Thankful

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and seeing as I haven't posted in awhile, I thought I'd recap a few things to be thankful for.

POLITICS

1. TED STEVENS LOST! - The incumbent senator from Alaska, who has been in the senate for over 40 years and and was recently accused of fraud, has lost his senate race after a recount!
2. MINNESOTA RECOUNT - The numbers are dwindling for Norm Coleman, the incumbent republican senator from Minnesota. This is good news for Al Franken and the Democrats, who are only two seats shy of winning a "super majority" of 60 senate seats for a filibuster proof majority.
3. DASCHLE CHOSEN! - Former Senator from South Dakota Tom Daschle was chosen as Health and Human Services Secretary by Obama!

Economy

1. IT COULD BE WORSE - It's gonna get worse... but its not there yet! (This was the best I could do.)

My Personal Life

1. Less than 6 months of High School left!
2. We're going to State Oral Interp in Sturgis!
3. Basketball Season is starting soon!

I'd be kidding myself if I didn't admit that there are somethings that we aren't thankful for.

So....

1. "Joe the Plumber" is writing a book... God Why?
2. Nobody seems to agree on what to do about the "Big Three" auto companies. Personally, I think we need to bail them out, because we can't afford to lose them completely. But I'm not too sure what I think of Chrystler. They're a private company.... so should they get the public's money?
3. Twilight.... Need I say more? ( I say this in jest. I haven't read the book or seen the movie so I can't really judge!)

The Problem with Capitalism

Socialism has been a big word this year.

The argument has been that socialism is an evil system, and that, “Mighty Capitalism,” must always prevail. However, is this really the case?
When you look at the capitalist nations of the world, how are they doing these days economically? Most anyone who has not been living under a rock for the past year could tell you that few are in great shape. Yet, when you look at China, a socialist country, you will notice that they’re doing pretty well. So what is the beef with socialism?
The argument is that with socialism, you have less control over business. The government controls the industries, keeps the wealth from being concentrated in small chunks of the population, and evens it out so that everyone is closer to being equal. As opposed to Capitalism which is somewhat like an, every man for himself philosophy which gives everyone the chance to be successful, or in the poorhouse.
Capitalism isn’t without its faults, however. One argument against capitalism that is quite valid is that when the market falters, everyone suffers, even the people who haven’t invested any money in the stock market, but when the market does well, the only people who profit are the people who’ve invested. Where is the fairness in that?
Now I’m no socialist, and I do believe that Capitalism is much better than socialism, but both have faults along with their positive sides. The best thing we could do, would be to combine aspects of socialism with capitalism, to form sort of hybrid of sorts, Sopitalism or Cashalist if you will. It could incorporate the strengths of the regulations on healthcare and infrastructure of socialism, with the free market and freedom to work hard and succeed of capitalism, America could truly put itself back on top.

November 10th Resolutions

New Years is still almost two months off, and I figured, why wait? I might as well start now and hope to better myself. So here they are, a simple seven. I may add to the list at some point, but I doubt it. If someone has a better one or something to add feel free to comment. Yet here they stand.

1. Have more "silent freak outs".

2. Smile More. I think this would help me a lot.

3. Try not to get attached. Attachments make failures more pronounced. This goes for people and possessions.

4. Listen to more music. Music is such a beautiful escape from everything. Even the simple oldies of "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News, have been able to console me for days upon end.

5. Read more Non-Fiction. Right now i'm reading "The Year of Living Biblically" by A. J. Jacobs, and its really good. On second thought... it doesn't neccesarily need to be Non-fiction, just books that truly provoke thought and broaden my view of life.

6. Blog more. This almost goes without saying, but I need to blog at bare minimum, once a week. I'd prefer to do it more, but the posts wouldn't have much meaning or substance, especially now that the election is over.

7. Go for walks. Silent and alone. For exercise and to process everything that I think about throughout the day.

Blogging is like confession to the world. Truth is Marching.

Yes We Did.

Words cannot express the sheer thrill of watching Barack Obama get elected last night. I know that it will be a part of history that I will be telling my children about some day. I and a few friends stayed up to see history in the making. As state after state turned blue it almost felt surreal, and I had to wonder, is this really happening? Did America actually make a decision that the world respects? A few pinches later, the resounding answer was, Yes. The election was an absolute blowout of epic proportions. I heard analysts saying that some day people will refer to American politics as Pre-Obama and Post-Obama. I read about the cheers of the people of the world who saw this as their election too, because they wanted to be able to see America as a place of hope, something they haven't done in years.

Aberdeen American News Can No Longer Be Completely Trusted.

Much to my dismay, the Aberdeen American News endorsed John McCain. It was sad to see a paper which I respected stand beside the garbage that has been coming out of the McCain-Palin camp for this election season. To take it even further, they neglected to say why John McCain was the better candidate, and instead chose to paint Barack as an eloquent shell of a man with no redeming qualities or ideas, besides his ability to speak.
It was to be expected I suppose. South Dakota hasn't voted for a democrat in 44 years. They didn't even vote for George McGovern in '72, and he was from South Dakota! I'm tired of such sad blindness. Therefore, BeefHarbor officially endorses Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Truth is Marching.

I've been thinking about a lot of stuff lately. I can't narrow said "stuff" down to anything more specific than "stuff", but it doesn't mean that the aforementioned "stuff" is any less confusing or frustrating to the average teenager than other "stuff" that might be on the atypical teen mind. I see people making choices around me, choices that will affect them for the rest of their life. Not just physically, but emotionally, and will even affect the way people around them will see them. At times I feel like I may be getting left behind, as a piece of discarded furniture from their lives which at points may have involved me. These are people I've trusted, admired, and maybe even harbored a slight to moderate affection for, but who have chosen a new path, and one that I cannot, or will not follow, even if I would wish to.
Some times I think a rare one has changed. That they've seen something better. This hope of a better direction ends up as a cold slap to the face. It's as if they're saying, "Ha! As if taking the road less traveled by is worth it! Acceptance by all and no fear of rejection is a far more cuddly security blanket than that of self respect and true appreciation from friends."
So many people see the world with their eyes shut. They refuse to see people for who they are, or to see the difference between such simple things as right and wrong. These people still believe that possibilities are endless, yet they've already closed so many doors for themselves.
I heard someone say today, that "Life is a journey, and it takes getting to the end of this journey to realize that the journey itself was the most important part." When you finish your journey, do you want to look back on it and regret it all? I've recently made a more conscious effort to leave fear and and maybe even reason at the door in some situations, all in the hopes that by taking a chance, it may just pay off. Admittedly, these chances haven't paid off, and have caused more frustration and disappointment than if I'd left some things unsaid, but I maintain that such things have been right to attempt. Regret is a painful demon to live with. It tears at you until it is satisfied, and such demons have a hefty appetite. Time may heal all wounds, but the ones that cannot be seen cannot be healed by conventional means.

Blogging is like confession to the world. Truth is Marching.