The Tragedy of The Commons, Children’s Edition

The whole “the kids don’t belong to you; they belong to the community” bit is just a less cagey way of saying “it takes a village,” so at least Melissa Harris-Perry gets points for honesty.

My favorite part of the “All Your Children Are Belong To Us” MSNBC Promo comes at the end:

“Once it’s everybody’s responsibility and not just the household’s, then we start making better investments.”

I marvel at the sheer act of willful blindness required in order to believe such a complete load of male bovine manure.  I mean, let’s all apply this to our front yards, shall we, and then hold our breath while we wait for the neighbors to come mow ours?

You know, corporations are a kind of microcosm of the larger society.  Corporate-y type folks who make their living ensuring that a corporation ”makes better investments” have noticed that the truth is exactly inverse to Ms. Harris-Perry’s statement:

When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.

And haven’t the sociological/psychological types done study after study and pretty much come up with the same truth regarding human nature?

I wonder if Ms. Harris-Perry, being a good collectivist and all, would respect Garrett Hardin‘s belief that human overpopulation is a serious global threat?  If so, maybe she could also put some merit into his concept of The Tragedy of the Commons:

“In 1974 the general public got a graphic illustration of the “tragedy of the commons” in satellite photos of the earth. Pictures of northern Africa showed an irregular dark patch 390 square miles in area. Ground-level investigation revealed a fenced area inside of which there was plenty of grass. Outside, the ground cover had been devastated.

The explanation was simple. The fenced area was private property . . . .”

Yeah.  Let’s all ignore a truth so obvious that even a Malthusian human ecologist with totalitarian tendencies can see it, and let’s ”break through” the private idea that kids belong to their parents.  Let’s engage in an experiment called The Tragedy of the Commonly Cared-for Children, because Miss MSNBC Lady says things’ll turn out just peachy.

Good grief.

I haven’t seen a more sure sign of the decline of our society since I first saw somebody pushing one of those dog strollers through the park.

Yeah, that’s right. I’m hating on the cute dog’s stroller.

Happy New Year!

Here’s a gift.  Some common sense from Rand Paul.  Here’s to getting more of folks like him elected in 2014.

Merry Christmas, Building and Loan!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.  I sure am.  First of all, it’s Christmas Day and we are wearing shorts.  Snow looks pretty in pictures, and the kids lament the lack of sledding, but dang.  Snow is cold.

Second, we’ve had our first Christmas sans Santa, and I’m so glad to be rid of that fat man.  The following opinion offends a lot of people, but here it is anyway:  I hate Santa Claus.

There.  I said it.

I’ve never understood why parents are so protective of the Santa fantasy.  You stay up half the night, wrapping and assembling and crafting a Santa scene.  You do all the work, and he gets all the credit.

Santa also encourages the idea that a child can have whatever he wants, if he is on the “good list.”  Nevermind the cost, child.  Santa’s little elves will construct it for free in their little workshop.  Also, nevermind the “made in China” label.

So, I broke it to the younger son sooner than necessary.  Some folks were disappointed, but lemme be honest.  The fact that I maintained the pretense for seven years is just short of a miracle.  I found myself apologizing for spoiling the fun too early, but being told the truth isn’t what upsets my younger son.

“That’s okay Mommy,” he says.  “But I don’t get why everyone lies to their kids about Santa.  That violates the Ten Commandments.”

What do you say to this logic?  Feel free to berate my lack of Christmas cheer in the comments.  Don’t even get me started on the newest deception crowding the Facebook feed, however:  Elf on the Shelf.  Seems like maybe he’s just Big Brother’s easy-going little brother.

School is going well, and we’ve found a church to attend.  Who knows what is in store for all of us in the next few years, but nevermind.  At least it’s bound to be interesting.

We’ve had family visiting all week.  Tomorrow we travel to visit more family.  Just having some time off is reason to celebrate.  Yeah, the fiscal cliff, sequestration and all that still looms ahead.  Beyond personal preparation, there’s nothing much to be done, really.  Our fellow citizens want to play chicken with the Gods of the Copybook Headings, and in the short term we can’t stop them.

Here’s this year’s tree, looking suspiciously like last year’s tree:

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Year to you all.  Hold on to your butts, because 2013 is sure to be a bumpy ride . . .

If Revenge is a Winning Campaign Platform

. . . then we are losing the culture war far worse than I realized.

I see a lot of “we’ll keep fighting” tweets on my Twitter feed.  Lovely sentiments from tireless patriots.

Many conservative civilians see the 2012 election as just another battle in the never-ending political war.  They are moving on, setting their sights on the bigger picture.  I am grateful for that tenacity, for their imperviousness to the affects of this defeat.

I don’t share the sentiment though.

I am Milspouse.  The president is my husband’s boss.

This election, and every election, effects us all, yes.  Very yes.  The military is exhibit numero uno, and I’m not even talking about the budgetary effects (hello sequestration).  I’m talking about the effect on morale.

The effect is huge–beyond description, which is saying a lot for a gal who loves describing things.  I’ve seen it firsthand, the way morale swings on a dime–well, really on a change-of-command ceremony.

This effect on morale translates into a very immediate change for the NoOne family.  Today, we go from “maybe you can stay in for the long haul and shoot for that extra promotion” to “maybe you can get to the bare minimum and punch out.”

Maybe Hubs can get to the bare minimum–if his conscience, political correctness, and budget cuts don’t interfere.

Maybe.

Even if he does, will the federal government be solvent enough to make good on the retirement benefits it promised?

I dunno.

In the meantime, all I can think about are the years when we didn’t establish roots.  We didn’t become part of a community.  We didn’t help a church grow.  We didn’t make improvements on real estate.  We didn’t learn how to grow a garden and preserve the fruits.  We didn’t protect our interests.  We put the nation’s interest before our own.

How much longer can we do that?  I sure can’t keep fighting for the big picture after Obama’s reelection.  The smaller picture–my family’s future–is weightier.  My posts will probably reflect this shift in priorities.

The establishment of roots.  Preservation and protection of assets.  Education of my children.  These are the priorities now.  The fair citizens of Idiocracy can water their crops with sports drinks, for all I care.

A hiatus is probably in order.

I’m not quitting.

Just refocusing.

Best wishes and prayers for all my readers.

“Idiots . . . It’s For You.”

This sweet vid was made well before Clint Eastwood spoke at the RNC.  It’s all the more relevant now, of course, and all the more humorous.

Oh, but his speech was bizarre, according to the powers-that-be.  Uh-huh.