By Daniel B. Kline
If my wife and I invite four people over for a dinner party, we discuss a backup plan in case I burn the roast. That makes me believe that if we were to somehow become the owners of a pipe that pumps thousands of gallons of oil from the ocean floor, we probably would have an idea what to do should something go wrong.
British Petroleum, however, has no such conversation and when its giant oil-filled pipe broke, they had no contingency plan in place. Not only was BP unprepared, the company seemed incapable of responding in any fashion.
After the pipe broke and the oil started flooding into the Gulf of Mexico, BP seemed befuddled and employed a veritable Wile E. Coyote-inspired range of solutions. I’m pretty sure they tried the ShamWow, a really big straw and using Dawn to “take grease out of the way.”
These idiots actually celebrated when one “solution,” which involved parking a boat over the spill and pumping away some of the oil, managed to siphon 40% of the spill away. Of course, the boat was siphoning out 5,000 barrels a day – the amount which BP had originally claimed was the total amount being spilled each day.
So, to review, using BP math 5,000 barrels is 100% of the spill but only 40% of the spill. And, of course, the numbers are even worse because BP now admits that the boat was not removing as much oil as the company initially claimed.
This entire affair would be amusing were it not for the hundreds of miles of ruined coast line not to mention all the dead animals. Add in the untold future problems this ecological disaster may cause and it leaves you wonder exactly how this giant international multibillion dollar oil company could have been this unprepared for disaster.
Since the pipe first broke, BP has proven its incompetence over and over and one would think that the company should no longer be in charge of the situation. In general when you both cause a problem and repeatedly fail to fix it while untold damage gets done you lose your leadership role.
BP’s failures have cast into doubt the entire prospect of drilling for oil off the coast of the United States. Think how monumental a failure this entire operation must be if it has cast an entire industry into doubt.
That would be like if McDonalds manufactured a Mad Cow burger, killing hundreds, then recalled it, announced that all was fine and released it again killing even more people. That could never happen, of course, because McDonalds – a company that sells burgers and fries – has plans for every contingency.
Even a parent leaving his child with a babysitter takes a few minutes to make a backup plan for the sitter – perhaps by dashing a few phone numbers down and posting them on the fridge. I think it’s reasonable to expect that BP should at least be as responsible as a couple leaving their child with a high school kid while they head out to Applebees.
BP should fix this situation and the company must be held responsible for its actions. That means paying – and paying dearly – for the mess it has caused now and long into the future as we have yet to see the long-term effects that endlessly pumping oil into the ocean may cause.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline. Follow him on Twitter, @worstideas.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Populism is easy, ideas are hard
By Daniel B. Kline
At every turn Sarah Palin moves farther away from being an actual politician and more towards being a Rush Limbaugh/Bill O’Reilly-style populist ideologue. Whether she’s appearing at a Tea Party rally or speaking out in favor of Arizona’s “show me your papers” immigration law, she has become a master of preaching to the converted.
Becoming popular by vehemently agreeing with one group while portraying another group as out to get them – or better yet out to end their way of life – has worked as a political tactic since politics evolved beyond “my sword is bigger than yours.” It’s not a uniquely Republican problem as both Al Gore and Ralph Nader have built fans bases amongst the Democrats by telling people what they want to hear and demonizing the “bad guys” who disagree.
It is, however, a problem as all thinking people should rally against politicians who seek to attain office solely by the strength of their personalities – and their willingness to cast anyone who disagrees with them as a villain – instead of the strength of their ideas. In the world of a politician like Palin who seeks to motivate voters by emotion rather than reason, there’s no room for thought, gray area or compromise.
For Palin, there’s no abortion debate, she’s right because she had god on her side. In her world all illegal immigrants are bad – no matter why they came here or what they contribute to our society and guns are always good – no matter what purpose they might ultimately be used for.
In a Palin government, like in the failed George W. Bush administration, there would be no room for coalitions or bipartisanship because Palin’s power comes from her unflinching devotion to her beliefs. Even when reality impinges upon those beliefs (like, say your teen daughter gets pregnant despite your anti-sex ed in schools stance) Palin simply plugs ahead as if nothing has changed.
Building a coalition of the weak-minded and telling them what they want to hear does not take anywhere near the talent it takes to unite people who actually disagree. I don’t agree fully on politics with my wife, my best friends or anyone else. As an individual you should distrust anyone who you agree with completely and at least consider that they might be manipulating you.
Populist politicians manipulate the public in exactly the same professional wrestlers do. With wrestlers though, they only want you to boo the bad guy and pay money to see him get his comeuppance on pay-per-view.
The populist politician, though, can’t stop at a pay day. Instead, when we elect one of these dangerous demagogues, they must actually try to implement their extremist, crackpot policies.
Even an opinionated blowhard like me sees the danger in government without compromise and of living in a world of absolutes. The real struggle lies in dilemmas like believing in personal responsibility and not allowing people to live on the public’s dime, then meeting actual homeless people and realizing the story is never as simple as we thought it was.
Populism – whether its practiced by a Republican or a Democrat – opens the door to fascism. If there’s no room for debate, than there’s no room for Democracy and a country where the majority rules at the expense of everyone else, is not the America our founding fathers envisioned.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
At every turn Sarah Palin moves farther away from being an actual politician and more towards being a Rush Limbaugh/Bill O’Reilly-style populist ideologue. Whether she’s appearing at a Tea Party rally or speaking out in favor of Arizona’s “show me your papers” immigration law, she has become a master of preaching to the converted.
Becoming popular by vehemently agreeing with one group while portraying another group as out to get them – or better yet out to end their way of life – has worked as a political tactic since politics evolved beyond “my sword is bigger than yours.” It’s not a uniquely Republican problem as both Al Gore and Ralph Nader have built fans bases amongst the Democrats by telling people what they want to hear and demonizing the “bad guys” who disagree.
It is, however, a problem as all thinking people should rally against politicians who seek to attain office solely by the strength of their personalities – and their willingness to cast anyone who disagrees with them as a villain – instead of the strength of their ideas. In the world of a politician like Palin who seeks to motivate voters by emotion rather than reason, there’s no room for thought, gray area or compromise.
For Palin, there’s no abortion debate, she’s right because she had god on her side. In her world all illegal immigrants are bad – no matter why they came here or what they contribute to our society and guns are always good – no matter what purpose they might ultimately be used for.
In a Palin government, like in the failed George W. Bush administration, there would be no room for coalitions or bipartisanship because Palin’s power comes from her unflinching devotion to her beliefs. Even when reality impinges upon those beliefs (like, say your teen daughter gets pregnant despite your anti-sex ed in schools stance) Palin simply plugs ahead as if nothing has changed.
Building a coalition of the weak-minded and telling them what they want to hear does not take anywhere near the talent it takes to unite people who actually disagree. I don’t agree fully on politics with my wife, my best friends or anyone else. As an individual you should distrust anyone who you agree with completely and at least consider that they might be manipulating you.
Populist politicians manipulate the public in exactly the same professional wrestlers do. With wrestlers though, they only want you to boo the bad guy and pay money to see him get his comeuppance on pay-per-view.
The populist politician, though, can’t stop at a pay day. Instead, when we elect one of these dangerous demagogues, they must actually try to implement their extremist, crackpot policies.
Even an opinionated blowhard like me sees the danger in government without compromise and of living in a world of absolutes. The real struggle lies in dilemmas like believing in personal responsibility and not allowing people to live on the public’s dime, then meeting actual homeless people and realizing the story is never as simple as we thought it was.
Populism – whether its practiced by a Republican or a Democrat – opens the door to fascism. If there’s no room for debate, than there’s no room for Democracy and a country where the majority rules at the expense of everyone else, is not the America our founding fathers envisioned.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Inspiring others leaves a lasting legacy
By Daniel B. Kline
I’ve never met her, which is, maybe, a little sad since my mother credits her for saving her life. Not having met her, however, does not mean I do not know her as mom has spent the last few years talking about her and the last few months talking about her aggressive illness.
She has not shared her struggle publicly and very few people know the details of her health situation, so excuse me for being vague with the details, but they are not mine to share.
My mother met her during a horrible time for much of my family. My parents, after 37 years of marriage, were separated, heading towards divorce and ugliness surrounded us.
Mom has a strong group of friends, but most of them were married and though they were sympathetic, they lacked the experience to be empathetic. She also had her sisters and a wide and varied support network, but there just aren’t a lot of people with experience in getting divorced at her particular stage in life.
Perhaps more importantly, no matter how many people care about you and listen to you, at some point, you need to stop talking and start doing. Grief, shame and self-pity had pushed my mom to her “Shawshank Redemption” moment. It was time to “get busy living or get busy dying” and while mom had taken quite a few punches to the head, kicks to the gut and maybe even a few illegal shots below the belt, she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.
Salvation though does not often come solely from within and my mother found hers in a group of women. They got together a few times a week to engage in what, to keep it discreet, I’ll describe as a physical and artistic endeavor.
My mother did not bring any special training or talent to this particular activity, but that did not stop the teacher from encouraging her. At first for mom, it was just about doing something, but rather quickly it became a passion for the activity and a shared joy in the people she did it with.
Without the teacher that would not have happened. And, probably, in that room with my mother are quite a few other stories of despair and salvation – tales of people who needed something and found it through someone who was kind enough to offer.
So, in her time of need, the teacher is not asking for, or taking, help from my mom or any of her other students. What she should know, though, is when you save people – even if you didn’t know that’s what you were doing – they will gladly stand with you no matter what demons stand in your path.
When not by design or plan, but by the simple kindness of who you are and how you treat people, you can help them find the will to go on and restore their capacity for joy, then you never truly face anything alone. Few people possess the ability to help others find light when darkness surrounds them and I’m thankful that this woman – who probably has not given a second thought to the magic she has performed – was there when she was needed.
I hope that in her time of need, that no matter how dark it gets, she retains some comfort from knowing she didn’t just teach a class, she taught people -- my mother especially – how to be more than they were. Giving someone the gift of being able to be happy is something that cannot be repaid, but will always be appreciated.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
I’ve never met her, which is, maybe, a little sad since my mother credits her for saving her life. Not having met her, however, does not mean I do not know her as mom has spent the last few years talking about her and the last few months talking about her aggressive illness.
She has not shared her struggle publicly and very few people know the details of her health situation, so excuse me for being vague with the details, but they are not mine to share.
My mother met her during a horrible time for much of my family. My parents, after 37 years of marriage, were separated, heading towards divorce and ugliness surrounded us.
Mom has a strong group of friends, but most of them were married and though they were sympathetic, they lacked the experience to be empathetic. She also had her sisters and a wide and varied support network, but there just aren’t a lot of people with experience in getting divorced at her particular stage in life.
Perhaps more importantly, no matter how many people care about you and listen to you, at some point, you need to stop talking and start doing. Grief, shame and self-pity had pushed my mom to her “Shawshank Redemption” moment. It was time to “get busy living or get busy dying” and while mom had taken quite a few punches to the head, kicks to the gut and maybe even a few illegal shots below the belt, she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.
Salvation though does not often come solely from within and my mother found hers in a group of women. They got together a few times a week to engage in what, to keep it discreet, I’ll describe as a physical and artistic endeavor.
My mother did not bring any special training or talent to this particular activity, but that did not stop the teacher from encouraging her. At first for mom, it was just about doing something, but rather quickly it became a passion for the activity and a shared joy in the people she did it with.
Without the teacher that would not have happened. And, probably, in that room with my mother are quite a few other stories of despair and salvation – tales of people who needed something and found it through someone who was kind enough to offer.
So, in her time of need, the teacher is not asking for, or taking, help from my mom or any of her other students. What she should know, though, is when you save people – even if you didn’t know that’s what you were doing – they will gladly stand with you no matter what demons stand in your path.
When not by design or plan, but by the simple kindness of who you are and how you treat people, you can help them find the will to go on and restore their capacity for joy, then you never truly face anything alone. Few people possess the ability to help others find light when darkness surrounds them and I’m thankful that this woman – who probably has not given a second thought to the magic she has performed – was there when she was needed.
I hope that in her time of need, that no matter how dark it gets, she retains some comfort from knowing she didn’t just teach a class, she taught people -- my mother especially – how to be more than they were. Giving someone the gift of being able to be happy is something that cannot be repaid, but will always be appreciated.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Let’s leave television to the professionals
By Daniel B. Kline
Regular people who have time to stand outside of a television studio holding a sign do not have anything interesting to say. While that might be too general of a statement, I challenge anyone to find a single instance where a TV show host interviewed one of these sign-waving yahoos and something compelling resulted.
Let’s take the “Today” show (by far the worst offender) as an example. Usually, Al Roker will venture outside to interview a group of people from some woebegone town who are inevitably wearing hand-printed matching t-shirts and/or poorly made matching hats.
These probably kind, but in no way entertaining, country folk will then share there reason for getting up at 4 a.m. to stake out a prime spot in front of the camera. “It was grandma’s birthday” or “we always wanted to meet Matt Lauer” is the inevitable, completely uninteresting answer answer.
Nothing compelling or funny has happened (which does not stop the host from laughing) and the “Today” show has kept alive the idea that yokels should appear on TV for no reason. This apparently keeps the dream of someday standing near Al Roker and saying nothing of interest alive for other yokels, which somehow overrides just how much time these segments waste.
While this phenomenon of putting people from the audience on air was largely popularized by “Today,” the disease has spread to other shows. Now, all the nightly entertainment/tabloid programs have segments where viewers on cheap Web cams ask questions to various celebrities.
It’s hard to imagine that the public can ask dumber questions than Mario Lopez, but at least Lopez has a team of writers behind him. The viewer-submitted questions are like the softball questions at the beginning of the “Parade” newspaper supplement. “Hey Tom Cruise, how did you get to be so great?” or the even more probing, “Tell us what it was like to work with Julia Roberts.”
It’s hard to imagine that anything could make “Extra,” “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” even less hard-hitting, but compared to the viewer submitted questions, Maria Menounos is Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one mini-skirt.
Regular people don’t have TV shows because regular people aren’t interesting. We want professionals (even ones hired primarily for their abs like Lopez) to ask the questions because we should want to see the interview subjects be probed a little harder than the fan club drivel that the audience questions always are.
The Internet and emerging technologies like Twitter, Web cams and phones with cameras have made it possible for everyone to have their say on everything. Possible, though, does not mean necessary and it’s time for viewer participation to go away.
I don’t want to feel like I can be part of the show. I want to feel like the producers of the show have some interest in entertaining me or informing me. The “Today” show window and entertainment program
Web cam interviewers are gimmicks that add nothing to their respective programs. Let the people in matching t-shirts with crudely-printed slogans on them send grandpa a postcard to celebrate his birthday. The rest of the nation does not need to participate.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
Regular people who have time to stand outside of a television studio holding a sign do not have anything interesting to say. While that might be too general of a statement, I challenge anyone to find a single instance where a TV show host interviewed one of these sign-waving yahoos and something compelling resulted.
Let’s take the “Today” show (by far the worst offender) as an example. Usually, Al Roker will venture outside to interview a group of people from some woebegone town who are inevitably wearing hand-printed matching t-shirts and/or poorly made matching hats.
These probably kind, but in no way entertaining, country folk will then share there reason for getting up at 4 a.m. to stake out a prime spot in front of the camera. “It was grandma’s birthday” or “we always wanted to meet Matt Lauer” is the inevitable, completely uninteresting answer answer.
Nothing compelling or funny has happened (which does not stop the host from laughing) and the “Today” show has kept alive the idea that yokels should appear on TV for no reason. This apparently keeps the dream of someday standing near Al Roker and saying nothing of interest alive for other yokels, which somehow overrides just how much time these segments waste.
While this phenomenon of putting people from the audience on air was largely popularized by “Today,” the disease has spread to other shows. Now, all the nightly entertainment/tabloid programs have segments where viewers on cheap Web cams ask questions to various celebrities.
It’s hard to imagine that the public can ask dumber questions than Mario Lopez, but at least Lopez has a team of writers behind him. The viewer-submitted questions are like the softball questions at the beginning of the “Parade” newspaper supplement. “Hey Tom Cruise, how did you get to be so great?” or the even more probing, “Tell us what it was like to work with Julia Roberts.”
It’s hard to imagine that anything could make “Extra,” “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” even less hard-hitting, but compared to the viewer submitted questions, Maria Menounos is Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one mini-skirt.
Regular people don’t have TV shows because regular people aren’t interesting. We want professionals (even ones hired primarily for their abs like Lopez) to ask the questions because we should want to see the interview subjects be probed a little harder than the fan club drivel that the audience questions always are.
The Internet and emerging technologies like Twitter, Web cams and phones with cameras have made it possible for everyone to have their say on everything. Possible, though, does not mean necessary and it’s time for viewer participation to go away.
I don’t want to feel like I can be part of the show. I want to feel like the producers of the show have some interest in entertaining me or informing me. The “Today” show window and entertainment program
Web cam interviewers are gimmicks that add nothing to their respective programs. Let the people in matching t-shirts with crudely-printed slogans on them send grandpa a postcard to celebrate his birthday. The rest of the nation does not need to participate.
Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see his archive at dbkline.com or befriend him at facebook.com/dankline.
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