The Better Option

Politics are adversarial. Sometimes, it seems that's all they are. General nastiness and stubbornness are used to score political points. It would be much more pleasant and possibly effective if our politicians would work to formulate plans to benefit everyone through an exchange of ideas and principles and compromises.

Don't laugh. It is possible.

While waiting for that to happen, check this out: Occupy Santa Cruz and other groups held an event today in Santa Cruz to promote food sovereignty and sustainable farming methods. Doesn't that seem much more effective than fighting with police in the streets of Oakland? At the very least, it feels more forward-thinking and positive.

On a related note, this feels like a good time to bring up Kiva again. Kiva.org is a microlending, not-for-profit site, where you can lend an amount as low as $25 to individuals around the world, such as a woman who raises chickens in Kenya, or a single mother in Central America trying to run a village community market.

Microlending is not necessarily a panacea for financial inequality. There have been some horrible news stories out of India, where a surge in demand for microloans from for-profit lenders has caused a spike in interest rates and the subsequent collapse of the system amid reports of predatory lending and over 100 suicides linked to microlending debt.

But I think that Kiva is different. I emailed them to inquire if they have any connection to any of the microlending firms in India, but I do not believe they do. The Kiva lenders do not expect to profit; in my experience, I've even lost a small amount of the $50 I originally put in, due to a default and some donations to Kiva. Overall, I think the system works. I lend the money, and a few months later, once the credit is repaid, I lend again. In about four years, I've made about 8 loans. I don't know that I will ever have a sense of making a real difference, but it feels right.

In any case, it feels better than sitting around reading or watching the news about our political debacles. If the government can't always make a difference, we can.

UPDATE: Here is a portion of the response I got from Kiva regarding microlending in India:

We are working hard to expand our partnerships to all regions across the globe at a pace that is healthy for both our current partners and for Kiva. In fact, Kiva staff are actively looking into partnering with microfinance institutions in India; however, before we are able to move forward, there are numerous financial and legal regulations that we must investigate.

We know that the microfinance industry in India has been in the news quite a bit lately, the concerns about over-indebtedness and client protection that have been raised are important issues for Kiva and the rest of the microfinance industry to address. At Kiva, we are continuing to direct our resources to foster responsible microfinance at all of our Field Partners around the world through due diligence, monitoring, and staffing. To read more about this, you can check this blog post written by Kiva's Senior Director of Social Performance: http://www.kiva.org/updates/kiva/2011/01/28/kivas-commitment-to-responsible.html.

Kiva seeks to partner with microfinance institutions that have a strong social mission, and when conducting due diligence on potential Field Partners, we favor organizations that excel in:
--Client protection, especially regarding the prevention of over-indebtedness, fair and transparent pricing, good collection practices and the security of
client information;
--Targeting and outreach that ensures vital services reach the unbanked, the under-served and the poor;
--Innovative loan products, savings and non-financial services specifically tailored to the needs of the target group;
--Measuring outcomes in the lives of client borrowers and savers.

Many of the partners are chosen because in addition to lending money, they also offer services such as savings, financial literacy training and empowerment programs.

People Watching: Santa Cruz

1) As I walked along Pacific Avenue, I passed a man in a wheelchair, who was heading in the other direction, but backwards, propelling himself by kicking out with his feet, moving at quite the clip. In his left hand, he held a folding mirror, like a side mirror on a car.

I was struck by this. How adroit! He's facing backward, therefore able to see cars that are approaching him in his lane--for he was in the street, not on the sidewalk--which would also make it easier to move himself along, but he has the mirror so as not to smack into any parked cars or bikes behind him.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

2) As I passed SubRosa, the anarchist cafe in Santa Cruz--of course Santa Cruz has an anarchist cafe, although I haven't gone in to see if they have set prices for their menu--some guy sitting on the sidewalk said in a tone dripping with snarkiness, "Nice jacket, man."

I'm assuming he meant me. I was wearing the old vintage leather jacket I bought in Missoula years ago for $30 from my friend's mom's vintage shop. It is a little battered, but it has held up well.

Was he objecting to leather on principle? If so, I would point out that at least I bought it used, so no extra cows were harmed to equip me with a jacket.

Of course, if he was really trying to be nasty, this effort left something to be desired. It lacked sting and zip. It would be like pointing out to the Queen of England that she has a lot of Corgis.

Maybe he was just crazy and disordered in his thinking.

3) I stepped outside the front door this evening, tumbler of brandy in hand, and a passing gentleman and I exchanged friendly nods that morphed into greetings that morphed into ironic complaints about how rugged this winter has become.

I don't think that would have happened in San Francisco.

4) I stumbled upon an interesting independent shoe store today. The clerk rolled around the store on roller skates, The Empire Strikes Back was on the TV but on mute, and there were various vintage road signs on the walls, along with a classic arcade game table console.

Although I'm not sure why an image of Boba Fett appeared to be selling Adidas.

Random Thoughts From The News

1) Apparently the launch of a new Nike shoe sparked a riot.

Seriously?

Apparently this is the American version of a bread-line, or at least a middle-class bread-line. We do have actual bread-lines and charity food pantries and soup kitchens; those are legitimate. Rioting in line for sneakers, not so much.

At least, not until a sneaker is released that lets you leap tall buildings in a single bound or outrun a speeding bullet. That would be worth rioting for.

Actually, I'm not sure anything else in the news can top that for the moment, so I won't try to add anything more.