I just finished F&E today and am very disturbed and confused by the ending. All along the "future history", the reader experiences various social (psycho) mechanisms used by rulers, groups, (and a few "isolates"), and shown the benefits, problems, and ultimately the demise of each mechanism.
It seemed to me that over and over, the individual thinking of Trevize had demonstrated the holes in a unified galaxy under Gaian social order, so I don't understand how Trevize just gives into this Daneel as the correct (or even best) path for the future. I was not convinced. I know he wanted someone else to hold the responsibility for "humanity", but to hand it over to Daneel?
The extolled instincts of Trevize, were usually very much in line with my feelings (encouraged by the mind of Asimov?), but at the end my instincts were not assuaged, while it seemed Trevize was at peace with his delivery of the future to Daneel and the Gaian Galaxia which would obliterate the individual from humanity and remove the uncertainty caused by individual thought.
Is this the intention? That I should be left wanting? It seems every prior book was quite complete, and this one tried with the dicussion to wrap everything up, but either I totally missed the point, or the point was indeed to leave me confused (and quite disturbed.)
Can anyone point me to any discussions of the end with I. Asimov, the master or my future sanity? Am I accursed to a "search for [my] Earth"?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Response to My Senator: "Bernie Sanders Understands Me"
Dear Sen. Nelson,
Thank you for maintaining some focus on increasing revenues. I really wish you, Pres. Obama, and the other Democrats would get together with spine. The Republicans never worry about being non-partisan, and we should stop all this silly kow-towing to them.
Stop being defensive. Work on showing the "Yes we can" attitude that the majority of Americans voted for.
Start a new "R&R" (Return and Re-acclimation) program for our soldiers - start bringing them home by announcing mandatory "R&R" for any soldier with 1/2 the current duty tour served. Then only send half of those soldiers back to the field. Its not a withdrawal - its a policy change that cuts duty time in half, and heals the over deployment of soldiers. It also will cut our defense spending, and boost morale.
Start now, driving a hard bargain on raising the taxes to heal the economy. Frame it as the patriotic duty to pay taxes. Stop the "Taxes are bad" propaganda of the wealthy Republicans. I'm not Christian, but the story of the poor widow that gives comes to mind. Frame taxes as patriotic and force the Republicans to show us how patriotic they can be.
Perhaps an idea of a five year deferred offshore profit tax 50% amnesty for a 2011 and 2012 tax year corporate tax increase? Get creative without letting Pres. Obama give away the farm. He is putting us all in the poor house while the wealthy just keep laughing all the way to their Christmas parties (Which were discontinued for the rank and file years ago.)
Stop all this talk about cuts. You think we can do with less teachers, less firemen, less police, less tax collectors, less federal funded programs for states? The states and cities are about to go under from the property tax revenue slumps - get ahead of that issue please. You "Feds" are going to cause the municipal bond market to collapse - not one notch from AAA to AA+, but collapse! You want votes? Forget cuts and introduce budget neutral funding increases. How budget neutral? 3% increase in taxes to the rich and corporations, 3% increase in funding to state programs. Its the patriotic thing to do. My employer wants me to show how I "give back" to my fellow workers and my community. My corporate stock is now double what it was when I sold everything and ran from Wall Street. How is it that my house is worth 63% what I paid for it 10 years ago, and my employer's stock is worth 200%? It is time the employers stopped demanding everyone else "give back" and pony up.
I hope you are listening - I don't really believe you or President Obama understand the anger I feel at the Democratic party for caving in on every issue with the "non-partisan" line, or "we have to compromise" line. Republicans don't compromise on the issues that they feel are most important. Democrats need to stop being the "sensible" party and do what is truly patriotic - save the country from the Republican tax cut (secret privatization) agenda.
Understand yet? Go talk to Bernie Sanders - he seems to understand.
Trying to be respectful,
...
Disgusted Democrat.
Thank you for maintaining some focus on increasing revenues. I really wish you, Pres. Obama, and the other Democrats would get together with spine. The Republicans never worry about being non-partisan, and we should stop all this silly kow-towing to them.
Stop being defensive. Work on showing the "Yes we can" attitude that the majority of Americans voted for.
Start a new "R&R" (Return and Re-acclimation) program for our soldiers - start bringing them home by announcing mandatory "R&R" for any soldier with 1/2 the current duty tour served. Then only send half of those soldiers back to the field. Its not a withdrawal - its a policy change that cuts duty time in half, and heals the over deployment of soldiers. It also will cut our defense spending, and boost morale.
Start now, driving a hard bargain on raising the taxes to heal the economy. Frame it as the patriotic duty to pay taxes. Stop the "Taxes are bad" propaganda of the wealthy Republicans. I'm not Christian, but the story of the poor widow that gives comes to mind. Frame taxes as patriotic and force the Republicans to show us how patriotic they can be.
Perhaps an idea of a five year deferred offshore profit tax 50% amnesty for a 2011 and 2012 tax year corporate tax increase? Get creative without letting Pres. Obama give away the farm. He is putting us all in the poor house while the wealthy just keep laughing all the way to their Christmas parties (Which were discontinued for the rank and file years ago.)
Stop all this talk about cuts. You think we can do with less teachers, less firemen, less police, less tax collectors, less federal funded programs for states? The states and cities are about to go under from the property tax revenue slumps - get ahead of that issue please. You "Feds" are going to cause the municipal bond market to collapse - not one notch from AAA to AA+, but collapse! You want votes? Forget cuts and introduce budget neutral funding increases. How budget neutral? 3% increase in taxes to the rich and corporations, 3% increase in funding to state programs. Its the patriotic thing to do. My employer wants me to show how I "give back" to my fellow workers and my community. My corporate stock is now double what it was when I sold everything and ran from Wall Street. How is it that my house is worth 63% what I paid for it 10 years ago, and my employer's stock is worth 200%? It is time the employers stopped demanding everyone else "give back" and pony up.
I hope you are listening - I don't really believe you or President Obama understand the anger I feel at the Democratic party for caving in on every issue with the "non-partisan" line, or "we have to compromise" line. Republicans don't compromise on the issues that they feel are most important. Democrats need to stop being the "sensible" party and do what is truly patriotic - save the country from the Republican tax cut (secret privatization) agenda.
Understand yet? Go talk to Bernie Sanders - he seems to understand.
Trying to be respectful,
...
Disgusted Democrat.
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