A Conversation about Values, Multicultural Left, Constitutional Right, Taxing the Sins of the Ancestors

"You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong."
— Elon Musk

Happy Saturday morning: I trust you slept well; we did; sleep is one of our gifts. We are good at rest. My wife is sleeping, as is PVHT; Joleen is talking with me; I’ve never met a cat that talks so much. The coffee is made; let’s see what my mind has to offer this glorious, beautiful day.

I had my leadership call yesterday, and our topic was values. What are your values, where do they come from, and did the discussion not disappoint? I was quick to share that my core value is kindness; no matter the situation, I find that being kind is a perfect way to navigate our world. Others pointed to grace, mercy, and their relationship with something bigger than themselves to help them steer through life. We typically have twelve leaders join, that was our count yesterday, and everyone on the call can lead the discussion.

After the call, I headed north to get some testosterone and met my friend Jeremy for tacos.  We had a lively discussion; both of us had our college paid for by our parents.  With student debt forgiveness, is there a fund that will repay our parents? Both of us agreed, we invested in our kids, and although we were diligent with our savings and paid for their college, we didn’t want anything in return.  The paying off of student debt seems like a reward for bad behavior.

I did listen to a podcast on the topic; one man said if you make $100,000 or more, you should have a 2 to 3% tax added to help you pay off your debt over time. The thing that strikes me is that $100,000 in Parker City, Indiana is different than $100,000, say, in Denver, CO.  No one ever seems to realize that money is not equal in other parts of the country; this same logic can be applied to the minimum wage.  And why $100,000?  Why not $250,000, why not $50,000? Who gets to decide to reward those that borrowed for a worthless degree?

I think about the idea of reparations; how do you choose who gets reprised and how much? Why tax a person for the sins of their ancestors? By this logic, anyone oppressed should be rewarded, not just for slavery, but for other social ills. I’m all for fairness, but you must be fair to all concerned. I think the folks in Appalachia should be given reparations; not sure what for, but then again, I don’t understand the concept of a penalty in the present for the ills of the past.

I came home and met my wife, who had been spending time with our new grandbaby Bo; we ran a couple of meetings before heading down to the Dugout for a drink. We talked to our friends, came home, I cooked, and we dined and watched a movie. We were in bed before 9:00, another night of golden slumbers.

Today, I have no idea what we are doing. I will work a little; I’m sure the pup will get a walk, Cousin is coming down to see his namesake, and we are going out to dinner with our friends Deb and Jerry. I suspect tomorrow we will hang out with baby Bo and family. We have a busy week next week; the month of May is usually busy for us.

There is a LA Dodgers pitcher alleged to have sexually assaulted three women. He has been suspended for two years. What happened to innocent before proven guilty? Can’t the man be given a trial before passing judgment? The number of people who have been accused of bad behavior and then found innocent is not a shortlist. I’m thinking about the Duke Lacrosse team that featured a Rolling Stone article; the problem was it was all mistruths and lies.

Serious question, should children be allowed to change their sex? The DOJ is challenging an Alabama law that bans gender-affirming care for trans-youth. I was a kid once, and I once thought I was a horse. Should my parents have allowed me to live in a barn and eat hay? That sounds a little silly; if my daughter told me she was a boy, I would humor her and let her make up her mind when she turned 18. The human brain does not fully develop until you turn 25; why not make that the cutoff for gender-affirming changes?

I think I’m getting old; my ideas seem to be old school. The world seems to have gone from sane to insane in the last few years. I heard on yet another podcast about what is the left and what is the right? The commentator used the terms multicultural-focused to describe the left and constitutional to define the right.  I think that a fair assessment of the two sides, and I also believe that 90% of us are in the middle. 5% are extreme left, 5% are extreme right, and those squeaky wheels seem to be causing all the commotion.

Well, that will do it for this fantastic Saturday morning. We are currently 53 degrees with some clouds, maybe we will hit a high of 78, but we will get some rain later today.  I better take PVHT for a walk this morning.  I hope you have a wonderful day; I hope these words make sense and maybe make you think. Perhaps you agree, perhaps you disagree, but I’m just here sharing my thoughts and ideas on the happenings of our unique world. I’ll see you tomorrow, remember, BE KIND.

"You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong."
— Elon Musk