Hasta La Gadget!

There is no way around it: There are three issues on people’s minds as we go into the midterm elections: jobs, jobs and jobs.

Since the 2008 financial crash – actually since Reagan was elected – most of the gains from our economy have gone to the 1 percent and many of the jobs have been shipped out of the country. And everyone knows it. What they don’t know is the direct relationship between the two. That relationship is the trade deficit.

The trade deficit is a direct measure of jobs leaving the country. The trade deficit is factories closing. The trade deficit is American dollars going to other countries so people there can spend them. The trade deficit is our standard of living leaking away. And the trade deficit is a major factor driving what remains of the budget deficit.

The trade deficit is our economy’s problem. Democrats need to get on board with that message. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also true.

Democrats Don’t Get That Republican Propaganda Works

Democrats in Washington are surrounded by D.C.’s daily events and don’t get it that the public doesn’t see what they think they see. They are immersed in the news and fighting daily battles and tend to think the public is informed and doing that, too. They tend to put reasons on things the public does that line up with what they experience in D.C.: “The reason voters in district 5 of the county special election in Colorado voted for Kranitz was because the sub-amendment to our section 5 jurisdictional funding retroparticle was blocked in committee on the third markup. Because it was on C-SPAN.”

But the public isn’t seeing it that way. The public is seeing “Democrats have been in charge” since 2008 and the economy is still bad. Period, end of story. (Not 2009, by the way; the election was in 2008 so they think the 2009 $1.4 trillion budget deficit was caused by Obama and the stimulus.)

Democrats Need A Simple And Clear Economic Agenda

If Democrats can’t come up with a counter to the Republican message that the economy is bad because Democrats are “in charge” and spend too much, they are going to lose badly. (P.S.: The answer is not to say “OK, so we’ll spend less.” That’s just feeds the lies and – as we have seen – just makes the economy even worse.)

At The New Republic, Danny Vinik writes in “Hillary Clinton’s Biggest Vulnerability: Her Economic Agenda” that “as we enter the latter half of Barack Obama’s second term, the public increasingly blames him and his party for the weak recovery.”

Vinik explains that there are Democratic proposals that would really help fix the economy, but they are from “left-leaning economists” and “they have little political support.” One proposal is in a paper from (“left-leaning”?) Larry Summers, who argues that we have entered into “secular stagnation” and the “solution to secular stagnation is significant rounds of fiscal stimulus to fill the still-large hole in consumer demand for goods and services, known as aggregate demand.” In other words, more “stimulus” that Republicans will obstruct.

Another proposal is to fix the trade deficit:

A separate paper, from left-leaning economist Dean Baker, argues that the trade deficit is a significant impediment to full employment. U.S. imports exceeded exports by $500 billion in 2013–that is, $500 billion of American demand for goods and services supported jobs overseas. In response, Baker proposes lowering the value of the dollar and cracking down on currency manipulators like China who artificially lower the value of their currency so that their goods and services are cheaper, boosting exports. Yet, trade policy is not an exciting or accessible issue to most voters. A candidate could include it as part of their economic platform, but it cannot form the backbone of it.

Yet another proposal is a change in monetary policy to promote full employment. This brings up a political problem, according to Vinik. The public doesn’t understand monetary policy and has been propagandized to be against further stimulus. (The public thinks “government spending” causes unemployment.)

Vinik writes “Democrats will have to convince voters that much of the Obama agenda is still the right prescription for the economy, despite the weak results over the past five-plus years. That’s not easy.”

What Went Wrong: Filibusters And Austerity

President Obama and Democrats have made significant proposals that would have made a tremendous difference in the economy we experience today, but they also contributed to the mess we are in.

It’s a fact that Senate Republicans filibustered literally everything Democrats offered that might have helped the economy. That’s their strategy and it’s working: Block anything that could help the economy and blame Democrats because they were “in charge” while the economy continued to stagnate.

Here’s the thing: Democrats let them do it. They did not end the filibuster. For whatever reasons – tradition, attempting to remain “bipartisan” and “civil” against uncivil partisan opponents, whatever – the end result was they did not deliver for their constituents, the American people.

The other thing that Democrats let Republicans do to the country was austerity. In fact, most Democrats bought into it, went along with it, pushed it, reinforced it, messaged it and gladly fell into the Republican trap.

So, with an election coming, Democrats haven’t delivered for their constituents – the 99 percent – and the public is not happy with that.

The Problem Is The Trade Deficit, Not The Budget Deficit

Here is a path for Democrats: Talk about the trade deficit.

Our trade deficit is literally a measure of how many jobs we ship out of the country. And our trade deficit is huge. It is humongous. It is enormous. It is larger than any trade deficit in the history of the world, and the parts of it that most affect jobs continues and continues and gets worse and worse. Last year’s trade deficit with China was a record.

The trade deficit is also a traditional Democratic issue. It is about jobs, blue-collar workers, jobs, factories, jobs, manufacturing, good wages and jobs. It is about seeing “Made in America” in stores again.

Everyone knows where the jobs went and continue to go: out of the country, mostly to China.

Everyone knows that the reason their pay is stagnant of falling is because people are afraid their job will be sent out of the country, too.

Everyone knows that something has been going on with these trade deals that let companies move out of the country to places where people and the environment are exploited and then bring the same goods back to the U.S. and sell them in the same stores for the same prices. OF COURSE that means jobs leave the country!

Ask almost anyone what they think of “NAFTA” – shorthand for all trade deals – and you will discover what is certainly one of the most salient, activating issues in politics today. Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party members, they all get it that jobs are being shipped out of the country (because they are), they all get it is making a few people really, really rich (because it is), and they all get that it is causing the rest of us to feel pain (because that is the result).

Economist tell us that the trade deficit represents “demand” that is leaving our country and is fueling jobs elsewhere. This means that people here are buying stuff – “demand” – but that the stuff they are buying is made somewhere else so we don’t get the benefit of those people all buying stuff. And the fact that there is a “deficit” means that the “somewhere else” is not reciprocating by buying stuff from us. They are not “trading” with us, they are selling to us but not buying from us. They are cheating and playing tricks to drain our country of those jobs and factories that would come back if they were buying the same amount from us as we are buying from them.

If Democrats want a simple jobs plan, this is it: Fix the trade deficit. Explain to people what balanced trade means and demand that trade be balanced. Come up with a clear plan to BALANCE trade and explain how this will bring back the jobs.

Do your part. Ask every candidate for Congress if they understand what the trade deficit is, how bad it is and what their plan is to fix it.

You’re such a bum.

Take it as a compliment: You want to ski, board, climb, kayak, mountain bike, and hike your way through life. You won’t find a judgmental face here; the Liftopia crowd understands where you’re coming from. Heck, we all want that.

Guess what? It’s possible, with some sacrifice and dedication, to do just that. I’m not just blowing smoke here. There’s a crew of us that have made it happen in different forms, and we’re ready to give you some of our secrets.

Feast your eyes upon the words that follow and make it happen.

The Writer

“Make the outdoors your 9-5. It’s easier to justify staying outside all day if you’re getting paid for it.” – Billy Brown

Billy Brown, who took “his passion for the active lifestyle… and somehow made a job out of it as a journalist specializing in outdoor sports and adventure travel,” used writing as a way to make the outdoors his full-time career. Working his way from writing for a local paper to getting press time in such publications as Outside and Backpacker magazines, he combined his creative powers with his love for adventure. The payoff has been great: He’s been invited on all-expenses paid trips to ride the steeps at Whistler, explore the sights in Jordan, and go caving in Belize (among many other trips).

In addition to getting paid to write about traveling, he also gets paid to test, review (and keep) outdoor gear. Score.

Live Billy’s life:

Do it. It’s that simple. Don’t get lost in prep work. You’re never going to feel totally ready, so prepare as much as you can, then get going and learn along the way. I spent way too long reading books on how to write before I got the balls to start pitching and stuff. Eventually, preparation becomes procrastination — You learn so much better by doing.

PHOTO: Billy Brown, Brett Faulknor

The Online Entrepreneur

“[I] was willing to give up money and what I SHOULD be doing to pursue a different lifestyle and what I was passionate about.” — Amy Jurries

Amy started out in the corporate world, working in positions such as a director for Motorola and an investment pro for a venture capital firm. These types of careers aren’t generally the kind you simply walk away from, especially when that walk is leading into the unknown (or into the notoriously low-paying outdoor industry). But for a person who is willing to take chances with their life in the outdoors, the experience can translate more easily into taking chances with their career. So that’s what Amy did — and it’s paid handsomely by allowing her to live her dream.

How’d she do it? Amy started her own site, The Gearcaster, through which she forecasts trends in the outdoor industry and checks out what companies are doing with technology and new gear. This has allowed her to connect with outdoor industry professionals and become an authority in the field, even being recognized by Outside magazine as one of the “7 Best Gear Websites.” Like Billy (above), she gets invited on adventure trips and is flooded with gear to take out and test in the field.

Is this lifestyle sounding good yet?

Live Amy’s life:

Beyond having some technical knowhow (if you plan to create the website yourself), be prepared for hard work. “Success doesn’t happen overnight — [it] can take years!” says Amy of her experience owning an online business. The key? “[You] have to stick with it… as your own boss, it’s only up to you to make it happen.”

If you’ve got the determination — go for it.

PHOTO: Amy Jurries

The Periodically Employed

“Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ways of living the lifestyle.” — Beth Bault

Feeling truly vagabondish? Meet Beth of 3Up Adventures. She graduated from college, fell in love, and moved into a Jeep Cherokee. With a dog. Not exactly what society had planned for an accomplished grad student, but then again, the outdoor crowd isn’t necessarily concerned with peer pressure — outside of what the latest colors in plaid shirts are.

“You have to be willing for people to not ‘get’ you,” explains Beth. That’s something that’s all too common for the gypsy inclined.

She and her family of three have been roaming the country since 2010. Along the way, they’ve tried living in an uninsulated garage, working at a gym to get shower access, and several different vehicle configurations (Jeep, van, trailer) in which they spent their nights. It might not have been all roses, but what some would term “sacrifices” she sees as part of the adventure. This style of living allowed her to see the country, meet new people, and catch the attention of Stonewear Designs and Columbia Sportswear, both of which she is now an ambassador. (And yes, free gear is a perk!)

Live Beth’s Life:

To finance this dream, Beth and crew live off of savings, alternating time on the road with time in an adventure spot working seasonal jobs. Beth is proficient at using social media to connect with others — a tool you should take advantage of — using her networking skills to find work when needed.

PHOTO: Beth Bault

Lesson: Living minimally means maximizing adventure; more trail time for this trio!

Have you lived a life based on your passion? How’d you make it work? Leave your tips in the comments below.

This post originally ran on the Liftopia blog.

By Gina Bégin (@ginabegin)

In France, a sandwich is called “un sandwich.” In Spain, it’s “un sándwich.” Things get weird in Portugal where it’s called “sanduiche”. Even in Greece, the word is “σάντουιτς.” And it turns out that sounds a whole lot like “sandwich.”

But just because inserting meat between two slices of bread is a near-universal concept, that doesn’t mean it’s free from the machinations of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance.

In order to help businesses determine what they should and shouldn’t put a sales tax on, the city has released a “bulletin” that gets technical in its definition of what our friends in Japan call a “サンドイッチ” (again, sounds just like sandwich).

Here’s what should be included in New York’s so-called “sandwich tax,” according to the city:

“Sandwiches include cold and hot sandwiches of every kind that are prepared and ready to be eaten, whether made on bread, on bagels, on rolls, in pitas, in wraps, or otherwise, and regardless of the filling or number of layers. A sandwich can be as simple as a buttered bagel or roll, or as elaborate as a six-foot, toasted submarine sandwich.”

The bulletin goes on to list examples of what exactly a sandwich is. In case you didn’t know, the items below are all sandwiches:

This BLT sandwich is what the New York Department of Taxation and Finance refers to as a “common sandwich,” since, well, it’s a sandwich.

People not familiar with what a sandwich is might call this a burrito. It’s a sandwich.

Mmmm, check out this delicious open face butter sandwich served with roll bread.

Headed to the ball game? Be sure to indulge in a classic American past time with one of these hot dog sandwiches.

By defining these “bread-based snacks,” the New York Department of Taxation and Finance defends it’s just trying to help.

“It’s trying to stress the point that all sandwiches are generally subject to sales tax, that’s the message you want to get across,” Cary Ziter, a spokesperson for the Department of Tax and Fincnace, told Gothamist.

In summation: If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a sandwich.

Too many people spend their lives counting down the days until the weekend so they can bask in their temporary reprieve. Then it’s right back on the hamster wheel.

Some live their lives in comfortable ignorance, unaware of their true potential. They have it good; you can’t agonize over anything you don’t value. But then there are those who know better, that feel like life is passing them by because they have so much to offer. Plagued by the fact that all of their creative energy is going to waste, they are tortured souls.

If this is you, I have good news: You can change that.

But it means you have to stop celebrating when there isn’t any reason to. If you partied all weekend and lay your head down on Sunday night with feelings of anxiety over the coming week, you weren’t celebrating — you were grieving. You were grieving because a piece of your creative soul died from neglect.

Depressing isn’t it? And yet, like clockwork, people continue to slowly suffocate their creative muse — refusing to let it live out its purpose. Why? Because it’s more convenient for them to surround themselves with distractions — even if it’s at the expense of their creative vision.

No one is going to make anything happen for you. That’s your job. The brilliant idea you have in your head will never see the light of day unless you sit down, ignore all distractions, and just do the work. Most of us already know this, but our actions and behaviors indicate otherwise. Think of all of the wisdom that circulates around social media every day: life is short; time is precious; carpe diem. We hear these phrases so often now that they’ve become nothing but overlooked platitudes. Case in point: anyone that tells you how they want to start a business, write a book, or start making more art, and then spends every minute of their free time doing anything but those things.

Consume less. Produce more.

Assuming one has a full-time job, nearly half of the hours in their week go towards working and sleeping. The problem for most people is they’ve conditioned themselves to come home each day and consume. Going out to the bar, watching television, spending hours on social media — all of these are means of consuming and can be detrimental to your productivity.

If you want to start making things happen in your life — if you desire to get off the hamster wheel — something has to change.

Realize that it’s what you do in your spare time that will make the difference between greatness and mediocrity. Most people that object to this notion argue that you need your downtime, that you should be able to eat, drink, and be merry. To this, I say: absolutely. By all means, enjoy yourself. But also realize that there is a point when doing such things impedes on your ability to create.

You go to your job and work the same amount of hours every day. You do this because you have to, so you can survive. So why would you not commit to your creative work in the same way? Some argue it’s because it’s not a matter of survival. I disagree. Not dedicating yourself to your creative ideas is in fact a matter of life and death; you either feed your creative spirit, or you kill it. The choice is yours.

Don’t Be Afraid To Start Your Own Path

One of the biggest hang-ups for creative people is their innate desire to rally the troops. I struggled with this for years. “I need to get my friends on board with my vision first,” I told myself. “Then I’ll start making things happen.” But that’s the wrong mindset. You can’t rely on people to get behind your vision before you take action. You have to lead first.

Realize that it’s okay to disband from any group of people who are content with feeling stuck in their lives and doing nothing to change that. In fact it’s not just okay — it’s mandatory. No hard feelings, it’s just you have things you want to accomplish and it’s clear they’re heading down a different path. Throw your rucksack over your shoulder, head in the direction you were meant to, and don’t look back. If they join you, great. If not, that’s okay too. What’s important is you don’t let opportunities slip by because you’re so busy trying to round up followers.
Final Thoughts

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself, but keep your end goal in mind. Is what you’re doing today going to get you to where you want to be tomorrow? If not, it’s time to make a change. Remember too, that sometimes being a creator means blazing your own trail. If you have an idea, go after it. There’s no time to wait for others to follow you.

What do you think? Are you guilty of consuming too much and producing too little? Do you sometimes feel like you’re alone in your creative journey? Share your thoughts below, I respond to every comment.

Rebekah Brooks told a crowd of journalists on Thursday that she feels “vindicated” and “grateful” to the jury that acquitted her of a string of charges related to the phone hacking scandal.

Brooks spoke outside her home. Her husband Charlie, who was also acquitted in the trial, stood next to her.

“I am innocent of the crimes that I was charged with and I feel vindicated by the unanimous verdict,” she said.

Brooks was declared not guilty on all charges in the trial, which was one of the longest and costliest in British history. Jurors decided that she had not played any role in the hacking and corruption scandals which engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire. They were not so kind to her fellow former editor Andy Coulson, who was found guilty on one count of conspiring to hack phones.

Brooks did not mention Coulson, with whom she had an affair during their time working together on the News of the World, by name in her remarks. But she told the raucous crowd, “Today my thoughts are with my former colleagues I’m going to do everything I can to support them.”

One journalist asked for her thoughts about the rampant criminality that had taken place at the newspapers she oversaw. Brooks said that she had undergone much “reflection” on this point, but added that she was “incredibly proud” of many of the people she’d worked with.

There has been a great deal of speculation about what Brooks will do now that the cloud of the trial has been lifted. Many have guessed that she will return to Murdoch’s empire in some way. He bankrolled her legal defense and remained fiercely loyal to her throughout her years-long ordeal. Brooks made no comment about her future.