Wednesday, March 14, 2007
I Bought my Government at Walmart

I have been in the retail business for seventeen years now and have learned a lot form watching the ebb and flow of retail fortune. I beieve American Government (Democracy) and the world as a whole could learn a lot from a discount retailer.

One of the most important aspects of running a discount store is finding the right mix of products tocreate the greatest profit. Every retailer in the world wants to have high retail/high margin items in their store, but that would hardly be wise on a grand scale. If a national discount chain had only high ticket items on their shelves, they wouldn't be in businessfor long. They would not be able to generate enough sales to offset the cost of running the business.

On the other hand, having a store exclusively made up of low margin/low retail items wouldn't be much better. The store could make tons of sales butit would not cover the costs associated with the sales. The key to the whole thing is finding the right mix of retail and profit to maintain the system.

Now, compare this to Democracy. If too much power and money is concentrated into a small group, then the government becomes inacessible to those it governs and becomes disconnected. It weakens its ability to understand all of the concequences of its decisions and blinds itself to the world. It alsoignoreshuman nature.Humans wish to be absolutely good, but moreoften than not fall short. It is just a fact. History says it all. Trusting a few to always make the right descisions for the good of the whole is dangerous. I believemany of the ills the U.S. faces now are a result of people with money and power meddling where they shouldn't have. The wholewill pay the costs for the few.

On the other hand, trying to govern solely for the poorest of us would fail as well. The resources and will required would burn out society. The government would fold under its own weight and be pulled in so many directions that most likely it would be useless. Again, this assumption would neglect human nature. There are people on the poor sideof the scalewho really don't need to be their. They milk the system. Also, no matter how saintly we want to be there will always be a point where we become resentful; that person is not pulling there share. In addition, we all need some incentive to move forward.

A responsible Democracy learns to balance the high retail/margin items (Rich) and the low retail/margin items (Poor) so that the sytem can maintain itself. Unfortunately, I don't believe the current U.S. government is anywhere near thecorrectmix. It isto far toward the high retail end and in my opinion it has hurt the world as a whole.

Posted by Rob Garbin 2007-03-14 00:57:45

Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Death by Freedom of the Press

I am sure this will hit some red flags from the pro free speech people, but I still have to voice my opinion. I am sorry, but I feel that paparazzi need to be curbed. I looked at the news covers of Britney Spear's breakdown with her half saved head and thought their was a soul crying out for help that would never get any from her fellow man. The tabloids will make more money covering her every stumble.

I look at the frankenstien monster we have created by not restaining the paparazzi. I agree that puplic figures should be subject to more invasion of privacy because of the influence they can have on society and just the fact that the are such public figures. However, watching the deteriation of basic human decency by such tabloid journalist, I have to wonder what is wrong with our society?

When the press can do things a criminal can't in the name of a sensational story, which has no direct importance to the public good, shame on us. Many of these reporters act almost no different then stalkers and in some cases proabably worse. Yet we let it go on. As long as it is not us, okay. Of course, there is always the argument that celebrities must pay the cost of there fame. How high a cost is too much. I view this as another instance where freedom of speech stampedes the freedom of the individual. In my mind the issues that have come up over the broad reach of the patriot act echo the issue with paparazzi. At what point do the rights of the individual out weigh the rights of the whole. Unfortunately, right know it seems to be that the rights of the money makers out weigh the rights of the individual.

Posted by Rob Garbin 2007-03-14 00:06:12

Friday, March 9, 2007
Perfectionist

If any of you are wondering why some of my old entries have moved up, I just happened to look at some of them. God the typos! Also, I hate how the system tends to mash some words together. When I type them, all the spaces are there, but when I look at what you see, the spaces are gone. Plus, the B key sticks on my computer sometimes. When I decide to rant late at night, the B's sneak out to play. Anyway, I just had to fix some of the typos to make things clearer.

Posted by Rob Garbin 2007-03-09 06:07:19

Friday, March 9, 2007
Desert

Deserts exist in spirit as well in as in reality. My desert has been in being surrounded by people who do not share the same needs in life. It is not that they are wrong, but that they cannot understand that what works for them does not work for me. For them family and community are the focal points of their lives, all that they need. I am learning that these things are not enough for me; I thirst for so much more.

My world was a desert because I needed to interact with people who could not only enjoy the basic nesscities of family and community, but also the depths and range of deep thoughts and discussions. I read SFF because it slacks much ofmy thirst for challenging ideas and concepts. I long to discuss the ideas they dislodge from my brain with someone whose eyes do not glass over. Someone who can get excited by my ideas or challenge me to better define them, maybe even rethink them.

For so long have I survived on the rations of family duty and societal involvement (i.e., work, sleep, party, etc.), which only keep me from dying. There were times that I wished I hadn't because the pain was so great. I drank the dirty water of the desert mudhole and cried for the clear, cool water of a mountain stream. I search endlessly for the boundry of the desert where I can discuss thoughts such as these without being looked at as strange. I'm not a geek. I'm just different and I need much more to thrive. Are you out there?

Posted by Rob Garbin 2007-03-09 05:56:33

Friday, March 9, 2007
The Love of God

Just happened to be thinking today about God and his relationship to man. Whether or not you beleive in God, the idea of God's love for man is something to make you think. Especially with our ever deepening research into AI and cloning. It is hard for me to understand, or more appropriately, comprehend God's love for man (i.e., to feel it's equivalent). If we take the relationship between God and man to its most basic, we are looking at a superior being and an machine it created.

Some people find it easy to become attached to something they created, but in most cases, like myself, I can't see them grieving forthe lose of itlike they would for a child or beloved pet. I have created electronic circuits to accomplishtasks but did not worry about their well being. I have created characters that to me have some life of their own but I do not worry about their soul. What causes God to look so differently upon us (given that theBible is correct)?

Questions such as these may become very important in the near future. Will we need tobe morally responsible for the lives wecreate through technology. If we continue to create blindly for profit, power, or just because we can, what price will we pay? If we don't love before we create, will the cost be more than we can bare?

Posted by Rob Garbin 2007-03-09 05:53:49