Off The Grid?

I was surfing the internet today and I decided to watch some shows on Hulu. If you are unfamiliar with Hulu, it is a website where you can watch user uploaded content, as well as various television programming and movies. Much of it can be seen in full and there is plenty of interesting stuff on Hulu. If you get a chance, check it out.

I started watching an episode of 30 DAYS that originally aired on the FX network, called “Off the Grid.” The show follows two everyday people as they leave their normal lives to live in a commune called “Rabbit Dance,” which is an ecological experiment to see how people can live totally detached from the electrical grid. The commune recycles everything. That means recycling human waste to make compost for growing their food. There are no flushing toilet fixtures, as that is viewed as a waste of valuable water resources. All the buildings are constructed from natural materials such as mud, straw, and sand, or recycled structures serving as living quarters. The commune has some electricity from solar panels and they firmly believe in using compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). Even the gray water (water from bathing, washing clothes, and washing dishes) is recycled to be used for watering vegetable gardens. The commune works to be completely self-sufficient.

The show points out how everyday things that we take for granted can actually have a large impact on the environment. Even common toiletry products can have an impact. Deodorants, shampoos, body lotions, and perfumes all can have harmful effects if not certified as biodegradable or eco-friendly.

I admire the group’s commitment to doing their part to change the environment for the better, and it would benefit the entire planet if everyone would make serious efforts to reduce their negative impact on the environment. BUT…I don’t plan on giving up my deodorant or my gas guzzler any time soon. How about you?

Wealth Redistribution

Whoever said, “Nothing is certain in life but death and taxes,” definitely caught the sentiment of many people. While it is definitely true that death is an eventuality that all humans will face, most people don’t look forward to it. However, few things stir up resentment more than paying taxes. Very few people, regardless of their economic status, like the idea of the government putting its hands in their pocketbook. Most Americans have come to understand that taxes are a necessary evil that we all must endure.

Taxes are a part of the American way that we must accept. No individual really wants to pay them; however, no one wants to do without the many services that the government provides either. We don’t want to live without clean water, law enforcement, education and many other benefits offered to citizens. We have come to expect these services and numerous others. While we may support some government programs, inevitably there will be others we don't agree with because they seem frivolous, wasteful, or some other aspect that doesn't sit right with our belief system.

No matter how we may feel, we still must pay taxes. Our taxes are based, in part, on a percentage of our income. It may bring us grief to pay those taxes, but the working poor generally feel the negative effect the worst. While those taxes may be more painful and visible to the working poor, many times the nonworking poor are the ones who benefit the most from those taxes in the form of government programs for low income families. Try to explain that to someone who makes minimum wage. It may be a hard sell.

Some have argued that taxes are nothing more than wealth redistribution. Taking money from one person and giving it to another. Who makes the decisions as to who gets what may vary. Congress plays the major role in this money distribution and therein may lay our dilemma. While we may suffer in the wallet area and yet believe in certain programs, many times we can only see Congress as being the major benefactor of that wealth redistribution. Whether that is the truth of the matter or not, we always seem to notice when taxes are taken from us or programs are cut back that directly affect us. This is especially true when we see our elected officials giving themselves regular wage increases. Perhaps one way to look at the situation would be that we can stop paying taxes when we are dead.

The Greatest Show

My wife and I were looking for a fun-filled activity to enjoy as a family and saw a commercial advertising the Circus. Aha! That sounded like it fit the bill perfectly. So I went online to find some tickets and found us some excellent seats at almost center coliseum on the 3^rd row. Outstanding! How much? Actually I was pleasantly surprised to get them for $33 each. My wife and I decided to keep our plans a secret from our daughter until the last moment. Surprises are always fun when you’re five.

On the day of the event we told my daughter we were all going for a ride and she was happy with that. I guess she’s a tourist at heart like her father, because she is always up for a ride, no matter how long or short. As we headed to Greensboro Darla inquired, “Where are we going, daddy?”

“It’s a surprise,” I replied. Now she was getting anxious. What could be the surprise?

When we were within sight of the Greensboro Coliseum, Darla blurts out, “We’re going to the Coliseum!”

I nodded my head and asked if she could guess what for. She looked puzzled and offered up, “The Trans Siberian Orchestra?” Nope. She then asked, “Well, what are we going to see?”

I responded, “We’re here to see the greatest show on earth!”

She still had that confused look on her face. She had no clue until she saw the circus banners and displays inside the entrance to the coliseum.

“The circus! The circus! We’re here to see the circus! I’ve never been to the circus!” Darla was thrilled.

We stopped by will-call to pick up our tickets and then headed into the concessions area. After spending a vulgar amount of money on cotton candy and a hat, we headed to our seats. From our seats we had a great view and the preshow was going on. An elephant was painting, there were performers walking around on stilts, and there were clowns moving around through the crowd.

The show started and from the sounds and expressions that Darla was making, she thoroughly enjoyed the show. She was fearful for the performers’ safety a few times and really got into the show. The event was a hit and we all enjoyed ourselves.

After the show ended and we walked out of the coliseum we discovered that it had begun snowing and everything was already covered in about two inches of snow. Yay! Now I enjoy snow, but the thought of driving nearly 60 miles in this heavy snowfall with all these impatient drivers left me feeling very uneasy.

I could not drive more than 40 to 45 miles an hour for the entire trip without sliding. Of course, there were several impatient drivers who passed me on the interstate and further down the road we waved goodbye to them as they had slid off the interstate and into the medians. Yes, it took us longer to get home, but we did make it safe and sound without any problems.

All in all I guess you could say that we had gone to the greatest show on earth, followed by a beautiful winter show that nature provided free of charge.