Engaging

Working with teen addicts I keep wondering how to connect with them in a way that will cause a response leading toward constructive action. You know, how do I get them to act on an idea that will lead them into the future? I want to help them find a path to follow that will lead toward something of vital interest to them in life rather than drugs or other self endangering behavior.

Some of the kids simply look at me. One told me he didn’t want to stress about such stuff at this point in his life. I get that, but I still wonder if I can at least get him to react a little to something of interest to him.

I’ve tried music. What are they listening to, and what sound or lyrics seem to get a rise from them these days? For some kids it’s reading – sounds dorky, I know, but this is them sharing. For others it is a corner of the scientific world. One in particular fancies chemistry; of course it is a holdover from his interest in drugs, but this is the guy who manufactured his own recreational drugs by moving molecules from one atomic structure to another until he had the pharmaceutical he knew would work. Yes, this sort of discussion goes on in their circles. Not many of them understand the molecular structure of their pastimes but they are bright kids who understand science!

I overheard them discussing politics last night. If you are a republican you don’t want to know what they said! And no, it is not about democrats, either, but ideas capture their interest and fuel very interesting conversations. I know I’m on the right track about finding ideas to interest them.

They recognize my dated speech, but then when they venture into academic subject matter I revert to my professional language patterns and they take note immediately. Some want definitions of the terms and they gladly drink it in.

As I said: these are very bright young people. They have not finished high school yet but some of them are plotting their higher education journeys all the way through two masters and at least one PhD. Of course we have the kids who only want to work with things like cars, motorcycles and electronic equipment. But even they want to know the professional scope of those things, not just the surface information.

They are yearning for the future when they don’t know they are expressing that about themselves. But they are reaching, pressing limits forward into the future. I know this instinctively as I drive home and reflect on the evening’s discussion. By the time I get home I feel better. While with the kids I’m always guessing what’s happening and if it is taking a path toward an objective.

Hell, with this group objectives are not at all in focus. But that’s the challenge, isn’t it? Finding the focus that matters in their lives. That’s one objective of our work together. At least it is a positive factor to work toward.

When working with youth we never quite know the whole of it. Only glimpses are caught momentarily. But then you see a twinkle in one person’s eyes and somehow you know a connection has been made. And he returns to the group week after week.

Oh, that’s another thing. We were meeting with the kids twice a month until we asked the service’s leadership if we could meet more often. They asked, how much? We said weekly. And they readily agreed.

So did the kids. They now seem comfortable with including us in their chaotic lives. Connections are being made. Connections are being built. Sometimes they know that; mostly they don’t.

But then, the same is true for us. And we are the ‘adults’.

I guess there’s more to this engaging stuff than I had thought. Maybe that’s why I awoke at 3 am thinking about it? The word ‘engaging’ was floating in my mind. Then I connected it with meeting with the teens.

It was then I realized they had engaged me!

April 29, 2016

Getting Along With One Another

Two or so years ago Rocky was in the check-out line at the local Walgreens. Ahead of him were a mother and small boy. The child asked for candy and selected what he wanted and placed it on the counter. The mother said no; the boy asked why; the mother said because she couldn’t afford it.

Knowing the cashier Rocky signaled to her that he would pay for the candy. The mother protested but Rocky assured her it was his treat and she could pay it forward for someone else another time. She smiled and said her thanks. The boy was happy. Everyone had smiles on their faces.

Jump forward to this week. Rocky was thirsty for diet cola, something he eliminated from his diet. But a sensitive tummy suggested maybe the cola was needed to settle his stomach. So he ventured out across the street from our apartment building and visited the small Mexican grocery store. A week before he had bought one bottle of diet cola for 99 cents. So, having a little over $2 he picked up 2 bottles. When the cashier rang up $3.21, he realized the cola was now priced at $1.50 per bottle and that he had earlier purchased it while on sale. He didn’t have enough to buy two bottles so he started to return one of the bottles when a lady behind him with her daughter stepped forward and paid for the second cola.

Rocky said he would go home and get more money, but she insisted she would pay for the treat. She smiled and Rocky knew he needed to accept this act of generosity. When he did, she smiled and said, “Thank you!” He glanced at her daughter who was also beaming.

Both the woman and daughter wore hijabs. They were Muslim and shortly afterward Rocky realized the woman was happy to help because it made her feel good. He felt certain the woman’s action was also her way to say Muslims are generous people, too. The shared smiles among the three almost led to tears. A connection was made.

Paying it forward is a good thing for all of us whether on the giving or receiving end of things. Allowing our feelings to come forward is a good thing. It nurtures humility. And each of us can benefit from a good dose of that.

Each time I read a news account of discrimination playing out against Muslims I cringe and wonder if I should visit an Islamic Study Center. We have one just a few miles away. I wonder if I offer to help them in some way if my action would be understood and accepted. Although I would offer the help, it is they who help me understand them better by allowing the interaction in the first place.

I think I better understand why Rocky and the woman and daughter nearly wept through their smiles that day. Yes, we have to have these encounters. It enriches our lives in so many dimensions.

And to that I say Amen!

April 28, 2016

  

Where to Spot Ugly Americans

I know some of you will think this post lame when I say this, but I think it is true.  Ugly Americans can best be seen behind the steering wheels of their cars. At times this includes me as well; I admit it. I’m quite capable of a meltdown while driving in traffic, but please give me a listen.

For nearly four years Illinois Route 59 running through Naperville, Illinois, was rebuilt. It was widened, improved in countless ways, and connected with an amazingly engineered interchange on the north at Interstate 88.

The other day I drove south on Rte 59 to my auto dealer for routine old change, filter and wiper blades. I encountered the new highway in this manner: at the new bridge/interchange at 88, one lane was closed, then two as crews at 9 am began the slow process of removing brand new concrete lanes just installed. A mile farther along one lane was closed for curb and sidewalk construction; then two lanes were closed for the same plus lane concrete removal for some reason or another – completely new concrete!

It took me nearly an hour to go 7 miles.

On my return trip north I made the mistake of thinking that northbound had not been affected earlier and surely wouldn’t be this time. I was wrong. They closed down two entire lanes of 3 at the north end at the I-88 interchange. One hour it took me to travel 5 miles; I still had 3 miles to go but those were mostly uneventful.

Trapped. I felt trapped. Marooned, even. Look, this project probably cost more than $50 million. Not a dime from Naperville. A smidgen from Illinois. Most of the money came from federal programs. But still Illinois contractors and inspectors screwed up the project. Now in its 4^th full year countless businesses and residents have lost their incomes and businesses. Traffic has been reduced to below breakeven. And the city of Naperville does nothing to rescue those businesses or the stranded motorists.

The ugly American in this case is the bureaucrat who has forgotten who pays for this project and for whose benefit it was built. This is not a federal bureaucrat; this is a state desk sitter abetted by a city asleep at the switch.

More ugly Americans appeared on the scene by the way. Drivers who are trapped for an hour in unimaginable traffic conditions undergo critical psycho-social changes. That includes me, too.

In lesser conditions we observe daily driving maneuvers that simply challenge all norms of decency and thoughtlessness. Switching lanes without signaling is minor; sitting at a green light with one’s head buried in his laptop or I-phone until someone honks to stir them to action is so frequent one wonders why we have a law against this behavior when you never see someone actually cited for the offense. Look officers, ride along with me every day and I will point out the offenders at least 4 per mile. You could run your city government on the fines generated by your tickets!

Running red lights and stop signs is epidemic. Honk your horn and you risk a fist fight, or worse if they other guy has a gun aboard.

Going the speed limit and planning turns well in advance are common sense driving habits. Evidently not so for most people. They herd their cars down the road. They mush their steel chariots wherever and whenever they want. And they simply do not give a damn about you and I. Not a damn or dime.

Our society is selfish, greedy and unthinking of others. All you have to do to know this is drive 10 miles anywhere – in city, suburb or country lane. It is horrendous. And it is sad.

The good sense and good nature of Americans has been lost somewhere along the line. When was that? and how will we ever get it back?

Please. Don’t shatter my last vestiges of hope and tell me there is no returning to the good old days of good manners! Please don’t say it. Now hush!

April 27, 2016

Paul Ryan?

So the new Republican Speaker of the House is coy about his political future. He ran with Romney for Vice President against Obama/Biden and lost badly. But then he wasn’t Speaker. Now he is and that is something to protect for him I think.

Paul Ryan is an attractive man and gets along with a lot of people, many who do not think as he does. And in a politician that’s a good thing. Especially these days. Getting along with others is the first step to making compromises that actually get things done. We need a lot of that behavior in Congress these days; it would be a happy relief!

So Ryan continues to learn his job in place. And he seems to be doing well until…well when he isn’t!

You see Ryan continues to play the conservative political game as though it is the only game in town. It isn’t. it is not even one half of the game, but the rest of the field is so split among differing ideologies that the conservative hold on congress continues to gridlock all governance.

Because conservatives are fearful people – it is the nature of why they are conservatives in the first place (they don’t trust anyone, even themselves, so they spread discord and suspicion everywhere) – they don’t dare give an inch to anyone who doesn’t agree with them 100%. The trouble is even those who do agree with them 100% are suspicious in their eyes (the nature thing again!) and so they hold back giving into the suspicions.

Again, the gridlock goes on.

Well, this fall’s presidential elections will help settle a lot of things. First, someone will win the White House race. I think it will be the Democrats. And I think it will be Hillary Clinton. With that settled republicans will need to skirmish their powers to finish the Obama term and get some decisions made that they can still make. Gridlock will ease just a bit.

Along with the White House race are all of the House of Representatives and the one third of the Senate. I think the Senate will move toward Democrats and cause the Senate to be much more evenly split. This will allow some movement in that house of congress.

On the other end of the building the House of Representatives will also shift away from Republicans and toward Democrats. This will be caused by the anger and frustration of the American people about their own government. They know it is not about the White House but actually about Congress. That’s where the gridlock resides. And they want that to end. So votes in the House will shift towards even-steven and gridlock will ease a bit.

This all means that republicans will need to pick their fights more carefully. Their missteps in the last decade or so have removed all doubt about their ability to govern and to conduct international affairs. They are not capable of enough subtlety to govern domestically or internationally. It is a sad state of affairs but true enough. The hens have come home to roost!

It would help the two party system if both parties began negotiating today toward this inevitable end. We need a full Supreme Court roster of justices. We need fair and aggressive budgets. We need reform in education. We need climate actions that would hurry the demise of the oil economy in favor of renewable energy. And we need economic blinders removed to witness the new age of innovation that is ready to leap from the shadows of our moribund economy. There is a whole new world to be built and experienced. Right now only the young will gain from this experience. The elder generations have given up and dug in. Of course they will lose doing this and die deaths of regret and loneliness.

The world is exciting only when engaged. The opposite only causes fear and trembling. And that’s no way to live life.

We all know this so why do we allow backward thinking and greed to control our futures?

I think the answer is simple. We are too lazy as a society to do the work needing to be done to make the truly great things happen. And yet this is where the excitement and fun happens. Why put that off when a little work and risk will open it up to us all?

Can the elections be quickened? Could we possibly change the calendars of government and get this awful, embarrassing political season behind us?

Oh how we all wish it!

April 26, 2016

Granddaughters

I have two granddaughters. Lindsay and Kira, the first 15 and the second 12. Both are beautiful. Both are talented.

Lindsay plays violin, ukulele, guitar and experiments with keyboard. She composes songs and sings as well! She plays in her high school orchestra, the Elgin Youth Symphony and attends summer music and arts camp in Michigan each summer. She was deeply involved in her middle school drama department and continues that experience into high school. She reads, writes and recites literature. We read books together and discuss them. Our current assignment is Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by one of our ancestors. This fascinates Lindsay on the one hand and fuels her understanding of current events and issues that matter to her on the other hand.  All in all, a very well balanced young woman. And she is beautiful, poised and excited about life in the real world. And earns all A’s consistently in school.

Now Kira is a different person entirely. She is a gymnast, plays the cello and guitar, is inquisitive of the world about her and very active. She reads, studies and earns top grades. We read together weekly at first the early childhood classics, then modern day youth literature. Her mind is developing quickly and incisively. This last Saturday morning rather than reading together she participated in one of her several gymnastic meets. I witnessed this one first hand. She competed on the vault, balance beam, uneven parallel bars and floor exercises. All beautifully done. All captivating to watch as these young women push their bodies to limits of strength, reach, movement and beauty.

Kira is poised and willowy. Beautiful and the very picture of a gymnast! And maturing before our very eyes. Summer music camp is drawing closer and she is excited for that experience.

Of course we grandparents attend concerts and plays the girls are in; but this was my first gymnastics meet. The experience recalled my attending my son’s athletic events – baseball, soccer, basketball – both in elementary grades through high school. In the very early years John did soccer; it exhausted him and us, his parents, watching his little legs churn the grass field first one way, then the other, all without seeming purpose! And finally one day he said he didn’t want to do that anymore; and with great relief we gladly withdrew him from youth soccer! It was as much our relief as his; who wants to sit on a cold, drizzly day on a wet lawn chair watching pointless little legs running endlessly from one end of the field to the next? Yuck!

But he went on to play sterling baseball and basketball. Some of those games are memorable. They were exciting and demonstrated a precision of play I had never noticed in sports before.  Now admittedly, I’m no sportsman. Far from it. I even actively dislike sports, mostly because I don’t see the point of it all, and actually because I didn’t participate in any of it when I was young. In fact, I hated gym with a passion. When I wish to conjure feelings of utter despair, I remember my days of enforced gym class attendance. It was truly something to survive. And not well!

But now with no worry of my required performance other than sitting in a chair and watching, gymnastics is a treat. Go Kira!

When our kids were growing up in Illinois their grandparents – both sets – were living far, far away, one set in California and the other in Arizona. Although they visited in summer for a few weeks, they were not around to witness weekly maturation and growth of personhood as we are now doing. It is a special treat. It is also something I never imagined for my own life. But it is here and now and very real. And what a pleasure!

My grandsons are yet quite young – 27 months and 3 months. They are gorgeous and engaging now. They will become most watchable in the coming years. What fun to know them through those years yet to come.

Meanwhile my dotage experiences a new generation blossom before my very eyes.

April 25, 2016

Comparative Religions

I sat down with a friend of mine recently for lunch. On our agenda to discuss was comparing religions. She would know. Her theological journey in life has spanned Irish Catholic, American Catholic, American protestant, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), Muslim, back to Greek Orthodox. She wore the hijab for nearly two years and among her friends, neighbors and townsfolk caused much talk. Then she abruptly ceased wearing it and returned to an earlier church.

That is when I asked if we could talk about all of this so I could better understand the religious perspectives she has lived through. Although this would help me understand her, I really wanted to understand the underlying principles of the various religions. Those were the things confusing me.

She gladly agreed and we had a wonderful chat. Here are some thoughts we shared.

The Godheads of the various religions remain the same. God is God for Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. They have different names: Allah is the Muslim God; Yaweh is God to Jews (among many other names!); God is God for Christians. They do not differ.

The Bible is also a constant. The first five books of the Old Testament is the Pentateuch for both Christians and Jews; the Old Testament remains the same for both Jews and Christians. And the Bible is a holy book to Muslims as well. Their Quran dovetails with the Bible. Both are holy texts.

Prophets are similar as well. Abraham for Jews. Mohammad for Muslims. Christ for Christians. It might interest Americans to learn that Christ is venerated by Muslims as a prophet; they simply do not believe he is the Messiah. In that Muslims agree with Jews: Christ is not the Messiah; yet another will appear before end times.

Love, peace and self responsibility: are these handled the same among the three religions? Absolutely yes. All three religious faiths preach and teach us to love each other as ourselves. We are taught responsibility for our actions and lives. Do not blame others before we have assessed our own failings and roles in failures.

I came away from our discussion feeling much better about these religions prospering in America and all over the world. The different paths that believers have taken over history is at the root of what separates them from others in their own faith traditions. Sad but true, just like America came to war over slavery and its abolition. So Muslims came to war over their own traditions. These disagreements led to violence and mayhem even within families. This is what has fueled huge historical upsets in the Middle East over many hundreds of years. Jews understand this; they have warred within their faith (and others) for thousands of years.

Is it no wonder, then, that American Christians fight over their own sects, denominations and faith traditions?

As I stated earlier, loving one another as ourselves is the answer to all of this distress. Our faith bearers and creators bade us do this. Why then do we resist following their dictates?

I guess it is human nature to shrug off the yokes of authority whether God-given or man made, huh?

And so it goes. There is much to be learned from comparing religious faiths. There is also much to learn why we do not heed such authority in our lives.

Tsk. Tsk!

April 22, 2016

Conflation

Oh, don’t run for the dictionary!  Conflation is a term that means – combining or confusing different entities due to common characteristics but losing the distinguishing features that truly separate them.  Conflation, not inflation or deflation. And please let us not confuse this if infatuation! The permutations stagger the mind!

So, conflation is the topic today. I mean this by way of the common mistake of news readers and spin masters combining issues as though they are the same or very similar when they are actually quite different and have no causal relationship with one another.

Take international trade. Goods being made outside of our borders and made available to us for prices much lower than we can buy them for when made within our borders. The price differential causes market dislocation. We end up buying the cheaper goods rather than our own. Conversely, our more expense goods sell poorly overseas because of the same principle. The only saving grace is when the goods are not equal; quality and features matter a lot in many applications, so some goods are bought at higher prices because they are worth the difference. Actually, the similar goods are not the same and are quite different. Thus the price differential.

American goods are more expensive due to our labor costs, taxes, tariffs and distribution costs. Not all of those costs are under the control of the manufacture. Some costs are placed on the product by government regulations which aim to protect consumers, quality standards and fair trade interests.

So, if you make products for world trade markets, make certain your product is innovative and unique before expecting a premium price at time of sale.

Loss of jobs to international markets? Yes; it happens. But why? It is not because of free trade or companies moving jobs overseas for tax advantages. I’m sure some of that happens, but let’s face it: American labor costs are generally too costly. Not in all cases, but in most run of the mill manufacturing scenarios it is true.

Rather than allow wages and salaries to rise unchecked, it might be better if profit sharing by employers with their employees would function better. Keep labor costs in check but allow employees to share in earnings of the company based on their contribution to the whole. This has been tried in some industries but not all. It works well in some cases, but not well in others. This area needs work and fine tuning.

Tool and Die making has mostly disappeared from America. It now resides mostly in China. Bringing it back home is not very likely. Besides, technology is driving major change in this industry specialty and the old tool and die making trades/skills/arts are disappearing in favor of on-line engineering and design using computers. 3-D printing is becoming so good it is actually challenging manufacturing of some goods.

3-D printing technology has not completed its development. Much remains to be done and expanded. DNA duplication is now being done and prosthesis body parts are being made that do not call forth immunosuppressant defenses. Imagine that! Amazing and stunning.

3-D printing technology is resident in Belgium and other parts of Europe but a mainstay here in the USA. That doesn’t mean it will remain here but the point is this: innovation is the king of the future. It always has been and most likely will remain so.

We should allow mundane manufacturing to go wherever it is cheapest. The higher economic good should remain as much in America as possible. This is where the future is built, invented and improved. If we retain this ability we will retain strong market dominance throughout the world.

Conflation – combining cheap labor with market dominance – doesn’t even enter the picture when viewed from this perspective.

There are other conflating issues that confuse the marketplace of ideas.  Morals and abortion? No way. How about foreign auto makers driving American manufacturers out of business. Nope. Our companies have expanded faster into foreign markets including buying out brands and building our own plants in other countries. Truly foreign content vehicles are more the standard these days. I’m not sure any vehicle is 100% made in the USA any longer. Anyone know that factoid?

Conflating issues is easiest for politicians. They make sound bite statements and mislead voters. Modern press outlets do little to combat these misstatements. So we are all left to our own resources to negate conflation.

I think it is simply a matter of basing our thinking on facts clearly available for checking.

Meanwhile we will let the pastors and theologians who want to mix it up with politics have their own war on facts and fancy. A lot of conflation comes from the non-provable discussions, anyway. Best to stay away from them entirely.

Find another reason to vote for a candidate than this scurrilous method.

April 21, 2016

Satisfaction with Government

I get it that some people don’t like government. They think it is too much givernment. But that’s sarcasm and we have too much of that already.

So, let’s look at this issue a little bit more.

First of all, we have the national or Federal Government. Uncle Sam. And second we have state government. Third are the several forms of local government – city, county, library, fire and park districts. Maybe you have townships, too? Well, local governments are assigned a lot of tasks. Most are specialized by function and geographical territory as well. Taxing bodies have physical boundaries found on area maps. You own property in that area you then pay taxes based on property values for the various taxing bodies.

Let’s start with the most local form of government. If people are dissatisfied with local governments, then it must be because they dread the amount of money going to each. Actually, most taxing bodies are modest in their tax levies. The sole exception are school districts because their service is so large, so far reaching and costly that a large tax bite is extracted from property owners. This is significant in many locales.

It should be remembered that renters of residential properties don’t pay property taxes directly; they do, however, pay indirectly through their monthly lease payments. And yes, rent prices rise along with tax collections so landlords have the funds to pay their property taxes.

In Illinois, especially suburban Chicago, property taxes for local schools generally amount to $4000 per household; many are much higher, approaching $7500 per household.

Other taxing bodies typically charge less than $100 per year for their services. Fire protection districts are usually over $100, but libraries, junior colleges, counties, and the like are much less than $100 per year each. Most municipalities cost less than $500 per year, often much less.

Local taxing bodies are important to our routine lives. We see them at work every day and we interact with most taxing bodies in some manner or other on a daily or weekly basis. If you use schools daily you fit this description. Same with frequent visits to the park district for several of your family members.

Municipalities of course build our local streets and roads, traffic signals, sidewalks, plow our streets in winter and sweep them in summer. They prune public trees growing on public parkway, too. They provide support, building codes and enforcement of same, and provide much of the infrastructure (water, sewer, garbage collection) the community relies on every hour of every day. And governance is an open book: public meetings, newspaper reports on those meetings, periodic newsletters and reports to the public by the taxing bodies, and voting in elections for representatives to serve on the governance boards and commissions. Local taxing bodies are accountable to the people and most are serious on being accountable frequently throughout the year. If you don’t like something you can call or meet with someone to discuss the issue directly. Dissatisfaction should be short lived unless your complaint is cost and you live in a high cost of living area. Not much you can do other than move to a cheaper area.

Now, state government usually exacts fees, excise taxes, sales taxes, fuel taxes and income taxes. The amounts can be heavy but usually are much less than property taxes. That is the case in Illinois but it may be the exact opposite in other states. To compare apples with apples in these matters, one must know first how taxes are levied and by whom.

In Illinois the dissatisfaction is broadly based not on tax rates but on services provided and the accountability of governance overall. Our state legislature is deeply gridlocked by political party and ideology. No amount of logic or sanity enters this picture. Only power. And no one is giving an inch. The result is nothing much gets done. The state budget was due July 1, 2015 and none has been passed yet. This is a deplorable situation and schools, hospitals, doctors, social services and life and death support systems are all hurting.

There is much to be dissatisfied with in Illinois and that has little to do with local governments. State government yes.

About Federal Government, yes we all can be dissatisfied with Congress because it is gridlocked on political and ideological bases. Nothing more and nothing less than that. Nothing much gets done because of this. We can all be dissatisfied with this state of affairs. Blaming this on the President is dumb because he does not control Congress nor should he. That’s the way the Constitution arranged the separation of powers in the government. If you don’t like that then your argument is with the constitution. Personally, I blame ideological purists in both parties that keep Congress from doing its job. They do this only for political power and ideology. It has nothing to do with the President. Oh there are plenty who want to put all the blame on him but they would be wrong to do so. This is a constitutional fight within the Congress and between ideological camps.

So, there you have it. The public is generally dissatisfied with all government in the USA. But it is important to separate which governments are being discussed and then focusing on the why of the dissatisfaction.

Personally, if we junked the party system and began again with a more functional approach to doing business as governments, I think we would be better off. 

But then you have a lot of people who believe that no government or minimal government is the only way to go. I feel life is far too complicated to drastically reduce the function and reach of government. People need help and far too many people are too selfish to do this sort of work themselves. No, they want someone else to do that; meanwhile they don’t want to be bothered with the details of human suffering and policy discussions. After all, that is just too far beneath them!

More’s the pity!

April 20, 2016

Unreasonable People

Vladimir Putin

Place your military on display over peace loving nations. Rattle your sabers near NATO military training maneuvers, and send your military fighter jets into attack mode over US ships on training missions with NATO. Say it is OK for you to do so. But what then would you say, Mr. Putin, when one of your pilots makes a mistakes and either crashes his plane or accidentially fires upon the US ship? What then would you say about defensive response by NATO nations and the US military? Would you blame them for the result when you and your policies were the cause of the error in the first place?

Yes. I suppose you would. But I understand. Vlad, you have to maintain your popularity among your citizens so you can continue to be the president for life of mother Russia. Too bad when a mistake begins World War III and your people no longer exist. But mutual annihilation of everyone else means no one will be left to gloat or sneer.

You see the childish game you are playing, Vlad? I know you get it. Too bad for you that everyone else does, too. Just not your citizens who have little access to the world press to learn what shenanigans you are up to.

Well, I guess that leaves other adults to take responsibility and do the work you refuse to do. Too bad. Peace is so near.  But now?...

Chicago Teachers’ Union

Let’s see what is unreasonable about the teachers’ union demands:

• Past contracts provided salary increases that were not fully paid for unless vacant positions were kept vacant, or a small percentage of positions were eliminated. As long as no one lost their job, then no one complained. Now they are complaining because they haven’t been paying attention for how many years?
• The independent Chicago Public School System with its elected board was chronically unable to balance its budget without help from the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. Generations of this practice were silently allowed by all who should have known better. When the system was hopelessly broke, the City of Chicago took it over and managed it with nationally selected talent.
• Still, budgets were held hostage by union contracts. Union delegates assumed power broker positions and frustrated the CPS management team to really solve endemic problems.  Even systemic problems were glossed over by union personnel daring the CPS and the City of Chicago to keep them quiet and pay their demands.
• The State of Illinois bailed out this broken system for another generation. The union sat silently aside raking in generous salaries and benefits ignoring judgment day which inevitably would arrive.
• Judgment Day is here. The state is broke. The city is broke. The union is not yet broke but will be if it strikes. 

Here’s the deal: teachers in Chicago and in many other school districts in the state have their personal portion of survivor insurance benefits and pension contributions paid for by union contracts from the school district’s tax levies. Most other public employees covered by state and university pension programs still pay their 8% gross salary contribution into the benefit programs. Just like the rest of the nation’s working class, they pay their share of such benefits just like FICA levies for employees and employers.

Not so CPS employees. Theirs is paid by the CPS. 8% of gross salaries. This should not be. The employee ought to pay this cost. Saving 8% of salary on the budget would likely balance the CPS budget. But the union doesn’t want this to happen.

Everyone in the nation has bitten the bullet on benefits, vacations and insurance plans, to say nothing of pension plans. Everyone. We now receive lower benefits, lower insurance coverage and lesser pensions. Some pensions are broke and no benefits or as little as half of the expected defined benefit will be paid out. Not so teachers. They are protected in their mind and in the mind of their union to be spared the pain of what everyone else is experiencing.

Yes, Chicago teachers have it good in many ways and bad in several other matters. But they could count their blessings and work toward common solutions to the problems. This is not a union/management problem. It is a greed problem. And teachers need to be held accountable to the standard.

They are no longer the lowest paid workers in America. Many others take that dubious prize home with them; remember the minimum wage battle? Those are not teachers fighting the fight. Those are hard working people who pay taxes and earn damn little income.

Not so teachers. They earn between $70,000 and $120,000 annual salaries. And they have contract provisions to earn more for taking on additional tasks and programs. They also earn very good insurance benefits, hefty vacation benefits and sick time allowances. Pensions are good but then they don’t pay for them. And still they complain.

There are salary and wage problems in the CPS. There are professional standards problems in CPS. There are effective teaching result problems in the CPS. All are worthy issues in need of solutions.

If teachers are the professional educators they say they are they ought to be setting their inventive abilities on solving those problems for everyone in the system. Let management people solve the budget and salary/benefit problems.

Act as a team member and not a spoiled child!

April 19, 2016

Naps and Other Pastimes

The news is filled with articles on sleep habits. How much sleep is needed for a healthy kid, adult or even pets. How much is too little? Indeed, how about the quality of the siesta? If it is done in complete darkness or quiet, doesn’t that improve the depth of the rest and sleep? Doesn’t the body gain more rejuvenation from deep sleep?

What happens if I sleep in bouts of 2 or 3 hours a few times during the 24 hour cycle? As long as it adds up to 7 hours or so, isn’t that good enough? Well, science says otherwise.

Doctors and researchers are claiming that 7 to 8.5 hours per 24 hour period is the norm and each of us should try to achieve this daily standard of rest.

OK. But life often doesn’t accommodate this regimen. When I was pursuing my career, I commuted 4 hours each day, worked approximately 12 hours on site, did the usual household tasks, read, ate, watched the news, exercised and what not. Additionally I often worked Saturdays. My job involved some evening meetings, some travel, and events held at other sites over the weekend. No way was my job a 40-hour routine.  It was more like 80 hours plus commuting.

And commuting in a large urban area gets complicated. If money is tight (and it usually is for young marrieds) homes are located far from work sites and involve lengthy commutes. Public transportation involves getting to and from the train station, the train ride both directions, and getting to and from the downtown train station to the work site. For me that involved 2 hours each direction including waiting for trains to arrive or depart and allowing enough time to walk between home and office to and from the train stations.

This commuting pattern and time consumption is not abnormal for urban dwellers. I know when I formed my own business and commuted to and from a third bedroom converted to my office, I enjoyed a much less harried life! Furthermore, I visited clients only when necessary and the appointments were usually made to avoid rush hour hassles! What could have been more perfect?

Ah well, when I worked from home I worked very intensely for 7 hours then broke for lunch and a nap. After the nap I continued to work for another 2 hours and then broke for dinner and an evening free for personal interests. Night time sleeping hours were quite normal – 9 pm to 5 am. There’s your 8 hours.

Today I am retired. I go to bed usually at 8:30 (asleep by 9) and arise at 5 am. During the day I often have a mid-morning nap of 30 minutes and an afternoon nap of 40 minutes. I do volunteer work involving writing, communicating, planning and meeting with clients. Activity is in bursts of 2 to 3 hours. Naps are a good rejuvenation from such activity. You see the pattern?

At any rate, my pastimes beyond naps are spent wondering about issues and ideas that need either more research or at least clarified thinking and writing. This raptly consumes my time. It is a very pleasant way to live for me. Very pleasant!

And of it I have no complaints. In fact, I am writing this after having awakened from a 30 minute nap. I worked hard for 4 hours before that. I am writing this piece now. And in a few minutes will make a conference call to discuss developing an educational program for minorities in business. The call will take only 20 minutes. Then lunch and an afternoon free for whatever.

Being Friday, I have the entire evening and weekend to spend conjuring. What could be better?

A nap or two or three beckons!

April 18, 2016

Answer to April 5th Post

Where are we? The post on April 5th described a place throbbing with activity and purpose. The post ended with the question, "Where are we?"

The answer is: a business incubator.

Go back and read it again with that answer in mind. Incubators are fascinating places!

April 16, 2016

Spirituality Vs Religion

With Holy Week just passed I can address the topic of religion versus spirituality.

This is a vast topic. Spirituality as a term makes the discussion a whole lot easier. For one there is very little regimen or catechism relegated to spirituality. That makes it much simpler to deal with. A do it yourself, thing, right?

Religion on the other hand has much more to learn about. Calendars of holy days, saints and prophets of mighty sagas, interactions with God with thousands of people amassed in unlivable places like deserts and mountain tops and flooded expanses. Golly! The complexity boggles.

Of course there are stories writ large in unspeakable languages and dialects. Usually these are found in the Pentateuch, Torah, Koran and Bible. Turns out these four are mostly the same thing although there is discussion – argument actually – about the relative anchorage of these texts.  Of course argument is a rightful term when it comes to religion. Seems people have been arguing over religion for thousands of years. All in the name of love!

Yes, it is a puzzle why mankind attaches such loyalty to a matter of creed. When each of these religions speaks of God’s love for Man, and his exhortation that Man is to love each other as himself, mankind goes dumb. He patently gets it but doesn’t live it. And then wonders why such troubles ail the earth! Well, Duh!

I found Holy Week to be meaningful. Personally it was a good time to be quiet, thoughtful, and open to fresh thoughts of inner peace as well as personal housekeeping with which I might find fresh ideas and serenity. That’s what Lent allows me; space and quiet to think. Good Friday services remind us of how serious life is, the passage of it, and death and finality. Even with that we are called to ponder what comes next. Regardless of our answers we are challenged to think and believe and rethink and re-balance our creed. It is a good exercise of mind and spirit. And life.

Spirituality is a natural pondering of all of the above. Only it is more accessible to our human minds. We need not recall creed or catechism or Sunday school. We only have to respond to what matters the most to us. And in such things stuff doesn’t matter. Not money, time, houses, cars or fashionable clothing. No. This is about the mind and feeling.

The adventurous asks timeworn questions: Why am I here? What is the purpose of Life? Is there a God? What is death? What happens after death? Does all of the good we do in life somehow accumulate to ‘credit earned’ after death? And if so, how does it count?

Watch it! Too many questions create an agenda to write a creed, and that leads to dogma, and written texts, biblical sayings and quotations, and entire catechisms to be followed in Sunday school. You see where this leads us, and where we gathered such history in the first place? Ah yes. Mankind’s curiosity has led us to strange places.

Thousands of years later we have religious wars, jihads, misreading of various religions and a confusion of prophets, holy people and creeds. The confusion confuses further. And people die in the name of God.

Only God is weeping over such folly! Surely he/she does weep!?

I prefer to think of spirituality in which I am responsible for what I believe and how I believe it. Without involving others in the fray, my spirituality nourishes me and directs me to treat others well and with respect. Even if they don’t believe as I do, at least I don’t know what they believe and they don’t know my beliefs either.

See what a peaceful world this would help create? If only.

April 15, 2016

Cleaning House

Decluttering: I’m a neat freak. My spouse is not. I put things away. He does not. I wipe down surfaces as I use them. He does not. I keep my bathroom clean and tidy, gleaming in fact. He does not.

This is why we searched for an apartment with two bathrooms. We each get our own private loo and of course we are each responsible for our space. My selection of bathroom focused on visitors. I wanted their visit to be pleasant so I chose the bathroom on the main hall. It is clean and shining and welcoming. I like the décor as well. You’d have to appreciate gay memes to understand but it is a nice space.

Not so his. I try to avoid entering his bathroom. I enter only to return fresh towels and bathmats to his loo. Just saying!

More on decluttering. When we moved to the apartment we had to rid our home of a ton of stuff. Extra kitchen gadgets, endless unused clothing, and boxes of untouched items we forgot we had. By the time we were settled in the new home we had less to tend and a lot less stuff. Still, stuff remained; now it was crammed into a much smaller space.

What this means is that the unobserved rule – if you bring in something, you have to toss something – is in need of enforcement. Food items is easy: buy it, prepare and eat it. It disappears and makes room for fresh viands.

But the rest of the house is plagued by an ever present mound of stuff placed on every horizontal surface imaginable. Dust accumulations actually push off stacks of unread material! Imagine our surprise when we learned the cause of the middle of the night noise! It wasn’t the dog, after all; it was stuff falling on its own dust power.

Gosh!

House Cleaning: Well that leads handily to the task of cleaning house. It needs to be done. But both of us have never met a vacuum cleaner we loved. So it sits idly by lusting after our carpeting wondering soulfully why it isn’t being used. But we know why. Using it is too much like work. Now with the Silver Sneakers program perhaps we will see it as exercise and take it up again. Weekly, you know; like a regimen of exercise.

Perhaps dusting would be the natural follow up with furniture polish a close second. But you see that leads us back to stuff and clutter. With all of that stuff observe how much has to be moved out of the way to polish and dust surfaces! No way can that be defined as an exercise routine!

We’ll just have to come up with another thought on this.

Wood Floors or Carpet? I’ve lived with carpeted homes for decades. Used to be wood floors were the standard. So were dust mops in those days. And that task was easy and pleasant, sort of like mowing the grass without the worry of bad weather. Somehow it was satisfying.

Today most hard surfaces – floors, that is – are carpeted. I’ve come to regret this trend. Although silent and muffled, carpeting is a chore to keep clean and presentable. Vacuuming regularly is a must if the surface is to be kept clean. Then at least an annual shampoo is needed to keep the carpet color pleasant and clean. More often cleaning is needed if you have pets or high traffic.

None of this cleaning routine was much of a concern when cleaning crews were a normal part of our budget. But in retirement there is no budget for such things and so it is done by us if it is done at all.

Of course the latter is the problem, you see. Quite naturally we tend to put off cleaning the carpet, vacuuming it or spot removing from pet accidents. So, the carpeting is loathsome. I yearn for the days of wood floors and area rugs. At least the latter could be rolled up and taken out for cleaning when needed. And the wood floors only needed an occasional swipe of a dust mop and maybe a little polish in traffic areas.

Well, there was a time when the family was young that I pined for an all concrete home capable of being hosed down from time to time. That isn’t a bad thought still!

I wonder…..

April 14, 2016

Aging and Medications

I remember a time when I rarely visited a doctor. Never visited a hospital unless it was to cheer up a patient. Took no prescription drugs except for asthma attacks. Not a lot of contact with medical industry.

Now times have changed. In retirement one wonders how we had time to work, mow the lawn, commute and raise a family. Now we visit doctors monthly, clinics monthly, and the ER occasionally. We know the drug store personnel as family. And they us!

This winter I made the usual rounds of annual checkups with my three primary doctors – the GP, cardiologist and pulmonologist. All three claimed I was doing wonderfully and asked why was I here? I took that as a good sign. Even the cardiologist asked if I would like to get off my meds. Together we decided I needed to lose some weight before doing this. But at least the subject is on the table.

Enrolled in Medicare Advantage, my health insurance carrier – United Health – provides the Silver Sneakers program. Not all physical fitness outlets cooperate with the program but the program helps find the closest provider to our home. It turned out that Wheaton Park District is nearest our home and we signed up yesterday for the program. It is free to us but United Health pays the park district a small stipend for each of our visits.

In return we get regular exercise in a safe environment among fitness professionals who watch over us for medical emergencies and helpful hints. Also in return United Health gets healthier insureds who have a chance to lessen their reliance on doctors and drug regimens. In my case I could reduce my pharmacy expense by $30 per month; for United Health it would reduce their cost by $400 per month. So that small stipend to the park district is eminently affordable.

I once complained to my doctor that I was on too many meds. He scanned my record and said I was on only 10 prescriptions and he thought that was light! Hmmmm. I think anything over four is heavy. How about the rest of you?

I know that aging requires more medical attention and more prescriptions. That doesn’t mean I have to like it or enjoy taking the pills. But I do take them as directed so I don’t have to take any more. That’s how I see it. Besides, if I were to prescribe my own regimen I’d end up trying to find the time to visit the doctors more often – and the pharmacy as well!  Enough of that!

April 13, 2016

Heartbreak of Spring

Maybe that’s putting it too strongly but am I the only one who feels melancholy over failed steps toward spring? I mean, really! One day it is 65 degrees and partly sunny while the very next day is gloomy drizzle with snow flurries. Two days later we have a mini spring with tulips pushing up through the soil, daffodils going crazy in garden beds, and the hint of tree buds thickening slender branches.

Then, Kapow! Sleet, rain, snow and winds pummel the neighborhood. Once green lawns are now dappled with snow and curb lines are ‘drifted’ with tiny piles of white stuff. The cars are once again salt stained and yucky.

Roadways are now wet again, then damp, then slushy, then rain and so it goes for weeks on end. Last week we had nearly seven days of gloom. And our western counterparts wonder why we are so strong! It’s because the weather is so horrid that we just persevere and that builds stamina. The Midwestern variety, of course, which means we look forward to tornado season because then we know for sure summer has arrived.

And then the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National. What a setting. What beautiful spring vistas of blooming gardens, flowering trees and breathtaking green lawns. Our favorite golfers are there, too, and that makes it quite social. Their talents are legendary and precision awe inspiring. And that’s coming from me, the one person who barely knows how to spell golf to say nothing of understanding any part of the game. It’s just nice to watch. Quiet and calming. Possibly nurturing of a nap?

Well then, along comes Jordan Spieth who demonstrates calm magnanimously. He marches through the course making stunning shots and controlling the leader board for days. Until he doesn’t. On the last day he stumbles and loses four points off his lead and then another point. Once up by 7 he is now down by 4. He makes a minor comeback but not enough and way too late. He loses in what will be labeled a classic clutch.

I doubt it was a clutch. I think the man was tired from carrying the tournament on his back with several golden heroes nipping at his heels. That’s enough to drain the energy out of an entire army of strong men.

But here is Jordan Spieth doing battle on his lonesome. It has to be weighty.

To be crushed late in the game in full view of the TV world makes it only worse. And as the previous year’s champion, he has to present the Green Blazer to his successor. This is more heartbreak. That it occurs in spring is not entirely by accident.

The other day we awoke to a rime of snow and ice and temps in the low 20’s. We worried that tender tree buds would be killed outright and budding flowers would be burned to extinction at the soil line.

Perhaps the best part of spring is its triumphal success in face of such diversity. After all is said and done, trees do bear leaves, flowers to bloom, and desperately brown and burned lawns leap into spring with dazzling shades of green.

But more! If one cocks one’s ears the sound of bird song astonishes. This is a miracle of spring to be sure. Just as our emotions are spent with variable miss-starts of the season, bird song reminds us we are not alone and Mother Nature provides not only the company of the birds, but their fluttering activity and gorgeous music, too.

Yes. I am a believer. In spring and its pull of human spirit into the freshness of another year of growth and yearning.

It is good.  All of it is good. But only with hindsight that knows the gift is near!

April 12, 2016

Wall Street Versus Federal Reserve

The guys – and they mostly are males, not women! – on Wall Street are in the investment game for one thing: making money for themselves. To do that they have to make money for others as well; that comes with the territory. But the main point to remember is simply this: profits from trades and investments are the only goal.

What might be other goals you ask? Well, several goals come to mind. These will do for now:

1. Stable markets in which to invest safely for the long term
2. Stable funding for key industries upon which other industries rely
3. Stable currency values for transacting business in all other matters – domestic, foreign, commodities, interest rates, inflation and deflation rates, etc. 

As you can quickly tell these goals are well suited as policy goals. They are not goals for those who wish to make stunning profits from trading equities. Those folks do best when they upset markets and make their moves while values are shifting to adjust to the imbalances they create for the sole purpose of making money.

You doubt this goes on? Oh please! When exactly were you born? And were you protected from reality all of your life?

People do bad things for selfish reasons. Look at offshore investment vehicles to support my point. Observe also all of the tax avoidance schemes readily available to those who take the risks. And follow closely the actions of paid lobbyists as they manipulate elected officials all over the globe for favored legislation that will either protect their profit centers unfairly, or avoid taxation of profits, or in any other way provide a morsel of advantage over competitors so profits can be generated out of view.

Wealth accumulation in the manners described above have been with mankind since the inception of trading, currency creation, and legislative activity. It is the way of the world. It is unfair. It is unkind. It is against the law often. It is a scourge that we may never rid ourselves of. A fact of life.

So, why bother saying any of this? Because the Federal Reserve is attempting to maintain a healthy economy in spite of all the other players. Congress certainly does not understand how the economy works, but they do understand greed and the benefit they derive by giving seekers of favors what they want. They – the elected official – gains money or power and that’s all they want. The seekers want unfair advantage over others financially and get it from the elected officials.

Destabilization of the markets is the result. And the Federal Reserve’s job is to offset those results in order to maintain a stable market for the long term benefit of the rest of us. And the industries that rely on stability, the pension fund managers, major institutions that do the work of society (churches, universities, hospital and medical researchers and medical providers) and of course banks.

The guys on Wall Street, however, think interest rates are too low. That’s because they make money with interest rate fluctuations, especially when those rates are much higher. The margins these days are so low that one doesn’t actually make a living off of interest rates. So, what to do? Lobby for higher rates. But a funny thing exists that everyone touts but most ignore when it gets in the way.

The free market. That’s right, the free market dictates that interest rates are low when demand for borrowed funds or investible funds are high and the supply of such funds are low.

So, you ask what is the demand for borrowed funds and investment dollars? Well, one telling answer is this: how many loose cash dollars exist in the American economy at this moment that would be available for loans and investments? And the answer would be more than $5 trillion. That figure is probably much higher but at that amount it doesn’t matter if there is another trillion or so lurking around.

With so much available cash sitting idly, interest rates are low. That’s the point. And that’s the truth.

Wall Street guys will try to change your mind but they run into the above fact each time.

What they should do is create exciting uses for idle cash and attract it into play. When most of it has been so employed, then additional use will come only at higher interest rates. See how that happens?

Until we have settled the idle cash question, interest rates will remain low. Get it now, and move on.

The Federal Reserve is doing what it needs to do. Leave them to their function and expertise. For Wall Street guys, leave them to their greedy function but remember whose benefit is being served. It really isn’t yours; it’s theirs.

And that’s another fact of life.

Your welcome!

April 11, 2016

Party Politics – Democrat Style

Back in 2007 and 2008 when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were battling for the party nomination for President, I was torn. I liked both candidates. On the one hand I wanted a woman to ascend to the White House, and I thought Hillary was the right person for it. Only one problem: she was so close in time to when Bill Clinton was President. National memory is such – now and then – to act as a poison well for people close to the unpleasant memories. And Bill made some beauties!

Hillary was tarnished by those beauties of Bill only because of her proximity. Association means a lot to a lot of people, and I had hoped that Hillary would have delayed her presidential ambitions to a later time when people would better focus just on her and not saddle her with the baggage of Bill.

So I examined Obama’s candidacy and was pleasantly surprised. Read several books on him and came to understand his abilities, thinking process and values structure. He was a formidable politician as well. I had not known much about him going into this race, but soon developed a deep appreciation for him.

As the primary elections went on I observed how Obama and Hillary conducted themselves. Who would I support? A candidate who would be the first African American president? Or the first woman to hold the White House?

Even though Obama’s history in elected politics was small, he projected a statesman’s demeanor and a quick mind promising an intellect that was up to the demanding job of being President.

Hillary, on the other hand, turned feisty and combative early in the campaign. She soured me at that point and I transferred my allegiance to Obama.

Now eight years later Hillary is embarked on the mighty task to win the White House. Her only opponent is a 74 year old Vermont US Senator who is decidedly liberal and even a self-avowed Socialist. In a conservative tinged nation like America in 2016, socialism is not an ideal bully pulpit to speak from. So it seemed Hillary would have a cakewalk to the party’s nomination.

How wrong I was!

Bernie Sanders turns out to be a spokesman for a lot of young people, a lot of independent minded voters, and a lot of people sick and tired of politics as usual. Hillary represents the latter while Bernie speaks for the former. And yes, it is time we changed from the old ways to the new ones. Ours is a society mired in mediocrity in public performance. Politics has become a power game for the wealthy and only the greedy need apply. To feed this the rest of us pay the price. That’s 90% to 95% of us pay the greedy power mongers. They are the winners, not us.

In Obama we won, but the power brokers and wealthy pulled most of the strings. So nothing much has been accomplished if it had to be run through congress. America wants this to stop. So do our friends in other nations watching us.

But what is happening now is this:

1. Sanders speaks what most want to hear
2. Hillary speaks of governing and her ability to do so; and she can do it!
3. Republicans speak of conservatism, states’ rights, religious power and power over people. 

In a nutshell that sums it up for me. Sanders has the talking points. Hillary has the governing points. Republicans are the polar opposite.

So, here’s the deal. Hillary is presently turning into the shrew again, bad mouthing Sanders and building party animosity in the ranks. Bernie’s people are out of control and doing the same against Hillary and thus magnifying the animosity.

Hillary and Bernie should be on the same side. Both have great ideas. Hillary has the knowledge and experience and the connections to get things done. Bernie does not have those abilities and a Sanders presidency would be more years of governance stymied by congress. Not a good thing for the country.

Hillary should win the primaries and be the party’s nominee. Bernie should be a trusted adviser and idea man to assist Hillary. The republicans should lose the November election handily and lay to rest for at least four years the conservative machine of negativism. That will give republicans an opportunity to rethink their party’s vision and soul. Then they can return to the national stage to play the role of a responsible two-party player with effectiveness.

Meanwhile Hillary needs to learn to play nice with Bernie. Bernie needs to reshape his vision and collaborative powers and play well with Hillary.

Failing this, Bernie will win the nomination and destroy both Hillary and the Democratic Party for at least eight years. More importantly the White House will be inhabited by Ted Cruz and abortion, Christianity and conservatism will reign supreme in the land.

Do any of us really want this?

If not, then you know what to do.

April 8, 2016 

Freedom Reigns in USA?

Well, I guess it makes a difference who you are. In the America of 2016 one thing is certain: everyone is free to be a bigot. Then too, everyone can be stupid with impunity. Also, each of us can be rude, crude and lewd. There are costs to being all of these things, but those who need to feel superior to someone do have the freedom to be an ugly American. In time they may understand why they shouldn’t act as such, but for now they are free to be themselves.

Individual states – Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, etc. – are free to make their own laws, ignore their own laws, enforce their laws or not, all in the name of States Rights. But they do have to cooperate with federal government standards, laws and protocols if they expect to benefit from major budgetary help, outright giveaways and cooperation in countless other ways.

Like storm damage; they can go it alone and rebuild homes, highways, public buildings and the like on their own dime, or they can request help from federal authorities for disaster funds. Or they can let their public schools run every which way but when individuals are discriminated against, federal authorities can revoke public school funding assistance from that state. Same with public standards in health, safety and policing. Discriminate against women, ethnic minorities, people of low income or disabilities, and those states will feel some financial pain. Like the wayward spouse who has sexual affairs while married, will lose the kids, have to pay alimony and lose value of some assets. Whether it is the husband or wife who dallies, they will experience loss for their exercising such freedom.

There is order within each community. This order is a form of values shared within the community. Violate them and order is fractured. Consequences will follow. Simple.

Imposing your values on others when they do not represent justice or fairness is the same as stripping freedom from those who don’t believe as you do. Adopting your value as a religious value, does not earn you the right to impose your value on the other person. That is not religious freedom just because you say it is.

In the America of 2016 there are millions of people who believe that Satan resides in abortion and in homosexual behavior. They often believe that poor people choose to be so and feed at the public trough. 

These people work hard to levy blame, harm and penalty on those they look down upon. They insist this is their religious belief and thus insist that they are allowed to behave accordingly as an expression of religious freedom. Unfortunately for them they cannot claim such freedom with the force of law.

Public schools are open to all citizens. It is American value and philosophy that all people are afforded equal access to education as a means to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The same can be said of equal access to health, jobs and opportunity. These are the means to build life, experience liberty and pursue happiness.

Achieving happiness is up to each of us to do for ourselves and our loved ones. But our well being is based on the ability of our society (community) to help each access the same as best they can based on their abilities and desire.

It is not in the community’s best interest to keep good people down, poor and sick. Nor is it in the interest of our society to maintain an under-educated populace.

We work hard for everyone to make of life what they will without harming others while doing so. Order is thus established and maintained. We have the rule of law not the rule of mob. And we have freedom to practice our religion as much as we have freedom from having religion foisted upon us, especially religious beliefs and practices with which we do not agree.

Your religion is yours. Mine is mine. Even if yours or mine is the absence of religion. That’s OK in America. You don’t have to agree with me, believe as I do or do as I say. You can’t harm me. I can’t harm you.

Abortion doesn’t harm you, or me. It is a serious, heavy issue. It is one which is difficult to live with and understand. But it is not for you or society to impose a belief on me. Abortion is not murder; it is not the taking of innocent life. The fetus is a fetus and not a live human being capable of breathing on its own. It is a phase of life prior to birth. To believe it is a living, breathing human entity is a belief that some people hold. I do not.

I promise you I will not have an abortion (I am male; I am over the age of reproduction) and I will not force another to have an abortion. That is their choice to make, labor over, and discern minutely. I have done my thinking and discernment. I do not believe abortion is something to be legislated about other than for the safety and health of the mother. As a male I have no right to make this decision for a woman or for another human being. 

The same is true about sexual rights of individuals. Allowing religious perspectives to control the discussion over transgender or same gender rights is inappropriate. If you don’t believe in gay marriage, gay sex, or transgender policies, then separate yourself from these issues. You are not involved in this unless you choose to be. But for what reason? These are not your issues.

Gay people do not pose a threat of any kind to you and your family. They are not predators. You may fear they are but that does not make them so. It is your fear. Own it.

If individuals usurp from you directly the means to pursue life, liberty and happiness, seek legal recourse. You probably have such available to you. But if these people are not bothering you directly, then you do not have any recourse. They are what and who they are. They believe as they do. You believe as you do. You are who and what you are.

The best solution: live and let live. I can’t stand the way you vote or drive your car. But you are free to do both without interference from me. Break election laws and the rules of the road and the police will knock on your door. Otherwise you are free to live your life.

Now let others do the same. You don’t agree with them. Or me. Fine! I will live with that. but you do not have the right to impose your values and beliefs on me.

Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas – live your lives as Americans or not. Time will catch up with you. The Bible is a religious book with enormous historical context and standing. It is not the ‘state book’. Abortion is not for you to rule over. Neither is conservative, liberal or middle of the road political belief. Those are all for each of us to determine for ourselves.

Hiding behind a legislature or policy maker doesn’t make truth truer, or falsehoods more false. It just demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of the followers, unhappy as they may be.

As for moral outrage, whose right is that?

April 7, 2016

  

Opening Eyes and Ears

You see the world based on your own experiences. So do I. Our families were part of that living library of experience. And our neighborhoods, too. Schools, churches, neighborhood friends, those chums we grew up with, spent time with, shot the bull with. We explored life together a lot. There were times we didn’t ask the questions weighing most heavily on our minds, but we waited for the right time to do it. We usually did ask those questions.

In this way we learned about sex. I know your blushing right about now, but that’s the way it is, isn’t it? We trust close friends to talk honestly about things we don’t know or understand. We knew about pregnancy. We knew where babies came from, but the mystery was learning how they came to be in mom’s belly. The way people demurred from talking about this subject kept us from asking family members our pressing questions.

So we turned to friends. Not the creepy ones, the ones who were prone to bullying or poking fun at you. No, we reserved our most personal questions for those we knew would listen.

At school we didn’t bother the teachers; they were the same age as our folks and we didn’t want to embarrass them, either.

Little by little we scoped out the world. Bit by bit we realized some things we had gotten all wrong, but then more chats with friends and we adjusted our understanding. Besides, as we grew older and did papers and projects for class, we learned to visit the library. Encyclopedias, too.

Today, kids have the internet and answers are everywhere to be found. So many we don’t know the questions they answer. But never mind about that, we are on our own now and can learn to ask the right questions, follow the answers with more questions, and eventually we have a pretty good understanding of what’s what in life.

I remember having physical feelings that didn’t seem ‘normal’ but I didn’t have a clue about what I was feeling, so didn’t know what to ask or how to ask it.  Years later, maybe 15 or more, I began to put words to the feelings. At the time I didn’t trust any of my friends to know what I was talking about so I kept quiet. More years passed and finally I had a friend I could confide in, confide these deepest of feelings and questions.

He put me in contact with another person he felt certain could counsel me on sexuality, especially attraction to my own gender. Talk about awkward! I still get sweaty palms thinking of it. But it is over now; long over and I have learned much about life that smooths all the awkward moments. Still, the sweaty palms! I wonder if those will ever fully disappear when I think of these matters?

Today I interact with people of all types. Men, women, teenagers, people of faith, atheists, drug addicts and alcoholics. Employed and unemployed, too, are people I am familiar with. Of the latter, most are people of middle age who have suffered career dislocation and have no idea how to relocate their talents to a meaningful calling while earning a fair and livable income. A sign of our times, career dislocation is a serious issue that colleges and high schools need to pay attention to, and governing bodies, too, ought to consider policies that would ease folks through these treacherous waters of life. These problems sap energy and financial resources from communities. We all pay the price of these dislocations. Worse still is how the individual feels about him or herself. Worthless comes to mind. They would offer us even more terrible word choices. They feel pulled into a rabbit hole of extinction. They fear the unknown. They tremble at irrelevancy or the fear of being so. Often they drink or drug to cover the pain. Adding to their misery are the ramifications of that behavior. Worse comes to worst. Institutionalization or prison results in many cases. But that behavior can be managed in better ways that brings the person back to wholeness. And purpose.

How many inmates of jails and prisons are mental health patients in need of treatment? How many are potentially gifted students in need of education? How many are spiritually hungry folk who need time and space to work out their life story on a positive scale? How many of all of these people actually get a chance to explore these solutions? Not very many.

You know that. We all know that. But once the miscreant has journeyed through the criminal justice system and is locked away, we prefer to not think of them. It is better to envision our streets and neighborhoods free of their ilk and threat. We prefer to let the professionals deal with the wreckage of such lives.

But did you know there are very few professionals doing that kind of work? Would it also surprise you to learn that those few professionals are so few compared with the inmates with needs that not even a small dent is possible. The state of our penal institutions is dreadful. Our society feels so harshly that budgets are continuously reduced on a per capita basis to deal with prisoners already in our system. And then, we remove public institutions from the mix and increasingly place this work to the lowest bidder within the private enterprise system. Good luck on rebuilding lives within this environment.

I think of young people caught in this vortex of personal destruction. What they need is a time out and a gracious heart of another human being willing to listen and help build positive thoughts. How many get this opportunity? Not many. And most come with a theology present along with religious rituals and other creedal matter that doesn’t always sit well with the inmate. To get help they have to yield to someone’s religious beliefs?

I get it that religious institutions often dedicate themselves to helping others. What I don’t get is why people don’t do this type of work without the religious directive. I don’t need a religious belief system to press me forward to do this sort of work.

Do you? Might you be willing to step forward and help an inmate or two feel cared for and worthy of investment for a better life after his term of imprisonment is over? If so, contact your local Sheriff’s office and discuss what you have in mind. He will most likely receive you gladly. And he may even help you broaden your work to other institutions hungry for your help.

If we don’t do this work the prison population will re-enter society, our society, worse off than when they entered the criminal justice system. If that is true we are in a world of hurt unimaginable for generations to come.

We can do something about this. Each of us can adopt an inmate to help. And together we can petition our governments to do the right thing in the first place and provide the helping services to these people before the problem worsens.

That would be a good starting point.

April 6, 2016