Aliens and Strangers in this World

I voted in the Michigan Presidential Primary today.

I knew I would not be voting for Scooby-Doo. There was a part of me that wanted to vote for Bullwinkle, but in the end it was Mickey Mouse that got my vote. It is not like I have a lot of enthusiasm or expectations for this one. This is just another election cycle that is proving once again that we live in a culture that is incapable of producing real leadership... We are seeing the fruit of over a century of the influence of secular materialistic thought.

I was thinking today about the contrast of a capitalistic economic system working in a culture still dominated by a Judeo-Christian ethic, versus a capitalistic economy working in a culture dominated by a secular materialistic ethic. The contemplation of that should give us pause regarding blanket uncritical support for such secular materialistic capitalism.

The dirty little "secret" about secular materialism is that it provides no constraint upon the pursuit of a Darwinian survival of the fittest. In fact it feeds and idolizes the survival of the fittest. Forget the Humanist Manifesto! Or any and all altruistic concepts of the greater good.

Like the Jack London character of Wolf Larson, it becomes one's purpose, even duty, to live and squeeze every juicy marrow one can out of one's own life and any who happen to get in the way of that be damned. In the London story, Humphrey Van Weyden's altruistic liberalism paled and wilted in face of the onslaught of Wolf's inexorable unrelenting materialistic hedonistic logic.

This is the world we face. This is the world we as Christians have been called to bear witness to the truth that God is, and He is not silent. A world that loves the darkness because it hides their evil deeds. A world that will not have this Man to rule over them.

That thought should drive us to our knees in earnest prayer. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

~ The Billy Goat ~

Of This And That

The days are getting longer. We are getting closer to Spring, 55 more days to go. In Michigan it very easy to get weary of the snow and cold. Our "winter" actually started in November before Thanksgiving Day. In the midst of it all I am thankful for my Toro snowblower. We've had it for 7 years and the 2 cycle engine runs like a champ. I have little problem getting it started, and I credit it with saving me from a multitude of heart attacks.

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The day after President Obama's Inauguration, my friend Roger commented, tongue in cheek, that we were one day closer to a new president. I suppose that's one way of looking at it positively. I can't believe the amount of vindictive venom that has been directed towards now former President George W. Bush. To hear some folks and to read some pundits you would think there is more hope for the devil then for GW. GW may not have been a "saint", but objective history will treat him kinder then the current pundits. GW was not the worst President we have ever had. In my life time Jimmy Carter holds that distinction. There is a reason Carter was only a one term President.

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My wife and I have realized in recent weeks how much of our thinking is impacted by the consumer oriented society mentality. The issue came up with regards to TV stations changing from analog to digital signals on February 15. We do not have a HD TV. Neither do we have cable or satellite. We discussed the pros and cons of cable versus dish. We talked about how nice it would be to have a 32" flat screen HD TV.

But the bottom line is, if we are honest, we should not be spending money on a new TV, nor on the monthly fees for cable or dish. We don't have to have either, and we really need to do a whole lot better at saving money then we are. To make a long story short, we went out this afternoon and plunked down the cash for the converter box.

I have to confess that listening to Dave Ramsey is wearing off on me and I look at these things more seriously then I would have even a few months ago. Why do we think that when ever we get a little money saved up, we have to go out and get "things"? Why? I enjoy the finer things in life as much as anyone, but the truth is that way to many of us are only a few short pay cheeks away from financial impoverishment. Yes, we are on top of our bills, and we manage to stay away from a lot of unnecessary debt, credit card or otherwise, but if the bottom falls out, we would very quickly be in a world of financial hurt.

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I finished reading For Whom The Bell Tolls. For me this is Ernest Hemingway's best novel. Back in college, many ages ago, I Had to read The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway's first novel. I hated it. What was worse we had to write a paper about it. The Lit' Professor hated my paper about as much as I hated the book. I took my D- and let it go at that. I now think that if we had read Farewell To Arms or For Whom The Bell Tolls first, I would have understood and maybe appreciated The Sun Also Rises a little more then I did at that time. I have it in mind to do a more extensive post at some point, so will save the analysis and review for then.

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Question: Are you "X", or are you "Y"?
Answer: Yes....

So much for the fallacy of the false dichotomy...

Assertion: If you are "X", by logical extension you must be "Y".
Response: Pure 100% unadulterated bull manure.

So much for the fallacy of logical extension...

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Shalom!

~ The Billy Goat ~

The Price of a Shave

I was out of razor blades. I tend to use a razor blade until it literally hurts. A box of 5 razor blade cartridges will last a long time.

While at the store to pick up a prescription refill at the pharmacy, I remembered I needed to get some more razor blades. I was hit with sticker shock. The package I usually get was priced almost $ 3.00 more then what I paid the last time. What's up with that???!!!

OK. The scrap metal yards have got to the point they need the security of a Fort Knox to keep the scrap metal thieves out. The scrap metal thieves are thriving because the price of metals is going up. So I reason I should expect the price of my razor blades will be going to go up. I get the blades, pick up my prescription, pay up, and head home.

But there is more.

In the morning I' reached that point in the morning ritual where it's time to shave. I take my trusty razor out, pop off the old razor cartridge and reach for a new one.

What in the world is this? My old cartridge has three small metal blades. The new cartridge has only two small metal blades. I check the rest of the blade cartridges in the new box. Two blades! That's all they had. What's up with that???!!!

There I am! Not only do I have to pay more for my razor blades, but I'm getting 1/3 less for my money. More for less!!! Bummer......

You've heard of booming economies in places like China and India and other countries clawing their way out of 3rd world status into the industrialized age. That's why metal prices are going up. The increasing demand in these industrializing countries is creating demand that is driving metal prices up, up, up.

And it's not just metals. Raw chemical materials used in the manufacturing process; soda ash, per-carbonate, enzymes, surfactants, and etc, all the different kinds of stuff going into the household products you take for granted. Worldwide demand is going up and so are prices.

The scramble is on to develop alternative sources, alternative materials, and alternative formulations. R&D is more vital then ever.

As I thought of this another thought came into my mind. Would it not indeed be ironic if capitalism and free enterprise ended up being the great leveler that Marx thought Communism would be? Would it not be ironic that as the poorer countries in the world move towards wealth and plenty, we in the developed countries found our standard of living actually lower because of the price pressures from a growing world wide marketplace?

Of course as prices escalate, market forces are suppose to find answers through innovation and all the other things free markets are suppose to do. And I believe for the most part that will happen, but there is in the back of my mind the idea that when you get to the bottom line, we who have much will be learning to get along with less. That’s not entirely bad. After all… “Man does not live by bread alone…”

Shaloam... ~ The Billy Goat ~