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.
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.
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