Anniversary of this Blog

Three years ago I began writing this blog. I began with the hope of merely unburdening my mind and emotions of things that frustrate me, things that get the wrong attention from the media, or at least so I thought then. I still feel that way!  The media has not improved its record of covering the real news – cause, effect, result.  Because it doesn't consumers of news don’t have a very good understanding of what is happening, why, and what it very well could mean for the long term.

Those were the things that frustrated me then. Obviously I feel the same today.

Along the way I have explored topics that have emerged, some short lived, others with a half life of eternity, seemingly! I have also pursued deeper thinking on some of these topics. Such thinking is what we all need to do if we are to understand the issues and their consequences.  Deep thinking also exposes biases, huge gaps in information on the subject, as well as creativity. The latter is what we need to solve the problems under discussion or at least to help abate their enormous effects.

I have learned that I don’t know all that I need to know. I also don’t fully understand the very issues that bother me. Writing about them, however, does bring the issues closer so I can see into them more closely and find the questions that need to be asked, researched and answered. That alone is a very difficult task. But it does provide calm to the turmoil. What roiled by peace is now becoming serenity as I pursue answers, understanding and solutions.

I cannot be responsible for others and their obduracy. I can understand them while not accepting their conclusions on issues. We continue to disagree. To cope I sometimes rant. It is allowed in this space! Once that’s out of the way I can continue to seek the facts, the contexts, and the understanding that will possibly bring better answers.  Perhaps these efforts will help others pursue the logic strings I fail to pick up. Together maybe we will all make a difference in these matters.

Having said all of that I can still conclude on this date that the process of public understanding and action have not advanced by much in the past three years.  Oh, there has been some progress. Discussion of the issues is much more prevalent and honest discussions at that. But a lot remains to be done.  Here’s a partial list.

·         The public media continues its move towards complacency and mush

·         Hot button media channels create their own buzz by being more outrageous and partisan than the others

·         Only Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) works hard at asking tough questions, seeking answers and sharing expertise from a broad range of academics and leaders

·         The Congress is still an obstacle to all progress. They make news by doing nothing. But the flare of their attitudes is artless entertainment.

·         Politicians are supposed to be leaders but they dare not get too far ahead of those they wish will follow. Thus, too many leaders don’t lead; they continue to make noise that they wish us to believe is leadership.

·         Academia is muted; they could offer so much clarity to our discussions if they would only engage in public discussion. The media, however, is a poor judge of what is factual and what is not, so far have they wandered off their rightful purpose!

·         International relations continue to be in a state of continual upset. Perhaps that is normal? I think we can do better. Positioning and preening only builds walls between friends and enemies. Why can’t we just be honest and direct in our sharing of disagreements?

·         Disagreements often build into high walls of impossibility. Why not publicly discuss our dreams of the future? Maybe our dreams are similar and can be joined to produce the desired results? God only knows those results we do have are not desired. Can’t we do better at this?

·         The state of the arts is better. There is rampant creativity among our peoples everywhere on the globe and this is a good thing. Perhaps the artists will humanize us all and pull us toward the dream of the future? Could this be possible?

·         Americans still yearn for freedom and peace. They see this as a universal good for all on the globe to experience. Maybe the people on the globe can lead their leaders?

The blog has taught me more about myself. Sometimes I don’t like what I see! But more and more I do understand better the things that upset me the most. Wrestling with these matters is a good thing for me. Readers are my witness to this process and hopefully some of you will join the wrestling match!

Meanwhile we citizens often forget our rightful role in society.  Here’s a quote for Americans that may be instructive:

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who would pervert the Constitution.” ~Abraham Lincoln

How’s that for saying it like it is. The power of the nation comes from its people, not its leaders. The Constitution is the embodiment of the people’s will. It is up to the government to follow that will. Yes that means the Courts, too.

Because the people let their eyes drift from the ball, the nation has experienced terrible woes. Witness this quote from Bernie Sanders, Independent Senator from Vermont:

“When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, this country had a $230 billion surplus. When George W. Bush left office in 2009, he left the country with a $1.3 trillion deficit. That is what the deregulation of Wall Street, two unpaid-for wars and tax breaks for the rich will do.”

Long-term consequences of short term actions are monsters to tame. We need to begin with the short term actions, and study past consequences to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. That’s how the future can be built with increased certainty and justice for all. When voters give up their roles and let ‘leaders’ live their life for them, trouble is most likely. There is a balance between leading and following. Both parties need to understand this better.

For now the people need to instruct the ‘leaders’ to get on with the business of governing. The Congress should focus on the desired end results and stop their political games. It is the common good of the people at risk here. It is the job of the elected to find out what that is and make certain it happens.

When I awake early in the morning my mind is not a blank slate. I doubt yours is, too! Ideas pop up at those moments. Some ideas are old memories, others are fresh views of the future, still others are exciting possibilities clearly envisioned and made more possible. At those times I know about things more clearly. I don’t always know how to use that knowledge. That’s a simple truth I think we all share. But this realization only fuels my quest.

This quote anonymously culled from the internet says it all:

            “Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself what I know now.”

Together we can? In the meantime the quest continues as I begin year four of this blog. I hope you remain a participant on this journey.

October 6, 2014

Thought for the Day

In the political tradition of this season I offer this quote from The Blue Street Journal:

“The notion that Democrats and liberals believe in mooching off of other people’s wealth is obscenely misinformed. Anyone with this view has clearly made no effort to understand our ideas.”

This is a good place to revive a personal quest to understanding the issues we will be asked to vote on November 4^th.  Ponder this task this weekend.

October 4, 2014

Narrow Interests

Yesterday’s posting focused on international balance of power. Defense or Offense?

Today I wish to focus on national and regional matters within the USA. I am compelled to do this because we are in a season of politics. In 30 days every seat in the House of Representatives is up for election or re-election. The Constitution favored this frequency of elections to keep the Peoples’ Legislature current, fresh, and focused on the People’s Work. The thinking was then that if a congressman wasn't very good or responsive, voters could replace him quickly. The Senate, however, is focused on broad national concerns and as such one third of Senate seats are up for election or re-election every two years. Their terms are for six years.

Besides issues of regional concern – agriculture, water resources, large storm responsiveness, economic pressures, energy, etc. – bi-annual Congressional elections raise issues related to ideological divides.  Big or small government is one such ideological divide. Another is candidate reputation – corrupt or not, trustworthy or not – you get the idea.

Ideological divide issues are often misplayed. Big government or small is shorthand for non-interference by government control. Many people overexcite themselves over this issue when the actual issue does not apply.  For instance, religious freedom is yours to exercise or not. No one confounds that for you. Abortion regulations, educational freedoms, or taxation of religious institutions really are not the point. Those freedoms are there to exercise as you see fit in America. No one tells you to have an abortion. It is allowed as a free choice. So why the outrage over abortion issues? Simply because those aligned with religious causes feel no government involvement ought to be allowed in such discussions. It is only to guarantee access to healthcare in such circumstances. And too, to fight discrimination against mothers and families who wish access to abortion.

So stop the noise on this issue, please. If you don’t believe in abortion rights, then don’t have one. If you continue to press laws against abortion, you are really pressing your religious views on everyone else. Enough! Same for gay marriage. You and your religious institutions are free to live your beliefs as you see fit. Just don’t impose your beliefs on those who don’t agree with you.

Big government versus small government.  Small government units exist at the township, village, town and city levels of community life. So to county governments. Also library, park and school districts abound throughout the land. As we move up to larger regional government entities, state governments for example, it is clear that state governments do for the entire state what the local units of government cannot do. In the same manner, the federal government coordinates and manages issues the states alone cannot handle.

Can you imagine each state creating its own pension program and oversight regulations? Many have dilly dallied in this issue and huge financial debacles have resulted. Look no farther than my own state of Illinois for that! The state is in debt for $100 billion of pension obligations. Illinois is not alone. Many other states are in serious financial trouble over pensions as well.

Also, just imagine the hodgepodge of environmental protections for air, soil and water if each state had no external standards to follow. The same is true for health and safety standards, educational systems, and the criminal justice system.

We have states rights in America, but long ago we learned that all states are not equal in their effectiveness. Social discrimination under those circumstances grew large. 

You might recall President Ronald Reagan’s pledge to downsize the federal government.  He did so but he mandated the programs to continue under state authority. No money was transferred to pay for it so state and local taxes soared to fund those mandates. The same ‘interference’ or standards were continued, just at lower government levels. And the costs continued just the same.

Free markets is the battle cry of conservatives who feel government should leave markets to private investors. That’s how the mortgage mess of the 1990’s and the first decade of 2000 arose. The Glass-Steagall Act was removed and banks, mortgage companies, real estate moguls and investment bankers went hog wild. The boom’s bubble eventually burst and left everyone holding the costly bag!  Even our friends in foreign nations paid the price of our debacle because we packaged mortgage debt as investment packages and sold them to the international banking community.  What a disaster!

It turns out that investors avoid risk. They say they take on risk but only ones they feel comfortable with. If we left it to them there would be few mortgages made to people of lower wealth levels. Pension benefits would be nowhere, same with compensation and labor conditions. Those standards remove risk from many markets and make them more manageable. So the ‘free market’ is a term that involves little freedom and even less risk.

While these issues are argued in political circles a great game of terminology emerges. The conservative position is X while the liberal or progressive position is Y. Actually both positions sound very different but when measured they are not very much different.

While arguing these meaningless points, however, each side refuses to work with the other and gridlock results in our legislative processes.  That has become the great problem in America.

Rather than voting for one party or the other, or a person with a specific party label, let’s resolve to vote for the person who spouts a program that makes sense and is realistically possible for passage in Congress or the State House.

We will have our chance to express ourselves in less than 30 days. So prepare for it!

October 3, 2014

Standing Firm

Defend or offend? Seems simple, doesn't it? Standing up for yourself or your nation if threatened is defense. Taking the first step to harm another person or nation – personal attack (words or physical action) or military assault is an action on the offensive. But it also offends in a broader sense.

That’s why most of us react to a threat. It is natural. It is ‘right’ for us to protect ourselves.

America spends an enormous amount of its treasure annually on defense. Over $630 billion. That’s amount is estimated to exceed the reported defense expenditures of the next ten largest nations including China, Russia and all the rest! Think of that.

I don’t think this is a waste, but at some point it certainly can be said to be. How much is enough?  Well, enough to deter other nations from taking advantage of us, I guess. And who knows what the number is?

On the other hand NATO and the United Nations relies on American defense capabilities to back them up in their diplomatic negotiations with hostile nations. So it is not just the USA being protected, it is much of the global community. We came to the aid of the world in World Wars I and II, and that’s how the global role came to be.

For those unfamiliar or hostile with Americans, we do not wish to be the world’s policeman. We play that role from time to time as willed by other global pressures and leadership which demands that of America. And we comply to be a good global citizen. Have all such decisions been well thought out and correct?  Probably not, but then those decisions are often carefully construed, studied and made after consultation with many foreign leaders. It is not a quick decision unless threat is perilously near.

Having said all of that, what should America do about: the Middle East, mutual defense of Israel, NATO’s defense of Europe, mutual aid agreements with countless nations including the far east and Malaysia and other response initiatives to hostile territories in need of humanitarian support in times of severe natural disasters – earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and typhoons. Americans as a people are caring and helpful toward others. Our political leaders support that national spirit of caring and charity. But the political leaders are also charged with defending American interests wherever they may be positioned. These may be economic as well as geopolitical interests.

Because America is a partner with many other nations in these matters, decisions are often multi-lateral. We don’t go it alone. We do it in the name of world peace and stability. We are invited to participate and carry a heavy burden.

This position is in stark relief with other nations who seem to be actors on the stage of world politics; they take a leading role to create events that others react to. Such nations include Russia, China, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Iran and at times Egypt. There are other trouble spots on the planet but those are mostly regional and do not threaten American interests – African nations unsettling each other, south American skirmishes over drug cartels and other would be tyrants.

With China, Russia and Middle Eastern nations, hostile maneuvers and actions often occur first to challenge the status quo.

Watchful of Russia’s actions and intent, America is alert to defending the peace wherever it is threatened. This is because of its requested role in NATO and the UN. Re-sovietizing  eastern European nations is not America’s fear. It is the fear of Poland, the Baltic states and others including Ukraine. Re-establishing political hegemony over this region by Russia will not be allowed. The individual nations must make those decisions. Not America. Working to unsettle the status quo in this region is ill-advised. Putin take note!

America will stand firm in such a challenge and it will do so with the full backing of the UN and NATO.

Rather than spending precious assets on such adventurism, why not build a leading role in education, science and culture, Mr. Putin? Those are the works which will build national strength and pride. And Russia’s economy in global markets. Your nation has much to gain from such efforts. Not from saber rattling. The latter costs a lot of your national treasure and gains you little else.

Bullies often don’t care but the ‘little else’. They merely have to exercise their muscles and influence to feel good about themselves. ‘Tis a pity. The exercise of the opposite will gain much more and at far lesser cost.

Meanwhile, we stand firm. Just remember that Mr. Putin.

October 2, 2014

Connecting the Dots

I have a friend who frequently whines. About everything it seems. When she does the voice rises a bit, the sound is pinched off enough in the nasal passages to sound like a truncated siren call. The voice moves up and down the scale like a sliding steel guitar.

“Well,…I’m not feeling it right now; the pain throbs a little, then…”  When she gets this way I sense her detachment from the ‘real world’. After all, each of us learns to accept the world the way it is and live accordingly.  If I have the ability to control some things, I act accordingly with those ‘things’ but accept the ones I cannot change. At the same time there are conditions I can change. I focus a lot of attention on those and plod along hoping to make a difference. The rest of the time one has to discern which things I cannot change and which ones I can.  This is an age-old question!

When my friend is more in control of herself she doesn't whine, accepts life on its terms and moves forward. When the whining begins I now know she is slipping from self control to self pity.  Perhaps that’s not the best term to use – pity – but it comes fairly close, I think.

I know her personal story pretty well. Her life has had more than a fair share of grief and turmoil. And it is a continuing thing. Her challenge in the final analysis is simply – move on! Move on toward a life that is self sustainable. Push through the problems and the worries, have faith that better days are coming, and put a smile on the face. So much more is possible when that is the discipline.

Shifting gears, what about the Middle Class?

Was that gear change too abrupt for you? Does it appear crashingly out of place?

It may not be apparent to the reader but a lot of grief in today’s America is due to falling household incomes, longer hours of work (if you still have a job) and a declining standard of living. My friend above is desperately trying to hang on to her house, has already lost the car, has taken to renting rooms in her home, has lost her job and is on public assistance. It’s not a pretty sight. And she is not to blame for much of it. Some, yes; but not all.

At some point the struggle of the middle class becomes a haunting, losing struggle. In my lifetime I never expected to witness this struggle, not for me or for 100 million people or more. This has become a crisis that may very well redefine America.

Common Cause is a national public interest group which has long attempted to hold power centers in America accountable for their decisions and thinking.  Robert Reich is a political economist, academician and former Secretary of Labor and shares this thought with us:

“The Biggest story of our era is the shift of power to large corporations and their top executives, Wall Street, and a handful of billionaires.”

Well not a handful of billionaires; perhaps 100 billionaires?  There are over 400 such in America today as reported by Forbes. They do have influence by way of their personal political donations and financial support. They have even more power via their corporate roots as well. They work hard to influence public policy and legislative outcomes. What they cannot do for themselves they hire through lobbyists or political interest groups.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont knows this well:

“Today, virtually no piece of legislation can bet passed in Congress unless it has the approval of Wall Street and corporate America.”

Some will say this has always been so, and a close examination of political history would probably build a solid case for that argument. At some point, however, the long swing of history will show its arc towards a particularly unsupportable end result. I think we are well into that era.

The end result is a demotion of the middle class to near poverty status.

The middle class family may be making money enough to pay the rent or mortgage, but increasingly it isn't. The cars they drive to commute are pricing out of their reach and foreign manufacturers have stepped up to fill the economic vacuum. Just witness the surge of Hyundai's and Kias on the road. Of all stripes and sizes. New and used.  The next time you are at a busy intersection, count the American car brands waiting for the light to change, and then count the foreign brands.

Is America still a contender in the automotive industry?  Who is setting the standard? Japan, Germany or America. If the latter, why then are Japanese and German innovations widely copied by South Korean manufactures and brands? Bringing up the rear are the American brands. And even then they contain 40 to 60% foreign parts and assemblies.

Rather than innovate or lead price wars, American business seeks succor in Congress. Because the men and women in Congress rely on copious donations to fund their election campaigns, corporate attention is accommodated.  It is a sad truth. And a vile one, too!

Bernie Sanders also shared this thought with the public the other day:

“I think that across the board, whether you’re a conservative or whether you’re a progressive, if you’re in the middle class, you know that there’s something wrong when 95% of all new income has gone to the top 1% since the Wall Street crash.  People think that’s not right.”

It isn’t right. And this economic shift began in 2007 with roots much earlier now visible. This is 2014, 8 to 10 years later. The fix is not yet apparent. Tens of millions of people work hard, do not get ahead and suffer anxiety and worry for their families. Tens of millions of people more have already lost their middle class status unless we have redefined that term downward by a great margin.

We have very few people in government with the courage of Bernie Sanders saying what’s becoming very obvious. Republicans play on this without offering solutions. They only lay blame at the feet of Democrats while blocking any of their solutions from becoming law.

Before it is too late the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, needs to wake up to the needs of the nation. That is what they are there for. They continue their shallow fights for power and money. They are fiddling while Rome burns to the ground.

It is time to hold them accountable.  My advice is support the likes of Bernie Sanders and elect people who will help magnify his message and action. The congressional elections are nigh upon us, one month away. Do your homework and vote!

Maybe by connecting the dots we can work our way out of this stubborn crisis. Only then can we send the whiners back to their own mirrors and family for repair.

October 1, 2014

           

Seeing Clearly Now

Johnny Nash released his song I Can See Clearly Now in 1972. With the dark clouds gone, a bright sunny day, he could see clearly now. The pain was gone, the doubts were set aside, and he could see clearly now. That theme – conquering the negative and adopting the positive – allows us to see the ‘rainbows we've been praying for’. And we really do see more clearly!

Somewhat similarly, Henry David Thoreau said:

            “It is not what you look at that matters; it is what you see.”

We look at a lot of things, witness much more, but we see little unless it makes an impression on our minds. On the other hand we can train ourselves to pay attention to what is in front of us and see it more clearly. What does that mean? Well, for me it means I notice the whole of a view and see how it fits in with its context, its overall meaning, and the impact it will have going forward. Some people see a young child toddling along; others see and know he is just learning to walk and improving step by step; this will mean a fully independent person one day, learning lessons, learning the ‘how to’ and all the developmental steps he will need to know to become the full human being we hope him to be.

Ignoring these sights and their meaning impoverishes the richness of life’s fabric stretching before our very faces. What is it we see? What do we appreciate? What ideas do we take with us and use day after day, and recall over and over again?

Here’s something simple to demonstrate the point.  Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘liberal’ this way:

“lib’er-al, I.a 1. Possessing or manifesting a free and generous heart; bountiful. 2. Appropriate and/or fitting for a broad and enlightened mind. 3. Free from narrowness, bigotry or bondage to authority or creed. II.n.1. Any person who advocates liberty of thought, speech or action.”

How many other definitions of ‘liberal’ do you know? How many people turn this definition on its ear and upside down to mean something negative, anti-American, political, maybe even nasty?  In the political climate of our nation today we know the negative bent of such discussion. Liberal is the enemy; the spender, the wrecker of free enterprise, and the list goes on and on.

It shouldn't go on and on. All things taken to distortion have little basis of the original meaning of the terms. Does the term ‘liberal’ deserve mistreatment? Does ‘conservative’ deserve the same?  I doubt it. Only people with massive agendas and narrow hearts demean the definitions of these words. Such folks bring dishonor on themselves.

I’m reminded often of the culture of Native Americans.  Here are their Ten Commandments:

1.      Treat the earth and all that dwell thereon with respect

2.      Remain close to the Great Spirit

3.      Show great respect for your fellow beings

4.      Work together for the benefit of all humankind

5.      Give assistance and kindness wherever needed

6.      Do what you know to be right

7.      Look after the well-being of mind and body

8.      Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good

9.      Be truthful and honest at all times

10.  Take full responsibility for your actions”

Simplicity, self responsibility, personal action. It’s on me, life is. It’s not on others. I have to live in the real world, take responsibility for my own actions and assist others to do the same. Together we will make the best of it. All the greatest religions on this planet have taught similar lessons. Yet we have troubles unending because we don’t live the lessons were learned.

Do we see what’s in front of us? Do we value it? Do we understand it? Am I over-complicating life? Or maybe over simplifying it?

I hope not. I do think it is basic and simple.

The Dalai Lama cautions us:

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know; but when you listen, you may learn something new.”

That is the trick. Listen. See. Think. Learn.

By doing this, we all ‘can see clearly now.”

Or be moving in that direction! We can only hope. And work at it!!

September 30, 2014

Finding Answers

Here I sit. At a keyboard. The same keyboard layout I learned in high school (10^th grade?). Through the years I became a whiz on the typewriter. As those machines became electrified and then digitalized and finally computerized, I learned to compose at the keyboard. One word after the other. Then whole sentences, finally entire paragraphs.

Whole thoughts with leaps of logic that propelled the ideas forward faster than I could type. This still happens. Leaves me in the dust! Sometimes I sit scratching my head wondering where I was going with an idea and realized I am literally in the dust. No where. Alone with partial ideas and the thread of the longer view has been lost. Only a trajectory left.

Well, one day I might find that thread and complete the thought…

Who knows? It might have been the secret to world peace, or a cancer cure (not likely), or the missing link for universal happiness.  Oh well; I’ll just have to get back to that another time.

Finding answers. It begins with realizing we don’t know a critical ‘something’ and begin to look for it. Asking the questions is part of the process. Asking the right questions is the key to success. In my decades of consulting and organizational development I've learned that the answers are nowhere as important as forming the right questions.

It begins with the simple formula: what do I not know? What are the critical elements missing? Can I even define them? What do I need to know? Where might I find them? When I find answers how do I know they are satisfying what I set out to find?

This is the basic research process. What is the hypothesis? What is the goal? What is the process? How do I know when I've reached the goal?

Without the process we might keep searching endlessly while all along the answer was right there in front of our face.

The biggest mysteries still require basic logic and process to solve. The solutions are usually quite simple with hindsight. What we were looking for was right under my nose all the time!

Winnowing out the possibilities is part of the process, of course; and that takes time but the final answer usually pops out and proves our case suddenly. The process gave it up. It  just takes our discipline to keep at it doggedly until the elements fall into place.

For now we need to identify the problem in need of solution. There are so many to choose among. And there are many teams of people and institutions (and industries!) seeking solutions to many problems already. What can I possibly focus on? What is my task to embrace?

My experience tells me it is me!  What I don’t know at any given time are the dimensions of what I am capable of doing, of accomplishing. One thing I know for certain is I need the collaboration of many other people to accomplish much of anything. So it is imperative that I map my own capabilities realistically first, then seek help, and demonstrate my trust and faith in others to build a good team of collaborators. That process alone magnifies the capabilities of each of us and all of us all at the same time.

Being role models to others helps the others. And myself. At the same moment. It is a means of parenthood, teaching, research, ministry, and diplomacy, to name a few but potent examples. Who and what we are is demonstrated by how we interact with others and what we do in tasks. We teach by doing and being. It’s up to the others to discern the lessons and acquire their own skills.

Completing that circle of logic is an answer. But the question? That is what is begged. Always!

September 29, 2014