The Mayans were Right....Almost

      December 21st has come an gone and we are still here. Much was made this past year that the ancient Mayan calendar supposedly called for the end of the world on December, 21, 2012. Seems that was the last day mentioned on the calendar, so that must have meant that the world end on that day. Well, that didn't turn out to be the case as I am writing this on December 30th, 2012, nine days later. But now we are one day away from plunging over the fiscal cliff, with Democrats and Republicans both acting like lemmings, following each other over the cliff with out hesitation. and maybe that is not a bad thing.
       The Mayans were predicting the end of the world. Now we may be experiencing the end of the world as we have known it. For the first time in generations, the federal government may have to begin to try to live within its means, even if doesn't want to. Because the current group of Republican and Democratic leadership is so dead set against allowing the other side to benefit from any compromise that might keep us from going over the cliff, they appear to be ready to do nothing, which means there will be spending cuts and tax increases, which they all said they wanted to avoid. The lemming theory is proved to be fact. And as I said this may not be a bad thing.
         The libertarian belief of less government is about to get a test, as is the belief that the federal debt must be paid down. The spending cuts that may or not not start in 2013 won't result in a balanced budget or anywhere close to a surplus budget, but the federal government would have to start to reduce spending so that sometime in the near future a balanced budget might come to be.  There are two ways to balance the budget, cut spending and /or increase revenues, and we will also be facing higher taxes in the new year also.  Can't say that I am thrilled at that prospect, but as long as everyone is paying more, I don't mind contributing my fair share.  I would like to see a more consistent tax structure: a flat tax with very limited deductions - the fewer deductions allowed , the lower the tax rate or some form of national sales tax on non food /medicine items would be preferable to our current tax system.
         While going over the fiscal cliff, we are looking at all kinds of ways to reduce crime and violence in our country, as mass killings and just everyday murders are on the rise, sometimes to record rates. Additionally, we were facing a major strike that would have shut down east coast and gulf cost ports, so many of the items we use everyday that are imported would not have  been available. And in this country, the Mississippi River could be shut down to barge traffic south of  St. Louis in a few days due to low water levels, which will affect the agriculture and energy industries in  a big way.  Not the end of the world as the Mayans predicted, but a major shift in our way of life in a big picture sort of way.
         So as Congress grapples with the idea that if we can't do it my way, then we sure can't do it your way, which means that by default, we will do nothing and blame each other for our failures. Let us all be a bit more mature and understand that this allows us to take a evolutionary, or maybe revolutionary position, that maybe we don't really need the government spending money on all the programs and in all the areas it has past. And maybe we can make the tax system a bit more fair and realistic for everyone. But I am not holding my breath. To think that the threat that the world might end would spark some actual intelligent, thoughtful and meaningful discussions rather than mass hysteria and emotional reactions is panacea on my part.

The failure of the news media

    Friday's coverage of the horrific shooting incident in Newtown,Connecticut has shown the news media for what it has become.  A repeater of information that has not been thoroughly vetted and in some instances, just plain made up.
    My first career was in radio and television, most all of it in radio or TV news.  I graduated in 1977 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a major in Radio-TV. I had begun working at my hometown's radio station when I was 15 and had by 3rd Class License, with Broadcast Endorsement from the FCC before my 16th birthday. This was in the day when you actually had to go to one of the FCC's field offices and take tests in order to get your license to be an broadcast engineer, and in the case of many small radio stations, to be on the air, because you were your own engineer/ board operator when  you were on the air. Also at that time there were 3 over the air television networks, plus PBS,  and only a handful of radio networks. If your station (either radio or tv)  wasn't a network affiliate, you had to rely on a wire service, either Associated Press (AP) or United Press International (UPI), for your non-local news.
     The station I worked for was an affiliate of  AP Radio News and also an AP news wire affiliate. We had a teletype machine in the newsroom on which the station owner had mounted a closed circuit TV camera. The camera fed a monitor mounted in the main studio so that the on-air person could monitor the AP wire for breaking news.  Anything coming across with more than three bells, (a bell mounted in the teletype machine went off once at the end of each article or to announce breaking news), was to be read as it came across the teletype.  Major breaking news was proceeded by  an apostrophe ( ' )  sign. Each  apostrophe sign caused the bell to ring once. Three bells was an urgent message, five or more bells was a bulletin, up to ten bells.  As the board operator / on air person we were to interrupt programming anytime we had a bulletin (five or more bells) , and read  the bulletin live as it came across the teletype.  We were at the mercy of the AP editors to make sure the news we were giving our listeners was correct. And most of the time it was. Quite often the event in a bulletin had actually happened minutes or even hours before. Unless it was something that was being followed closely, such as a vote in congress, a space mission or some other "planned news or sports event".  News items did not go out over the wire until they had been confirmed, from at least two independent sources. And after the initial bulletin, the wire usually resumed its normal operation, until there was a update on the breaking news event.  This was also the case with the television networks.  A news anchor would interrupt normal programming for a brief announcement, ending with a reminder to stay tuned for further developments or to tune into that evenings newscast for the story. Not often did the networks go with continuous coverage of a breaking news event. News people understood it took time to gather the facts, check out the details and to write a clear, cohesive and comprehensive story.
      Now we have 24 hour news networks and social media all pressing to present the news in real time, not sometime later this evening.  Instead of a story like Newtown being given 10 minutes as the top story in the evening newscast, it now gets 10 hours or more of continuous coverage, which does not give reporters on site, who are on the air almost continuously on a story like this, time (and I will argue that many don't have the training or ability) to actually research the facts and report on the story. They are forced to report rumors, or "facts" that have not been checked out by producers or editors. In my day, unless you had at least two independent sources, you did not report something as a 'fact'.  And twitter,  facebook and other internet sites are not reputable, independent sources. Nor are other media outlets.  Nor are"experts" brought in to interpret or give their opinions on the ' facts' of the story, which leads to more 'facts' that get added to the story continues to be repeated over and over.
       We are now finding out on Sunday, that many of the 'facts'  of the story as reported on Friday were wrong. But those 'facts' are still what people believe because they were repeated so often that they became the 'truth'.
       Sorry to say, this is all too common in today's journalism.  Stories are put out without proper research and editing. Unfortunately, good journalism takes time. Its fine to show raw video or sound of a news event, but don't follow it with "expert analysis" offered as 'fact'. Your guess is as good as mine in that situation, because neither one of us is there, nor have we talked to anyone who was. Let the reporters and field producers do their job and develop the story. A network can run a crawl on the screen with the basic known facts of the story on a continuous basis, as you report on the other stories of the day, and come back to that story whenever your resources have new information that is truly factual. I know there is pressure to be first with the story, but in my day, it was more important to be first and to be right than to be first and wrong. You didn't win viewers or increase your reputation by being wrong. As a reporter, if you were wrong too many times (which usually was more than once) or were wrong on a big story, you were out of a job, and probably had a hard time finding a new one. Now you  are said to be aggressive, willing to go with your instincts or a risk taker.  Sorry, you are still wrong, and that is not the way news should be presented.
So everyone back off a bit, do thorough and honest reporting. Give the story a chance to develop and make sure that before you go on the air, that you know that what your are reporting is correct and factual.    
 

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness

             As I said in my last post, I am concerned with the sense of entitlement that we Americans have come to expect. In the ongoing debate in Washington on the "fiscal cliff"  there is a side debate over whether "entitlements" should be cut. The fact that "entitlements'' now make up a large portion of the federal budget is a travesty.  Many of these were originally started as a safety net, to augment a person's ability to retire or to pay medical bills, or to tide them over between jobs, not to be their ongoing primary source of income or subsistence. People should expect the government to be their long term source of  support, unless they are working for a governmental entity.
               They should be able to use government support to enable themselves to get training or to support them while they actively seek a job, but it should only be for a finite time. Sometimes a person might have to take  a job that isn't their ideal job, but gives them a chance to continue searching for that ideal job. Being not happy with your current situation should give you impetus to improve, not to whine or complain about how you aren't being treated fairly. Again, the Declaration of Independence says we should have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  It doesn't say we will always be happy, and in a backhanded, way says, we might never be happy, just that we should have the ability to pursue happiness. My fear is that a whole generation of Americans now look to the government for that happiness. They feel they are entitled to all of their wants and needs being provided for by the government, with little if any pursuit or labor on their part.
           This attitude of entitlement is not what made this country great. Most of our ancestors came to this country as immigrants, They may not have known the language or the customs, but they found jobs, sometimes menial  sometimes not in the area that they had training for, but they took them and worked to make them selves better. There was a work ethic. They didn't expect and in many cases, didn't want to take hand outs from the government or anyone else. They had pride and would rather do without at the time than to take a hand out. And many of them prospered. The may not have gotten financially rich over their lifetime, but they were able to provide for their families and had a sense of pride and accomplishment as they looked back on their life. They built this country from the ground up. Many immigrants today, whether legal or illegal, are doing the same thing. They come to America because they see it as the one place that will allow them to better themselves and their families. Many work at jobs that "real Americans" won't take because they are too menial or below our status. Maybe its about time we look at our status and understand that sometimes we have to lower our expectations in order to succeed in the long run. In order to climb the ladder, we sometimes have to start at the bottom, and not half way up.
            I have changed careers three times in my lifetime. I decided as a teenager I wanted to be in radio. I went to one of the best colleges in the nation for that discipline and graduated with my baccalaureate degree in 31/2 years while working full time at a local radio station. After about twelve years, I came to the conclusion that this wasn't the line of work that was going to be my life's career. I didn't like the way the news business was evolving and was having a hard time finding a position that would support my self and my growing family. After looking for a new position for about a year, I made a switch to food service management and spent a number of years in it. I started to see this attitude of entitlement in that field, especially among a lot of the younger people we were employing. Again, I decided this wasn't a good long term fit for me, and I spent a couple of years trying various self employment routes before settling into my third career path - transportation and logistics.  In my current position as operations manager for a local trucking company/ 3PL/ transportation broker, we use independent contractors / owner-operators almost exclusively. I am amazed at the lack of work ethic in many of these drivers. In simple terms, if they don't work, they don't make money. We will offer runs to them and if the runs don't pay top dollar, they have all kinds of excuses as to why they won't do them. Unfortunately in this economy, very few runs are "gravy" runs, but all can make the drivers some money after expenses. But many would rather sit and make nothing rather than work and make something. They don't understand that their truck costs them money everyday     ( payment, insurance, etc)  whether they are running or not, so an idle day actually costs them money rather than making enough to pay their expenses and some in their pocket. True, many are IC's / owner/operators because they want the freedom to determine their own schedules, etc., but then they call complaining that they aren't making any money, mostly because they have turned down a lot more jobs than they are taken. What's the old saying..a bird int he hand is worth two in the bush.  
        If you are on one of the government's "entitlement " programs, I'll admit, right now is not a great time to be looking for work, but there are jobs out there, just look in the newspaper or on-line or any number of places. It might not be the ideal job you are searching for, but there are jobs out there. Or take a chance and start and strike out on your own. Not every new business takes a lot of money to start, and yes it might to take some work to get it up and going, but the satisfaction of succeeding will more outweigh the sacrifices you invest in making it a success. Remember, you have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the pursuit is the hardest part. .

I am Me

          I had the opportunity and pleasure Friday evening to see the movie "Lincoln" .  I was struck by a key point in the final debate in the House of Representative on the 13th Amendment of what equality meant.  Earlier in the movie Lincoln had set out his version of equality amongst men in by stating Euclid's notion in the teaching of geometry: Things that are equal to the same thing are also equal to one another (Transitive property of equality). That is if a=c and b=c than a=b. For Lincoln, it was a logical argument that if you agreed that a slave was a human being, then they were to be afforded the same rights as every other human being under the constitution and laws of the land. And if they were a human being,no matter the color of their skin, then they were that, a intelligent being, created in the image of God and therefore not to be considered to be property, like animals or other living beings who were placed under the dominion of man by God. (See Genesis 1:28-31.).

It is from this that I pull one of my basic tenants for my existence. We all are equal at birth, but that does not mean that we are all equal through life. We are what we make of ourselves. At birth we are all helpless babies. We need nourishment from our mothers, we need to be clothed and cleaned by others, we will be taught and nurtured by others. We are a helpless baby. As we grow older, we become the accumulation of our life experiences. And because of this, we each become a unique human being, who contributes in our own way to society. Doctors and scientific professionals will tell you that even identical twins are not identical, even thought they come from the same embryo They may have a large number of similarities but their life experiences will not be quite the same and therefore they will not be identical.

Because of this, I am steadfast in the belief that I am unique. I am me and no one else is. No one else has the same set of chromosomes. No one else has had the same exact life experiences that I have. No one else has had the same opportunities to make good and bad decisions, to succeed and to fail. There is no one else exactly like me, and that is a good thing. And because I am unique, how can I say that I am better than someone else. I am not perfect or the best at everything that there is to do in life. In my 56 years, I have not experienced everything that there is to experience in this world. I have not traveled to foreign lands. I have not had every life experience that there is in the world, And I continue to grow everyday. Every day presents new opportunities to learn, new challenges to overcome, new people to meet and new places to experience. I am who I am and should be accepted as a fellow human being by all. And I should be respected as a fellow member of the human race.

This is where I have a problem with our society today. We hear everyday of senseless killings by an ever increasing number of young people. It seems that they have no respect for a human life. Maybe its the video games they play. Maybe its the feeling that they themselves have no value. We as a society need to make a major change in our mind set so that we can bring these children into a world in which they understand that they are a unique and valued member of society have everything to live for.

We have, because of various governmental programs,developed another set of slaves and we should be ashamed of ourselves. There is a growing segment of our society who now depend on governmental programs for their existence. These are people who feel that they are owed. They are not ashamed at being "owned". They do not seek their freedom from these programs, but instead demand that the programs provide more for them. They want to be kept and want their children to be kept, instead of seeking ways to be a full participant in society as a unique individual who brings their own life experiences to the table in an effort to make society better and stronger. They portray themselves as victims and demand society make allowances for them, rather than accepting that they have made themselves what they are by not seeking to get themselves out of their slavery.

Not everyone will succeed in this,life, but at birth, we are all equal. The Declaration of Independence set out that we are all equal and have the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While promising the rights of life and liberty, it does not promise us happiness, only the right to pursue it,and that no other human being or nothing in government should deny us the pursuit of happiness. We as individual human beings should be the only ones who hold us back from such a pursuit.

We have met the enemy....

          After the recent election, the Republican Party needs the take Pogo's quote to heart: "We have met the enemy...and he is us."  As political junkies and strategists pour over the the immense amount of information  we now get about how we voted, it should be obvious the the Grand Old Party is not a grand as it once was, and is getting very old.  Mature (read that 40+ year old) white males are now a very small minority of the voters in this country.  Unless the Republicans face up to the fact that their policies have to be more inclusive, they will be an insignificant minority party very quickly.  But things are not all rosy for the Democrats as the following maps show.

              

    The top map shows the county by county voting for president. It shows red  for a staggering amount of land mass of the country (map from decodedscience.com).  However, the Republicans lost the presidential election in both the popular vote (47% to 50%)  and quite decisively, the electoral college (206 to 332) as shown by the 2nd map (map from freedomslighthouse.net). The Republicans won 24 states and the Democrats won 26. And of the ten "swing" states Republicans were 0 for 10. The House of Representatives stayed solidly in Republican hands, while they had a net loss in the senate and lost control of more governorships and state houses than they won this year. So the Democrats might be feeling confident,  but that top map and the results of the house races should give them pause also.  And they the fact they won 26 states and lost 24 in the Presidential race means they are well short of a mandate themselves.  So we are a divided country and although you only need a plurality to win, you need to form a consensus among everyone in order to rule effectively.
           The parties also need to realize that television does not win elections anymore. Social media and a more personal approach do.  I was struck by this fact:  Following the two nominating conventions, the presidential and vice presidential candidates this year made personal campaign appearances in only ten states before election day.  In 1960, John Kennedy appeared in 49 states (only missing Alaska) and Richard Nixon appeared in all fifty states between their conventions and election day. The electoral college matters, but the president does represent us all.  Campaign like every vote in every state counts and maybe a state you have written off might not be a write off.  Make an appearance, and maybe you pick up enough votes to swing that state to your side. Make an appearance in a state solidly in your corner so that you keep in that way and maybe get some carryover into a state that is not in your column.  Make every state a battle ground state and see how the opposition reacts.  Also those appearances might help state and local candidates in your party, making the party stronger on the whole, which will benefit you and the party for years to come. In essence, the top of the ticket candidates need to be more of a team player, lending their support down the ticket in order to gain the support of everyone on the ticket.
             I really don't want to see the beginnings of the 2016 Presidential race already, but with the appearance of  Republican Sen. Mark Rubio in Iowa this past week , it appears we are off and running.  With both parties looking for fresh blood, hopefully this election cycle will allow both parties to stake new positions and territories which will be more inclusive and lead to a more positive discord as we go along.                  We the voters will have to hold candidates of all parties accountable and responsible to us, because just maybe we have become our worst enemy by not standing up for ourselves in the past and letting party leaders and a select number of special interest groups dictate to us who the candidates will be and what positions they will take and how their campaigns are run.  It looks like we will have a four year period in order to hear each candidate and their stanches on the issues. Let us make use of that time wisely, to poke and prod and not make snap judgments. And to force each candidate to defend and promote themselves rather than run a negative campaign against their opponents. We have the ultimate say in how these campaigns are run by our support ,either with money or time, and eventually at the ballot box.

I Care, but I Don't Worry

    In my previous post, I mentioned my two guiding principles: "I am Third" and "I Care, but I Don't Worry." I explored the first (I am Third) and now I want to expand on "I Care, but I don:t worry."
    "I care, but I don't worry" is a companion to the serenity prayer most of us are familiar with:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; The courage to change the things I can;,
And the wisdom to know the difference." As a long time manager in a variety of businesses, I have had to deal with a wide variety of "crisis" on a regular basis. I have learned that they all can be divided into two categories: Ones that I have direct control over and those that I do not. The ones that I have direct control over tend to be more important and need my attention and energy. Those that don't, I may need to continue to be aware of, but expending my time and energy on is not a wise investment. This doesn't mean I ignore these crisis, but if I can't do anything about them, why worry? So I care about all kinds of things, but if I can't have a direct impact on them,why waste the time and energy worrying about them? I have plenty of other things that I need to be taking care of.

Almost every workplace or family has a "worrywart". They are the "drama" people who are always in turmoil, usually about something that has nothing to do with them. They are always telling you how sad they are about something that has happened to someone else, or may happen,or they think maybe happening. They aren't happy unless they have something to be worried about or fearful of. Have you noticed that most of the time they are not a positive person to be around? And are amazed that you don't share their feelings?

We see this on both extremes of the political spectrum People who are so consumed with one issue or position that they fail to recognize anything else. They try to frame every other issue in terms of their issue or position. Nine times out of ten, the issue they are concerned about has no direct impact on their daily lives or they have no direct control over. A little dose of reality or understanding how to care, but not worry would be beneficial to both them and us.

I don't want to be perceived as putting them down or their causes. Bless them for dedicating their lives to these positions or causes, but they need to understand and appreciate that I and others might not feel as strongly as they do. It's not that I don't care, but I don't let it consume my life. We hear of people becoming very depressed to the point of being suicidal over the recent elections in this country. The next two years or four years may not be what you envisioned or hoped for, but you still have the most say over how your life will be for the coming years. Again, knowing which battles to fight for is important if you really feel you need to change the world.

Admitting that not everyone shares you views is a good starting spot. And then determining and understanding why they hod opposing views is the next step. Any strategist will tell you that unless you fully understand the opposition, you will never have a chance to defeat them. More on that the next time.........

I am Third

       I am very active in my church, Our Lord's Lutheran Church (ELCA) and have a father and sister who are ordained Lutheran pastors.  So church has been a big part of my life.  My Dad has a poster that says "I am Third".  It  has been one of my guiding principles as is this quote: "I care, but I don't worry."  
        The I am Third" quote pertains to making God first in your life, others second, and you third. This is diametrically opposed to what I find in the nation today, where it seems that everyone is putting themselves first and everyone else a distant second. The sense of entitlement or that I am owed is exhibited everyday, and has changed the fabric of American society.  If our expectations are not met, we feel cheated and start looking for some type of re-numeration. A case in point was a story I read this week about a job fair held
by the city of Chicago.  People were angry that they were not offered jobs on the spot. Many said they waited hours only to find that various departments and agencies were advising potential applicants how to apply for available positions instead of actually hiring.  One man was quoted as saying he deserved a Wal-Mart gift card or something  for the time he had spent in line. I have participated in many job fairs during my professional career, and have never hired a new employee at the fair. The fair was a first encounter, a  place to explore opportunities with potential applicants, for them and us as a company to find out something about each other and to see if we might want to pursue further discussions.  Yes, I have left fairs with stacks of resumes and notes, and made contact with individuals immediately after the fair to  make preliminary offers, but I don't remember ever offering anyone a position at a job fair, even when we had openings we needed to fill. Job seekers asked for jobs on a regular basis, but never expected anything more than a chance to get their foot in the door. And many did that by establishing how they could be a asset for our company and what they had to offer to us, not by asking what we had to offer them.
         In his inaugural address in 1961, John F Kennedy, said ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country. My how have times changed.  With a record high number of people receiving some type of government assistance, we have created generations who now depend on government assistance in order to survive.  And now the business community in following suit. Many companies openly ask for, and expect,  government assistance before expanding or building in new location. I don't remember a single large retail location being built in our area in the past few years without a TIF or tax abatement or some kind of government assistance, all the while businesses keep racking up large profits. States and local communities routinely give these incentives without a second thought with the reasoning that if we don't someone else will and we will loose that investment, jobs, prestige, etc. And now many governments are feeling the pinch, looking to raise income taxes or other fees to make up for revenue shortfalls. Ending loopholes for everyone should be the first place to look. Somewhere in here is an argument for a flat tax structure, but I wouldn't pursue that at this time.
      The axiom, I am third, actually works in that by being unselfish and looking out for and caring for others, you will receive more.  While you are looking out for others, Someone or someones, will be noticing and looking out for you.  What goes around comes around, both good and bad. A change in attitude and some personal accountability will go along way in solving a lot of the problems this country is experiencing at this time.