The Generalist

One's identity is far more than one's profession.

Recent Posts

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The “Welfare” Mentality?

Some people see an injustice in our tax system because they see it as stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. They resent “Confiscatory” taxes — those they pay for the benefit of others that they don’t think they should be forced to subsidize.  They resent public spending on welfare of all kinds: unemployment benefits, public education, parks and recreation, … it’s a long list.

Libertarians are often the most outspoken critics. And the GOP, enabled by the Trump administration, is likely to savagely gut existing programs.  The American Dream is predicated on a healthy work ethic.  Hard work, thrift, and personal sacrifice in the early lean years are rewarded by abundance and leisure later on. [Read more…] about The “Welfare” Mentality?

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The Yearly Sift

Those who follow my posts know that I am a regular reader of Doug Muder’s Weekly Sift. His analysis is well grounded and reflects the sort of critical thinking I admire. He says, “…prognostication has never been the primary purpose of the Weekly Sift. (In fact, one of my major criticisms of mainstream media is that it spends too much time on speculation, rather than telling us what is happening and why.) Primarily, I’m trying to cut through the hype and propaganda to focus my readers’ attention on what is real and give them tools to think about it effectively. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to know what will happen next, because I certainly don’t.”

Muder, unlike many other bloggers, does not go for “click bait” hype and drama. He looks to see what’s hard to understand and interpret and tackles it head-on. He reads widly. He thinks. He’s disciplined. When he doesn’t know, he says so. All of which make his blog worthy of time and thought.

(go to The Yearly Sift 2016 – by Doug Muder)

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Saving Democracy by Resisting Trump

As the Trump transition team took shape and began constructing the 45th President’s Administration it became clear that the values and objectives represented in the appointments were a threat to American democracy.  This alarming realization is spreading and the public response is unprecedented.

A resistance movement has begun.  Here are links to “How To Resist” articles and materials: [Read more…] about Saving Democracy by Resisting Trump

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Not in My Backyard?

From The Nation 2/2014: Tillerson’s hypocracy:

Fancy a side of irony with your corporate hypocrisy? Last night on MSNBC, Nation Editor-at-Large Chris Hayes profiled ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, a vocal proponent of hydraulic fracking, who is suing to prevent the construction of a water tower near his eighty-three-acre, $5 million horse ranch in Bartonville, Texas. The purpose of the tower? Storing water for fracking. Tillerson and his super-wealthy neighbors are concerned, the lawsuit states, that the fracking tower might “devalue their properties and adversely impact the rural lifestyle they sought to enjoy.” As Hayes put it, “Rex Tillerson is leading the fracking revolution, just not in his backyard.”
—Sam Adler-Bell

It takes a couple of million gallons of water to hydraulically fracture (Frack) each drill hole. There are six, eight, twelve holes per drill pad.

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The “Angry Man” Has Spoken

You’ve gotten viral email like this.  The vertical bars in the left margin signify that it has been copied and forwarded at least eight times. It resonated with many people who wanted to share it with their friends because it says something they wish everyone got and understood.  I’m posting it because it reveals a lot about how Donald Trump won the hearts and minds of so many who venerate the “Angry Man” in America. (Don’t trouble to read the tiny print of the image, I’ve quoted it all below.) [Read more…] about The “Angry Man” Has Spoken

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The Power of Fear

Fear has been a major component in the 2016 political campaign and continues to be a tactic of the Trump team as they prepare for him to take office.  All of us need to understand how fear can cause us to make bad choices. But we also need to learn how to combat it. What follows is an excellent video that demonstrates how fear was used as a tactic in the campaign.  The remainder of this post is remarks about Fear and Faith shared by Marguerite Chandler, my spouse, at the Newtown Friends Meeting this morning. [Read more…] about The Power of Fear

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Is it Democracy?

This week one of my conservative friends and I had an email exchange about “Trump’s Landslide” numbers. He and his peers are gloating over the geographic dominance by the GOP in the election, and the wisdom of the Electoral College devised by the founding fathers.  Here’s the thread:

[Read more…] about Is it Democracy?