Sitting in my dorm room around 8 A.M. These next few weeks will be very busy, but I promise to post blogs for you every day. America is in interesting times right now. For a sixth straight day in Wisconsin, protestors are attempting to negotiate a compromise on a bill that will eliminate collective bargaining rights of public employee unions. The bill calls for a short-term suspension of a union's bargaining rights until 2013 because the state of Wisconsin is currently bankrupt. The bill would close a projected $3.6 billion budget deficit by forcing employees to pay more of their salaries towards their pensions and pay more of their own healthcare. I don't think Governor Walker's requests are unreasonable, but I can also understand the protestor's perspective. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. How would you react if you were required to pay more of your hard-earned dollars into government pension programs? You will probably never see much of that money again. On the other side, I can definitely understand the position of Wisconsin state Senate Republicans. They recognize that the state of Wisconsin is headed into financial turmoil. Instead of raising taxes on the entire population, they have decided to cut government spending by targeting government employees.
I have an interesting meeting later today with a group called Justice For All. If have not heard of this organization, here is the link to their website- Justice For All. Their mission is to train men and women to make abortion unthinkable for millions. Warning, some of the images in their exhibit are extremely graphic. Justice For All is hoping to work closely with Students for Life of KU, and I have been selected to represent us. There is a fundamental difference in the ways these two organizations promote the pro-life message, but I'm hoping we can find a way to work together on this controversial issue.
The violent clashes between protestors and security forces in Libya has intensified. Human Rights Watch said it has confirmed 233 death in the protests so far. It's a terrible tragedy that Moammar Gaddafi cannot grant his citizens freedom of speech. He would rather kill his own citizens that have a peaceful dialogue. I don't see his reign of tyranny lasting much longer. When the protestors start shooting back, an all-out revolution will inevitably occur. Eventually, the military will turn against each other. Some will back Gaddafi's evil regime and others will side with the forces of freedom and democracy. It'll be interesting to follow the developing events over in Libya.
Recently, I've been thinking about how the American lifestyle is unhealthy. We are taught from an early age that competition is good, that you can survive and prosper by stepping on someone else. I entirely disagree with this warped view of humanity, but I'm coming to the conclusion that it is deeply engrained within the American psyche. A lot of times, we don't even realize it either because we have been so desensitized. In sports, there is a winner and a loser. In socioeconomics, there are haves and have-nots. Even religions, which are supposed to be accepting and tolerant, bicker with one another over which doctrines are true. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves without doing it at the expense of others. This impure way of living is the reason I choose to be by myself. I have my own unique methods of dealing with the world, and even though I reside within a system that encourages greed, I have retained my own values and resolve.
Thanks for reading this.
Joe
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