fuel independence

Here we go, I’m getting all Al Gore for you. We need to work on more efficient fuels and depend on our own country for our resources. Here;s why:

-Let’s help the environment. It’s not about believing in global warming. Let’s just do what we can to control our environment. Whether or not we believe in certain theories is not even the issue. It’s just that we should never have the attitude of entitlement. We need to be grateful and not take our natural resources for granted.

-When we depend on another country, we lose our superpower status. And while that sound really unimportant and arrogant, it’s important that a nation like ours has power in the world, as opposed to many others, as harmful places should not be handed control.

-When we support the Middle East, we support terrorism and an economy eager to get their hands on nuclear weapons. Why would we do that instead of searching for alternatives? Do we not realize that we’re in the middle of a war with this area?

Look, I don’t know that much about the issue, but I do know that America should not be depending on other (dangerous) places for something so important.

support

     As much as we like to say our American differences unite us, how much is this the truth? We complain and complain when choices against what we agree with are made, and we lose hope when the government does something different than how we feel. Frankly, I just don’t see the point in making such a fuss about electing a president we didn’t necessarily want. When it comes down to it, the chosen official is our leader, the whole country, not just those who voted for him. Disappointment is understandable, but waiting on someone to fail is not. Face it-when our leaders fail, we fail too. The best idea is to stand for issues and strong beliefs by lobbying, contacting Congress, and calling the White House. But trashing the government and being cynical can’t get us anyhere. We are a nation founded by believers, so let’s do our best to emulate this.

Another big example is the war in Iraq. We must support our troops. I will say it loud and clear: I am not for the war at all. But the men and women fighting for us want peace just as much as everyone else. The difference is that they are actually working bravely for it. Let’s let our American spirit of hope shine through, rather than a negative attitude.

A Small Group Of Committed Citizens

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  History is not shaped solely by the events that transpire or the great leaders who shape it.  Every moment of history is made up by regular people like the store-owner down the street, the single mother working multiple jobs just to feed her kids, even the Joe Six- Packs.  Wars need soldiers to fight it and peaces need wise people to keep it.  Each one of us, in our own little way, impacts how the way the world around us exists.   

In ancient times, artists used to paint figures different sizes analogous to their importance; thus kings and priests would be gargantuan while the peasant would be minuscule.  This practice has since been abandoned, but if it were to come back into vogue I think it would be altered a bit. A modern painting of this style would feature the common man as the forefront.  Now leaders and activists have finally realized the power that the average person holds; it is just up to the apathetic person to realize the power they have inside of them.  One of the most amazing things about the past election is that it energized so many people to get involved in the election.  During the founding days of our county, our country was over laden with debt (sound familiar?) yet this did not worry the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton; in fact he embraced it.  The way he saw it, the more people the country owed money to, the more people who had a stake in this country’s success.  So many people now depend on America and feel like they are an intregal part in how well it flourishes.  It is up to each and every one of us to make sure this country succeeds.  

It’s hard to believe as I write this that this will be my final post as a My2centsforChange blogger.  I have really enjoyed writing these blogs, and learned a lot about both myself and the world around me; these lessons I will take with me forever.  I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all my faithful (and occasional!) readers, especially those who left comments.  You kept me on my toes and provided great food for thought.  I hope that I served my post faithfully and that those who read my blogs came away with their mind a bit more open, or at least with a smidgen bit more of hope than before.  In my first post I stated that my goal for this position was to inspire people to make a difference.  As a writer, I will never really know to what extent people took my words.  I tried hard to show my readers new perspectives and how they can be an active citizen.  But if I could only share one thing with my readers it would be this: That no matter how insignificant you seem or how hopeless the situation may seem, you can make a difference and it can be improved.  I look forward to beginning a new chapter in my life, and watching (and actively participating!) as a new chapter begins in the novel that is our nation’s history.  But unlike most books, where I don’t know what the ending will hold, I know that this ending will be happy.  Because it is being written by wonderful citizens just like you.

America Is Great

A month ago I was visiting New York City and I was taken aback by the beauty of the architecture.  The Empire State Building rose majestically, towering above all, while the Statue of Liberty stood proudly and gracefully, offering a beacon of freedom to all.    Once I got over my initial sense of wonderment however, I started to reflect on why I should be so moved by the architecture.  After all, I have read about architecture from around the world, and certainly the Empire State Building looks like child’s play when compared to Versailles or the Sistine Chapel.  And then it hit me as to why this architecture had such an effect on me.  I had ownership in these buildings; they were mine, built by my people, in my  country.  These building were a part of a chain of greatness in which I am a part of, not by blood or by merit, but because I was a citizen of this country.  

America has had such an amazing history.  This country was founded by some of the most brilliant and talented men ever to walk the continent.  They took a country that was disunited and ill-run and turned it into one of the most successful experiments in Democratic government to date.  These men were the epitome of intelligence, patriotism, self-sacrifice, and duty.  Even after the country had been founded, the tradition of excellency was continued as in each new generation new leaders emerged to guide us through the troubles tormenting us at the time.   It all started with George Washington, the paragon of self-sacrifice, willing to serve his country for years on end, even when all he wanted to do was enjoy the simple life of a farmer back on Mount Vernon.  It continued with Abraham Lincoln who was the archetype of diplomacy and wisdom, graciously beating the South while letting them retain their dignity and wisely picking a cabinet of rivals to help serve him in government.  Each generation possessed a new leader who added to what we now think it means to be an American.

There is an old Chasidic (Jewish) tale where Rabbi Zusya is on his death bed, fretting about G-d’s judgement.  His students attempt to console him by saying that he was like Moses to him.  The rabbi waves them off, saying that G-d will not ask him why he was not more like Moses.  G-d will ask him why was not more like Rabbi Zusya.  In the same way, it is not enough merely to follow in the footsteps of Washington or Lincoln (though that may seem hard enough at times!)  We must also seek to add to the illustrious inheritance from whence we came by blazing our own trails and finding out the unique character traits we hold inside of us to help solve the current predicaments.  It is not enough to merely look to the past; we must look inside of us if we are to ever heal the future.  

It may seem like Washington and Lincoln and all the others were exceedingly extraordinary men and it makes sense that they will be lauded throughout the generations.  But this is only because we have the gift of hindsight.  In their own day they had many critics, and they had no knowledge of what lay in store for them nor what their legacy would be.  Yet they pressed on, because they knew they had a duty to fulfill.  And so we must all press on, for it is the mark of a truly courageous individual to fight when the outcome is unknown and the obstacles seem insurmountable.  I think know America is a great country, but it can only stay that way if individuals in this  generation keep it that way.  Are you ready for the challenge?

The American People

It is hard to believe that our nearly two-year long election cycle it over. During this time seemingly insurmountable dynasties have fallen and the political climate has changed.  The American people and the world have watched, sometimes with apathy but mostly with absorbtion, as the large pool of contenders has slowly dwindled down to two.  Who the winner is has yet to be decided, but in the past few months we have learned much about both Senator Obama and Senator McCain. 

However, there is a third person that we learned a lot about this past election cycle; the American voter.  I don’t mean this only in terms of demographics and how what type of person will vote.  Rather the enthusiasm and the character of the average American.  This past election season has seen untold amounts of people of all ages get out there and campaign for who they thought was best for the job. Many people who had never cared about the election before registered to vote thanks to increase advocacy.  The people decided which news would make the headlines as amateur news-reporting took off.  Debates about whether we are ready for a black president or a female vice president have filled the pages of newspapers.  

But more importantly, we learned about the character of the American people.  Are the American people ready for change?  Or are they ready to put their country first?  Why these ideas are often showcased as mutually exclusive has always seemed strange to me.  Why is it considered anathema to want to change the country you love so much?  As Mark Twain once said, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”  As of late, many people have felt that our government has not deserved our support.  It is up to our new president to change that.

election day-peeling the tape

Recently, my school held a video conference with a man who runs a program encouraging young people to get involved in politics. He spoke briefly about the history of election day being on Tuesdays with an unclear past, actually, but he also mentioned some controversy with that. See, some people strongly want to make elections Saturday and/or Sunday for convenience. Really? If voting is all day, why is it so difficult to take a few minutes on a lunch hour or after work? Or even an absentee ballot-people out of town and even U.S citizens overseas can do those! Why do we look for excuses? Frankly, I don’t care if a person writes in Elmo or Big Bird, as long as they make an effort to say something. Being informed is wonderful, but take it the extra step. Do it for the people who fought for our voices, the new Americans, the grateful immigrants from Ellis Island, the women with picket signs. It’s not about changing the world, it’s about using a gift you have indeed been  given. Why put tape over your mouth?

good for israel?

As a Modern Orthodox Jew, it is very very often that when discussing the election, my friends and family will discuss if a candidate is “good for Israel”? Now, there are a few issues I see with this question. First, what does that even mean? Both McCain and Obama said they value the country’s existence, etc. But what I see as “good” for something may be antithetical to your ideas. For example, some people agree with Israel (a Middle Eastern Jewish country smaller than New Jersey in size) giving away land for peace, while others cringe at the idea. Asking such a general question does not ask for anything but arguments based on “well, I heard…”’s and who wants that? Also, many people use the whole “we’re in America, so Israel should not be a priority”. In my opinion, it should be since we are allies, and as a superpower, we should emphasize helpful relationships with other countries. Last, it seems that in the Jewish community, we often expect and/or want the president just to look only at our needs. Talking to leaders on both ends is the right idea, I think. For example, when people speak about Barack Obama planning to meet with terrorist officials, I see it like this: if these men are so evil, which frankly, extremists like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are, that will come out and considering who to trust and help, the candidate, in this case Obama, will see that.  As a Jew, and in general,  I find it important to consider all sides and think it through before debating with people or hitting the polls.

Financial Crisis

A friend walked up to me the other day and said “I lost my lunch money!  What should I do?”  I said, “2x+5″  Binomial.  Buy-no-meal.

Despite the groans that are surely emitting from your mouths right now,  one could easily argue that the previous sentence is the lightest thing you’ve read about lost money from a news source lately.  It seems that everywhere one goes one is confronted with news of banks crashing and debt rising, and this is for good reason.   Our economy is not doing well, and our problems are quickly spreading to neighboring economies.  According to The Economist, “The IMF reckons that worldwide losses on debt originated in America (primarily related to mortgages) will reach 1.4 trillion, up by almost half from its previous estimate of $945 billion in April… Globally, banks alone have reported just under $600 billion of credit-related losses and have raised some $430 billion in new capital.”  What started in America has now spread globally, and many countries are suffering from their own economic downturns.

One of the biggest questions being raised now is what got us into this mess.  The answer is not the fat cats running Wall Street.  The answer is us.  In recent years, Americans have become lazy and gluttonous.  Our forefathers considered frugality a virtue; we consider profligacy one.  Rather than saving and making calculated risks, we put all our eggs in one basket (or mortgage) and throw caution to the wind.  People are happy to spend rather than save, but once things start to go down hill, they balk at buckling down, or sacrificing.  This is fine when we are experiencing a boom, but it can prove disastrous once a recession hits.  But as the Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa once said,  ”If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”  If the American people want to go back to boom times, they are going to have to change the way they look at saving and spending. 

The next few years are going to be tough.  This recession is going to hurt the people who are looking to retire in the next year or so and people who are looking to take out loans, a particular concern to prospective college students looking for college loans.  But the economy will bounce back.   And with it new rules are going to be put in place to stop another crisis like this from happening.  After all, the New Deal didn’t really help lift America out of the Great Depression, only World War II did that, but it did help put in place preventative measures that have greatly lessened the severity of future economic downfalls.   Americans also need to learn to value saving again, and that they must live within their means.  The next few years are not going to be easy.  But they are a part of life in a capitalist society, and the sooner we can learn our lesson and move on, the better.  The generation that survived the Great Depression became known as “The Greatest Generation.”  What will we be known as?

Are We Worth The Fight?

    The other day, when I walked out of the cafeteria I was accosted by a site that disturbed me, though at first I was unsure as to why.  Set-up in the hallway, in my school, my little town which seems so far from Washington, let alone Iraq, were recruitment officers for the army.  Even though I am an avid reader of newspapers and write letters to the soldiers at least once a week, seeing these soldiers in my school really made the war in reality.  

     It’s very starling to think that the people protecting our country could be people that we had previosly passed in the hallways on our way to math class, people only a few years older than us.  This past summer I had the priveledge of spending the summer at a camp that hosted a group of Jewish and Arab Israelis in an attempt to foster peace and understanding.  These kids were all in the twelth grade and it was so strange, because unlike here where you ask seniors what they plan to do after they graduated, in Israel (with some notable exceptions) every Jewish Israeli (Arab Israelis do not serve in the army) knows where they are going to go: the army.  It is a compleatly different mindset to imagine that the boys playing capture the flag at night of the girl singing during song time will be carrying a gun in just a few short months from now.  

    In Kurt Vonnegut’s classic “Slaughter-House Five” one of the characters angrily remarks upon hearing that someone is planning on writing a war memoir:

“You were just babies in the war-like the ones upstairs!”

I nodded that this was true.  We had been foolish virgins in the war, right at the end of childhood.  

“But you’re not going to write it that way, are you.”

This wasn’t a question, it was an accusation.  

“I-I don’t know,” I said.

“Well, I know,” she said.  ”You’ll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you’ll be played in the movies by Frank SInatra and John Wayne, or some of those other glamourous, war-loving, dirty old men.   And war will look just wonderful, so we’ll have a lot more of them.  And they’ll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs.”  

 

The character makes a valid point.  Too often politicians are so eager to rush to war, not realizing that the people doing the real work are young boys and girls, barely on the cusp of adulthood.  Yet the most amazing thing of all is that these brave young men and women manage to not only rise to the challenge but surpass it.  The men and women in our armed forces (and they are men and women by this point) are some of the bravest people this country has to offer, and they should be admired by all.

Sadly, these brave young souls are not properly respected.  Too often we send them off to war and then neglect them when they return from overseas hurt or carrying deep emotional scars.  Too often we forget about their sacrifices, disrespecting our soldiers through insults, or not being grateful for our rights.  It is one thing to protest the war or have ideological differences with how it is being run; I consider myself a pacfist.  Yet out dislike of war should NEVER spill into our support of the troops.

Postsecret, an art project where people anonymously send in their deepest darkest secrets, once featured a secret sent in by a soldier saying,  ”Most Americans Aren’t Worth the Fight.”  I am ashamed, not that the soldier sent the secret in, but we, the average citizen of America, have allowed ourselves to sink so low that the soldier would feel that.  But when we think about it, are we worth the fight?  When the perception of the average American is someone who is lazy and ignorant, apaptheitic about the world and compleatly self-centered, I can’t help but to think that some of us maybe aren’t worth the fight.  Yet a real American is not like this.  A real American is someone who cares deeply about their country and the world at large, and who fights tirelessly for truth, justice, and the American way.  A real American is unquestionably worth the fight.  A real American is something we all should strive to be.

 

 

Want to support the troops?  I urge everyone to visit http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html to send a letter to one of our soldiers.  It will take less time than it took you to read this post, and it will mean so much to the soldier who receives your letter.      

parents’ influence

In this election, I’ve noticed more and more enthusiastic young people getting involved. Teens are speaking out, even the ones not eligible to vote yet. This is wonderful, except when those people are extremely misinformed and therefore have and spread skewed and nonsensical views on issues and candidates. The more bothersome part of this confusion is that very often, this is caused by the parents, who are just as out of the loop and ignorant about the topics being voted on, that the children repeat these “opinions” as facts.

It is super important for teens to seek out truth in media, but many times, the parents can’t even find accuracy in reporting. This creates a negative pattern that goes back to news reporting in politics in general. So what can parents do to inform teens while still leaving room for the young people to have opinions? Adults first should find sources online or in newspapers that break down issues and candidates basically. Discuss these openly without simply saying “[candidate] is good/bad, etc.” Teens may have limited voices in regards to ballots and polls, but what parents say tuly affects us, and our voice still matters.