Things Should Be Better Than This

So you get your coffee, muffin, juice or whatever and you sit down in front of your PC in the morning and get ready for the workday. Meetings are scheduled, clients are coming in and there’s a full day of work ahead before you can drag yourself home. For just a few minutes, though, you hit the news websites to see what happened overnight. Lately, this morning perusal of the headlines has gone something like this: Dozens killed in Baghdad bombings, politicians wrangle over something unimportant, someone who was supposed to know better did something horrible to a child and the tragedy of the day stakes its claim to the top of the web page.

Pretty depressing, eh?

There in vibrant color and dramatic font are the failings of society. There are stories of damaged, broken people who hurt others, either by actions that are reprehensible or by inaction that is criminally negligent. What can you do about it, anyway? You showed up at work. You didn’t kick the cat this morning or yell at the kids. You’ve done what good people are supposed to do.

So why, no matter how briefly, do you have that sick feeling in your stomach as you see the news?

It could be that you know the world is supposed to be a better place. For a moment you imagine a better place. Perhaps you remember something your grandma said about the Golden Rule. Maybe you suddenly remember a situation where you were proud of your mom or dad for helping someone. It could even be long forgotten memories of Sunday school teachings whittling at your conscience. It doesn’t matter. This sudden realization manifests itself in one bold statement.

Things should be better than this.

We were not put on this Earth to be mean to one another. We are not here to be victims. A purposeful life demands that we learn, teach, innovate and achieve. People are meant to succeed. We are all role models, whether we wish it or not.

Man, though, that’s a tough gig.

It’s hard. Work is hard; the cat tears up the house, the kids scream constantly and your boss is demanding more and more. The neighbors are too loud, politicians are corrupt and the guy two desks over is so lazy you’re doing half of his work.

But…but what about a small step?

Yeah, you could do that. Opportunities to improve things abound. It’s not like anyone is asking you to fund a college scholarship. The trick, you suddenly realize, is to take advantage of the opportunities you can. Instead of tossing the pop can from lunch in the trash, you aim for the recycle bin. You box up your newspapers and cans at home for recycling. The bins behind the fire station or the municipal building are only a few blocks away. You feel good that all that stuff isn’t in a landfill.

That bald guy on TV with the starving kids makes you feel guilty when he comes on during Seinfeld reruns. After a few minutes you think about your own kids. What if you couldn’t feed them? What if you hadn’t been lucky enough to be born in the United States? Does any of that matter if a kid is hungry? You’d gladly accept charity to get food in their belly. There’s no cry like the cry of a hungry kid. It takes all of five minutes to turn on your PC, find your credit card and sponsor a kid. And it’s cheap. Now you’re really feeling good.

If your neighbors need help then take your snow blower over when there’s six inches of snow on the ground. You probably need the extra exercise anyway. Let someone cut in front of you in traffic. The wave they give you feels good. Spend a few extra bucks on the fluorescent light bulbs. You’ll use less electricity and watch your bill go down a few more bucks. Read to your kids. Be patient with your kids. Remember that you do not, under any circumstances, want to be that screaming maniac mom or dad that you see in the mall parking lot.

This is what you can do, these things and a hundred more. This is how you offset the horrible, terrible things you will read about in the news tomorrow. You will live a better life and you will feel good because you will be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Helping those in need is a good thing. Using fewer resources so your kids have some is a good thing. Being someone others can look up to is a good thing. Every small thing you do is an accomplishment. If nothing else, at the end of the day, you will know that you have done something to make things better.

Here is a partial list of organizations doing good things:

The Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley

Youngstown/ Mahoning Valley United Way

Help Hotline Crisis Center

Christian Children's Fund

Clinton Global Initiative

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Great Opinion Piece on the Imus Thing

Click here to read Jason Whitlock's take on the Don Imus mess and how it relates to gangsta culture. He makes some great points as to why the denigration of people based on race and gender isn't limited to dehydrated radio talk show hosts.

I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

This is the perfect opportunity for all of us to examine ourselves and the children we are raising. What are they listening to? Who are their role models? Who do they emulate? I'm not advocating the quashing of rebellion in teenagers but it's the responsibility of us all to ensure our kids have a father and mother worth imitation, to make sure they see school as a way to improve themselves. Self respect and self improvement are hard, long term goals that are fought for on a daily basis. We should all look at the thuggish, criminal culture that denigrates women and those who want to improve themselves and ask why we allow it in our homes. We're smarter than that.

Zero Tolerance Should Continue

Mayor Jay Williams has decided to continue the zero tolerance policy first enacted after the South Side quadruple homicide in January. This decision has its detractors, namely those who have been swept up in the net of police stops taking place on city streets for traffic violations, but the policy appears to be working. The city has not recorded a homicide since March 13th and wanted criminals have been caught up in the traffic stops.

The Vindicator is correct in its assessment that:

If residents perceive their neighborhoods to be safe, they will be more inclined to take care of their own properties and to interact with their neighbors. But when the streets are war zones, when scofflaws rule the day, when break-ins and muggings are a common occurrence, law-abiding citizens become prisoners in their homes.

This is exactly what happens. My family's experience on the South Side during the 80's and 90's was one of watching a safe neighborhood degenerate into a area where crime and gunfire were commonplace. As crime increased my family members who resided there slowly stopped going outside if it wasn't necessary. This led to necessary home maintenance being neglected and the utilization of businesses outside the area. Why risk going into Valu King on Market and Midlothian when you could stop for groceries at a store outside the neighborhood on the way home from work? In fact, why have cook outs and parties when everyone you know is skittish about coming into your neighborhood? When these feelings occur, people with good jobs pick up and move some place safer.

Zero tolerance is not the complete answer to Youngstown's crime problems but it is an important component. This action taken by the city will make it more difficult for criminals to to do business and hopefully discourage them enough to force them away. Plans to demolish 400 abandoned properties this year will also help. Again, this action takes away places for crime to occur. It would be nice if the North Side pool could be open. Kids need something to do during the summer to occupy their time.

Regardless of whether you agree with the increased traffic interdictions or not, the 2007 Homicide Map has not needed an update in the last month and that is a good thing. Reducing the number of people killed in the city will change the perceptions of both city residents and those that see Youngstown in a negative light because of the Morgan-Quitno ranking. The mayor's decision to continue zero tolerance is the right one but it will only succeed if it is part of a larger solution.

YSU, First Energy Make Good Jobs Available In Area

There's a lot of grumbling about jobs in the Valley but none of it is coming from those students enrolled in Youngstown State University's Power System Institute. The two year program is a partnership between the university and several electric providers including First Energy. The program offers a two year associates degree Associate of Technical Study degree enabling them to seek employment in power generating plants and as linemen.

According to this report, the graduates will be needed to fill vacancies left by retirees and to work in new power generating plants. Government requirements for cleaner air are also contributing to the need for educated workers.

This is the sort of opportunity that students in area schools need to seize. The electric industry and YSU are setting up a pipeline of qualified individuals for jobs starting at $40,000 plus benefits. The need will obviously be long term given the investment in education both parties are making. Graduates of the program will have skills they can use to earn a living for the rest of their lives.

Hopefully this program will be successful and lead to more partnerships between industry and YSU.

Compact Flourescent Lamps Really Do Save Electricty

In February, after writing this entry, we made two changes in the way we use electricity in our house. First, we changed all of our incandescent light bulbs over to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's), and secondly, I shut off my desktop PC when it wasn't in use. Up to that point I had been letting it run non-stop because I hated waiting for it to boot up. It's sad that I am that impatient but, well, I am.

The effect of those two actions on the electric bill was dramatic.

For the billing period of 1/19/07 through 2/23/07 our home used 894 kilowatt-hours. After the change, for the period of 2/23/07 through 3/21/07 we used 547 kilowatt-hours. That's a reduction of 347 kwh or a 38% drop in electricity used. Now, some other factors may have had an impact on that reduction. The billing period from January to February was 34 days versus 26 for February to March and the Valentines Day cold snap kept the blower motor on the furnace turning a lot more often.

Still, I'm encouraged. In March our cost per kwh was .114 so the savings should add up if the trend toward lower usage continues. In any case, I'm very pleased with the switch to CFL's. The expense wasn't that great, the lights work just fine and I may not have to change any bulbs for years to come. If anyone else has had similar results I would like to hear about it.

Scotty's Ashes Are Set to Go Into Space

A few grams of James Doohan's ashes are scheduled to be sent into space later this month according to this story. It's quite the deal at only $495.00. I'd like to get into space someday but the older I get the less likely that seems. Hurray, then, for the entrepeneurs at UP Aerospace Inc. Maybe I can't afford the $20 million the Russian government charges for a trip to the International Space Station but I sure can find 500 bucks to send my cremated remains there. That's what I love about America. No matter how far out the idea, there is someone who wants to help you fulfill your dreams, as long as you have the cash.