Juggling Dynamite

This cartoon rings painfully true on many points. No doubt some will strongly disagree.

There is no question that lower tax rates have contributed to present deficits. But lower tax rates are not the main story. Lower tax rates are a symptom of the larger problem: a mindset of entitlement and lack of personal responsibility. A culture where business leaders and politicians unabashedly place their own best interests and profits ahead of everything else, leads to a world where those under them seek to do the same. A world where debt is unscrupulously added to spend far above income for certain group’s pet interests, becomes a world where every budget item seems as “affordable” as the next. Everyone comes to expect their cake and eat it too. If the country can borrow to fund greater and greater military, and greater and greater subsidies to status quo businesses and financial firms, then why shouldn’t it borrow to fund larger and larger public pension promises too. Gradually most walks of society are “on the take” in one way and another. Everyone wants great schools, roads, hospitals, pensions, energy infrastructure, sports domes, clean water–but no one wants to pay for any of them. The wealthy retreat to a world of private clubs and schools while the broader society falls into tatters. The way back must be through the shared sacrifice of broad spending cuts across the board, tighter regulation and prosecution of “white collar” offenders, and higher tax rates on the majority. The recovery mindset is one of anti-debt, fiscal restraint, hard work, innovation, wasting less and saving more.

We only “deserve” what we as a society are prepared to work, sacrifice, pay and invest in for the future.

Tax the rich: An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by Mike Konopacki. Written and directed by Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers. An 8 minute video about how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don’t want to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but the people aren’t so sure.

Here is a direct link.

Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker) by P.Tchaikovsky performed live on a glass harp. These musicians are known as Glass Duo and are from Poland. This performance was at the Chamber Music Festival in Bologna, Italy – June 2010.
Here is a direct link.

As I resolve to carve out time to work on my screenplay this holiday, I like this segment for its reminder that creative pursuits are the source of most joy and innovation in the world. What do you like to create?

British singing-sensation Adele talks about her success and the vocal cord surgery that saved her voice; Singer-songwriter Rodriguez explains how he found out that he had legions of fans in South Africa; and, Taylor Swift writes and sings all her own songs, sells millions of records and is just 23 years old.Here is a direct link.