This doesn't surprise me one bit.

As anyone who has paid attention to the news recently is keenly aware, the economy is kind of a big deal right now. I will admit, I am VERY liberal on this topic, so be aware that I may be a bit biased on the topic of income inequality. But some things do not allow themselves to be subjected to bias. We call these things facts. Facts are indisputable. Facts speak for themselves. Facts make a point that cannot be denied. And the fact is, America is blissfully unaware of how unbalanced our own economy really is.

I'm not actually going to argue about income inequality or the Occupy movement or any of that. I think the numbers speak for themselves. And, as for the bottom portion of that graph - Ideal - I'm not even going to look at that. I don't want to talk about what the best numbers are. I want to talk about the vast difference between what we think is going on and what's actually happening. Because, if you ask me, that is where the true problem with America lies.

While the folks in Washington certainly don't help all that much, you need to remind yourself that someone voted for them. Someone had to vote for them. Everyone seems to agree that Congress is doing a horrible job - we've seen some of the lowest Congressional approval ratings ever quite recently - but we keep voting for the same kinds of people. We submit to the established traditions for picking our leaders, traditions that are now centuries old, we hold on to political parties despite the fact that they are no longer necessary.

Just let this sink in: you don't need the Republican party. You don't need the Democratic party. You don't need the Libertarian, Green, or whatever party. Parties are holding this country back.

There are plenty of people in this country, in every state, who could have done great things if elected. But they lost solely because of party affiliation. I have heard people say, "he's got some good ideas, and he makes a damn good point, but he's a Democrat. I can't vote for a Democrat." And it's no better in the other side of the fence. Democrats don't like voting for Republicans. And the Libertarians? Lots of people would vote for them, if anyone thought they had a chance.

But what is the point of the political party anymore? To assist with fundraising? No, I'll pass. Campaign finance reform is actually one of those things we desperately need, but so long as we keep voting for people who rely on the current system, we will never see it come to pass. Perhaps the party is there to help get a candidate's name out there. That makes sense. I mean, in the early 1800's you couldn't just fly out to a campaign rally five states away if you're running for President. You had to have a group of people working to get your name in people's minds. You needed a party to convince people to vote for you.

But we live in the twenty-first century. We have the technology to surpass this. I really hate to give the guy any sort of recognition, but Justin Bieber used the Internet and became a household name, somewhat by accident. You don't need a party to get support. You need a webcam and a good idea.

So why do we still do this? Why do we not acknowledge the true nature of our problems? Why do we cling to the outdated systems of the past? Why have we not fixed it yet? The true core of the issue - the real problem with America - is apathy.

Our society is tragically passive. We let information come to us rather than seek it out. This, I feel, is a consequence of mass media: the evening news, the radio, it all made keeping up with the happenings of the world... convenient. So rather than seek out the truth, we submitted to accepting that what the man in the picture box says is true. But with the Internet, we have an interesting conundrum - it is fully capable of going either way. Major news sites and feeds make it easy, convenient, to bring you the news, and will only serve to enslave us to what the media thinks is right. Because bias exists. Fox is biased. CNN is biased. MSNBC is biased. And even though I do trust them the most, we should be horrified that two of the biggest names in news are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I am supremely grateful that they're actually pretty good at this, but we actually trust actors to keep us informed? Really?!

But if you have a bit of information, perhaps from one of those sources, and do a search for more on that topic, you take a more active role in informing yourself. You are more likely to get the whole story. You are more likely to understand all the facts. Facts that do not subject themselves to bias. Facts that cannot be denied.

Our nation's governing philosophy was founded upon an informed citizenry. If the leaders are corrupt, if they are abusing their power - hell, even if they're just not doing a good job, they can be voted out. But we cannot rely on passively absorbing our information to keep us aware of what our representatives are doing. We need to take an active role. We are the ones who vote. We can complain that Washington is the problem, and we'd be right, but it is absolutely imperative that we recognize the core of the problem. And right now, that problem is us.

The solution is a very simple idea, but it will not be easy. We need to seek out information. We need to devote time to it. We need to engage with it. We need to actively pursue the truth. Branch out with your news sources, read foreign newspapers online, and if an article truly sparks your interest, do some research on it. Click the links in the articles. Learn about who is saying what. Don't just trust statistics, find out where they came from - who did the study, who they polled, etc.

I don't care what your political stances are, just do some legwork. Put forth some effort. Show some gratitude that you have the right to vote. Show that you deserve that right. You have a guaranteed voice in how this country operates. Think about what that voice is saying.

...and I think that about does it for this rant. That's all, folks!

Inspired by a Window Seat.

So I'm on the road for work this week, which means I spent a good portion of Monday flying across the country. I had a window seat on this flight - unfortunately, my phone was dead, so I didn't get any pictures. The one posted here was taken by a coworker, who also had a window seat. We got lucky. I'll be sure to get a bunch on Friday, though, so fear not! Might be at night, but I really don't care. Anyway, most of the flight, I was staring out the window at the sky, at the clouds, at the earth below me, and I think I finally realized why it is that I love being in the air so damn much.

To start off, I want to say something about the clouds. We see them all the time, but they're... so far away. Beyond our reach. Almost ethereal, immaterial in their inaccessibility. But from 35,000 feet, they take on a whole new life. Not only can you see the clouds, you can see the differences in elevation. You can see clouds gliding over each other, devouring each other, swarming around you, and at times, completely blinding you. Something about seeing a layer of puffy, cottony clouds down low, a sparsely populated yet thick and imposing level above that, and above all the thin, wispy clouds in the upper troposphere just makes me smile.

But the main thing is the earth. Most people say that everything looks small from a plane - I disagree. I cannot bring myself to shake the sense of scale. I realize that tiny speck of a building miles below is actually a large structure and just can't suspend that knowledge, even for a second. The thing is, though, while I still think of that as large, I see so much more from up there. I see the trees surrounding man's efforts. I see the mountains dwarfing the buildings. I see the canyons capable of swallowing the largest highways whole. I see all that and I am amazed.

This country has over 300 million people - mostly concentrated in a relative few small locations. And from up there in the clouds, man is insignificant. The grandeur of the Earth envelops every one of our meager accomplishments. We owe everything to this scenery, this bounteous landscape. Without the gifts it has bestowed upon us, we would not exist. The higher I ascend, the more connected I feel to the world below, the more I realize how dependent on it I truly am. While we have conquered every frontier this planet has to offer - from Antarctica to Siberia, from the depths of the oceans to the sky itself - land is our home. We cannot escape this. Ever.


I saw mountains with trees and mountains with snow. I saw rivers and canyons channeling water into areas made fertile by its grace. I saw farmlands and cities, their inhabitants entirely dependent on each other, but even more so on the land itself. And I saw desert. I saw vast stretches of barren desolation. I saw environments wholly hostile to habitation. I saw the true fortune our home can grant us, and I saw the emptiness we could so easily be subject to. This dichotomy, the duality of nature, gives me an unprecedented appreciation and sense of gratitude for how lucky we all truly are.

I want to be a pilot so I can see this every day. I want to fly so I can feel that sense of awe every day. I want to conquer the skies to feel that connection to the nurturing earth below every single day for the rest of my life. I want to spend my days in the sky so that I feel that respect and thankfulness during my nights on land. That's why I want to fly. Not for a paycheck. Not to join the storied ranks of aviators. I want to fly to keep myself grounded. Ironic? I certainly don't think so.