<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for What qualities do we need in a president who will get things done?]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by StandardCarbon http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/ Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:45:36 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/1 Politicians should walk their talk

I am affraid that there will be a good number of politicians who talk big on the environment and then do nothing when they get into office.  The ones that maintain what you call the "trust factor" will be the ones that run a green campaign, I think.  

Our company has a program for politicians to offset the greenhouse gasses from their election campaign. Here is the press release: http://www.standardcarbon.com/press_release/campaignneutr ...

]]> Politicians should walk their talk

I am affraid that there will be a good number of politicians who talk big on the environment and then do nothing when they get into office.  The ones that maintain what you call the "trust factor" will be the ones that run a green campaign, I think.  

Our company has a program for politicians to offset the greenhouse gasses from their election campaign. Here is the press release: http://www.standardcarbon.com/press_release/campaignneutr ...

]]> Comment #2 by gmobus http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/ Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:09:23 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/2 Hope, reality, and trust

We all hope. We all hope we don't have to sacrifice so much we will be uncomfortable. But that is hope.

What if the truth of reality is that that is exactly what we will have to do to solve our problems? Whoever speaks this truth will only be able to speak of hope for the very long run, not tomorrow.

Will the people trust such a person? Will they trust them enough to vote for them? Will they trust them enough to follow their lead?

This is the sorry state of affairs. People want someone to reinforce their hope (for themselves) even if in the long run it means devastation. Because, they won't, can't, believe that that is a possible outcome.

Who would know the speaker of reality and solutions if s/he were to speak up?  I suspect no one would. Who would trust someone who said you must stop buying junk and stop insisting on a raise? I doubt there is anyone. The vast majority of people are ready to put their trust in someone who projects their hopes. And reality may have nothing to do with it.

The irony of the human condition is that you  need to possess a little wisdom in order to recognize a great deal of wisdom. And you must accept that that wisdom doesn't always tell you what you want to hear. That is where trust comes in. Sometimes, hope is for something other than for your immediate desires.

It's worth thinking about.

George
http://www.questioneverything.typepad.com/

George Mobus, Associate Professor, Institute of Technology, University of Washington Tacoma, and Professional Student for Life



]]> Hope, reality, and trust

We all hope. We all hope we don't have to sacrifice so much we will be uncomfortable. But that is hope.

What if the truth of reality is that that is exactly what we will have to do to solve our problems? Whoever speaks this truth will only be able to speak of hope for the very long run, not tomorrow.

Will the people trust such a person? Will they trust them enough to vote for them? Will they trust them enough to follow their lead?

This is the sorry state of affairs. People want someone to reinforce their hope (for themselves) even if in the long run it means devastation. Because, they won't, can't, believe that that is a possible outcome.

Who would know the speaker of reality and solutions if s/he were to speak up?  I suspect no one would. Who would trust someone who said you must stop buying junk and stop insisting on a raise? I doubt there is anyone. The vast majority of people are ready to put their trust in someone who projects their hopes. And reality may have nothing to do with it.

The irony of the human condition is that you  need to possess a little wisdom in order to recognize a great deal of wisdom. And you must accept that that wisdom doesn't always tell you what you want to hear. That is where trust comes in. Sometimes, hope is for something other than for your immediate desires.

It's worth thinking about.

George
http://www.questioneverything.typepad.com/

George Mobus, Associate Professor, Institute of Technology, University of Washington Tacoma, and Professional Student for Life



]]> Comment #3 by Green Granny http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/ Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:35:45 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/3 Hope

One of my heros wrote:
"Choosing hope means conscious risk; it means looking at the ideas that govern us."
and
" . . . no one can "justify" hope by proving something good and positive.  Hope is more verb than noun -- an action, not a stance.  It is movement.  It is jumping into the messiness of it all.  It is listening, learning, trying, stumbling; it is false starts and contradictory evidence."
 Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, Hope's Edge (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam a member of Penguin Group USA Inc, 2003)

As far as trust goes, most of the front-runners have a proven track record on being untrust worthy.  While I hope we Americans can lead our government to address and overcome the many obstacles we face, I do not trust most of them to follow through left to their own devises and the influence of big corporations & lobbyists.

Paraphrasing Ms. Lappe, Democracy is NOT something done for us or to us.  Democracy demands action.  We must be engaged and involved.  Our best hope that politicians will do what's necessary and right is for us to constantly remind them through letters, actions, and votes what we need, want and demand.  Get involved to whatever degree you are able.

It's time to take back "OUR DEMOCARCY"

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Ghandi





]]> Hope

One of my heros wrote:
"Choosing hope means conscious risk; it means looking at the ideas that govern us."
and
" . . . no one can "justify" hope by proving something good and positive.  Hope is more verb than noun -- an action, not a stance.  It is movement.  It is jumping into the messiness of it all.  It is listening, learning, trying, stumbling; it is false starts and contradictory evidence."
 Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, Hope's Edge (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam a member of Penguin Group USA Inc, 2003)

As far as trust goes, most of the front-runners have a proven track record on being untrust worthy.  While I hope we Americans can lead our government to address and overcome the many obstacles we face, I do not trust most of them to follow through left to their own devises and the influence of big corporations & lobbyists.

Paraphrasing Ms. Lappe, Democracy is NOT something done for us or to us.  Democracy demands action.  We must be engaged and involved.  Our best hope that politicians will do what's necessary and right is for us to constantly remind them through letters, actions, and votes what we need, want and demand.  Get involved to whatever degree you are able.

It's time to take back "OUR DEMOCARCY"

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Ghandi





]]> Comment #4 by Pompey Road http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:18:41 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-trust-factor/4 Washinton Momument:

There is nothing in the capitol that can be built taller than the Washington monument, so until the brown smog or Co2 concentrations build down to that level nothing will be done. I can google earth over mountain top removals and hollow fills on Army Corps of Engineer Projects. Federal constructed, maintained flood control projects with the watershed being destroyed by strip mining. As long as the coal corporations can stack money as high as the Washington Monument the Co2 Atmosphere will have to come down to that level for any environmental effort in D.C. to be effective. The money in the freezers is being kept cool by electricity generated by the coal corporations. If you could ever get yourself a lobby as well healed as the energy corporations you might make some inroads on some of these issue's. It is just like a big national flea market up there, if you got the cold hard cash!

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

]]> Washinton Momument:

There is nothing in the capitol that can be built taller than the Washington monument, so until the brown smog or Co2 concentrations build down to that level nothing will be done. I can google earth over mountain top removals and hollow fills on Army Corps of Engineer Projects. Federal constructed, maintained flood control projects with the watershed being destroyed by strip mining. As long as the coal corporations can stack money as high as the Washington Monument the Co2 Atmosphere will have to come down to that level for any environmental effort in D.C. to be effective. The money in the freezers is being kept cool by electricity generated by the coal corporations. If you could ever get yourself a lobby as well healed as the energy corporations you might make some inroads on some of these issue's. It is just like a big national flea market up there, if you got the cold hard cash!

The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

]]>