“When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it’s easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them.”

– Obama spokesman Bill Burton

When I go to teach at my workplace, a salary is given to me in exchange for my personal services (my expertise and time). I am trading my labor for money … not “gaining” income. There is no profit involved for me, only an exchange based on the fair market value of the labor and services that I provide.

With this in mind, I am a bit confused about how “income tax” works. Is the federal government really taxing me for something that is I have traded for? Can this idea be extended to other exchanges … like one CD for another, a ride for a conversation, or a fantasy football trade? Where is the line drawn when no profit is involved?

I’ve been reading up on the sixteenth amendment and it’s only getting more confusing. It was never ratified properly, and even a read of this 61-page document published by the IRS raises more questions than answers.

Do you understand this better than me?

I don’t understand why America is so interested in promoting “democracy” in foreign countries, especially those on the other side of the globe, when our form of democracy is so incredibly ineffective and stagnant.

Just hear me out here.

Nobody votes in this country. And it isn’t because they don’t care … it’s because our system absolutely sucks. Moreover, I believe that its current design intentionally cripples the American people, stripping them of their voice and power in our government and society.

First thing’s first. We have no real way of tracking who is who. Some people have social security cards, some have driver’s licenses, some have birth certificates. But the only way to “ensure” that each person gets one vote is to force them to “register” then come and sign a paper. Can someone remind me why we don’t have a Citizen Identification of some sort? Even China gets this right.

Then there’s registration … it is absolutely unnecessary. Registration is an extra hurdle thrown into our democratic process to purposefully make it more difficult for real people to vote. It is very hard to find information about how to register … and if you screw up and don’t do it on time, you lose your right. So why, in the world’s most advanced nation, do we have to rely on the initiative of millions of individual people to jump through this unneeded hurdle? I don’t get it … if you’re a citizen in the right age group, you should by definition be qualified.

Next comes the voting itself … it’s designed to be as difficult as possible. They schedule it during a non-holiday weekday … and not a Friday or Monday either, but a Tuesday (because in 1845, when the day was established, people didn’t want to miss church for their overnight buggy trip to the county seat). They then force people to “vote” during business hours then tell you that you have to go to some remote and usually difficult-to-find location (like a church or elementary school). The only people that actually get there, every time, are those who were predictable … the retired ones and such. And don’t even try to tell me that nobody has thought that this scheduling isn’t convenient … it’s clearly a way to control and predict how many votes will come in from each “district” (and don’t even get me started on how those “districts” are drawn by our politicians).

But assuming that Joe Citizen does successfully make it to his polling station at the right time … what will he find? Well, that’s easy … he’ll find a system in place that is ridiculously antiquated. Old ladies handing out cards? Punching holes in paper? Is there a big IBM mainframe in a gym somewhere that can input these timecards and do complex addition problems with them or something? Give me a break … this is the 21st century. We’re pouring trillions into blowing people up but can’t come up with a way to record votes?

Finally, of course, is the fact that our votes don’t actually count. You do know, my friend, that we don’t really live in a democracy … we live in a representative democracy. We don’t elect a president … we take a fancy poll. Then, later, a guy called an “elector” goes into a room and does the actual voting … and in reality, he can choose whomever he wants to choose. That man, who I have never met nor chosen to represent me, is the one who votes for the next president. It’s not like the olden days, when we needed guys like this to ride their horses from our hometowns to the capitol of the country to deliver our votes because we had to stay home and take care of the farm … so why do we have it?

Now I’m no political scientist. And I don’t know that I have the answer … though I think that a Citizen’s ID, online voting, and the demolition of unnecessary representation are obvious components of the solution. I do know, however, that the reason why it isn’t changing is quite simple: Control.

Making voting more smooth, easy, and equal would only make the results more unpredictable. It would encourage those who aren’t involved to get involved, it would eliminate trillions of dollars in waste and bureaucratic spider-webs, and it would give a voice to millions of people who are currently so [conveniently] quiet.

Here’s what I say … if we’re not going to change the way things work, we should re-institute the Pony Express. At least that was one antiquated and irrelevant system that was really sweet.

If someone asked you, “How is America?”, what would you say?

Check this out … it’s the Top Ten Letterman Top Ten Lists. In my opinion, it’s a pretty funny idea that should’ve been done a long time ago.

My favorite? Hands down, it’s the Top Ten Ways the U.S. Would Be Different If Evel Knievel Were President:

10. Nation’s interstate system would include regularly spaced jump ramps.
9. Giant flame decals added to side of Air Force One.
8. More fatalities at annual Easter egg hunt.
7. Court packed with judges favoring 270 mph speed limit.
6. Secretary of state would wear special suit to greet diplomats while on fire.
5. Son Robbie Knievel would be screwing up S&L industry.
4. While jumpsuit de rigeur at state dinners.
3. Quayle would still be Vice-President — but his kids would take him seriously.
2. Americans closer to dream of seeing guy jump over his own face on Mt. Rush more.
1. More babies named Evel.

Last year, I discovered that China was a very secular society … the only churches were in big cities (there were none in Loudi), and those that could be found were government-sponsored and tightly-controlled. As a result, I spent an entire year without the fellowship, corporate worship, and public teaching that comes from being a part of a healthy church body.

At first glance, this would seem to most Christians like a terrible thing for my spiritual growth and well-being. I found, however, that it actually allowed me to clear away the “drivel” that is associated with the Church and instead focus on the deeper elements of my faith. I wrestled with real life more, confronted the juxtaposition of mortality and the Eternal, tested my convictions, spent much more time communing with my Father, and generally felt like I finally had a chance to grow down.

Since returning to America, however, I’ve found that my faith has been tested in a very different way … through my re-immersion in the Church!

To be honest, it’s been quite a lackluster and frustrating experience for me. I don’t really feel like I understand what’s going on there and why it’s happening … and after four or five weeks, I’m having trouble figuring out both what I think about it and what I should do with it.

After a lot of thought and prayer, however, I think I’ve identified a few reasons why things might feel like this.

1. Now I’m an outsider. I’ve spent my whole life going to church and being deeply involved in Christian “stuff”. It’s always been a really comfortable place for me where I could relate to the people, understand the backstory and rationale for the things that happen, and generally feel like I “belong”. But after a year of absence, I definitely don’t feel at home … I’m a visitor, someone who’s walked in from the street and isn’t really certain about how I fit in to the Christian bubble. I suspect that it’ll eventually be really good to remember this feeling, but for now it kinda sucks.
2. It tastes like applesauce. I feel like almost everything that’s been presented in church has been prepared for babies … it’s bland, watered-down, and spoon-fed to the congregation. I’m not really a toddler anymore … and it really doesn’t help me to sit there stagnantly while blatantly obvious spiritual truths are spelled out in detail. I need meat.
3. I’m not a good consumer. As an outsider, I feel like I’m almost always the “direct object” of the things that happen at church … I’m listening, receiving, absorbing, and retaining. But this passive and sedentary role really doesn’t suit me … I’m a creative person who learns and grows through experiences, relationships, and the creative process itself. So if I don’t take the step of getting involved in some sort of leadership or service role (like I can freely do at school), I’m stuck simply consuming things, one after another. And that’s not a good place for me to be.
4. I just want to worship. This one’s really simple … my heart and soul just want to cry out with others, to celebrate and surrender and lift up the God of the Universe. I want to sing at the top of my lungs and dance for joy … but the opportunity to do this freely (for more than a couple of songs, at least) still hasn’t presented itself at church, school, or with other believers. And I’m beginning to understand, more and more, how immensely big of a problem that is.

I could probably talk (or type) forever about it … but in the end, you’d find that I really don’t have it figured out. And I want to be clear … this is not really a critique of my church, but an analysis of my current relationship with the Church. I notice the same dynamics throughout my experience at the Christian school where I teach and even in the circle of friends that I have. And I know that for now, I must simply be patient.

Hmm.

America gives me gas.

So now I’m back in America. And it’s been quite an experience. It’s a bit hard to sit down and process how different life here is … but one thing’s for sure: No matter how complicated life in America is, everything is much easier to do.

In just my first few days back, I was able to move into my new home, transfer some stuff to my storage unit, wash (and dry!) my laundry, sign my teaching contract, get my class schedule, get a mobile phone (with Cincinnati Bell), transfer my car title, get auto insurance, get a TB test, meet with my loan officer to initiate the mortgage process, close two bank accounts, cancel a credit card, get some groceries, and even catch a movie or two. In China, I would’ve been thrilled to go to the post office and still fit in a shower in one day!

Now I’m actually in Tazewell, Tennessee for a family vacation. My parents and siblings and I have rented a huge house on a lake, very near Cumberland Gap National Park. It should be crazy … because my sister’s family was in Germany this past year, we haven’t seen each other at all. It’s been terribly fantastic!

I probably will only be online once or twice in the next week, but I’ve scheduled a couple of posts just to keep you guys entertained. See you soon!

Well, I’m now home, safe and sound in Cincinnati. The trip wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Sure, it was long … but it seemed like a piece of cake compared to my countless experiences on Chinese trains this year. I guess that I’ve been toughened up!

I flew from Changsha to Beijing to Los Angeles to Charlotte to Lexington. And when I finally arrived at the Lexington Bluegrass Airport, I was delighted to find both Rob Lansdale and Kelli Faust waiting there to greet me! They helped me cart my things to the car … to Louie, my Mazda who I had missed so dearly. Then all four of us hopped on I-75N to Middletown.

Along the way, we stopped at Applebee’s for lunch (how glorious!), the bank and License Bureau in Middletown (to transfer Louie back into my hands), and Rob’s parents’ home. We then made a trip out to Pleasant Vineyard, where they were in the middle of their last week of camp … and let me tell you, it was awesome to see those people and that place. Then we had dinner at Great Steak and Potato Company before parting ways.

I then drove down to Cincinnati to the Outzs home … I’ll be renting a room from this family until I find a more permanent place to live. It was so fantastic to take a nice hot shower. And it looks like it’ll be a great place to crash and get my head on straight while I’m adjusting to American life.

In the next four days, I’ll be running all around Cincinnati, assembling my life. Tomorrow I’ll get a cell phone, arrange my financial life, update my address, and find some car insurance. But first, for the first time in four days, I’m going to bed. In a real bed.

Good night!

What kind of politician hires a professional political lobbyist as one of his high-ranking advisers? Our President, that’s who.

Ed Gillespie, named Wednesday as the next White House counselor, is a partner in Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC, a lobbying firm whose clients include: Sirius Satellite Radio, which needs antitrust approval to acquire a rival; Qualcomm, which wants Bush to veto a federal agency’s ban on imported cell phones made with its chips; and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group trying to limit drug industry regulation.

Wormtongue has once again entered the White House. Gillespie, who co-founded his lobbying firm with former Clinton White House Counsel Jack Quinn, earned $16,000,000 in 2006 by convincing “public” officials to pass legislation that serves their rich corporate clients instead of the American people.

Honestly, I don’t get it. Why is it acceptable for our elected officials to continue to share a bed with these corrupt soothsayers? Seriously … what do you think?

Even after reading this incredibly sad story, I can’t imagine what life would be like as a young man in New York named “Osama”.

This is a long video, but it’s worth watching if you’re interested or involved in education. It features a democratic school where the students set their schedule, decide the rules, and even elect the teachers!

Does anyone else see a problem here?

• You must be at least 18 years old to buy handguns and assault weapons.
• You are not required to obtain a license or undergo any type of safety training prior to buying a handgun.
• Guns do not have to be registered, but gun owners need a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
• There is a one handgun per month limit on gun sales.
• A criminal background check is required if the gun is purchased through a licensed dealer; unlicensed dealers can sell firearms at gun shows without a criminal check.
• There is no waiting period on gun sales.

[via USA Today]