Has Ahhhnold Gone Off The Beam?

I don't often get political here but this just has to be said.

Has Arnold Schwartzenegger gone over the edge? It seems he has a bit too much muscle ~ and not much between the ears.

Supposedly on Monday, he will sign an executive order that will lower the wages of state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour. Not California's minimum wage. Federal minimum wage. And then he'll just fire the part-time workers.

He must have the foresight of an infant.

By taking this action, there will be more foreclosures and less buying. There will be more dependence on social services. More people will need food stamps and possibly even more will end up on welfare. There will be more hungry kids. There will be more homeless. For those who can survive it, the state will be short workers which means it will be very difficult to get any state business completed.

That wage comes up to $1043.00 a month which is not a livable wage in most California cities. It certainly isn't in Sacramento where rents average $800-900 a month for a modest apartment and mortgages are usually in four digits.

Arnold is out of touch with the reality of ordinary working people. It's easy to come from a position of privilege such as his and declare solutions that may be politically expedient but ignore the long-term fallout. You'd think someone who openly supports capitalism as a social system would at least know how it works. It doesn't take Adam Smith to figure this one out.

Instead of raising taxes which done at the appropriate rate would be barely noticeable, he is proposing an action that will wreak devastation on hundreds (if not millions) of people.

~*

Smokey Skies ...

This is a picture of the Sacramento skyline yesterday.

There are so many fires in northern California right now that the drifting smoke and ash is beginning to obscure the sun. It reminds me of Long Beach many years ago when there were fires that caused ash to fall from the sky like rain.

We've all been advised to stay inside, preferably with the doors and windows closed, air conditioners on recycle. It will probably be this way for the next few days. The air is unhealthy to breathe. Looking outside, I think most of us could have figured that out without the help of local media.

I've been watching movies. Lots of them. Thank goodness for NetFlix. Just yesterday, I watched "Freedom Writers" (really liked it), "Children of Heaven" (really liked it) and "Yogis of Tibet" (really liked it).

This unexpected time-out has also given me plenty of space to think about many things that will hopefully become posts one day.

Here's a question I've been thinking about: how useful is it to compare ourselves to others, to determine what's "normal"? While I know the obvious answer, it's still something that may be useful in some cases.

Just curious about your thoughts.

Meanwhile, I'll wait for the mail (poor post person out in this stinky air!) and see what Netflix offers for today.

~*

Heah Come Da Judge....

I just got back from Small Claims Court.

What an experience! Most people who know me are very aware of the fact that I avoid all systems like a pandemic but in this case, I agreed to go along with someone. We went to the Folsom Rd "Justice Center". It was cloudy outside and the inside of the building matched the weather. The absence of color was astounding!

As we walked in, we had to go through a metal detector and put our packages through an x-ray machine. As you can imagine with all my Thai finery, I kept setting the machine off. "Beep Beep Beep". I'd have to take off one bunch of jewelry after another until the offending item was removed. By this time, I'm drawing a crowd.

Next time, I'll go naked! Then they'll have a valid reason to think I'm a terrorist. Me naked. Yes. That would terrify even Osama bin Laden.

Welcome to the Brave New World.

The room itself was a dingy little cubbyhole with pale maroon chairs and grey walls. Again, no color. We listened to endless pairs of people trying to settle their disputes in front of a judge who reminded me of Judge Judy without the attitude. They quibbled and fussed, trying to tell their side of the story, usually talking over each other. The bailiff would say "One at a time! One at a time!"

The judge sat there, passively taking in all the details of these cases, most of them tangential to the real issue that brought people in. I honestly don't know how she does that job, day in and day out, listening to people gripe and complain about how they were wronged in one fashion or another.

Finally, it was our turn. The case itself is a landlord/tenant dispute. The tenants broke the lease and wanted their deposit back. Under the terms of the lease, they would not get it back if they broke the lease.

Easy, right?

No. You'd think it was the Scopes Monkey Trial!

It was half an hour of back and forth quibbling, tangential complaints and shady logic. (From our side, too, unfortunately.) There was nothing I could do to derail any of it since I am not officially listed in any capacity and have no stake in the outcome. That silenced me for all intents and purposes. I sat in my chair as quietly as possible, tolerating the stink eyes of the bailiff every time my bracelets made noise.

(And, no, I don't look like a bloody temple dancer! No need to even go there.. but I do wear a bit of jewelry.)

So I watched this train wreck waiting to happen, knowing which side would win. The tenants would get their deposit back because of the disconnected and unrelated issues that clouded the issue. Each side accused the other of various infractions, from "I cleaned the carpets before I left" to "her son yelled at me and he was drunk."

The other side said, "if they would have stayed, I wouldn't have squatters in my house right now."

The judge said, "They are not responsible for who you rented to after they were gone."

True enough.

This really confirmed for me a few different things.

I would never want to be a judge.

And in my older age, I have no desire to be involved in anyone else's squabbles.

That's not to mention my complete lack of desire to go into any building where I have to go through a metal detector.

Peace and quiet. Yes. That's my thing.
~*

Earthquake....

For those who haven't heard, there was a 5.6 earthquake in Northern California last night.

Apparently, it was centered in Alum Rock, near San Jose, and didn't do any devastating damage. It caused things to tumble off shelves and pictures to fall off walls.

What captured my attention this morning is the news coverage.

At this moment, I have a local news station on. My intent in watching this station (one I rarely watch because I find their saccharine silliness and pervasive perkiness nearly unbearable) was to find out how widespread the impact would have been. I often don't feel earthquakes unless they are huge. It's just a result of my balance issues. Things are frequently a bit rocky for me.

Anyway.....

The chipmunks at KCRA informed us that there was no significant damage in terms of property and that no one was injured.

Having set the stage and fulfilling all obligations to surface decency, then it was time for entertainment.

Nope. I'm not joking.

They are running a poll on their website. "Did you feel it?" The lead talking head asked it with a gleam in her eye and a smile that would have lit up a room. The little bounce in her step in Miss Nancy Romper Room style, let us all know that it was time for fun.

This was followed by Halloween stories.

It's times like this when I really miss Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Tom Brokaw. Peter Jennings. Walter Cronkite.

I miss hearing news with at least some modicum of dignity.

Meanwhile, I hope all in the affected areas are doing well. No joke.
~*

The more things change....

While we've been saturated locally with coverage of the journey of the wayward whales, something else has been taking place in Sacramento.

As an aside, one of the things I've found most frustrating about living in this area is the news coverage. The four local newscasts (including CW) fill their airtime each day with fluff, human interest and ultimately meaningless chatter between the anchors instead of devoting quality time to coverage of what the state government is doing. I'd hoped for more. This is the capital of the state and I figured that important issues would be up for discussion.

Not so. And that includes print media such as the Sacramento Bee, although it at least has more detail than anything on TV or radio.

So.. while we've been subjected to literally hour-by-hour and "breaking news" interruptions to programming to watch the progress of the whales out of the delta, they downplay the fact that the governor's budget is up for discussion this week.

I was finally able to find a summary of the governor's proposed budget in the LA Times. It would appear that, as usual, the poor and needy will take the biggest hit in the gut. Social services are being cut at an alarming rate, including cuts in welfare programs, smaller raises for social services workers and cash assistance for families in need, the elderly and disabled population.

College tuitions will increase, making it harder for those who want to do something to improve their situations. Students will end up with an increase in their debt to student loan companies and other financial aid programs. (That is assuming, of course, that they qualify at all!)

These are just a few examples. The majority of it is all business-related stuff that just makes my brain numb.

I can definitely see the trend developing here. California, a state which used to have the reputation as a liberal state, is increasingly buying into Bush-inspired, hardnose, business-catering policies. Those who have will have even more and those who have less will have even less. Those who are least equipped to advocate for themselves are on the losing end.

I don't claim to have the answer to any of this because I stopped having any faith in the political process many years ago. Still, it's worthwhile to keep track of these developments, if nothing else to know when it's time to bail.


Peace,

~Chani

It's too darned hot!

And it's too darned early in the year to have to say that!

Record heat today in my area. It's 91 degrees.

The fact that I do not like summer is certainly no secret. I don't like the higher utility bills. I don't like breathing hot air and I don't like the clothes much, either ~ now that I think about it. It's difficult to be modest when everything I put on feels like it's trapping the heat.

I've been hanging out in an air-conditioned room most of the day watching movies. Couldn't tell you the name of even one of them. That's how good they were!

My griping is unseemly. When I think of the homeless people and others in far worse financial shape than me, those who didn't have the option of laying in an air conditioned room watching movies, I know I should keep my mouth shut!

But please permit me this brief moment of totally self-centered whining. The heat just takes everything out of me.

And the irony of the fact that I will be spending the rest of my life in Southeast Asia is not lost on me. :)

Hope everyone is having a cooler day, both figuratively and literally.


Peace,


~Chani

Yesterday....

Yesterday, I decided to take a walk a few miles from my house where people were gathering in a small neighborhood protest.

When I arrived, they were still setting up and there was an opportunity to talk with a few people. They seemed to wonder who I am and why I was there. One woman asked, "you're not a spy for the government, are you?"

Once assured that in fact I have no covert operative status to be blown, we had some brief conversations. Going from one to another, I noticed a some commonalities.

Most of them were unwilling to answer the difficult questions. I asked one of the organizers, "Do you really believe this has an impact? Aside from taking the pulse of the neighborhood, do you think all of us, individually or collectively, can change a darned thing the government is doing? We have an illegal and immoral regime in place, firmly entrenched and reinforced through the national security establishment. Here it is, a gorgeous day, and it's rather pleasant to be here, but do you really believe it will do any good?"

Through multiple interruptions from her friends and acquaintances, she looked at me with a rather blank stare and said she didn't really know but we need to at least try. And, she continued, at least we know we've done something.

It was just about that point when a man on a bicycle came up to us and said that he was going to put a sign on his bike that said, "The Solution". I found that kind of interesting because I really had no idea what he was talking about at that point. He went on to tell me that it was the solution to pollution, riding a bike instead of driving a car. He chanted it like a mantra.

There is certainly truth to his statement. I'm all for alternative methods of transportation. Bikes, buses, affordable taxis. Heck, bring us tuk tuks and sawngthaews ... just like Thailand's. It would provide independent jobs, reduce traffic and all sorts of good things.

But that's really not the point.

In talking with many of the people present, I realized that I've become detached. It will take a while to figure out why. The fire in my belly is gone. The righteous indignance of youth seems to have been replaced with a kind of benign acceptance. Honestly, I don't believe gathering on street corners, holding signs and chanting does any good. There comes a point where realism trumps idealism. As much as I would like to believe street activity such as this does anything more than allow a community of likeminded people to meet up occasionally, I absolutely do not believe it will change public policy. The sixties are gone forever. The days of "Power to the People" are on the ashheap of history.

It's a different world now. Globalization has changed the nature of geopolitics. And geopolitics is far more of a driver than domestic unrest.

Demonstrations such as this provide a release. They provide a venue for meeting likeminded others and feel a sense of community. There's certainly nothing wrong with that and it is refreshing to spend some time in the presence of others who hold similar beliefs. Those beliefs are reinforced by the cars that drove by, honking wildly in agreement. (And there was a lot of honking!)

Standing so long in the sun began to get to me and my balance was becoming precarious. (I have balance problems and bright sun aggravates the condition. Long, complicated, boring story.) The best idea seemed to be to begin walking home. I stopped here for some food and a break. Who can resist?




Peace,


~Chani

The Morning News....

Okay. I'm not picking on KCRA specifically. This is just the picture that popped up most easily in Google. :)

This morning I did a quick blogsurf while drinking tea. ThomasLB at Living Next Door To Alice made a comment in his post that got me thinking. Well, it reminded me of something I've noticed anyway.

He mentioned the giggling and flirting, weather and sports that seem to be the sum total of the morning news. All the news shows in the morning, both local and national, seem to be saturated with silliness.

It's news for adults presented in childish nuggets.

When I first moved to Sacramento, I was looking forward to interesting news. After all, this is the capital of the state. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect some fairly good coverage of statewide issues, what's going on in the governor's office and what sort of activity might be taking place in the state legislature.

I know. It's asking a lot... but ...

Instead, we get giggling, flirting, weather and sports. Hm.

And here's what sticks in my craw more than any of the rest.

Stop attaching emotional content to weather forecasts! Fer gosh sakes, we're all capable of determining for ourselves how we will feel about the weather. The perky little bubblehead who delivers the weather forecasts on the above pictured but unmentionable news provider in Sacramento has a habit of nearly doing acrobatics while showing her approval or disapproval of the weather. You'd think she got up each day and made a decision.

Today, I'm sorry but we're going to have to put up with some rain. We really need it! You'll be glad this summer for the rain now! (tilts head and looks at co-anchor) Won't we, Edie?

And the temperatures are going to be just beautiful today! Now go out and enjoy it!

I wish someone would tell her she's not the weather mommy and we're not her toddlers!

Finally, at 10.oo AM, I can turn on international CNN where they deliver the weather forecast in a reasonable manner.

It's going to be sunny and 62 degrees in Lisbon.

It's going to be hot and humid in Bangkok at 92 degrees.

It's going to be snowing and 17 degrees in Reykjavik.

Yeah! That's how it should be done!

And while we're at it, how about the morning shows such as Today, Good Morning, America and others.

Who told you that listening to two thousand screaming people standing behind barricades in front of your studio is appealing?

:)


Peace,


~Chani, living where the weather is beautiful today and I've been duly instructed to enjoy it!

Dying for entertainment?

There's a local story here that's captured my attention.

Last week some time, a local radio station sponsored a contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" to win a Playstation Wii. The idea behind it was for several people to drink as much water as possible without having to go to the restroom. Most of you have probably already heard about it. A 28-year-old woman, Jennifer Strange, drank water until she died from water intoxication.

Stupid?

Yes.

There are probably many who would say that she made her choices and suffered the consequences. She's an adult.

Truly though, I have to wonder if she really knew the possible consequences of this. Although there was a similar case in Chico last year, most people don't know the symptoms of water intoxication. They don't know we can actually overdose on it. I didn't know it .. and I'm a reasonably well-read person. It's just nothing that ever caught my attention.

In this reality TV-saturated environment, I believe it is possible the participants in this contest didn't know the possible outcome. The morning DJs who sponsored the contest gave blow-by-blow progress reports during which they egged the contestants on. When a caller phoned in to remind them that people can die from this kind of thing, one of the DJs quipped that it was alright. The contestants all had to sign release forms.

I believe this kind of stuff has gone too far. When does it cross the line? And more than that, when did it become acceptable to put people in harm's way for sport, just to provide entertainment for bored commuters listening to a morning shock-jock radio show? Is it worth a life to get ratings? Apparently KDND believes so.

The Sacramento Co. Sheriff's Department claims that a criminal investigation will occur. Yet they warn that unlikely there will be enough evidence to get past the District Attorney's office for prosecution. If it is determined that a crime took place, the waivers signed by the contestants won't mean a thing.

Personally, I believe the radio station was criminally compliant. If they didn't know the possible outcome, they should have researched it. They should have checked with their lawyers. They should have done something. At the very minimum, they are, in my opinion, guilty of criminally negligent homicide or manslaughter.

A civil suit has been filed against the radio station by Jennifer Strange's husband.

I believe the community needs to speak up about this as well. At some point, we need to say this kind of activity is not acceptable and there will be consequences for those radio or television stations that sponsor it. It's easy to blow this off, saying that adults can make their own choices about what activities to pursue but it is a community issue as well. Our standards as a community are determined by many factors that go beyond individual choice.


Peace,

~Chani