Category: Politics and Government

And the Next Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives is….

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The Democrats Have a Rare Opportunity to Be Smart. Anyone Taking Bets?

 

It turns out that the “Blue Wave” actually was a wave. It just took a while to come in. Results described as “not since Watergate” say a lot. Remarkably, a recent poll says that a good part of Republican voters believe their side won. Must have listened to Mr. Trump’s press conference, then turned off the TV. We live in strange times.

I have often thought that the national symbol of the Democratic Party should not be a donkey.

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Let’s Fire Daylight Savings Time – Forever!

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Time Measurement Should be Scientific. Instead, it’s a Global Hodge-Podge.

“What time is it?” may turn out to be more of a trick question than one might think.

For quite a while, the world, for the most part,  had a pretty good approach towards time. Ground Zero for time keeping was set up at Greenwich, England. Twenty-four one-hour time bands spread out from there around the world. These matched the 24-hour cycle in the dance between the Earth and the Sun.

Simple, right? But of course, we could not leave well enough alone.

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Mid Terms are Over. What Does America Look Like Now?

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Overall, a Good Night for Democrats. But Something for Everyone and Risks Everywhere.

Goodness knows the airways are full of post elections analysis. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t need to read another article about the 5/10/20 important lessons of Tuesday night.

We have only had a few hours or so to absorb the electoral results. Too much is in the mix to deal with in one post, anyway. But I had a cautionary note at the end of this post, referring back to something I said in a post some months ago.

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It’s One Day AFTER Voting. Time to Go a Better Way.

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What Was Old is New Again. We Have Better Way to Confront our Voting Challenges.

 

Well, it’s the morning after the election. We all need a bit of time to process what went down, so more on that in our next edition. In the meantime, let’s take a good look at how we vote in this country.

Not all that long ago, when voting machines came to be the norm in much of the country, I was on board. Digital/optical scanners and electronic tabulations were the way to go.

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Have We Forgotten the Point of Representative Democracy?

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There Is Solid Reasoning Behind Representative vs Direct Democracy.

The founders of these United States carefully reviewed governments throughout history. They focused much of their attention on ancient Greece and Rome. Oftentimes, they did so by reading in Greek and Latin, so as not to lose subtleties in translation. We could use a few of those founders today – but that is a discussion for another day.

We are making our choices in midterm elections. I don’t think anyone on any side of any issue underestimates the importance of these elections.

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The Purposes and Power of Conversation

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As We Careen into the Midterm Election, Let Us Reflect on the Art of Conversation.

This blog began last Summer in part to provide improved dialog opportunities.

Our diminishing ability to talk with each other in this country should be a matter of concern for all. Disagreements are natural – and healthy. But if we are unwilling to talk at all with millions of our fellow citizens, this is problematic. Not easy stuff, but we need to try.

It cannot bode well for the health of this country to continue down this path.

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I Visited a Food Bank. I Loved it. I Hated It.

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Hunger in America is rampant. Why the Hell Do We Allow This?

 

This past weekend, I invested some time with our local foodbank. It is in every sense a model operation, rightly cited as one of the best in America. The talented people who work there are dedicated beyond measure. The operation is a model of efficiency and effectiveness. They are both efficient and humane. (Manna Food Bank, https://www.mannafoodbank.org)

They have over 200 partner organizations. Manna serves thousands of meals a day in over a dozen counties,

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The Larger Legacy of Senators Collins and Flake

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Decisions Count, Patterns are Illustrative, and Values are Revealed.

 

To say that a lot of people are disappointed in Senators Flake and Collins would be a mild understatement. That is a fair call. People on one side of the Kavanaugh nomination got their hopes up and felt let down. But it should not have been a surprise. There are also issues here well beyond one supreme court nomination battle.

These two individuals have had their shining moments (Collins, for example was a key vote on the future of the Affordable Care Act).

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“LISTEN TO ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU.”

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A New Standard of Citizen Action is Emerging. Should We Be Conflicted?

The Supreme Court nomination hearings of last Thursday and Friday were long on drama. I felt as though I was watching a combination of The West Wing and the whole Watergate saga, all rolled into one. It was a period of exceptional highs and lows for about everyone who gave a damn, on both sides of the nomination. Hang on – more to come. Much more.

The most powerful moment was when two young women, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher,

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A Simple Thing is the Undoing of the Republicans

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“What Goes Around, Comes Around” has a certain ring to it

 

“Politics is not beanbag” is a well-known truism. It can be a tough business. Political parties will go to great lengths to win. The histories of both major parties are full of abuse of power and unfair or illegal acts to gain advantage. Gerrymandering was not invented yesterday.

Yet, today’s Republican party has crossed too many lines for most Americans. Process and protocols are pretty simple, yet their importance is significant. When “anything goes” is the norm,

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