By

Bob LaTorre

 

N.B.   This column was written by Bob in 1988.  Amazing how some issues never change.

 

The American Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal.” The phrase is much more than just a high sounding cliché. It is an expression of one of the underlying principles on which the country was founded.

In today’s world, the idea that “all men are created equal” has become so well accepted that we simply take it for granted. Two hundred years ago that was not the case. At that time and for most of human history, there were great differences in the value of people. It was accepted that one’s worth as a human was measured by one’s station in life, which was itself determined by the circumstances of birth. The aristocrats were what they were because of who their fathers were. The peasants were peasants because they had been born to parents who were peasants. That was that and nothing an individual could do would make any difference. Wealth belonged to a chosen few and the poor were poor, most believed, because that is what God had ordained.

Suddenly, these American colonials decided that God had really made everyone equal. Sometimes we contemporary Americans forget just who it was that came up with this radical idea. Believe me, it was indeed a radical idea at the time. It does not surprise us that the nobility thought that it was a radical concept, but the poor and lower classes were not keen on the idea either.

Well, just who was it that decided to include the phrase “all men are created equal,” in the Declaration. The answer is: some of the wealthiest men in the colonies, the landed gentry, the American aristocracy.

The one thing that makes the American Revolution unique is that it was brought about by the wealthy, landholding class. As a matter of fact, it took great effort by men like Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry to enlist the average citizen to the fight. It can be hard to believe, but the concept of equality of individuals was not one of the lower classes, the poor, reaching up to tear down the rich. It was instead an attempt by the rich to raise all people up to the same level.

Today in America, we find a total disregard for the concept of equality. Everywhere we look there is an attempt to punish achievers. In schools, we put more emphasis on a young person’s ability to throw a round object than we do on his ability to do math. In life we seek to punish anyone who earns more that an average wage. Our tax structure is designed to punish anyone who succeeds. We have been told that if you participate in the American system and you are successful, then you must be a crook. If you are a failure then you must have been cheated by someone, or that somehow “society” has failed to provide for you.

Over and over, we hear that the rich must be made to pay their fair share of the taxes. Why just the rich, escapes me, since all of us share in the benefits of the nation. I find it interesting to note that we seldom hear about just how much of our taxes are paid by whom. We have been hearing about how during the 80s the rich have been given all of the tax breaks. How many people really know who pays the taxes in this country?

Those people, who are in the highest five percent in earnings, the richest of us, pay about 40 percent of all the taxes. To be in that bracket one needs to earn in excess of $50,000. Who earns that much money?  The answer is: many elected officials, some college professors, many professional, city workers with a great deal of overtime, and some construction workers. Yes, of course, let’s not forget the corporate executives. Interestingly enough, many small business people and women do not reach that level of earning.

Here is another kicker – the richest one percent pay about 20 percent of all the taxes. What was that I read in the Declaration about “all men were created equal.” Sounds to me like some people are created more equal than others. Speaking of others, how much of the taxes do they pay? Those of us in the bottom half of the income scale currently pay about 16 percent of the taxes.

While I do not personally believe that it is possible to have it both ways, that is to declare everyone equal and at the same time have a tax policy that advocates soaking the rich. I guess we have done just that. In addition to the taxes paid, I have noted that when it comes to charity, it is always the richest people to whom we turn. In all of the agencies where I have worked, I always find the people in the areas with the most money at board meetings. It is they who we call upon to reach out to others with money. And they usually come through.

Next time you hear someone say that the rich do not pay their fair share, you can believe it and the thought should give you….a rosy glow.

 

 By

Andrew DeMarco

 

This past Memorial Day I was watching as President Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The simplicity of a wreath laying ceremony makes it even more moving and it got me thinking how, and this may sound strange, Arlington is one of my favorite places in the D.C. area and whenever I am in the area it is a must see.

In addition to the solemnity of the Tomb of the Unknowns you have the vista of the Kennedy Grave site looking back at Washington D.C. and the Maine Memorial with the original mast from the Maine Battleship, the graves of Audie Murphy and Joe Louis and all the other stones in perfect rows.

I was still watching the ceremony with the President when of one of the reporters made the following comment. “Presently less than one percent of the population of the United States serves in the military.”  Imagine less than one percent, talk about the few and the proud.

This reminded me of one very proud tomb stone at Arlington which always stood out to me and which simply reads:

POTTER STEWART

Lt JG.  U.S. Navy

Jan.23 1915 – Dec.7 1985

Dearly Loved and Loving

Husband, Father and Grandfather

You might ask, “What is so special about this tombstone why does it stand out?” Well if the name Potter Stewart doesn’t ring a bell let me explain. Potter Stewart was an Associated Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1959 to 1981.  So to Potter Stewart one of the most important titles he held in life was not that of a Supreme Court Justice, but rather Lt JG in the Navy and a family man and obviously very proud of both titles.

Now more about the few: when I heard that less than one percent presently serve it reminded me of other percentages that were tossed around a few summers ago. It brought me back to Zuccotti Park and the Occupy Wall Street movement and all the talk of the greedy 1%, being unjust to the 99%.  Now no matter where you stand on that debate, just remember for these people to freely protest, assemble, and make as much money as they can, the less than 1% are making it possible for them and doing it proudly. Now I know these numbers will not add up but for all the talk about the 1% or the 99% the most important number to them and any of us should be the less than 1%.

 I know it is a cliché that is tossed around how those who serve protect our most important rights such as freedom of speech, religion and the right to bear arms, when you look at it in the context that less than one percent protects these sacred rights for the billions of us they are the ones that deserve the attention not the one or ninety-nine. In fact it is estimated that since the founding of our country 237 years ago only 6-8% of our total population during all that time have served in the military.  This is a remarkably low percentage considering a Civil War and two World Wars as well as the drafts that were in place then.

So while watching the ceremony I got lost in my thoughts. Having gone to school in the 60s and 70s I had a different view of military service. The Vietnam War was at its peak and the military was looked at as evil.  Then I thought about my father who came from Italy in his teens and ended up becoming a citizen during WWII while in service to his adopted country in what was then the Territory of Alaska. I remembered my conversations with my uncles who were members of the “Greatest Generation” as well as with my cousins and older friends who served in Vietnam and the one thing that stands out was how proud and modest they were about their service.

As I have gotten older I have a whole different perspective about the military and those who have served and more importantly the Less than One Percent who serve us now. I know I will get in trouble for this with the Marines, but their slogan The Few, the Proud, the Marines should be adopted by all the service branches and should read, “The Few, the Proud the United States Military!”  So I will look forward to our next holiday that honors, these men and women, Veteran’s Day and I know that when I look at both Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day these holidays and our service men and women both past and present it will give me that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that…Rosy Glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 By

 

Andrew DeMarco

Just last month we celebrated what has become an annual event since 1970, “Earth Day.”  Founded as a day of education about environmental issues, Earth Day is now a globally celebrated holiday that is often extended for a whole week.  It was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to raise public awareness of air and water pollution and to bring environmental causes to the national spotlight.  While much has changed in regard to the way we handle pollution and conservation since the first Earth Day, much was made last month of some of the original predictions made for our world on that day 43 years ago.

Here are some of those predictions:

“We have about five more years at the outside to do something,” ecologist Kenneth Watt declared to a Swarthmore College audience on April 19, 1970.

Harvard biologist George Wald estimated that “civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.”

Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich: “Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make.” “The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” “It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” declared Denis Hayes, the chief organizer for Earth Day, in the Spring 1970 issue of The Living Wilderness.

Other predictions called for both global warming and global cooling along with the rising of sea levels. (I guess they weren’t quite sure which would win out.)  There were warnings of the world running out of oil and other fuels and air pollution levels would be so intolerable that most of us would not be able to breathe.

Well here we are in 2013, and while we now have the benefit of hind sight many of these originally predictions seem like gloom and doom and very farfetched.  Some would say that it was a typical overreaction by “tree huggers” and none of it was ever real.  While this might be true, I prefer to look at it another way.  Maybe these predictions would have come true if not for good old ingenuity.

For example, when confronted with a challenge, it seems that humankind will always find a way to overcome it.  Just look back to that day in 1961 when President Kennedy issued a challenge to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade and by July of 1969 we had accomplished this.  I remember my grandfather marveling at this accomplishment because as he said it didn’t seem that long ago for him that he was marveling about the Wright Brothers.  So maybe just maybe it was again when faced with a challenge we can come through.

Advances in agriculture have increased crop production, and although 100 million have died in ten years from famine, which still is far too many, it is a far cry from the 100 to 200 million a year that was predicted.  Some will say genetic altering of crops is harmful, I say saving lives through this innovation is more important.

Energy shortages which were predicted did not come to pass, due to a number of factors.  First legislation, and although I am not a fan of big government too many regulations in this case may be working.  When faced with increasing mileage standards, car makers always seem to manage to come through using technology to get better mileage out of their cars.  Also, whether you are a fan of fossil fuels or not, advances in the extraction of oil and coal have also contributed to this prediction falling flat.  Again the legislation of clean air standards has led to the advances in the cleaner burning of these fuels improving air quality and thus another prediction has not come true.

I also believe that human ingenuity will lead to further advances in the development of ways to make even nuclear energy cleaner and safer and the development of alternative energies such as wind and solar more practical. 

So whether you believe in global warming or cooling, alternative energy or fossil fuels, looking at Earth Day one could say it has been a success not in its predictions but in educating us about our environment and providing us with an incentive to make improvements through technology and innovation.  I look forward to human ingenuity to continue to be challenged and overcome obstacles. (I hope they are working on that asteroid deflector right now.) Knowing that we can make this world a better place when challenged fills me with that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that …. Rosy Glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

Bob LaTorre

 

I walked out of the house the other night and it was difficult to decide if it was a spring night or a winter night. The wind had a defiant winter chill to it but in between gusts the air had a distinct feeling of spring. These late winter early spring days come about each year and I have grown to call them the in between day. They come about at each change of season.

In the fall they cause us to try to hang on to the fading days of summer, while we can see the leaves changing color and the nights are no longer sultry. We also resist the change from fall to winter. Look at how many of us are still wearing light weight clothing after winter winds make them uncomfortable.

It is very human to resist change and the resistance to seasonal change is also very human. It is also bad for our psyche. Many people still believe that the change of seasons is the time for the greatest number of common colds. People with ulcers often equate their attacks to seasonal changes. Our moods tend to be the lowest at these in between season moments and now as I wait impatiently for spring I find my glow at its lowest point.

But it was after all, the optimists, who invented the clock and calendar. We know that each season has built with it the promise of the future.

Those promises are what keep us going. It is the promises of better things to come which is the basis of all faith. Christian teachings tell us that this world is merely a preparation for the longer, better life to come. The trials of this world like the between season times are merely a test period.

The basic psychology of humans is designed to take us through the transition times. What was it that Scarlet O’Hara said at the end of “Gone With the Wind”   “I won’t think about it today I’ll wait until tomorrow.”  More recently our hero little orphan Annie Sang about “Tomorrow…Tomorrow, I love you tomorrow you are always a day away.”

In our own lives, in addition to our impatience with the change of season we continue to run into transition periods which seen interminable. Waiting for Christmas and summer vacation as a child, the last days of high school and college and the final days before a wedding seemed to go on forever. All of these between days tend to cause that high anxiety of waiting for a change.

At my age, while not anxious for it to happen I can feel myself beginning to slip into those days between maturity and “Old Age.” Just as I could feel the hint of spring in the air of a winter night I can surely feel the hint of age in my body and more importantly in my mind. While this is not a change which I look forward to, it is one which will come.

Perhaps what I am feeling is my mind and body getting ready for my next season. Just as the weather gives us some hints to get us ready for a seasonal change it may be that we are programmed to make change of mental clothing. Our minds and bodies are saying to us you are entering a new time in life. Well ready or not here it comes. I will get old just as sure as the next few weeks will bring spring.

I guess I can’t be too old if I can still look forward to spring and summer as I do.

Old or young when that first real spring day comes I will be in a shirt sleeve mood one filled with a …rosy glow.

Rosy Glow – Baseball

By
Andrew DeMarco

With the beginning of the new baseball season I was reminded of an event that happened a while ago. Two years ago I learned something about my wife that needed to be remedied. I found out that she had never been to a professional baseball game. I learned about this when someone at her office offered her two tickets to a Yankee game and she wanted to go. I found this strange since I went to my first game at the tender age of five.

I thought it was about time that she experienced the thrill of our national pastime, so I agreed to meet her that Friday night after work and help her scratch another item off her bucket list.

It should be noted that at one time I would have jumped at the opportunity to go to a game, whether baseball, football, or hockey, you name it I was there. However I found that as I get older going to a game is more of a chore than enjoyment. I am not good with huge crowds anymore and although a diehard Yankee fan I do not like the new stadium, to me it is a monument to one man’s ego where the old stadium was a monument to the team, however I went nonetheless.

After having a bite to eat we found our seats which I felt were overpriced but decent enough, especially for a first game. My wife was taking in all the sights and sounds before the game and we both realized that it was one of those hot and humid summer nights. Right after the National Anthem the public address announcer made the following announcement. “The New York Yankees would like to announce that at the outset of tonight’s game it is the hottest game time starting temperature in the history of the Yankees 102 degrees!” I am thinking it is 7:00pm and 102, I really don’t need this. So the game commences and to make matters worse the Yankees and A’s score 14 runs between them in just the first 3 innings. We have been here about 2 hours and the game is just a third over.

So now I am longing for home and my Lazy Boy in the air conditioning with “cold beer” and not paying outrageous prices for warm beer. Then I notice the kids in front of us who are oblivious to the heat and humidity and at the edge of their seats hanging on every pitch. I look at my wife and she is really enjoying all this, she is like the little kids in front of us rooting on the Yankees, and becoming the head cheerleader for the kids. My wife is also making friends with everyone sitting around us and they are all getting a kick out of her enthusiasm.

Suddenly the heat and humidity got the best of me and my mind became foggy, and things changed, I was not longer in the bazaar that is the New Yankee Stadium, but I was across 161ST Street in the original Stadium, with its columns and façade. I was with my father and at my first ball game in 1960. I am seeing the Tigers playing the Yankees in one of those Sunday doubleheaders which were the norm. The first game ended in the bottom of the 10th inning when Bill “Moose” Skowron hit a three run homer. I was with my father the following year for my first night game, against the Indians. I was there with my father, Uncle Cappy and Cousin Louis for an old timer’s game and seeing Joe D, Don Larson, and Johnny Mize to name a few.

Next stop was in the updated Stadium at the” Pine Tar” game sitting in the “good seats” (three rows back at the first base end of the Yankee dugout) with George Brett running out of the Royals dugout and right at me and my buddies Dean and Rich. I was remembering all the games we use to go to and the premier parking thanks to some old friends and high school buddies who were now New York’s Finest. I remember when I was older reversing the roles by taking my father to a game on Father’s Day, and telling him not to eat too many hog dogs or drink too much beer because if he gets sick my mother would yell at me.

The next thing I know it was an hour later and I am back in the Bazaar and it is just the sixth inning. It was at this point that my wife told me she had experienced enough, I guess the kid in her was getting tired and she wanted to go. It should be noted that the little guys in front of us were still going strong, although I could not say the same for their parents. So we make our way to the train and settle in for our ride home. My wife is going on about how she enjoyed the game, and the crowd, sounds and excitement of the game. So even though the heat and humidity had provided an uncomfortable feeling, watching my wife and those kids along with my heat induced flashback provided me with what Cousin Bob would call that Rosy Glow.