An inspiration

We should begin the new year with optimism for coming out of the darkness of 2020 and into new light where a better country and world can emerge.

An event in my memory gave me a long-lasting inspiration and a belief that difficult hurdles can be overcome when there is the proper faith and determination applied. Years ago (quite a number of them), skiing at Mammoth ski resort in the Sierras of California. I, had for a reason I don’t recall, departed from my friends and was skiing alone. AsI slalomed unhurriedly down a favorite slope, taking in the ambience of this world of white, I noticed in the corner of my eye a skier apparently following me. I maintained occasional glances back to observe the movement patterns of this person.

I stopped to rest and I noticed this person stopping about twenty yards behind me. Okay, apparently no  intention of making contact, so I continued. Again, he/she appeared to be following me. Nearing the bottom of the hill, I stopped to consult my trail map to find another area where I might re-connect with my friends. Now, this skier stopped very close to me. I turned around to see a young woman wearing a bib which read BLIND SKIER.

“I hope I didn’t spook you’, she said, “I was using the red of your jacket to help me navigate’.

I assured her that it didn’t bother me. Then I commented about her bravery in skiing without a guide. guide.

“Oh, I have a guide, but I excused him this morning. I wanted to feel the challenge of skiing alone. I think I’ve done quite well”.

I asked if she would like to ski a few runs with me and she accepted. That began some memorable conversation. On the lift ride up she told me she was in her senior year at a Los Angeles college in pre law. After graduation in the spring, she hoped that she would be accepted by a law school where she had maintained contact for a couple of years. She said she had very good grades. Amazing, I thought. That can be a challenge for anyone with good eyesight. But her? I asked what kind of an attorney she wanted to be, half-expecting her to say trial lawyer, but she said some form of child advocacy.

We talked about early skiing days where we experienced crossed ski tips, falls, faceplants, ,agonizing getting up plastered with snow that a beginning skier experiences. She said it was a nightmare for her. She would fall, get up and try again and fall again in spite of her instructor’s help. The next day brought the same agony and more days where she was ready to give up skiing. But she made a few more attempts and one day she felt the skis in control as she had wanted them to be. From that time on she felt steady improvement until at the end of the season, she found herself having a great time skiing. I observed she was now a good intermediate level skier.

As we parted, I felt in awe of what the human spirit can achieve. I didn’t get contact information from her, but I have often wished to know about her school and professional progress. However, I continue to envision her life as inordinately successful

PACs and Super PACs

Vast sums of money will flow in the 2012 election through political action committees (PACs) and super PACs. The Christian Science Monitor (2/7/2012) estimates that each of the two major parties will raise and spend a half a billion dollars during the 2012 election year in super PACs, in addition to the direct campaign contribution which are limited to $2500 per donor. A 2010 Supreme Court decision makes it possible to bypass the $2500 per person donation limit in a Super PAC which has no limit but prohibits the Super PAC from coordinating directly with the candidate. WHAT?

The logic of this decision is hard to understand, but I guess it was based on Constitution-granted freedom of speech. The decision further granted the same rights of free speech to organizations and corporations as to individuals.

One might ask what these donors will get for their bucks. Is it the satisfaction of making a noble sacrifice to assure we have the best possible government? Or do the donors expect to buy something to their advantage with that money? I leave that question as rhetorical.

But I can predict this: This money will bring us a cacophony of negative campaign ads which say little about the specifics of either party’s agenda. Why negative? It appears that most voters are quasi committed to party or candidate. Wresting their loyalty away is more readily done with negative rather than positive cajoling.

When the election is over and the winners decided, the PAC money will be spent or mostly so. The temporary jobs will be over and most of the media’s balance sheets will look better than the previous years’. The winning candidates will deny that PAC money was responsible for their win. Many of the losers will bemoan the larger funds that their opponents spent. And it may become known that social media—Facebook, Twitter, etc—will have been a more important factor in the election results than the conventional media. (Think Arab spring).

My thoughts to Sheldon Adelson, Charles and David Koch, George Soros and the dozens of secret big-bucks donors, isn’t there a better way to spend that money? Maybe it could be invested in some factory capital improvements to permit jobs to be brought back to the U.S. Or maybe it could provide venture capital for entrepreneurs with ideas for new products or services. Investment in the U.S. economy can bring profits to the investor and long term benefits to us all.