Voter Understanding

Way back in my teens I was a conservative thinker about all matters of government. At the time I really was concerned about government taking over more control of our daily lives. I was young and not filled with many facts, but I read the intellectual articles published by conservatives.  At the time these people were only allied tangentially with the republican party. They really felt establishment politicians were serving for their own personal reasons and not for the good of the country. Patriotic themes were common in those days, and conservatives announced their purity of love for country more than most people.

I had deep interests in a career in business and industry. I observed the connection – intersection, really – of economics and politics. A lot of theory was discussed, and government manipulation of the economy was something conservatives complained bitterly about. Especially Keynesian economics, placing a burden on the classical economist of British origin. Born there in 1893, he died in 1946. His economic theories were the most popular at the time and continue to influence public policy today.

Keynes' primary theory believed that nation’s suffering a strong recession or depression, could correct the situation by creating public debt, spending it on economic goods of long lasting value, and thus boost the economy measurably. As the economy improves, tax collections and other returns on the investments purchased by government debt were to be used to repay the debt.

That last bit of policy is often omitted in a recall of Keynesian Economics. You see Mr. Keynes was continually blamed by conservatives in America for growing public debt. In the 1950’s and 1960’s republicans and conservatives blamed inflation on runaway federal debt. They also believed that government economic policies were too interventionist and accumulated too much power in the hands of the federal government.

How much of this was factually true is arguable. The case can be made, however, that the American depression of the 1930’s would never have been successfully battled if it hadn’t been for massive federal spending on public infrastructure under the Public Works Administration (WPA) and several other far-reaching programs that flooded the economy with money, jobs and a general lifting of the depression. Before that happened, however, World War II entered the scene and government military spending went through the roof.

Once the war was over, the American economy was on fire with growth and reinvestment in new industries, inventions, new careers, expanded education for the masses, and a host of other developments. The future was bright and with victory over communists on two sides of the globe, America could do no wrong. The economy was beyond strong; it was dynamic and massively able.

Somewhere along the way conservatives still complained about government interference in all matters relating to business and industry. Regulations were argued over. Deficit spending was broadly condemned. And Keynesian economics was considered the bad boy theory of all time!

Truth be told Keynes was correct. Spend public money – even loan dollars – to build new highways, bridges, dams and public infrastructure, and the economy will perk up. The investments will create even more economic activity and more jobs will result. Standards of living will rise along with the economy. All of this was true.

And yes there were some drawbacks. If politicians promised too much and financed their promises with borrowed public funds, the economy could become overheated and produce an endless chasing after goods and dollars creating inflation. Keynes had an answer for this: pay down the public debt, shrinking the very thing that grew economic activity in the first place. So slowing the economy was only a matter of reducing the debt, paying it down, and raising the cost of money. The latter required the Federal Reserve to increase reserve requirements for banks to off set their risk dollars in loans, and to raise interest rates that would make it more costly to borrow. In turn loan volumes would decline and along with that a general slowdown in economic activity.

When needed, the process could be reversed and tweaked and tuned endlessly to produce a fairly balanced economy. For decades the nation generally did well managing the economy in this manner. But political philosophers felt the quiet hand of competition would work better.  It truthfully never has worked all that well, but supply and demand does work to keep things balanced in the economy.

At any rate, once I was in college and studying economics seriously I learned that the political pundits were mostly wrong. Politics had distorted political philosophy AND public economics. Distorted in major dimensions and almost all untruthful.

That’s when I began to realize public discussion about complicated things can easily go astray and be manipulated by people of ill will. Conservatives became those people of ill will. They talked of dishonest economics and pretended to understand the complexities of economics all while spinning a political ideology built on nonsense.

It remains pretty much the same today. Conservatives think they understand the economy when in truth they only understand the facts affecting their own livelihoods, businesses and household finances. That is only one half of the economic story, however. The role of government in economics is critically important and it requires management by knowledgeable people with no axes to grind. Try finding those types of people in the Congress of today. Too much flippant political language destroys our trust in them. We must still find good people to trust and give them the authority to manage the affairs of public economics with fairness and intellectual honesty.  It really is too important a matter to leave to politicians.

So, with an understanding of economics and a college degree in the field to show as my credential, I became a much more sober, understanding person willing to observe public policy formation in an increasingly political age. Here’s what I learned.

The republican party doesn’t truly understand economics as well as it claims. It does understand power politics and where the levers of power reside: banking, industry and regulations. Their too simplistic approach, however, is to eliminate regulations, leave banking alone to define affordable risks, and support industry to create jobs.

What they forgot was the inherent greed of the key players in all of this. Left on their own they usually turn policy to favor their own interests. And thus it has. Banks and investment firms rejoiced at the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act; that occurred in 1999 with an unholy alliance of politicians trying to compromise between Democrats and Republicans. By 2007 the real estate industry was nearly dead, so too were banks, and the debacle had spread to all of Europe and most of Asia as well. A world financial meltdown was created by bad policy decisions.

In the aftermath a new President was tasked to fix the mess. And he did even as the same old politicians bitterly complained. So with most people against him at every turn, Obama managed to wrest enough control from the kooks and fix the system. He literally saved the world from its own greed! But you won’t hear very many people thank him for it.

No, it is in their interest to maintain the purity of their hatred against John Maynard Keynes and liberal economic policy. Bosh and Nuts! It is not liberal economics at all. It is just economics, plain and simple. What others have made of Keynes’ theories is on them not him. His theories have been proved right time and time again.

What hasn’t been proven is the idiocy of politicians who misrepresent theory, education and science to feather their own nest of issues and ideologies.

But we have heard this all before and yet where are we today? Still in the same place, listening to do nothings and know nothings and letting them screw up the public nearly every time.

Shame on us for letting them. Shame on them for pursuing the greed. For themselves, remember; all for themselves.

March 18, 2016

Voting Results

Well the results are in for Illinois and few surprises were tallied. The highlights are:

Democrats:  Hillary won handily over Bernie (50.5% versus 48.7%), but Bernie made a stronger showing than expected. Still, Hillary won the delegates and continues her march toward the party’s nomination this summer.

Republicans: well, Trump didn’t lose and that isn’t a surprise (he won 38.8% of the vote). The surprise – if you think there was one – is that super conservative Cruz polled so well in the voting (he took 30.3% of the vote). Perhaps that is because the other candidates are viewed as weak and voters made this a contest between Trump and Cruz instead (Kasich took 19.7% of the Illinois Republican vote, while Rubio earned just 8.7% of the votes in Illinois). Rubio also lost his own state of Florida and has called his campaign suspended for now. As republican candidates continue to disappear, votes continue to move from past candidates to those remaining. So the lines of the contest are becoming clearer.

Predictions for fall elections: Trump vs. Hillary. I see no other possibility unless a candidate becomes incapacitated in some manner. The writing is on the wall.

That means the summer will be filled with national presidential campaigns touting conservative versus progressive candidates and policies. We have several months to research what that really means.

As I write this it is 3:50 am and I served as an Election Judge from 5 am to 10:30 pm Tuesday, March 15^th. Although tired and achy from a long day standing, sitting and performing myriad clerical duties in serving voters in our four precincts, I couldn’t remain in bed until I learned the results.

As the polls closed and the election staff worked late into the night, violent storms moved across Illinois dropping rain by torrents and brightening the sky with spectacular lightening displays. Thunder rumbled near and far as well and the wind flung light objects far and wide. We can hope the political signs have disappeared during the night and left our landscape much cleaner! And more honest!!

Working the polls we noted heavy turnouts. We observed a surge of young voters. We also noticed deep thought as voters considered switching to another party ballot to make a difference among the opposing party’s candidates. I think Bernie’s results closer to Hillary’s is a point in fact. Many Illinois republicans detest the thought of Hillary running on the Democratic ticket. So they flooded her primary trying to take Illinois away from a Hillary win. They did not succeed.

If I’m right, however, then party switching only nailed the results for Trump and doomed everyone else but Cruz. So if Republicans hanker a convention pitted between Trump and Cruz, they have their wish. If that’s not what they wished for, they got it anyway! That’s the gamble a party takes when it messes with the other party’s ballot.

Time, of course, will tell us where such initiatives were attempted and whether they worked.

For now, I can return to bed and sleep the sleep of the exhausted. And in my head are images of bacon and eggs and English muffins drenched in butter. That is my reward.

Then a busy schedule of SCORE appointments. It’s a good life I think. It’s one I wouldn’t want any different!

March 16, 2016

Illinois Votes Today

Oh Lord let the air waves be silent today and tonight! Let there be peace on our little bit of earth. Please!

I am an election judge today in my old neighborhood. It will be like old home week as many people I have known over the past 22 years do their duty and cast their ballots. Because of this renewing of acquaintances this duty is fun, interesting and absorbing. I’ve been assigned as a judge in other polling locations in the past and the time moves as slow as ants moving a one ton bison carcass. You cannot believe how slow the time drains by.

Besides seeing old friends the task of election judges is a good one. We keep the machinery of the polling place working. Most of the time it is smooth. Sometimes it is a little arduous. Most problems are understanding people with foreign accents and poor English as a Second Language (ESL) skills. Our area is one of growing diversity. That is good. Cultural life is growing richer by the month! And the people are delightful. Still, communicating can be a little difficult. Thankfully really tough cases bring family members with them to translate.

Some polling places experience few voters. Ours is a site of high voter turnout, usually 35% to 55%. The latter is the norm and that outstrips national averages by a large number. We are proud of that record. Still, why are most voters not registering their preferences for candidates? This is part of the democratic process. Voting is not work to do unless you count preparation beforehand. That should include researching candidates and their positions on a host of issues you think matter the most. Then you choose who you think would make the best public servant for the community.

That is not an easy task. It takes time to read and become familiar with which candidates share their views articulately and persuasively as well. How are we to know they will be a good public servant? We don’t, actually. We have to use our judgment on that. Discernment is a skill needing practice and application. All of us have been disappointed by candidates in the past. Just look upon the Illinois state legislature and the do-nothing reps and senators. It is a national shame brought on our state. They still do not have a budget for the current fiscal year and the deadline was last July. Say what?

Also, congressional personnel are not any better. They calculate what is republican and what is democrat and then vote along party lines. Give no party a victory. Give no man or woman a victory. Disregard what is good for the nation and our fellow countrymen. Just do the bidding of the party. What nonsense. You say you believe in an issue or two? Then live it and vote it. Forget the party borders and exercise your mind and work for your constituents.

Election Day is the day we voters exercise our power. We select who will govern us. They don’t select us. We select them. If we don’t like what they are doing – or not doing in the present circumstances – then we need to vote accordingly.

One hopes each and every one of us has done the homework to make good decisions. Republican or Democrat, each of us deserves one another’s effort in voting with intelligence.

The results will be broadcast soon. Then we will see how things progress from their to the conventions and finally the November Election Day.

Onward!

March 15, 2015

Problem Solving

Nothing succeeds like success, or so we are told. We know that we have problems to work on in our nation, our states, communities and neighborhoods. We know those difficulties exist. Some of us are working on them for solutions. Others sit by and watch others do the heavy lifting without much support or assistance of any kind.

And in political circles the effort is only focused on how to divert negative attention on me and how to redirect it on a political enemy. I think we are adult enough to understand this is the way of the world. It goes on in America. It goes on in Russia, China, Iran and Iraq. It goes on in Germany, Italy, France and in every single country on the face of the globe. This is life. This is reality.

But let’s face one incontrovertible fact: nothing will get solved if we, and I mean WE, don’t roll up our sleeves and get involved. Personally. Face to face. And now. Right this moment.

There is no time like now to get involved. Ask questions of people you think are knowledgeable about the problem you are interested in. These may be friends or neighbors. Perhaps someone at your church is engaged with people who understand the issue and need more helping hands. Maybe a local charity is in the know better than anyone else, or perhaps it is visiting a local college or university and finding out who knows about the area you are interested in. Most institutions of higher learning are very committed to community involvement. Believe me, they will welcome your involvement.

Of course there is city hall that will shed some light on the issues, but beware: they are skeptical of strangers bearing gifts! They are quite used to people contacting them with hidden agendas. Build a trusting relationship with these people and then offer to help. You may find yourself appointed to a board or commission tasked with managing just this problem area.

Not one of us has all the answers to problems rampant among us. We often realize the importance of such issues, but only at critical times are we moved to take action. That action needs to be an offer to help. If accepted, use the opportunity to get involved and begin the process of understanding the problem from all perspectives. It is a problem because there are ‘sides’ and perspectives at work. All of these need to be considered when designing a solution to the problem.

The work is awkward and slow. At times it will become emotional, too. Find a good person to mentor you until you feel comfortable drawing your own conclusions. Bring your point of view forward and use it to sponsor lessening of tensions and creative means to find a solution. The most important problems we share will be difficult to solve.

That is why it is important that we all feel like a stakeholder in the problem. Because the simple truth of the matter is we ARE a stakeholder. It matters if our society is functioning well, fairly and with justice. Well it isn’t. We have disenfranchised people who will slow progress for the rest of us. It is in our interest and theirs to be creative and collaborative in inventing solutions to problems.

So now, which problems bother you the most? Which ones have a local aspect to that problem. Who do you know who would help you get involved? When are you going to take the first step?

Might now be the right time?

March 14, 2016

Policing Chaos

Chicago’s headline yesterday morning was: ‘21 shot in 20 hours in Chicago.’ And this activity took place in a large, general region of the city where gangs are prevalent. Families of those gang members shrink in the homes out of fear of the violence their offspring or siblings will bring home with them. Shots are heard frequently in the neighborhood. Sirens are a constant chorus day and night. Of course they call the police in two circumstances: when the bullets are flying, or when they find family members dead from gun shot wounds.

The press is called if the police arrive and need to shoot their way to safety in this chaos. Somehow the police get tainted by their even being nearby in response to the calls for help. Then the spin gets applied: this is a cop shoot out.

I don’t know which came first, the chicken or the egg, in this matter. What I do know is residents living in fear in neighborhoods affected by gangs have a problem. And if they make the police the scapegoat they have an even greater problem. The police one day may not show up because they have allowed a chaotic environment to happen and propagate. Gangs do not appear overnight. They grow out of a destructive brew of social dysfunction focused on neighborhood, family and schools. Anti social behavior becomes a defensive act of survival. Churches often get involved to lessen the tensions but they are left powerless in the face of stubborn violence, deadly violence.

Churches, however, often become critics of police tactics. This turn of affairs allows families to blame police as well. When this happens they all lose. So do we in larger society.

Seems to me there are many resources to study and understand the problems inherent in the above scenario. What is lacking is a coming together of police, church, family and others who can lessen tensions and begin the delicate process of building peace. Currently we are stuck in indecision and lack of cooperation. Nothing much gets done that is good. Just tossing blame hither and yon. That simply does not work.

The police are caught in the middle of this chaos. They did not cause gangs to form. They are, however, charged with the responsibility of controlling gangs and lessening their impact on society. If the rest of society supported their efforts and helped them, police might actually gain some traction in their endeavors. Lacking that cooperation, police are dealing with a stalemate.

The result: 21 people get shot in 20 hours in the neighborhoods.

That problem belongs to all of us. Social unrest and violence is caused by heavy concentrations of population in tight quarters. Competition among residents for breathing room and education and opportunity pits too many people against one another. This is a social problem and a social disease. It comes from urban areas growing quickly. It comes from urban economies growing unequally and affecting poor people who become trapped living in areas that increasingly are unfit for habitation.

These problems are not new. They have been present throughout our history as a nation, and they are present in other nations as well that have disproportionate economic development and disproportionate economic rewards among the people of the region. The poor get poorer; the rich get richer. The latter move to safer areas which leaves the poor to manage a region in decline. And then more decline until conditions are not survivable and people die.

Help community leaders lead. Help police patrol the streets and keep them safe. Help the schools teach students about opportunity to fuel better lives. Help churches harbor the innocent and weak in times of crisis. But overall: participate in your community and help it be whole.

The police are not the enemy. They are but men and women like you being paid too little to risk their lives and health to protect yours when you are doing too little to help your own situation. Now is the time for you and your neighbors to stand united and work with others to end the chaos and violence. Only you can do it.

The alternative is growing violence until someone is declared the victor over the dead bodies. Is that what you really want?

And by the way, Chicago is not the only community with this problem. LA, New York, Pittsburgh, Miami, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas and many other large urban areas have the same problems. None are immune. But all can do more to control the situation.

When will they. And we?

March 11, 2016

Bits and Pieces

Just a short travel today through the issues of the day:

Bernie vs Hillary: I prefer Hillary because she is well prepared to govern. That means she understands the pitfalls before her and will have to work hard to compromise and work with a lot of people who oppose her. She had eight years of exposure to this negative work environment while her husband was the President. Seemingly Republicans invented hateful politics back in those days. They have grown only worse leading up to today’s gridlock in Congress. I doubt Bernie’s embracing a revolution will gain any traction in the Capitol building. It will be hard enough for Hillary. He can help her in many ways attain the same goals they both share.

So it’s time to unite behind Hillary and move on to the convention and the fall campaign. Please.

Trump et.al.: Well the Republicans are in a mess. Trump is not a governing person. He is a decision maker and edict maker. He expects his ideas to be implemented and pressed forward. This will not work in Congress unless most of the residents are oosted in this round of elections. With most attention focused on the White House race, I predict Congress will remain much the same as it is today. Sad but true. In any case, Congress will continue to block anyone residing in the White House.

Kardashians: Why are these people still on the front page of our media? Why? They are not interesting. Pretty, yes; meaningful and valuable to the success of our society? I don’t think so. And Caitlyn? How can a repressive party in all things gender oriented still attract Jenner/Caitlyn? Methinks more than a few screws are loose in that noggin!

Iran and the Future: It amazes me that Iran was hurt terribly by the economic sanctions of the past decades due to their anti-social behavior on the international stage. Now that a huge majority of nations have approved a peaceful settlement with Iran so they can resume building their future, it is stunning that they are thumbing their nose at the majority of nations that defined that peace settlement. Would they rather we go back to the old status quo which produced dictators within their borders and a hegemony of religious power mongering that rob citizens of their freedom? Is that what the Iranian people think?  If not, they still allow the kooks among them too much power to poke the eyes of good people around the globe attempting to be their good friends. If the kooks are not as I described them, then perhaps Iran’s culture is warped beyond salvation?  It is theirs to build constructively or with folly. If the latter, we all lose. Everywhere. Would be very sad!

North Korea: What nonsense and psychosis convulses the power centers of this nation! Ludicrous and sad. Trouble is it is also scary that people devote their lives to such destructive ends. They are capable of much more good than this but they choose the negative because it is easier and clouds reality from the population. The people are afraid because their government makes it seem normal. The people thus cannot see how enslaved and poor they are. Not having a free press and vigorous public discussion of issues allows North Korea to produce their false front. Surely they know that a nuclear war – if it is even possible by them – would lead to their entire erasure from the face of the planet, by their own destructive means or defensive action of others nearby. Well, at least they would be beyond the hurt of their present circumstances. But so too would the hurt be on many others.  Sad.

Anti Government Sentiment: I can understand having a problem with authority. We all grew up surviving parental demands and sibling orders, especially if you were the youngest! A teacher’s regime in the classroom was sometimes viewed as unfair, but in time we realized this was not the case. The principal of the school was another issue entirely. He (or she) was seen as the judge and jury of the entire school building. And we treated him with awe from afar and hoped we never earned his attention!

But anti government sentiment runs heavy in America in the southern states and southwestern enclaves of Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The lonelier locales of Idaho and Utah also harbor some of the same sentiment but to a much lesser degree. For the most part I get the sense that these people are greatly afraid of authority outside of their own skins. The reasons are vague and not based much on facts. Governing them is thus an oxymoron; they are ungovernable. But they push conspiracy theories and all the rest of the baloney. Thus the gun culture thrives in these places.

The Republican Tea Party seems to be home to these crazies and that complicates things for the rest of us. Especially the party. Can you even imagine a Cruz, Rubio or Trump presiding over this mess of anarchy?

Conclusion: the world is in a particularly bad mood these days. We can only hope that cooler heads will prevail all over the globe. I hope so. I’d like to enjoy the spring and summer that’s coming. Please let there be thunderstorms and not Armageddon!

March 10, 2016

Doctor Visits, continued...

Let’s see, my general medical practitioner wants to see me twice each year – an annual check up and then a 6-month quick catch-up. The pulmonologist wants to see me annually with an occasional lung function test thrown in to boot. The cardiologist insists on annual check ups with occasional retesting PLUS monthly Coumadin/warfarin clinic visits for tracking blood clotting moderation. The skin doctor wants 5-year check-ups, and the spine doctor/pain clinic wants visits as needed with an MRI thrown in for good luck. So far I’ve kept all of these appointments and each has been easy, very easy. No new meds; no new behavior adjustments. Weight is coming down nicely. Lung capacity is 65% and holding. The doctor notices my mother is now 102 years old and is confident I’ll survive for another 18 to 24 months without trying!  All is good.

And that’s a relief. A woman at church Sunday wondered if I had changed my hair style or done something different. She claims I look younger. I thought so too over the past couple of weeks while shaving. It seems my face is thinner and my eyes are brighter. And the hair is the same, maybe a little darker and stiffer. Still very little gray and the thinning has stopped for several months.

I don’t know if these are all good signs or temporary benefits of getting married. Of course the ladies at church think the latter is the primary cause!

But what is more important is I am feeling very good and can keep my activity level up nicely without too much trouble. There are times I actually walk normally; not all the time, but some of the time. That’s a good thing.

So, aging may not be for everyone but brave and hardy folks can do quite nicely after the age of 72. And that’s a good thing.

Equaling Mom’s 102 years is not probable. Imagine doing 30 more years of this! Yikes!

March 9, 2016