Friday, March 9, 2018

'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' Book Review




One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn



     Despite the impression the title may impart, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is an approachable novella that gives an interesting, realistic look into the Soviet forced-labor camp system, known as the Gulag.  The Gulag system, which can be compared to the coinciding Nazi concentration camps, kept inmates in harsh conditions and intended to use them as an inexpensive workforce.  A major difference between the two systems was the Nazis’ ambition to exterminate entire categories of people – the mass death of the Soviet camps was a side effect (1).  While the killing in the Nazi camps was more purposeful and active, the total death toll of each system is comparable enough to consider the Gulag camps to be among the great evils of the 20th century.  

     The deaths that occurred in the Gulag system were due to execution, torture, exile, but perhaps most of all due to criminal negligence in harsh conditions.  The labor camps forced inmates to work throughout the year, including the unforgiving Soviet winters, coerced by extremely limited food rations and punished by imprisonment in diseased cells.  Whatever hardship the average citizen contended with in the Soviet Union, the suffering of the Gulag inmate was remarkably worse.  

     These conditions are what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn depicted in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the semi-fictionalized account of his own personal experience with the Gulag.  One Day can be read as a distillation of the eight years the author spent in various labor camps, working outdoors in freezing temperatures from sunrise until sunset.  There isn’t any room for romantic philosophizing in this work, the prose nearly terse in its straightforwardness.  But Solzhenitsyn’s writing isn’t terse, and the thoughts and actions of the main character situate the reader firmly into the life of a camp inmate.  

     It is the realism of this piece that makes it so compelling.  One Day isn’t simply a description of the common events in the Gulag, it provides an intimate look into the little triumphs and evils that permeate the experience of every person, which are made more poignant in the extreme conditions.  The main character of the story, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, is powerful in his relatability.  The secret grievances he harbors, the difficulties he overcomes, the minor charities he contributes, and the constant essence of self-preservation that motivates him provide for the reader a subject worthy of contemplation: how could I have been any different if placed in Shukhov’s boots?  

     Mostly, Shukhov seems like a good guy.  He works hard to secure a decent food ration for himself and his fellow inmates.  He shares a cigarette with a deaf man who would have otherwise missed out.  But even these examples are tinged with a sense of planned reciprocity.  True altruism is a rare thing in the Gulag.  Nearly every moral action can be contextualized by a calculation of its potential return.  Shukhov would have us believe that this calculated charity isn’t bad, it is practical and economical.  It doesn’t harm anyone; rather, it establishes relationships that the inmates rely on to make it through their arduous situation.  

     That’s not to say that Shukhov is without fault.  Although he doesn’t express much guilt or regret, there are a few occasions where he exerts himself to the detriment of others.  For example, Shukhov needs a tray to carry bowls of soup to his team, but the tray he wants has already been promised to another prisoner on another team: “[An inmate] carried a tray to the table and unloaded the bowls.  Shukhov immediately grabbed it.  At that moment the man it had been promised to ran up and made to seize it.  But he was punier than Shukhov.  Shukhov shoved him off with the tray – what the hell are you pulling for? – and flung him against a pillar.  Then putting the tray under his arm he trotted off.”  The camps are dog-eat-dog and, by Shukhov’s reckoning, if he didn’t assert himself for food, he would starve and die.  Seeing the Gulag camp through his eyes, it is hard to argue.  

     It is a combination of the necessity to help other people who may be likewise able to help Shukhov, while fighting not to be pushed to the bottom of the dogpile, that establishes in One Day a subtle condemnation of Soviet communism.  Despite the supposed efforts to put everyone on equal ground, to receive equal benefit, the actuality is rife with corruption and favoritism.  Prisoners assist guards in exchange for extra food and privileged positions, often at the expense of their fellow inmates.  Even though commerce is prohibited among the inmates (2), prisoners are able to quietly exchange their services for benefits.  Shukhov makes slippers in exchange for money, which he uses to buy cigarettes.  Prisoners who help maintain the uniforms have better beds.  In these circumstances, where every aspect of camp life is to be regulated and equilibrated, communism still doesn’t work.  Every inmate is supposed to be the same, but nearly everyone claws in competition for just a little something extra.  And those that are able to get a little something extra are able to use that benefit to accrue more.  The trade and hierarchies among the prisoners demonstrates the injustice and hypocrisy of forcibly imposing an allegedly egalitarian system.  

     The subtlety of this condemnation was perhaps necessary for the author to be able to get his novella published.  Up until Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s publication of One Day, no written work had reached the public discussing the situation inside the Gulag camps; it was prohibited.  Nearly a decade after Joseph Stalin had died and Solzhenitsyn had been released from the forced-labor camps, One Day was presented in a premier Soviet magazine and read throughout the world, validating many people’s experiences and suspicions (3).  The popularity of this unprecedented depiction of Gulag life both established Solzhenitsyn as an international literary figure and helped Western countries justify antagonism towards communism.  By allowing this story to establish Solzhenitsyn as a writer, the foundation was set for his ultimate work, the piece that helped demolish the Soviet Union: The Gulag Archipelago.  

     Put into context, Solzhenitsyn wrote One Day as more than an exposé, more than penance for his own misdeeds.  He wrote this novella as a practice of personal moral significance.  Ultimately, the value of this book culminates when the reader analyzes themself in regard to the main character, Shukhov.  It is through the author’s compelling writing that we become absorbed by the story, living a day in Shukhov’s life.  We readers have the advantage of taking a step back from the narrative to take a more objective look and express the lessons to be learned by Shukhov’s experiences.  When we then practice that perspective-taking on our individual experience of reading the book, we can learn a personal lesson, made all the more powerful through its intimacy and relevancy.  Through reflection on how we judge the behavior of someone in the Gulag labor camps, we can more aptly assess the ethical conduct of our own everyday life.  

     While not widely discussed today, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich could be considered among the important 20th century novels.  It certainly deserves to be ranked with more famous contemporary works (4).  Its cultural-political significance alone warrants its study, not to mention the skillfully personal realism with which Solzhenitsyn writes.  



Thank you for reading.



  1.   Anti-Semitism was not as explicitly condoned in the government of the Soviet Union as it was in Nazi Germany, though “pogroms” that occurred in Soviet states led to the deaths of thousands of Jews. 
  2.   In Soviet communism the resources were meted by the government – capitalism was the enemy. 
  3.   It is my opinion that Nikita Kruschev, the Soviet leader after Stalin, endorsed the publication of One Day to further legitimize himself as ruler by discrediting his predecessor.
  4.   Such works as Elie Wiesel’s Night or Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning come to mind.




Resources





Friday, February 9, 2018

Not Advertised: Bali Diving Trip for 1




This is a short story from my visit to Indonesia, July 2017.


A shimmer to my side and I turn my head to see a barracuda at eye level, slowly following baitfish. The barracuda gazes fanatically at me before turning back to its prey. Lazily, the fish disappear in a haze of sunlight. The water is warm, and I look downward.
 Nearly below me, as the bright tropical sea recedes into an ever deeper blue, rests the wreck of the USAT Liberty. The gutted ship no longer has the sharp lines and curves of a manmade vessel; instead, it has been given new life by asymmetrical, organic growth. I can’t quite make out the individual corals and fish, so that their movements along the skeleton of the shipwreck animate it. The Liberty pulses with the rhythm of the waves, its far end fading into the depths.
My breathe whooshes through the snorkel, rattling slightly. I’m going to freedive into this ship. No scuba tank – lungs only.
I push forward to center myself above the highest tip of the wreck. The extent of my freediving training is this: a drunken conversation with an Australian at a beach bar last night.
I take 3 full breathes, completely exhaling each. Sucking in as much air as I can, I throw myself downwards, kicking my fins. The nearby end of the ship isn’t too far underwater, and I easily reach it. I pop my ears. My nerves are calmed now that I’m actually diving. I decide to push down a little deeper. To my surprise, I find I have to pop my ears again, wiggling my jaw with a slight crackling sound.
I descend into the Liberty’s shadow where immediately the water is a touch cooler. Approaching the wall of metal, the ship’s surface has clarified into a higher resolution and I can see that the metal is splotched with algae.  My chest starts to feel uncomfortable, so I get my fins underneath me and kick. Without haste, I return to the surface. *Pshew!* I shoot the water out of my snorkel with a firm exhalation.
I want to see more interesting parts of the ship. Eyes scanning the body of the wreck, I paddle over the open belly. This is where the most life is, waving and darting around. I see a crossbeam within the hold and determine to swim under it.
3 big breaths, I plunge forward, and kick the surface away. I crackle my ears. I’m swimming with more purpose, having to go twice as deep. I wiggle my jaw again. I’ve reached the edge of the ship. I pop my ears for a third time. Now I’m into the hold where corals reveal their resolution. What looked like dull blurs from above showcase intricate patterns and vibrancy, more than my eyes can take in as I continue to descend. I must be 50 feet underwater. The crossbeam. As I loop under it, my lungs are aching, and I’m suddenly faced with a fish bigger than me. No time for pleasantries, I kick, waving my arms upward.  The roof of air is far above as I struggle towards it.  Kicking, grasping, aching, racing the bubbles I cough.

*PSSSHEW!* I explode into the air. Heaving, my chest is nearly spasming. I look towards the shore, where the sun sits atop Mt. Agung. The volcano hasn’t quite yet blocked out the light. I think I can fit in a few more dives.



Saturday, April 15, 2017

Miskolc Miskonnection




This is a short story from my travels in Europe, summer 2013.


I’d just had a treat of a weekend with the lead singer of a punk band in Eger, Hungary. This came as much of a respite after the confusion of the capital city, where I’d met the singer, Robert, at a free concert. Rob’d promised me there was much more to Hungary, and we’d delighted in the history of the Magyar people while gorging on “bachelor-snatching” soup in his hometown. Now, if you really wanna hear about some uncomfortable shit, talk to someone in a punk rock band. Emboldened by my host, I decided to make Slovakia my next destination.

So here I am at the Miskolc train station at the last major stop in Hungary with a backpack that’s way too big. I’d just gotten off a payphone where I wasted more than a fair share of pocket change trying to figure out how to call my grandparents. I’m starting to lose patience. Approaching the ticket counter, the timetable above makes no more sense to me than when I’d arrived. I slam down my overweight bag on the ground, take a breath, and try to look presentable to the wary lady behind the counter.

“Excuse me, when does the next train depart?”

The lady returns fire in her own language, marking the barrier between us to be more than plexiglass.

Luckily, I’m a well-seasoned international adventurer. We have ways of bridging such divides.

I point to my watch. “WHEN…?”
I start chugging my arms like a locomotive. “… TRAIN… ?”
I snap my finger northwards. “… GO?”

The lady is very obviously impressed. She points her own finger. At me.

This isn’t going as I’d hoped.

“Uh, yes, me. I want to go to Slovakia. Please.”

She gives me an exasperated look and points her finger harder. “Gibbledy gobbledy gook,” she says.

Not only am I widely traveled, I’m also culturally sensitive. That’s why I’m shocked at how rude this lady is being. It’s pretty poor manners to point your finger at someone, especially if they’re a foreigner and they’re lost.

Then it dawns on me. In movies, the train blows a whistle before it departs. At the last major station in Hungary, they just close their doors. And that’s what the train behind me is doing now.

No time for pleasantries. With a heave, my bag is up and I’m huffing as fast as I can to the platform. It’s only after the fact that I remember that running over train tracks is frowned upon. So is banging my fist on the wrong side of the train. Someone opens the door to have a word with me.

I get on. I have no idea where I’m going.



Saturday, April 8, 2017

Tax Information for Americans Abroad




Edit: many of the specifics for filing taxes will change each year, but the overview is largely the same.


Dear U.S. citizens living and working in a foreign country,


Don’t worry about your taxes.  I mean, yeah you still have to submit files to the IRS, but don’t worry about it.  I’ll tell you the basics you need to know in the same amount of time it takes to overcome your panic attack from hearing the word "taxes".

**(obligatory disclaimer at the end)**

Of course, none of this applies to you if your income was less than $10,350 this year. [2018 edit: this is now $10,400 for single people under the the of 65].  Check out these tax instructions, Chart A on page 8 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf).  

For everyone else, it’s not too late.  Unless you’re reading this after June 15th, in which case it is.  But, that’s kinda on you.

Keep in mind that if you are Self-Employed or identify as a Digital Nomad, you can stop feeling so smug about it because taxes could be a lot more complicated for you.  I’m not going to address your situation… and I’m certainly not going to address you as a Digital Nomad.  

This information applies to Americans abroad employed by foreign businesses or governments -  such as English teachers, backpackers on a Working Holiday visa, and/or legal prostitutes.  This information also applies to American students studying abroad for an extended time; for example, on a Fulbright scholarship.  

Here's an overview of what I'm gonna cover:


  • Your main tax document, Form 1040.  
  • How (legally) not to pay taxes, Form 2555-EZ.  
  • The easy healthcare stuff, Form 8965.  
  • How to submit your taxes late, up to June 15th .  
  • Some options for actually filing to the IRS.




By the way, this information is available on the IRS.gov website:

U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/u-s-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad).  


I’m just gonna make it more approachable.

If you really want to get into the grime of the tax technicalities, check out...

Publication 54: Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens And Resident Aliens Abroad (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p54.pdf)

Publication 54 covers everything you need to know. Has a nice ring to it. Publication 54.

Ok,  I’ve thrown a few gross IRS sources at you.  Don’t worry about them for now, they’re there for your reference.  Let’s figure out what situations apply to you. We’ll work backwards and put it all in order at the end.

First of all, the deadline to submit your taxes to the IRS is April 15th.  However, if you are living in a foreign country, you qualify for an automatic 2 month extension on your due date.  Don’t believe me?  


Automatic 2 Month Extension of Time to File (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/u-s-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad-automatic-2-month-extension-of-time-to-file)


All you have to do is attach a statement to the end of your taxes that says, “I am living outside of the United States and Puerto Rico and my main place of business or post of duty is outside the United States and Puerto Rico.”  You probably should include photocopies that can prove this, like rent checks and/or pay stubs.  A pic of the visa stamp on your passport wouldn’t hurt.

Now it’s time for the nitty gritty.  Your hallelujah headache.   What am I talking about?  Why nothing other that the…


Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (https://www.irs.gov/uac/about-form-2555ez)


The little “EZ” at the end of the form means it’s an exclusion.  That’s good news: it means you don’t have to pay taxes. Now, that’s pretty damn good.  The bad news: you don’t qualify for tax rebates. No money is coming back to you this year.  Win some, lose some.


Here’s how you can snag this wonderful exclusion…


  • “You are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien.
  • Your total foreign earned income for the year is $101,300 or less.
  • You have earned wages/salaries in a foreign country.
  • You are filing a calendar year return that covers a 12-month period.
  • You didn’t have any self-employment income for the year.
  • You didn’t have any business or moving expenses for the year.
  • You aren’t claiming the foreign housing exclusion or deduction.”


If you have earned less than $101,300 while living and working in a foreign country, then you may qualify for this golden ticket.  If you have earned more than $101,300 while living and working in a foreign country, then hit me up, dude, let’s party.

Time to file the 2555-EZ.  You made less than $101,300… great!  (uhh)

There’s still some major boxes you have to check.  First of all, are you a Bona Fide Resident?  Don’t know what the means?  Neither do I.  It’s complicated and I haven’t figured it out.  But you don’t need it, so don’t worry about it.  If you are really curious about it, plug into Publication 54 and scroll down to page 14.  You won’t, though, when you hear about the…

Physical Presence Test!  This bit is the real question.  Have you spent at least 330 days in a 12-month period outside of the U.S.?  There’s two ways to figure it:

  1. Add up all the days you were outside the U.S. and make sure it is at least 330.  You’ll have to do this if you returned to America and then left again.
  2. You have a day you left the U.S. and didn’t return for a whole year.  This can be any consecutive 12-month period.  The period doesn’t have to start in January, it just has to encompass most of the tax year.  For example, I reported 16/March/2016 - 15/March/2017.  Keep track of what you claim for next year’s taxes (which you should be doing anyway).


Got it? Great!  Take a breather, that was the tricky bit.  It’s pretty straightforward from here.

No, not really.  It’s still complicated.  Thought I’d try to cheer you up a bit.

Now, the next question asks about where your “tax home” was.  This is just to make sure that you are not making money with a U.S. business while spending it all in a foreign country.  Here’s how the IRS puts it:
“Your tax home is your regular or principal place of business, employment,or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family residence. If you don't have a regular or principal place of business because of the nature of your trade or business, your tax home is your regular place of abode (the place where you regularly live).”  

Take note, Digital Nomads, because this is exactly where I’m not going to give you advice.

The rest of the 2555-EZ just has to do with who employed you and how much money you made. There is math involved, but I’m not gonna hold your hand.  Let’s go to the next form.

ObamaCare!  TrumpCare!!  Who cares, amirite???

Yeah, actually the government cares.  A lot.  Don’t worry, though, if you qualify for the 2555-EZ, then you get an exemption.  It would be nice if it was automatic when you file the above form, but if you want to cover your bases, make sure you include the…


Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions (https://www.irs.gov/uac/about-form-8965)


Again, easy.  Any month you were in the States is a Code B Exemption (short coverage gap).  Any months you were outside the States is a Code C Exemption (citizens living abroad).

Oh, and tax exemptions and income exclusions aren’t exactly the same thing.  Whatever.

Done.  On to the next one.

Here we go, the original form, the form from which all other forms emanate.  Think of Freeza in his floating chair when the Ginyu Force was still striking poses.

*Ahem*.  Moving right along…


Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf)


Honestly, this form is a doozy.  And there are too many instructions out there for me to tell you how to fill it out.  Ok ok, I admit I’m being lazy.  But do you really want to read much more?  Let’s finish ourselves off.  Yes, I meant what I said.

I’ve given you an overview of what tax forms you need to file as an American living abroad and earning income from a foreign business or government.  Now, we have to actually get this information to the IRS.  Would be real nice if this was easy or cheap.  It’s not.  If you want to file cheaply, it won’t be easy.  If you want to file it easily-ish, it won’t be cheap.

The IRS gives us a couple options on how to submit our information:



First, we can physically mail it in like Cro-Magnon cavepeople.  In one of those vanilla/brown paper envelopes (kinda orange, too, if you ask me), arrange the documents in this order:

  • Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
  • Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
  • Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions
  • Automatic 2 Month Extension of Time to File (with proof, if after April 15)


Then, tie it to your most trusted carrier pigeon, and whisper softly in its ear:


Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Austin, TX 73301-0215
USA


Second option, file it electronically.  Believe me, this is not as straightforward as it sounds.  There are free federal tax filing websites out there, but I can’t find any that will include a 2555-EZ.  Here are the three I tried. They all require you to sign up and input personal information, like your Social Security Number.




TurboTax has multiple services and sites, all endorsed by the IRS.  The free one, which may or may not include the 2555-EZ, is currently called the “Freedom Edition.”  You can’t sign in to this service if you have previously made an account with TurboTax.  Well, you might, but you have to use a different email and start over from scratch.  If you have already filed with TurboTax in the past, as I have, and you don’t want to make another account, then you have to use their “Deluxe” version.  This is what I ended up doing.  It costs $55.  Sucks.  And you don’t get a rebate.  There is a silver lining, though, and that is you get a free credit score report which doesn’t affect your rating. Yay.  
Despite my gripes, it is easy to use if you’re willing to pony-up some schmeckles.



You can fill out, file, and print your 1040 for free, but that kinda defeats the purpose because it doesn’t support Form 2555-EZ.  The site is endorsed by the IRS, which counts for something.



This site is cumbersome, but you can download and print any tax document at any time.  So if you only want to fill out some info using their online forms, then print them out and do the rest by hand, this is a good option.  However, I don’t know if they will sumbit it electronically for free.  And it’s not explicitly endorsed on the IRS’s lookup tool.  Again, this site is a pain in the ass to use.


Oh yeah, speaking of that IRS software lookup tool:




Good luck with that.

Alrighty, folks.  That’s it for me.  This is a weekend’s worth of research condensed into a painful ten minute read.  Anyone that found it even remotely helpful definitely owes me a beer.


**Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional and I’m not getting paid to provide this information.  I’m just trying to give a tax overview for Americans working abroad and save them some stress.**



Saturday, November 5, 2016

Helping Haiti (and effective disaster relief)




     The damage inflicted upon Haiti by Hurricane Matthew is the worst since the 2010 earthquake – not a friendly comparison.

     Rampant death, destruction, and disease aren’t even the full scope of the country’s worries.  Devastated infrastructure and, at least as daunting, uprooted crops mean Haitians must endure this disaster for much too long.  Hunger and isolation loom like a new storm.  Haiti still hasn’t overcome the 2010 earthquake… who knows how many more years recovery will take with these compounded consequences?

     We want to help.  How can we provide impactful assistance?

     Donating to the Red Cross is probably not the best bet.  In 2015, a joint report by ProPublica [1] and NPR [2] condemned the Red Cross’s management of the $488 million raised for earthquake relief in Haiti.  Citing statements in the original report, other publications (such as Time, CNN, The Independent, etc.) then ran with variations of the unfavorable headline, “Red Cross Spent Half a Billion Dollars to Build Six Homes in Haiti” [3]

     It was at the same time that Reuters reported, “the Red Cross spent at least 17 percent of funds on expenses in Haiti, despite the U.S. group and international federation stating 91 cents on each dollar goes to humanitarian programmes and services” [4].  In other words, the Red Cross’s claim of spending only 9 percent of donations on overhead costs was under contention.

     The Red Cross was quick to respond to these accusations of mismanagement.  Labeling them as ‘myths,’ the organization asserted figures in support of its efforts.  However, the amount of people the Red Cross claims to have provided housing for fluctuates between 132,000 [5] and 135,000 [6], while another statement declares having moved, “more than 100,000 people out of make-shift tents into safe and improved housing… fulfilling our promise to ensure tens of thousands of Haitians are back in homes” [7].  Without dates on these numbers, it is difficult to determine whether they are indicative of progress in Haiti or proof of the organization’s discord.

     To make matters muddier, even these projections may have been manipulated.  A Red Cross assessment of the housing solutions provided to 132,000 people also has a dubious 'Shelter Category' regarding 'Neighborhood renovation/development', which focuses on improving infrastructure (e.g. roads, utilities) [8].  Within the accomplishments of this category is described “repairing and retrofitting homes” – even though there is already a separate category titled 'Repair/Reinforcement, Retrofit, Relocation, Rental Subsidies & Construction'.  There is the possibility that many people were repeatedly listed in multiple categories, inflating the summation.  Couldn’t the people who benefited from repaired homes also have benefited from repaired roads?  Why are repaired and retrofitted homes listed in two separate categories?  Why is there a category for infrastructure in a report regarding housing solutions, anyway?  Whatever the case, the lack of clarity does little to instill confidence.

     As for the accusations of spending more than 9 percent on overhead costs, the Red Cross flat-out denied them.

     The controversy around the Red Cross’s response to the 2010 earthquake has been echoed in recent headlines regarding the Hurricane Matthew aftermath.  Published on October 9th, an article in The Independent reads, “Haitians are urging people not to give money to American Red Cross” [9]

     From my personal experience working in Haiti I can confirm the widespread disapproval towards international relief agencies.  Shortly after reading The Independent’s recent article, I sent an email to my Haitian friend, Josue, mentioning the poor publicity.  He responded, “the Red Cross is worst but most of the NGO don't make durable thing.” 

     When I first went to Haiti one of the many amazing people I met was Matt Bush, who at the time had just started a new orphanage, All Things New.  Matt recently wrote two lucid blog posts detailing why you should donate to small, local organizations instead of large ones like the Red Cross; in fact, he also requests that you don’t donate to his orphanage for the purpose of disaster relief, since that is not the function of his operation.

     In Matt’s first blog post [10] he gives an overview of the situation in Haiti and lists two organizations who would make the best use of donations: Hope for Haiti [11] along with KORE [12].  He issues a very specific warning against donating to large international relief agencies, saying, “do not give to the Red Cross. Do not give to organizations who have huge amounts of overhead, who have no connections in the affected area, and who will bring in aid from America and other countries (though some of this is necessary) rather than doing their very best to purchase aid locally.”

     In his second post [13] he discusses why.  Large international organizations have a likewise larger number of hoops to jump through and employees to pay, meaning less of a dollar donated through large organizations ends up getting to the intended recipients.  Additionally, these agencies arrive when they are needed, only then making contacts and relationships on the ground.  Many of these relief workers don’t speak the language and aren’t trusted by the locals.  Finally, these organizations often bring in supplies from foreign countries.  This can be detrimental because it undermines the local economy; for example, in the 90’s President Bill Clinton coerced Haiti to drop taxes on imported U.S. rice, making it cheaper than any competitors and destroying the market for domestic rice [14]

     All of these are reasons why small, local organizations like KORE or Hope for Haiti are more effective service deliverers.

     Now is just as important a time to donate as it was days after the hurricane.  Unlike a developed country which can patch itself up quickly in the wake of disaster, Haiti lacks the infrastructure and resources to get back on its feet.  Supporting Haitian agriculture, construction and materials businesses, and medical facilities is critical for revitalizing damaged areas.

     Support doesn’t end with these sectors, either.  For long-term solutions it is important to invest in the Haitian people and their environment.  Donating to orphanages, like Matt Bush’s All Things New, helps prepare a new generation to address its nation’s challenges.  Education can give people the ability to forge their own future.  Other efforts work with people and plants to recreate a holistic ecosystem.  Another organization I encountered in Haiti, CODEP [15] (which was mentioned in a recent New York Times article [16]), plants value-added trees from hilltops down to secure watersheds, improving soil and reducing flooding.

    Though Haiti is by no means alone in its urgency for disaster relief, its recent exposure and proximity to the United States make it a neighbor we should consider helping.  The Red Cross and other international relief agencies aren't bad options, though neither are they the best.

     It is not only our responsibility to provide assistance to those in need, but also to provide assistance responsibly.



Thank you for reading.



Sources
  1. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-red-cross-raised-half-a-billion-dollars-for-haiti-and-built-6-homes
  2. http://www.npr.org/2015/06/03/411524156/in-search-of-the-red-cross-500-million-in-haiti-relief
  3. http://time.com/3908457/red-cross-six-homes-haiti/
  4. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-aid-haiti-redcross-idUSKBN0OL17020150605 
  5. http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/13-Facts-about-the-Red-Cross-Response-in-Haiti
  6. http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/international-services/haiti-assistance-program/donations-at-work
  7. http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/American-Red-Cross-Responds-to-Recent-ProPublica-Report-on-Haiti
  8. http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m51740178_American_Red_Cross_Housing_in_Haiti.pdf
  9. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/haitians-urging-people-not-give-money-american-red-cross-how-to-help-hurricane-matthew-aid-cholera-a7352681.html
  10. http://allthingsneworphanage.com/hurricane-matthew-how-you-can-help/
  11. http://hopeforhaiti.com/
  12. http://www.korefoundation.org/
  13. http://allthingsneworphanage.com/hurricane-matthew-disaster-relief-explained/
  14. http://www.democracynow.org/2016/10/11/bill_clinton_s_trade_policies_destroyed
  15. http://www.haitifundinc.org/
  16. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/opinion/who-will-speak-for-haitis-trees.html?_r=2



Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Past Pluto's Post (III of III)




Past Pluto’s Post
The Plea for Political Plurality

By: Al Spaulding

Part III of III



“There are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects. Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast number of such places it is that renders the British government so tempestuous. The struggles for them are the true sources of all those factions which are perpetually dividing the nation, distracting its councils, hurrying sometimes into fruitless and mischievous wars, and often compelling a submission to dishonorable terms of peace.
     And of what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable preeminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters? It will not be the wise and moderate, the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your government, and be your rulers."



Myth Matters

     Before we go any further, first ask yourself: what is a wasted vote?



     What is a wasted vote?  



     When might you consider your own vote to have been wasted?

     How would you respond to someone who had told you that you were wasting your vote?

     The most immediate objection to the notion of supporting someone outside the two-party system is that of the 'wasted vote'; a vote outside the two-party system can’t change anything.  Such a vote takes support from people who actually matter.  

     You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.  You can’t urge people of the importance of voting, wax eloquent about its foundational power in a democratic nation, you can’t encourage people their vote matters, but then tell them they’re wasting their vote if they don’t elect Democrat or Republican.  Such critics claim your choices in life make you free, but only if you choose between the options they recognize - otherwise, you are wasting your freedom.

     If your opinion isn't already widely supported, then it isn't worthwhile.  It isn't significant.

     You can have any color you want so long as it’s black.






     So what is a wasted vote?

     A technical definition of a wasted vote is any vote that doesn’t directly elect a candidate.  Any vote for an unsuccessful candidate, even any extra votes past the margin of success are wasted.  In 'First Past the Post' systems there are many wasted votes.  If Candidate X receives 20 votes and Candidate Y 15, there are thus 19 wasted votes (Y’s 15 plus the 4 extra votes past the 16 necessary for X to win).

     By this technical definition, the majority of votes are wasted.

     Let’s look at another example.  Candidate A gets 49 votes, B gets 45, and a third candidate, C, gets 5.  The number of technically wasted votes is 53.

     A counterproposal to the idea of a wasted vote is that the people who voted for Candidate C wasted their vote.  C never had a chance of winning. Indeed, C voters could have chosen B, possibly changing the results of the election.  In this example, A and B voters chastise C voters for wasting their votes.  This an act of popular coercion, peer pressure to discourage voting outside of the duopolistic party system.  This is a suppression of individual beliefs.  This argument bullies-out accurate representation.

     What is a vote, really?  A vote is simply an exercise of preference in a social context.  A vote is an expression of confidence.  You waste your vote when you exercise your choice for something you don’t actually prefer, when you vote for something in which you lack confidence.

     Actually, electoral fraud can also waste your vote, but is less immediately within your influence.

     We only have to vote for “the lesser of two evils” because we have a dissociated, fractured system.  If we were allowed to express our preferences in a righteous and democratic system, our actual beliefs would be better represented.


Fecund Feasibility 

     Perhaps now you are convinced that a two-party system is not in your best interest, nor the interest of any citizen.  You probably already have a good idea of how to move forward.  Let’s state it again for the record.

     To have a more fair political system we require:
A.    Better representation through the electoral system.  No ‘First Past the Post’ voting system.  
B.     Better representation through electoral districts.  No ‘Gerrymandering.’  
C.     Better representation of political candidates.  The media oligopoly is not conducive to (relatively) objective information.  
D.    Better representation of political ethics.  No duopolistic ‘two-party system.’  


     What does this require?
A.    An updated electoral system.  There are multiple alternative voting systems preferable to 'First Past the Post'. 
a.       CGP Grey seems to recommend the ‘Single Transferable Vote.’  
b.      There are groups, like the non-profit Fair Vote, campaigning for alternative voting systems in the United States.  
B.     Don’t allow incumbent politicians to create voting districts.  Independent agencies are a better option.  
C.     Your research.  It’s fine to watch CNN, MSNBC, and FOX for some news, but make the effort to pursue other sources of information.  Interactive media is superior to passive media.  
a.       In academics it is unfathomable to have a basis of one source of information.  It is necessary to have a variety of inputs, preferably as independent from each other as possible.  
D.    Value diversity, engage politically, and vote for third parties or independents.  


     This point of diversity and plurality is, I believe, the crux of the issue.  It seems the current two-party system and its inherent representative shortcomings have allowed the wealthy and powerful to create a system that serves them better than it serves the average person.

     The current wealth gap in the United States is as substantial as it was right before the Great Depression.  

     Don’t the rich and the politicians have a vested, mutual interest to maintain their success?  To achieve financial or political success requires significant intelligence and ability; why is it that the political candidates we’re presented with speak so simply, favoring emotion over logic?  Have demagogues and plutocrats become the deciders in the United States, exactly as the Founding Fathers feared?

     My point being, this level of inequality and disproportionate representation can not and should not be sustained.  With the Founding Fathers as my inspiration, I assert that power, money, and politics are the Devil’s threesome, and parties are the beds in which they lie.

     The Founding Fathers would have wanted nonpartisan elections.  And countries around the world exist without parties.  Still, supporting third parties is a step in the right direction.  What is required is political plurality, not political dichotomy.  Any vote exercised towards political plurality is a message of confidence, a message declaring the need for better representation.


Don’t Pay the Ferryman

     Many political discussions are charged with a sense of immediacy.  Hopefully, I have presented a purposeful argument without falling victim to urgency.  I don’t believe anything terrible will occur in the next election.  You may believe that political plurality is a worthwhile cause, though not practical in the current voting cycle.  I understand that it may take time for a greater diversity of representation to be actualized.  In the meantime, let’s not fall victim to a sense of deadline.  It is important to avoid a reactionary mindset - let’s be proactive.  If we agree that electoral reforms are necessary and the two-party system needs improvement, we can take steps towards a long-term goal.

     One of the greatest actions you can do to initiate change is to bring attention to the options.  Support political plurality as a valid notion and share it in relevant discussions.  Regard with suspicion any entity that seeks to repress variety and expression.

     Who benefits from maintaining the status quo?

     More than anything, eradicating the two-party system requires belief that it is possible.  Remember the injection of ancient Greek political philosophy into the nascent United States.  Think of the Montgomery bus boycotts and Gandhi’s peaceful demonstrations.  These tactics were ludicrous at the time, yet a camaraderie of confidence made it totally possible to fix broken systems peacefully and rationally.  Despite the differences, practical applications can be derived from alien situations.  

     If you are committed to improving the American government, it is necessary to move beyond the two-party system.  Indeed, this discussion has implications for limited systems everywhere.  

     Diversify your portfolio.  

     Are we willing to resign ourselves the inertia of this incumbent duopolistic system? Are we resigned to a political pendulum between party factions, from Bush to Clinton to Bush to Obama?  For real change to be enacted requires more than common dissatisfaction.  It requires actual dissent.  For there to be a change in our environment we have to be willing to change our beliefs and behaviors.  Voting for the same old system will only perpetuate said system.  



     Voting for political plurality is your way of making a change for the better. 



“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish Government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established Government.
     All obstructions to the execution of the Laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.
     However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”



Further Resources

CGP Grey's breakdown of political problems and possibilities: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7679C7ACE93A5638

Options for electoral reform: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_reform_in_the_United_States

Many political reform ideas are centered around the vote: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/idea-must-die-election-edition/

Most people think the presidential campaign is too long (and want the system to change):  http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/ayw7ira9yg/tabs_OPI_primary_20150304.pdf

Alternative voting systems decrease 'wasted votes' and increase voter participation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation

The USA has the greatest wealth and the greatest inequality:
and

The detrimental effects of 'monoculture' (and lack of diversity) on human-ecological systems:  http://www.ipes-food.org/images/Reports/UniformityToDiversity_FullReport.pdf  




     Thank you for reading.