Riding the Waves

In the afternoons and late at night I've been taking my shortwave radio outside and getting a ear full of what the world has to offer me. In a sense using a shortwave radio is like walking into a second hand shop; you just don't know what you'll find. Some of the more interesting signals I've picked up include an anti-Zionist radio station, a Japanese news station, a French news station, and Deutsche Welle radio which is an all English language news station and comes out of Germany. I spend as much time listening to that as I can before the signal fades.

What have I learned? Apparently Europe is f-in crazy! Deutsche Welle reports mostly on central European news, and let me tell you there is a lot going on out there that American's have not an inkling about. For instance last night I learned that in the Chez Republic's mostly government run power company has its own paramilitary organization. Their f-ing power company has a small army! To top it all off their under investigation for unlawfully entry into private property, blackmail, and even accusations of torture.

This reminds of a discussion I recently had with a friend of mine about American and the nature of wealth. I often get tired of listening to people's jaded and wholly misguided comments about economics and the nature of wealth in general.

She stated that she wanted to move to Europe or Budapest because American had lost any sense of family values and morals. Of course the idea of moving to Europe for that reason in ludicrous. Europe as a whole places so little emphasis on family and conservative moral values that their indigenous population is rapidly declining. To put it simply Europeans are dying at a higher rate than they are breading, and within a few generations Muslims will out populate the actual Europeans.

As for Budapest she felt she wanted to get some culture and forget comfort. Of course the reality is that if culture was her primary concern then she need look to further. America is the most diverse nation on earth, and writhe with various cultures and peoples across the nation. But she wants the magic Disney experience of chocolate skinned people dressed in silk passing elephant standing a pond of lotus blossoms.

Why are we so quick to dismiss our own culture and look to ones far less successful than ours? Even our President thinks we need to look at Europe as an example, but who are they to judge us? You hate commercialism and the quest for wealth, but think about what it offers people. Wealth creates jobs and the need for more specialized labor which in turns creates more jobs. In an agrarian society can you imagine any one ever needing a doorman or a caddy? Wealth creates far more opportunities for the poor and uneducated. Look at Walmart. The average wage of an employee who has been with the company for a year is 10.50. They move into largely poor neighborhoods, hire people from those neighborhoods, and even promote from within. That isn't even mentioning the fact that Walmart's prices allow low income families to purchase clothing and food for much cheaper than anywhere else. They even gives jobs to the mentally disabled.

Why are we so afraid of wealth then? Is it because a consumer economy destroys national identity? Turns us into little robots that endlessly thirst for sneakers, consumer electronics, and affordable trumpets? The real question is what's the alternative? Look to Italy or Sweden who have average living standards well below ours then ask yourself what right you have to force that on people. Is your jaded quest for cultural meaning worth the tole it takes on a society. Let's not forget that political correctness has done far more to annihilate an sense of American identity and American values than any other philosophy.

We are being short sided just like in the healthcare debate. The problem isn't the ineffective American system vs. Socialized medicine. If you think socialized medicine is a good idea then you've done absolutely no research on the subject. The real problem is what is causing healthcare in America to be so expensive? But addressing that would require people to think beyond bumper sticker logic and basic talking points.

I have no definite solutions to these problems. Can we end world hunger? Yes, we can. We as Americans are the model of success that shows what capitalism can do, but without real values what are we? Ask the liberals. Never have such a group of people espoused morals so vehemently while doing everything they can to assure that American society becomes a total moral vacuum.

I suppose this is all a bit rant like, but I didn't spend a couple of days writing and preparing this. It's all off the cuff and lets face it my off the cuff is better than most people's prepared arguments. Till next time I will be monitoring the waves and seeing what they have to offer me. I haven't even been playing video games, reading, or watching TV. It's fascinating and a lot of fun. I can't wait to get a better one.

This cracks me up to no end.