On blogging

The opportunity to reach more and different people has made me more willing to write, and more careful – I usually think, craft, revise before posting, which also helps me to shape and critique my own opinion.

Highway One - no widening

Highway 1 express bus connecting Watsonville and Santa Cruz with siren-like lane priority and shuttle/mini/taxi on demand last mile service at the few stops. Parking at access points.  Widening will be an expensive short-term fix and the traffic will only increase to fill and clog the new lanes.

No bombs; no boots.

Real leadership moves the world towards warm-heartedness and

civility. 

Instead of using fear and muscle, the US could encourage the UN to sanction with shunning.

Becoming a zealot

What I like to do is make an argument clear and incisive and simple.
         
Parity has me beat.  While it seems to me obvious that it is not at all equal for my insurance to pay out for treatments I refuse, I am not unable to communicate that simply and easily and well enough to get an "A Ha" of comprehension.
         
Every time I befuddle and don't convince, my formulation of the issue gets more strident.
         
When simple language doesn't convince, I begin to speak in headlines:

          Board approves more dollars for force over user objection.
         
When I can't adequately rally my peers I speak in bolder terms:
         
          Civil rights denied. 
         
          Parity discriminates.
         
And I watch this in myself and see the beginnings of zealotry. 
         
And I wonder is this how it starts.  When rational discourse doesn't work, and when one believes strongly in a cause, does one then turn to the irrational, the yellow journalism and shrill language of a DJ Jaffe, the tyranny of the worst case that AMI uses so effectively.  Are AMI arguments so irrational and emotional and skewed because those families can't convince anyone that they are indeed innocent and their kids are indeed diseased.  So they turn to emotional evangelizing, and at that they are effective.  But their arguments are intellectually transparent.  Why are they so easily able to fool the legislators.  What need are they filling?

1997
         
         

Rights and Duties

Humans have rights; states have responsibilities. If humans had responsibilities, states could use non-performance to deprive citizens of rights. If states had rights protection could confiscation.

people who aren't housed have become a Santa Cruz focus.  I've been thinking about some vision/mission/goal language:

All In – every county resident in a bed, under a roof

or Monica Martinez' words:

… use Smart Solutions to end homelessness in our county

          Smart Solutions are evidence-based, cost effective, create measurable results while valuing the equity, dignity and respect of the person.

… the immense cost of responding to every challenge ...