Senator Charles "just call me Chuck" Grassley made a stop in Kalona last Wednesday evening. When I arrived at quarter till five Grassley was already taking pictures and talking with a few people. At five, he introduced himself to the room full of approximately 100 people. Quite a few of us had to stand along the walls as the seats were all full.
Grassley has been a Senator for 35 some years so he is good at relating to people and excellent at responding to questions without really answering the question asked. Since there were so many people present he said there would be no follow up questions which was also to his advantage.
The first question was about the bio-diesel tax credit, but the second related to health care which then dominated most of the evening. In between Grassley's explanation of why he didn't vote for the current Senate bill, "even though it has some good things," we were treated to the occasional outlandish statement by random audience members. "Democrats are treating the constitution like a damn beer can," stated a guy who looked like he has tossed his share of Busch lite cans out of a car. This guy added, "if I have a chance I'll chase them out, and I won't be using no damn pitchfork neither." His statement seemed to embolden the large women who kept blurting out at random times, "why can't real Americans vote on this health care bill?" or "Can't we just change the Constitution to stop these Democrats from ruining our country?" To his credit, Grassley didn't do anything to add to their anger or passion and at times he seemed to go out of his way to mention bipartisanship or a Democrat who had worked with him on some legislation.
According to the Washington Evening Journal, a paper I have a hard time believing anyone subscribes to, "the audience was almost all Republican based on the questions." Either the reporter didn't know many people or she wasn't paying attention to some of the questions which were asked. For example an older man asked if the Senator believed the government could reduce the deficit without passing some type of health care reform. Grassley admitted it would be difficult but then added he didn't want to do anything which raised taxes and with that he evaded the question. A younger man made a comment about abusive insurance practices. Grassley rattled off some of the ways the current bill addresses these issues, which brought the next question, "if it as all these good things, why didn't you vote for it?" Another person asked if he would still vote for term limits. We were treated to an answer explaining why after 35 years in office he is running for re-election, and oh-yes, he has changed his mind on term-limits.
Towards the end we were exhorted by a Navy veteran to "be in prayer for our Constitution because prayer is the only way it will be saved." ( I suppose this could be an argument to cut the military budget) Grassley responded by referring to I Timothy 2:1-2 telling us that he felt strengthened by all the people praying for him.
It was an interesting evening. For the most part the people in the room were polite to each other and to the Senator. On my way in I did have one man I know ask, "What are you doing here? He then added, "you're just a dirty Democrat, you better not cause any trouble." I told him his attitude is what is wrong with our country. At first he seemed to think I was kidding, but I decided to pile on, and added that his attitude is also what is wrong with the Republican party.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
books
Finished reading two books over the last two weeks. The first was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. The second was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. At first glance they don't have much to do with each other.
In his "confessions" Perkins describes how he was recruited to work for an international consulting firm. His task was to make unrealistic projections of economic growth if a developing nation borrowed money to build an electrical system. On the basis of his bogus forecasts, nations borrowed large sums of money from the World Bank, the IMF, or other funding sources. When the country agreed to borrow money for whatever development project he was selling, they were on the hook. Because the projections were overly optimistic the country usually ended up in massive debt even if the government spent wisely and there was no corruption. According to Perkins the country was now in a situation where the US or other western governments could dictate what policies the country should follow.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the story of William Kambwamba who grows up in a rural village in Malawi. His family ekes out a living on its small farm with enough money for food, clothing, and to send the three children to school. Then after floods followed by drought they lose their crop. When the people appealed to the government for food relief they discovered the government had sold all the food reserves. To quote the book, "... the international community -namely the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank- had pressured the government to pay off some of its debt by selling off a portion of our grain reserve.... But some individuals in government sold all of it instead, without keeping any for emergencies." (p 82)
Kambwamba's family barely survives the famine though he is forced to drop out of school since his family can't pay the fees. Since there are no crops to tend and no school, he begins visiting a small library in his town where he borrows books on physics, electricity and science. The family has no electricity (Perkins apparently hadn't victimized Malawi) and after Kambwamba sees a picture of a windmill he decides to build one. He wants to be able to read at night and he thinks that if he can get electricity his family could pump water so they would not suffer from future droughts.
I didn't understand all the science but the authors made building a windmill out of scrap material sound rather exciting. At the end of the book, the windmill works, and through a variety of circumstances it is "discovered" by the international community. With the help of his new friends and supporters Kambwamba is able to attend a science school and travel to the U.S. His family benefits from its personal electrical source and a regular supply of water. After nearly starving to death, his new found fame, and the improvements to his family's living conditions seem well deserved.
In contrast the "confessions" Perkins makes seem rather hollow and simplistic. For all his supposed guilt about what he was doing, he kept at his work, reaping the economic benefits of the fraud he was perpetuating. The only suffering he seemed to experience was his existential wrestling that never led to anything but indecision and maybe a bit more guilt. In the meantime he collects big paychecks, sails his boat and describes meeting beautiful women.
Garrison Keillor talks about the cold weather Protestants who want their God to show a little vengeance. Maybe that is what I was feeling as I read the book. Though the book was written at least in part to make amends for his past actions, something just didn't sit right-he seems just a bit to "slick." It seems he ought to suffer at least a bit more for the part he played in perpetuating dependency and poverty on people around the world. So while I don't doubt the validity of what he describes, I do have a hard time understanding his motivations and the choices he makes. Kambwamba on other hand wants to have enough food to eat, an education, and an improved life for his family, something anyone can understand.
In his "confessions" Perkins describes how he was recruited to work for an international consulting firm. His task was to make unrealistic projections of economic growth if a developing nation borrowed money to build an electrical system. On the basis of his bogus forecasts, nations borrowed large sums of money from the World Bank, the IMF, or other funding sources. When the country agreed to borrow money for whatever development project he was selling, they were on the hook. Because the projections were overly optimistic the country usually ended up in massive debt even if the government spent wisely and there was no corruption. According to Perkins the country was now in a situation where the US or other western governments could dictate what policies the country should follow.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the story of William Kambwamba who grows up in a rural village in Malawi. His family ekes out a living on its small farm with enough money for food, clothing, and to send the three children to school. Then after floods followed by drought they lose their crop. When the people appealed to the government for food relief they discovered the government had sold all the food reserves. To quote the book, "... the international community -namely the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank- had pressured the government to pay off some of its debt by selling off a portion of our grain reserve.... But some individuals in government sold all of it instead, without keeping any for emergencies." (p 82)
Kambwamba's family barely survives the famine though he is forced to drop out of school since his family can't pay the fees. Since there are no crops to tend and no school, he begins visiting a small library in his town where he borrows books on physics, electricity and science. The family has no electricity (Perkins apparently hadn't victimized Malawi) and after Kambwamba sees a picture of a windmill he decides to build one. He wants to be able to read at night and he thinks that if he can get electricity his family could pump water so they would not suffer from future droughts.
I didn't understand all the science but the authors made building a windmill out of scrap material sound rather exciting. At the end of the book, the windmill works, and through a variety of circumstances it is "discovered" by the international community. With the help of his new friends and supporters Kambwamba is able to attend a science school and travel to the U.S. His family benefits from its personal electrical source and a regular supply of water. After nearly starving to death, his new found fame, and the improvements to his family's living conditions seem well deserved.
In contrast the "confessions" Perkins makes seem rather hollow and simplistic. For all his supposed guilt about what he was doing, he kept at his work, reaping the economic benefits of the fraud he was perpetuating. The only suffering he seemed to experience was his existential wrestling that never led to anything but indecision and maybe a bit more guilt. In the meantime he collects big paychecks, sails his boat and describes meeting beautiful women.
Garrison Keillor talks about the cold weather Protestants who want their God to show a little vengeance. Maybe that is what I was feeling as I read the book. Though the book was written at least in part to make amends for his past actions, something just didn't sit right-he seems just a bit to "slick." It seems he ought to suffer at least a bit more for the part he played in perpetuating dependency and poverty on people around the world. So while I don't doubt the validity of what he describes, I do have a hard time understanding his motivations and the choices he makes. Kambwamba on other hand wants to have enough food to eat, an education, and an improved life for his family, something anyone can understand.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Cold
This morning our thermometer said the temperature was -18 F. The official temperature was probably not quite that low but in reality there isn't much difference between -18 and -14. So far in 2010 the temp has been below 0 every morning. When the kids complain at school about how cold it is I tell them it teaches them how to deal with adversity. I'm sure people who live in places where the weather is relatively mild learn to deal with adversity somehow. Dealing with weather extremes seems a fairly simple way to learn there are forces beyond your control. You soon learn that no matter how much you complain or whine the weather is not suddenly going to warm up for you. This is the kind of day where I dig out the long underwear and wear a stocking cap inside to keep my balding head head warm.
I did have to spend some time outside splitting wood and bringing enough in to last for the next week. It was cold enough that I soon had ice forming on my mustache. With insulated gloves on, it took about 25 minutes for my fingers to start getting cold. At first it wasn't too bad but after a few more minutes my fingertips became numb and it was time to go inside to let them warm up.
When we first moved to Iowa the only work I could find was as a carpenter. The first winter we built a large furniture store in Kalona. I tell some people I helped build two of the ugliest buildings in Kalona, (the Pull'r Inn motel - and Kinneer's furniture). The goal was to have the building framed and closed in before it got too cold but that didn't happen. Shingling a roof in January and February in Iowa is no fun. It was too cold to use nail guns because the hoses would freeze. This meant we did it by hand. Handling nails with thick gloves doesn't work well but then neither does not using gloves when the temperature is cold. For a couple of days it was cold enough that the plan was to spend 30 minutes on the roof before climbing down and finding some place warm.
To add to the misery I was reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my daughter who was quite insistent we read them in order. After freezing at work, I read The Long Winter to her before bedtime. The story takes place in South Dakota and the title pretty much sums up the book. It was a long cold winter, and I suffered through it with Laura and the rest of the Ingall's family. It certainly didn't help me feel any warmer, but it did inspire me to figure out a way to find a job which did not require working outside in January in Iowa.
I did have to spend some time outside splitting wood and bringing enough in to last for the next week. It was cold enough that I soon had ice forming on my mustache. With insulated gloves on, it took about 25 minutes for my fingers to start getting cold. At first it wasn't too bad but after a few more minutes my fingertips became numb and it was time to go inside to let them warm up.
When we first moved to Iowa the only work I could find was as a carpenter. The first winter we built a large furniture store in Kalona. I tell some people I helped build two of the ugliest buildings in Kalona, (the Pull'r Inn motel - and Kinneer's furniture). The goal was to have the building framed and closed in before it got too cold but that didn't happen. Shingling a roof in January and February in Iowa is no fun. It was too cold to use nail guns because the hoses would freeze. This meant we did it by hand. Handling nails with thick gloves doesn't work well but then neither does not using gloves when the temperature is cold. For a couple of days it was cold enough that the plan was to spend 30 minutes on the roof before climbing down and finding some place warm.
To add to the misery I was reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my daughter who was quite insistent we read them in order. After freezing at work, I read The Long Winter to her before bedtime. The story takes place in South Dakota and the title pretty much sums up the book. It was a long cold winter, and I suffered through it with Laura and the rest of the Ingall's family. It certainly didn't help me feel any warmer, but it did inspire me to figure out a way to find a job which did not require working outside in January in Iowa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)