Positive Economic Data

On Thursday, Mar 29^th, natural gas supplies were huge, demand low, and price  plummeted so quickly that some commodity traders and analysts were fretting about the real possibility that natural gas providers may actually pay large retail or industrial buyers to remove some of their inventory to their storage facilities.  In other words, a negative price. Can’t get any lower than that. Thus,  no inflationary pressure for natural gas. 

Also on the commodity market: crude oil barrel price down to nearly $101; a rapid decrease from a week ago when it hit $110/barrel. Gasoline supplies and oil supplies are enormous in the USA at this moment while demand is down. Same for the rest of the global oil market. Thus: no inflationary pressure for crude oil. 

Gasoline pump prices: some analysts are pushing the panic button and claiming inflation is rising and gas pump prices are the indicator.  Hogwash. The above information denies and basis for their panic. And consider that pump prices are up only because traders are bidding up the prices because they want them there, and they are highlighting Middle East tensions between Iran and Israel, and Iran’s threats over the Straits of Hormuz. Gasoline prices in America are thus manipulated to higher levels because of intrusive behaviors not related to supply and demand; only fears of that. Thus: inflation should be zero at the pump. It isn’t, but that has nothing to do with the real world, just market hedgers. 

The market analysts I read feel inflation is a problem and the Federal Reserve needs to do something about it, namely raise key interest rates.  Again, Hogwash. Those rates go up only when the Fed needs to dampen the economy and save us from runaway inflationary pressures.  Does anyone really see any such pressure? 

There are a few consumer related pricing problems but those are not related to the overall economy, just the oddities of specific markets; to wit:

• Rents are rising for homes and apartments; this is due to competition for such space as home ownership declines via foreclosures and owner ‘walk-aways;’ prices will ease as empty homes are added to the rental market
• Food products are more complicated; some produce is out of season and prices rise accordingly; some product price is rising due to the cost of fuel for delivery; neither is a trend supportive of inflation; could be but not yet
• Clothing prices remain low and controlled in the market unless you are speaking of designer duds or unique fad items; low prices come from global competition!
• Auto prices are stable as the industry globally works its way back to a healthy position; competition keeps price increases modest
• Transportation costs are rising (air and train fares) primarily due to fuel costs and the need to replace aging infrastructure and equipment; these are normal
• Home pricing remains depressed due to huge supply and low demand; this will change once employment returns to higher levels and disposable incomes allow consumers to re-enter the housing market

If fuel/natural gas/oil prices continue soft or downward, some of the above pricing will soften as well. Thus, inflation is not a current problem and one issue the Federal Reserve does not have to worry about.

Another economic concern: private employers are expanding employment as they retool for a new, refreshed economy. Their economic forecasts are positive.  This is very good news and one which cancels the earlier doom and gloom forecasts based on lost jobs.

The real job losses in the past two years has been with government employers. As tax revenues declined at nearly every level of government – local, regional, state and federal – jobs were eliminated permanently and temporarily. Re-employment in these areas have not yet resumed. When they do the unemployment rates will fall.

Another word on employment data, and this will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog.  The recession we have been experiencing is more than a cyclical downturn.  It is also a restructuring of the economy. Obsolete employers are out of business or in the process of their final demise. Retailing is adjusting madly to etrade dynamics. Retail will not return to old levels; sales will be from many sources but an increasing Internet scene for sure.

Old jobs will likely not return. New jobs will be defined and the unemployed will need to adjust their career paths accordingly. I’ve stated that before; you know it is true. The only unknown is when and by how much. And in which exact sectors.

Global economics will continue to compete with our nation’s abilities and outputs. That is good for consumers inasmuch as cost of living components will have price dampening competition working in their favor.

The economy is working its way out of its doldrums. It could have done so much faster if the entire country had collaborated and worked together. But such is the state of our political gridlock that that behavior is absent.

Inflation?  Not likely with the exception of specific products and markets.  That’s good news indeed. So please beware of ‘pretend facts’ as they compete with the real facts.

March 31, 2012

Justice

Define it if we must, but in my mind, justice is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Pretty simple.  

Where it isn’t simple is when we are reminded that people view things differently and their sense of right bends toward wrong; and we do nothing about it; we attempt maybe to accommodate it to save the other person from feeling too badly about their being in an embarrassing position, that their wrong will reflect poorly on them. We try to save them? We try to moderate their feelings? 

Hmm. Kind of nice that we try to help out here; but what we are really doing is not standing up for justice: fairness is easy to see and feel. If it doesn’t fit well, then we have a good alarm bell that it isn’t fair. And what isn’t fair is not justice. 

So, let’s do a little discerning; what is not fair?

• Neighborhood watch programs with armed volunteers; playing with fire there!
• Making laws for everyone else solely based on your religious beliefs and values; abortion, contraceptive use, family planning, etc.
• Unequal pay for equal work (effort and value); women’s salaries and wages continue to be 80% of men for equal work
• Marriage access for heterosexuals; vast inequality of access for homosexuals; and these based on religious beliefs
• Access to education to match the talents of the student with the needs of the nation and its economy; the wealthy continue to have access to all education channels; the poor do not; perhaps to meet national needs we should provide free education past high school, perhaps the equivalent of the first two years of vocational or community college?
• Tax laws favor those people who are wealthy and penalize those who are not
• Tax laws favor corporations who also are heavy users of taxpayer paid infrastructure
• Corporations who are exempt from election laws because the Supreme Court has ruled they are ‘people’ under the law; then they lobby legislation and fund elections to gain supporters in state houses and congress to pass laws favorable to them and their profitability
• Laws which provide subsidy to the drug companies, hospitals and health insurance companies who then, with their wealth, lobby congress and fund elections to further their self serving agenda
• Laws which provide subsidies for oil companies, already the richest entities on earth while not requiring them to clean up their own soil, air and water pollution, or research alternative energy sources to replace the finite reserve of oil on the planet
• Financial services industry which continues to seek more deregulation while they have already proven they can’t handle the responsibility already granted them; witness the debacle of the mortgage industry collapse, and the investment companies handling of collateralized mortgage investments spread throughout the world so the global economy was sent reeling
• Rewarding greed and not saving or personal investment
• Failure to invest in research of future energy and transportation modalities so we avoid the eventual loss of petroleum and its consequent rising cost to consumers
• Hawking free markets while doing everything to remove the risks through legislation and safeguards funded by taxpayers

There is much more we could place on this list. You know that. But have I made a dent in the injustices yet? Enough of a dent to inform us that much needs to be done to even the scales?  

If not, what more should be added to the list? Please share your thoughts with this blog on that question. 

And then let us resolve to figure out what we do about this list. And with what resources. And with whom involved? And with what vigor? 

So much to do. So much need. So much to fix. Why are those charged with these responsibilities not doing their jobs?  

Elections are this fall. Plan now to voice your opinion. It is a major strength of our America. 

March 30, 2012

What I want for my Kids and Grandkids

I think there are two kinds of people basically. Good ones and bad ones. I’m not sure why the bad ones exist. Maybe they are selfish and want power and riches for themselves. On the other hand, maybe the riches and power they want is to make them feel superior to others, or push other people down, enslave them? Perhaps their motivation is pure evil and we cannot imagine what that is or is about? Maybe. Who knows? 

Most of us see ourselves as good people. We want to eat when hungry, sleep when tired, drink fluids when thirsty. We want housing to protect us against the weather, and we want clothing to keep us protected from the elements and to hide our nakedness.

Of course we wish to experience physical joy (sex) and emotional joy (family). We may even wish aspirations of success or elevation over others. But of that I’m not certain.

And we want peace. Peace from war, physical attack, theft of property, and injury. Peace.  

What is peace? A simple definition: lack of hostility among one another, groups or nations. The reasons for hostilities usually encompass envy, need for what you have or extreme dislike between one or more people. 

To gain peace we need to even out needs and wants so most people have access to what they need to live life and gain a modicum of control over the wherewithal they need in life. That removes probably the largest cause of hostilities. 

Humans being human they will conceive more reasons for hostilities. But again we can help moderate these and build peace continually. It will take work but it can be done. Still we will need structures to monitor the peace and to take actions to preserve peace when it is threatened. These are efforts to keep hostilities at a minimum. So I guess we are admitting here that hostilities are inevitable. The severity may not be inevitable, but just the same….. 

Having said all that, here are the basics of what I want for my kids and their kids:

• Safe living environment; warm, space sufficient for family living
• Health and health care that is affordable and accessible
• Clothing that is adequate for covering the body and protecting it from the elements
• Food that is enjoyable and plentiful enough to maintain healthy bodies
• Social interactions that reward interpersonal relationships and personal growth
• Education that develops the mind to constant adaptation to changing information, lifestyles and employment
• Economy that is healthy, vibrant and filled with opportunities for individual achievement
• Peace now and in the future to reaffirm the value of each person and the dignity they merit

I hope this isn’t boring. I hope these elements of living are achievable and exciting to produce joy and meaning in the lives of my loved ones. And that they need not fear anything; that they need not fear in order to feel alive or more alive.  

The spice of life is what? Hopefully not fear or threat. It may not be possible, but I would like to banish fear from our lives. If we can I would feel better about the world’s prospects far into the far-flung future. 

Meanwhile, we have fear and threat. We live with it everyday. We live life managing all the negatives so we can enjoy the positives. That is the day-to-day struggle, isn’t it? Isn’t this what we toil at always? 

Along the way we deal with so many differences. Each of these is felt to be a threat by some. Too bad. They are only the accoutrements of living life. Like these: I am:

• Male
• Over 65
• White-Caucasian
• Christian, nominally
• Protestant (Congregational-United Church of Christ; Presbyterian; Lutheran ELCA)
• Raised in Christian tradition
• Doubt the divinity of Christ
• Distrust much of organized religion; they are human organizations with all the inherent flaws
• Worship and believe in God
• Am politically middle of the road; definitively not liberal or conservative
• Am well educated and respect the brain and what it is capable of; the good, bad and ugly; but mostly the good to overcome the other flaws
• Not rich but able to care for myself and family
• Struggling with elder cost of living issues
• Gay and OK with it; not a flaw but a good thing; just another perspective from which to view life and its mysteries and joys
• Believe in the power of people collaborating and improving our circumstances
• A native Californian, once lived in Massachusetts and Upstate New York; now a long-term resident of Illinois
• Still seeking happiness and accord with the world

This list provides many points of comparison for each reader. How many are the same as you? How many are different? Do the matches and differences provide you with interest or threat? Am I friend or foe to you?

How will you ever know without getting to know me.

And that’s what I want our society and world to contend with. It will mean much for my kids and theirs. And for you and yours, as well!

Peace?

March 29, 2012

Standing up for Religious Freedom

Saw an item on the news this morning (Internet). It was a rally for non believers – atheists – on the Washington Mall. It was deemed successful, by whom I don’t know. But a significant number of people showed themselves to the rest of the world in a public place declaring that they do not believe in organized religion, or God, or Christ, or any other religious figure, saint or deity. 

This event was considered by some to be a major ‘outing’ of a personal view by many who do not subscribe to a religion. In this country. Prior to this I thought ‘outing’ was used to refer to a gay person stepping out of their closet into the full light of day. But I was wrong.

Seems there is a need felt by a lot of people to keep their opinions to themselves. What they believe or do in the privacy of their own homes or lives is considered private; they don’t willingly share this with others. Certainly not the general public.

Why? Because they feel they are in the minority and are nervous. Nervous of what? Of repercussions. They may be laughed at, snubbed, discriminated against, or worse, bullied, threatened or cowed by those who don’t agree with them. The majority has members who are heavy handed. There are zealots who feel the minority is dangerous or flawed. 

Those in a minority can’t help but wonder if there is some truth in the negative. “Am I flawed? Is there something wrong with me? Why are so many vocal about me in a negative way?”

Indeed. Why? Have those people walked in the shoes of the minority? Do they understand why the minority exists in the first place? Do they know how it feels to be in that position? Is the minority by definition in the wrong? Are they to be feared? Are they to be battled, destroyed, eliminated? 

Women are treated in ways that define them as being in the minority. Hard to believe when they constitute 50% of the world’s population! But you know what I mean.

Racial minorities come to mind soonest as the denigrated minority. Black. Oriental. Hispanic. Immigrant. Poor. The list goes on and on. 

We have so many names for those who are ranked lower than us. We allow ‘society’ to label people. It is an active process; a game; a human proclivity. We seem to be saying: “we must find those who are lesser than us so we can feel better about ourselves.” Is it this simple? Is it this base a behavior on the part of the majority or wannabes of the majority?

Sad. Really sad when you consider the American Constitution. How high a standard it sets. How difficult it is to live up to it. Yet there are so many people who work so hard to do it an injustice. Politicians who lazily do not lead but rather take the easy road and use difference as a motivator to gain power. Selfish. Untruthful. False. Manipulative. So very, very dishonest. 

So. This is the real world we live in. What to do about it? 

Is it so hard to be an individualist? In our country with its national spirit and soul of freedom and liberty? Why is liberty so worshipped on the one hand but feared on the other? Is that what this is about? The conservative point of view lionizes America’s freedom and constitution yet fears that that very liberty gives license to others who may threaten their safety/comfort/security because new ideas are incipiently attractive to make change possible? 

Maybe so. But consider the fodder of the arguments. People. People who are different than us. People who think and value in ways that are at least a little different from us. They are the fodder fed into the maw of the ideological blast furnace. They are the ones injured and harmed. 

Trouble is, they are our friends, our mothers, our wives and sisters. They are our beloveds. They are our neighbors and friends. They are our dads and brothers.

The Koran tells us this. The Bible, too. And every major religious document and tract. On the one hand we say we believe in these things, or at least the majority states this. But on the other hand, we act as though we don’t believe in these documents, these authorities. 

Which is it? Do we stand up and state what we believe in, work hard to understand what that means, and then behave in accordance with it? Or do we disrespect it, them and ourselves, and act contrary? It is one or the other. Not both or a blend. There are standards to be kept here. Which one will be really given honor and obedience?

Standing up to say you are an atheist, or Muslim, or Christian, or anything else…is a courageous thing. But saying it is not enough. What does it mean to be what you claim to be? What is your value structure? What is your behavior in past/present/future?

If you wish to be respected, earn it. The minority has a lot of hard work to do. But so does the majority. Democracy is not the majority running roughshod over the minorities. Democracy is about respect. It is about valuing opinions and beliefs not our own so they all can be embraced within a society that values individuals.

How’s your individuality doing? How tolerant are you to others who are different than you? How’s your citizenship track record? Are you ready for another day in this land of opportunity, freedom and liberty to be you? And to let others also be?

March 28, 2012

Standing up for Women

What a silly thing to have to do. Standing up for women. Male that I am, I find it difficult to understand why this is even necessary. Let me see:

• Women make up 50% of the global population; here in the USA, too
• America believes all people are created equal; that means women and men are equal with each other; it also means boys and girls are equal with one another
• We have freedom of speech guaranteed in our Constitution
• We have freedom of religion guaranteed in our Constitution, too
• Women make social and economic contributions of inestimable value; far too great a figure to imagine!
• I find women much easier to relate with than men! My being gay may have something to do with that, but still!
• Thinking prowess of women is every bit as logical as men; and as fruitful
• I have a mother, had two grandmothers, several aunts, a sister, sisters in law, mother in law, a wife for 26 years, a daughter, and two granddaughters. I want the same equality I have had to be available to them; I don’t want them treated as second class citizens; what a repugnant idea!

As a male I can do pretty much with my body what I want as long as I do not bring harm to another. The same should be the inalienable right of women. I know this involves birthing children. But that child is the product of two genders, two persons. The greater burden is on the woman to carry and deliver a healthy baby; she should have the preponderance of control over her body’s functioning in this matter. If she feels it unwise to carry the fetus to term, then that is her right to determine. Other people, institutions and legal process ought not to place control over the mother. It is her decision.

Somewhere along the way, reproductive rights have been sucked into a religious or theological construct. This has been done under the guise of determining when life begins. The logic apparently is that conception is the beginning of fetal life, and thus is protected under the law as a human being. However, there are many who hold the view that a fetus is not an independent life until it can sustain itself outside of the womb. Thus, a baby delivered prematurely, is a life if it can breathe on its own, accept food, and eliminate body waste on its own. We all know medical procedures can save a premature baby by artificial means, and that is acceptable to extend the range of the legal definition of life.  

Prior to self-sustaining status, however, the baby is not a life and abortion methods should be allowed. Any arguments to the contrary only confuse the issue. And the person wholly authorized to act on that decision is the mother herself. 

Should the mother desire medical assistance to sustain the life rather than an abortion, that is her decision. In that case abortion is avoided.

Make no mistake, I think abortion as a form of birth control is a hideous distortion of morality. Finding oneself with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, however, is still the hard choice to be made by the mother. It is not my decision to make or yours; it is hers; and decidedly not the government’s.

Separation of Church and State should guarantee the right of the mother to end a pregnancy. What a person does in agreement with her faith tradition and religious belief is separate from what society can require of her. Neither can the church force the choice on the mother. It can urge her but not require her to follow the church’s teaching. 

It seems to me that the rights of the woman with regard to abortion reside solely with her.

With this out of the way, what other women’s rights are under discussion? Any? Equal pay for equal work? Done; not perfect but now part of the law of the land. If reproductive rights are the hot issue, still, why is that? Church versus state. I thought we fought that battle long ago and put it to rest.

We should be done with the need to ‘stand up for women?’ In my book, they have the rights. They are hugely capable to handle them well. Leave them be.

March 27, 2012

Telling My Story

I’ve posted 186 essays on this blog in less than 6 months. That is more than one each day. Even when I took a day off, I posted to tell you that, and added a little bit, too! So, the story goes on, and on. 

I usually write one posting item in advance. Sometimes two if my mind is whirring. That strategy keeps me from experiencing ‘blank page syndrome,’ the key element of writer’s block. So far I haven’t experienced that. Came close once.

I started this blog because I had a lot of stuff in my head I wanted to get out in the open. I didn’t know if it was important or not; just that it was crammed in the skull and its presence blocked dealing with other things. Sort of like constipated thinking; all blocked up. 

Once the blog started the brain pan began to empty! Not unlike diarrhea! Sorry for the comparison but it seems to fit pretty well. I have family members who would agree! They wonder why I think it is important that I share these thoughts with anyone. Well, that’s an interesting question. 

They don’t know what I’ve lived through. They don’t know what my mind has contended with. They are not witness to my personal development. A quote from the Internet (the great Anonymous in the sky!): 

“You know my name, not my story.

You’ve heard what I’ve done,

Not what I’ve been through.”

So true. So very, very true.  What I’ve been through informed me, my mind, my soul, my present-past-future. Putting it together was a struggle, but rewarding. It taught me things. It taught me to ask the question Why? And How? It sought answers. It didn’t jump to conclusions, because that just caused a lot of rethinking when some conclusions didn’t hold up. So the process continued. The questions kept coming. The Who? The What? The how? And the Why?

I read a lot. I talked to other people. I worked with a lot of people. Always seeking more information. Answers. Building conclusions. Wondering why and coming up with answers that often worked a long time before I had to adjust them. And I did. Lots of times. 

This struggle has continued for a long time. I still don’t know all the answers to my questions. Nor will I! But the search has been interesting. Sometimes fun. Eventually joyous.

I don’t feel isolated. I don’t feel smug. I don’t feel ‘know it all.’ Not at all. What I feel is humble. Vulnerable. Still forming. And I accept that. It’s a good thing. It’s all good!

Why? Because it pulls me out of myself, off of me as primary focus. It drives me to other people and their skills and weaknesses, flaws and gem-facets. Others are refreshing. Others are different, from me and you and still others. It is the group that enlivens our lives. It is the meshing of many minds that create tapestries of thought that enlighten us all. It is the story of mankind universal. Each alone until we seek companionship; each alone until we let other minds into our thinking; each alone until we share the all with everyone.

Is that ego? Is that soul? Is that spirit? Or God, or what?

I am not a myth maker. I am a consumer of mythology; we all are, right? We seek broader meaning and when confronted with great mysteries we construct something to tide us over until we catch up with the facts and better theory. Mankind has been doing that since the beginning of time. Trying to explain what life is, why life is, what we are to do with this thing named ‘life.’

Well, the more I study it, the more I conclude that we are here on this planet to enjoy one another and life itself. To do that we need to be kind to one another and be helpful. Not hurtful. We need to cooperate and collaborate. That means together. Not alone. Not focused on ‘I’, but ‘we.’

This is not poetry. It is fact. It is real. It is life. And it is good.

Are we making too much of things? Are we ready yet to enjoy? Or are we doomed to think and be dark and dreary and afraid?

“You know my name, not my story. You’ve heard what I’ve done, not what I’ve been through.” It is the latter that contains the struggle. And it is honest. It is me. It is life.

March 26, 2012

Making our Own Way

Another anonymous quote from the Internet: “We have all been placed on this earth to discover our own path, and we will never be happy if we live someone else’s idea of life.” 

When just a young boy I wondered what my life would be like. What would I be doing after grade school, or junior high, or high school? Some of those yard posts were so unfamiliar to me then I couldn’t imagine what the school experience would be let alone what I would be doing or feeling. 

Some of the basic questions then were: would I get married? Would I have kids? Would I be a policeman or businessman or fireman, or soldier? Basic things. Until I did get older and knew more, felt more.

Later, in high school and in college, the journey became more complicated but richer. I had choices to make. I could investigate many avenues, or just jump in and choose and see what happens! The discoveries were sometimes boring, other times awesome. Later I would muddle through thinking about the experiences to see what they had taught me. What did these experiences make me think about the future? How would this change my path to my future life?

During this journey I encountered many people. Some family, older generations. Some teachers. Neighbors were always willing to chat with me about a lot of things. But life brings a large and changing cast of characters with which to converse. Processing their answers was not easy; so much sorting and cataloguing. Weighing and measuring the value of the ideas shared. Concluding maybe; changing the conclusions nearly always in the early years. 

Well the journey to discovering self and life path is an interactive one but it is also mine to make, mine to interpret, mine to discern. Where will it lead and how nervy am I in the exploration? How much excitement can I stand?

There have been major influences on my life from time to time. Some were people, original thinkers and persuasive personalities. Others were practitioners of work or professions that held interest for me. But most often the influential elements were experiences. Those I alone lived, felt, thought about and made conclusions about. Those happenings slowly gave shape to my life and I worked harder and harder to discover who I was. It wasn’t only that; I wanted to know what I was good at, what I had a talent for, what role I could play in life that had meaning and reward.

No one can tell you that directly. They can hint or suggest. They cannot tell you or make you see the world in a way that is foreign and uncomfortable to you. It is your task to find your way.

I think the task seems unwieldy to people. Sometimes it felt that way to me as well. But I became more interested in the process and what I learned. This grew into a challenge and brought me excitement. This was something I could do; was doing. It was an unfolding, day after day, month after month. The view of ‘possible’ expanded before my eyes.

I sometimes wonder how others manage this process in their lives. Have they been so coddled by parents and family that they await their ‘assignment?’ Have they been raised to be careful? To be cautious about any exploration, let alone self discovery? Will they be allowed to break out of the shell long enough to get a whiff of this exciting journey? Or will they be constrained? Smothered?

 

I observe parents who want their child to become a concert pianist, or a certified public accountant, or an engineer. Rarely do these parents see their kid as a teacher; maybe a researcher or college professor, but not a teacher. Rarely do parents want their youngster to become a soldier or policeman, either. Too much danger. Too many life and death situations.

Parents are not a good judge of what a young person should become. The young person doesn’t know either, but it is the exploration and acts of discovery which inform him/her. This is the process to the future. This is the job needing to be done. By one person. You. 

May this freedom always be yours in which to be the real you, to grow into all you can be. And may others celebrate your freedom and life choices!

March 25, 2012

Something Special Shared

Something Special for you, from me; courtesy of the Internet once again. Credits are contained within the video.

 

 

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Family and Friends?

Got this quote off the Internet so can’t give credit to the author: “Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what.”

Good thought. Sometimes family puts up a fight. I’m not sure why. Some always are mad. Angry with the world. Maybe their anger suspects I’m part of the problem they are mad about?  I don’t know. My sister won’t discuss this with me. She also won’t talk about politics or abortion rights, or anything that has to do with women. You see I’m a male and she has said I don’t have the right or authority to talk about these issues. 

My brother asked that I not send any political themed emails; blunt and to the point; no judgment. Just a demand to not do this. I conformed to his wish, not that I had ever sent him anything in the past. But then his lopsided conservative ideology emails began coming to me. One in particular equated all Muslims as terrorists; I responded that the conclusion was not supportable or accurate. He responded with: “I see things through a different lens.”  I guess. And it’s not one I care to waste my time over. But still he persisted in sending me likeminded drivel. So I responded to all: “Really you need to do more research on this issue; query Snopes.com; something.” He evidently was insulted by the comment and I haven’t heard from him in over a year; no phone call; no email traffic; no Facebook. Nothing. Think he is mad at me. Or maybe embarrassed.

Family. Why do they bother us so? Why are our hackles so easily disturbed by what a family member does, or doesn’t do, or says or doesn’t say? Hmmmmmm? I think this is an age-old problem that will be with us to the end of time.

The real issue is what we do about it. If we remain available, that’s good. If we return the animosity, that’s not good. And although I have tried middle points of reconnection, those haven’t worked either. So I am at the point of saying: “It’s your problem not mine. Deal with it.” Then just drop it. If they want to be in my life, they will decide the if and when.  Fine.  Dandy.

Now, friends. They connect with us where we live. They see what we go through and how we fare with it. They note our failures but stick by us until we turn right-side up again! They are there with knowledge, caring and long-term commitment. What a treasure! 

And the coming in and going out of our lives. Friends do that. We or they need our connection at a specific time. That need changes. Our lives change. We don’t see them for a while, or never again. It’s OK. It’s normal. We miss them. But not enough to rekindle the relationship. That’s not harsh. It is a two way street. They could rekindle, too but they don’t. Drifting apart does happen. It occurs over time. It is a natural process. I need not obsess over it!

Maybe family members don’t allow the drifting to take place? Instead they become short tempered, grumpy and opinionated? Maybe it’s a good thing family members take time-outs from time to time. Hmm. I hadn’t thought about that before. I’ve always felt I was the one who worked at keeping communication channels open. I think it must be their turn now!

I’ll keep you posted if this changes. Meanwhile, perhaps you could share a story or two along these lines?

March 24, 2012

Ignorance and its Price

Quote from Isaac Asimov: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”

Zowie! Think on those words. Let them sink in. Before you make any conclusions, think also on this: Asimov was born in 1920 and died in 1992. He was an American, an immigrant who wrote 500 books covering a broad range of intellectual inquiry. He was often considered a scientist but also wrote entertaining novels, mysteries and scientific essays. Prolific writing in an abundant life.  

It is hard work to study, consider myriad inputs, come to an understanding on how something works; whether that something is simple or complex, piecing together a solid understanding takes time, wonderment, research, testing hypotheses and making conclusions. Then sharing the conclusions. So others might benefit from them, or correct an overlooked error. Improve on the idea. Press forward to an even broader grasp of the subject matter and how it works on other areas of life and thinking. Hard work. Indeed. 

But ignorance is easy. Not cheap! Ignorance allows many mistakes to happen. So much damage to repair and things to replace. All stemming from ignorance. So easy maybe; cheap no. 

Isaac Asimov understood that. He delved into some of the most complex puzzles of our time. He learned to laugh and joke about them. He got up close and personal with them, nudged them, even poked them. Got familiar with the puzzles. Wondered about them; fed his curiosity until he began to form answers. Answers that helped explain the puzzles and make them work for our benefit. 

Sometimes the simple idea is its own answer. But rarely is it universal in application. Life is more complex than that. That’s where work comes into play. And inquisitiveness. The process. Inventing. Research. Trying out and changing conclusions. All leading to understanding. That leads to more understanding. And new ideas and more invention. 

Process. It takes patience and discipline. It takes openness to varying inputs. It requires and feeds on a hunger for knowing, understanding. Thank God there are people who love this challenge. They are special. They bring such richness to the rest of us.  

To those not interested in this work, it’s OK; just don’t denigrate it. 

There are those who don’t trust this work. They don’t understand it so they mistrust it. They may even feel that such work fulfills a secret agenda or sneaky ends. This is generally what is termed ‘anti-intellectualism.’ Simply put, it is being against the effort to understand an unknown because we don’t know the persons involved or their motives.

Pity. They throw the baby out with the bath water. Because they didn’t see the baby in the murky waste water. The work to perceive is difficult; it takes concentration and time. It is work. Some avoid it at their peril. 

As do we all in our nation if we allow laziness to become a barrier to understanding or comprehending larger ideas. We need those ideas to survive and prosper. We need innovation and problem solving. If we simplify too much, we lose what is important. We lose the baby; the dirty water is gone but so is the object we were caring for!

Like economics. Like energy prices. Like job creation. Like the high cost of arts education with so little reward (not!).  

These things rarely are as simple as we make them out to be. Energy is costly for two reasons: it is scarce but we need it; and it is often costly to produce. Both are needed in the equation to understand it. But scarcity also requires us to consider alternatives that would then alter the supply side of the price equation. Reduce the need for a particular energy source, and its price goes down. Move the need to another energy source. Keep doing this until we create an affordable equilibrium of supply and demand. Simply focusing on supply of one energy source only bids up the cost.

‘Drill baby drill’ is not the answer to high gasoline prices. Drive less. Exercise more. Use different fuels. Improve efficiency of fuel using devices. Those all affect demand. And improve remaining supplies. 

Oil is finite. Its supply is dwindling. As supply becomes more dear, prices rise. As threats to producing oil increase, fear of shortages affect the psychology of price. And price rises.  

This process broadens the problem and provides more options to solve it. That’s an intellectual process. We need it; more of it. And we need to appreciate it. Because it will find answers that the opposite view is blind to. Because that simple-ness or laziness hides the work that needs to be done.

If we could leave it at that we’d be OK; but we can’t. The fools have glorified their laziness into a right and political ideal. Ludicrous? Yes. But also a shame.

March 23, 2012

Marking an Anniversary

March 21 was the 6^th year of my sobriety. It feels good. It feels right.

 

My mind is clearer and more focused on things that matter rather than avoiding things that bothered me. No need to go into all of that. It would be boring, I promise you! Besides most of us in Alcoholics Anonymous don’t give up anonymity lightly. For me, I do. Anonymity can get in the way of my accountability to others: family, co-workers, friends and neighbors. It is not that I need others to celebrate my sobriety, but that others know the effort to remain sober is mine to do. Should I fail, that is on me, not others. So I enlist others only as witness to my continuing effort to remain sober.

This gives me freedom to explore other dimensions of life and to participate as fully as possible. That’s where the business of life resides. The experiences we amass living life openly and honestly are the ones that teach and benefit us richly. Pressures and stress remain, of course; but they are better handled sober. That alone allows the experience to be better understood.

This year I noted my sixth year of non-smoking; the date was January 1. Kicking smoking taught me I could do so; it gave me courage to address the drinking problem. And I did.

Being gay doesn’t have an anniversary date. I just am gay. Was born this way. Had inklings of it at an early age (5 or 6 years old) without understanding what it meant. Had more feelings of difference at 12, 13 and 14. Began to realize the patterns of doubt and finally gave it a name (am I a homosexual?) during my teens. Didn’t do anything about it. Waited for college to maybe find some conclusions.

Didn’t want to be gay. Scared to death. Met a wonderful woman; fell in love, got married and had a family. Those were good things in life. They were wonderment. But they were also filled with angst and tensions. I didn’t know the cause but by the age of 37 I finally admitted to myself that I was gay and it was OK. I gave myself permission to be me. This was not selfish; but it was a profound conclusion.

 

What followed was 13 years of more family life, career building and the swirl of everyday life that engulfs most people. By the age of 50, however, my wife and I knew the marriage was over. She needed to move on. So did I.

My daughter was a fresh college grad as we moved from the family home to two separate dwellings. Ann’s was a temporarily leased condo nearby while mine was a 3 bedroom townhome in which the kids, dogs, and cats could make a home. Our son was in college and stayed with me for several years through grad school. Our daughter found her first job and apartment in the fall of that year and so our household shrank by one adult, one cat, and one car.  

I continued my consulting career, a year later formed my own consulting practice, and explored community life. I also explored what it meant to be gay. Not an easy agenda! But one that needed to be addressed.

Along the way I got involved in our homeowners association, local chamber of commerce and eventually ran for and won a seat on the city council. These pressures built and I think led me to the drinking problem. I was living in a glass house without any experience. Shy, raw and lots of good intentions; but very, very exposed.

It took six years to work myself into an alcoholic haze. It took a few months of hard work to kick the addiction. And it has taken an additional six years of work and attention to detail to keep the addiction at bay. Meanwhile AA provides the community and fellowship that enables a healthy life. It exposes me to people in need of help. That reminds me of my past struggles. Helping them helps me. And so the saga lives on through others.

Perhaps this telling of my ‘story’ underscores why I’m such a devotee of ‘community.’ I feel it is magical. Community has the shared experience of survival. It contains the tools and the nutrients for maintaining a healthy life. And hopes and dreams are there also; not just mine, but those of others as well. Those hopes and dreams are not so different from one another. They speak of our commonality. It becomes a basis of trust and hope. 

Maybe that’s what anniversaries are for: taking stock of important dates in our lives spent together. Both the good and the bad.

March 22, 2012

Election Judge Duty

Yesterday was the primary election day in Illinois. I served as an election judge at one of the local precincts. It was a grueling day for the polling staff: set up the polling site Monday evening, 2 hours; do final set up at 5:30 am on election day; open polls at 6 am; close polls at 7 pm; laboriously close down the operations, ensure ballot security, run the computer tallies, and transport the secure items to the Election Commission; finished by 9 pm.

This is but a small part of what goes on behind the scenes of a polling site. The day-long stream of voters, sometimes in bunches, often stretched out thinly through many hours, gives witness to American democracy in action at the most basic level. We see people who are unfamiliar with the process while others confidently perform their duty with practiced certainty. Some express confusion with the ballot wording. Others bristle with their voting intentions. Throughout it all the staff can only wonder with what knowledge and intentionality the voters are exercising their right to vote.

A mystery, but a healthy one. It is not ours to determine what is right. It is only our job to make certain the process is open and works efficiently, confidentially and accessibly. That is the spirit of American democracy. That is our form of governance.

During a primary election, three options are open to the voter. Ballot selection calls for selecting a Republican, Democrat or non-partisan ballot. The voter only casts votes for those people or propositions that affect everyone or just that party’s selection of slated candidates. In our county there are a few Democrats, a lot of Republicans. The process is pretty simple. And direct.

In the fall the every-four-year presidential election is scheduled. That will be more demanding and frenetic. The lead-up will be a bit noisy. But one wonders if it will match the temper and clangor of the primary season this year?

By the end of the day our polling site tallied 395 voters out of 1660 eligible and on the rolls. Adding in early voters and absentee ballots, our numbers exceeded 415, or 25% of the voters participating. This is considered a good turnout in a primary election. The fall election will draw a larger voter participation.

This was my third election as an election judge, the first serving in my own precinct. The day brought a lot of friends and acquaintances through the doors. Maybe 30% either knew me or I them. It was much more fun than I had anticipated. Drudgery eased into pleasure. And the hours slipped away smoothly.

All in all a good experience observing American democracy in action. It went well and smoothly. And politely. As it should.

March 21, 2012

Building Bridges and Community

Well, it’s not easy. Wanting good things to happen in the community is one thing, but working through opposing forces is something entirely different. Then again, you have to do the latter to gain the former.

You know what I’m talking about. A community program or project goes off like clockwork, but a day or two later you hear grumbling about it; someone is not happy. Maybe it’s because the target group helped is Hispanic; why not whites? Or Blacks? Or maybe the program featured performers from Chicago; why not DuPage County, or even our own town? Or, why are we helping people who should have managed their own lives better so they don’t need help from others?

An editorial pointing out basic, local needs is countered with “not in my backyard,” or “is this the proper role of government? Why don’t private charities take care of this?” Maybe it’s this complaint: “Someone’s always helping someone else; when will they get around to me?”

You get the idea. What one person or group thinks is good, someone else thinks just the opposite. How can neighbors or fellow townspeople feel so differently? And does their opposition figure elsewhere in community life?

Being different than others is part of life. Feeling and thinking differently is the basis of diversity. It makes the world go around, maybe even more so than love! And yes, opposing opinions easily complicate life throughout a community. Just walk into the local coffee shop and listen to the gossip, or over exaggerated claims between two debaters! Some of these chats become downright hostile, and in a flash!

How do we get past this? How do we make openings among people that will lead to productive discussions and maybe, just maybe, an altered point of view, of understanding an issue in a fresh way? Can these opportunities be helped along? Can we be part of that healthy change?

I think yes. Let me share a story that is still unfolding.

Received a complaint that our local paper didn’t include an article about an event sponsored by the local chamber of commerce. The individual organizing the event also sits with me on the chamber board of directors. He felt that I, as editor of the paper, should have ensured his event space in the paper.

My immediate reaction: we did not get a press release or photo of the event so had no official notice to pursue. Also, publicity for the event, either before or after, should have been the task of the chamber staff. Finally, the newspaper has provided the chamber with column space for every issue; a column that is written by them and edited by the paper only for typos and syntax. The chamber did not submit copy for the issue in question.

Turns out the complainer apologized to the paper and concluded the problem rests with the chamber; but went on to state he has problems with the newspaper’s content and has suggestions for us. My reaction was just that, a reaction. And I turned down his offer to meet over coffee to discuss these matters genially. I counter offered: send written observations and suggestions to me by email and I will share with our newspaper team for follow up.

Sleeping on these matters I realized I had missed an opportunity to build an important bridge to a part of the community of which I have little contact. If the paper is to fully represent the community it needs knowledge and/or representation of the entire community.  In church that morning I continued thinking on the matter and worked at finding a constructive resolution.

When I returned home I sent a group email to the newspaper’s management team and shared with them the entire matter. I asked for their help in determining what we should and could do. I also wrote an outline of how we could include input from all segments of the community in a constructive process. They liked the approach. It was transparent and bold. It was inclusive. It was everything we claim to be: of, for and by the community.

[Reminder: our newspaper is a totally free, all-volunteer operation. It fills a void in public communication in our community. As such the Village Chronicles (Warrenville, Ill.) is, and has pursued a unique business model. It is non-profit. It is all-volunteer. There are no ‘owners’ of the enterprise. It has few assets and the volunteer corps now numbers 28 people who write, edit, sell ads, layout and promote the newspaper as an independent, community voice. This may be the only way small communities will have a paper in the future.]

With their approval I wrote an apology to the complainer and offered to meet with him and our team to discuss openly and constructively his ideas and suggestions. I shared with him my document of transparency and suggestion for community input.

We await an answer to our offer and have yet to schedule a meeting with the person. I will share with you here how this unfolds and whether we think this approach will work.

It is important to state that our team is well represented throughout the community. We hear things and know developments that keep us well informed. We do not discourage people who feel differently from us. We are not political. People who do not agree with what we report are free to write letters to the editor, author guest columns and do the same on our website. For the most part they have not spoken. We assume that we are speaking the mind of the community. And we have openly invited others to join that voice. If that voice is not being heard we are unaware of it.

Building and maintaining community takes effort. It also means active bridge building among those who perceive things differently. The effort to build common understanding and shared tasks results in stronger community. At least that is the theory. We shall see if our efforts have that effect.

March 20, 2012

Building Community Capability

Vibrant communities are successful. They are healthy places in which to live and prosper. They attract new people and empower and nurture most residents over time.

From my experience and reading, healthy communities include these traits:

• Care – about what goes on around you
• Communicate – tell others what you know; ask others what they know
• Trust – get to know others around you; trust who and what they are; you’ll earn the same
• Share – spread your blessings to others; be willing to receive them, too
• Collaborate – work with others to solve problems or accomplish common tasks
• Cooperate – rely on others to pitch in; do the same
• Innovate – combine ideas & passions; create new solutions, processes, products
• Monitor – inspect what you expect; revise operations for better results
• Celebrate – take notice of success and give thanks

I wonder how many communities could become vastly better if they worked on each of the above components? Might this be a good task to share with others in your community? Assess how your town measures up? Build an agenda for improvement?

Let me know what you think.  We can share thoughts here and work on this together.

March 19, 2012

Class Warfare?

Bernie Sanders is the independent US Senator from Vermont. He is 71 years old, served as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont (8 years), congressman for 16 years, and now senator since January 2007. He is a logical, sensible person dedicated to public service. 

Recently he said: “They talk about class warfare – the fact of the matter is there has been class warfare for the last thirty years. It’s a handful of billionaires taking on the entire middle-class and working-class of this country. And the result is you now have in America the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on Earth and the worst inequality in America since 1928. How could anybody defend the top 400 richest people in this country owning more wealth than the bottom half of America, 150 million people?” 

I’m not sure I agree with everything Senator Sanders stated, but I do agree that if there is class warfare being waged, it is done so at the risk of damaging our nation. A strong standard of living – a high quality of life – for all Americans is a good goal for us to aim for. Not everyone will benefit equally or at the same time. But the yearning should be encouraged, and the access to a healthy future should be maintained. That is the promise of America! 

The issue of class distinction comes into play when someone feels threatened. The rich may feel that someone wants to take something away from them. On the opposite end, the poor ask for help. Strictly speaking this is not class warfare. Not unless someone is being denied access to their dream. I don’t see that happening. The distribution of wealth is highly imbalanced currently, and the distribution of incomes is similarly out of balance. 

To support a family of 4 used to take $40,000 per year. Inflation and rising cost of education and housing ballooned that figure to nearly $100,000 annually. While housing and education expenses were rising, so too were health costs. Soaring health costs, in actual drug, doctor and hospital expenses out of pocket, as well as breath taking increases in health insurance premiums. Then, challenged employers began sharing their health insurance costs with their employees and the premiums escalated again. 

Clearly, supporting a family of 4 was exceeding $100,000 per year if the family was not going to rely heavily on public programs and subsidies. Thus two incomes became the necessity; mom and dad both worked. It was the new normal and that began 30 years ago. Still, mom could drop in and out of the employment market as family needs changed. But 7 or 10 years ago, that drop-in/drop-out pattern became a luxury; now long-term employment and career patterns are the norm and required if the family is to be self-sustaining.

Day care needs exploded. A whole new industry of early childhood education and child care sprang up. Subsidized where needed, but supported none the less by a society hell-bent on employing every man and woman capable of holding a job. Our economy was expanding and going global. More workers, more hours, more commuting, more cars, bigger houses, more home care workers (health, child care, adult care and cleaning/maintenance services) flooded the market. 

Then the housing market collapse. Too many people wanted it all too quickly, and the banks and investors were only too happy to oblige with mortgages and construction loans. Too much, too fast, on too shaky a foundation. And the whole house of cards collapsed. Four years later we are still picking up the pieces. No one wanted to take the blame. No one wanted to be denied access to the American Dream. No one wanted to pay for the repair job once it came crashing down. 

But fix it we must. You and I. And every government agency capable of lending a hand. With money, or words, or whatever. The fix has to be made. Now. Not later. 

The rich are still getting richer. This is Spring 2012. The recession began in 2007. The poor are getting poorer. The retirees are slumping toward poverty. National health costs continue to rise. The crisis of all citizens continues. 

Oh, things are improving. The economic crisis appears to be abating; major problems still exist, but they are lessening. We are making progress toward a return to employment, creation of new industries, the demise of old obsolete industries, a rebalancing of housing needs with housing dreams, a more realistic expectation of quality of life and income to support it.  

All in all we are back on the road to recovery. But what kind of society will emerge at the ‘end of this road’? Will we be a loving and caring nation willing to lend a hand to all of our neighbors? Or will we be a selfish, greedy nation only interested in what it means to me? The latter is what got us into this mess in the first place. Please, let us not continue that low denominator of human nature! 

Class warfare? I need a clean, stable home to live in.  I need a neighborhood with kind and considerate people living close by. I want to lend them a hand from time to time. I hope they can return that favor as needed. I want a community that has dynamic aspirations but a large heart as well. I hope for education and health outlets that keep us alert and healthy and involved with one another. 

That’s not class warfare. That’s building an America we long felt we had, long yearned to keep and yet to improve upon. Are we so morally bankrupt that we will make this a political war cry?

I don’t want what you have. I want what we can all prosper by. Happily so. As best we can. Not utopia. But possibility and self reliance and a community hunger for togetherness. That’s the America I was born into and raised in. I still yearn for this.

Class warfare or class act? Which will it be for America?

March 18, 2012

 

Life Chapters

Childhood. Adolescence. Early adult. Early married, then long-term married phase. Possibly a divorce chapter, and a second marriage? Parenthood followed by empty nest period. Pre-retirement chapter. Retirement. Post retirement. Health decline. Death.

Are all the chapters covered? Have any been missed? Maybe variations on a theme like multiple marriages, or remarriage to the same partner? Or serial divorces? And multiple children by different life partners? Maybe a gay relationship thrown in for extra interest? 

And other avenues of life development: defining a career interest; getting along in a diverse global community; rediscovering core talents and yearnings; redefining career; mid-life crisis, or crises; serious illnesses of child; dealing with handicaps of children or spouse; seeking the meaning of life; the role of spirituality in my life; and the list goes on with each of these special themes or circumstances.

These chapters we each must cope with. We do so with varying stages of preparation, including none at all! We travel these bumpy roads alone or with life partners/spouses, or family and friends. Some of us are blessed with communities or neighborhoods rich with support and nurture. Some folk are on the street, literally; and others figuratively; without a clue as to what to do. 

Now that we have listed the chapters what are we to do with them? Do we live intentionally in each chapter? Who do we include in this work? Do we do it alone, or do we openly explore the chapter and embrace a wider group of significant others?  

Most of us ‘follow the leader’; we watch our peers. We seek marginal guidance from parents, teachers, other people who we think have gone through it before us, so should know. We are shy about asking for help. We don’t want to look like a dork. We absorb the surrounding culture and experience the new chapter. It unfolds. Along the way we make mistakes. We learn from those goofs. We begin to realize the potentials, the opportunities, the fun, the bad. We live and learn. Not perfectly. But the task gets done little by little. 

Maturing year by year we begin to seek security or expected developments. We try to prepare ourselves for what comes next. So we get married, develop an intimate, lasting relationship with our spouse, or do the best we can! This too is an experiment. No one taught us what to do; no one certified the right approach. We watched friends and family deal with these same issues and hoped to mimic their progress. Some of this we knew was not on target; but we did the best we could, just like they had. 

And so it goes. Until friends or family members, or our own kids, appeared to need help. We gave them our hand for stability, then an open ear to listen, and finally some words of advice. We were there to help them cope. To help them learn and deal with their new life chapters in a healthy and constructive manner. We gave/give them help that maybe we didn’t get in full measure when we needed it? We want it better for them; now and in the future. Decency. Happiness. Building toward the future. Giving strength and support. Doing the right thing. Because we can! 

The agencies, churches, government programs (both local and national),…all have been created to help each generation through the human experience. It is a good thing to do. It is healthy work. And it means so much more when we share good things with other people.  

How do we measure success with this work? What are the outcomes? Let’s think up a few. Doing this we will see how far we have come, and how very far we have yet to go! Things like:

• Graduation rates from high school
• Growing percent of population enrolling in higher or vocational education
• Increasing graduation rates from post secondary education
• Falling divorce rate over time
• Declining childhood death rates
• Strong career employment trends
• Growing home ownership statistics
• Declining rates of juvenile court cases, prison time
• Healthy schools and healthy communities measured, understood

There are more items we could list. But these are good for starters. “Early childhood intervention of people at risk” might be a phrase or term that describes the work that is needed. This involves families having access to counselors and programs that jump in and help when help is needed. Does your community have these programs? Do your churches band together and make sure this work is done and made available to a growing clientele who would benefit from it? Does your city or county care enough to have programs in these areas? If not, you have work to do. Not alone, but with many others who also care about these things. 

How do we make a difference? How will we measure up to the demands placed on us? First as a person who has to struggle with these life chapters – just like everyone else – but also as a helper, teacher, shoulder to cry on. This work is ours to do. It teaches us the same lessons we are helping others learn. It is part and parcel of the same thing. 

We do this together; not alone. Will the future chapters of our lives be what we hope them to be? How do we make sure our expectations will be met? 

Past – present – future…they are constantly with each of us whether we realize it at the appropriate time, or eventually, or never. These are our growth rings in the tree of life! Are they irregularly spaced, or densely packed? How much of this did we do alone? How much with the help of others? Many others? 

Thanksgiving Day is everyday or can be.

March 17, 2012

Housing Alternatives

I know we have tons of unused home inventory. Empty and foreclosed. Foreclosed and still occupied because both the residents and the mortgage holders have no where to go. Still new homes are built because buyers go where they need to go and that is not always where the inventory is. 

Too, what a buyer needs in layout and features is not always available in existing housing stock. They need customized features: access for physical disabilities, wider doors for wheelchair access, single floor homes or multi story with elevator, specialized bathrooms to fit specific needs, number of bedrooms to accommodate the family’s size, etc. 

Now add the need for multi-generations. Either the kids are returning to the parents’ homestead, or parents are sharing living space at the kids’ home. Sometimes it is elderly aunts and uncles, or brothers and sisters with financial or health problems. Any way the issue is phrased, more flexible housing options are needed.

Another dimension to the problem: empty homes often cause blight to a neighborhood. What do we do with these homes? How do we sensibly absorb these properties in a way that respects the property and the neighborhood, yet provides housing opportunities to those with needs? 

Yet another dimension of the problem: economic dislocation of young and old populations caught between careers or at the end of a career. These are people who do not have adequate employment to cover housing costs for the family. The re-pricing of wages and benefits has pulled the rug out from under these families and their homes were repossessed. How can we hold these families together with dignity and nurture to find new opportunities for future success and self sufficiency? 

What about the citizens who have experienced major health problems and costs, lost their nest eggs, and their retirement benefits, and now face loss of homes? 

The problem outlined above is huge. It is not easily solved. Not by government, nor industries – banking, mortgage, construction, to name a few – nor by communities alone. Yet, strangely, it is the community that is most likely the entity best qualified to lead the way in solving the problem. They cannot do it alone; they will need support along the way from investors, government agencies, charities, churches and neighbors.  Here’s how I envision it:

·         Neighborhoods are organic. They rely on interactions of people living in close proximity to one another. Their lives interleave with one another in schooling, child rearing, dramas of illness and death, injury and career success, well-being and the many changes over time. They know each other. Their well-being matters, as does ours with them.

·         Communities are grids of neighborhoods interconnected organically. The neighborhoods come together to form church parishes, school attendance areas, and shopping patterns. Shared errands tie families together the same way as school classmates do; they bump into each other in the routine compartments of their lives. Our life boundaries change, shift and grow over the years. These define not only who I am, but who we are.

·         Homes define neighborhoods. Their aspirations, their accomplishments, their tastes, their people. Cute, neighborly, spacious, modest or grand.

·         Neighbors and communities know each other’s needs. We are not islands living separate lives, but living in modified communal collections throughout the village. We know when someone is sick and needs a visit or a casserole. We know when divorce has challenged the family with child care during the day when the only bread earner is out and about earning the bacon. We know who needs help and how to do that.

·         Housing is a core need for a family. We take it for granted during good times, and we have had unheralded good times for generations now. Current conditions belie that peace. Our communities and neighborhoods are in turmoil. We have work to do. 

Close knit communities have a lot going for them. They know themselves, their people, their needs, their potential and their resources. Pulling them all together will be easier for the community than for an outsider. 

Here’s how an action plan could come together. The components need to be identified.

1. Who are the stakeholders that can provide leadership?
1. Citizenry
2. Municipal governments
3. Local charities and service organizations
4. Churches
5. County and State programs
6. Federal programs
2. Who are the citizens in need? Categorize them broadly as target markets or groups
1. Single parent families
2. Low income/unemployed/underemployed
3. Elder retired/low fixed income
4. Other?
3. What housing stock is available?
1. Multiple family units
2. Apartment units
3. Condominium units
4. Single family units
4. Where is this housing stock located?
1. Block and street
2. Zones or areas
3. Proximity to target groups with needs?
5. How diverse is the housing stock by zone or area? (mixed use, large/small, etc.)
6. List household needs other than housing
1. Income
2. Child care
3. Adult day care
4. Tutoring/education
5. Other?

A leadership group needs to be identified to process all of the above. The possibilities and options for the future need to be brainstormed and listed. Choosing which options to pursue and in what priority order is an early step in organizing the program.

The next big step is studying the component parts of the problems and gathering information and expertise. As this work progresses the programmatic elements begin to take shape. Around each of those programs an organizing team needs to be recruited and asked to determine how and if the program can be organized and inaugurated.

As each program proposal takes substantive form, the leadership group needs to determine which programs should be created first, and which building blocks need to be acquired to make them all work together and be successful for the long term objectives.

Funding resources will need examination and research. Working partners interested in performing the work will need to be recruited. The research and study of the program elements outlined earlier will help in this stage of the work.

The end result hoped for? A community housing program that helps the community manage toward healthy outcomes for quality of life for its citizens, housing patterns, and diverse housing stock.

Affordable and self-sustaining housing is a core issue for healthy communities. How well are we managing this important aspect of community life in the America of 2012?

March 16, 2012