Here’s a quote from the Toronto Star

Researchers warn in the journal Science that 90 per cent of present-day marine fish, crustaceans, shellfish and other currently eaten species of seafood could vanish in 50 years.

The truth of this will be born out someday but such a potential problem is a real issue. This is one frustrating problem with politics in America. It’s not Congress as an institution, but the fact that the people currently holding office can’t seem to project an operational habit of perspective.

Our young are often accused of being slouchers, ignorant, and lazy. Schools need to be held accountable. And we need wars on poverty, terrorism, and sex. It is office holders who need to be held accountable, need a nice dose of learning, and need to be held accountable. I’d love for Senators to hold themselves accountable and to come into office with a new ethic. “I need to work on real problems and argue best practices with an open mind and with hard critical tools.”

Unfortunately, people are now using the office for their own good, not for the good of cities, states, and the commons. Case in point. Pharmacies are now a law-enforcement arm. I have been fighting a cold for some weeks and typically use lots of Pseudoephedrine. In order to purchase this, I have to go the counter, sign my name away, and am limited in my supply. The counterperson isn’t happy at all about this because the process takes time and adds to the complexity of a relatively simple transactional space. In order to solve a problem that could be handled in much more creative ways, millions of people’s health has been complexified by bad apples. We lack creativity in our solutions.

Discourse is another matter. Political discourse has been destroyed by bad manners, demagoguery, and economics. John and Jane Doe are effectively cut out of politics because their voices have been drowned out by money and bad manners. To run for a position of leadership and responsibility should be a privilege, worthy of respect and encouragement. Electronic voting machines are simply another addition to the bad dream of the present. And yet another influencial fool has had his mask removed.

Priorities, real problems–all these have been drowned out by nonsense and issues that make for entertainment, not adult responsibility and robust effort. We should be worried about fish. We should be worried about health. We should be building on human creativity. If we continue on our present course, we will end up hating our neighbors because they worship snakes. The stock market looks good, but that isn’t the issue. More jobs can take the form of good and bad. In CT we are only gaining low-pays. Gas prices are down so buy that SUV and lose yourself to the peace of forgetfulness.