ARE WE NEXT?

[NightOwl]

WARNING NOVELLA BELOW

Galahad:

I admit that if we had bought and or financed a 100,000 home in the 1970’s we would have been well off indeed. The minimum wage when I first started working was 1.35 an hour.  When it went to 1.65 just as I graduated high school it helped to defray the added cost of gasoline which had gone from around 17 cents a gallon to around 50.  My guess is that you’ve been data mining  on the internet and have looked at a table of home values from the seventies but failed to notice that they are adjusted to 2005 or 2007 dollars. I’m talking about what I and my family lived through not an understanding gained by a two year sojourn in sunny San Diego. 

The idea that I could believe that the government somehow “personally” targeted my self or my family, is laughable.  Perhaps I read to much Louis Lamoir as a kid as I tend to believe that good government is like a good fire.  It costs you something to maintain but it can warm you and protect you at need. The problem is when people are lackadaisical about government or fire.  Even with the best fireplace, if you are not vigilant or nonchalant about your fire it can also burn your food or burn you. If it gets too big and out of control it can burn your house or even your whole community. 

I get the impression that you believe that I am some how attacking our (the US) government.  I tend to take that implicit accusation personally as I am not attacking our way of life. I am defending it.  I took an oath to do so at 18 and have reaffirmed that oath multiple times over the years to “support and defend” the constitution of this land and I have NEVER abrogated it.  If you have ever taken that oath yourself I hope you’ve noticed as did I, that the oath of office is open ended. It has no expiration date and I take my oaths seriously.

Though I have grown into different positions of service throughout my life, I have served this country both directly in word and deed, and indirectly through direct service to my community ALL of my life as did my father before me.  You speak of your spouse serving this country. Good, I would hope that she continues. My wife also is now nearing 20 years of direct service to this land.
   

Now with all of this personal stuff said for all to see, I will say one last thing in that I believe that even though you have disagreed with what I have said on this thread it is OK. 

I would think that the purpose to raise awareness of the possibilities of non-vigilance over what is happening to the Yogis in the original article has been pretty thoroughly discussed and dissected.

Sincerely, NightOwl

[galahad25]

NightOwl,
    I had previously known about prop 13 being that I lived in San Diego for 2 years, but I also had read complete the Wiki page before you had posted it.  My opinion hasn't changed.  Owners claimed that assessors were overvaluing their property and increasing taxes to create state revenue.  Overvaluing the property never happened, California property values skyrocketed from the mid 70s up until a few years ago.  Being an area of high revenue, high income, and the largest expansion area for the United States in the last 40 years property values went up but people who had bought their houses before values went up couldn't afford the taxes after property reassessments every year.  So the people made a law that property couldn't get reassessed until the property was sold.  I think that if you say you are poor what are you doing living in a house that is assessed at over $100,000.  For the 70's that is an expensive house.  There was never any evidence of assessor inflating property values for tax revenue, just under-assessing their friends houses to lower their taxes.  These government employees were not out to get you, just like most government employees don't want more power, they just want to help.  As the spouse of a government employee and a previous government employee myself we never did the work for the money.  These assessors never saw the money.  Do you think they got kickbacks from the states' tax fund or something?

[Kimpatsu]

Thank you for the Title Kimpatsu:

I may add this one.

Sincerely, NightOwl

Two points, there, NO (are you Dan Dreiberg, by any chance?  ): The Shorinji Kempo Kyohan is available only from SK HQ, and it's in Japanese.

[NightOwl]

Thank you for the Title Kimpatsu:

I may add this one.

Sincerely, NightOwl

[Kimpatsu]

Now I am CONFUSED:  When I think of Kyohan I think of Sensei Funakoshi's Karate -Do  which I used to have a copy of.  Is this the same work that you are recommending?

Sincerely, NightOwl

No, this is the Shorinji Kempo Kyohan written by Kaiso So Doshin.

[NightOwl]

  The philosophy of Shorinji Kempo would fill a whole book, rather than a thread. In fact it's already done so: the Kyohan.

Now I am CONFUSED:  When I think of Kyohan I think of Sensei Funakoshi's Karate -Do  which I used to have a copy of.  Is this the same work that you are recommending?

Sincerely, NightOwl

[Kimpatsu]

Hi Kimpatsu;
I fully agree. What I don't know about is the philosohpy and reasoning behind the end result.  For instance: why no tournaments or sparring to hone skills.  Is there or What is the trigger point for a responce.  In my impression of the Japanese Arts these things are usually reasonably clear cut.
In short and this is why I think it probably belongs in a seperate post or thread . I'm asking the WHY or the Philosophy of your art.
Sincerely, NightOwl
P.S Sometimes I suspect a wrong reason behind a right outcome can be just as wrong for the practitioner

Who said there's no sparring to hone skills? We spar in Shorinji Kempo.
The word "budo" comprises the character for "path/way", and the character "bu" (martial), which breaks down to the number two (representing two people), the verb "to stop" and a spear, which represents violence. So "budo" is literally "the way that two people stop fighting".
The philosophy of Shorinji Kempo would fill a whole book, rather than a thread. In fact it's already done so: the Kyohan.

[NightOwl]

Hi Kimpatsu;

I fully agree. What I don't know about is the philosohpy and reasoning behind the end result.  For instance: why no tournaments or sparring to hone skills.  Is there or What is the trigger point for a responce.  In my impression of the Japanese Arts these things are usually reasonably clear cut.

In short and this is why I think it probably belongs in a seperate post or thread . I'm asking the WHY or the Philosophy of your art.

Sincerely, NightOwl

P.S Sometimes I suspect a wrong reason behind a right outcome can be just as wrong for the practitioner

[Kimpatsu]

Kimpatsu

  Even from Tokyo you surprise me.   A little off subject for this thread: Even though I understand that the discipline of Zen and things like Budo are inter related.  I'm not sure I understand How the Basic Martial attitude of Shorinji is related with Nonviolence.  Perhaps you could talk about it on another thread.

Sincerely NightOwl

Budo is about ending violence, Night Owl. By preempting a major violent act, much harm can be avoided.

[NightOwl]

Kimpatsu

  Even from Tokyo you surprise me.   A little off subject for this thread: Even though I understand that the discipline of Zen and things like Budo are inter related.  I'm not sure I understand How the Basic Martial attitude of Shorinji is related with Nonviolence.  Perhaps you could talk about it on another thread.

Sincerely NightOwl

[Kimpatsu]

If you are old enough to remember the song "little boxes" you might know where.

Pete Seeger, who turned 90 this year.

[NightOwl]

Sorry guy: 

My point with Prop 13 was to illustrate not that it was or was not successful in its intended purpose but to illustrate that a bureaucracy   even in the United States is fully capable of responding against and or penalizing the citizens from which its power is supposed to derive. In short what is benign today may not be benign tomorrow and once  privelege or control is ceded it can be very difficult to regain.

I grew up in California. Prop 13 was about the raising of taxes to the point where a working stiff could not even hope to own a home. The legislature was out of control and every time they wanted something they would just raise the property tax. The end result was that the elderly, the lower middle class, the widows etc. could no longer afford to own there own homes.

The idea was to make a fiscally irresponsible legislature toe the line and actually quit spending profligately on their pet projects.

Not only did they raise taxes, but the assessors would artificially inflate property values to collect more tax by claiming what you owned was worth more than it was.

An example is the house I grew up in. It was a part of the Dolger projects.  If you are old enough to remember the song "little boxes" you might know where.  My dad actually helped frame that house. Those houses were generally less than 1200 square feet with yards about the size of a postage stamp and if you price real-estate there today despite everything, you will find that they are now "worth" between 400 and 600,000.    A few years back, I saw a 30 some odd year old 12 x 66 mobile home with a 99 year lease, on a cement plot, in a park in Colma near where I grew up, going for over 100,000.

During the election campaign against prop 13 all the state and protax people could say throughout the campaign was that if the voters passed it they could not find anywhere to cut expenses but the school financing budget.

For your enjoyment here is a wiki link for it.  Please read past the 1st paragraph.  I grew up out there, My family was there and I assure you we were anything but rich or even moderately wealthy money grubbers or elitist Hollywood stereotypes.  Both my parents worked long hours.  I left from an empty house for school every morning and returned to an empty house from school every night and when I first moved out on my own,  I worked sixteen hour days just to have money to eat and pay rent on a 7 x 10 shack in a guys back yard with bathroom privileges in his house.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)

Did Prop 13 work?  The wiki article lists both pros and cons.  To a certain extent it did but in the long run the fiscal irresponsibility continued and California is where it is today. 

I have to admit that I am with Thomas Jefferson when he said "A government that is big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have."



Sincerely, NightOwl

[galahad25]

You think that cutting funds to the education sector seven years later was a punishment because of Prop 13?  You know your using an example where spending was cut but the state still went bankrupt.  Prop 13 has been estimated to have cost the state over $500 billion in tax revenue.

Also, Prop 13 was about wealthy areas not wanting their taxes to go up to support poor school districts.

[NightOwl]

Hi Galahad:

One of the main points that I tried to make is that these laws when inacted always seem good. They always have a short term benifit but in the end and at least to me they are a slippery slope.   The problem arises about what will happen later when people interpret the law to their own use and advantage.   Yes as the system appears at present it appears that all is altruistic.  However when it comes right down to it if you control the teacher you control the pupil.  If you set the rules underwhich the teacher is to teach then you set the rules underwich the student learns. This in the end give you control of the outcome.  Whether or not and to what extent you or the state exercise that control is indeed immaterial. The control is still there once it is ceded.

A prime example is the "short term" toll that was supposed to pay for the Golden Gate Bridge and then be dropped to just the maintenance costs when the bridge was payed for.  But then it seemed that BART was not making enough money to support itself and the Bay Bridge needed this and the bus lines needed that and the end result is they raised the toll instead.

Another and more telling example was the response to prop 13 in California.  The people said ENOUGH you are funding too much with our taxes and we want a roll back.  The states response was "well if you cut our funds we'll punish you by cutting education."  and they did.

The years of fiscal irresponisbility of government in California has had it teetering on bankruptcy for years.

I know these are simplistic examples outside of MA but again my point is that the State that is benign today may not be benign tommorow and once you cede control like this it is very difficult to regain.



Sincerely, NightOwl

[galahad25]

BoGirl,
     These are the coaching certification requirements in Iowa:
(A) one semester credit hour or ten contact hours in a course relating to knowledge and understanding of the structure and function of the human body in relation to physical activity.

(B) one semester credit hour or ten contact hours in a course relating to knowledge and understanding of human growth and development of children in youth in relation to physical activity.

(C) two semester credit hours or twenty contact hours in a course relating to knowledge and understanding of the prevention and care of athletic injuries and medical and safety problems relating to physical activity.

(D) semester credit hour or fifteen contact hours relating to knowledge and understanding of the techniques and theory of coaching interscholastic athletics. At least five hours of this course must deal with professional ethics in coaching

They are different state to state.  In Illinois the course are taught by the IIAA, but have the same premise.  Coaches are required to know about injuries, human growth, anatomy, and ethics.  All to prevent physical and emotional damage.  Nothing to do with content unless it would cause damage to the participant.

Anyone can make the argument that any kind of oversight is a control of the process.  That is true, but everyone recognizes there is a limit to that oversight for many reasons.  Mostly in limiting the creative process of athletics and freedom of speech, but also fiscally for the state.  The state can not afford to send auditors in to every program to verify that required curriculum is taught.

Also, in the article you posted they are talking about requiring liscensure for programs that teach instructors, not the schools that practice yoga.  I realize that in martial arts teachers are taught in regular classes as they attain rank, but I know in my school we have a certification class to be able to teach classes.

This does look to be a moot discussion though as it seems there is already a law in most states that athletic training schools (which includes yoga and martial arts) are exempt from the requirements for instructor licensing.