Purpose of Education

Age old discussions focused on the purpose for education. These discussions still rage. You’d think by now mankind would understand the role of education. It’s not like this is a new concept; no, it’s as old as the hills.

Socrates, Plato, Augustine. So many came before us. So many came after them. Among us now are wise people who ponder the universe, the big question of ‘why?’ and much more. As kids we asked our parents ‘why?’ and we still do. The question is always present. A good thing, that!

We do not understand everything about life. It is elusive at best and an enigma at worst. But the question keeps us alert to the process of knowing. Knowing things. knowing why. Finding mysteries to solve. Problems to exercise the mind.

Long ago while in college – Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, Liberal Arts – we argued the why and how and why of the world constantly. We did so at dinner table, breakfast and in the dorms. We formed discussion groups and discussed these topics, too. We read rich resource materials; we engaged faculty in these discussions, too. They were pleased to be part of it; and their smiles told us we were on the right track.

Of what? you wonder?

The struggle to understand is the core of the educational process. It is not the finding of the end result or fact that is important. No, it is the how – the process – that is the most important element.

Exercising the brain teaches it methods to use in various circumstances. It helps train the mind to process things in ways that broaden understanding of the universe. Just like we don’t know what we don’t know, we also don’t know what we do know. These two polar opposites create the tension in which education occurs.

Being told something is not the same thing as learning it. It is as simple as that. Learning a fact requires us to remember it accurately. It also challenges us to use the remembered fact well.

Life is not like that, however. Life is always changing and morphing into something else. What we knew before may not be relevant at the current moment. Discerning the differences becomes all-important.

My sister and I have long argued the role of education. She thinks of all education being vocational, that is, teaching someone how to earn a living. This mindset requires students to learn useful facts and methods to do useful things for which they are paid.

I think education’s role is to teach students how to learn so they can deal creatively with the real world and make the most of it. Finding one’s self in the process is important. We learn who we are individually so we can manage our lives well and live well with what’s important. Money is useful; but not all-important. Understanding how things work and what we can do differently with them to adapt to changing circumstances is, in my mind, much more important.

Thus, two views of education: one is vocational; the other is process.

The first teaches you something concrete that can be used to earn a living. The other teaches how the world works and how to adapt to it. From that comes endless adaption that fuels creation of useful means of creating a life in changing conditions.

Today our nation reels with recent changes in industry, technology, social interactions, and much more. Millions of jobs have disappeared. Not because they were shipped overseas, but because the usefulness of those jobs faded away. New industries appeared. New processes appeared. New technologies replaced old ones. New methods of engineering and manufacturing came into being. Old manufacturing industries continue to fade away.

People who were aware of the changes adapted to the new. Opportunities popped up and some were ready to answer the call. Many were lost in their old methods and understanding of the world. They missed the opportunity. They still do; they remain on the sidelines awaiting a return to their old job that no longer exists and will never come back.

If the worker of the past fails to learn, he doesn’t know how to adapt. That’s the vocational mindset.

The workers of the future are aware of change because they learned how to learn. They see the process. And they use it to adapt.

The America of the past has always been inventive and creative. That is the hallmark of America and its value structure of personal freedom.  Removing personal initiative and self-understanding, removes creative forces we dearly need to nurture.

Education can do that. Education does that. But it must be used properly and constructively. Not for the student, but so the student can do it for himself. Self actualizing. Creative. Discovering. Vitally developing.

Yes!

January 31, 2018

State of the Union?

Well, the white house will claim many accomplishments. Here are a few of them and what they are worth. Most are worth nothing. So ‘accomplishment’ is the wrong term to use.

1.     Tax Reform: no reform was done. A very complicated mess was made more messy; no real reform; a change of some formulas and reduction of taxes to some segments of the public; increased fees and taxes to many other segments. Real reform requires transparent process, examination, and invention.

2.     Reduction of federal regulations: by decree some regulations were eliminated because they were created by executive order; that was because the congress couldn’t make up its mind what to do so progress required the then president to take action. Regulations are not all bad; most of them protect the rest of us from bad policies and treatment by those who wield economic or political power; reduction of these regulations only harms the public.

3.     Elimination of Paris Climate Accord: as one of the globe’s largest polluters, America should be on the forefront of cleaning up the environment. Other polluter nations have been slow to respond to this call for action, China and Russia among them. However, those nations are now responding and so too should America. The Climate Accord, however, can still be practiced by Americans; it doesn’t need the force of law for us to pursue commonsense policy and practice. Many states are doing just that.

4.     Threatening to undo various trade pacts and treaties: most of these protect American workers and industries already; upsetting the trade balances will threaten more than preserve; some industries are on their way out and need to be replaced anyway, but think agricultural trade between Mexico and USA; totally screwed up by threatening to undo NAFTA. Wrong thing to do at this point in time; same for all the other trade agreements; be careful what you mess with; unintended consequences are horrendous. American farmers know this.

5.     Messing with the Middle East: delicate balances gained over the years; all still problems; no real solution available; upsetting balances in favor of Israel only increases the problems. Peace begins with Israel and must be respected by them. Others will fall into line eventually. Getting us off the ‘oil standard’ would be a great first step.

6.     Favoring Oil and Gas industries: this is the opposite of getting off the oil standard. We need to find energy sources that are non-polluting, readily available, and cost effective. Replace oil and gas as soon as possible. Do not favor oil industry; this only prolongs the pain of replacing them with something better.

7.     Women’s issues are more painful now than before the current president. We are at least discussing these issues but it will take culture shifts to repair and mend. Current misogynistic policies and temperaments do not address the problems. Get with it republicans.

8.     Education and research: both arenas represent an investment in our people to self-sustain themselves and advance the opportunities for society in general. Both move society’s goal posts forward and improve standards of living for everyone. Not investing in education and research is self-destructive. This seems to be the present policy of the white house and republican party.

There are more items to place on this list. But 8 is a good number to start with, and to end this post with. The seriousness of the nation's situation should not be understated. And its positives should not be overstated.

We are in danger of a nuclear war with North Korea and her supporters in China and Russia. Not a good thing for anyone. But also, not a reason to rapidly advance the cold war behavior by investing more in our defense systems. Avoid war; advance peace; make defense systems unnecessary.

Investing in our own people will help address the fundamental weakness of the economy – vast unemployed talents who did not remain current in their current and future career options. Another reason to expand educational resources.

I do not plan on tuning into the State of the Union address. It will be dishonest and all smoke and mirrors, anyway. Let’s spend time on addressing the real issues in a collaborative and creative manner. Perhaps we can sponsor private coffees at which to discuss the issues of the day?

January 30, 2018

What to Believe

As a friend passed me the best selling book, “Fire and Fury” about the trump white house, another friend asked, “how can you know what’s true?”  My answer: “I can’t and no one else can either; that’s the context in which we find ourselves; pitiful.”

And so, as the nation anticipates the State of the Union Address by the current white house occupant, one knows that whatever he utters cannot be readily believed. He has done this to himself, to others, for the press and anyone else who wishes to comment, study or write about current events.

If the subject  matter can be extended as a positive or negative on the current administration, the propagandists go to work to discredit the piece. Deny. Re-state. Cover up. Explain. Nothing negative meant or intended, right? Wrong!

The current public discussion climate is pitifully zero. No one believes anyone. If anyone – me included – attempts to explain or open a topic for fair discussion, immediate condemnation, attack, or personal detraction is assigned. Evidently, they don’t trust even themselves to have an open and trustworthy discussion. Blame begets blame. Context becomes twisted with non-contextual elements. History is malformed to fit an inappropriate example now under the microscope. It is a wonder anything factual escapes the maw of the modern day political machine.

And that is exactly why I am not a republican or supporter of the current occupant of the white house. He is so untrustworthy as to go unnamed. Well earned, in my mind. And I’m not alone in this polar conclusion.

The history of political discourse is under study as we speak. Academicians and political scientists are intrigued at our current situation and wonder exactly how we got here. Early indications of these studies go back 30 years of political propaganda authored by republicans as they attempted everything to unseat Bill Clinton. They overstepped their authority and morals in doing this. The tide was turned and the rest followed.

I look forward to more of their findings, but certainly the record will be tainted by intermediate defenses and skirmishes entered into by both political parties as they struggled with the then current moves and countermoves. All of this confuses who said what and when. Also, who said and did what first to get this ball rolling. How very childish.

In a multi-hundred year history this blaming and reaction process becomes too unwieldy to manage. At some point we will need to shout ‘halt’ and start with a new beginning, one that says, forget the past, what do we want for the future?

By the way, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do with this blog. Some of my rants, of course, understandably vent my frustration with past calumnies; but in the main, I remain positive and hope that we can reboot our national discussion and define who we are, who we want to be, what that requires in our deportment and demeanor. This needs to be a clean break from present standards which pretty much count for nothing.

So, those of you who have dissected and pummeled my blogs in the past, stop; begin with a statement of your ideas, not blame, but ideas for the future. Who do you think the American people are and should strive to become? This is a process of evolving toward a brighter future. To accomplish those ideas, what will we need to do as a people to get there?

These are difficult issues. They are complex. They affect millions of people, intended and unintended. The nature of policy is complex. Respect it and work with it creatively to achieve the standard models of decency.

If you cannot do this – and there are plenty of people like Bannon out there in the real world – just keep your mouths as shut as your minds are. Let the rest of us adults get down to business.

I do not mean this harshly. I have hopes for a heady, spirited discussion that truly aims to arrive at a better place without the baggage of our present problems.

Who’s game for this? All aboard!?

January 29, 2018

Bubble Markets

People think I’m liberal. I don’t fully earn that label. I am conservative about many things, and liberal minded (open, exploring, ready for fresh discoveries). I am also practical. That roots me in centrist positions on social issues. How do we as a society manage through the many social issues we face daily? We cannot create ‘one size fits all’ solutions. They don’t exist in the main.

So, to manage social issues and governance processes, we need to borrow ideas from conservatives, liberals and middle of the roaders. This sharing is also a great way to best understand all of the competing ideas out there. How can we be against something we don’t know anything about? We need to read and research many things before making up our minds on solutions, positions, and political support.

In my mind that makes me a centrist.

One thing I’m conservative about is money. Prices. Value. Efficiency. Fairness. Those sort of things.

For example, I’m aghast at the Bitcoin fad, or craze. Of course, I don’t understand the craze, but I know that the value is not based on anything actual or real. Expectations, maybe, but not actual, real things. What was once a $1 Bitcoin, is now a $10,000 Bitcoin. The same one, actually, just priced higher because someone is willing to exchange other value for it.

The Bitcoin fad is an example of a bubble. A bubble is the appearance of value without any backing. The bubble is filled with nothing but air. Bubbles tend to deflate quickly and without warning. One moment they are there, and whoosh, they are gone. Zilch value left.

We have observed fluctuating prices for used automobiles in recent years. The more cars on the market at any one time, the lower the prices; supply and demand, remember? If the supply tightens, then the price for used cars rises. Same for new cars, too.

And for housing. There are exceptions to the rule – hot neighborhoods, specific hot home designs, and other features – that will press prices higher in a market that is generally down. If the supply of homes increases quickly, price competition generally pushes prices down. The opposite is also true: tight supply of homes on the market, prices rise. Of course the size of the buying market is a feature, and those folks have to have a supply of cash at hand to buy the house with favorable mortgage terms. Not all of these aspects track together, but often they do.

We had a housing bubble prior to 2008 – too many people chasing after houses and bidding up their values. When the recession of 2009 began, many people walked away from the market and selling any home was difficult. Many people lost their homes because they lost their jobs and could no longer pay the mortgage payments. The bubble burst and many people lost their homes and equity position. A lot of people remained in their current homes and the market nearly collapsed. Mortgage defaults were plentiful and banks tightened their lending standards. The result was a decline in mortgage availability. And a reduction of even more buyers. Prices on homes dropped like a rock. The bubble had burst. Now many years later, we see evidence of a new housing bubble appearing. Let's watch where this one goes!

The stock market is also subject to value bubbles. When too many people buy stocks of fixed supply, prices rise. If expectations of growth in the economy are high, prices rise. Today the Dow Jones Industrial average is over 26,300 points. It rises by 50 to 100 points daily. This is not normal. Stock prices have soared in recent years; and buyers continue to push prices to yet higher levels.

If little value is included to match stock price gains, then a bubble has formed. There is no telling what event will cause the tide to turn and cause prices to drop. A drop of 100 points is not an adjustment. A bubble bursting would cause a price decline of 500 to 1000 points in one day, and possibly repeated for a series of days.

In my estimation, the Dow Industrial average is overpriced by 5000 points. A bubble bust would cause the market to drop from 26000 points to 21000 points. That lower level is still high historically and represents a clearer measure of market value.

Conservative thinking would cause investors to be cautious about their stock buys and selling. So far the expectations are high and going higher. Not a conservative point of view. There is nothing present to support higher stock prices. The opposite is true, yet a market correction is still absent.

Underlying causes for a market correction abound. More on this in coming days.

January 26, 2018

Squashing A Needed Technology

I have written in this space many times that we need new forms of energy. Energy types that are renewable, readily in supply and also help consumers discipline their use of energy. A careful consumer is not a wasteful consumer. Not wasting energy or other resources that produce that energy protects our shared environment from contamination and despoliation.

One of the bright stars in energy production is solar. Solar panels covering roof spaces on homes and office buildings and manufacturing facilities, produce energy consumed in those structures. For homes, solar power may be enough to meet all the needs of a typical family. Many homes may actually overproduce energy and ‘sell’ it back to the local power company.

Other forms of environmentally friendly energy include wind power, thermal pumps circulating water in subterranean conduits. Some of these alternative energy sources are more efficient than others, and some are much cheaper to invest in the installation of new equipment to make it all possible.

Solar power, however, relies on solar panels. Because this energy technology has been around for a few decades, engineering techniques and research have increased solar efficiency as well as lowered the cost of solar panels. America manufactures these panels, and also buys panels from foreign manufacturers.

In a stunning move, the white house occupant levied a 30% tariff on solar panels. The industry is reeling with this change and determining how badly it will damage the industry. While they are doing that, the obvious winners are providers of fossil fuel energy sources. The big electrical power companies and combines win; so do all oil companies who foist burning oil and natural gas as prime energy sources. Doing so makes their products and commodities more valuable.

It also competes with other, promising non-polluting energy sources and their development. Solar energy will be hampered by the tariff; oil companies will gain profits in the meantime. But of more importance is the loss of momentum going forward to find reliable energy sources that will eventually replace oil-based power generation. Those supplies are finite and will run out one day. Meanwhile they pollute the planet with by-products of burning fossil fuels.

Did trump take this step intentionally to help the oil industry? Did he do it to upset the progress of the solar and alternative fuel industries? Why would he do this sort of thing? What benefit does this gain him or others?

Perhaps this was a mistake, a simple miscalculation? The donald does make mistakes; we have plenty of evidence of that. But he rarely admits a mistake and leaves us wondering what the motivation behind the action is. That causes the rest of us to come up with the answers. So much better and more efficient if he would just tell us.

Meanwhile, the search for reliable, ready and cheaper energy continues. One day trump will not have power; we need to be ready for that. Let’s find fresh new energy sources via physics. And don’t let down our guard on solar, wind and thermal energy projects.

January 25, 2018

New Political Blocs

Envisioning a new way of wielding power among Americans for better outcome achievement, here are the blocs of people I think will be reliable power sources: [note: all population numbers are rough estimates; needs to be researched]

Women (all ages; all backgrounds)  100 million adults

Young voters, ages 21 to 32  (20 million)

Educated voters (college grads and post graduate degree holders)  (20 million)

Midwest voters (400 miles on either side of the Mississippi River, from Canada to Missouri)  (20 million)

West Coast voters (20 million)

Northeast voters (30 million)

The numbers estimated above total more than votes cast in the 2016 Presidential Election. That’s because I’m focusing on blocs of people, not voters. Not all will think or act the same as others in the bloc, but focused on outcomes, my theory is more people will be energized to become involved in the political process to accomplish shared goals of value. Thus, the numbers are large. I’m counting on excitement among participating interest groups to power the system forward.

Please note that political parties are so marginalized in this format that they dwindle and die a lonely, pitiful end. Good riddance! The parties simply have not garnered enough supporters for their overall cause; rather, they have focused on interest groups which have not amassed supporters, but divided them. Thus the power of party has succumbed.

Now, let’s examine this template a bit more.

The template is most useful in determining strength of support for various causes or goals. Outcomes, really, those that speak to the people of what ought to be the result of their work together. Perhaps that is a simpler, value driven immigration policy and process. Maybe it is significant growth of women in management of private businesses. Another may focus on healthcare access for all income segments of American households.

Whatever the outcome, the important thing is to focus just on that outcome and work toward its achievement. This work should help raise the public’s understanding of the issue and how it works within society overall. How does it affect the overall well-being of the populace? From this we gain a sense of priority within the mindset of the American public.

A sense of priority: this is missing in our public discussions. We have a general sense of what matters to people, but not what matters most, then lesser, and least. Ranking these issues is important. If we concentrate on the most important issues and work on them until they are satisfied, then we can go on to other issues and tackle them.

Currently, we don’t do this. All issues are dumped into the same hopper of public discussion. This confuses and divides our attention. The result is nothing much gets done. And gridlock continues to be served. Elected officials and demagogues use this confusion to further divide and assemble their own power. We must not let that happen!

I would love to see us develop this template as a working model and see where it gets us. Anything would be better than the current gridlock/power model.

What do you think? Should we try this new method? Would you consider being a part of this?

January 24, 2018

Alternative to Blame

Gridlock has been a common feature of American politics since the 1990’s. Probably before, but the real gridlock leading to nothing getting done began with republicans blocking Bill Clinton in nearly everything he attempted to do. But they failed and he won. A lot was accomplished in the 90’s. A new political platform was established, but so too were the politics of extreme opposition. Dirty tricks were raised to an all-time high. Scandals were floated; if they ‘took’, they were manipulated to represent a much larger threat to the nation than they actually were.

Some of Clinton’s successes came from masterful methods of compromise. It seems the art of that compromise ended with him. No president since has managed to edge past gridlock like Bill Clinton.

Raw manipulation of issues and power have been the means to move beyond gridlock in the past 20 years. Some movement in congress is noted. But the main feature of congressional action is still gridlock.

Blaming others for the things you did has been a long-favorite political tactic. In the last 20 years this method has been perfected. Accompanied by the well-designed minimization of the media, politicians can get away with pretty much anything.

So tangled are current events in misspeak and propaganda, only historians with keen intellects and disciplined powers of concentration, will be able to untangle fact from fiction. Even then history will be hampered by cross stories and misleading scripts. History will need a lot of personal faith of the reader to discern what is true. So, a compromised history will result; we already have that to some degree; how far that skewing of facts will go will depend on what we allow.

I think there is an alternative to this debilitation of American politics. It won’t be easy to acquire, but with clear minds and good hearts, we can do it. Here’s how.

First, drop the blame game. Ignore the nonsense claims; if it sounds like blame, stop listening. Soon blame will be ineffective and silenced.

Second, imagine the outcomes on which we should be focusing attention. List these outcomes and prioritize them; which items build foundations for other outcomes on the list? Place the foundation outcomes high on the list of priorities.

Third, focus on achieving the high priority outcomes. Enlist supporters within the larger population of the nation. Stay away from political parties and other special interest groups. Focus on the identified outcome as the rallying cry for supporters. Power blocs will gravitate toward these outcome centers and provide the power to get them achieved. Observe how the Women's Movement is gaining traction.

Fourth, with each successive outcome coming to fruition, a new power of the people will come to life. This ‘can-do’ power center will replace political parties. No longer will personality power energize the political process; only outcome achievements will provide the energy.

Fifth, as accomplishments remake education, healthcare, public infrastructure and the language of the arts, the purpose and role of government will settle into a utilitarian model supporting quality of life. Left in the dust will be personal political noise. Process will be the star but only if desired outcomes are successfully achieved.

Realistic? Most will say no. However, we have to do something different if we expect good things to happen in the future. What we have now is broken, twisted wreckage. The ideals remain true; so do the hopes. The question is whether those are strong enough to dump the old process and discover a new one.

We have much to gain from the latter. The former has led us to the current prolonged gridlock. And a disheartening public discussion of dishonor and untruths. Time for a change. The sooner, the better. For all of us!

January 23, 2018

Shutdown Watch

So, the white house claims the federal government shutdown is the Schumer Shutdown. Well, it’s not. The dealmaker president is at it again – labeling things that matter, falsely. He does it continuously. He opens his mouth, moves his lips, and trusts whatever sounds escape. It is very much like he can’t believe anything he says could possibly be wrong.

Boy does he have the wrong number!

Wrong is trump’s middle name. I guess he thinks because he’s the boss, he has the power of right. He’d be wrong about that; we have standards in America that strive for what is correct, factual and true. It is not a convenient standard. Many among us have learned that the hard way.

In the past, we had many who kept track of such things. The media for one. Columnists for another. Teachers and academics for yet more trackers of truth and meaning. Churches and pastors, preachers, too. But those were the days when we really worked at our morals and principles. We were raised to believe ‘someone is watching you’ and will slap you back to reality if you fool around or tell a lie. Remember those days? I do. It was the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Those days were not perfect. We didn’t know then what we do today. There is much more fact, history, truth and topical material to master today to make sense of the world. But right is still right no matter how much others might try to tell you otherwise.

The shutdown of the federal government is one of those moments in our history. Two ideologies are at war in our nation. The conservatives believe small government; the liberals believe government should be sized to do the job as well as possible. The catch in this ‘argument’ is pretty simple. One side trusts government; the other doesn’t.

Conservatives don’t trust authority in government hands. Middle of the road citizens – and liberals, too – have faith and trust in government. They know the workings of government are accomplished by fellow human beings and that processes can go wrong, but also can be fixed. That doesn’t mean government is always right; it is human and makes mistakes. But it is not evil.

I guess that’s what conservatives fear the most – loss of control over their lives and that loss is by evil design, not by human mistake. Hell of a way to live life. One wonders how they have the time to make money and become wealthy. Of course, not all do get wealthy, because they, too, are human and err and foul up. They make mistakes and risks don’t always pay off.

A big difference between the time I was growing up and today is this: both sides argue their positions without benefit of truth. They spew false facts and arguments as though they are true. Both sides do this. It is evil whoever is spouting it. But the decline in honest, truthful communications is now at an all-time high. No wonder no one knows what is true or not; there are false assertions everywhere.

Discernment is hard work. It takes discipline, an open mind, reading, research and a whole lot more logical analysis to discern what is right, truthful and factual. We don’t have much of that going on in our media, or our opinion makers. We sure don’t have this going on with our elected officials. They are at the epicenter of this horrid reality.

To get us to a better place, it is time to remove all of them and start over. Elect new representatives who will actually represent the truth and our hopes for the future.  If this is impossible, then we need to consider doing away with political parties. They don’t represent us and manipulate the process of governance. Surely, we can invent a better system than the one in place now.

To do otherwise is to give in to the powers of manipulation and evil. The non-truthers are winning. And we the people are losing. The stakes are high. Change is needed. Make that change soon, please!

January 22, 2018

Shutdown or Not

I wrote this on Friday, January 19^th. I revised it today, January 20th when I learned the US government did shut down due to inept deal making by trump and his lackey leaders in the republican party.

So, this is the day the congressional leader's decision was to shut down government operations because the DACA question was not resolved as both parties would like. Or the Wall, or the CHIP program protecting healthcare for low income kids.

Indeed, the government shut down is a trump decision because congress reached a bipartisan agreement but he didn’t like it. At the last minute he reversed his position, insisted on building ‘the wall’ and DACA youth would not be used as a bargaining chip. Funny thing is he made those young people the bargaining chip when he announced cessation of the program in March 2018. He even asked congress to fix this issue regardless of the wall; but he went back on his word.

So the shutdown belongs to donald trump.

It also belongs to republican house and senate party leaders. They knew the Democrats would not give in on this issue. Too important for the nation and its historical DNA of immigrants. And fairness.

So government shutdowns in this case belong to the republicans and trump.

The Wall is a dead issue. It is a meaningless symbol: impractical – won’t make much difference in the illegal immigration flow – and too costly. It is an albatross suggestion that won’t fix anything but it is a big idea for a big problem. That’s all donald wanted out of this. An image of attempting to do something big with boldness.

Well, it won’t hold water or immigrants back. Immigrants will enter our nation via air, ship, boat, truck, car and bus. Almost all of them will enter legally. A small portion will be illegal. We already spend billions to find these folks and return them to their home countries. That process is slow, costly and ineffective in the final analysis.

Ineffective and impractical. Those two words should sound familiar. They have been used constantly to describe the problem and the proposed solutions for decades.

A really big fix for this is simple: announce all immigrants are welcome and design identification methods for each newcomer, track their whereabouts at all times until they become citizens, and support their enculturation to America with a hug and a smile. An open society should greet newcomers in an open manner.

The administrative details that follow this fix would redirect all the resources and systems that currently are assigned to the immigration and naturalization process. Only now the process would be direct and simple. Get the big idea right in the first place and the details should follow easily. No one has tried this. But several presidents have wanted a simple fix for a long time. Reagan wanted a fix. George HW Bush did as well. So did Bill Clinton, George W, Barack Obama and now trump. The people standing in the way are not the civil servants. The barriers are elected congressional members.

How sad. How very, very sad.

Political games have been played with uninformed citizens seemingly supportive of hare-brained ideas and proposals. The time for that should now be over.

Make DACA legal; convert  all registrants in the program to full citizenship; and devise a process whereby all immigrants can be made citizens in time. Easy peasy. So do it.

Mitch McConnell, stop playing your infantile games. Same to Paul Ryan.

If you all want a meaningful discussion and solution to defining what the role of a central government is, then get to that discussion. Educate the nation on the issue. Clearly define the consequences of making changes to implement whatever decisions might follow. Consider the Constitution and whether this discussion is even necessary. But discuss it honestly and in the open. Then let’s decide as a nation whether the federal government ought to be as small as a pea, or as large as whatever it takes to serve the people as the Constitution warranted.

But a shutdown? Never!

January 22, 2018

Fixing Immigration

Our history is one thing. Our bloodlines another. None of us are pure American other than Native American Indians. That’s it. Period. Discussion over.

The rest of us have bloodlines, native cultures and family from different nations. All of us. In the very early days of what became America – 1500’s and early 1600’s, most of us heralded from European nations. A lot of English, French and Scandinavians. Some Spanish and Portuguese, too.

With the slave trade in full operation, European traders captured African natives and loaded them on boats. After weeks of sailing the high seas, perhaps half of the ‘live’ cargo of slaves survived. They were sold to plantation owners in the southern regions of America. In this convoluted manner, Africans were added to our American bloodlines.

Indentured servants from all over Europe also were brought to America. These were poor people who wanted to emigrate to America and they did through sponsorship of wealthy families who paid for the servants with an agreement to be freed after paying off their indentured value. Perhaps 5 years or more led to freedom. Still, most of these folks were of European stock.

Intermarriage of bloodlines and nationalities led to more diversity in America’s population. Black and white – mulatto – legacies formed and further diversified the population. Native Americans, too, were slowly absorbed into the national bloodline, weakening their own but strengthening the rest of us.

So it is that very few individuals in the USA can count themselves native. Or pure anything.

It does not count that you were born here. Or how many years ago your family immigrated to America. We all are immigrants.

That alone should be reason enough to open our borders and welcome all comers to our nation. Yes, such a policy shift would invite chaos and overcrowding, but prevailing competition for jobs, livelihoods and raw resources, would provide limiting forces to overcrowding.

In 2018 we need immigrants for a host of reasons. First, they increase our markets for consumption of goods and services provided by entrepreneurs. That’s a purely economic positive for immigration. Second, immigrants come with skills and talents that we don’t already have here in America; immigrants provide these to our mix and are well paid for them. Third, we need manpower to do the lower level jobs citizens already here don’t want to do; immigrants readily perform this work to secure their livelihoods. Agricultural workers are the largest segment of such immigrants. Service employees are another large segment of immigrant workers. We need these people. Just ask fruit and produce farmers if they need a ready supply of immigrant labor! They will say yes in a trice.

Fourth, we need immigrants to spice up our culture lines, perspective and freshness of spirit. They are joyous and valuable people ready and willing to make a go of life in America. We will always need this ‘can-do’ spirit. The more the merrier.

Fifth, immigrants – legal or not – pay a lot of taxes and buy a lot of goods and services in the American economy. This is a huge positive and should not be ignored, ever.

If immigration is so positive, why then are so many people willing to make this a dire political issue? There are no downsides to immigration. Yes, there are management issues to work on, but not barriers to immigration itself.

Political parties across the board have wanted to fix the immigration system for a long time. At least 30 years of gridlock over this issue has been embarrassingly present in our culture. And for all the wrong reasons.

Isn’t it about time we bit the bullet on this, admitted we have been terribly wrong, and will now fix it? Winners all around if we do. No losers in sight. Unless we don’t fix the problem, that is. If no fix is made, we all lose. No one wins. All lose. Including America itself. Who we are, what we are, and what we will become, is based solely on immigrants melting together into a wonderfully, diverse cultural stew.

Welcome to all, old and new. May you find happiness here as we have.

January 19, 2018

Saying Another Goodbye

Memorial service last Saturday afternoon for Judy Keeney (April, 1944 to November, 2017). She and husband Ed Sommer had been members of our Warrenville, Illinois church for some years. Both in failing health, Judy moved Ed to a continuing care facility near her family in Portland, Oregon. She moved in with a daughter and grandkids. Both Ed and Judy lived in Portland since 2016. It was a hard adjustment for them and all of their friends in Warrenville, too.

Judy was a talented, loving, intelligent woman. A professional actress, classically trained pianist, and mother of three from her first marriage. She was one of those people who found joy and interest in most everything. She did things, tried things, and read widely. She thought through complicated issues and engaged others in conversation. She changed peoples’ lives with her infectious humor and easy personality.

Her family planned her memorial service. They brought it to Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrenville where Judy and Ed had been very happy. The remembrances were notable and memorable. Humorous, too. A family well attuned to the world and the times. Just like Judy nurtured them to be!

In the pew bulletin for Judy’s service were these two quotes. Her children knew they described Judy to a T. The first quotation is from Erma Bombeck:

            “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a  single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me.”

The second quotation is from Leo Buscaglia:

            “To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk being called sentimental. To reach out to another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self. To place your ideas and your dreams before the crowd is to risk being called naïve. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure.

            But risks must be taken because the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live. Chained by his attitudes, he’s a slave, he’s forfeited his freedom.

            Only the person who risks is truly free.”

The Bombeck and Buscaglia quotes are perfect for Judy. She was  a renaissance person well read, beautifully educated and deeply involved in life. She taught her children well, saw to their education – both secondary and college. She gave her kids freedom to explore life so they could make a life uniquely their own. No copy cats in the Keeney home.

Judy was a keen thinker, too; she weighed in on public opinions and critiqued those that were not well thought out. She was not opinionated but a worker of opinions to discern fact and truth.

We miss Judy, and Ed, too, now that Portland is his home. But both are in our minds and present in our lives through memories. We will remember long and fondly the quality of interactions they both provided their friends. Judy’s insightful conversations will remain a light in our room of memories of her.

Bless you Judy, and Ed, and all the Sommers-Keeneys. You were blessed with a special person in your lives. Ours, too.

January 18, 2018

                       

Opposing Views

The middle east. Palestinian and Israeli discussion points. Debate points? Heated argument points? No points? In the end the latter is as good a conclusion as any, isn’t it?

What progress has been made in the Palestinian/Israeli gridlock? None. Zero. Nada.

And that’s what we all get if we don’t listen to one another and offer a compromise of some value to the opposing side. If peace is what you both want, what will you give up to get it?

That is the question; that is the problem to solve.

And still, neither Palestinian or Israeli leaders are willing to give an inch.

On the one hand, Israel has more than the Palestinians and can give up something. Palestinians, on the other hand, have very little to offer.

Well, that’s not entirely true; they can and should offer a stop to the war-like hostilities. The primary problem with that, however, Palestinian authorities don’t have much control over those hostilities. They could work harder to gain that control, but ultimately it comes down to the trust of the people. Little trust exists. That’s what happens when ignorance is allowed to stand unopposed over generations of time. Hardcore hate develops. Not fertile ground for peace.

Yet, when we look over the language of this posting so far, we talk of the Palestinians, not Palestine. No such country exists. In my mind, that’s the core issue. Israel was formed by international authorities in 1948. It was formed from land once belonging to Palestine. That nation ceased to exist at that time; the Palestinian people and culture remained, of course, but not their nation in name or territory.

Warring ideologues' – mostly along religious demarcation – took issue with Israel as they always have. For thousands of years people have been against the Jews. Period. They could not bring themselves to support a nation named Israel. The hatred spanned millennia.

Along the way, the economics of oil, politics, and international skirmishes of larger powers, confused the dialog further. Today peace is still the hope of many, but continuously frustrated by those who win in a peace-absent space. Too many don’t want peace for their own selfish reasons.

This is why Israel does not trust the process of peace. They know that too many ‘others’ want Israel to go away; and those powers continue to upset the peace process.

This is not about America. It is not about Palestinians. And yet, if the Palestinians do not have a country of their own name, peace will continue to be hopeless. Palestine is a nation yet to be re-formed and well established. It ought to be. Then international powers should support Palestinian peace within its borders. Only then will the ‘other hostiles’ be pushed away long enough for Israel and Palestine to learn how to trust each other; maybe not completely, but enough to make glimmers of peace possible? Palestinian homelands should be shared with Israel for a buffer of peace; Israel should share its economic success and empower the people of Palestine toward self-sustaining economic power. Higher standards of living for Palestinians should bring dreams back to life. And those are the fuel for lasting peace.

First, get the non-Palestinian thugs out of the equation. Then work for a Palestinian state. Then lets resume peace talks.

It would also help to remove Netanyahu from his boisterous perch. With him in authority, no peace will come to anyone in the region.

Now, where was I? Opposing views. How such keep us from the peace or objective we desire.

the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is instructive on other conflicts. Those within America? How might those be described? And for how long will desired ends of all of us be denied until those nasty opposing views will allow gridlock to melt away?

Is it time to eliminate political parties in our nation in order to get representational government and processes back in productive action? I wonder. I wonder if either political party today is capable of governance. They certainly aren't capable of compromise. And that's at the heart of the issue.

January 17, 2018

Getting Away with Doing Nothing

Boy am I busy! And you as well!  I know, I know. You say that every day, week after week, month after month. I as well say similar things.

I know I’m busy. I know because my calendar records the appointments, the doctor appointments, the schedule outside the home. The desk is stacked high with files current and new. The beauty is tossing these files in the garbage when done, because the record is on electronic media. So not many old files lying around unless they are clients who gave up on themselves.

The phone is busy, too, but I don’t often answer that. I let messages go onto the service and read them later once screened for sales or spam calls. I know I’m busy because there is so much more to do; those realizations come from being engaged. New requests don’t often come from doing nothing.

Having said all of that, what’s with the title of today’s blog?

Well, it’s like this: a lot of people say they are busy but don’t seem to really be engaged in what they are doing. They seem to have time on their hands. In other words, they want to be busy, or would be if they said yes to requests. They don’t, so they really aren’t very busy. And I’m calling them out on this.

Look, this blog says over and over that this country and the world belong to all of us willing to get involved and work for good ends. We can’t complain about the world or the status of the nation if we aren’t lifting our end of the load. What gets done in this world is because of people willing to get involved and doing the work. It is that simple. My claim is, if enough people do this our nation and world will not be so broken.

I’m doing my end of things. What about you? If you are too, then who is not doing their share?

A lot of people on social media claim wisdom and knowledge; how many claim doing the good work? A lot or only a few. Sure some will want you to think they are busy doing the good things, but probably they aren’t. That’s a sorry state for all of us. We all pay for this lack of engagement by all too many of our fellow citizens.

All you do to prove this is ask others if they voted for trump in the last election. Are they responsible for the doofus to be in office? Do they take responsibility for this travesty? Or do they demur? Say they voted for someone else, not trump. Well, did they vote for one of the two minor losers, then? Or did they support Hillary in order to avoid a calamitous trump white house? Voting for someone other than Hillary did, in fact, elect trump.

If you are a trump supporter, how prepared on the issues were you prior to the election? Did you understand the consequences of electing trump? Did you get it then, or now? Or do you think the nation’s sinew will heal itself regardless of trump?

If you believe the latter, you have more faith in America than I. I didn’t think we would be so senseless as to elect anyone like trump. But we did. That surprise is wholly mine. Maybe yours, too.

Don’t tell me you are a trump fan and supporter and remain so. You have your own surprise in store for you. And it will be all yours. Because the 1% wealthy blokes don’t read this blog, I know you are not wealthy. You might be a wanna be; but then you will learn you are a won’t be.

That’s not the only surprise in store for you. Mark my words. These lessons are hard. They come from much work. When that happens you won’t get away from not being busy. You will be.

January 16, 2018

Psst! I’ve Got a Secret

Sort of a secret. For continuing readers, it’s not much of a secret. Here it is: I write this blog to clear my mind of ideas that clog up the works. While doing this daily task, better ideas push to the surface. Sharing them is fun. It also informs my own brain. Logic often takes over and discoveries pop up. That makes the process even more fun.

Clogging up the works was not the only problem. I felt powerless over public discourse. What we read, hear and see is provided by others – mostly people with an axe to grind, a dollar to make. In the long run, we become numb to the messages. In the short term, we become irritated at the nonsense spewed.

I know; I’ve spewed my own share of nonsense. I must admit, though, I have done so as a means of venting my own frustration. I hope I’ve made that clear over these past several years.

Some have asked me why I write this blog daily. The answer is simple: the noise in the public square of opinion never shuts down so my mind doesn’t either. And so I write to make sense of it all.

Making sense of things is what I do. I have done this in my career as well. Study circumstances and current problems – of organizations or business firms – and then determine what actually is wrong, if anything, and what the options are to address those problems. It is a challenging thing to do but very rewarding intellectually. Over time I became able to see things many people couldn’t. That gave clients a fresh start to work through challenges and become more successful.

Although not the same thing, public issues are also logical and capable of being addressed productively if enough of us think through the issues. I have come to believe that we all need to lend a hand to identifying the most important issues we face and then decide to do something about them. This is not impossible work. What is impossible is the intractable behavior of our elected officials who give in to the ideological argument. This inevitably leads to gridlock.

Gridlock. Nothing gets accomplished. The troubles just stew in place and create more complex troubles. Seems infantile to me.

Why not attempt to make some sense of this and move on?

So I write this blog. It is my exercise. Perhaps in futility; perhaps not. It helps me cope to air my thoughts. It makes me accountable for what I think and write.

Of course I get reactions; most are positive; some negative; the silence from others tells me either the issue is unimportant, or they agree with the position in the main.

Negative response is fine. At least the naysayers are not dead or in a coma. Why they prefer to personalize their comments remains a mystery. At least I’m honest and stand up for what I believe and think.

After all, this is an exercise in identifying ideas that might work. They might not, too. The mix of them, however, can be very fruitful in uncovering other ideas that work. That’s a good thing. Just because I didn’t think of it doesn’t make it wrong. It just makes me slow!

So, join in the conversation. Be polite. Be supportive of the efforts of others. And hope that together we make a difference.

Even if we don’t, my mind is at peace. And still working on those problems we share!

January 15, 2018

Gas Pump Prices?

We are fortunate in our neighborhood. Two new gas stations from large independents (Thornton’s and Speedway) are waging a price war against Shell, BP-Amoco, and Mobil-Exxon. The result? Pump prices have moderated a good bit in the past two months or so.

When the international gas barons dictate a price of $2.80 a gallon, the others are offering it at $2.50. That has disrupted the oligopolies’ pricing structure. Yes; they have lowered their prices, too. 

Driving in the larger region we note the much higher prices. And we also noted the singularity of those prices on holiday weekends: $2.80 per gallon everywhere, except of course, our locals. That got us through the holidays without having a stroke over high gas prices!

But now, international oil prices are rising quickly. $2 per barrel just the other day. Another $1 two days later. Still rising. That has caused a spike in gas pump prices. We are already seeing them; but our local independents remain at $2.50. How long they can hold out at this level remains to be seen. But we have hope for them!

The larger issue is why we continue to rely on oil and its by-products without serious effort to replace this form of energy in the long term. We’ve wrung our hands over the finite nature of oil supplies. They are bound to run out. Meanwhile, however, let’s price the current product as though it were disappearing from the scene. Make it seem scarce so the suppliers can boost the price. And take advantage of the public!

If oil is a finite resource, then act like it and invent its replacement. Whisper it so the oil companies don’t have a fit and spend vast fortunes buying politicians to stand in the way of such progress. Who owns our country? You and I? Or a bunch of oil barons and bankers?

I think we need to call a halt to this smoke and mirrors routine. Let our scientists loose to discover the next generation of energy for transportation, home heating and cooling, industry power, and so forth. That energy source is out there. A lot is already known. We are lowering the demand for oil consistently. Eventually it will be replaced, because it is a finite resource; we will have to replace it entirely.

So let’s get at this task now. What are we waiting for?

You know the answer to that question, don’t you? It’s in your gut. You know we are being played for fools. Public funded research in this arena is being pinched off. The oil barons don’t want to upset their money machine just yet. They will find their own replacement, thank you; that way they can control the energy markets going forward just as they have looking far into the past.

What schlumpfs we are to let this happen generation after generation.

Where are our standards? Where is our leadership to change the future that will benefit all of us?

Now that’s an interesting question. What might the answer be? Hmmmm?

January 12, 2018

Request for Proposal

If you are in business - or government - you have heard this term – ‘request for proposal’. When a firm wants to buy a service or product, it sets out a list of specifics about the intended purchase: what do they need exactly? What specifications fit their situation? How many of the items, or duration of the service, are needed? When is delivery desired? If a service is involved, what are the qualifications of the people who will deliver the service? What experience or expertise need they be able to demonstrate to be more certain the service will be as expected? If products are involved, what determines the quality desired? And so on. RFPs are a standard operating procedure.

Why aren’t they standard operating procedure for you and I as voters when we consider a candidate for public office? Do we think of a ‘request for proposal’ before considering the office to be filled? Is the campaign process, party nomination and all the rest, a substitute for an RFP? Or might that process be tainted by special interests through and through?

I think we know the answer to that question. And I also suspect that we Americans do not think logically or analytically about potential candidates. They come our way, we think about them and we consider alternate candidates. Over a period of months, we decide who will get our vote on election day.

What we ought to be doing is filling out an RFP months or years before an election and identify the traits, experience and talents needed for the position to be filled. Just like finding the right candidate to fill a job in a company, or finding the right vendor to serve our needs at home, we think seriously about the qualifications and talents the ‘ideal’ candidate should have. These ideals define what we are looking for. Do we even know what this might be when applied to a political candidate?

I think not.

Emotional attractions become a norm. I liked Hillary for president in 2016. I trust her, like her understanding of issues, appreciate her academic grasp of the issues as well, and am amazed at her talents and energy. Same for Bernie Sanders; I like him and appreciate his talking about many issues in fresh ways. So too, Oprah; she is larger than life, happy, insightful, intelligent, seeks understanding of complex matters, and is logical and commonsensical in her conclusions.

We could expand this analysis to other candidates and personalities, but let’s keep this simple. Sanders was not my candidate in 2016 because of three traits: too old for the demanding office and not likely to survive one term of 4 years, let alone 8 years. He is also far too liberal; and he hasn't built collaborative partnerships with others to advance his and the nation's agenda. Oprah has no experience in governance matters and the protocols and arcane processes involved. [Kindly remember this evidently is not high on the needs list for those who voted for trump!] I like Oprah but that is no reason to vote for her.

Hillary I voted for. She has the credentials to do the job and to do it well. I did not then, or now, believe she is guilty of anything. She is one of the most investigated persons in politics and never was found guilty of anything. The hullabaloo was pure political noise to distract voters. And it worked! Sad, but true.

Rather than fall prey again to such nonsense, why don’t we just set out the qualifications we think a successful candidate ought to have. Then let’s find the talent to fill the position. You like business people for government jobs? Then follow this process in finding the right person. Do what they do to improve their chances of finding the right person. Just remember trump was never subjected to this sort of analysis. He was the man with the money and wrote the definitions of qualifications and performance standards. Those were never applied to him, of course; he was in the driver’s seat.

So, lets construct the list of qualifications a person in our government ought to have:

1.     Educational preparation for office; specifics that should be included

2.     Experience indicative of suitability for office; scope of operations managed, level of authority exercised; successes documented in performing such duties

3.     Personality, ability to get along with diverse peoples and opinions; demonstrates ability to creatively solve problems with and among such diverse peoples

4.     Adaptability to circumstances; can learn ways and means to manage challenging issues and processes; learns pre-existing protocols and rules of the governmental unit applied for; can successfully use same for success in governance assignments and tasks

5.     Vision for future; demonstrates ability to sort through the chaff of political noise and focus on what is important for the good of the American people and the global community; not a purist in self-interest or narrow nationalism

Well, that’s good for starters. I’m sure we can find more elements to include later. For now, what do you think? Might this be a template for calling forth good candidates for the governance jobs we place through elective process? Might this be a better method than our current one?

Please share your thoughts.

January 11, 2018

Building the Agenda

The agenda is the list of things, the topics, you think we should be thinking about and doing something about. Here’s a short list I think about:

a.      Public Education: excellence for each student at their level of readiness

b.     Public Education: commitment to help each student throughout their life and support their needs appropriately; adaptability to self and change for their good and that of society; well into their adult life span

c.      Foreign Affairs: people to people ought to rule our path forward; goodwill among all peoples and peace throughout the globe are the twin objectives. Now to find the people and methods to make this happen; this is not an American globe, nor a Russian one; it is a globe for and of all peoples everywhere; share the trust; be generous; be proactive; a peaceful world benefits each and every one of us

d.     Role of Government: government does the work we cannot do for ourselves: research health, science and social issues to make things better; maintain order among us and diligently pursue a shared, quality of life among us all

Just about every other issue imaginable comes from these four topics. If I missed something, we can add it to the list or sub list in time. Frankly, these four are core issues that drive much of everything else.

I say that, because even among those who would normally agree with me on many issues, some of them do not trust government, schools, even education. They say education is indoctrination. I say that is not education; that is propaganda and the teaching of it.

Education to me is the unfolding of a person’s ability to know and interact accurately with his/her surrounding reality. To know one’s self is to also understand one’s environment. None of us are alone; we are one of billions; we must know how to get along with others. And we must learn how to be uniquely ourselves without taking anything away from another living being.

History is our story – yours and mine and everyone else’s. It is a running documentary of events and interactions of peoples in time. What that documentary means will always be open to analysis, research and probing for truth and meaning. It will often mean different things to different people at different times. It is not just the unfolding of meaning to me, or to you; but to everyone else as well. The timelines of that meaning are different as well because of the endless unfolding of the timeline itself. In this moment you understand X; in the next moment your understanding may have changed. For me as well. And so on.

Propagandists attempt to sell their version of truth to you for all time. It never changes. It always holds its position relative to everything else. Well, that should be the largest clue for you and I that we are hearing propaganda and that it is likely false.

If your education is not free and open ended, it is not education; it is indoctrination. No doubt there are those who teach in this manner. My best teachers did not act this way. They pulled from me my thoughts, my observations, my intellect in making judgments of truth and logic. That’s how I learned about the world. You too?

We need to be certain that all of our kids learn the open-ended way as well. This is the doorway to exploration and discovery that will find the most and best for each of us. And our society and global community. This is the path to universal inclusion, too. Think about that. Let it sink in deeply.

A peaceful world requires attention to inclusion and adaptability to different cultures. We are not the only people on earth. We share this planet with everyone. If we can make things better for those less fortunate, we should do so. If war is the only way to maintain order, we need to find a better way. Inclusion creates massive alliances to maintain order. Alliances come from trust and friendship. Reaching out and embracing each other builds those alliances that matter.

Isn’t it time we focused on these core issues to improve on our world experience? And counter/resist those who have noisy opinions and propaganda?

 I think it is time. You?

January 10, 2018

Ignoring the White House Noise

Yes, it is time to turn off the noise machine of the donald. His entire communication style is to deny, mislead, tweet, disguise, and distract attention from where it needs to be focused. That means we need to move on from his nonsense agenda, and set our own. Indeed, observe his reaction to his own lies; the book he hates he denounces and wishes to control its publishing and outright censorship. Where are the powers to do the same with him and his lies? Oh, just forget him. He does not speak for the American people. He chooses to misspeak continuously; and then to air it all over twitter. No; we need and deserve a better form of leadership. We will have to do it ourselves.

First, the media must identify with the American public what issues matter the most and then report on them. This will require panels of multiple experts and speaker/writers on topics of broad importance. Then report on what these groups talk about, conclude, and suggest for our future consideration. Poll the people for their thoughts as well; let the data speak. Let the match and analysis speak for all of us.

Second, politicians of every kind and stripe need to focus on just the issues that they have authority over. City and municipal entities, focus on your communities and make them strong and safe. County governments? Do the same as cities and municipalities. Your region should be well served, stable, economically viable and self-sustaining. States do likewise.

Third, what public institutions do we all need to fuel our forward momentum in dealing with the future? Certainly, local schools are one such institution, viable and vibrant public libraries are another, and colleges, universities are the base of another important segment of public institutions we need to prepare for the future.

Fourth, what cultural and social skills and strengths do we need to ensure our quality of life is cared for? Arts, music, theater, literature and much more is one important aspect of what I’m talking about. So are public and private charities that do the work we all need done but which no private enterprise or government entity is willing to do. There is a lot of room for each of us to make a difference in our communities. Don’t ignore these opportunities. Learn about them and lend your hand, your interest and your expertise. Please! We need you to do this. I’m not good at many things, but I am good at some things. This is most likely true for each of us. So, don’t be bashful; if you are interested in something, go to a charity or organization and talk with them. Find out what they need. Learn more about their mission and vision. And then, lend your hand to their efforts. Doing things there will teach you much more. You may find this was the best thing you ever did. Or, you may learn this was a mistake. If the latter, withdraw from this engagement, and find another. Again, don’t be bashful. Engage in what matters to you and to your community. And learn about what matters.

This is our country and culture; it is not solely that of the occupant of the white house. What really matters is what we say matters. It’s about time we remember this and move on with what needs to get done.

Ignoring the buffoon in the white house will get us back on track. Maybe our tactic will cause him to reform his behavior and stop tweeting, stop opining at every moment, and get down to the work at hand. There’s much for him to learn and understand; preferably before he opens his mouth or phone again.

Meanwhile, the real work is up to us. Are you ready?

January 9, 2018

NIMBY - Treating Teen Drug Addicts

I didn’t create a drug addict. I’m not a drug addict. I’ve been asked to volunteer my efforts and care to helping teen drug addicts. And I have for over 5 years now.

These are suburban, white teenagers from the western suburbs of Chicago for the most part. They are our kids, your kids, someone else’s kids. But they are kids. And they are Americans. They are our neighbors in a larger sense. And we help neighbors, don’t we?

Recently a public hearing was held in Wheaton, Illinois, to consider a proposal by a professional health service agency helping with drug addicts. The residents of the immediate area – a professional office and shopping district, not a residential neighborhood – claimed such an operation would lower their housing values. They were adamant. They were forceful. For all I know the authorities in Wheaton will give in to the public sentiment of this small slice of the population. This is not the community, mind you, but a very small bit of it.

Do we listen to this ‘bit’ or do we cast our minds to larger audiences? A public official must consider the entire community, not just a small slice of it. And those officials must also counter claims of lower housing values with the reality of the market. Will a drug treatment operation likely lower housing values within some distance, or radius?  Outside expertise is needed to determine if the emotional claims are true or just hot air.

My thought is it is hot air. I doubt housing values several blocks away will be affected in any way.

I do know that I volunteer to help Wheaton youth drug addicts. Yes, Wheaton, your kids. They are every bit at risk as the inner-city youth you look down on. Inner city youth have much more to be afraid of, and risk escape in any manner possible. Wheaton youth – and Downers Grove, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Lisle and many other towns – are escaping the blankness of life caused by comfort and lots of money. They don’t see themselves competing successfully in such a society. And they witness the absence of parents from the home as they scramble to succeed at careers that provide empty lives at home.

Think about that. Think about the horror of the lives of those kids. Think of the drugs they take because others around them are doing the same. Think of the escape they are conjuring for themselves. It doesn’t work; you know that; I know that. But how, then, do we adults help these kids understand the world around them in a constructive way, one that is expansive and fun and exploratory?

We can help them in drug treatment programs. We can’t help them outside of those programs. You can, the parent, by changing your lives to nurture your own kids. But if you don’t do this, someone else has to. And you say no to a program near your back yard?

How numb are you to the realities of life? These kids are living out their lives in desperation and fear. They have something to fear, don’t they?

What then is the excuse for the rest of us who do nothing but let the epidemic of drug use in America continue unabated? Do we care as a nation? Hell, do we care as a community?

Do we understand the term community? Perhaps we all need to look up the word and its definition. Something is missing in our lives. It’s time we found out the what and brought it back under our own roofs.

January 8, 2018

Finding a Leader for Democrats

Age has something to do with selecting a political leader. We want someone who won’t die in office due to ill health or old age. There have been exceptions, of course; notably Reagan, trump, Eisenhower, and others.

Using age as a limiter, however, is smart. Bernie Sanders is too old – 76 now; 79 if he wins the 2020 election. Hillary is in her 70’s and should be eliminated from consideration for that reason. Trump is 71 and should be eliminated due to age, too.

Yes, I think we should be looking for leadership in people in their 50’s and 60’s. Joe Biden is a good and decent man; he deserves our respect; but not our support for President; he is in his 70’s and that’s the point of no contest.

Age does not limit the usefulness of a person. Far from it; older persons have experience, maturity of spirit, and wisdom to share; but such sharing does not include vital leadership. Elders are good behind the scenes team members.

So, who do we have among the Democrats that would be a good candidate for president in 2020?

Here’s a long list:

Current Democrat Senators:

Elizabeth Warren

Kamala Harris

Kirsten Gillibrand

Cory Booker

Tammy Baldwin

Current Democrat Congress persons: [Note: I'm from Illinois and observe our politicians more closely; undoubtedly other talents exist in other states; I'm unaware of such talents]

Mike Quigley, Illinois

Jan Schakowsky, Illinois

Brad Schneider, Illinois

Bill Foster, Illinois

Juaquin Castro, Texas

Others with leadership skills:

Gov Andrew Cuomo, New York

Gov. Mark Dayton, Minnesota

Gov. Terry McCauliffe, Virginia

That’s it for me. I’m sure there are others who would be good but I am unaware of them because they have not been much on the national stage. That alone is a problem for the Democrats. They do not support or nurture fresh faces and minds for national leadership.

Back in the day I would have suggested many republicans for national leadership. Not today. The GOP is narrow, not internationally minded, not focused on peace but on militaristic power scenarios. They also actively work against investing in the American people: defund healthcare, education, research, science expansion, etc. They fund rich people, not ordinary everyday people. That is their legacy for 30 years and evidently going forward.

The job now belongs to Democrats and they will need to step up to the task.

I’m open to suggestions as to what talent resides in the Democratic Party currently. Speak up folks. The future belongs to those who prepare for it and have the guts to do the hard work.

January 5, 2018