Health Care Bill Passes!

History has been made. Obama, Pelosi, and the Democrats have accomplished an amazing feat -- a health care bill has now passed the Senate and House. Along with Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare, this is one of the biggest accomplishments by the government for social justice in the US in the past 100 years. If implementation goes well, the Republicans (the Party of No) will be in the dog house for a very long time. If not, then the Democrats will suffer. I believe that passage of this bill is a huge positive outcome for the US and will go a long way to improve the productivity of our human resources in the US as well as reduce costs.

For more see: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

Italians Prefer to Shoot the Postman and Keep Truths Hidden

Based on the recent Italian verdict against Google (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_hi_te/eu_italy_google_trial) here is what I conclude:

1) Italy (and perhaps Europe in general) prefers that bullying be hidden so people don't know it is happening -- if no one knows, that is better, right?
2) If it is publicized thus exposing the bullies -- shoot the messenger so it won't be publicized again -- punish the mechanism that transmitted the information because it is bad for people to know that bad things are happening.
3) Europe should have punished those that publicized the Holocaust -- so that it would never have been known that the Holocaust happened.
4) If the postal service delivers unsavory news, shoot the postman so they will stop delivering it.

Hmmm...

Compromise Can Be Difficult

There is an interesting discussion occurring about the League of American Bicyclists at:
http://mighkwilson.com/2010/02/loyalty-matters/

Here is what I think:

Often the closer you get to an organization, the uglier it's complexion -- the warts and blemishes become more visible. Nonetheless, it is important to take the whole into account and decide whether overall the organization is moving the cause forward even though it may not be specifically moving the parts some individuals want.

Regarding bike lanes, while sometimes their design is not the best, they do attract more cyclists and give them a degree of safety (or at least the perception). After getting more cyclists on the roads, more will realize that bike lanes need to be designed better and hopefully that will have an impact. Often we need to take imperfect steps on our hike toward overall improvement. It's a bit Machiavellian but it is practical. Additionally, to make progress in this area we often must make political compromises.

Yes having everyone become a well educated effective cyclist would be best, but unfortunately this is highly unlikely. The barriers are too high for most people. Conversely the barriers to bike lanes are relatively low and bike lanes are very visible, relatively long lasting, and highly attractive to most normal cyclists.

So while hard core utility cyclists see no need for bike lanes, and they would be right if we could educate all motorists and cyclists, the hurdle is too high to educate the vast majority of normal people whereas these normal people see the immediate advantage of bicycle lanes. And eventually those bicycle lanes can be made safe too.

Sometimes it is the best course of action to make progress where it is easiest rather than fighting the tide.

I've chosen to become a lifetime member of some national organizations (LAB & Adventure Cycling) as well as a local organization (Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition). I do what I am able to advocate for better education, helmet use and well designed bicycle facilities. I continue to believe it is worth supporting the LAB in addition to state and local organizations.

(BTW, I greatly admire what John Schubert, John Forester, and John Allen have accomplished.)

(BTW2, what I say above applies in a general way to all organizations with which I've been involved, some ended up on the net plus side, some on the net negative side.)

Injustice...

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
- Martin Luther King, April 16, 1963

Some injustices as of 2010:
Suppression of free speech in China.
Terrorism.
Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and mistreatment of the Palestinians in general.
Some Muslims blocking women from becoming educated.
Lack of equal marriage rights in the US.

Haiti lessons -- Building Codes, Economies, Gov't

The situation in Haiti is the result of a terrible natural disaster -- made dramatically worse by a man made disaster. This disaster, like many earthquakes in poor countries, was largely preventable (!!). A 7.0 earthquake in an earthquake prone area of the US would likely kill only a handful of people, yet 50,000+ people died in Haiti due to building failures. The best solution to prevent such deaths is good Building Codes. Some in the US lament having to conform to building codes, but building codes save lives. The best way to get a good set of building codes is to have a good local economy together with a functioning government. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The best thing we can do to prevent disasters, terrorism, and many other worldly problems is to support our neighbors by helping them develop stable governments and educating their populace. That way the currently poor countries of the world can help themselves and we can prevent future disasters. This is why one of my favorite charities (and one I strongly support) is the Central Asia Institute. We need more groups like this that allow people to learn how to fish, rather than having others give them fish.

Let's put more effort into fixing root causes rather than applying bandaids.

Avatar -- A Must See

Wow. Avatar is a great film that all should see -- in 3D if at all possible. It is a solid science fiction film with reasonably good science, spectacular special effects, romance, lots of action, a moral, and a satisfying ending. Wow.

http://www.avatarmovie.com/

What Makes the United States Great...

On this 4th of July, here are the strengths that made and make the United States a great nation:

1) Unalienable Rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
2) Work ethic
3) Diversity
4) Oceans that protect/buffer us
5) Good supply of natural resources
6) Free public libraries
7) Free and good public education system
8) Visionary Constitution & Bill of Rights
9) Strong belief in the rule of law
10) Religious freedom
11) Free speech
12) Belief in American ideals -- Truth, Justice, and the American Way
13) Free market economy balanced by some government controls
14) Good network of roads
15) Building codes
16) Spirit of adventure and entrepreneurship
17) Good water & sewer systems
18) Pervasive belief in the rule of law
19) Democratic gov't with checks & balances between legislative, executive, and judicial branches
20) Welfare, Social Security, Unemployment Benefits
21) Willingness to question, change, and adapt
22) Reliable mail delivery
23) Willingness to negotiate and compromise
24) Justice: Our legal system
25) The belief a man can make his own destiny
26) Parks

Here are some things we still need to work on:
1) Healthcare system
2) Reducing our environmental footprint

And here are some things that have hurt us in the past and that we must work to avoid:
1) Hubris
2) Being too prudish / puritanical / extreme
3) Compromising our American ideals for short term expediency
4) Laziness
5) Greed
6) Carelessness
7) Indifference
8) Hypocrisy

One of the US's greatest accomplishments is to see that more nations also achieve our strengths. By helping our neighbors worldwide, we help ourselves.

Sincerely,
Tim Oey