Trump is the leader we've been waiting for

The rise of Donald Trump has been a long time coming. His ascension in 2016 has roots going back decades, and is the perfect storm of the growth of anti-intellectualism, an economy that disproportionately rewards the upper classes, mistrust of government, and the growth of celebrity culture.

Donald Trump loves the poorly educated. His support is greatest among those with high school diplomas or less. Pundits assume this is because his incoherent policies are not critically analyzed by people not trained on New York Times rhetoric. In fact, his attacks on political correctness resonate with people who don't understand why it's inappropriate to call a 30-year-old woman a "girl." They resonate with people who are confused as our language is undergoing a series of rapid shifts away from the language that reinforced social, racial and sexist stereotypes. And they resonate with people who have vaguely racist feelings that they no longer have words to express.

It's a complex world. Politics are complex because the interests of many different groups of citizens must be negotiated. Countries around the world have different interests and goals, and (sorry U.S.A., you are only one of many) countries must compromise. What Trump promises is simple solutions to complex problems (without details). Sounds great, but on analysis not workable. However, too many people lack the skills to really understand why not.

But our culture has been catering to the poorly educated for decades. We disparage college professors as "eggheads." We mythologize successful people who "drop out" of some college and then become successful. Richard Branson dropped out of high school. Now he's a multi-billionaire. Therefore high school is not necessary. The truth is that Richard Branson dropped out because he had a successful business going already. I'm sure he's also highly intelligent and a quick learner.

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. Ha! Who needs Harvard? Actually Bill Gates scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT. Before entering Harvard he attended a prestigious prep school. At Harvard he won a prize for a computing algorithm. Maybe he didn't need Harvard, but there's no doubt this is a highly educated, intellectual man.

Our anti-intellectual bias is also shown in the growth of the anti-education sector. I'm talking about buying essays, cheating on exams and selling education as a ticket to economic success. When education is not valued for its own sake--to have a deeper understanding of the world--it becomes a commodity, no different from real estate. The decline in liberal arts education and the rise of job-oriented education--business, STEM and vocational--explain why Trump's appeal even extends into many of the college-educated population. They didn't go to college to learn how to think better; they went to get a bigger income.

Teachers are no longer respected. Teachers' unions are blamed for declining education. But without respect for teachers, classrooms are unmanageable and education is impossible.

But the path of education to wealth is a scam, too. Yes, a good education from a quality university can open the doors to better jobs, but the American class system is rigged against the concept of meritocracy. Too many people borrow too much money and end up in poorly regulated private colleges that are churning out degrees not worth the paper they are printed on. All college diplomas are not equal. The statistics that show a college diploma is worth much more than a high school diploma are inflated by the effect of the top-tier colleges.

The biggest factor that fuels the rise of the "anti-establishment" candidate in 2016 is the economy. Wages have been stagnant for the majority of people for decades, while the top earners have grown in wealth by a phenomenal factor. People are struggling. Even people who are not currently in poverty know that a turn in the economy could cost them everything. Some of these people support Bernie Saunders (42.5% of Democrats in a poll I just looked at). And some support Donald Trump (39% nationally according to Real Clear Politics). If nothing else changes after this election, the fact that so many people have been so clear about the fact that they are being shut out of the benefits of economic growth, must mean a big shift is happening.

What's happened to the economy over the last few decades is that it's become global. Despite the US having the largest economy in the world, it is subject to global forces like never before. This is not due to bad trade deals (although the deals could be much better, taking into account working conditions, environmental concerns and political freedom). It's because human labor in the US can't compete with human labor in developing countries. As long as there is an imbalance in economies, Americans are going to see job stagnation. What the US really needs is more taxes at the top to fund infrastructure, public works, public education, public health, and other projects. If this sounds a bit like socialism, well it probably is. It's not taxation for handouts, but taxation to create jobs and redistribute wealth. Oh yeah, and everybody benefits from better roads, bridges, schools and healthcare.

Since the Reagan years, there has been a growing distrust of government. The Republicans, in particular have pushed the idea that government is inefficient. Public employees are lazy and in particular, public sector unions are sucking the taxpayer dry with gold-plated contracts and pension schemes. This has fuelled a distrust of government in all areas and ultimately resulted in several government shut-downs. However, reduction in government regulation resulted in the housing crisis in which tens of thousands of middle-class families lost their life savings. Throughout the US, public schools have been underfunded, resulting in the rise of the quasi-private charter school. In many ways, the inherent racism of the economic system has caused the pain to be felt more by people of color, but throughout the country, people are suffering because government is the people's voice and the people are being silenced.

Many pundits have remarked on how this Republican tactic has come full circle to deny the Republican establishment its chosen candidate, Jeb Bush. But I worry that it's a lot deeper than that. Yes, Trump has tapped into a great vein of unrest. But when (if) he is defeated, will this mass go back under the rocks whence they came? Or will there be a new movement of rabble to contend with? An armed, pissed off, and nothing to lose rabble.

Finally, Trump's rise is, though not due to, but lubricated by, celebrity culture. What Trump has achieved masterfully is to turn the Presidential election into a reality TV show episode. I thought he would collapse at one of the early debates, lacking policy substance and fundamentally incoherent.
How wrong I was. Trump weathered all attacks. The look on his face said it all. He treated it exactly as a reality show performance. Everybody else in the Republican field was treating it like a Presidential election. Only Trump treated it like an entertainment spectacle. But because there has been a shift from real news to entertainment over the last few decades, Trump was able to pull it off. People can't tell the difference between news and entertainment anymore.

This is why I really fear what will happen in the general election. Although polls right now favor Clinton (or even Saunders) over Trump, Trump hasn't even begun to campaign for the general. Clinton has said she doesn't feel like a natural politician; how is she as a reality show contestant? She must avoid a debate at all costs. Getting on a stage with Trump would be humiliating for her. Clinton's only hope is to get on the high road and stay as far away from Trump as possible, focusing on policy. That is, if she doesn't get indicted on the way.

Is 2016 an anomaly? I think it's more like a tipping point. The path to the Presidency is no longer through the political ranks; it's through the media. Celebrity counts more than policy. Be afraid my friend, be very afraid.

Help! My Apple Watch is making me fat!

I'm minding my own business, quietly working on something and suddenly I feel this notification on my wrist. It's my Apple Watch, reminding me to get up and move around.

Now, I wish I had a lifestyle where I could alternate active things with sedentary things, but I make my living through words (written, not spoken) and that means I sit and work on a computer. Sometimes I do like to get out for a walk or even more vigorous exercise, but I can't drop everything and go jogging every hour.

But I understand the science behind this warning. It's been demonstrated that excess sitting affects circulation. You can't cram all your movement into one great sweaty ball at one point in the day and then sit and work at your desk for the rest of the day.

But I'm a one-track mind type of guy, so I like to stick at something until it's complete. When my Apple Watch says it's time to get up and move, that's what I do, and I plan to get back to work as fast as possible. At home that means a quick walk around.

But my home isn't very big. There are no stairs. In fact, of the two places I like to work both have nowhere to walk to except the kitchen.

So I'm working without any though of food or eating and the next thing, my Apple Watch is telling me to walk to the kitchen! So naturally, I start to think of food. And even if I harness all the self-restraint I can and return to my work without eating, that little idea is working its way through my brain and I know that before the next hour is up, I'll be eating a cookie, an apple, or having a cup of tea.

So thanks Apple. Maybe the movement ring is getting me to get out and really burn some calories to get my (current) 800 calorie goal, but the standing ring is only getting me to the refrigerator.

I stand with Trump: To hell with political correctness!

You know, the one thing I like about Donald Trump is that he speaks his mind. You can see him clearly for the asshole he really is. He's not afraid to offend anyone he disagrees with.

But the point about political correctness should be examined. To my mind political correctness is a superficial way of expressing yourself designed to use language you don't agree with. But that's to take a position that the expressions you prefer are actually OK. In fact, we need to continually adapt our language to an evolving sense of humanity. We didn't stop using the N word because of political correctness; we stopped using it because of an evolving (yes, we are still working on it) sense of racial respect.

As this writer states, politically correct is really just respect.

Here are what some dictionaries say. Wikipedia defines it as "an ordinarily pejorative term used to criticize language, actions, or policies seen as being excessively calculated to not offend or disadvantage any particular group of people in society." Merriam Webster calls it "agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people." Notice that Merriam Webster takes away the sense of pejorative. I have to disagree with that. I don't think anyone uses that term without a sense that it's kowtowing to someone else's standards.

Megyn Kelly's segue from challenging Trump on disrespecting women to challenging other candidates on not being strict enough abortion opponents boggles the mind. To Republicans, being politically correct means being so strongly pro-life that they would deny a woman an abortion at the cost of her life. They would force a rape victim to live that pain out through nine months of pregnancy and all of its complications afterwards. I don't have time for political correctness should mean "let's talk about the truth about what happens to unplanned, unwanted, poorly cared for children." Let's talk about how we were led into a war based on lies and propaganda that killed and maimed thousands of men and women who were unnecessarily sent into battle. Let's talk about how the country is divided along racial lines and young men and women are constantly subjected to police harassment up to and including murder!

Political correctness is not doing us any good. Calling women "women" instead of "girls" and respecting minorities, disabled people, and anyone different than we are is not political correctness. It's respect.

We need more respect.