Political labels help us sort ourselves, but get in the way of progress. Labels encourage us to combine our positions on issues to satisfy our perception of order. This muddles efforts to fix or improve anything. It would be better to tackle each issue on its merits: gun control, climate change, health care, access to education, immigration policies, trickle down tax laws and global alliances. The measure for any law or regulation should be based on what it is supposed . . .
Category: Life
Corporations as People?
A corporation is authorized to act legally as a person. A corporation does have some similarities to a person. For example both have an instinct to survive. But it is doubtful you could ask a corporation to “do the right thing” when it means sacrificing corporate viability. Cases: Carbon Based Extraction (coal, gas and oil): survival depends on the world continuing to burn carbon. A lot of their corporate asset value is in the ground and they want to get . . .
Vegetables Anyone?
Animosity toward immigrants is like disliking vegetables. We need them both! Construction for The Great Wall of China was started in the 7th century BCE and considerably expanded in 220 BCE by Qin Shi Huang (first emperor) and much later by the Ming Dynasty in the 17th CE. Our proposed wall would be a flimsy and hugely expensive imitation and not a viable candidate as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We need foreigners: Youthful, brave, energetic, hard-working parents, students and . . .
Lifestyles?
Who Votes?
The framers of the Constitution assembled at Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 were educated students of history familiar with the philosophies of Locke, Montesquieu and Aristotle. In 350 B.C.E., Aristotle wrote in Politics about three forms of government and how they evolve: Form: Starts As: Becomes: Rule by One Monarchy Tyranny Rule by Few Aristocracy Oligarchy Rule by Many Polity Democracy Aristotle had some interesting warnings about “Democracy”: The poor can outvote the wealthy and ruin a state by . . .
Dignity?
Revenge Delayed? … a dish best served cold. Being a bully must be its own reward, and intoxicating. But obsessive hatred of people from a foreign land doesn’t bode well when luck takes a turn. Even considering the options selfishly or as America First, where is the advantage denying help to refugees, reneging on humanitarian aid, or placing heavy sanctions on people already hungry? In the East there is a cultural value to ‘saving face’ or mianzi in Chinese. Dignity is . . .
Humble Power
Humility: noun a modest or low view of one’s own importance An under appreciated source of power? Humility promotes: Understanding and learning. Empathy Openness to different opinions and ideas Perspective Credibility A lack of humility leads to: Closed thinking Misjudging one’s importance Undervaluing others Missed oportunities Being less persuasive We should insist on humility in our leaders! It is a source of power that helps get things done.
Blended Cultures
We are not replacing ourselves. But,we need more workers. Maybe immigrants could help? The National Center for Health Statistics has calculated the US birth rate for 2017 at 60.2 per 1000 women between 15 and 44 or 1.76 lifetime per woman (3% lower than 2016). This extends the 47 year US sub-replacement trend. This means that as older generations age out of the workforce, there will be an increasingly skewed ratio of retirees to working Americans. A thoughtful immigration policy could . . .
Problems, How About Solutions?
Our SAD political situation not withstanding we need ideas and ultimately solutions. The problems are obvious enough double talk and pandering to special interests. Let’s work on these issues! Reliance on carbon conversion for energy Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide sets the earth’s temperature higher as it rises The oceans absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide making them more acidic and less hospitable to life. Choking on plastic detritus 300 million tons produced annually, half for single use Recycled economy is disappearing . . .
Game Over
The NFL is the largest spectator sporting league in the world but how much longer can this entertainment anachronism survive? 5 more years? Viewership has declined for the past two years. Follow the money. High school football participation is down according to National Federation of State High School Associations. As we learn more about CTE, a sport that relies on continued head pounding for entertainment will not survive the concerns of mothers and fathers. Finally, the “controversy” over players kneeling to protest police . . .