Sustainability and Politics: March 2019

Friday, March 22, 2019

Ok, Go Time: Mueller Delivers Report on Trump-Russia Investigation to Attorney General

Here

The integrity of our country is at stake

Again, the world is holding its collective breath over this. None of us know how much of the full Mueller Report we will get to see. And how soon we will get to see the condensed report. And it is no doubt vastly in the public interest that we see all but the most confidential parts of it.

Newly installed and controversial Attorney General William Barr today gets to see the report. And soon will share its basic findings with Congress, and reportedly the public right after that.

The world and history now fixes its gaze on him:

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Jamie Dimon says we've split the US economy, leaving the poor behind - CNBC

When the CEO of a bank like J.P. Morgan Chase says something like this, well, you know. It's REALLY BAD. Here

The #GOP Tax Scam has redistributed more wealth to the top. And the Trump Administration plans to hack away at Social Security and Medicare, the very programs that actually are crucial for low and middle income Americans.

We have to do better. We HAVE TO DO BETTER than this.

"I don't want to be a tone deaf CEO; while the company is doing fine, it is absolutely obvious that a big chunk of [people] have been left behind," Dimon said. "Forty percent of Americans make less than $15 an hour. Forty percent of Americans can't afford a $400 bill, whether it's medical or fixing their car. Fifteen percent of Americans make minimum wages, 70,000 die from opioids" annually.

#incomeinequality #GOP #TaxScam #injustice

I've been thinking some about the Winter Solstice, the Mayan end of the 30,000-year-cycle on 12/21/12.

What if in fact the world did end? Even though this probably will not happen, to live consciously it is honest for us to take a bit of an inventory.

Am I happy with how I've lived my life? (Yesterday, I thought mostly yes, with some areas for improvement, as below.) Are there changes I would make?
Would I have tried to forgive those that were hostile or disappointing to me?
Would I spend more time with those I loved the most, telling them that, feeling that more?
Would I be happier, grateful for what I have, what I've experienced, the joy, the beauty in this world?

Maybe the answer is yes to all of the above.
So this time can serve as a point of rebirth for all of us. If we think about it.

Because somewhere along the line I realized I think maybe mankind deserves it. !
The way we are killing each other, killing the planet.
How selfish we are, and snotty to those around us. Petty, competitive. Why is this? Do we have to behave this way? (I say no, it greatly detracts and misdirects energy from the full-time celebration in which we could engage, the great multi-cultural, multi-rhythmic dance we can sustain here.)

Maybe God or the Great Universe is fed up, and will pull the rug out from under us.
Don't think I can say we could blame Him/Her/It.

But it probably won't happen. (Probably not! This time.)

Still we are finite on this ride.

It is a time to think, am I happy with how I've lived my life?
Hopefully most of us can say yes.

For the part of us that have a little worry, a little sadness....
This is the time to be present.
This is the time to be the person you want to be, that can die at peace, that can hope to every day be able to look yourself and the Universe in the eye and say, how beautiful, smiling, and thank you. Let's do that.