Bowing down to pro sports leagues

 The NBA Commissioner was in Portland and said we need a new arena in Portland. Now everyone and their brother among the elite are falling over themselves groveling to the NBA to build a new arena or substantially renovate Moda Center. All due respect to Chris Dudley and Clyde Drexler, but we need a new or renovated arena in Portland about as much as we need a baseball stadium which is to say as much as we need a hole in the head.

Every time I go into the Moda Center, which is about once a year and only with steeply discounted nosebleed tickets, it's like entering a Star Trek spaceship. It's a beautiful place and needs nothing. The only people who need new stadiums are the elite politicians, business people, and athletes who want to hobnob with the rich and famous. They are drunk on their own egos.

Most people in Portland can't afford to go to the games and have other priorities. If we get a chance to vote, it would be voted down. But if we did vote it down, it would probably mean nothing.

In Seattle in the 1990s, the voters voted down Safeco field, but the state legislature voted the money anyway. Last year the voters in Kansas City voted down a stadium bond but now the state legislatures in Kansas and Missouri are both competing to build new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.

So I'm sure in Portland it will follow the script so the pols can have their glitz and glamour. 

To HOAs everywhere

 Every month we get the newsletter and there's always good info in it, so we're glad of that. But every month there are always notes asking for volunteers. And I'm just writing to tell why we're not volunteering. We knew when we bought our condo that there were rules, but it seems every month there are more rules. And I know we are on the far fringe, but I figure maybe as time goes by, more people will write in that are adverse to rules, too.

First thing is this over 55 rule. This would be a great place for young families pushing strollers and kids riding bicycles. And maybe there'd be less people driving cars as it gets pretty dangerous around here with people going over 20-25 mph. And maybe younger people wouldn't want so many rules.

And here at our condo, there's this idea that the exteriors should all be the same color. Is this a military base??

And then this business of keeping the grass green in the Summer? Of course, you can put in rock gardens or AstroTurf, but why spend thousands of dollars just to keep the Architectural Review Committee happy? After 6 weeks the grass will turn green again with the Fall rains, so just wear green sunglasses until then.

Also, we are in a food and retail desert here. There's the big parking lot at the clubhouse, but no food trucks. It'd be nice to have a place to get a cup of coffee, pastry or produce without driving or taking a bus. Why are residential areas so adverse to having retail?

 Then the latest, no estate sales on Friday. Who comes up with these rules?

I know you do it theoretically to keep property values up. But isn't that kind of greedy? There's a condo here now that is the same floor plan as ours selling for 20 grand less than what we paid. It's nice to have things increase in value, but it's also nice for the people trying to buy real estate to get a good price, also.

My wife is wondering when this change of thinking happens. One day, you are a free-spirit American, the next you are an old, conformity seeking high-property value seeker. Who knows?

We enjoy the library and the pool and appreciate you keeping it up. But we are hoping someday there will be more non-conformity people. Thanks for listening.

Suppose they gave a war and nobody came

I was reading the other day, that Trump wants basically unregulated AI, which is probably because he will make money on it some way, but I agree as the regulation writers don't seem to have done us much good on anything.

I was also reading an article questioning whether the U.S. is ready to fight the next war. They were talking about the Ukrainians 3-D printing those drones they were using to hit Russia. The article mentioned the 5 year planning the Pentagon takes on new weapons by which time most are obsolete.

Which makes me think about how all the new cars have all these bells and whistles that no ones needs but add thousands to the cost of a car. This past weekend we had to get a new battery. $392 installed. Whew! It turns out you can't just buy a new battery and drop it in. For VWs at least, you have to reset the new battery to the computer and it takes a special device for that.

Today I saw an old 1930s style car going down the street. It seems like you could get an engine and drivetrain in the after parts market that would meet emissions standards and you could 3-D print a body to drop on top and just have the bells and whistles you really want. Seems like a small business could turn out cars at a reasonable price.

The upshot of all this is that world leaders like Trump, Putin and Xi try to engineer the world to their preferences and the people fighting them are trying to engineer it their way. Meanwhile, 80% of the world's people are living their lives, making things work and working around the impediments big shots try to put in their way. Let's face it, Putin is basically fighting his war with mercenary troops, while most of the people in Russia are going about their business. It's like the old saying, someday a world war will be declared and no one will show up.

What is the strongest tie?

 Esther 3:7-15: Haman, the king's chief of staff, tells the king that the Jews follow their own God and his precepts and don't bow down to the king or Haman. Haman asks the king for permission to destroy the Jews and the king says okay for this attempted genocide...... Ah, our connection is not to these artificially concocted political systems. But what is God? The infinity of space which we can only recognize through the strands of stardust that connect everything in the universe. That is our highest calling to feel the connection we have to everything and act accordingly.

Elite religion

 I've been reading the Revised Common Lectionary for 6 months now and it appears most of the Bible is written for rulers and the elite, because they have no conscience. Most people just want to be left alone and if they need religion it's to keep their composure during sickness and adversity, mostly caused by rulers and the elite.

Discretion

 Proverbs 19:11: The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Bastille Day Eve

In 1789, the French people had enough of the monarchy. They stormed the Bastille prison, freed the prisoners, and not long after, King Louis the XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, met their demise. 

Sometimes that incident resonates in this country, where, no matter what party is in power, Washington, D.C. has no clue what's really going on in the rest of the country.

But I would propose a reverse Bastille Day. Let's just ignore the federal government. A lot of people are upset that the federal government is cutting funds going to state and local governments and individuals. But the thing is, there is no real money anyway. Much of the budget is just borrowed money. And even though it was mostly printed money, we and the state and cities got boatloads of free money during the pandemic. So let the feds keep their money. Maybe it will help the deficit a little.

The states and local governments need to fund whatever programs they want on their own. And once the locals prove they can be trusted with our money, we need to approve the higher taxes. 

Here in Oregon, the politicians and bureaucracies could find tons of money if they were just more efficient. We approve lots of taxes but it all seems to go into a black hole with no results. But, also, labor and material costs keep going up, so more money is needed for that. And on the other hand, they could stop spending millions on consultants and just use their employees, who are already getting paid.

And by not taking state or federal funds, we don't have to pay compliance people and do paperwork to satisfy state or federal requirements. 

I figure federal cuts are an opportunity to get to more responsive government.

Be honest & welcoming

 Leviticus 19:33-36: And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have.

Washing in the Jordan

 2nd Kings 5:1-14: Elisha tells Naaman, the Aramean army commander, to wash seven times in the Jordan, to cure his skin disease. He balks at first, but then his servants say, what have you got to lose. So he does it, and is healed.

Luke 10:1-20: Jesus send out 72 disciples to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the good news.

What shall I say

 2nd Kings 4:1-7: Elisha helps a widow in debt by multiplying her oil.

Matthew 10:19-20: The Holy Spirit will tell us what to say.......This mostly applies to being hauled before the councils as a Christian, but in everyday life, count to ten before you speak, and maybe something wise or funny will pop into your head, as the situation warrants.

Psalm 140:10: God helps the afflicted and the poor.