Volunteerism

The state of volunteerism is strong. Healthy. Many people want to make a difference. In the lives of others, or the condition of our society. Whatever their aim, it is not about them but others. They need to do these things. Its necessity forms a self-view that must involve others. It is who they are.


Recently, I presented a workshop on nonprofit organizations. The community visited was distant from Chicago, but one of needy people and crumbling old urban social structures. The audience was a cross section of ages, economic status, and ethnic roots. They were the same in their desire to help others. Especially those others that live in their region of identity.


We talked about how to form new nonprofit organizations. What steps were required to get a new org off the ground. We focused on existing nonprofits, as well. What were the common operating concerns and challenges that barred optimum outcomes? How to manage those obstacles to clear the way forward to desired results?


We examined several issues and heard the frustrations of those who care to make a difference. Their channel of effort is via their nonprofits. They struggle to keep these organizations alive and well. And they are making a difference. Every day they labor and others feel the difference in their lives.


These good people do not have to do this work. They are not paid to do it. They are not required to do it. No government is pressing them to do these things. No; they do this because they want to; and yes, this is ‘need’ of theirs. Good thing for the rest of us that they feel this way and act on it.


Tennessee is a state with the motto, “The Volunteer State.”  That’s because citizens in the early days stepped forward and helped form the institutions of government for the state and region. They also stepped up to form militias to protect the early state and our early nation.


Sun City, Arizona, is known as the City of Volunteers.  It has no form of government, just home owner associations that make the rules and police their enforcement. They even have a Sun City Posse of volunteers who help the county sheriff with many duties that frees his department up for the more serious work of law enforcement and public safety.


Volunteers. They are with us in every walk of our community life. They help elder citizens cope with declining abilities. They watch young children, teach arts and crafts to any one of any age to find fulfillment. They organize clubs and hobby groups. They coach sports teams of all kinds. And yes, they have shuffleboard teams and tournaments.


In your town and mine, they staff the museums, libraries, chambers of commerce and commissions and committees of the town government. City Hall is our hall. It is made so by all those who volunteer and enrich our community’s life.


From where I sit and observe, volunteerism is alive and well in the USA. We are stronger for it. But more, the volunteers are stronger because of their service.


That’s a mutual need!


May 31, 2019

Getting Around

Around what? Byways and highways, mostly, but also routines and chores. Strange how we have much to do and with all the conveniences we still struggle to get everything done. Guess that is more an issue of time than actual ‘work’ struggle.


We have taken on so many things, duties, chores, responsibilities. We load up our calendars with stuff to do. Why? What is it that drives us to do that? Especially when retired? We don’t have to do anything, but we still do.


Filling time is one objective I think we willingly take on. Why? So, we are not sitting idly by wondering what we should do with our free time. Another way of saying this might be: ‘of what purpose is my life? What ought I be doing with my talents and time?’


I wonder if it is that simple. Probably is, but not for everyone or all the time.


In my case I have always had a burning desire to be of use. The ‘use’ is purpose. Purpose is value. If I’m to be of value, I must be accomplishing something of use to someone. So, I volunteer. I write this blog. I mentor with SCORE. I keep informed on public issues and news in my community and region. I observe human nature. I ponder all of those things. I share those conclusions in the blog, in my conversation, in my ‘getting around’ on a daily basis. It is a form of building wisdom. Using it properly is another matter! But building it is a first step if one is to have any at all.


What one does with the wisdom really becomes a puzzle. Often it is shared when it is not welcome. Other times it doesn’t quite fit the ready context. Malapropisms result. Strange ones. Embarrassing. And then a blog topic emerges, and the wisdom finds a home.


I started this post thinking about the chore of actually getting around from place to place. This is spring and the beginning of the construction season for area roadways. Yesterday I took my sister to the airport for her return trip to Arizona. The roads we traveled I have used for over 50 years. I haven’t used many of them for some time, but they are still the same ones I used last time I came this way. Only now there are more lanes, more construction, more boggles of stopped vehicles. But still the same routes. Still the same human behaviors that do not lessen the traffic jams. Almost the same motorist reactions as yesteryear. And that gave way to this blog piece today.


It is not the traffic. It is not the roadways. It is human behavior. Our system of living with today remains oddly the same regardless of all the changes and advancements. Nothing has changed our behavior.


Fifty years plus finds people still being people.


Try getting around that.


May 30, 2019

Finding the Positive

It surrounds us daily. The good and the beautiful. Sure, the bad and ugly dwell nearby as well. That’s the yin and yang of life. The good and bad.


Actually, the two together – good and bad – allow us to see the two and see the differences. Discerning the good is easier when bad is present, isn’t it? We appreciate the good because the bad reminds us of how bad it could be.


Can be. The bad, of course, is there to see if we but look. The opposite is true as well: the good is there to see if we but look.


Complaining about problems or what is wrong, is OK some of the time, but all of the time is the definition of a problem. Things are not all wrong. The bad does not overweigh the good.


At times it seems so. I get that. I realize that some people are heavily weighed down by the negative. Ill health is one such cause. Bone crushing poverty is another. Living in a violence-prone society is yet another. Think of what it was like to live in Viet Nam during the American war there. Think what it is like to live in some areas of Mexico, Columbia, and several Central American countries. Civilian life there is a challenge; to avoid violence. To survive. This is one reason so many Central Americans trek across the Mexican desert to America’s storied freedom and safety.


We know here at home that all is not right as well. Violence resides in America, just less. And we have a support system that quells violence, chases after the perpetuators and holds them accountable in our system of justice.


But there is other violence people live with daily. That is the negativity of their own minds. What they focus on affects them. It is part of the psychological existence we all live with. We can let it take us down, or we can resist the temptation and focus on more attractive, productive things.


Those with serious illness will think my position odd. They are worried about their illness, diagnosis, possible crises awaiting them. They worry about new pains and symptoms as though they are full blown or will be soon. Eventually they tie themselves into tight balls of negativity that paralyze them from living life. They are dying more each day because that is the result of such behavior.


Yet we have known others with debilitating diseases who have continued their hobbies and volunteer work. Even their careers push through the dark spaces and arrive at amazing creations of work, art and accomplishment.


How they turn the corner from negative to positive is a mystery. Some of them will say, if asked, that the positive is more pleasant than the negative. Period. They say they would rather be in the positive and ignore the pain and decline that they know will occur with their disease. In this way they live a life of victory inspite of the diagnosis.


Visit a care facility – rehabilitation, convalescence home, or an assisted living facility – and you will encounter people of spirit, vitality and broad smiles. They make the best of their situation because it is enjoyable. They brighten the day for those living in the negative. Changing the days of such people caught in the dark web, is an achievement of purpose and passion. The staff know this. They see it every day.


Why wait until we are institutionalized to discover this secret of a good life? Why not seek the positive now and live with the joy from now on?


A life of freedom and happiness comes to those who want it and work for it. May it be for you and your loved ones. We’ll pray for those who struggle with the opposite.


May 29, 2019

Hidden Labor Pool

Although there are hundreds of thousands of jobs available to be filled, employers can’t find people willing to do the jobs. Or are unqualified for the jobs.


The latter is a social problem in need of a solution. A few would be high school adult education programs that help out of work people train for new jobs and skill sets. Another would be second and third career training programs at junior colleges. These programs would be deep and at times technical if the students are to morph from obsolescence to exciting new careers. Yet another is to entice home-bound workers to enter the employment fold in a number of functions. Some of these may be performed at home.


Still another labor pool exists among retired people. Most of these are well-experienced and have built strong portfolios of talent that are easily used by new employers. Some of these talents are rare and took a lifetime to assemble. The wealth yet to be shared with a new employer is unimaginable. Yet this pool of labor sits idle.


They probably will readily work on a gig basis – special assignment with a beginning and an end. They will work on a project basis that requires creative solutions to be discovered. They can work temporarily or part time, too. It all depends on what the employer needs, and what the potential employee is willing to give up to do this work.


Has anyone in the personnel field studied this issue? Seems to me an employment agency specializing in retired persons would work well in this field. Why not try it?

And remember, the retired pool doesn't need retirement or healthcare benefits; they already have them.


May 28, 2019

Do Nothing Congress

Yes, we are used to this syndrome of dysfunction – the congress of the USA does little or nothing.

Each political party blocks the other from accomplishing much of anything. Of course this is done intentionally. It is a power play politicians do. “You do something for me, and I will do something for you.”


This is child’s play for all to see. And it is disgusting to the bulk of Americans who know there is much work to do.


Of course, this happens currently because we have a sitting president who wants it this way. He wants a wall? Then support it with funding and legislation; meanwhile I will reward you by doing something you want, maybe $1 trillion in infrastructure projects?


We call this what it is – blackmail.


tRump is a conman and well versed on such tactics as the above. “Do as I say, or you will pay.”


His supporters don’t appear to realize not much has happened under the tRump regime. A lot hasn’t happened; maybe that’s what they are angling for?


Of course, a tax cut was pushed through Congress, but it is a ruinous financial tragedy. Lower taxes means lower government revenues, so many needed programs simply do not get funded. This is what his supporters call ‘smaller government.’ Too bad they rely on those programs more than the rest of us. One day they will feel the pinch and wonder how that happened.


It will be the DUH moment for them. The rest of us already know this is coming. We understand how this works. And countless lives of good innocent people are tossed into unnecessary suffering because of it.


tRump’s public theater involving the meeting with Shumer and Pelosi on May 22 was about infrastructure. Supposedly a $2 trillion program. Most likely it will be half of that. But the program is needed for thousands of reasons, mainly to keep the nation competitive in its commitment to commerce, industry, transportation and national defense. The president has no intention of supporting the programs UNLESS he gets what he wants: his Wall, and dropping all impeachment language.


Problem is we have ample evidence of impeachable offenses. Whether that evidence is good enough for a conviction, of if the republican controlled Senate would even give the matter fair hearing, is beside the point. Democrats do not want to impeach. It would be a huge distraction and bar other, more important work to get done. Besides it is the president himself who is daring his opposition to impeach him. He makes grandstanding plays to mislead, but he truly wants the distraction to continue. That way he can claim his good intentions were blocked by politics.


The truth of the matter is he is the political con man standing in the way of progress. We’ve known this all along. He relies on us to know this.


That’s what makes him the perfect con man.


May 27, 2019

Let George Do It

I’m a George. All my life I heard two common catchphrases: Georgie Porgie made girls cry! And Let George do it. I’m not sure if any of this is appropriate to me particularly, and it is not the reason for choosing the working title of this posting.


No, the title means, ‘leave the work to someone else.’ Don’t worry about what needs doing; not my job.


A lot of people take this approach to life. They don’t want to get involved with the work, nor do they want to spend their time on such details. They pursue other interests. They do what serves their needs, careers, or pleasure.


In a highly complex society of present day, it is easy to avoid doing the responsible thing and help build strong social norms. Having a hand in that building process is a valuable source of learning about the self and society. Lessons avoided yield no learning.


Is that what we have become?


So much good work is done by people who care. So many volunteers in our midst. So many nonprofit organizations striving to make a difference in so many ways. We are an active nation of doers. The question, do the doers yet outnumber the non-doers?


Working with young teen drug addicts, I learned most of them were escaping unpleasant life matters in pursuit of pleasure. Yes, they followed others into this dark place. But it was exciting and provided a rush of calm.  Until it didn’t. When the pursuit became an addiction in need of daily support, the dark place loomed large. They became separated from support networks. They lost their focus, direction and purpose.


Finding a way out of the dark, we asked what mattered to them. We pressed them to describe non-drug pleasure they still yearn for. Oddly, art was an emergent thread in our discussions. Not oddly, mother nature was an allure. They recalled walking in a bowery woods with dappled sunlight poking through. They told of times they sat on a rock at lake edge. They remembered seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. These addicts had buried their deeper roots. Finding them gave them pause. For some, a glimpse of a better future came into focus.


Other teens of the same age find focus in peer relationships, school subjects, or activities such as music, drama, science lab. They learn to explore for more understanding. They taste a lot of different things to learn better what is more important to them. In future years all of this will be recalled, but they will narrow their focus on fewer and fewer topics. They will find their way forward. Most youth find their way. The minority find only trouble and heartache.


We must listen to all of them. They need support. They need programs to help them explore life and future. Each is a challenge. Each needs one or two of us to help them. Too many for us to say ‘Let George do it.’


No. Let you do it. That’s how we get to ‘we.’ And ours. Remember?  This is Our Land? Only if you and I – we – make it so.


May 24, 2019

What to do?

The news covers the nothingness of made up words by a pretend president. I guess they have to do this; this is the job of journalists, to capture the events, spoken words happenings of the day. On the White House lawn or in a rally, what the president does has always been news. In our digital age there is so much more news than can be digested.


News bits flood the airways and internet. We hardly know what is important from the trivial. Or if it is even true. The president speaks so often with misstatements and outright lies that his utterings are quite meaningless.


So, what to do? Ignore the news like the noise it is. Watch the news for the cascade of happenings to remain informed, but do not dwell on political reports. They have been made meaningless.


Beyond that point, what do we do? We have the same time, resources and creativity, what do we do with it?  


I’m not alone in my angst. Nor are we devoid of ideas of what to do. Most of us continue to live our lives uninterrupted. We work our jobs, enjoy our families, delve into hobbies. We do these things while thinking on other matters, too. We are not ignoring their call to action. We think through what it all means. We read people we trust. We form our own opinions. We piece these ideas together, and ready ourselves for action. What action?


Voting is one. Who to vote for, what positions to support, which candidates and parties represent my view the most, all that sort of thing. We sometimes decide who not to vote for under any circumstance.


We begin to assemble ideas on what ought to be the outcomes we should be living with as opposed to what is in place now. What ought they be? What characteristics should be present? And then how to we achieve these outcomes? What programs would produce such results?


I want gun violence in schools to cease. How to achieve that goal?  So many ways, but cultural adoption of healthier lifestyles will help. Lifestyles that don’t rely on owning or using a gun, for example. But that is too one-sided. We must not fall into that trap. Better if we gain understanding and behavior change so guns are not used at all in schools. How to do that is an attractive challenge to engage.


I want a reduction of abortions. But I don’t want to tell anyone what they should or should not do. They have the responsibility to do what’s right. I accept abortion as a medical procedure. It’s the why and when that is in dispute. I err on the side of women owning their own bodies and making decisions appropriate to them. How then to reduce abortions? They have already been dramatically reduced. The statistics tell a healthy story of lower abortion rates, fewer pregnancies among the teens who have been a target of this procedure throughout time. Young people make the same mistakes we did when we were their age, but they are reducing their own demand for abortion. Better sex education and awareness. More tools for them to use to avoid the unwanted pregnancy. I sometimes think moralists want sex to be used only for procreation, not recreation. Well, human nature makes this unreachable. People have sex. They enjoy it. Sometimes unwanted pregnancies happen. What to do about that? A number of options are at hand: have a healthy baby and raise it; have a healthy baby and place it in a healthy adoptive home; abortion of course. The objective is having every child wanted and raised well. We don’t do well on this for a lot of reasons. Best we look into changing that before outlawing abortions. How about truly supporting healthy babies, healthy homes and healthy parenting?


So many other outcomes that are needed. Research the ones you have a passion for. Find others who share that passion. Form an organization to serve that passion. Now get to work. Millions do this every week. I know. I’m a mentor, coach and planner for nonprofit entities. Most of these are passionate about very worthy causes. I marvel at their stamina and purity of mind.


These are good people doing good things, or at least trying. You are good, too. If you aren’t trying to expand your reach passionately, maybe you should figure out why. Then do something about it.

So much to do! Our minds ought to focus on that.


May 23, 2019

Remembering

What does your mind do when dealt a quiet moment? Or in the middle of the night when a coughing fit awakens you, and you have 10 or 15 minutes before falling back to sleep? What do you think about? The day’s events, people who pop to mind from nowhere? Issues that perplex you? Working through possible solutions? What?


For me it is all of the above. Oh, variants happen, like struggling to recall a specific musical phrase, tune, or long ago lyric. Remembering fantastical vistas once seen as a kid on a family vacation. The Grand Canyon is one, Bryce and Zion Canyons, too. The wide open spaces of the enormous western United States. Mountains, lonely plains, sere and prickly with odd plants barely grasping soil.


I think of current events that cause particular pain: the anti-abortion legislation by states to test Roe V Wade yet again. Political posturing about states’ rights rather than people rights. Fake religious values boasted in inappropriate places. Immigrant children separated from parents – both those yet to be reunited with their families, and those recently entering a ‘system’ which continues to separate kids from parents. Foreign affairs policy that allowed conditions to build to this immigration crisis, that is not a crisis; it has been there all along. Political manipulation of the issue has made it into something entirely different. For political reasons. To divide and separate Americans from their truer instincts and values.


I remember people in vignettes of time far in my past. Grandparents barely remembered and the circumstances forever embracing those moments long ago. Or a neighbor who was kindly and grandmotherly; who was she? I remember her home, but not her name. How long ago were these memories? 60 years, or 70? Why remember them at this time of my life? What purpose is served?


The past as prolog to the life we live this day. Someone or something sticks with me to lend a small piece of values? Perspective? The long march of time that reminds us that this day shall pass and we will have many more to make up for the mistakes and mishandling of affairs we face. The long ago happenings and people are somehow calming. They populate our universe of experience and feeling. We are truly not alone. Others have shaped our knowledge of life.


The Holocaust happened. So did American slavery. Abolitionists fought slavery from the very beginning. The Trail of Tears of Native North American Indian Tribes; displaced from their lands to empty spaces thought to be worthless, like the Indians themselves. The manipulations of man against man. The fight to survive at the cost of others. The greed of getting just for the sake of getting more. The senseless violence allowed to exist in our society without effective controls for public safety. We say controls are there, but the violence continues regardless.


Our society denies the negative daily. If it isn’t embraced, I guess it doesn’t need a solution?

Instead we engage in ideology wars for no gain whatever. Wasting time, energy and creativity on worthlessness.


We have such a need to focus on the important things that will matter long after we are gone. We have work to do. We have the intelligence and intellect to make a difference. To do right. Not for self, but for others.


Why do we avoid these challenges? Are memories a means to urge us forward? Are we reminded of the simple thrust of what ought to be, the desired outcomes we could be working toward?


Sounds a bit fanciful. But maybe it is true. Perhaps we should listen. And feel.


Then act.


May 22. 2019

Programmed Solutions?

Throughout the trump campaign in 2015 and 2016, only problems were spoken of, and of course heaps of blame. Insults were tossed against countless persons, all viewed as enemies of trump.

Nowhere were programs offered to solve the problems discussed. Only criticism and blame suggesting that the candidate had a plan for all of it. Funny thing, no plans ever came forward.


Waste in government grew; it did not decline. Immigration problems grew with no solutions offered. Only bungling bureaucratic stumbling was evidenced in this mess. And it continues without a plan.


On May 16, 2019 trump unveiled a few bones of an immigration plan. No program, though. Just some ideas tossed about. No programs, no policy clarification, no anything that would work. Just platitudes. Of course, everything was built on having a wall from sea to sea. A wall. A thing easily breached, sailed around, flown over or tunneled under. A wall. A symbol to a man’s little mind. A real program to solve our immigration problem will require a lot of minds working with a lot of resources to become effective. No such teamwork is evident within the trump administration.


Trade imbalances among nations is part of the free trade machinery. It is a natural byproduct of free markets finding their points of equilibrium. Constantly shifting as one market surpasses another in competitiveness and creativity. Playing games with tariffs bolloxes up the free markets. It is anti-free markets. It is anti-trade. It is anti-transaction. Period. And it tends to harm the very people it claims to help.


Protecting the planet is not defined by deregulating the very behaviors that polluted the planet. That is not a program. Same with ‘fixing’ the income tax policy. Rewarding selfish behavior, monopolies, oligopolies and greed only rewards the wealthy at the expense of lower income people. That was the projection and that was the result. No program here, either.


Reforming public education doesn’t happen by building elite private schools out of the financial reach of the people of our nation. It doesn’t happen by underfunding public schools, either. Nor does it happen by making teachers and school staff responsible for parenting all of the students. That is the business of the family, not the school.


Helping the poor doesn’t happen by finding them jobs paying $8 per hour. That only causes them to work 3 jobs simultaneously to draw in survivable household incomes. And everyone in the household has to work if they are of age. Poverty is not solved. A new form of slavery is born.


Reforming religious liberty does not mean pushing Christianity on every single person. We do not have a national religion. We respect and accept all religions in our nation.Even those without religion. None have hegemony over another. And we certainly do not make laws that have their core in one’s religious belief. Abortion and respecting life will always be a heavy issue to live with. Each to his/her own. Allow people the dignity to live their lives without giving up their own bodies to their government’s regulation.


Programs are helpful amalgamation of policy, action and resources that are designed to produce a desired outcome, a result that is so far not yet acquired. Like peace. Comity. Respect.


Let those programs come forth. Now. Let us not waste time on meaningless posturing and a do-nothing congress.


May 21, 2019

Treason Defined

Mr. tRump claims his campaign was spied on in 2016. That was only the FBI doing what it must do to prove or DISprove allegations of wrongdoing. The allegations were that the trump campaign colluded with Russian leaders and oligarchs to change the outcome of the election in favor of trump.

We know from the Mueller Report that many aspects of this allegation were true. But it didn’t fit the definition of collusion or conspiracy as our court system’s precedents demand.


That action does not constitute spying. It was police work plain and simple.


What wasn’t simple was the holy reign of terror released on the Hillary Clinton campaign. That was spying by trump supporters, GOP senators and a bunch of conservative right wingnuts bent on eliminating another Clinton. The FBI was called in on all of those complaints and they found nothing. Massive congressional hearings were waged against Hillary at the same time. A colossal waste of taxpayer money. And a huge distraction to a fair and open campaign. Now that's spying.


Treason is taking action – any kind – that is directed against the interests of one’s own nation to pursue a personal gain or point of view.


If that definition is applied to everything Trumpian, we have a massive case of treason. He has pursued his own power and wealth at the cost of peace, prosperity and fairness in our homeland. He is a master story teller and liar. He distracts, dissembles and makes things up on the cuff. He is a joke. He is totally not credible as a source of information. I stopped listening to him months ago. I only gather information from trusted sources and thinkers who put things together into a meaningful dialogue of facts and logic.


In a world of distrust and propaganda, the role of America in the global community is now suspect and builds more distrust and propaganda. Such is the result of treason and infamy.


We have work to do. We have peace in the world community to pursue. We have a healthy, survivable planet to work toward, we have education for the masses, health care for the masses, and clean water for the masses to acquire. A lot of work to do. Best we get to it.


Meanwhile, let the lawyers and historians and researchers toil to solve the trump problem. He must be made irrelevant if not removed from office. I don’t care much which is the final result. However, as long as we have this treasonous buffoon preoccupying our attention and news media, nothing of value will get done.


Playing games to divide the people of our nation is flat out wrong. Religion and government have no role with one another. So too laws with respect to any religion. That means we are not subject to religious laws. Period. So get the abortion/pro-life argument off the table. Same with immigration. That chaos has been with us for generations and no congress ever tried to tackle it. Some senators and representatives tried, but they were shouted down by their own party leaders. Even presidents desired to fix this. George W Bush is one; Barack Obama is another. But congress said no.


Blame for the immigration mess is on all of us. No wall will solve it. Only fairness and kindness will. That does not mean open borders. So stop accusing anti-wall people of open border hooligans. We are not. Just another tag line from the propaganda-in-chief divider.


This is our time for people of America to stand united in face of infamy and treason. It is time to work toward workable solutions and regain our moral standards. Each to his own as always.


Let the rotten applies decay together at the bottom of the barrel where they belong. Their remains will become manure to feed the fields of crops we all need to prosper. At least that’s one good end from such evil doing.


May 20, 2019

Abortion Rights?

I believe in the rights of a woman to choose what is right for her own body and her life. I believe women have the inalienable right and intelligence to make the right decision for themselves and their families.  I also believe they have the depth of feeling to understand that having an abortion is a heavy decision. It is not easy; it is disquieting; it echoes what could have been.


On another plane, I believe a fetus is not a person until it can survive outside the womb. A life organism that can survive without the mother’s uterus, umbilical cord and all the rest. I’m not a neonatal doctor. I do not know what the viable term number of weeks are required for survivabiity of premature birth. Let the doctors and researches provide those details.


I do not sit in moral judgment of others' religious beliefs. I do sit in judgment of those persons who would push their morality onto me and others. If a person does not believe in abortion, then they should help the young mother through her crisis and arrange a healthy life for the baby. Either through nurture of the mother and child, or via adoption; the baby’s welfare must be cared for well into the future. It is not enough to fight for this baby to be born and then ignore the poverty, bad education, and poor living conditions it may be forced to survive.


I care that fetuses are given a chance to live a healthy life. I care that our society supports a healthy respect for women, motherhood and their quality of life. This is a complicated matter and deserves our total open support. That support does not extend to denying pregnant women their choice.


Another factor, gynecologic knowledge and expertise ought always to decide when an abortion is required for medical reasons – either for the health of the fetus or mother. I cannot judge how or why a doctor concludes an abortion is medically necessary. Nor would I presume my nonmedical elected representatives know this either. Get out of the doctors’ way and let them do their job.


Selecting abortion as a political issue to prove states’ rights or religious freedom is a mockery of our court system. Shame on Georgia, Alabama and any other state attempting to adopt this extreme right-wing view. The only thing that will stop abortions is creating unwanted fetuses.


Now, if Alabama has an idea about that, let them step forward with it.


May 17, 2019

Picking Schoolyard Fights

Like a bully does, schoolyard fights begin small. Taunting. Name calling. Childish. Threatening. Demeaning.


It doesn’t take much to spark a reaction. Then a push or poke. And a punch. The fight begins; small at first but growing quickly. Others may join in. Chaos soon reigns.


Authorities may appear to stop the skirmishing. In many places such bosses are not available. Especially in dark alleys and poorly lit hallways. The bully knows where these places are. Perfect for picking a fight with no supervision. Maximum damage that way. Pure satisfaction deep somewhere inside.


The bully is perpetrator. The place is anywhere poorly viewed. The victim always present; this is the way of the world. You and I are followers of rules. We believe in respecting the other person. We try to be kind most of the time. We avoid trouble best we can. Too often, though, trouble finds us. The bully always knows who is vulnerable.


Does any of this resonate with your view of the world? Today? How about Syria, or Iraq? Iran come to mind? Or Afghanistan, Libya, Korea or Japan? What do you think of China and Russia? Are they the victims? Hardly. And the US? What about our role now and in the past?


China has its own agenda. So does Russia. But of the two, Russia spoils for a fight. China does not. It is positioning itself for regional hegemony, not political power. Russia, on the other hand, is a spoiler and trouble maker. It seems to think being the bully or nasty kid on the block, earns her street creds. Of course it doesn’t.


But the bully plays his own game close to his vest. And America has its own bully. He struts the world stage as though he is all powerful. He isn’t. knowledge is the true power. He doesn’t have much of that.


Yes, tRump is the bully here. Worse, he plays bully in his own country, his own neighborhood, and then ventures foolishly out into the world community. Friends and foes alike are dealt with little distinction. Showy displays of power. Smirks and insults tossed. Where this will end, no one knows. Certainly not him.


I’d rather have a trade war than a shooting war. Much less dangerous. And less costly. But damaging just the same.


Best we engage diplomacy and intellect here. Cool the jets. Return naval fleets to home ports. Put a lid on the missiles. Keep the troops home. Don’t even hint at an armed conflict unless someone starts it. Then, let’s get back to the bargaining table and hammer out trade agreements:

1.      Agricultural products traded globally feed the most people at lowest cost for best health of many

2.      Manufactured goods traded globally meet the needs of the most people at lowest cost for the best gain

3.      Intellectual property can be used at a cost, but not traded. Ownership remains in country of origin. IOP is safeguarded. It remains with the nation who nurtures and researches the major advancement of mankind. China, make your own. You too, Russia.

4.      Trade minerals and raw materials with those who can do the most good with them for the commongood of all people everywhere

Those are the rules. Now keep them and settle disputes among you with intelligence and good nature.

Bullies not allowed. Here at home or abroad. They make for nasty playmates.


May 16, 2019

What Can I do?

This blog spends a lot of time hashing over political happenings and what those mean. I do this because what is happening bothers me. I struggle to understand the what and why of these happenings. The frustration I feel motivates my writing. Without this blog I would feel helpless.


With the blog I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. Vicariously, my readers make me feel that I’m spreading important ideas and life lessons. I don’t know if that is true, but I feel it is so.


I often feel this is not enough. I keep wondering what I can do to counteract the negative things I encounter. Writing the blog is just one thing. Participating in a discussion group of current events is another. Reading independently about the news, what’s happening, and what it all means, is another ‘thing’ I can do. But what else?


So I made an inventory of what I do with my time to learn if I am, in fact, doing more that serves as a counterbalance to the nonsense history I’m witnessing. Here’s what I included in the list.

1.      Watch TV documentaries, especially independent producers from Europe, and elsewhere

2.      Read Foreign Affairs journal

3.      Keep in touch with family visits, gatherings and Facebook moments

4.      Keep visible with my closest neighbors; we are the rhythm of the ‘hood

5.      Attend church regularly and participate in various committees and commissions

6.      Read and discuss theological concepts as encountered; I’m not creed oriented, but idea based

7.      Eat out frequently; mostly at cheap places; watch the crowds avidly; they teach human behavior

8.      Listen to NPR while driving; if depressing, switch to classical music stations

9.      Walk the dog twice each day (my turns); watch the dog for clues to her reasoning, behavior

10.   While walking the dog, take deep breaths of outdoor air; smell it acutely; feel it for seasonal shifts

11.   Work the Sunday crossword puzzles each week

12.   Take at least one nap per day of an hour or so in length

13.   Grocery shop every two weeks; use an electric cart in the big box store; watch people select their items; watch their interactions when they are unaware

14.   Gaze out my office window while sitting at the computer keyboard; observe the traffic but mostly the horizon's trees, leaves, seasonal changes

15.   Volunteer for SCORE mentoring; help new small businesses form; help existing small businesses with scale and operating challenges

16.  SCORE mentoring focused on nonprofit organizations (my specialty); help others volunteer effectively in needed areas of social services

17.   Recently stepped away from a 6.5 year gig working with teen drug addicts; learned a lot about people I would otherwise not have met; learned about life!

18.   Help friends who need personal assistance (driving, talking, shopping, etc.)

19.   Write newsletters for the HOA and others as requested

20.   Balance the check book, get the car serviced, manage household finances

I think I need a nap!


Actually, making the list helps me keep balanced. I’m not isolated or in a rut of normalcy. I am challenged each day to see the world in a fresh way. I guess that’s a good thing. I remain concerned about the current status of my country and its failed leadership.  At least I am not daydreaming about that without challenging daily activities.


Life is good. Crazy but good. At my age, even better!


May 15, 2019

NEXUS Status

Some readers know a few of us started a monthly discussion group. It meets on the First Tuesday evening of the month. At 6:30 pm. At the Panera Bread in Wheaton in Rice Lake Square on Butterfield Road. A nice quiet, private space in which up to 20 people can gather and talk about a topic featured for the evening, or anything else that’s on their minds.


So far we have discussed the role of local government units, China’s role as global citizen, and a couple of others that slip my mind. On the to-do docket are Saving the Planet, What to do about school shootings, and many more.


We begin each program with a 10 or 15 minute introduction of the topic by someone with subject experience. Then we proceed with questions and answers, all the while keeping tempers and ideology in check. This is an evening of civil discussion that aims to educate rather than dominate. Conclusions belong to each person as they use the information in their own thinking process for months afterward.


Civil discussion. In our own time. Freedom to think. Openness to connecting various disciplines to further understand the topic under examination. Intelligent application of experience, history, formal and casual education and gathering of facts. Refreshing. Edifying.


Eye-popping, too.


If this interests you, please drop in for an evening or a lifetime. It’s what we do. We need to do this. For our own sanity and balance. If it catches on, we will increase frequency of sessions. The people drive this process, not some mysterious committee. Just coordinators of topics, speakers and space. No judgments. Just civil discussion.


No notes taken, either. Just thinking outside the box and free association of data where it matters.


May 14, 2019

Governing by Quip

There’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram; a whole lot more of social media. Then there are digital newsfeeds, cable news networks, and other organizations and individuals feeding all those pipelines. The result: short bits and pieces, sound bites, and instant images that pass themselves off as news.


VP Pence warns new college graduates that leftists will ridicule Christians. Not even a full factual sentence. Just a scurrilous assertion. I’m progressive. I’m Christian. I’m a regular church goer. I don’t disparage Christians. I am one, imperfect as I am. I’m not the only ‘leftist’ that is Christian and understands what the Bible asks us to do.


President tRump suggests China wants a democrat to win in 2020 and is willing to upset international trade relations to do it. I doubt China cares a whit about Democrats or Republicans. And tariffs have little to do with the political parties in the US.


A murder in the border states (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California) is the fault of an immigrant, legal or not. No facts on the case, just an idle comment, an opinion.


It is said most drugs crossing our borders are from illegal border crossings from Mexico; they are not. Most are flown in or enter through ocean ports.


tRump says truck crossings from Mexico carry illegal drugs and cheap manufactured goods to decimate Americans and their markets. Still not true. Truckloads of goods are legal and keep our economy humming with supplies, supply chain goods for our manufacturing plants, and a whole lot more.


The whole notion of cheap goods competing with our own manufactured goods…just not true. The ‘cause, effect, result’ that explains what really is happening usually is left out of the political propaganda. But this is the story tRump and his cronies want people to believe. Free trade, or global trading, is labeled as the problem. This is not true. Free trade is something we have struggled to gain for decades. And we were getting there.


We made this happen to increase the standard of living for less cost. That’s what international trade does. We in America create the new goods and services using creativity and intellectually active brains to always control the future of trade. We sell that at high prices based on innovation. We use those dollars to buy cheap goods. Lower paid workers in other countries keep prices low. American advantage makes this happen. During market shifts, labor patterns shift; new jobs are created while old jobs drop out of existence. Dislocation in those businesses and worker lives happen; not by accident but by happenstance of progress. A lot of progress. Generation of change happening faster and faster.


Holding onto old industries and product lives delays change and adaptation to better, healthier means of producing goods and services. And fresh economies of scale, pricing, salaries and worker benefits.


The jobs shipped overseas are not shipped at all. They are just newly resourced to the lowest bidder while our existing labor pool is available for reapplication to new jobs and methods. Higher wages are possible in those industries because new revenue streams are created from lucrative pricing. Old industries are forced to compete with foreign suppliers with lower wages and benefits; Americans caught in those old industries encounter declining benefits and stagnating wages.


Now do we understand the cause, effect, result logic?  American leadership has not failed the American worker. The American worker has failed to see what is happening, and failed to invest in adapting to the new. Help to do that is available but it is uncomfortable and avoided by the worker. They become stuck in a dead-end job as a result. And it is easier to blame someone for these ills than look for their own change.


Sound bite news is just propaganda. The catchy phrase or term is an allure. The details of the cause, effect, result logic is never used or applied. Propaganda relies on people not paying attention. That creates powerful disruption to the body politic.


They count on that happening.


tRump and his cohorts expect this to happen. That’s how they won the election. That’s how they continue to paralyze Congress. That’s how newspapers and journalists are devalued incessantly. It is a design for chaos that reaps large dividends for them. Not us. Them.


And for what end result? Think about that for a bit. Why is this important to them? What do they get out of it? Who pays them in the end for such results? Are they reaping wealth? Are they gaining power? If the latter, again, to what end? Who is behind all this?


Doubt me? What is gained if vast numbers of people are left without medical care? What happens when education is so devalued that universities and colleges turn out meaningless graduates who can do nothing for themselves or the common good? Who benefits if the masses suffer while only a few prosper?


This is happening in India, the Middle East, much of Africa and large swaths of South America. Think of Mexico, too. Is that what we want for the US? Think it can’t happen here?


Think again. It can happen. It is already beginning to happen. Class warfare and huge disparities between household incomes.


Venezuela has a problem. It can be solved if the ruling elite does its job. If not, it is up to the people to rise up and take back their country. Same everywhere else.


When will Americans waken to the reality that a very few elitists in Washington DC have taken over our nation? When will the rest of us see it clearly and do something about it. Does this have to be a violent process? Really?


I hope not. But then again, who's trying to stop this train wreck from happening?


May 13, 2019

Jeopardy

Not the game, but national danger. Jeopardy of war with the unworthy. Upset international relationships for the sake of mixing it up. Diplomatic efforts swiftly upended for the dramatic effect, like a kids’ game. Emotional, illogical.


I’ve said it in this space before and I’ll say it again. The current occupant of the White House is a clear and present danger to our nation and to our allies, and to the common peace of the global community.


Our nation and its Foreign Service professionals have labored for decades to build a structure for peaceful relationships throughout the world. We have parried with some and succored others. We have paid large expenses and given away largesse. In the end, however, we have gained a calm and peaceful playing field. We have partners on that field, allies who know that we are a reliable partner to stick to common goals of peace.


And prosperity. Prosperity comes from calm and steadfast circumstances. Such context supports logical investment in new technology, products, services and transactions that are shared worldwide. Economic infrastructure is built from such contexts. Professions are built on this. New industries are built on this. Higher standards of living for all the participants are the result. People who invest time, talent and financial assets gain the results. Their partners do as well. The tide is shifted by such joint actions. It lifts all ships concurrently.


It can only be done through routine, reliable work with trusted partners. That takes concentration and diplomatic actions. Policies for the long view are needed. Reputations are built on this infrastructure of reason.


Without any of that, we are in jeopardy of anarchy in financial markets, in job markets, in standards of living, in values we hold dear, and in world peace.


It comes down to that. World peace.  


Naval fleets to loom over Iran is not peaceful. Drone attacks throughout the Middle East are not peaceful. Supporting nations who lob missiles and fly air raids over small, defenseless nations, is not peaceful. Insulting allies at every turn is not peaceful. Telling them to shape up and pay their share of military defenses without a plan is not peaceful. Jeering from afar at a South American neighbor is not peaceful.


All of this is destructive of peace. It is strutting the world stage for what end? What is the strategy? What is the end game? Silence is the answer to these questions.


Meanwhile, thousands of foreign affairs professionals have resigned and weakened our nation’s ability to work toward peace. The underpinnings of our hopes from the past 75 years are quickly dissipating. The danger grows.


Jeopardy is everywhere.


Our protection from this is where? Why haven’t they acted?


May 10, 2019

Skirmishes. Distractions.

I have never observed a President of the United States exercise influence like donald trump. He is constantly in motion. Talking. Tweeting. Ranting or raving. Strutting across a rally stage, a perpetual campaigner for a job he didn’t want but was too proud to lose. Got it anyway. Just because.


Noise does not indicate progress. Boasting does not prove accomplishments. But it does distract. The press seems obligated to report on his doings even though that appears to be the sole purpose of the distractions. Because of that alone, they work.


Shaking up allies gives pause to enemies. The latter are hopeful of change that works in their favor. The former wonder what’s happening. Repeated performance of these antics makes allies fear loss of stature and cooperation; more, collaboration and its hopes appear lost.


But this is the front man acting. Supporting cast in the White House and in key departments of the government, provide operatives with transactions already in the routine. Scripts have not changed for them, so minions of allied governments are encouraged that not much has changed.


Except when they have. By design or accident no one knows. Tariffs are changed and world trade patterns are shifted. Unknown consequences bedevil everyone in the details. Imbalances in trade are worsened. Cash flows surge to new currents. Where the chips fall is anyone’s guess. Supply chains are interrupted. Deliveries are messed up. International funds payments go awry. Bankers scratch their heads.


Then a sudden shift in temperament and policy. All is well for a few hours. Markets calm. Prices stabilize. Brokers trade goods and stocks once again with some semblance of proper expectation.

That’s all we have really – expectations. Of order and cause and effect logic. Like the ‘old days’ but not quite.


You see the pattern of dash and dart? You get the value of surprise and correction? On again, then off again. Keep them guessing ladies and gentlemen. The Con Man on his game. The transaction is in his focus. But what is the aim?  Not policy; that is long-term and strategic. Not law; there has been little of that. Not program; there is no evidence of that either.


There is no replacement healthcare program for Obamacare. Plain and simple. There is no plan for border security other than an ego-driven wall as monument. To him, you see; not for the safety of the nation. There is no compassion for the immigrant kids, parents, battered and bruised all. None.


That is not the value standard of American life. Or Americans.


Once in the maelstrom of confusion sowed by empty antics, we all wonder what this circus is about? There is no philosophy, ideology, policy or logical sense to any of it except folly and disruption.


As a people Americans are much more serious, purposeful and caring. This is not mirrored by the occupant of the White House. It is time to identify his replacement and the proper method to accomplish that end.


Bring back our values to the stage. Front and center. Now.


Please.


May 9, 2019

Law is Process

The FBI’s mission is to rout out danger wherever it might be. Tips may suggest wrongdoing in many places; when received those tips are assessed for reality, level of danger, as well as other dimensions. Wherever they are. The assessment may lead to a formal, rigorous investigation, or not. The matter may be dropped, as are most.


If it involves a presidential election campaign, the issue is investigated however slightly to determine if wrongdoing is happening; and then if that happening is dangerous enough to warrant follow-up work. So, the Clinton campaign was investigated. Many times. So, too, the Trump campaign. Which others? Who knows? Is it important?  The fact remains these two campaigns were investigated to some level. Wrong was not found credible in the Hillary Clinton case. Trump’s case is still a fresh arena of interest, but seriousness has not yet been defined as credible. Maybe, but not yet.


The process is at work. The neighbor down the street reports suspicious activity of another neighbor to the police. They ignore it, or consider the context, or whatever, and decide or not to pursue it. Same with the FBI, CIA or any other investigative body. Nothing results from the pursuit unless facts show probability. If so, the process continues its route. If not, the matter is dropped.


So, the FBI looked into the matter of interaction of the trump campaign and Russian power people. Evidence shows relationships did exist but were they conspiratorial and for nefarious purposes? Might the purposes, if credible proof exists, be a danger to our nation or its institutions?  The process suggests doubt.


Is this political? Was it political? Most likely not. Routine. Process. Law.


The Mueller Report. It is the result of process. Of law. It is not meant to be an indictment. It is advisory to the justice system. The Department of Justice was the recipient; it is up to them to judge the appropriateness of following up on steps that can or should be initiated. The author of the report found many things that suggested wrongdoing. It was not his place to be judge and jury in the matter, just the assessment of wrong. He did that. the Attorney General has chosen to do nothing about it. Is he right or wrong?  I don’t know. I think he is wrong. I think there is more process available for use.

One such process is Congressional oversight. The Mueller Report was commissioned by the Justice Department. The contents of the report have been made public (mostly). If the DOJ chooses to sit on the report, the Congress can open their own hearings on the matter. Then they have another legal route to process. The ball is in their court.


Will they pursue this matter to the full press of congressional impeachment? I doubt it. Too much work, expense and turmoil. But that is their call. The matter is political high drama and should be avoided.


However, other avenues exist to prosecute the ‘high crimes and misdemeanor’ evidence. Many trump administrators are involved. Many non-government folks are involved. Many avenues to explore.

And there remains the very real possibility that the high crimes and misdemeanor charges that could be forthcoming are those that will follow trump out of the White House and back to private life. He has a raft of legal process to encounter when ‘he gets out.’


Long term or short term, the rule of law stays with us. It is just a matter of time as to when that process is invoked. And concluded.


May 8, 2019

Illiberal

I’ll try this again. Not sure my previous writings have hit the mark or captured reader attention.


What do liberal and illiberal mean in the international context? And what does that mean or affect domestic national politics?


First, liberal governance in foreign affairs refers to democracies. People have a legitimate power and responsibility to authorize their government’s actions and processes. Those same people monitor their government for honesty and effectiveness. If OK, monitoring continues without action. If not OK, corrective actions are pursued to bring the government into compliance with the wishes of the people.


Second, illiberal governance in foreign affairs refers to nations whose governments are not democracies, such as dictatorships, tyrannical, communist and socialist, as well as monarchies with absolute power. Many nations with monarchy pasts – or emperors, too – continue to maintain such legacies but have modernized with democratic institutions that manage the day to day affairs of the nation and its relations with other countries. I’m not referring to them here; I refer to those whose government operates without the consent of its own people.


Russia is such an illiberal nation. Its governance is of, for and by the Community Party. There are elections but only one candidate is on the ballot, or an opponent in name only. There is more to this than I can explain in this space, but decisions are made by a few people for reasons unexplained to the public. And the history remains dark and unavailable.


Same in China. One party rule is not democracy. Other autocratic rulers in Africa, Asia, and South America, are illiberal state systems, too. They make difficult trading partners on one hand, and most difficult foreign policy negotiators on the other hand.


Third, in domestic political terms, liberal means many things over the years. Today it is viewed as ‘progressive,’ that is, what’s good for the common good and how do we manage toward desirable outcomes that are not intrusive to individual liberties? That position is not leftist; that old term means granting government larger power to control more of the lives of its citizens. Think socialist or communist.


Leftist is not a term in favored use. Liberal is not leftist. Liberal is not socialist, or communist. In fact, liberal in the old days was taken to be a closer approximation to socialist forms of governance. Not so much today.


The ideology debates pit liberal and conservative thinkers against one another. The terms are not the same as illiberal and liberal in foreign affairs speak. Try not to be confused by this.  Venezuela is illiberal; it has a dictator at the helm and an independent democratic opponent who claims to be head of government. Russia sides with the dictator for complicated reasons. Trump sides with the opponent for complicated reasons. This is the face of liberal and illiberal terms in foreign affairs. It has some resonance with internal national politics, but not directly. Confusing, I know. I’ve struggled with this for years.


For a better foundation in these matters, read Foreign Affairs journal bi-monthly. It will help the reader understand this mosh pit better.


May 7, 2019

Healthy Lives

Mass shootings. Gang shootings. Drive-by shootings. Family slaughter-suicides. Violence. Domestic violence. Beating kids, spouses, others. So much hurt. So much pain.


There is a lot of this reported on news channels; if not daily, surely weekly. The incidence seems more frequent. Is it? What are the statistics on this? Is violence on the rise, or is it more commonly reported than in past years? Again, what are the statistics on this? Who keeps such records?


Having spent most of my life in nonprofit circles, I understand that life is not perfect. Families have problems and some resort to violent means to settle scores. Others solve the problem through death.

But most don’t. Most families go on to mend their wounds with or without help. I think professional help is better for the family, but not all can afford such help. Again, my work with nonprofits informs me of many helpful agencies that are available to help people in trouble. Shelters for abused women and their kids are available. Almost all of them are private, charitable agencies. Counseling and transitional housing is made possible. Emergency funds, too, are made available to separate victims from a violent family member.


Unhappy families. Addictions. Failed marriages. Disastrous parenting. All are part of the social mix faced daily by afflicted families. Probably more of these than statistics can accurately report. What causes all of this suffering? What root causes do we know create this maelstrom of miscarried relationships?


Social scientists certainly have studied these matters, but the continual emergence of societal lifestyles and trends keeps research in the rear-view mirror. Has two parents working to support the household created this mess? Has household income from two salaries created a surfeit of goodies that have desensitized our ability to manage relationships?  Does dual incomes reduce child-rearing attention which further separates parents from children, or children from parents?


I’m not in the know on this issue. I just see over and over again the anomie of teenagers who lose themselves in drugs, alcohol and the resulting downward spiral of self-control. It is a familiar tale. Bright kids without roots or self-esteem. Seeking another avenue of feeling good about life. And themselves. Is anyone listening at home? Who is paying attention?


The same is true of alcoholism in the lives of so many families. What leads to this loss of control? Why the temptation?


No one knows for certain. It just is. And the only way out is self honesty and hard work buoyed by helping people and groups. First, the victim – the alcoholic – must see himself clearly and accept the problem, enough so to do something about it. Until that happens, he continues his road weary travail. Self-control. Honesty. Humility. Admission of weakness and flaws. Moving on toward stability, control and clear headedness.


Same for teenagers on drugs. Or booze. They must be challenged by the possible and the pull of the future. They may need help with this. Caring from others. Whatever works, once they see a future with possibility, they exit the dark.


All of the above tells me we have a mental health problem in our nation. We have allowed budget cutting to push too many people toward prescription drugs that provide short term relief from addiction and mental health change. The drugs don’t serve the long-term, however. Decades of social experimentation with mental health solutions via the pharmacy have gutted our ability to house and heal those who need close supervision and counseling to mend their problems.


Guns don’t kill; people do. But people with problems get guns and use them to kill. Or drugs and addiction to cover the pain. Or booze to do the same.


It comes down to mental illness in my book. Isn’t it time we admitted that and sought better, longer lasting remedies?


May 6, 2019

Doing the Right Thing

A metal fabricator pushed for higher profit margins. It sold alloys to NASA for a space vehicle and orbiter. They cheated. The vehicle failed in space. Not quite a billion dollars was lost. Meanwhile the supplier made its profit.


A worker cheats his employer of time he says he worked but didn’t. He takes home supplies for his kids to use in school. He pads his expense account and gains extra income. Not large thefts, but accumulative. How much does he – one employee – cheat his employer? $1000 dollars a year, more? How many others are like him and do the same?

ow

How many billions of dollars are siphoned off by employers like this? Might it be as large as a trillion?  No one knows. Not for certain.


A researcher in a science lab smells success just around the corner. He fakes test results and exaggerates the findings. The employer invests a billion dollars into a new product – manufacturing, distribution, sales, staffing, etc. – and the product meets most of the objectives but fails in others. Can the damage be undone? Will the reputation of the company survive the product failures? Will Boeing survive its disastrous introduction of its latest passenger plane? How many lives were lost due to taking a shortcut in testing and research?


A high official in the federal government lies about his job, his resources, his motivation and many other things. How far does he or she go to cover up his trail? Does he make errors that are covered up as well?  Who is aware of these misdeeds? Does anyone encourage his correction? Does an oversight committee or function exist that will uncover the problems and cause repairs to take place? What other decisions are made on these faulty actions? Are others engaged in this hub of dishonesty? If so, why, for what reason?


A writer fudges her report. Assumes facts not in evidence. Draws conclusions from this faulty line of facts. Reasoning is impaired. Conclusions are not supportable. Yet others trust the report and take actions accordingly. How many failed outcomes come from this fudged report?


How many among us take shortcuts, speak capriciously but in error, or intend a faulty report to stand? How many rely on our efforts and work products? Will anyone suffer harm – physically, financially, spiritually – from their reliance on our faulty representations? The possibilities are incalculable.


We are faulty human beings. We are not perfect. Errors will be made. Intentional errors, however, and ones made knowingly without correction, are forms of larceny grand and small. They injure the body politic, the common good of our people, the health, wealth and happiness of our society.


It is a pitiful thing to aid and abet failure. Especially pitiful when doing the right thing is so much more fun and rewarding!


Just think of it. What can each of us do about it?


May 3, 2019

Trust in Democracy?

There are many forms of government rule in the world community. Tribal comes to mind. So too, democracy, monarchy, tyranny, communism, socialism and anarchy. There are blends of all these in endless permutations of form and process.


Which form is better? Is purity of format a requirement? What is the objective aim of the form of government? How is that objective measured? And by whom? How often? What are the corrective methods to keep the government on target for their agreed upon mission? Who is in charge of all this?


Government is power. Power is government. Which form of government leads to the best outcomes for the nation? Which form provides the best living quality for its citizenry? Is this a universally agreed upon objective?  Quality of life for citizens of a nation? Is there a consensus on this primary objective of government?


Americans live under democratic rule. Citizens elect people to serve in jobs and functions in each of the many forms of governments established throughout the American society. Not all of these elected people do a good job. Not all governments are effective or efficient. A lot of ‘in-betweens’ exist in our form of governance in America.


Democracy is a demanding form of government. Those it serves are the primary creators of it. It takes time and attention to understand the people under consideration for elected office; their motivation and intentions; their trustworthiness; their preparation, experience and readiness to serve well in office. Democracy also seeks guidance from the citizenry via referenda and other direct forms of involvement. Committees, commissions and volunteer assignments often are used to study issues and possible solutions. Citizens are the backbone of democracy. Not all citizens are up for the tasks. They shirk opportunities to be involved or understand the inner workings of their government. They let others do it for them, chosen or not.


Of course, a free press helps keep public discussion of issues and elected persons in line. Even then, many citizens pay little attention to such matters. That’s dangerous for a democracy. Uninvolved people allow too much to happen in their names all because they are not paying attention.


Other forms of government (not democracies) assume the leaders know what is good for the people and manage all such matters. Benevolent rulers are good things but not guaranteed. Often corruption, greed and hunger for power twists the leaders toward doing that which is not good for the nation or its people. History is filled with such tales. Repeats of those stories will continue to flow far into the future as long as fallible human beings are entrusted to do duties they do not support.


All of the ‘other forms of government’ are subject to massive failure through greed of wealth and power. It is a fault of being human. Democracy suffers from this ailment as well, but it is less frequent because of the checks and balances at every step of government and at all levels. Failures do occur, unhappily. Time and education usually cause repair of such failures. The cost is high and the pain suffered great. It is why each citizen needs to stay engaged and informed.


All in all I trust in democracy. I am an avid reader of news, journals and analysis of same. That does not make me an expert. It doesn’t even make me right on all the issues. But I am confident I am better prepared to understand what’s happening and what needs to be done than most people. Together, we can all work together to perfect our form of government. This is what it takes. Collaboration, reading, thinking and discussing the issues. Without that investment of effort, we are lost. And then the lesser forms of governance take root.


That would be a pity after all the people who have fought, worked and died for our American form of democracy. We owe them our commitment to keep the effort alive. And the dream.


May 2, 2019

Separation of Powers

The US Constitution delineates three federal legs of government: Legislative, Judicial, Executive. The first leg makes the laws. The second leg adjudicates the legality of the law per the constitution. The third leg implements the law.


The three branches of government do not work in reverse. Government authority does not begin with the executive branch, nor the judicial branch. It begins with Congress, a bicameral construct with the House of Representatives and the Senate.


The House is the largest for depth of representation of the people. The reps are short termed; they serve for 2 years and are up for election every 2 years. This makes accountability swift; don’t like the representation? Elect a replacement every 2 years. Congress controls the purse and legislative process. All laws begin in the House. The Senate ratifies legislation. Or not. A check on the House is thus provided.


The Senate is comprised of 100 senators, two from each of the 50 states. Senators are elected for 6-year terms. Their longer tenure provides a stable context for Senate work. They are in charge of longer term issues, Foreign Affairs for example. Budget matters are controlled by the House so the Senate is checked by that authority.


The Judicial Branch is independent. Each justice on the Supreme Court is appointed for life by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Check and balance. The federal court system branches down from the Supreme Court. Delegated authority at lower courts is provided. Decisions are appealable upwards until the matter is settled. The final authority on appeal is the Supreme Court. Check and balance again.


The Executive Branch does not make law. It makes policy, that is, the finer details on processing the work entailed in implementing the law. Should policy run counter to the intent of Congress, the Supreme Court rules on such matters. Check and Balance. The Executive Branch implements laws via a large number of federal departments – Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, etc. Professional employees are hired, trained and supervised in doing the work of the departments. Each department is headed by a Secretary appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Check and balance.


Supervision of the overall workings of the departments is provided by oversight committees of Congress, both the House and the Senate. Check and Balance. If things are not working well – results are not as hoped or wildly off the tracks – legislative corrections are engineered whether the Executive Branch likes it or not. Check and balance.


Usurping the powers and authority of one branch by another is cause for fireworks. The checks and balances approach of the US Constitution is guarded by each branch. Well it should be.


The current occupant of the presidency is running off the rails. He is asserting authority he does not have. Time for Congress and the Judiciary to stand up for the Constitution.


Will they?


May 1, 2019