31 Dec 2918 How Did The Year Go?

How Did The Year Go?

I started this blog with the one goal of posting something every day.  Well here we are at the end of the year and I did accomplish what I set out to do.  I did not meet all the goals I set for personal development.  I have made big strides in some areas of my life. Over the course of the year I have ranted a lot about President Trump.  I think I bashed him more than any one group or individual.  I think I only repeated myself a few times.  I may have covered the same topic from different angles but not outright the same.  I did do two postings on opioids that were very similar.

At the start of the year I was going to use this tracking system to make sure I did not have duplicate postings.  That fell by the wayside pretty quick.  For the most part I had no problem coming up with things to write about. There were a couple of times it was down to late the night before or even early in the morning a posting was due. 

I can’t say there was a posting I wished I had not done.  I may not have been as persuasive in some of my arguments in some postings.  Also, I may not have been as empathetic or compassionate as I could have been. This is especially true for the topics that are labeled as a disease when I say it is a choice.  That is ok. We need healthy, honest and open dialogue.  

What have I learned?  I gained great respect for people who have done this for a long time.  Getting content out every day is a grind at times.  I have to admit there were a couple of times I was ready to just stop.  But the weeks and months did pass.  

Will I continue?  I am not sure.  I am thinking about a longer form that is posted weekly. I am also considering going back to podcasts.   Or maybe I will do a combination of two.  I guess I better decide soon as the New Year is upon us.

Thanks for following me on this journey over the past year.  Let’s see where 2019 takes us.

30 Dec 2018 Am I Optimistic About The Future?

Am I Optimistic About The Future?

I know a lot of my postings are negative in tone, especially the ones about President Trump and Congress.  However, those are short-term in nature.  A new President will get elected at some point and Congress will swing back and forth between the two parties in power.  The overall institutions for the country are strong and are resilient.  Do we have big issues, absolutely?  There is a growing chasm between young and old, with young being under 35 and old over 55.  Both have large numbers to impact elections.  Each have different views (in a global sense) on where the country should go. This is ok and healthy for a democracy. But they should fix what they agree on and not just oppose each other.

It will be interesting to see how the country evolves when the white population is less than 50% and become a majority minority.  For the young crowd I don’t think this will be the big issue as they are much more integrated then the older crowd was. Slowly but surely our institutions will start to reflect the changing demographics.

On the world stage, the biggest challenge will be to see if Russia and China transition to democratic rule vice authoritative rule. If each stay on their current path, then there is a greater chance for conflict due to the ruthless nature of dictatorships. There is a positive in that both of their economies depend on the rest of the world. This is especially true for China. The United States and China are deeply inter-wined economically. Both depend on the other to maintain their countries standing.

The one big thing that tempers my optimism is that of the Islamic faith. Islam is very similar to where the Catholic Church was 500 years ago. Islam needs to have their reformation. Also, Sunni Islam and Shia Islam have to settle their centuries old disagreements. I doubt in my lifetime I will see these changes. But as each country modernizes the people will not want to live the austere life as dictated by the radical side of Islam.

I am optimistic about the future. Every generation produces great leaders who transform the world for the better. The future is always bright if you demand accountability from your politicians and you go out and vote.

29 Dec 2018 How Often Do You Think “What If?”

How Often Do You Think “What If?”

You should always look to the past for lessons learned. As the saying goes those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. However, there is a big difference from studying lessons learned and spending time asking yourself “What If?”

Everybody can look back on their lives and point to specific decisions they made. Many of these decisions had a big impact. Some may have come out as you wanted, and others may have brought about results that had their own challenges. For those challenging ones it is easy to get into the trap of trying to predict what would’ve happened if you made a different choice?  It is easy to assume that the alternate choice would not have had as many challenges. That is wishful thinking at best. You make a decision at that time with the best information that you have. If your decision is based on a lot of factual data, then there is a good chance you can predict how things may come out in the near-term. Now near term may mean days or months or at most a year. It is very difficult to predict many things after a year and the difficulty grows exponentially each succeeding year.

If your decision is based on more emotion then facts, then your desired outcome is even less predictable. You may get some satisfaction in going back and asking yourself what if I made a different decision, however it really is a waste of time and more importantly a waste of emotional energy. Just accept that you made the best decision at the time. If better data comes up, you can always make a course correction. Learn from the past just don’t dwell on the past.

28 Dec 2018 What Do We Do About Opioids?

What Do We Do About Opioids?

Rarely does a day go by that there is not an article in the news about opioids. Now I have to admit I have no experience in dealing with this issue.  I don’t know anybody hooked on them.  I probably have some very misguided opinions about it.  

Can we as a society do anything about it or does it come down to the individual? Does the person have to hit “rock bottom” before they can begin to change?  I don’t know.  I am not the most sympathetic person for drug addicts.  If you have to physically do something to take the drug, then just don’t do it.  Yes that is extremely simplistic and maybe naïve.  If you don’t just stop then how will you ever stop?  In the end it all comes down to an individual’s discipline. If they have it they will stop, if not they probably end up killing themselves.  No amount of hand holding or tough love will do it.  Is it hard to stop, it seems to be or all would.  Just because it is hard does not mean we shouldn’t do all we can to help the person help themselves to stop.  

I don’t buy into the argument that it is not in the addicts control. That is an excuse pure and simple. If that were the truth than nobody would be able to stop cigarettes cold turkey.  Somehow people do.  I know someone who stopped cold turkey after decades of smoking and never had another one. It was his choice it was his to control.  That’s why I asked, until the addicts chooses can we help at all?   

We can’t get rid of opioids. They have a valuable medical purpose when prescribed and used as intended.  We can and should invest in rehab facilities. We should only treat addicts as criminals when they commit criminal acts.  We should help addicts when they want to help themselves.  If an addict chooses to continue down that path, I don’t think investing in them is the best use of resources, find someone who wants to change and help them.  

We can’t save everybody.  We can only save those who want to be.  Adult addicts are still adults. Make them responsible for their choices and not excuses for them. 

27 Dec 2018 How Do You Find The Truth?

How Do You Find The Truth?

There are so many news outlets it is tough to decide which one(s) are trustworthy. I sometimes turn on MSNBC and Fox News and flip between each one to see how they are presenting a particular story. It is funny, or kinda sad, that the same story can be told in two very different ways.  Both sites claim to have journalistic integrity. If that were true, wouldn’t the stories sound the same or at least close?  MSNBC is considered a Democratic/liberal leaning station and Fox News is the Republican/conservative place.  Each has an audience it wants to sell advertising.  As with any business, it targets its message to who is viewing. 

I have no problem with each station making money.  However, don’t claim you have journalistic credentials and then report in a way your viewer base agrees with.  State that what you say is the subjective views of the station/reporters as told by the presenters.  That would be the honest way.  Do not sell anything as objective.   

So where would we get “objective” reporting.  Some would claim that National Public Radio is the objective platform.  I would argue that most of the Republican/conservative crowd would laugh at that say it a very liberal organization. 

Where does that leave us?  People have to listen to or read multiple sources in order to be informed.  They can’t accept at face value that their “trusted” network/paper will give them objective reporting.  It is critical that we are knowledgeable as society in issues that affect us all.  How we get that knowledge is just as important as what the knowledge is.        

26 Dec 2018 Will Others Follow General Mattis?

Will Others Follow General Mattis?

I was finally glad to see a Senior member of the cabinet leave the administration of Pres. Trump. UN ambassador Nikki Haley left earlier, now Gen. Mattis has prepared to leave as Secretary of Defense.  He was scheduled to leave at the end of February but Pres. Trump did not like the positive press the General was getting and is giving him one more week.

I hope this is the start of a mass exodus of cabinet members. I don’t think it will change how Pres. Trump leads, but it will at least tell him what people think of him.  If Gen. Mattis resigned out of disgust, what is it going to take for the others to follow? I would be stunned if the cabinet members really believed in and supported what Pres. Trump does. I can’t see how any rational person would believe what he is doing it’s good for the country.

But I have to remember it is all about politics. It has nothing to do with how good it is for the country or how bad it is. It is all about keeping whatever political influence you have. That may be a cynical view, but it seems to be reinforced every week. There is no other explanation for why the other cabinet members remain.

I really want our administration to do well. I want the country to do well. It helps no one if the country is not on the right track.  Will others leave? I am not holding my breath. All I hope is that the damage is able to be minimized over the next two years. In 2020, winter is coming for the Republican Party.

25 Dec 2018 Do You Have Gratitude?

Do You Have Gratitude?

I used to not be grateful for all I had in my life.  It was not I felt like I deserved any of it, I just didn’t recognize how fortunate I was.  Today I have a deep gratitude.  You have a pretty great life if you can say that the vast majority of decisions were made by you and not forced by someone else.  There have been very big consequences for my choices, but they have been mine.

Christians around the world celebrate today as the birth of their religion.   Though I do not have a strong Christian faith, I do have beliefs that our lives do not end with our physical deaths.  Today is a day for reflection and to give thanks and gratitude.

There are groups of “families” I am a part of and people that have been and are part of my life.  I have love and gratitude for all of them.  I may be remiss in not expressing that gratitude, but it is there.

To my biological family, well we have a lifetime of experiences, but we still have that bond.   My Australian family, my love for you has grown deeper every year.  My Navy family, to those alive and those passed, I treasure our time together.  To my WDS family, thank you.

Ariel, I can’t put into words how much you mean to me and my love for you. You have an inner light that shines so bright.  Our journey continues.   

I know I should single out so many more people.  Thank you for your gift of friendship, love, guidance and laughter.  I am a better person for knowing each and every one of you.  

Merry Christmas

24 Dec 2018 Can You Be Too Young For Congress?

Can You Be Too Young For Congress?

The Constitution states you must be at least 25 years old to be member of the House of Representatives and 30 years old for the Senate.  These ages were set over 200 years ago.  At that time 25 was “old” and 30 was very mature. The country was also vastly smaller then in physical size and population.  

It would be the very rare person whose breath of experiences at those ages would allow them to be effective today.  I would be hard pressed to think of anyone in their 20’s who could be a good Congressperson.  This is not a critic of the individual, just the immense responsibility the job calls for. The same for a Senator in their early 30’s.  Are there people out there who could do it, I am sure there are.  I would still have significant reservations and would need to have careful study on what thay have done.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at age 29 will be an interesting test of this.

I also believe you can be too old for Congress.  You would be hard pressed to convince me that someone past the age of 80 can be an effective representative. If airline pilots have to retire at 65, so should people in Congress.  A state and district need to have turnover in the political offices in order to get new ideas and thinking.     

There will be more younger people elected to Congress in 2020.  It will be interesting to see how well they are able to do the job.  

23 Dec 2018 Should I Respect Ignorant People?

Should I Respect Ignorant People?

Free speech is hard at times to support.  You have the “liberal” whinners in college who won’t tolerate any speech that is different than theirs and you also have the “conservative” Congressmen like Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows who prove every day just how ignorant they can be. 

I would love to have the opportunity to talk each of these groups.  I like getting into to discussions with people who can’t defend their positions.  I am amazed they take it as a badge of honor to look stupid.  They passionately believe they are right.  What they fail to see is everybody is not right all the time or wrong all the time. Like the line in the movie City of Angles, “just because you believe it does not make it true.”

I am sure there are many people who would vehemently disagree with what I believe. That is ok, that is what free speech is all about.  I would not block someone from having opinions just as I would expect the same courtesy. 

What we need to be very careful about is people who are able to force policy positions or laws that don’t represent the values this country has defended for over 200 years, with free speech at the center of it.

There are extremes at both end of the political spectrum who want to prevent free and open dialogue, disagreement and discourse.  We must be ruthless in letting either side dominate “their way.” I could never respect either of those extremes.

22 Dec 2018 Do You Want The Wall?

Do You Want The Wall?

Congress is trying to pass a sort term spending bill to keep government open for a couple of months. Everybody thought it was a done deal until the President got some criticism from the “conservative” pundits that he was weak.  Of course, his ego could not accept this, and he decides to not support the bill because it does not fund the wall.  I keep saying everyone should tell him he said Mexico would pay for it and we will build it when they start paying.  His has no argument against, it was the cornerstone of his campaign.  

Do I want the wall, of course not.  It will be a waste of money and not keep people out. Other than the Great Wall of China, there have been very few that met their purpose.  The Maginot Line was the great wall to keep Germany out of France during World War II.  You know how well that turned out.

We need secure borders.  We need a vetting process to determine who should come in.  We can’t support unlimited immigration.  There is not a country in the world that allows that.  I understand why people want to come here.  I would ask why don’t the other Central and South American countries open their borders to more people?  I know Columbia is dealing with a major problem of people from Venezuela. It rivals our challenges.  

I want Congress to stand strong and not fund a wall.  The President can complain all he wants but only a minority of the country wants a wall.  Most want immigration reform, but not a wall.   

The only thing Congress should send the President is document for him to fill in saying how much Mexico gave this year for the wall. Congress can then add that to the budget. Until then, no money for any wall from the US taxpayers.

21 Dec 2018 Is Alone The Answer?

Is Alone The Answer?

After the divorce from my first marriage, my mother could not accept that I was happy alone.  It was such an alien concept to her.  No matter what I said she did not believe me.  She thought I was really miserable deep down inside. I was and am comfortable being alone. However, that is not how I think a full life should be lived.

I have no problem spending a lot of time by myself.  However, it is easy especially for me to get disconnected from people when I do that.  I can go a whole weekend with very little interaction.  I know my life is better the more I get out of my comfort zone and meet people.  

One of my goals is to be more sociable and meet more people.  I know I have to be the one who reaches out and initiates the interaction.  People are not going to just start coming up to me.  I was told by a coach that to really grow you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  I have taken the comfortable route for most of my life.  It is time to see what uncomfortable brings me.  

I am ok with alone but know it is not the answer.  I am not ok with just ok anymore. 

20 Dec 2018 Do We Need The ACA?

Do We Need The ACA?

A federal judge has ruled the entire Affordable Care Act, “Obama Care,” is unconstitutional.  Now this may only be a short-term ruling that is changed on appeal or it goes to the Supreme Court and is upheld.

We do need a national medical Insurance law. This should not be a state by state governed process. It is too convoluted and costly. I’m not convinced that a government run option is the way to go. There needs to be competition in order to drive efficiencies. But these efficiencies should not be at the expense of quality care. The stockholders of the insurance companies are not the number one factor in decisions. The companies have to make a profit to compete.

I wrote earlier in the year what I thought the basic tests each citizen should get it each year at reasonable cost that is covered in their premium. The challenge comes with pre-existing conditions and paying for procedures to keep seniors alive another 9 to 12 months. Most people would be amazed to know how much Medicare pays to keep a person alive for 9 to 12 months instead of letting the natural dying process takeover. No one wants to tell someone they can’t have a procedure because it is not worth the expense to keep them alive another nine months.

However, if we are to afford quality care for all then some tough choices have to be made. We simply can’t afford to pay for every procedure for everybody all the time. Well we could but, we would first have to balance the budget and then decide what other area of federal spending needs to have drastic cuts on the order of over 100 billion.

We need national health insurance, are we willing to have the tough conversations and then legislation to implement it?

19 Dec 2018 How Do You Christmas Shop?

How Do You Christmas Shop?

I can’t remember when the shopping day known as Black Friday came about. I don’t know if it was a marketing thing that was put out in the last 20 years? I certainly do not understand the need to go out at midnight or five in the morning to make a purchase for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.

I really can’t believe people would stampede into a store to buy something. It really shows how far we have come in making wants into absolute needs. It is sad Christmas has become a way for businesses to make money vice what the whole purpose of the day is supposed to mean.

With the advent of online shopping, you would think there would be no need to go out some crazy hour. Who knows, maybe some people just think of that as a Christmas tradition and actually enjoy it?

My routine was to wait until the 23^rdor 24^thof December and do shopping. Most of the time I did not have a specific item in mind. I have to admit I do like the convenience of online shopping. However, I will go out on one of those days to see if something catches my eye.  

I can’t think of a scenario where I would go out and wait in line for anything. I enjoy walking around mall, but not with thousands of people. We will see what this year’s shopping trip we’ll catch my eye.

18 Dec 2018 How Much Should Congress Make?

How Much Should Congress Make?

There was a lot of news earlier this year when Apple became the first Company to be valued at $1 trillion. The 535 members of Congress of which 435 are in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate create a budget each year of over two trillion dollars. The salary for a congressman is $174,000 per year. The Speaker of the House gets $223,500. If the saying goes you get what you pay for then we are vastly underpaying our representatives. If you want competent members then you have to be willing to pay for them. You can talk all day long about public service, but I would rather have competence over political ambitions.

I would make two changes to the Constitution. People in the House of Representatives can hold office for two 4 year terms and Senators can have one term of office of six years. I would pay each $500,000 a year. There would be no retirement other than what they can fund for a Roth IRA. I don’t want career politicians and I don’t want politicians to get a lifetime retirement for a short stay of public service.

You will not be able to convince me that there is any value of having a person be in Congress for many years and even many decades. It is proven many times over it takes no special talent to be a member of Congress, especially in intelligence capacity. We need to change that.

I want to attract the best and brightest to help run the country, but I also don’t want them there for a long time. If the President has term limits, there’s absolutely no reason members of Congress can’t too.  Let’s get the best there and pay them too.

17 Dec 2018 Why Did He Threaten A Shutdown?

Why Did He Threaten A Shutdown?

Last week Pres. Trump sat down with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. He has bragged over and over again on how great of a negotiator he is. It became evident during that meeting that Trump is only a great negotiator when the other party has no option but to accept his terms. If the other party is of equal or has a more powerful position, he is totally outside his capability. Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer schooled him on how to debate and negotiate. Trump learned the difference between business negotiations and political negotiations.

Mrs. Pelosi tried to protect the president and have their conversation taken off-line. But Trump’s ego was in it. He was so sure he could dominate those two in a public setting that was televised live. How wrong he was.

It all came down to the border wall he has been talking about for three years. I wish the two Democrats would’ve looked him in the eye and said “why do we need to use tax payer funds for the wall when you claimed over and over again that Mexico was going to pay for it?”  This would’ve put Trump in an uncomfortable position trying to explain why he needs $5 billion of tax revenue to pay for a wall that another country was supposed to pay for.  It is another case of him having no capability back up what he says he’s going to do.

What was even more in embarrassing was when he claimed he will accept responsibility for shutting down the government if he does not get funding for his wall.  Never before has a President taken such a stance. He is going to find out that the Republicans in Congress will not support him on this. 

If he were smart, but he isn’t, he would be doing all he can to ensure his last two years in office have a positive value. I don’t see that happening. He will be like Nero of Rome and burned down anything because his ego is bruised. He will never be able to blame anybody but himself.

16 Dec 2018 Do You Know The Side Effects Of Drugs?

Do You Know The Side Effects Of Drugs?

I think most people get annoyed with the never-ending barrage of drug commercials. Embedded in those commercials is the long list of side effects that goes on and on.  

My mother is like a lot of senior citizens who cake a lot of different drugs. She takes so many that there is no way there can be any clinical evidence that the drugs do not counteract each other. I think if she just stopped all of them and see what happened over the next 45 days I’d bet her quality of life does not change. But the drug industry would not like that because they want people to take as many drugs as possible. Why else would we be bombarded day in and day out with commercials for drugs.

I was taking a drug for inflammation and it had the potential side effect with the Achilles tendon. I found out that was a very true side effect. Fortunately, it was just soreness and not a tear or something worse.

We are the most overmedicated society in the world. Everybody wants a pill take care of everything. There are medications that have a valuable purpose. But if people just took better care of their bodies the vast majority of over the counter medications would not be necessary. 

Everything you take has a potential side effect. Be aware of those and ask yourself do I really need this drug?

15 Dec 2018 Why Does She Watch Game Shows?

Why Does She Watch Game Shows?

My wife, Kathy, has no problem watching hours of game shows.  They could be current ones and even those from 30-40 years ago.   I don’t get it.  My mind feels like I am losing intelligence after 10 mins.  Four shows in a row of Family Feud and I would be suicidal.  Not Kathy, the more the better.  

It is not just game shows.  “Reality” tv is in heavy rotation too.  If the game shows don’t make you crazy, the other shows will.  I would bet she watches 6 hours a day of tv.  But you know what, she would probably hate doing what I do and that is read.  

If someone enjoys something, who am I to criticize it?  Just because I may not like it does not mean everyone should too. She does do Numbrix and Sudoku puzzles while she watches so she is exercising her brain.  

You should be grateful if you are able to spend doing what you enjoy for leisure time.  When she was a single mom with two kids, she was exhausted be the end of day and no time just to relax.  It was up early, get the kids to school or day care, off to work, then an endless array of kids activities before home, late dinner, kids to bed, then crash on the couch to fall asleep.  Next day repeat.  And the next and the next, for years.

I may hate what she watches but I feel she has earned it.  I just won’t be in the room to watch with her.  Now about that “Real Housewives episode, did you see……”

14 Dec 2018 Who Should We Let In?

Who Should We Let In?

Immigration is a sensitive topic to a lot of people.  It comes down to two very difficult questions. The first is, what is a country?  The second is, who should be allowed to come in?

A country is defined by the borders it sets.  But those are really arbitrary lines.  Unless it is a body water with coast line, a border can’t be seen.  A border is only as strong as the group of people who live there are able to defend it.  This is the reality for millennium.  Once they can defend the land, they determine who can come in. Some countries are pretty open, others like Japan have been very strict. 

Just because someone is born on a piece of real estate, should they be able to stay there and someone else be denied entry?  That would only be the case if people did not associate themselves in tribes.  A tribe could be ethnically based, or location based.  I don’t see borders going away or the break-up of tribal thinking for a long time, certainly not in my lifetime.

It is tough call to turn people away at the border who came a great distance. If Mexico enforced its southern border, the US would have few problems on our southern border.  

I understand the thinking of limiting people from coming in, we can’t take everybody. However, I also understand that a lot of people were born in places that are very challenging.  Should they not have the same opportunities?   Should the people of that country take charge and do whatever is necessary to make it a better place?  Of course, but that is very difficult.  It is easy to say I would do whatever it takes to keep the US what it is, I live here and get all the benefit.  I can’t comprehend what is to live is a repressive or bad country.

I don’t have all the answers on immigration.  I want compassion but also enforcement. There can be and needs to be a balance.   

13 Dec What Is Wake-Up Warrior?

What Is Wake-Up Warrior?

Wake-Up Warrior is an organization created by Garret J. White. He is very firm on who is part of Warrior, that is married men with children who are entrepreneurs.  If you are single, you need to be pursuing marriage.  If married with no kids, you need to say you are going to have them.  Garret is unapologetic about his criteria. You may like or dislike it, but he doesn’t care.  It is his club, nobody is forcing you to join. 

 As with any “self-help” program it has devoted followers and strong critics.   I just returned from WarriorCon3.  It was 3 intense days with 1000 men.  The fundamental tenant of Warrior is “Stop fucking lying, start telling the truth.” That sums it up.  This means being completely open and honest.  Lies by omission are just as bad.  Be honest in all facets of your life, in your relationships, at work, everywhere.  Everybody is a liar in one way or another, they just won’t admit it.  Once you accept that and start telling the truth, you will be amazed at how life is so much better.  

Warrior aims to improve someone in the physical, spiritual, and relationship areas (both your partner and children).  It is also designed to help the entrepreneur grow his business.  It does not push any religion.  You define what spirituality is to you.  Warrior calls these Body, Being, Balance and Business. Most people are strong in one or two. It takes a lot of work to be strong in all four.

As with all programs there are various levels of financial investment.  Some of the levels are very expensive.  Garrett puts out a tremendous amount of free material via podcasts and his website.  Just listening to the free stuff will have a profound impact on your life.  It can be a big investment in yourself.  But, can you put a price tag on getting your life strong in all four of these areas? 

I believe in the program.  I recommend you check it out.      

12 Dec 2018 Would You Work For Trump?

Would You Work For Trump?

As much as I dislike President Trump, the office of the President still has to be run. This involves hundreds of people.  Would it be ok to work in the office because you know the job has to be done or are you condoning all the President does if you do work there? This is a difficult choice.  It is easy to be all self-righteous and say you would never be involved in any part of his organization.  However, short of impeachment he is still going to be there, and the work has to be done.  My position is if you are a direct support to him in a lead or deputy position, then you condone what he does.  A leader, no matter how bad, has to have people under him that support his positions. The Cabinet secretaries and deputies can’t hide behind the “I am doing it for the country” excuse.  Those is lesser roles who are not political appointees can say that.

This is where I have lost a lot of respect for people like Gen Mattis and Gen Kelly.  They sold their souls and there is no other way to explain why they stayed so long. As military men, as soon as Trump sided with Russia over the intel community, they should have quit.  But they stayed and thus said it was ok and they supported that position. 

I understand that being a Cabinet Secretary is a big ego position.  But every one of them have to look in the mirror every morning and more importantly look into the eyes of their spouses and children and say they are proud to serve the President. 

I guess character is in short supply because I don’t see it in the Office of the President and the executive levels. History will not be kind to them.

11 Dec Should Airline Seats Recline?

Should Airline Seats Recline?

Most airlines today assume everybody is under five foot eight.  That can be the only explanation for how little legroom there is.  I always find it funny that the people who makes the decisions never have to live by them. There is probably a 1% chance that any executive at an airline company flies economy.  The only exception may be Southwest because they don’t have 1^stor business class.

I don’t think airline seats should recline. I don’t recline mine because I know how uncomfortable it is for the person behind me. I just wish other passengers would show the same consideration.  I fly a lot and I know that seat recline is not needed.   I am not the best passenger if you recline the seat in front of me.  I know you have a “right” to do it, but does that mean you should?  Just have some courtesy and keep you seat up.  

Seat width is also a challenge for some. I sat next to a woman who was very overweight.  She was in the middle seat.  There was no way she could remain in her “designated” space.  Her arms were inside “my” space and she could not close her legs enough so they remained in her seat’s width.  Should I have demanded that she stay in her space when there was not a physical possibility for her to do so?  I didn’t, I had the window and just leaned that way.  Should she have to purchase 2 seats?  It would be hard to say what the exact metric was to determine that.

 I wish every airline senior VP and above had to fly only economy.  No private jets or 1^stclass.  You would see changes in the seating very quickly.  

10 Dec 2018 Has Parenting Changed?

Has Parenting Changed?

I am not a big proponent of “it was not like that ……” when referring to something in the past.  Most people do not have clear memories of the past by either accentuating the positive or negative aspects.  

You hear the term Helicopter Parent said today.  It refers to a parent who “hovers” around the child almost all the time in order to prevent something bad happening, even if the “bad” thing is just part of growing up.  I don’t buy into the thinking that today is any more dangerous for a child than some time in the past.  I could argue in some ways growing up in earlier times, say 30+ years ago, may have been more dangerous. There were no cell phones for constant contact with parents. Most kids were allowed to run free around town or in my case out in the country.  There were plenty of times my mom did not know where we were just that we were supposed to be home by dinner.  We could leave in the morning saying we were going out to play.  That could mean anywhere in town or beyond.

Where parenting has changed is in the public disciplining of children.  My parents would have had no problem with neighbors giving me a smack on the ass if I acted up.  In school, it was routine to go the PE teacher to get a swat if you did something in school.  No parent ever complained. 

Today the police would be called if a parent hit their kid in public or a teacher had any contact with the child.  Any physical discipline on children is viewed as kid abuse today.  Was I permanently hurt because I was swatted by my parents, no.  Did anyone of my friends become suicidal due a hit by the PE teacher, no.  You acted up, there were consequences, the kids self-esteem be dammed.  

There will always be each generations argument about “how tough it was back then.”  Parenting is the same and very different, but only from your point of view. 

9 Dec 2018 Does Oprah Have Big Political Influence?

Does Oprah Have Big Political Influence?

There was a lot press this year about Oprah possibly running for President.  I get why people want to consider it, however, most have no idea just how grueling it is. Take a look at pictures of Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama from their inauguration and then their final days.  They aged considerably.  There are really no days off.  

Oprah is a name that has been thrown out there as someone who should consider running.  Politics is its own business. That is why it is rare to see a businessman who is good at politics and a politician who is good at business.  I respect what she has done in business.  We probably differ on a lot of issues but am sure we are in agreement on many too.   

Oprah can have a large influence in politics not by running but financing candidates and speaking out about them and the issues.  Once she steps into the arena, the rest of the Democratic candidates will be less than helpful.  She will be treated as anyone else, that is it is fair game to bring up all ones faults and magnify them even if minor.     

I think she should stay out of the race and be someone who influences the party. She should not commit to any one candidate unless she is so enamored with them that she is all in early.  She could help a lot of Senate candidates. Winning back the Senate and keeping the House are critical goals too.  

Oprah has the money and “star” power to be big in the Democratic party.  However, if she runs then she just another candidate. That is not her strength. Stay out lead elsewhere. 

8 Dec 2018 Who Will Be The Next Vice President?

Who Will Be The Next Vice President?

There will be big political battles for the nomination from both parties for the 2020 Presidential elections.  Does the running mate of the nominee really matter?  I think John McCain found that out when he picked Sarah Palin. That will go down as one of the worst political moves of all time.  She was in no way prepared to lead at a national level.  I believe it kept him from being elected.  

For the Republicans, VP Pence will stay with Trump if he runs again and gets the nomination.  As I wrote before, that is not a sure thing.  If Trump does not run, then Pence will make his claim for the top spot, though he won’t get it. The strench of Trump is too much on him.  If Nikki Haley runs and wins the nomination, I would expect her to pick a strong partner.  I would like to see Condoleezza Rice as one of her options.  She does not need some old white guy to “balance” things out.  

For the Democrats, it is wide open.  If a progressive wins, do they pick a moderate to run with them. Does a moderate pick a progressive?   Can two progressives win the national race?  Would an Elizabeth Warren-Bernie Sanders ticket be strong or even Sanders-Warren?  Would Bernie accept the VP position?  I think he would because he would have more influence on policy.  

I am highly confident that we will see a woman as either President or VP after the 2020 election. My guess Nikki Halley-Condoleezza Rice as the ticket for the Republicans and Mark Warner-Kamala Harris for the Democrats.

7 Dec 2018 Does Pearl Harbor Mean Anything Anymore?

Does Pearl Harbor Mean Anything Anymore?

Today marks “A day that will live in infamy” as said by President Roosevelt for the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941.  Does it resonate anymore with anyone who was not alive at that time?  It was not yet named World War II when Pearl Harbor was attacked, only because the US was not in direct combat.  There was tremendous conflict going on.  Europe and Asia had massive battles for over two years.  There was untold slaughter going on in Russia in their fight with Germany.  The Japanese were on a genocidal bent in China. The US was happily isolated by two oceans.  Many people did not want the US to be involved, it was not “our fight.” We were very involved from a supply of armaments, we just had no major combat forces involved. 

It is interesting that Japan for the time after the war taught that they were justified for the attack because the US had created an embargo around Japan to prevent supplies from coming in.  Japan has very little natural resources.   In the 1980’s, Japan was a huge investor in Hawaii. I was at the Pearl Harbor memorial and during the presentation it was mentioned the justification of the attack.  The locals there did not want to offend Japanese investors.  

Today it is hard to fathom just how large an impact Pearl Harbor was to the psyche of the American public. It turned a large industrial country that was relatively quiet on the global stage into a military making machine. The vast majority of the country turned to war production. And produced they did on a level the world had never seen or since.

As with all national tragedies, time erodes the emotional impact of event. Even 9-11 has lost some of its impact, except maybe in the New York city area. “Remember the Alamo” not really. Pearl Harbor “A Day in Infamy” yes but hard for anyone today to comprehend.  What Pearl Harbor does mean that if you attack the US and it gets the majority of the population riled up about it, stand by because the country can fight and will.

6 Dec 2018 Who Do You Think Will Be The Next President?

Who Do You Think Will Be The Next President?

It is sad to think but soon after the New Year the cycle for the Presidential election in Nov 2020 will start up. It will be interesting to see if President Trump makes it to the election.  I would love to Nikki Haley challenge him.  She is what the Republican party needs.  I would support her if she does even though I would remain an independent.  The Republican party as I knew it died in 2016. I believe she would be a strong contender to anyone the Democrats select.  I know VP Pence thinks he is next, but he is done. He had his head up Trumps ass for too long.  He sold his integrity.  

As for the Democrats, it is going to fun just to watch their battles.  You have Joe Biden, who believes he is the most qualified person to be President.  His 76 years old, will be 78 if elected.  The Presidency is brutal on the person.  Joe’s time was 2008 or earlier.  Bernie Sanders is a little older.  Even though he is popular with the youth, I don’t see the Democrats nominating a really old white male for a long time.  Biden may be able to do it, he is popular with moderate Democrats, but I doubt it.  There are many liberal Democrats who are going to run.  Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and many others.  It is going to get ugly.  They are going to have to beat each other up in the primaries.  

I believe a large percentage of the Democrats are moderates. I just don’t see a far left progressive candidate who has the charisma to get the moderates to support them. 

The candidate who I hope runs is Sen. Mark Warner from Virginia. I would support him if Nikki Haley does not run. He has been a businessman and a Governor as well as a Senator. He works well with people from both parties and would make an excellent choice as President. If he runs, I believe he would beat any Republican candidate, but will he survive the Democratic nomination process?