Left to my own devices

I'm not sure when we stopped knowing (or caring) how to communicate with one another, but it has happened somewhere along the way. We've huddled into our own bubbles of comfort and, conversely, outrage. We do not seek the best way to understand, or to impart knowledge. Instead, we seek only to protest, vilify and win an argument. It doesn't have to be this way. When Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the U.S. national anthem during a recent football game, there were folks coming out of the wood work to label him as unpatriotic. When he explained his reasons for not standing, the vilification continued. As with most things, this is a complex issue, not easily digested for quick and immediate opinions. Of course, many people don't have the patience for such things, so, instead of taking-in the thoughts and feelings that Kaepernick has expressed, many have simply decried him. It has just been announced that out gay actor Matt Bomer has been cast in a tra...

We hear a lot these days about the 1% vs. the 99%. Wall Street is demonized. Arguments of the populist movement are widespread. CEO and administrative pay scales are out of whack with those of their workers. Many hard-working folks are often forced to work more than one job in order to make ends meet. Unemployment is (as always) a problem. It's a presidential election year, so most of these things are mentioned even more frequently than they would be. You get the idea. Times are hard, and money is tight. But why is this?

"Don’t you love this country? What a home this is, what grounds these are, the pool, the golf course. Republicans come here and say everyone should live like this." The above quote is from one Willard 'Mitt' Romney, while he was hanging out at  'Papa' John  Schnatter's mansion (is Papa John's yet another company I'm going to have to think twice about frequenting? Anyway, I digress). The words spoken by Romney were in reference to the apparently wondrous abode of the pizza chain founder.