Now that the election is over and all the media hype has dropped to a simple buzz … what’s next? Well, we certainly are going to be watching Congress very closely over the coming weeks to see if they will finally get their act together and come up with a bipartisan agreement on how best to avoid this fiscal cliff that has been the topic of concern and discussion for the past year. But, as interesting as that is, there could be a bigger story starting to develop …. An Asian Spring.
Once very ten years, China goes through it’s change of leadership. This is the year and despite it’s normally dull and uninteresting pace, we have seen nothing less than high drama. It’s greatest hope for a new president ended up being prosecuted and removed from the party while several other notable figures apparently withdrew to more stable and less noticeable positions, out of contention for the high post. Hard to believe that suddenly, nobody seems to want the post, but a leader will appear, that you can count on. So what the heck is going on here?
China has had a very rapid rise on the world stage. So quickly that it’s booming middle class have driven up the value of goods and with it, created considerable inflation. The separation between the have’s and have not’s is growing by leaps and bounds and there is honest and sincere resentment in the lower class that only want a fair share. Sound familiar?
If all of this were not enough, the Chinese economy is already realizing the stresses of an ever changing economy and now, for the first time in over a decade, their middle class is feeling the pinch. Unemployment is on the rise as are costs of goods. They are on the edge of serious hard times and because their economy is so heavily dependent upon trade, they could actually slip into a very serious recession.
There are few things more precious to these folks than stability. Like many Asian countries, life long employment is coveted and not easily let go so when something threatens it, well, there is real trouble ahead. How much trouble? When you considered what triggered the recent Arab Spring, you’ve got all the makings of serious trouble and it is not impossible to envision similar domestic issues as well as governmental changes on a giant scale. In a world economy it certainly would not be helpful but one cannot help but think, with a smug grin on ones face, it’s finally their turn!
Of course some of America’s larger institutions like Walmart might finally see their financial competitive edge disappear overnight and have to compete at home with American goods at American prices. The good and the bad all wrapped in one.
So, stay tuned and watch closely. We could be in for another thrill packed summer of discontent on the foreign shores of our competitors, but let’s hope the folks in Washington are watching closely and paying strict attention. We have seen this all before and many of those same ingredients can already be found at home. Safeguarding against a home brewed uprising is going to take the steady hand of legislatures that engage in proactive negotiation and compromise, least we find ourselves going through the same turmoil for lack of cooler heads!
For those of us that have been Republicans our entire life, last night was yet another conformation to what many of us have known for a very long time. The party has not only lost some of it’s momentum, but more importantly, it has lost touch with the average American. The party has forgotten that the party as well as the country, was built by average people living average lives and have higher than average expectations of it’s party leaders and ultimately of those we wish to represent the party at the highest levels of government.
We no longer buy the theory that tax breaks for the wealthy stimulate business. Business was started by and continues to thrive because of the small to medium business owners. Major corporations don’t pay the majority of the taxes; we do. Major corporations don’t worry about putting their kids through college; we do. And the most wealthy of Americans not only have no idea of what the average person goes through each day just to make a living, they are too busy planning their next party, overseas trip or what ridiculously expensive nick nack to try to outdo their equally ridiculously wealthy neighbor.
They are understandably in a class of their own, and they need to stay there; but not on the backs of the average Republican.
The party needs to realize that the days of our candidate getting elected by the white American male segment of the population have long since passed. The future isn’t just approaching, it’s here and has been here for some time now. The party needs to embrace all of those that are “different” rather than sit back and ridicule them. The party needs to realize that this great melting pot of the world is just that and we need to invite each and every one of those people to join our party … but let’s not forget that we need to listen to their expectations and rather than tell them to embrace ours, we must be prepared to embrace theirs.
Most of all, we cannot insist that the world march to our little tune. As the country grows more and more diversified, our leaders must find ways to negotiate and compromise. We understand that despite our strong opinions, we cannot afford to shut the country down just because we don’t get everything our way. That “take our ball and go home” attitude is nothing more than destructive and holding our breath until we turn blue will not only make us look foolish, we will suffocate on our own stubborn pride.
We need leaders and political candidates that are far less elite and are able to connect with the common man and woman. Put away the wing tips and $2,000 suites and get us some folks that are comfortable in nice jeans and a sports coat. Put away the martini’s and let’s just have a cold beer over interesting conversation.
And lastly, let’s not forget the philosophy that reminds us that the mind is just like a parachute; it works best when it’s open.
So, on day four of Hurricane Sandy, have you done your reality check? You know, walking around your property and wondering what you would do if suddenly your house, your cars, everything you own was gone, and probably would never be entirely replaced? Have you considered what it would be without a shower each day, fresh water to drink and probably no job to go to? Perhaps even no branch bank to withdraw money and even if you could, no local stores, shops, or anyplace else to buy food, clothing or anything else that is a necessity? No electric to charge your cell phone, your laptop (if you managed to save either one) and no way to contact people, your people, in the outside world?
And that’s just for us adults. What about the children? No school to go to, friends missing or lost, and the pets … what about their beloved pets? All changed forever.
Yes, I sent a check to my favorite charity, actually it was my full months pay which hurts a bit, but not nearly as much as those poor people that are just trying to survive right now. Not as great as the tsunami that struck Thailand a few years ago but still not so much different to the millions of lives that have been affected. And if it all were not bad enough, another new storm is brewing out in the Atlantic. Perhaps not as bad … perhaps … only time will tell.
It has been said from time to time and “a friend, in need, is a friend, indeed”. Never could it have been more true. Watching people whose house was ablaze in front of their eyes, going house to house to check on their neighbors to make sure they were OK with little regard to their own home, their own possessions, the very essence of their lives.
It’s a shame that it takes this level of disaster to get the attention of the US, but it has now. Relief efforts are in full swing across the country with so many organizations sending care packages, money, equipment, just anything imaginable to help out.
So, if you haven’t performed your own reality check, it’s time to get started. If your life came crashing in, where would you go, do you have friends that would help? What are your options? Time to think about it and make a few preparations and don’t forget to call those you would depend upon and offer yourself as a life line in case their lives were to fall apart. That is the stuff that has made and continues to make this country great and we all need to play a part in each others survival.
As of today it has been 225 years since the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence in what is now know as Independence Hall. As we have seen, this experiment in democracy has undergone more than a few challenges, some of which continue today; but the point is that despite the many different turns it has taken, ours is still the oldest form of government on the face of this earth and doesn’t appear to be anywhere near changing or being changed, at least not on a permanent basis.
So what does that mean to you? Certainly not a question that anyone else can answer for you since the American experience is indeed a very individual and personal one. As I sit in my little room, writing this I notice a flock of wild turkeys wandering through the back yard and it brings back the memory of when Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird. Yes, there are times now as within the past that one must laugh and ask if the government missed that one by a mile, but all in all this still remains one of the greatest countries on the face of this earth.
The complexities of this nation are regularly tested. Most recently by a different religion that cannot fathom the value of “freedom of speech and expression” despite an application of that which they feel insults their religion. It’s certainly not the first time, particularly in earlier years when racial and religious prejudice limited the selection of presidents. Today we have seen much change in that vein and while you might not like the current selection of elected officials, you can’t argue with the fact that anyone can grow up to be president. The dream of many youngsters still lives ….
So what of the future and why should you care? As we are about to experience, once again the election of a president is eminent and each of us has the obligation to vote for the person(s) of our choice. As we are seeing again, the country is almost equally divided among the two candidates so your vote not only counts, it could be one of the final and most important votes. Don’t waste it! Voicing your opinion to your elected representative is still and will remain important. If you don’t tell them what you think, how will they know and act accordingly. Despite the appearances that they do what they want, the masses have an impact as quite a few of them learned during the last election. Just keep reminding them who they work for, in writing, in person, and most of all in the voting booth.
And lastly, strive to be a Professional Citizen. Take responsibility where you can and hold our representatives responsible where they should. Teach your children about the importance of liberty, the constitution, and the bill of rights. Remind them that they have a duty as a citizen to do the right thing, the just thing, and everything else the country needs. Remind them we have a voluntary military and their service is what helps keep the country free, strong, and robust. Explain that todays economic times will pass and prosperity will again return AND it can only be maintained if they take on the challenges of politics, economics, science, engineering and so many skills that we need now and will in the future.
Yes, it might sound a little corny, but it’s the kind of corn that has keep this country popping for 225 years so let’s turn up the heat and keep things cooking!
While maybe not as well known to younger generations, America has been and remains a melting pot of all races, religions, creeds, and diverse points of view. Over the centuries there have been times when one or more of these groups have become the focal point of some diversity and hatred. In the second world war a number of different races within the US were a focal point. Japanese, Germans, Italians were popular targets. During the Korean war both Korean’s and Chinese were targeted; during the Viet Nam War it was the North Vietnamese and so on and so on and so on.
These days it seems to be more focused and directed and the degree of retaliation is getting increasingly violent. The Muslims are the most obvious, but attacks on different Asian groups are on the rise as well, and in some cases there are serious issues within the same religion. Muslims are seeing this and even less widely known sects like the Amish (recent hair cutting attacks in Ohio) seem to be having their own problem.
The biblical story of the Tower of Babble tried to explain the differences between languages across the globe. Many explanations have been offered for the differences in races as well as different religions too. Seems that the bottom line is that we still, to this day, cannot accept the fact that people are not carbon copies of each other and that diversity is not only a healthy thing, it is one of the spices of life to be celebrated and embraced.
And now, across the globe, our own race, that well melted down and fully mixed group that we proudly call Americans is once again the focus of attack. Not only from our known enemies, but from what we recently thought were friends, appreciative of our assistance in their own civil struggles. But wait, the recent news suggests that the most recent attack on our citizens was the work of outside parties, trying to kill the new budding relationship between the US and a new, potential alley.
It appears that until we can get to the point where we can manage these differences within the races within our own country, we should butt out of the affairs of others. But, on second thought, if we abandon those that seek a more democratic way of life, we leave them to be easy targets for those that want to promote other forms like Marxism, Communism, etc, etc.
The not so simple fact is that in order to maintain that melting pot, we must continue to add more ingredients, stir a bit, and take whatever comes out in the final solution. The challenge is not to try to mold and shape all these ingredients, but to accept them for what they are and revel in the idea that what makes us all so very different, is exactly what makes Americans the same. The Heinz 57 of the globe will remain strong because we are all so different. We only need to concentrate on and maintain our stand, just like the words say where the lady stands.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of you teamming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Yes my friends, that is what we are and why we are. Lest we forget ……
It would be easy to take sides on the delicate issues that teachers and administrators are wrestling with in Chicago this week and if you get right down to brass tacks, a strong argument could be made for both or either case. I think the greater issue is the collateral damage that is and will continue to come out of strike of such vital services. I don’t say this lightly since I was once a member in good standing of UMW and later with IBEW, both very strong unions in their day.
Some unions are part of vital services. Police, firemen, and teachers. When they go on strike the impact is immediate and extremely damaging to their reputation as well as their communities. We are often led to believe that their issues are so dramatic that a strike is the only thing left. Well, to put it politely, that’s pure bull. Mediation is always available, but in most cases the sides are sworn to binding arbitration and let’s face it, the looser always screams that it’s a rigged system. Frankly, there is no system of mediation that can’t be called rigged because whom ever is paying the bill feels the mediator is obligated to show them consideration. A better system would call for every union and administration to make contributions into a trust fund and when mediators are required a joint request from both feuding parties would ask for mediation and an independent mediator would be provided.
Let’s not get confused here. There still are some jobs and industries in this country that need, absolutely need unions. Some of those God forsaken meat and poltry processing plants are a great example. Coal mines are another, but there are plenty like municipal and federal workers. Come on! They work “for the people” and I haven’t heard many of the people that were non-union members be too supportive about their employee’s walking off the job.
Teachers are very, very, very special people. Most work long hours (don’t forget all those damn tests that have to be graded!) for wages that aren’t putting them in that top 1% that everybody’s talking about. But, in all fairness, there is a measured amount of dead wood in teaching. Teachers that are not effective, play the system, and rely upon their union to save their hides. Having a system that rewards the top performers and makes it possible to get rid of the duds that just can’t produce is good for the profession as well as us poor parents that are worried our kids will be smart enough to get a better job than at McDonalds or Wal-Mart when they graduate.
With the growth of the middle class, fewer and fewer family farms, and the majority of kids having a relative soft life with few chores, almost no manual labor, seldom having to skip meals and getting just plain fat … our children simply don’t know the meaning of a fair days work for a fair days wage. One recent survey stated that something like 37% of children think that mom & dad will leave them a nice inheritance they can retire on. Not surprisingly, the moms & dads had a little different opinion on that one!
Bottom line: Our society is raising a number of generations of kids that feel “entitled” without having to earn it. As adults, they still feel entitled and have a union to back that fantasy. We have forgotten the importance of independence and yearning for the opportunity to make it on our own and our dear old US Government hasen’t done much in recent decades to make us feel anything but dependent on “somebody, anybody else, as long as it’s ain’t me”.
Got any suggestions? Mail them in to your local and governmental representative and do that about 1000x. Oh yes, use very large print and keep it down to one page, double spaced. Hell, we can’t get them to read a bill before they vote on it so you better keep it down to about 7 words, otherwise they won’t read it as they are on their way out the door to their next free lunch … quite possibly with a lobbiest from a union, or a corporation, or one of each!
If you haven’t been watching any of the conventions on TV the past few weeks, you have really missed out on some of the best entertainment available. Forgetting the subject matter, particular party, or any of that diatribe, just listening to some old fashion, highly motivating speaking engagements that have produced home run after home run in presentation, content, and of course, that ever stirring delivery.
This is the stuff I love about elections. Finding out who can really deliver and who just thinks they can. Hearing that voice that stirs the soul, brings tears to your eyes, and really gets the old pump pounding. That, my friends, is a measure of professionalism that not much can match, much less beat.
If you venture back into what are considered some of the greatest speech’s, they break down into two basic categories. The first is the kind that is filled with great information that holds our attention and fills our internal need for more and more important information. The second, which actually tops the first is pure and simple delivery. The kind of delivery that simply grabs your attention. It may be rather simplistic or complicated but regardless of the content, it is that tremendous presentation that grabs and holds your attention.
Long before technology made it easy for everyone, that ability to bring forth the message in a way that captured the attention of the listener was often the difference between success and failure. Listening to FDR’s presentation to Congress running up to his declaration of war, it was his delivery that brought the congress to their feet and rallied the nation. One can only wonder what it might have been like to hear the actual words spoken by Lincoln in his Gettysburg address. There have been many good speakers over the decades, but a few truly memorable ones. You need only listen and judge for yourself who has done the best job in the recent speech’s.
So …. Regardless of your own personal opinions on the politics, pay attention to the delivery of the message and how well it is received. There is much to be learned from the delivery and you may also find a few little tools in there to use in your next presentation. Who knows; you might actually find a more persuasive way to go after that next raise, or to ask forgiveness, or better yet, how to express your true feelings to the one you love ….
Over this past summer our state has experienced more incidents of children dying in closed up, over heated automobiles than any time in history. While the weather certainly is a contributing factor, the simple matter of neglect is sharply on the rise and legislators are at wits end trying to find answers. Also on the rise are simple child neglect cases where mothers with several children may leave the kids at home for short time to run to the store, take another child to school, and a whole host of other errands. One must wonder, what on earth has prompted this madness? Have we raised a crop of village idiots or do these young adults just not care?
It’s certainly easy to answer “yes” to the two proposed ideas but let’s put on our thinking caps and really try to figure this out. What is different now than it was some 50+ years ago when we were kids? Short answer: everything! We no longer live next door to our parents or relatives and in most neighborhoods today, people can live next door to other couples for decades and not even know their names, much less feel safe in asking for a little help watching the kids for an hour while mom runs another all important errand. And even if we do, the laws of the land make it so scary for one neighbor to help another, who’s willing to take the risk? Pile on top of that some 45% of homes have a working single parent, who has to hold down several jobs and the simple answer is really a question: Have our expectations of human beings become so preposterous that we have finally done everything possible to discourage anyone for taking responsibility for anything at anytime?
Between the government, the law, and nosey neighbors all sticking their collective noses into our daily lives, not to mention your own kids can call the police on you because you spanked them, why on earth would any sensible set of adults every want a child for any reason? If procreation were not a built in desire of every living human being, this species would certainly become extinct in a few short decades.
It is doubtful that the government is going to get out of the business of telling us how to raise our kids, then taking absolutely no responsibility when we follow their advice and it all falls apart. It is equally doubtful that the government will stop prosecuting parents for making mistakes, yet offering them no assistance to help prevent it. And, barring the complete elimination of technology that removes the need to talk to and get to know your neighbors, it’s doubtful we’ll have a world again where we can count on the folks next door in an emergency. So what is the solution? The answer? The plan?
I wish I knew …..
Contrary to the beliefs of many, this is not an editorial about Penn State, Joe P, or anyone else even slightly of that magnitude. It is about a giant in their field; a person that made an such an impression in that field that they are now held up as an example for all to emulate. No, not a football coach or any kind of sports figure; just a simple gal that decided she wanted to fly in space. Dr. Sally Ride.
Sally was certainly remembered as the first American woman in space, the first woman to fly on a space shuttle, one of the first astronauts tagged to help in the Challenger disaster investigation and appointed to the presidents board that tackled the much needed revampment of NASA’s long range and strategic planning. When her glory days in space were over and she slipped off into a quiet retirement, she didn’t stay quiet very long. In her retirement she promoted education to younger students with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego. She authored five science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels.
To put it simple, she was and remained a class act throughout her life. And in battling pancreatic cancer she continued her quest in the same quiet, diligent manner she became known for. Many credit her for breaking down barriers but she tended to stay focused on the mission and let others worry about what barriers she had flown through. The fact that since her first flight some 46 other women from the US and other countries have flown in space and proven that in space, equality is more than a hope, it is very much a common practice that speaks highly for us as a people. Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.
We would like to say that Sally has arisen on the wings of angels, to frankly, she probably piloted the trip.
Once again we are faced with the aftermath of an insidious crime at the hands of a person that has used a semi-automatic weapon to take human life. Once again there will be pro & con on gun ownership, the 2nd amendment, and a call to “do something, anything, to stop these kinds of tragedies”. And once again, after all the excitement, political posturing and extensive circus atmosphere, things will return to normal.
There are some good questions that need to be asked, but I fear they are being overshadowed by all the more emotional ones. With so many states now having conceal/carry permitting laws, how was it that nobody in this entire theatre had a weapon or returned fire on the gunman? How was it that the gunman was able to get into a locked emergency exit (an accomplice?). Did the theatre have “no guns allowed” signs posted and if so, doesn’t that increase their liability for preventing citizens to defend themselves.
We want our rights but we want the government to protect us too. We want our privacy, but we want the government to keep tabs on every potential terrorist. We want free enterprise but we also expect the government to keep prices affordable and manageable. In other words, we want it all with little or no effort on our part, oh yes, and we want it all for free without added taxation too.
This country wasn’t founded by a bunch of kids, crying in a sandbox because they didn’t get their way. It was created by men & women willing to stand up and do something about the problem. The role of the gunman in this theatre is just another example of a coward that is afraid to stand up for really upsets them and take it out on a bunch of innocent citizens at a time they are most vulnerable. Let’s not loose sight of that fact. This is certainly not a gun issue, is an issue of the way we have become because we have allowed; no make this insisted that the government do everything for us rather than we do it for ourselves.
If we want control, we must take control, but my reasonable and lawful means. It doesn’t call for revolution but for resolution to put into office those people that will do the right thing, not just grab what they can get for themselves. We must insist that laws be created with full disclosure, not hidden in bills by special interest groups and that every penny the government intends to spend is fully disclosed up front without exception. And lastly, we must insist that anyone that serves the government as an elected official sign a contract that they will never attempt to lobby, solicit, or work in any capacity to which they will be involved in trying to influence our elected officials in any way, shape or form.
It’s another wakeup call folks. Just how many more of these are we willing to sleep through?
Tonight I cried. Balled my eyes out, actually when I heard the news that Andy Griffith had passed away. Oh sure, he was 86 and lived a long and propitious life, but I just wasn’t ready to let him go. He was the last of my boyhood role models. Along with the likes of Superman, John Wayne, BJ Honeycutt and a few other TV hero’s, he helped shape my life and the kind of many I have become. All those simple lessons he taught with that weekly thirty minutes helped me understand the value of family, honesty, decency, and of course, how to have a sense of humor in even the worst of times.
I often find myself feeling sorry for the generations that missed the influence of these figures. Oh sure, they get them in reruns, but somehow it just isn’t the same. So many of the trials and tribulations of Andy & Opey helped me understand what the right thing was and why it was the right thing. And “No Time for Sergeants” helped me understand some of the absurdity I ran indo when I was in the Army. Amazing how much and how often these characters mimic real life and how many important lessons they can teach us, even when we are exploding with laughter.
He proved that a person could escape being type cast, even thought we loved the type cast character and loved to see some of that basic wisdom of a small town sheriff come out in other characters. Andy said several times that Sheriff Taylor was a much better than we was; but I think he would have been hard pressed to show us much proof of that.
The world is going to be a little smaller place without Andy and we don’t seem to have found many suitable replacements for these small town hero’s. I can only hope that someday my own children will be able to look back and find one of their own hero’s that can measure up to Andy. Those are some mighty big shoes to fill; even if they were on a simple small town sheriff.
So, now we know what was on the mind of the Supreme Court. There will be days of analysis and nobody has missed the stunning vote of the Chief Justice. If nothing more comes out of it all, it is that there are still a few minds on the court that are willing to vote their individual opinion and resist being labeled a conservative or liberal. For me, there is more good than bad because the insurance companies can no longer single me out for a pre-existing condition and overcharge me or worse yet, refuse to cover me. Interesting enough too was the fact that nearly every medical plan providers stock shot up while insurance companies stocks took a little tumble. Another example of the free markets at work.
There will be countless arguments concerning the value of the law and you can be certain that few minds will be changed. For those states that are suffering the worst with higher unemployment and unemployable people it will be mostly good news while the more wealthy states will be hurt a little more. Sadly, few will see this as a means of strengthening the country at large by diminishing the number of unhealthy. Perhaps the only thing that a majority of Americans will agree to is the fact that illegal aliens may not take advantage of the law.
Not as surprising, the Stolen Valor Act was defeated by the simple reality that your first amendment rights trump everything else, regardless of the strong emotional ties to the intent of the act. Despite the right to lie about your service and burn the very flag that you fought for, we are once again reminded of the very reason that we served.
So what was good and what was bad? That, my friends depends entirely upon your own opinion but it is good to know that you will continue to have a right to express that opinion in many different ways.
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