The Difference between Thinking with the Heart, Feeling with the Brain and Thinking and Feeling with Both

The Difference between Thinking with the Heart, Feeling with the Brain and Thinking and Feeling with Both

I follow the news and have been amazed how biased many of us are based on how we think and feel. Here are some examples:

On illegal immigration, the left think with their hearts. Every person who wants to come to America should be able to. People in other countries are suffering poverty, corruption and gang violence. We should let them all in. If we don't we are xenophobic, racist and heartless.

On the right, people are saying that illegals cost a fortune in housing, food, medical treatment and education as well as legal fees associated with their hearing, the appeal to the hearing and the appeal to the appeal. It could be years meanwhile we have to foot the bill with many of those seeking amnesty found to be untruthful. Those who do work take entry level jobs that Americans could have, especially those with limited education like many Americans with African or Latin American ancestry who need these jobs.

Those using both mind and heart realize how terrible the poverty and crime are in much of the third world. Those seeking asylum are suffering and need to be helped but not by gaining access through open borders. Those wanting entry into our country as refugees or asylum seekers should be required to go to their nearest American consulate to apply. Those who are accepted could then be transported for free to the U.S.

The U.S. and Canada should provide a "Marshal Plan" to those in Latin American countries plagued with gang violence, corruption and poverty. Instead of deploying troops to faraway lands, we should send them to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Our special forces should route out the gangs the way we would against ISIS. We should also provide assistance to these governments to end corruption and to pay living wages, not $1 per day, so that its citizens aren't dying to leave their beloved homeland. 

There are three billion people in the world that are also suffering, we can't help all of them or invite them to our country. We have 45+ million Americans living in poverty with 600 thousand without a home. Let's help them first.

On the income gap

The left would call it income inequality as though we believe that everyone should earn the same. They and their supporters in the media overstate the gap. They use pretax income instead of net income after taxes for the well-to-do and by not counting the value of all the government benefits the poor receive to supplement their low income (a recent study found that a woman with two children living below the poverty level receives on average $30,000 a year in government benefits, $50,000 in Hawaii). But still there is a huge gap between the very rich and the very poor.  Their solution is to tax the successful even more and to give more money to those in need.

Those on the right who feel with their minds believe in evolution or at least the part about survival of the fittest. They feel that they are supporting unmotivated people. Having to work would be surviving.

Those who use both thinking and feeling would say that it is shameful that in this rich land we still have so many Americans living in poverty even if working a full time job. The first step could be changing the federal tax code with a large standard deduction for single and family taxpayers (i.e $20,000/$40,000) but with no itemized deductions or credits, which mainly help the rich and with all income equally taxable. The brackets could range from 10% to 35%. The minimum wage should be a living wage.

The next step would be to dramatically improve public education. Every school should be excellent. Curricula need to be tailored to the student. Those who will never be STEMs don't need algebra, geometry, trigonometry, chemistry, physics or calculus. They could get a survey course in the 7th and 8th grade to get the general idea. These subjects unnecessarily required in high school and in college drive many students away from school. Students should have options like single sex schools, those that have uniforms, and/or a very challenging  coursework like Latin, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

Children should grow up being loved and appreciated and in return do their best, respect authority and not even consider lawlessness.

Those who think with their hearts remember what happened in Europe when the Nazis invaded Europe in the 1940s, still feel that  Europe and Asia need our help as we continue to have more foreign bases than all other countries combined. The Russians could invade at any time. "The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming."

Those who feel with their minds would feel that our allies should pay of our cost for protecting them. We should insist that NATO members pay more.

Those who use both mind and heart might say that we should leave the countries that no longer need us, if they want us to. We should maintain bases in host countries that pay our personnel costs. 

On healthcare, those who think with their hearts find single payer coverage appealing. Everyone should have coverage even if they don't want it. The successful should pay much higher taxes to pay for coverage equal to Medicaid.

Those who feel with their minds are against this socialist idea because it would cost a fortune and many will end up with less coverage than they now have. Why should we pay more for less?

Those who use both mind and heart feel that every American who wants coverage should be able to afford it and no one should be denied coverage for medical reasons. The government now subsidizes insurers to take high risk applicants. The current Affordable Care Act requires the taxpayers to pay $10 billion a year to offset insurers' cost.

Those who think and feel with both might have a solution. The first step has already been taken - make individuals' sign ups voluntary. The next has also been done - subsidizing the industry has ended. The next step would be to let private insurers deny coverage to applicants with medical conditions. Those denied coverage would immediately be eligible to the "public option" which would cover them with a federal program which has a share of cost depending on income.The option would also be available to those living in states that did not expand Medicaid which is controlled by the states. Insurers will re-enter the market and compete for the healthy applicants and could offer a scaled down version which covers only necessary hospitalization, office/clinic visits, prescription drugs and other medical supplies, and lab and radiology.  Prices will come down and then everyone who wants insurance can afford it.

I say let's use both mind and heart when evaluating situations.

The City So Poopular That People Don't Go There Anymore

Yogi Berra was not only a great Yankee catcher and later manager, he also made up paradoxical comments like "It's deja vu all  over again"; "It ain't over till it's over"; "The future is not what it used to be"; "When you come to a fork in the road, take it" Go to other people's funeral or else they won't go to yours." He described a popular city as being so popular that no one goes there anymore. This is true about my second favorite city, Venice. It has become a crowded Italian shopping center. The mayor has requested that tourists, especially day trippers, stay out of Venice.

I have lived in my favorite city, San Francisco, for almost 50 years and have seen a lot of changes - some for the good and others not so. We have many new skyscrapers, a much reduced murder rate and what had been great weather until a few years ago. The City is surrounded on three sides with water, has beautiful hills with great views, an excellent transit system and some City workers who actually work hard. 

But we have one big problem, homelessness. Those we used to call derelicts, bums, tramps, and hobos are now called homeless, referring to their condition and not to their character. We know that the homeless are not to blame, it could have happened to any of us if we were addicted to drugs and alcohol for extended periods, if we committed serious crimes and were recently released from prison, couldn't holds a job or had serious personality or cognitive issues. Many have no friends or family willing or able to help  them.

Our new mayor, London Breed, just realized how terrible this problem has become. She found streets and sidewalks strewn with feces, urine, garbage and dirty needles that were used to shoot drugs, usually heroin. She vows to do something about it. 

I have made recommendations to alleviate homelessness. I was an analyst for the Department of Social Services, now called DHS, (not to be confused with Homeland Security) in the mid 70s. We had no real homeless problem. The indigent adults would go to General Assistance needing and getting someplace to stay, some food to eat, free transportation as well as medical coverage. The caseload had 3500 recipients. When Diane Feinstein became mayor, she had the police count the homeless, there were 600.

Now the problem has grown from 3500 people getting G.A./ Care Not Cash to 7,000 homeless half of whom live in the streets. There are another 6,000 who were and would be homeless if we were not providing long term residence with the costs of housing, food, and medical services also paid by the City. Where else could they relieve themselves? The current program costs about a half  billion a year ($35,000 a year per person equal to more than $15 an hour of full-time work) when medical services are included.

I made my suggestions first to the Mayor's head of homelessness. He disregarded it especially about the SSI being used in part to pay the cost of their housing instead of spending it on drugs. I told him that it could be set up to make the City a sub-payee. He had never heard of this and didn't want to. He apparently believed that the SSI payment of almost $1,000 a month is the people's money and they should be able to spend it as they choose (they earned it).The homeless czar left his job to become a part-time elementary school volleyball coach.

I contacted my district supervisor's office and was told that they wouldn't let him spend the two minutes it would take to read my email. He later became acting Mayor. 

I contacted the head of DHS, who did listen, but demurred. 

I've written a column on this to no effect. My suggestion was to use the now old SFGH, which was replaced by a new one next door. The old hospital has 300 double occupancy rooms with private bathrooms for the two residents. Some of the floors could house the temporary disabled, the aged and disabled, (if Laguna Honda does not build a place for them again there). No one seemed to like this idea. "the building isn't earthquake safe." The "unsafe" building housed more than 1,000 people (including staff) a day for almost 30 years since our last quake which caused no damage to the structure. Is it worse than living outside?

Furthermore, I recommended that applicants be seen by admissions staff at SFGH. They could determine whether this person has permanent disability or is aged. They should be helped getting SSI, if they are not already receiving it. They should be given housing.  

If they are found to have a temporary disability, they should be admitted to overcome the problem. If the temporary disability is alcohol or drug related, they should be entered into a rehab program.

If they are employable, they should be given unpaid part-time city jobs organized as is our SWAT program which has those convicted of minor crimes. These assignments could lead to permanent paid positions.

If they are mentally ill and need continued care, they should be referred to an appropriate institution for help. The City is reluctant to 5150 (admitting them for three days because they are a danger to themselves or others) a homeless person and is yet unwilling to have those who are deemed in desperate need of institutional care, conserved. They believe that the severely disturbed should be institutionalized only if they choose to. It's a catch 22: if they are sane enough to request placement, they don't need it; if they won't agree no matter how hard it gets, do not get to be sent for treatment. Few are conserved unless they want to be.   

The problem with our homeless population explosion was not higher housing costs. It is mentioned that many of the homeless lived here before becoming homeless usually meaning that they came to town and lived somewhere for a few days or weeks. It is our city's laissez faire attitude about this issue. We believe that since those living in the streets are not to blame, they should not be required to conform to our values.

Our super liberal bias, is actually hurting the homeless, not helping them.

So San Francisco is a city that has so much poop that some people don't want to come here anymore. 

Free Advice for the President, for All It's Worth

I have been reading about Donald Trump for at least two years. He has said and tweeted some provocative, insensitive remarks. These comments appealed to the far right and fostered the growing of the far left. It has been an uphill battle with seemingly most against him while many like his ideas. 

He made enrollment in ACA voluntary. He simplified the tax code meaning most will see that they will pay less. He got North Korea to the table signing an agreement to eliminate their nuclear arsenal and have friendly relations with the South. He took on NATO and the U.N. for making the U.S. pay more than its share. He pushed for a fair playing field in manufacturing so the U.S. reduces its trade deficit while making America less dependent on imports. The unemployment rate is at an 18 year low and that for Americans of African or Latin American descent is even better. He has taken on China which everyone agrees has had unfair advantage in manufacturing. American produced 60% of its goods and services in the 1960s, it has now gone to 2%. He withdrew from the Iran deal because it was too limited. Now the member nations are negotiating how to fix it to Trump's satisfaction.  

Mindful that he probably reads my blog (doesn't everyone?), here are my suggestions for the Administration:

Finalize the agreement with North Korea with real deadlines, but don't crow about it. Be gracious.

Fix the Affordable Care Act also known as PelosiCare. Now that individual mandate is gone, let private insurers reject any applicant for medical reasons. Those denied coverage would be immediately eligible to the "public option" as would those living in states where Medicaid was not expanded. It would be a federal program with a share of cost based on income. The private insurers would compete for the pool of healthy patients. They should be able to offer a scaled down version covering necessary hospital visits, lab tests - including radiology, office visits - including clinics and prescription drugs and other medical supplies. The cost would go down because of the competition. The U.S. then can stop subsidizing insurers by $10 billion a year. Then every American who wants affordable health coverage would have it. 

Get us out of the Middle East, never to return. Let Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya solve their own problems. Tell our NATO allies that we will leave our foreign bases if they want or will stay as long as the host country pays the personnel costs. The U.S. should pledge only to come to the aid of our close allies  Western Europe, Israel, Oceana, Japan, South Korea and Canada.

The cabinet should be downsized. Let Education go under what was HEW. Let Energy and EPA ( unless it is returned to the states to manage) be under Interior, and have Homeland Security and the V.A. go under the Department of Defense. The service members who are currently abroad, can come here to protect our country by ending illegal immigration. They could build the wall, patrol the border and even send special forces to Mexico and Central America to route out gangs that plague their citizens. Allow the almost 690,000 DACA recipients get legal status with no path to citizenship. 

In order to prolong the viability of Social Security immediately raise the FICA contribution ceiling  from $110,000 to $250,000 and the withholding from 6.2% to 6.5% with the option of raising it .5% every five years to an ultimate maximum of 8%. Fully tax Social Security benefits so the FICA trust fund will increase with all the taxes going back into the fund. 

While the new tax code goes part of the way, it could go further and be simpler and fairer. Eliminate all itemized deductions and credits and offer only a standard deduction $20,000 for single and $40,000 for households. Make all sources of income equally taxable -so Social Security benefits, dividends, interest and earned income, (minus the FICA withholding), would be considered equal. There could be about five or six tax brackets going from 10% to 35%. Those earning more than $500,000 would pay a straight 30%. Those earning more than $1 million would pay a straight 35%. This will lighten the load for taxpayers and for the IRS who could then focus on self-employment and company taxes which would be itemized.

Reverse the terrible decisions regarding the environment. Say no more offshore drilling, no new pipelines and yes to more renewable energy.   

Eliminate the penny and nickel. They cost more to make than they are worth, and few use them anyway. The smallest increment would be ten cents.

Stop making incendiary comments and tweets. Get someone like Pat Buchanan write your material so you say what you need to say but in a non provocative, inoffensive way. Don't go to war with your many detractors but rather win them over.

Good luck. We need you to succeed for our country's sake.




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