AZ Security Freeze Legislation Bites the Dust

I spent several minutes today organizing myself to opt-out of various databases and the credit bureaus. Fortunately, I came across the information I wanted to freeze my credit report. A security freeze will prevent a credit bureau from reporting your credit file to third parties. They can be lifted temporarily or permanently at the consumer's request. However, security freezes are based on state law. Until I saw an article published by Linda Valdez on the AZ Republic website, I was unable to confirm that Arizona had actually passed the state's security freeze law. It has been under consideration since 2005. Eventually, ARS 44-1698 was not passed due to interference mainly by retailers. To add, Arizona legislators proposed Arizonans pay 30% more for the service than the credit bureaus charge, $15 dollars for AZ residents vs $10 for all other states with the law! What for?

Arizona ranks #1, number one, primera for identity-theft and is aptly regarded as the identity-theft capital of the U.S. It is too easy jam up Arizona legislation intended to protect state residents.

An example of why it is important not to trust any third party with the task of opting out or filing any credit information for you!

The Iraq War: No One Needs To Tell You How You Feel About It

Is there a terrorist threat? And if there is a threat, do I think it affects me? Furthermore, if I have an opinion, should it drive war strategy in Iraq. My answer: yes, yes, no.

I watched the Presidential Address about Iraq tonight and afterward, I watched the “post-game show.” This was not this first time I tuned to the analysts, but this time, all the noisy cogitating really got under my skin. This time, I’d heard enough malarkey about opinion polls and what anybody thinks “the American people want.”

Every political activists claims to know what we want. This doesn't bother me normally, even though some of them think Americans are mindlessly controlled by the power of suggestion. I felt that way throughout the debate on illegal immigration. I have conservative political views, and I consider myself to be a discerning and concerned citizen. I do believe there is an imminent threat to U.S. citizens rising from religiously motivated violence. I do believe this will affect me and my family significantly if allowed to persist unchecked. How to check it? Well, I suppose that is why we built a military force and intelligence network like none other. What we need are brilliant strategies. What we don’t need are misguided theories about public opinion as though public opinion is the substance of strategy or policy. Opinion poll puppets trying to shovel in political agendas should be called to the table for their dullness.

We know what to do with our public opinions. We take them to the polls. We send them via telephone, post, and email to the halls of congress. We can even hit the streets and fuss all night.

My concern is not that Americans are mindlessly persuaded by public opinion polls. My concern is that more and more, Americans are bogged down with the happenings of life. Too busy with jobs and diapers and holidays and bills. We have real opinions that have a place in our government. My concern is that we are not taking a breath long enough to send the email or write the letter. Maybe our generals don’t post them on walls of the war room, but it’s time we deny wily statesmen the latitude to pass empty laws based on empty statistics and give them some real numbers to crunch.

Write your representatives. Tell them what you think about more troops in Iraq. It will make a difference somewhere in the future.

Send a quick note to your senator: http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Send a quick note to your congressmen: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Read plain information about our government: http://www.thegreenpapers.com/

Getting Ahead

Get ahead has been our mantra for generations. Parents want advantage for their children, every possible advantage. We start them early in academics, sports, beauty pageants, music, entertainment. Achievement is good, and providing well for a child means giving him what he needs to excel in his life. Except, will it really be early learning, prowess in sports or music, or social status that makes this happen? The clamour for formulas that make us rich, strong, successful, happy, and sexy is off-the-charts. That's why the books, pills, dating aids, clinics, TV shows, are making money and lots of it. There is nothing wrong with achievement or rising above the pack. Most people just want the little bit they think will bring them joy and happiness. We all should be happy! The reason we all aren't can be found in what we think will bring it about.

If any of these ideas actually worked, we would have already seen the frenzy taper off. People would be satisfied and feeling rosy. Instead, the frenzy snowballs because the goods don't deliver and people believe the hype about the next promotion guaranteeing results. I and most of the parents I know value character above things as we raise our children. But honestly, I am sure character alone won't last. I say that because often what is perceived to be character is just learned behavior which is easily corrupted. I suspect generations will be bankrupt failing to grasp a simple truth.

Consider it's not already obvious—how fast you run, how much your car costs, how sexy you are does not bring you joy or distinguish you from anyone else. Imagine the opposite is true? What if by your joy you are distinguished! What if joy and happiness gets us ahead, rather than the getting ahead that brings us joy? Pleasant as it is to be profoundly sexy or smart or strong, what if a deeply rooted moral compass—rooted in your emotions not just your memory—is the secret to joy. Imagine. What you love and what you hate holds the key to your joy and subsequently how you measure up to your peers. How easy it that?

Another Aspect of the Culture War

It is 8:00pm Sunday night, my two children have been in bed for ten minutes and I am getting ready to turn in too. My euphoria about being on schedule tonight was soon eclipsed by someone knocking on our front door. Then they rang the door bell. Both children, were startled by the knocking and were on their way out of bed to find me. By the time the door bell rang, all my efforts to calm them down again were vanquished.

At this hour, it should be someone pretty close to us at the door. Peering out of the living room window, I saw a woman at the door. She was Hispanic and I did not know her. She was talking and gesturing to someone else in the direction of the street. Through the glass, I asked her what she wanted. Soon, she was joined by a toddler, a little girl. She would not reply in English, but in Spanish. She was holding up the lunch sack draped over her shoulder. She's selling tamales.

I like tamales, but I was annoyed. One, she woke up my household. Two, she's trying to get the kids, attention, and I'm trying to get them back to bed. Three, she would not respond in English. There are two cultures clashing here.

American life is enriched by our welcome of people originating from different cultures. Most western nations are in fact immigrant nations. We are not THE immigrant nation. But if we don't insist on living together under one culture—not two or three—we invite an ancient problem. One we should be wise enough by now to avoid. I don't care what anybody says, it's never going to be okay for a stranger to wake up my family at night to sell us something. Neither will I ever care for six foot tall speakers in a nearby front yard blaring Mariachi (or any other) music at 10 o'clock pm to kick off a barbeque. This is a culture issue.

Culture clashes occur because they threaten the routines of family life and business life, etc. Expect deep-seated reactions when you disrupt family routines or the way people do business. If America is not a land of one culture, all our "open-mindedness" will be lost in the ensuing war. Most Americans boast "open-mindedness" but only their brand of open-mindedness. Let a family move next door that threatens their way of life, and you will soon find out what their brand is about. Open-mindedness does not mean you acquiesce to the disruption of routines that sustain your life. That's insane.

My parents experienced housing discrimination before the laws were changed. The predominantly Jewish subdivision was set up for the Montgomery County Maryland Jewish, and they did not want new people upsetting their way of life. We were not a threat to their way life because we subscribed to the same values they did, but ultimately, my folks signed a contract agreeing to conform to certain community rules as a condition of the sale of the home. And you know why they signed it! They wanted the same protections for themselves.

It makes sense to protect when we can put our children to bed and how much sleep you can get at night. It does not make sense to dislike someone because of the color of their skin. It doesn't take a high IQ to tell the difference either. One is a culture issue and the other is racism. The former is defensible and the latter is not. And may good people defend the defensible. It is illogical to think that a preference which keeps up the neighbors at night is going to co-exist peacefully in a culture weaned on "Early to Bed Early to Rise, Makes a Man Healthy Wealthy and Wise." Indeed, American culture defines certain routines for family life, and I defend this one without apology.

Evil practices notwithstanding, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. That's good wisdom for multi-ethnic living.