Search Results for: So, Where to Now, America

A Few Things in our “System” That Make Zero Sense

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Hmmm – Half of These are Rooted in the US Senate

 

It’s a Good Time to Take Stock of Some of Our Old Standbys

The news over the last year or so has given us some vivid reminders of some elements of our national governance system really seem out of whack. Some have always been so; others have risen to the top of this list  recently.

Although we look at such things through partisan lenses, at least to some degree, a case can be made that no matter your political persuasion,

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Have You Ever Noticed…?

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It’s Friday. Let’s Have a Lighter Discussion to Usher in Your Weekend

I have Noticed a Few Things of Late

Any of these ring a bell for you as they have for me? Some have been with us awhile, others a bit new. All are, at the least, a bit irritating. There are, actually, a gazillion such things in life, but in the interest of Potential Reader Fatigue (PRF – Stand by for announcements of a telethon to help crush this devastating condition. 😉)

 Health Warnings on Drug Ads

Every time I listen to one of those drug ads on TV,

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Novel Approaches For Use of Federal Dollars

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Federal Dollars are Investments in the Country. How are Our Returns on Those Investments? Looking at Two Cases

Money is Money – But There are Differences

Most of us intuitively understand the big themes around money, whether it is about ours, business, or government funds. But there are important differences among those categories.

I spent much of my career in the government, as an Army officer. For much of that time, what I concentrated on in using resources was maximum effectiveness in known situations, maximum insurancein unknown situations.  When I first joined the corporate sector,

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The Mystery and Power of Language

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We Sometimes Forget What a Powerful Thing Language Can Be

What Do We Mean by Language?

For a long time, when we thought of language we thought of word-based communications between human beings. One of those things that separated us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Now, of course, we are learning that this was our ignorance showing itself. It seems almost daily that we learn of communication between critters of all kinds that go beyond just particular sounds.

The basic definition holds – a system of communication that may be verbal,

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Is There Anything in Transportation Better Than a Train Ride?

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No. There is Not Anything Even Close.

A Life-Long Love Affair Continues

I suppose I tipped my hand a bit in the opening lines for this post. I do indeed love just about everything related to trains. There have been times when AMTRAK tested that love mightily (more on that later, with  good news).

Much of my life has been spent in one form of transit or another. A lot of it in airplanes (sometimes landing with them, sometimes jumping out before they landed). More miles than I can count on roads and highways,

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Go Big or Go Home

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Many Key Decisions are Coming due NOW at the Same Time.
The Results Will Shape America Beyond Our Imagination

 

What a Calendar We Have Over the Next Few Weeks

We all know of periods in history wherein big decisions came due, and consequences followed. But I personally cannot remember a time when so many were coming up in so short a time. This is not the complete list, but the big items at least. They come in three categories:

Legally and Legislatively Mandated for the Next Few Weeks

  • Funding Government Operations
  • Extending the National Debt Ceiling
  • The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
  • The Advanced Infrastructure Bill

Immeasurably important to the Kind of Country We Would Be

  • Voting Access and Rights Legislation
  • National Police Reform (likely already dead,

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Employment Will Never Be the Same Again

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Not for Employees, Not for Employers. A New Era is Upon Us

Mixed Indicators All Over the Country

I mentioned in the last post that we would take some time to look at what is going on in employment, both long term and short term. What is going on will – already is – affect us all for quite a while, often profoundly.

Others have certainly noticed all this. There has been a flood of very good articles, local and national, trying to assess what is going on. One set of numbers that jumps out is that there are about 8 million people out of work and about 10 million jobs unfilled.

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Economics for the Rest of Us

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Much Economics Writing is Academic and High Level – Today Let’s Look Closer In

 

Economics is Life

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, economics is a powerful force in all our lives. It may be complex, it may be removed from our observation, but it determines so much, including much of our politics and social norms. If there ever was a domain in which the term “unforeseen consequences” rings true, it is economics.

I am in the process of reading Barack Obama’s last book and have just completed the section about the economic crisis he inherited and the remarkable demands it placed,

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One Way to Lose the Argument on Institutional Racism

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 Tell the Complete Story of Our History –Get It Wrong and Be Further Behind Than Ever

 

The Tensions Over Critical Race Theory and Similar Approaches

One of the real lightning bolts in current domestic politics is the fuss over the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Never mind that darn few people know what it is, or that it is being taught as an academic discipline almost nowhere. Several states have passed legislation forbidding it being taught. Someone even started talk about putting cameras in classrooms, just to ensure teachers did not sneak it into the curriculum.

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Next Round in the Contest!

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Up for Today: Social Democracy/Democratic Socialism

Part Three of a Four-Part Series on Choosing a Socio-Economic System for America

First, A Note on Afghanistan

 Several people have asked me if this space will address what has happened in Afghanistan. The answer is yes, but not just yet. This one has a couple of personal connections for me, and I am going to take a little time sorting them out.

In addition, there is a lot of information coming in – some of it dubious. Some of it important – that also needs to settle out.

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