parties. Very new and adultlike.

Feeling Stuck

When I feel pulled sometimes I write a poem. Or maybe it's prose, I don't know. It doesn't happen often. And I never share them. But maybe this time I will. Consider it a draft.

Stuck

Because a person is born on the ground in a hut,

then strapped to the back of their mom working in the fields

until they walk at age 4,

it doesn't put them a step behind.

But when they are dropped in a place

where everyone's been walking since they were 1,

reading and playing violin since they were 3,

then they suddenly fall short.

Who will teach you your letters when you're 30?

How can you get a job interview without telling time?

What agency will do more than hand you paperwork?

Where will your three kids play when the guns are firing?

The fields are burned.

You can't go back.

The future is dark.

You can't go forward.

You're here.

You pray.

You wait.

You watch TV.

Christian? Really?

Another troubling current event. This reverend must be Nathan Price in the flesh. What's his motivation? Fear? Hate? Publicity?

This man seems about as Christian as the extremist Muslims he's acting out against are Muslim. It reminds me what pure religion is, like James says: "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."


Choose your own article about this at:
http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ncl=d1QWPuXxsUx51TMtOVUme7-2SzXLM&topic=h

Obama tells Rev. Terry Jones to call off 'International Burn-a-Koran Day'

By Michael Sheridan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, September 9th 2010, 8:55 AM

Raoux, Dejak/AP

President Obama told Rev. Terry Jones, who plans to torch the Muslim holy book during 'International Burn-a-Koran Day' on Sept. 11, to stop the event because it could 'endanger' U.S. troops.

Burning questions

President Obama is appealing to a Florida pastor to listen to the "better angels" of his nature, and call off his incendiary plan to burn Korans on 9/11.

The commander-in-chief fears, as many others have said, that Rev. Terry Jones' "destructive" book burning would spark outrage and fuel the fires of hatred that could target American troops.

"If he's listening, I just hope he understands that what he's proposing to do is completely contrary to our values [as] Americans," Obama told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

Jones, a preacher from Gainesville, Fla., has said for months that he plans to burn several hundred Korans on September 11 for an event he's dubbed, "International Burn-a-Koran Day."

It went largely dismissed, until violent protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia over the weekend sparked concerns the event could incite more violence.

"I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan," Obama told Stephanopoulos.

The President argued the stunt could be used as a "recruitment bonanza" for Al Qaeda.

"You know, you could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan," he said. "This could increase the recruitment of individuals who'd be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities."

Obama also hinted that should Jones, 58, go through with his book burning, he could be scorched with legal consequences.

"My understanding is that he can be cited for public burning," the President said. "But that's the extent of the laws that we have available to us."

Jones, who heads the Dove World Outreach Church, has gotten heat from government officials, military leaders and others in the last few days over his "Koran" event.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," Gen. David Petraeus said on Monday.

"This feeds right into what they want," Gen. Ray Odierno said on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called the plan "disgraceful," Attorney General Eric Holder labeled it "idiotic," while Mayor Bloomberg felt it was "disgraceful," although he defended Rev. Jones' right to do it.

"I happen to think that it is distasteful," he said. But "the First Amendment protects everybody, and you can't say that we're going to apply the First Amendment to only those cases where we are in agreement."

Even the White House's usual political opponents agree with Obama. Sarah Palin has called the Koran burning "antithetical to American ideals," while Fox News pundit Glenn Beck said it was "insensitive and an unnecessary provocation."

The FBI has warned that Jones, who carries a gun in response to death threats, is putting himself in danger for "International Burn-a-Koran Day."

"The FBI assesses with high confidence that, as with past incidents perceived as acts of desecration against Islam, extremist actors will continue to threaten or attempt to harm the leaders, organizers, or attendees [of] the event," an FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by ABC News said.

Jones vows to go through with his book burning, despite the warnings.

"We have firmly made up our mind," he said Tuesday. The preacher also had something to say to those who think he should call it off.

"We are simply burning a book," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "General [Petraeus] needs to point his finger to radical Islam and tell them to shut up, tell them to stop, tell them that we will not bow our knees to them."

Who is Rev. Terry Jones? Read more about controversial Florida preacher

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/09/09/2010-09-09_obama_asks_rev_terry_jones_to_call_off_international_burnakoran_day.html#ixzz0z2pko6Uw

Immigration II

Google News highlighted a story from the Deseret News today. This is just the scary attitude I've written and worried about. Here's part of the article.

An anonymous group says it quietly watched Hispanics in their neighborhoods, schools, churches and "public welfare buildings" to compile a list of 1,300 people it says are illegal immigrants living in Utah. The group sent the list to law enforcement agencies and news media demanding that those named "be deported immediately."

It is not known who produced the list, although Gov. Gary Herbert has called for an investigation to see if the list was compiled by someone with access to state databases containing personal information. The list contains birthdates, workplaces, addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers. Names of children are included. Several pregnant women have their exact due dates listed. All the names seem to be Hispanic.

"This is a way to terrorize people," said Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino and a former state director of Hispanic affairs.

He spent much of Tuesday calling people on the list to warn them and to figure out who may have collected the information.

"I'm nauseated," he said through tears. "All of these people are terrified. I don't have words to describe how scared they are. It just breaks my heart what they are telling me."

While some are worried about deportation, others fear that "crazy people" could use the list to hurt them or their families, Yapias said.

He said wording of the letter has made some Hispanics wonder if they are being followed.

This reminds me of what I was reading in the Book of Mormon yesterday, a chilling scene.

For [the priesthood holders] saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their ^ahearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did ^bnot believe according to their own will and pleasure.

Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the ^aneedy and the naked and those who were ^bhungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.

How is this combatted? Alma bore down in pure testimony. A prophet at work, speaking the words of God. And what is God's prophet saying now?

The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone.

The Apostle Paul admonished, “By love serve one another.”³ Recall with me the familiar words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

Surely, we all need to follow the prophet.

Immigration

Inside the Statue of Liberty on a bronze plaque are the words of Lady Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus, 1883

What happened to Lady Liberty? I think she's now lounging on her plush Laz-e-Boy watching Arizona's kerfuffle on the news and disgusted at the Californians opposing it. Some lady. Some liberty.

I consider myself conservative. However, I feel uncomfortable at best when someone says something to the effect of "Send them back to their own country". In fact, I feel downright disgusted. It is not that illegal immigration is not a problem. It is, and it needs to be dealt with. Yes, laws even need to be passed about it.

But I find a bigger problem is those of us thinking of these people as aliens, as subhuman. There's a tone in that voice telling these families to get out of "our" country that says, "I don't want to see you here because you don't have money, you're not educated, you don't speak English and my money should be helping me and people like me."

Yes, laws do need to be changed. Perhaps it should be easier for people of other nations to lawfully enjoy freedom here. I'm not going to continue and pretend I understand politics. I'm sure it's an endlessly complex issue. But there's a moral standard we need to consider that even Dr. Seuss understood: "A person's a person, no matter how small." And I might add, no matter how illegal.

To read a more intelligent and referenced article please read:

http://andrewandariel.blogspot.com/2010/05/illegal-immigration.html

I would especially encourage reading Elder Jensen's words in this linked article.