Happy Halloween!

Boo!  Much to think and cringe about today. To get us started is Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame:

“Republicans: the number 1 reason the rest of the world thinks we’re deaf, dumb and dangerous.”

And the rest of the world is right in thinking so! Americans have allowed idle thoughts and actions to take a toll on our national functioning and reputation. The world has it right; we don’t. Republicans have the right to think as they will; they do not have the right to get away with senseless actions that hurt our nation.

Here’s another topic:

            “Prayer was never banned form our public schools.

 In fact, the courts have repeatedly upheld the right of student prayer. (It just can’t be led in any way or required by the school.)

We trust our teachers to provide education, not indoctrination.”

Religion is a freedom. Let’s keep it that way!” – Author Unknown

I remember getting used to Massachusetts public schools when I was a new resident from California at age 11. We were required to recite the Lord’s Prayer every morning at the beginning of the day. Trouble was, most students were Roman Catholic and said a shortened prayer compared to Protestants. The RC’s laughed at us and talked through our prayer ending disrespectfully. This was a constant feature of school prayer in those days in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As native Californians we had never been exposed to this type of discrimination before! We well appreciated the Supreme Court ruling restricting such practices.

Thomas Paine offered this thought a few centuries ago:

“To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.”

Useless. Futile. Talking to the wall. Stubborn people who think not and do not open their minds to differing opinions are a scourge among us. Worthy of a Halloween Boo as we enter this holiday of All Saints Day. Scary how some wander their journey’s path.

As you go to work today, or as you return home from another day’s labor, think upon this statement from Living Blue in a Red State:

“If people earning minimum wage need welfare and food stamps to get by, they aren't the takers; the companies employing them are.”

A good reminder each day we begin our work! We earn our keep. We pay our way. If we are asked to pay more than what we earn, then something is wrong with the employer establishment. Might it be unfairly favored by the government establishment?  One wonders.

In closing this blog of potential nightmares we all face day after day, here’s an anonymous classic:

“Entitlements? I paid cash for my Social Security insurance. Our benefits are NOT some kind of charity or handout! Congressional benefits…premium federal healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days! – Now THAT’s Welfare!  And they have the nerve to call my retirement an entitlement???

I think all elected officials of the federal government ought to live on the same benefits the rest of us do. Now that’s equality and justice; for all!

Boo to them!

October 31, 2013

Doing Right

I once worked for a fellow who was often quoted as saying:

            “Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do!”

Most of us would scratch our heads and say, OK! But being young, in our 20’s, we usually waved off his comment and being sort of self evident.

Then life’s lessons happened. Doing the right thing is not always easy to do even when it is as apparent as the sun in the sky! Many times what seemed to be the right thing to do was avoided by doing what I could get away with. But soon after I knew in my bones that I could have done more.

With accumulating guilt I finally resolved to make it right if I could, but certainly try to do the right thing in the future whenever I had the opportunity to do so. Those gifts of chance are not always evident; it takes paying attention to spot them.

So, there it is: Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. And it is much easier in the long run as well.

The author of the quote is/was W. Clement Stone, an entrepreneur and successful businessman. He made a lot of money doing the right thing. And he shared his success formula with millions of people.  Why? Because it was the right thing to do! He was generous, a philanthropist, and dedicated to finding ways of helping people. He did this to motivate them, to spread the good news of positive thinking.

Yes, W. Clement Stone was a PMA guru, that’s Positive Mental Attitude! He associated with a number of other PMA-ers like Norman Vincent Peale and Napoleon Hill. He shared his viewpoint, positive thoughts and wealth with the world. His philosophy was simple: do the right thing and others will do the same. That would produce a society of doers and happy people.

Two things I remember personally about Mr. Stone.  First, he taught me to get out of bed each morning with a bounding motion (not always easy to do!) and state the following words: “I feel healthy; I feel happy; I feel terrific!” Usually I would feel those things.

The second thing was something he said to me as I left his company’s employment to work for the University of Illinois – Chicago. He said this: “Spread the word to the students that you learned here at the company; and if I can help change their lives, just let me know.”

Of course he helped simply by spreading the word of PMA. So much of our lives are firmly attached to attitude. We can accomplish great things if we simply try. It helps to believe we can, too! Often the can-do comes after the belief alone!

Although W. Clement Stone and Eleanor Roosevelt were on opposite sides of the political spectrum, they shared similar attitudes of positivism.  In closing, here’s a quote from Mrs. Roosevelt that may serve you well in coming years:

            “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.”

You’ll feel better doing so; others will not.  Think about it!

October 30, 2013

Housing Complexity

'You ought to write a book!' We have all heard that statement or read it hundreds of times. I understand why people say it. Pretty simple, really: a topic is so complex and tangled that it will take a long explanation to understand what happened and why.

These days we could write a book about a lot of topics. Unemployment and long years of underemployment that follow. Career changes that seemingly don’t make sense but income is needed to pay bills and support families. So we do things we normally wouldn't, take jobs we normally wouldn't, and slug along in jobs and routines we definitely don’t want.

Some days we awake to the question: “How did I get here?” and the equally numbing question: “How do I get from here to where I want to be?”

That’s when a book might be needed to not only understand the how and why, but also how delicately the needle needs to be thread if we are to turn a corner toward happiness.

How does the economy work? That’s a knotty question that requires books to understand. Which economy are you talking about? The one in your household? Or the one at work? Or the city’s, the state’s or the nation? What about the global economy as long as we are talking of these things!~

Well to cover these areas a lot of books carefully selected as to the exact identity of each economy to be addressed is needed. There is no other way. The matters are simply too complex. That doesn't stop shallow people from making erroneous conclusions and statements. You know them well on newscasts, from newspapers and magazines, even from books! They make statements that do not agree with economic theory and process. Political hay is made from this. Much confusion follows.  Yes; it will take books and patience and research and careful study to understand what is true and what is not.

Meantime fools make a mess of the public’s understanding of these issues. It’s a real shame.

So too are other topics messy.  Housing is one. An open market rules much of housing options each of us make. But the market is multiple – many different markets, and each with their own circumstances, dynamics and market pressures. Then government regulations are tossed in to make those markets even more complicated.

Trouble is there are people getting hurt in those markets. Perfectly normal people – young and old, families and singles, women and men, rich and poor, handicapped and well-bodied – oh the list of differences goes on and on.

Perhaps it would help to understand some of these housing topics by peering into how most of us acquire housing, sort of like HGTV’s House Hunters program! We watch the experience of countless people buying their homes, for the first time, for vacation homes, for retirement purposes, both domestic and international purchases…and even rentals. These video snippets help us understand the complexities of finding housing options that fit each person. Some of the complexity surrounds the issue of need versus want, affordability, conditions, locations and family mobility.

As people’s lives shift and change from one phase to another – early adult single seeking first apartment or home, young married seeking first home with growth potential to house a growing family, empty-nesters seeking downsized spaces, elders seeking retirement homes – each of these life phases contain challenges to be managed. And planned for. And disasters unplanned but readily implanted in unsuspecting lives.

Each of these circumstances makes finding the proper home more complex. With ample money many of these problems disappear. The process remains filled with options to be decided, but still not a challenge of do-ability. Money makes many of these problems dissolve.

But for those with budget problems, the housing process becomes challenging.

We are in the elder phase of life. We have health issues to manage. They are manageable but they pose expense concerns, narrower housing options (one-floor living, avoidance of stairs, altitude restrictions). Then too, elder housing needs to be convenient to medical services, shopping, transportation and other public services. The social environment is also an ingredient to the mix of options to consider. As well is this usually muted question: what about final housing options? Will this be our last home? Will we be able to move easily to assisted living, hospice care and the funeral home with as little difficulty as possible?

What range of housing options exist for our aging population? How many of those options are readily available in your community? Are there apartments designed for aging occupants? Are there buildings with mobility standards included in their design? What about affordable options for elders living on fixed incomes, those who have shattered retirement budgets, people ravaged by failing economies and health at the same time? What about those who planned but not well enough? Or those who planned well but were waylaid by circumstances unforeseen?

Finally, what responsibility, if any, does a community have to ensure such options exist within their borders?

I have asked these questions of my community for several years. Most people are totally unaware of these questions. They prefer to ignore them. They prefer someone else think of them and plan for them. They don’t get the connection between themselves and their community. And the long term health of the community based on this type of questions.

Well I suggest we all start paying attention. Here’s why: if we don’t plan sensibly for housing options for each of our population segments, we surely will exclude those people from our lives at a time we ought not to.

Here’s an example of what I mean: 14 to 15% of our population are people 65 years of age and older. What do these folks mean to our communities? If they were excluded from our midst, what would we be missing?

For one we would miss their volunteer hours and time. Working citizens don’t have the schedule freedom to support countless projects, church programs and charities in our town. So retired people fill this important role.

Senior citizens also have lifetime experience in many arenas. They are available to share those experiences with younger people as we manage the life of the community. This goes to the heart of our democratic process as well, making public policies, and enriching the ideas included in that process.

Senior citizens represent generational enrichment. Lacking a fair representation of them in our population cheats our kids and ourselves of their influence in our lives.

This list could go on. And it does.

We exclude people from our lives at a cost to our quality of life. It is right and proper to include people of all ages in our midst so we do not create artificial ghettos of aging people, or young people, in our communities.

That would be a shame. So now, do we need a book written to understand this issue? Or can we dispense with that and get down to solving some problems that will grow ever large as our society ages and our housing markets fail to keep up?

Something to think about.  But when will we?

October 29, 2013  

Want, Need or Can?

The other day a fellow was telling me what he needed. As it turned out it wasn't; what he really was speaking of were his wants.  He wanted the better car, or nicer home, or latest sound equipment. He didn't need it in truth. He had a good car, a comfortable home, adequate stereo system.

As commercials came on during the newscast, he pointed out a new TV he wanted.  “Now I can truly enjoy that if I had one,” he said. I indicated his current TV and reported it was serving him well; great picture; good sound; quite adequate picture size. He scoffed. “But the new flat screen is bigger, takes up much less space and has a better picture,” he claimed.

All true. The newer product has features that are new and improved from his current TV model. In itself, however, that does not define a need.  Just a want.

In another setting I was talking with a young man who struggled with a career decision. He could earn more money by making a job change but he wasn't sure he liked the duties of the new job. It would mean longer hours, a struggle to learn the new ropes and get along with a whole new set of people. The changes he needed to embrace were keeping him from making a decision.

The question is: did he need the new job? Did he need the larger income? Or did he merely want it? If so, why did he want it? Did the new job make him feel more valuable? Or did it allow him to live life on a higher level than his current circumstance? Which of these choices served himself and which served to elevate his sense of self in his surroundings? Are either important enough to be a ‘need’ as opposed to a ‘want’?

That question is personal either way. The value of either answer remains a personal matter having meaning only to the individual. No one else defines the appropriate answer.

On another plane we mortals encounter wants, needs and cans. We exercise options all the time although we aren't always aware we are doing so. Perhaps this quote from Workout Healthy sheds some light on what I’m getting at:

            “I didn't have the time, but I made time.

             I didn't have the knowledge, but I did what I knew.

             I didn't have the support, but I learned to support myself.

             I didn't have the confidence, but the confidence came with results.

             I had a lot going against me, but I had enough going for me.

             I had plenty of excuses, but I chose not to use any of them.”

Exercising options. Choice. Making good things happen. Solving a problem in my own life or that of the family, or the neighborhood or community. We do these things because why? Because we see a need to fill? Or is it because someone is hurting and we can make it hurt less? Or is it because we see something we might be able to do something about? Should we attempt it? Can we attempt it? Can we stretch ourselves ~ alone or in a group action?

Ought we to do these things? Must we do these good works?

Lawrence O’Donnell in a recent Last Word on MSN shared this with his audience:

“Frances Perkins was the first female cabinet member (US Secretary of Labor, 1933 to 1945); she ~

            Came up with Social Security,

            The 40-hour work week, and

            Overtime pay.

Your welcome, America.”

She accomplished much during a time of great suffering. She set a new standard of living for the rest of us long before our time. She didn't have to do these things, but she did. Why?

I’m thinking she did them because she could.

Someplace in her private thoughts the sense of ‘can’ arose. She could do something and followed through with appropriate action.

I’ve watched many people labor on in a job they do well but earn marginal income and benefits. They are capable of doing much more, much better. They lack the ‘can’ in their thinking. Once they realize they can do something, everything changes. New jobs open up. Higher incomes result. New horizons appear. The future becomes much larger.

We can each help others see the ‘can’ in their lives. Sometimes it needs just a nudge from us to help another person take a chance on themselves and stretch. They can do this for themselves. We can help them see it and take action. We do this because we can.

We don’t do this because we ought, must or need to. But because we can.

I close with a quote from Maya Angelou:

            “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

October 28, 2013       

Thought for the Day

Aristotle provides our thought to ponder today:

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”

It may appear as three ways to avoid criticism, but actually they are one and the same.

Ponder. Pause. Enjoy the weekend.

October 26, 2013

Basics

Getting back to basics is a worthy task. Let’s see how many we can find this day!

A Facebook site entitled “Setting Women Free from Outdated Society Standards” shares this thought with us today:

“The Republican Party has awakened the sleeping giant. Women. We have tolerated your misogyny, we have been polite, reasonable, and tried to help you understand why you cannot control our bodies. We have received scorn and shame in return. We are the women of the United States of America. We outnumber you, and we will not be silenced. 2014 is coming.”

Bravo! For the life of me I have never understood why half of mankind has allowed them to be so abused. All men have mothers, grandmothers. Most of us have aunts, sisters and mothers in law! How could any man silence any one of them? And why would we males stand silent while our counterparts are marginalized, insulted and lessened in any way?  This is not about gender. It is about justice.

One of my favorite public figures is Bernie Sanders, Independent Vermont Senator who often provides quotable material for this blog!  Here’s another goody:

“Ten of the largest financial institutions are bigger today than they were before we bailed them out.”

Think about that. They were enormous before the bailout and they still are, even more so! Bailouts are bad for whom, you ask? Not for thee evidently!!

The Bully Project shares this Mother Theresa thought with us today:

            “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

Judge. Anger. Resentment. Energy robbing pastimes. Energy robbed from caring and loving the very same people who most likely need it the most.  Mother Theresa had it right; such an extraordinary person!

Kathleen Norris offers this pithy statement:

            “Disconnecting from change does not recapture the past. It loses the future.”

Point on. Change happens. At different rates of speed. Forward AND backward direction. Ignoring change robs us of opportunity. Avoiding change is an attempt to lose the future. Neither works.

Frank Wilczek penned this idea:

“If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.”

Ignoring change, ignoring opportunity to get something accomplished, or doing nothing at all may seem attractive. In time the mistake of these practices appear. When they do, they will seem too large to repair. They very well may be!  Rather, work on the problems now, get the courage and work on the really big ones! You can do it. Together we can do it. We've proved that over and over before. What are we waiting for?

Robert Reich, a prolific public talent and economist states the obvious with this quote:

           

“The issue is not the size of government. The real issue is who the government is working for.”

Indeed. Those crying for smaller government pad their own interests continually. They reap the benefits of lower taxes, cheaper labor and expanded poverty. What they don’t seem to realize is the market shrinkage they are creating for their very own businesses. Short sighted? Worse. Unjust. Counter to all of our national values. Trust one another and work on common goals. Isn't that what government is about?

Bill Moyers reminds us of this fact:

“With the exception of Romania, no developed country has a higher percentage of kids in poverty that we do. Yet the House of Representatives has just cut food stamps for people who don’t have enough money to feed themselves. Listen. That sound you hear is the shredding of the social contract.”

The same goes for arguments to privatize Social Security, do away with Medicare and Medicaid. Please! The social contract is the basic trust we hold for each and every one of us. Damage that and what is left?

Closing today’s blog is this quote from Bernie Sanders:

“Each and every year corporations and the wealthy are avoiding more than $100 billion in US taxes by sheltering their income offshore.”

And this action doesn’t even address the investment those same entities shower on foreign markets annually, investments that do not serve the American people here at home. Global economics is one thing; but for what end?

A basic question begging a basic answer. But who is paying attention?

October 25, 2013

Making Sense of the GOP

I know this is  partisan blog today. Some of you need to read these words to maintain your faith in the American system. Others need to read these words because you may be supporting a movement that is counter to your nation's best interest. Still, other readers should be reading this material to broaden their minds and keep the machinery of the brain working. For whatever it is worth, here's today's blog.

Stephen Colbert explained the GOP strategy this way:

“The rules are I go first, and I refuse to take my turn. And you can’t take yours until I’m done. I know you’re upset, but we’re both at fault here, so let’s negotiate. I agree to take my turn if you agree that I win.”

I know this sounds like a kid’s game that ran amok. Well, it is; and it has!

Noted economist Paul Krugman stated it this way:

“The economic costs of GOP attempts to rule by extortion didn't begin with the shutdown/debt crisis, and haven’t ended with the (temporary?) resolution of the crisis…We’d be looking at a vastly healthier economy if it weren't for the GOP takeover of the House in 2010.”

And Bernie Sanders, Independent Senator from Vermont, says it this way:

“What Paul Ryan is saying is yeah, I lost the election. It doesn't matter. I want you to implement all the ideas that I campaigned on and lost. You know what, Americans don’t want to see cuts to Social Security, or privatization of Social Security. They don’t want to see cuts in Medicare. They don’t want to see cuts in Medicaid. They don’t want to see the EPA abolished, the Department of Education abolished. They don’t want to see the VA privatized. They don’t want to see the minimum wage done away with so the people of America would work for four bucks an hour.”

And Ryan must be dreading Bernie’s recent appointment to the Senate Budget Committee!  Justice, folks. Justice!

And if these comments haven’t painted a dire picture worthy of GOP fretting, none other than John McCain, Republican Senator from Arizona stated:

“We can’t get much lower in the polls. We’re down to blood relatives and paid staffers.”

Yep, you are. And the achievement was earned every step of the way in spite of millions telling you the direction was faulty. You just didn't believe in the people enough!

The American People get it. They understand how bullies work: they propagate fear, manipulate those with a poor understanding of the issues, and threaten physical harm, economic instability and rampant deterioration of the social fabric of our land. Funny thing is, they have not succeeded yet we are having all the undesirable effects they fretted about because their rhetoric destabilized the machinery of the American Democracy.

The American People I think are much more just than the GOP gives them credit for. For one they believe everyone should have access to worthy employment, a stable and fair wage, access to medical treatment, freedom to dream their long term vision and acquire the education to make it happen, equality of all of its citizens to love, marry and respect each other…Yes the American People get it. Much more so than the GOP.

The republicans appear to be so worried about losing something that they lost it while they attempted to strip it away from others. Could it be this simple? Really?

October 24, 2013

A Potpourri

The tea party debacle shutdown of the federal government kept us busy in weeks past. In that time good ideas were bandied about the internet and I reproduce a few in this posting.

Cory Booker, newly elected interim Senator from New Jersey and most recent mayor of Newark, New Jersey, offered this view to ponder:

“Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people. Before you tell me how much you love your God, show me in how much you love all His children.”

With wisdom like this I have high hopes for Cory Booker and his service in the US Senate!  He has a gift of distilling important ideas to their core meaning and making it easy for all to understand. He reminds me of Bernie Sanders, Vermont’s independent US Senator, who said:

“At a time when the middle class in America is disappearing and wealth and income inequality is greater than at any time since the Roaring ‘20’s, we must not balance the budget on the backs of the weak and the vulnerable.”

Balance the budget is a good thing to work on. It need not be immediately managed. We can restore balanced budgets over time. It takes time to do this sort of task. Long term results count here, not short term ones. Remember the role of macro and micro economics? Macro pertains to nations and their internal economy. Micro economics pertain to households and businesses. The latter do not control the printing of money or the control of banking enterprises. Macro economics does. Deficit spending in the short term is a tool to invest in the nation’s ability to produce solutions to outstanding problems as well as fund the long term vision of quality of life for the masses.  It is our mortgage for the future.

Taking economic principles in pieces to serve ideological ends without justice profoundly destroys the mechanism of economics itself. We need to watch the whole picture, not bits of it.

Here is a quote on clearing up a myth on Obamacare:

“Myth: The Affordable Care Act is socialized medicine and a government

             takeover of health care

Fact: Obamacare allows us all to purchase our own private insurance in a regulated market place. This embraces the ideas of capitalism, regulated free market and freedom of choice, along with the government’s protection of your new health care related rights.”

If anyone doubts that just look at the Medicare Advantage programs rolling out right now. The choices are huge. The pricing is market determined, not government determined. Elders have a bewildering array of plans to choose from. The same is true of plans the uninsured and under-insured folks have under Affordable Care Act provisions. The objective is to increase access to appropriate health care levels to everyone. Everyone pays. Everyone is part of the national health care industry. Private providers, hospitals, clinics, doctors and insurance companies abound. Competitive interests are served. Consumer protections are provided.

This is socialized medicine? I think not!

On a broader topic this quote is offered:

“The real threat to this world is not terrorism or socialism. The real threat is the fact that the greed of billionaires is out of control.”

This is a global issue. There are billionaires in Russia, China, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas (north, central and south!). These individuals have gathered control of specific regional markets and parlayed them into global monopoly chips. They make vast sums of money. They gather enormous wealth without thinking what it is buying or will buy in the future.

At some point they have to ask: “What’s it all about?”  It is not about wealth alone; or power; or influence. No it has to be about something more than that if it is about lasting value and purpose to the individual and his/her family.

What might that be? Is it religion? Is it historical significance? Is it pure luxury? Is it seeking and procuring pleasure? Over done or not, such seeking and acquiring has diminishing value to the individual. To what end are they amassing their wealth? And at what cost to others is this being done?

Justice is a funny thing. It is earned in the largest of public squares or the tiniest corners of one person’s mind. But justice in the end will be had. Better the participants understand this sooner rather than later.

October 23, 2013

Shut Up ~ Open Up

So the federal shutdown is over and the federal government has reopened its doors and full functions. The debt ceiling has been extended so immediate fear of default on the national debt has been averted.  But what is next?

Indeed. We will go through a similar threat of another shutdown because the spending agreement takes us to January 2014. Just past the Holidays we face this ugly threat again. And in February the debt ceiling will need to be addressed yet again.

Here’s the thing: America used to be a nation of long term vision. In the past 68 years, however, we have become short term wonders. During that time, Japan rebuilt its manufacturing might and excelled American plant technology. The auto industry was won by Japanese auto makers and the major decline and fall of Detroit and the US auto industry followed. 

Same with steel production. Same with science education and world discoveries of exciting new industries and replacement manufacturing methods. In short, global competition has put America in its place. We are now second in many categories of industrial might. And we are incredibly low on the totem pole in such arenas as education, access to superior medical care, infant death rate, and crime.

What price freedom? Declining quality of life quotients. Just ask the demographers, economists, historians, sociologists and anthropologists. They will tell you how our nation has declined over the past several decades. It appears we are in a race to the bottom and we may just win it!

Freedom, it seems, says it is OK for rich people to get richer while the middle class shrinks, and the poor increase. Pretty soon projections will show when a tiny minority of the country will control 95% of the population. All through economics and legal power bought in the legislatures and congress.

The greedy propagate their power by spreading fear of the unknown to the gullible.

If we do not wish this vision of the future to emerge, we need to cease being gullible and learn to discern fear tactics when they occur.  This takes reading, research and education. Self-styled research and education, not the expensive kind, although that would help!

Education is the means to learn how to learn, to create and innovate fresh new futures. Education is not a rote process that accumulates facts, figures and theories in young minds. It is the development of critical thinking skills so the student can find his own way in a complex world without constant guardianship by elders and ideologues selling their preferred view.

Education is the one element that mankind can provide to future generations so that their futures will unfold healthy, vibrant, creative and innovative. In stark contrast to today our youth learn jobs, earn paychecks to support family and survival and group speak. That is no way to build a future that will flex with changing demands.

So let’s get back to what we should be doing. We learned this lesson many times throughout our history. We can do it again.

The process begins with valuing all people in our nation. No one person has a lock on the ideas that will propel us forward. No one person has all the answers to any issue, problem or challenge.

We each do in our own way. We each have talents and dreams. We need to nurture both – the talents and the dreams so we motivate forward toward a larger vision of what can be.

This ‘pie in the sky’ is not idealism. It is practical use of building a reward system that compensates those who work hard, take risks and dare to be visionaries from time to time.

We often forget that each of us is an engine of creativity but also a powerful unit of consumption. We need both in capitalism to produce the goods and use the goods. Without both working the owners of assets have little means of propagating their wealth or even keeping it.

‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ is a good analogy. Help all segments of society and we magically produce more to share and enjoy. Once a healthy equilibrium is achieved, it is much more easily maintained. What to do with that? A good question for another essay.

But one would think with time and funds available we would tackle quality of life issues. If you have time and funds, what do you do with your life? There is more to the answer than meets the eye.

October 22, 2013

Restoring Balance

The NBC/Esquire poll results show the American public is not only centrist in political thinking, but the range of centrist support is very broad. Liberal and conservative camps continue to exist but they appear frozen in place with distinct minorities.

As the results are analyzed it becomes clear that the public is not as easily compartmentalized as previously thought. We are not all republican or democrat. We are not mostly in the liberal and conservative camps with a small group of middle-ground folk. No sir! The middle is 52%; the right wing is 28%, and liberal constitutes only about 20%. The range of views represented by the middle are highly diverse. The issues that help people define themselves politically are all over the board. Some are pro-abortion, or at least pro-choice while very much against minimal gun regulations. Others are just the opposite.

We can see how difficult it is to represent voters in congress. An elected official will always be opposite a significant group of his/her constituents. It cannot be helped.

What can be helped is encouraging healthy dialogue on issues without attendant emotions. I understand why people are against abortion. I just don’t understand why they think I’m the devil incarnate because I support choice. Very few people would think abortion is a good thing; it is a difficult decision to make and not made lightly. There are those who make the decision lightly; they are the birth control abortion rightists, I guess. I don’t appreciate such an attitude, but for most people I believe women and their spouses ought to make reasonable decisions that they feel are best for the fetus, their own health and the prospects of the family surviving the tumultuous family rearing years.

I found the poll results comforting. For many years I felt I was abandoned to the middle ground – marooned and alone!  Now I see I have a lot of company.

Taking the quiz I measured 10 on the liberal side. There are two prime reasons why I would appear so liberal. 

First, when confronted with a noisy and well reported conservative legislative agenda, I react to balance those views with ones I feel are more healthy for the common good. That reaction is often a little more leftist than it need be to form a better balance.

Second, I’ve been active in church life most of my life. The teachings of the church – in my case a strong Christian heritage, but certainly Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and other traditions parallel each other – command us to care for one another, nurture the suffering, and love others as you want them to love you. Although these principles are based in theology, they are also liberal when compared with conservative dogma related to government.

I think health care and preventive care should be broadly available and financially accessible. It used to be much more so; in recent years a shift away from employer paid health benefits toward self funded benefits is evident. Increasingly the shift has resulted in massive numbers of uninsured citizens. The problem is huge. It affects stability of labor pools, financial stability of significant markets throughout the economy, and efficiency for most employers.

Huge problems require public policy. That usually requires government participation in the solutions. I support such participation. I don’t necessarily support government control of the issue. In hysterical public discourse of recent years small differences are obliterated by hyperbole. The discussants are not hearing each other and they assume conclusions not in evidence. All the more reason for calm, civil discussion on the issues to be sure we understand each other.

For now the poll provides a better view of the American public’s thinking on important matters. A middle ground is a healthy place in which to government. There is much room there for compromise and collaboration as reasonable people honestly struggle to find common ground and make decisions accordingly. In time tweaking and amending those decisions can be accomplished as operating results are better understood.

The poll also uncovered some interesting material the role of diversity in our culture. More on that another day. An important issue to be understood and dealt with.

Meanwhile, centrists stand up to the right and left elements. There’s more balance than we thought.

October 21, 2013

Thought for the Day

Please read this quote from Anthony Douglas Williams. Think about it this weekend. Let its words permeate your mind. At the end of the weekend, articulate how you feel about the quote and whether you agree or disagree with it. And why!

Otherwise, enjoy the weekend!

Here’s the quote:

            “Any faith that puts men above women is a misguided faith.”

How does the quote make you feel? And why? The why is very important.

October 19, 2013

Getting it Straight

Making a family. Making a living. Making a career, or several. Making out(!) Making friends. Making home. A lot of ‘making’. Effort to do activity and decisions and thoughts. Allowing all to jumble together so a life takes form over a generation of struggle. Each moment of effort is fine as rewards are noticed and accumulate. It is worthwhile our effort. Our struggle. Much has been accomplished. Much more will as well if we keep our mind on it and positive.

The opposite is true, too, isn't it? There seems to always be people in our midst who are negative, distrusting and spoilers. They think and say the opposing view, sometimes I think just to be disagreeable!  And I bet I’m more right with that hunch than not!

At any rate, here’s a quote that sums up the previous thought:

            “No one notices your tears,

             No one notices your sadness,

             No one notices your pains,

             But they all notice your mistakes.”

                        ~Anonymous

I don’t really believe in the ‘no one’ part. We each have enough friends who do notice the tears, sadness and pains. They notice the mistakes as well but are too fond of us to mention it. The others, however, speak of these things behind our backs and sometimes to our face. They are the contrary people who spend their time critiquing others while offering no new ideas of their own. They feed off their sense of superiority. They need others to feel good about themselves, all the while making no headway in their own accomplishments.

As Diane Grant advises us:

            “It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”

Kabam! Right on the nose!

It is not easy walking alone but it provides ‘space’ to think and perfect ideas. Later these thoughts will be more sharable to a broader audience. The obstructionists have done us a favor by providing the incentive to rethink ideas and strengthen our resolve. They make us stronger while they weaken.

America is a nation begun by a few people in England who passionately desired freedom of religion and freedom to live life free of overbearing rulers. They tamed the wilderness of the New World. They formed colonies of like minded souls and forged a new way of living. It was difficult but communally possible. They survived against huge odds of weather, lack of food and shelter, and lack of capital goods that would have made their settlements so much more secure and healthy.

In the long run they invented all that they needed and grew on that base. Although we have morphed into a society of warring political factions, we remain committed to going the solitary road when we feel the others are not right. Individualism at the core of inventing self and a new society!

Community to gather strength among like-minded people. Fresh beginnings to patch together a meaningful new day.

Is another new colony in America forming? Will individualism and straight thinking set our problems aright? How much will we rely on each other, or on a larger entity that purports to be alright?

A question of moment. It looms large in our lives.

What road will America take on its way to the future?  We can hope but we cannot know at this point in time.

October 18, 2013

Too Good Not to Share

A family member shared the posting below. It mirrors much of what I feel about the current state of government. I am posting it for my readers to enjoy and share in her venting!

THINK THIS LADY IS PISSED?

Alan Simpson, the Senator from Wyoming calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. Here's a response in a letter from PATTY MYERS in Montana ... I think she is a little ticked off! She also tells it like it is!

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight!!!

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole (tit) for FIFTY YEARS.

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).

3. My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff proud.

4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and "your ilk" pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age, 67. NOW, you and your "shill commission" are proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN.

5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now "you morons" propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because "you idiots" mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal our money from Medicare to pay the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you "incompetent bastards" spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" to your incompetence.

Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU:

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcase thieves who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers.

And for what? Votes and your job and retirement security at our expense, you lunk-headed, leech. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic, political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it. And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch.

P.S. And stop calling Social Security benefits "entitlements". WHAT AN INSULT!!!!

I have been paying in to the SS system for 45 years “It's my money”-give it back to me the way the system was designed and stop patting yourself on the back like you are being generous by doling out these monthly checks .

EVERYONE!! If you agree with what Patty Myers, says, please PASS IT ON!!!!

                                                                 *******

The pendulum swings, my friends. It swings to and fro. And the fro is coming!

October 17, 2013

Moving On

Getting a new idea is one thing. Letting an old idea go is another.

Sometimes I've found old ideas have to go away, disappear to make room for new ideas to form. Sort of like moving from one home to another, I think. To give the new place a fair chance at becoming a true home, a lot of old stuff has to be jettisoned. To make room for new relationships, new perspectives, even new traditions. These are the building blocks of home – relationships, perspectives and traditions.

Family will always be as near as the phone, car, plane or internet. Communication is the key as opposed to physical proximity.

Friends – old and new – document our journey through life. Some friends are with us forever while others come and go temporarily as well as permanently. There is a season for friends. We fill their needs and they ours. Needs change. And friends do as well. It is a natural progression. Often hard to understand but natural just the same. Change.

This quote popped out at me the other day:

“The first step to getting what you want is having the courage to get rid of what you don’t.” ~Anonymous

First of all what I want needs defining. Second of all, without the first I don’t have a clue what it is I don’t need to get rid of. So defining the want is the first step.

What do I want? Well, the first items that emerge are these: sense of belonging, sense of place, a feeling of future role here and real potential to grow it, a budding sense of new friends ready to link arms in whatever enterprise we find attractive.

I guess this is a way of defining ‘meaning’.  For me that includes a good church home, a friendly neighborhood, and a community that embraces volunteerism and participation. I think it also includes a community that has a sense of itself and its forward momentum to meet the future constructively. All of these elements give a sense of vibe to the new surroundings. And that is well and good.

We need to make room for it, however. Even the guts to make the decision to make the move, to pull up stakes and take a risk to encounter change head on. This must be the ‘courage’ mentioned in the quote. The willingness to overcome the obstructions in making a change possible. That would be the first thing to get rid of, eh?

Next on the disposal list are household goods that are totally unneeded – new space smaller, new life pattern simpler and less needy of glitter. Does the car fit the need or do we manufacture need to demand the car we want to drive? Smaller is better, less obtrusive, and far cheaper; functional ought not define costly or cheap!

The extra chairs, or silver and crystal; the oriental rugs, the spare bedrooms gathering dust; these are all elements unneeded in simpler living. Not a home chosen for solitariness, but one of involvement and purpose – that is the essence of finding a new place for home.

The need to move on may not be voluntary but it nonetheless provides an opportunity for a new beginning that is healthy if we are ready for it. There are those among our friends who understand this point well; there are those who don’t. That reminds me of another quote:

“The ones who say ‘you can’t’ and ‘you won’t’ are probably the ones scared that ‘you will’.”  ~ Author Unknown

They are not the ones making the decisions. I am. We are. And so the future beckons with many changes. Even at this late age it beckons with a distant glimmer suggesting good things to come. A new adventure is dawning for us. In a few months we will launch the new journey.

Exciting and alluring. Just as the future ought to be! 

October 16, 2013

Shutdown - 6

Getting close to the debt ceiling cliff. Murmurs from Washington DC indicate the free fall may be averted at the last minute, but then only for a short stay of our national execution!  So the fight would go on, inching toward the precipice yet again. How many times will we be dragged to this point? And why?

Bernie Sanders, Independent Vermont Senator tells us:

“Let’s not kid ourselves, this shutdown is not something that just came about a couple weeks ago through Ted Cruz. This has been planned by the Koch brothers and other very, very wealthy people from the day after Obama was re-elected.”

And why would they do that? Because they want smaller government that they think costs them money or might have control over how they earn their money in the first place. Government regulation? They don’t want that. Social programs for the sick, elderly and poor? They don’t want that. Controls against pollution of air, water and soil? They don’t want that; the regulations would cost them too much to comply with and lessen their profits.

The Koch Brothers forget their wealth was accumulated not by their entrepreneurial effort and risk taking. No, it was granted by earlier generations from whom they inherited wealth. They also benefit from government contracts. They benefited from infrastructures built at public expense. They employ labor at artificially low wages and salaries while they have no limit on their own income.

How much is enough? How much pain must others suffer for their benefit? The Young Progressive Voices offered this quote:

The fact there are the ‘working poor’ shows class warfare is real, and that the rich elite are winning.”

Students of American history will recall this theme is often repeated. And it is today as well!  Shame on the ‘leaders’ of the nation who allow this to happen. Without the people – working, retired, healthy or sick – their wealth amounts to nothing as the national structure itself falls to pieces like Detroit.  Excesses eventually cause a price to high to pay even by the rich. For by then all is lost.

Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Charlie Dent shared these sentiments the other day:

“What he did essentially, Senator Ted Cruz, basically, he took a lot of folks into the ditch. Now that we’re in the ditch, you can’t get out of the ditch, the senator has no plan to get out of the ditch, those of us who do have a plan to get out of the ditch and will vote to get out of the ditch will then be criticized by those who put us in the ditch in the first place.” 

One can see Dent feels like a Tea Party Hostage.

Scratching our heads doesn't answer the many questions that exist over this foolish shutdown business, unless you read the following and truly ponder it:

“If you started a new job and a co-worker came up to you on your first day of work and said, ‘I am going to make it my priority to get you fired’…Do you think that would be the type of person you could have a reasonable relationship with?

When President Obama took office, the republicans made it clear that they were going to obstruct him and make it their priority to make him loose his job. Now they’re saying: ‘Clinton didn't act like Obama is acting’. Of course he didn't  Clinton wasn't accused of being a Muslim, of not being an American…Clinton wasn't obstructed on EVERY initiative he brought to congress, and Clinton wasn't told by congress (before he performed a single task as president), that it was going to be their priority to get him fired.  We people have an awful short memory! – Author Unknown

Power and influence. Wealth and elitism. These are not the trappings of political process. No. Political process is about people of differing minds to meet and solve common problems for the benefit of the public’s well being. Solving problems is about compromising and building consensus. It usually takes this sort of give and take for all to have confidence that the problems have been accurately defined, the resources have been properly estimated, and the implementation requirements have been well designed. This is honorable work – seeking agreement for the common good.

America has been challenged many times but rarely as much as today’s inner turmoil and distrust. The Civil War was such a time. Today as well. It was abolition of slavery then; now it is nihilism with no turning back.

Who was paying attention in civics class? Indeed! Who was not?

October 15, 2013

            

Shutdown - 5

By the time this item is posted the shutdown may be history. Maybe not.  But we can still hope!

Assuming it remains an ongoing specter, here are some more thoughts:

You may not feel comfortable with a celebrity’s opinion, but I’ll offer George Clooney’s thought anyway:

“People keep talking about how this has to be a great negotiation, but there isn't any negotiating a law. The President was re-elected on (Obamacare). It was reaffirmed, it was passed through the Supreme Court – it’s a law. You don’t like it? Win an election. That’s how it works.”

I might have stated it differently but the logic is the same. The Affordable Care Act was proposed, discussed, dissected and endlessly lobbied over for the better part of two years. Then a negotiated, lessened bill was enacted into law. Since then the Republican controlled House of Representatives have attempted to de-fund, gut, or recall the law 49 times.  49 times! That’s 49 times!  And now extortion by shutdown to get their way, a way rejected by the American public in the last election, and rejected by their fellow congressmen.

And currently they are even extorting their way with a threatened debt ceiling debacle.

The American people feel that an approach toward universal health care is a reasonable direction to take. They aren't all of the same mind yet, but neither is the Affordable Care Act. It is vastly weakened from what was originally proposed. But then, a start in the right direction is still a good beginning. The ACA will get a chance to work and teach us what is good and what needs fixing. This will take time, just like Medicare and Social Security. And the Income Tax! All were distrusted. All were feared. All of those old programs are working very well. And the economic security of Americans and the economy are linked successfully. 

So will it be with universal health care, or at least the weak sister stab with ACA.  Let it be please.

Even a tea party republican like Devin Nunes agrees:

“I thought it was a big mistake to say that we were going to get rid of Obamacare. I think we’re giving our base – and I’m a Conservative Republican…the false interpretation that somehow by not funding the government, we’re going to get rid of Obamacare, and we simply don’t have the votes to do that.”

Well that’s a candid admission. About time!

Obamacare is a knotty issue that will take time to work well in a complicated society. But America is used to doing big things, difficult things, for the common good of its people and nation.  As Edmund Lee opined:

“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.”

Could it be true that America has lost faith in itself? That it cannot solve big problems? That it cannot dream big and make it happen?  Going to the moon was a dream until we set it as a goal and made it happen. Why not health care justice and access?

I’ll close with an admonition from Eleanor Roosevelt who said this:

            “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

In her time America won two world wars, defeated the worst global depression on record, established Social Security and laid the groundwork for many advances in social contracts with the people of the nation. If the people are proud and settled, so will be the nation. If the people are prosperous, so will the nation be.

Let’s try again. Only better this time!

October 14, 2013

Thought for the Day

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Reflecting on one’s own life is a necessary effort. A time to pause and see the self clearly. Not easy to do! Discipline is required.

When I am grumpy, angry or frustrated it is easy to lay the blame on circumstance or others. What it really reflects, however, is self. I am frustrated because…? I feel angry toward others why…? Bad day? Why?

It is my business to react appropriately to whatever surrounds me. Best to recognize the surroundings and let them be. I say to myself, do not react! But I do anyway. That’s all on me, not the other circumstances or people on scene. How I handle life is my responsibility. No one else is involved.

The mirror on the wall is a tool. Do I use it well?

And you?

October 12, 20123

Shutdown - 4

And the government shutdown continues its toll. Basic things with little expense associated with them are now eliminated for the time being. How silly.  Imagine this:

“If this Congress truly wishes to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of our World War II veterans and all who've come after, it will end this shutdown and re-open our government now.” – Joint statement by Bob Dole and John Dingall

National Institutes of Health is shut down as well. Small children with incurable medical conditions await their experimental drug trials to see if their lives can be saved. But wait! First we have to wait for demagogues in a small faction of the Republican party to learn how to get along with people they don’t agree with. Perhaps they would like to personally convey their message to the parents of those children?

How about the veterans at the VA medical centers around the county? Are they getting the medical attention they deserve? Indeed, the medical care they have earned?

What about the education programs that are on hold – after school tutoring, Head Start programs, meals for the poor, security programs for the schools, classroom supplies and teaching aids, and so very much more?

FDA – Food and Drug Administration – who will inspect the food products before they are approved for market? Or will these food stuffs go to waste and spoil?  And drugs, too?

The housing market is a mess because greedy people took from the top what they thought was theirs to take. No regulation kept the debacle from happening. Mortgage oversights went missing. Still are. Housing inspections and public safety went missing. Still are. Rents are soaring as people are dislodged from their homes. Their credit ratings are wrecked and they cannot buy another home even though their balance sheets are now healthy and debts are well below normal requirements. Income people. It is income that determines whether a family can pay a mortgage or rent.

Housing markets are upside down. Mortgages, too. And savings, financial institutions, you name it is upside down. And where is Congress in this mess? Where are their programs and policies? They have left that entirely up to the Obama Administration and then planted their bodies firmly in the way of implementing the programs efficiently and effectively.

As Nancy Pelosi has stated,

“This was a do-nothing congress. And now it’s gone to something worse. It’s a make-matters-worse congress.”

On the nightly news we hear the reports that conservatives are willing to compromise, but only if the other side gives up a bill that has been passed and is in implementation stages. Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Passed by congress. Process fully implemented to enact the law. Lots of debilitating compromises made to get it passed. Still the losers want to kill the program.

Now they want to throw away the full faith and credit of the American Federal Government and deny a debt ceiling increase until the problems are brought under control.

Make no mistake. The President of the United States does not spend tax dollars. He doesn't make up the budget. He recommends one. And Congress either accepts or rejects that recommendation. Generally they change the hell out of it and approve their own budget. And those dollars belong to Congress.

The US Constitution gives the House of Representatives the control of the nations purse. Only they can approve budgets and spend money, or authorize appropriations.

So who really is the spendthrift in the Tea Party allegations?  Why it is the House of Representatives. Basic Civics 101, high school edition.

Where were the conservatives and the tea partiers when these lessons were taught in school. Were they paying attention or were they greedily laying plans for plundering the nation for their own rewards?

A good question to ask. Will we ever get an honest answer?

October 11, 2013

Shut Down - 3

A former president had this to say about negotiating with parts of the American political family:

“We cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.”     ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Does that sound familiar to you? Did we not have our parents say the same thing when we argued with our siblings? Haven’t we used the exact same language as parents ourselves directed at our own kids?

The answer is yes, of course, unless you were an only child or are not now or ever have been a parent.  If so, you may have missed some essential building blocks towards normal human relationship building!

But I digress. The point of JFK’s quote is pretty simple: when we are not focused on the issues that we can agree on, we cannot very well agree on other matters.

What is mine is not yours. A basic kid-worthy statement. A American-worthy statement as well when you think back on entrepreneurial values, risk taking, capitalism, and the whole nine yards of related issues. But then what do they values mean when confronted by religious beliefs and doctrine?  Who’s right then? Does everyone have the freedom to see the world their own way? To think in their own way exclusive of the beliefs of others? In spite of what we are taught and coached to believe and act upon our entire lives?

Monsignor John A. Ryan gave us this crystal clear quote to ponder:

“Private charity is not enough. Today’s world is complex, and the gospel rightly understood involves using the power of government when local communities and free markets fail to adequately provide for the needs of the poor and vulnerable.”

Indeed, even World History and Economics 101 and 102 taught us this. Free markets do not address all human needs. That’s when government, charity and churches step in.  To help. To soften the harsh edges of capitalism. To demonstrate to all that even the least among us are still loved and cared for.

The question is: Are They? Really? In the America of 2013 and beyond – will America step up to the plate and truly address human needs at home and abroad?

Or will America abandon human principle based on selfish wants of the greedy. What’s theirs is theirs and don’t step one foot closer!

The America I know is generous and loving and caring. It helps people up from the scrap heap so they can do for themselves. So they become helpers of others and not a continuing need on the conscience of the society at large. Even then there will be those who will always be in need. The halt, lame and terminally ill. They will always be with us. I believe the Bible has much to say on this subject. And the Koran. And lest we forget, the Torah.

I've spent most of my life working for non-profits. These organizations did much to serve the under-served. They still do in spite of many challenges thrown in their way. One of those non-profits was a great university. It’s job was to help students find their personal pathway to the future, to fulfillment of their dreams and potential. Oh, and by the by, Aristotle had this to say on education:

            “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Fits nicely here, doesn't it? Are we educating ourselves and our future generations to be selfish in the name of capitalism and entrepreneurialism? Is that what we are doing? Is that what America stands for?

I think not. And I believe the government shut down by the nut wing of the Republican party has shown us the horrors of our mirrored image. Like it or not, folks, theirs is the face of America unless we do something about it.

What to do? Unseat them all. Implement Obamacare. Make it work well for the public like Medicare and Social Security has worked for the public. Re-open the government so it can serve all of its people. With justice and liberty for all.

Amen!

October 10, 2013

17 Years and Counting

During the President Clinton’s administration 17 years ago, Republicans in Congress shut down the federal government rather than admit Clinton was correct. They hammered away at Clinton even before he was nominated to run for the office, then when he was nominated, they hounded him. Once elected they vowed to get him.

Continual verbal attacks, lack of cooperation in the halls of congress, and terrible intrusions in the personal life of the Clinton family, the Republicans continued their reign of terror by constantly suing the President, first as President, then as a private citizen. Legal bills mounted enormously. Eight million dollars, then 10 million, past 15 million and then 16 million. Dollars. And the toll probably went even higher.

The Clinton's were near bankruptcy. Then their two terms ended and two books were written. Legal debts were soon paid off from publishing advances and royalties. Then too there were many millions of people who donated money to the Clinton's to pay off the legal bills.

In the end two things happened: The Clinton's were restored to political and financial health; and the Republicans were disgraced.

One would have thought Republicans would have learned their lesson. But no! Now their wrath and ugly stalking is targeted on the Obama family. They will not rest until they are gone and debased. Problem is, the Obama’s are fine, holding up well, and the only damaged goods on the stage remain firmly with the Republicans.

One of these days the Party of Lincoln will shrug off the managers of political ignominy. At the very least, the capital R will fall to lower case, forever to be known as republicans.

Americans have a finely honed sense of honor and justice. They don’t always arrive at the conclusion early enough, but eventually they do. Clinton was judged a worthy president. Even an historical president. His administration was smart, savvy and intellectually keen. His administration managed the short term issues but kept their eye on long term concerns. For the most part the long term interests of the nation were handled very well. Future generations will thank his presidency one day.

Then came the debacle of the George W. Bush presidency: Two wars; terror on our soil; disintegration of the American foreign service machinery; and near destruction of the economy as rich people were granted tax cuts, the middle class were forced to bear the burden of government, and corporations were admitted freely to the halls of congress.

To repair the enormous damage done to the nation Barack Obama was elected. He has survived two elections to office. He has weathered the withering attacks from republicans, and he has charted new pathways to peace on a global basis. In spite of a crippled economy he has shared wealth throughout most international economies. His vision of global peace embraces a global economy. His intellectual gifts continue to embarrass the weaknesses of republicans.

President Obama, like President Clinton, has been bullied and continues to be bullied. Instead of caving in, both men have stood their ground. They have reached out and protected others from bullying. And they continue to do the work of the nation without concern for their own reputation or well being.

It is now time for Americans in every neighborhood to stand up and be counted. Tell the republicans that it is time they responsibly contributed to the governance of our states and nation. Collaboration and inventiveness are required. The Democrats continue to participate. Only the republicans sit on the sidelines.

The government is shut down. Childhood pranks pour forth from republican offices in both houses of congress. They shame themselves. But mostly they shame our country.

Tell them it is time to stop the nonsense.

October 9, 2013