View From Here: Sword Rattling

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019

Sword Rattling

Putin has swords. Shows them. Rattles them. Thunders his jets near other nations’ militaries. Buzzes his jets in cityscapes of US allies. Scandinavia mostly, but near-miss jet encounters have been mostly against US military.


Putin has missiles. Doesn’t like previous treaties agreed upon with the US and our allies. So he breaks those treaties and tests new missiles, new bombs, new warheads. All in violation of the treaties.


The US touts these violations and pulls out of the treaty. Russia looks shocked in feigned reaction. Then Putin tests his missiles more claiming he is going tit for tat with Trump’s military.


All of this is bosh and nonsense. Just gamesmanship. A TV reality start tweaking Putin and he retaliating with fake actions claiming opposite. One wonders if they chatted on tactics before taking action?


Then there is China making a show to build – yes, build – islands in the South China Sea. Islands they can arm and claim new territory, although international waters boundaries are well drawn and understood by the international community. And the UN. Gamesmanship again.


With tRump making a mockery of American agreements, treaties and trustworthiness, China and Russia appear glued at the hip to show their partnership to challenge America and her allies. This is their chance to rattle collaborative swords and statesmanship to reshape international power balances.


The trade wars are window dressing. Billionaires make more money. Taxpayers as consumers pay the burden of tariffs, and jobs in America are not affected at all. Only trading partners shift allegiance and resources. If prices are affected, they rise in the market to pay the false bravado claimed by a sitting president without moral authority.


All these paragraphs sum up the game as it now stands following the 2016 election. America is weakened and lesser than it was. Allies are shaken; they do not understand the new order of things and who is in charge of forming strategic initiatives among once trusted partners. The old foes are emboldened to shift their emphasis forward in daring ways. Inroads to trust these old foes are now shattered and impassable.


A sorry state has emerged. All at the hand of a president who has little understanding of foreign relations, diplomacy and dealing with agreements that matter more than trade. The real issues remain unmanaged: global warming; unrest and violence among the world’s religions; crumbling infrastructure of world health management; ignited culture wars that gain nothing; and a growing gap between haves and have nots.


The world is a tender tinder trap. Much more so than it was 3 years ago. Pity to have wasted what was so diligently worked for and gained over decades of hard work. Pity. Pitiful. Failed presidency of the current occupant who shall not be named.

The recent G7 meeting may have demonstrated leadership skills of France's Macron along with some others in the group. America is not the only stronghold of global power, strategic thinking and commonsense. I am thinking the western alliances may be shifting?

View From Here: Sword Rattling: Putin has swords. Shows them. Rattles them. Thunders his jets near other nations’ militaries. Buzzes his jets in cityscapes of US allies....

View From Here: True or False?

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019

True or False?

1.       Tariffs protect our nation from unfair trade practices?
2.        Federal Reserve Board and its leadership (Board Chair) have power to hurt the economy?
3.       President has power to ban American businesses from doing business in a foreign land?


We could test other questions as true or false, but let’s stick with these three. Each of the three questions could be answered correctly both true and false. There is a bit of truth and falseness in each question.


Number one is almost always false. Tariffs were designed to protect important industries at home that were at a competitive disadvantage from foreign producers. Steel is an example. Producing steel at home is considered a core industry to a manufacturing and construction powerhouse nation. Importing steel is viewed as weak and dangerous; our nation would be vulnerable to predatory pricing from those nations wishing to weaken us. Friend or Foe? World community or competitors?


But tariffs produce unintended consequences. They raise prices on goods that are basic to many products and cause inflationary prices for derivative goods. Protected producers may become less motivated to improve their product. Innovation is stifled. The pace of inventing new and better products slows. Competitive advantage stalls. We all suffer.


Tariffs may be important for the short term to create a protective window of time in which a producer of national strategic importance figures out how to compete better and naturally in the long run. Then there’s the boomerang effect: tariffs can cause a nation to boycott their competitor nation and invent their own native industry that becomes better than the foreign provider. This is what happened in colonial America when Britain taxed the settlers on their goods. Americans responded by building their own ships, wagons, and many replacement goods. In turn that developed the American economy faster and stronger. It turned out to be a motivator.


In recent decades free trade has become the natural order throughout the globe. Trading goods and services at market rates that compete openly allows the market to determine the best price and terms. Trading partners then have the funds to buy and sell other goods in a broader pattern of goods. Those producers with the best products at the best prices win business. Those that have inferior products or higher prices lose. Both quality and price is relative, however. That is why quality is a competitive advantage. Price is not always the arbiter.


International trade is complex. Value of currencies is only one difficult component to manage. Shipping, damage during shipping, international regulations and a host of other complexities shroud foreign commerce in layers of mystery. The results are good if the end price and exchange of valued products fit the use of the buyer and seller. Both trading partners win.


Number two is false. The Federal Reserve sets objectives for performance of the economy. Setting interest rates is the mechanism used to do this. Banking regulations have effects on the economy’s performance, too, but interest rates are primary. Raising interest rates dampens economic activity. It makes borrowing money more costly and forces borrowers to plan carefully to afford the risk of why they are borrowing in the first place. Cheap borrowing motivates business risk takers to expand their businesses. In turn this produces more jobs, more goods and more competition. The economy runs bigger and faster. If demand or quality is poor, the economic results are negative and go bust.

So, increasing interest rates slow the economy, while lowering rates speeds up the economy.

Currently, the economy is moving quickly, but there are weak spots. Interest rates do not need to be lower at this time to spur the economy; besides, interest rates are near historic lows. Risk takers do not need lower interest rates to make good decisions in borrowing funds. Blaming the Federal Reserve (and its chairman) is inappropriate for the current condition of the economy. Our economy is in danger of being overheated and out of balance. It does not need lower interest rates at this time.

If the Federal Reserve were to bow to political pressure, that would be a manipulation of the levers of power and do damage to the economy. This is the design reason behind the Federal Reserve's autonomy. No one controls the Fed.


Number three is false in the main. The president does not have the unilateral power to ban American business from foreign markets. Mechanisms could be imposed to have the same effect, but it would take a concerted effort by regulators, Federal Reserve, and Congress to make it happen. The components are so complex that the court system would likely be tested to determine constitutionality of the legislation or policies attempting to curb international trade.


That’s my Economics 101, 102 and 201 and 302 lessons for the day.

View From Here: True or False?: 1.        Tariffs protect our nation from unfair trade practices? 2.         Federal Reserve Board and its leadership (Board Chair) hav...

View From Here: Slimming Down the Pack

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

Slimming Down the Pack

Leading up to the Presidential election of 2016, more than 20 republicans entered the primaries. Along the tortuous path of those campaigns, many candidates dropped out of the race until there were only four. Then the republican national convention chose tRump.


Today, we are leading up to the Presidential election of 2020. Twenty-four Democratic candidates signed on for the primaries. Already a few have dropped from the race, and several more are fading from view. This is the slimming down of the pack. Personalities, leadership styles and core messages are being tested and winnowed out. Just because some issues are moved to a back burner, does not mean they will remain there. All messages are being considered. All are important. But some will retain potency in the final selection of a candidate, and a winner of the election.


Democracy in America is messy. It is loud and noisy. It is complex and confusing. It is emotional and aggravating. And it is terribly costly.


My nerves are battered and bruised. I applaud the messages touted and discussed, although sound bites are not discussions. Also, on display is a wide variety of ages, experience, and genders; even a gay candidate is in the mix. All of that is good for our democracy and form of government. This is how we the people become informed and engaged in the process.


Still, even as candidates leave the race, their issues, messages and participation have enriched the conversation. Jay Inslee of Washington state is a good example. His key issue is saving the planet from global warming. He is correct to support that issue. It is the one issue that is truly life or death for all of us. Global warming is real and must be dealt with if we dare to hope for a long future for successive generations of our families. Period.


Bernie Sanders is correct in many issues he supports. Whether all of those issues will be addressed and solutions implemented is highly questionable. There are not enough resources to do so, and that’s pure fact and logic. However, the issues deserve their time on the front burner.


And so it goes; issue after issue from one and many candidates. Not all of them – the candidates – will win; only one will. The issues, on the other hand, will continue to be present in our minds, and on our agenda for work to be done on them. They have a life long after the candidates have disappeared.


Slimming down the pack will happen. Today and over the next several weeks and a few months. The pack will be reduced to maybe 5 or 6 candidates. All I ask is these favored few represent what is good for we the people.  Included in that is electability.


The finalist in the Democratic campaigns must be electable if we are to be rid of the current president. That is the biggest issue to me at this time.


I do not think Bernie Sanders is electable because of his advanced age. He is also too shrill and liberal to be elected. He is, however, a good agenda builder, discussion leader, and government problem solver. He will be invaluable as a ‘kitchen cabinet’ member for whoever wins the Presidency. I want him included after the election. That is very important to me.


The same is true of Elizabeth Warren. I believe she, too, will be too old to be President if elected. Her message is excellent; her logic is impeccable; and her nerves and presence are made of steel.  All great assets for a President. But she will be in her 70’s when elected. I still think that’s too old to embark on a grueling journey of national leadership. She would be near 80 years of age at the end of a two term presidency.  Much too old.


I’m 76. This is not an ageist position of mine. It’s a health and stability issue. We elders have good minds and abilities to share with others. I am a proponent of that sharing. Many of the current candidates are terrific. But in that pack is one who will be best. We need to determine who that is.

Electable.  Healthy. Capable. Sustainable. Stable.


Let the journey carry on. But let’s look for the best and remove the current occupant of the White House.

View From Here: Slimming Down the Pack: Leading up to the Presidential election of 2016, more than 20 republicans entered the primaries. Along the tortuous path of those campaig...

View From Here: Getting Along with Others

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019

Getting Along with Others

I was taught to be polite. This was a long time ago before I attended Kindergarten. I was told to say ‘thank you,’ ‘please,’ and ‘yes, sir, yes, ma’am.’ I was also taught to listen to my elders, show them respect.


In recent news exchanges with the press, Mr. tRump has reported he was the ‘chosen one’ to wage a trade war with China. He unilaterally claimed that all problems he is now battling are the ones not engaged by his predecessors. He now reports he is viewed by Israelis to be the ‘second coming of God.’ And he explained his cancellation of a trip to Denmark was due to ‘not a nice thing to say’ by the Denmark leader.


It appears Mr. tRump has an elevated view of himself and insists that all of us on the planet see him in the same light. Good luck with that, donald!


If this one day in the news does not inform his supporters that he is a complete lunatic, then there is little doubt about their veracity. Reasonable people do not speak as he does; nor do fans accept such dubious self-encomiums.


The sitting president of the US needs to be quarantined and declared incompetent and removed from office. Impeachment is not workable. Waiting for the 2020 election cycle is too slow. Justice, sanity and good manners require his removal. And yes, the Constitution and protocols provide for this.


Perhaps the institution that he is remanded to can return him to remedial Kindergarten classes. He needs retraining on being a polite and productive member of society.

View From Here: Getting Along with Others: I was taught to be polite. This was a long time ago before I attended Kindergarten. I was told to say ‘thank you,’ ‘please,’ and ‘yes, si...

View From Here: Struggle - Connectedness

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019

Struggle - Connectedness

Struggle is a special word for me.  Struggle.  It is a noun and a verb. The noun labels a condition in which a person or organization works hard - struggles - to understand something, become connected with a problem, other people, or anything that is different from their previous understanding. That condition is encountered throughout our lives.

The verb, struggle, is the action it takes to engage the work to understand the unknown.

Example: as a 76 year old white male, I struggle to understand the simplest matters concerning computers and technology. I deal with it. I am aware of how my mind is not organized to function like a computer (although we all know it is; that is the language of computers and technology, the logic of it all). I like to say I use computers as tools. My real function is to create 'content', messages, and gathered information to make sense of. I dump those efforts into a computer like I am doing this moment writing this blog.

Using the computer as tool is a struggle for me. I used to place paper onto the platen of a typewriter and bang away on the keyboard, producing words on the paper. Correcting those words was a bother of erasers, White-Out, and other messy means; often we penciled corrections onto the page and later re-typed the bloody thing.

Now of course we merely backspace on the computer screen, fix the word or typo, and move on. The miracle of computers has transformed communication, and I love it; appreciate it. So I do get the new technology, I just don't know how it works and don't want it to get in the way of my creating content.

OK, so now we have struggle as a condition of unknowing (and presumably wanting to know), and struggle as a set of actions that are used to find connectedness and meaning with the unknown.

Being a person familiar with operations of non-profit organizations, I am aware of the mission and passion of others who wish to serve and make a difference with people who need help. The helpers are different from the people receiving the help. The reality of the conditions for the helper and helpee are different. Bridging the gap is the work that delivers the help to the recipient. The conditions of the two parties are quite different. The person in need only knows of the need, not what would make a difference in that need.  The helper must format the help accordingly to actually be of help. The manner of delivering the help matters as well.

This is what I mean as 'connectedness'. There must be a joining of the two parties if they are to be of purpose to one another.

Example: entering a group of people who speak a language different from yours, creates a barrier to knowing or understanding the group. The same for them understanding you. We learn to cope in such situations by way of smiles, handshakes, nodding of heads and facial expressions that communicate our not knowing but willingness to know. In bits and pieces we begin to acclimate to one another at least on a basic level.

Now, transport all of that to the world of churches. In our communities we have churches of several denominations, even Asian temples. I know of two mosques as well. We have African American churches, Hispanic, Chinese, and of course churches mainly of white cultures. They all deal with similar or the same message and content of their theology and religious rituals and creeds. The culture and language is different among these churches.

Bringing them together to accomplish common work, is a struggle. Getting to a place of comfort to work with them takes work; struggles. Letting them into our own personal space so they can be comfortable working with us also takes work; struggles. The effort produces magical results if we are successful.

Twenty years from now - 2040 - America will look and be different from what it is today. Our diversity will be more marked. White America will become a minority. It is inevitable. It is pure math combined with time. How will we struggle successfully to produce magical results?

There is no turning back. There is no way to remain separate but equal communities based on race, religion or ethnicity. It is a forward motion of becoming a culturally enriched community. And world.

Whether a church community or a town or city, we live with and through others, and they through and with us. It is a mutual sharing of existence and place. Best we roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Engage struggle. It is what enriches and liberates us. What a treat!

View From Here: Struggle - Connectedness: Struggle is a special word for me.  Struggle.  It is a noun and a verb. The noun labels a condition in which a person or organization works ...

View From Here: Keeping Up with the Jones

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019

Keeping Up with the Jones

I grew up with this phrase. It was the late 40’s and all of the 50’s. By the 60’s it was trite and we were replacing the phrase; with what I don't know off the top of my head.


But 'keeping up with the Jones' was shorthand for acquiring the same or better lifestyle than the neighbors.  If they can do it, we reasoned, so could we. Parents said otherwise. So, the shiny new Schwinn was a wish saved for birthdays and Christmas. We dreamed of new cars, too, and wondered why dad didn’t spring for the newest buggy when it came out. We kids were excited at the new car models, but dad and mom were not.


Visiting neighbors, we were treated to their new TVs, new carpeting, and appliances we could only hope for. In time we had those things, but not when they were the newest gadgets on the market. We were slow adopters of new technologies!


No, our family was stodgy and not showy. We limped along with the 10 year old torpedo shaped Pontiac coupe. You know, the one with 120,000 miles on it. Dad got it during the war, and new cars simply were not available. The next new car came in 1951, a dull light blue Dodge. Getting it was exciting, but that soon wore out when we realized what a boring car it truly was. No radio. No turn signals. No power equipment. And in Southern California, no heater. Just new. Time did not enhance that evaluation, either.


I remember the day we got the new 1956 Buick. Boy Howdy that was a super car. Red and white, four door hardtop, convertible. You know, four doors without the center post. It was the newest thing of the day. Sporty and a little luxurious. And it had Dynaflow. Wowzer, that transmission was smooth. After that, a 1961 Ford Galaxie 500 came along. Two cars I know dad liked. All the rest were transportation. Dad was not one for keeping up with the Jones.


Mom was, however. She wanted the new washer and dryer, the dishwasher, the garbage disposer and the new car. She liked decorating the house, buying draperies and replacing the furniture from time to time. She was an American consumer!  Dad tsked tsked his way through decades resisting her urge to keep up with the Jones.


My tastes followed my mom’s. Cars, shoes and watches are still of particular attraction to me. I don’t need them as much as I once thought, nor do I have the disposable income to afford them.  But then my wife through many of those years felt the same as my dad: no sense keeping up with the Jones. I 'suffered' until the divorce. Then I had a ball. But now, aging causes a drop in consumer goods fascination. But hey, the income is now used for health-related expenses.  The rhythms of life do have their toll.


As we learn to live with less, it is what is in our minds that interest us most. Thinking, reading, writing and sharing all of the content, that’s what occupies our time these days. And there is little associated expense for any of it. No repairs, no adjustments, no polishing or waxing. Just thinking and enjoyment.


Come to think of it, there are no Jones to compare this with; nor would they be interested if we could find them. So, two things solved in one stroke: saving money, and getting along with what you have.


I think that is what dad was trying to tell me back in the day.

View From Here: Keeping Up with the Jones: I grew up with this phrase. It was the late 40’s and all of the 50’s. By the 60’s it was trite and we were replacing the phrase; with wha...

View From Here: Clutter

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2019

Clutter

Days plod along. Mail arrives. Packages appear, too. Opening them creates waste paper and cardboard boxes. Mail envelopes, spam advertising, and so much more creates more waste.

New machines are unpacked for Rocky. A suction machine. A new electronic larynx (buzzer voice box thingy), supplies for the laryngectomy, pills for Parkinson’s, instructions on assembly of the new items, and more instructions on how to use it all. The literature piles up. Along with journals and a few magazines.


SCORE client files and session notes stack up as well. New clients add to the stack.


After discharge from both hospitals, instructions on daily care and cautions of what to look for add to the paper presence. And a part-time job required to monitor it all. So too, the billing papers to track with insurance documents so we know what to expect financially. So far nothing has arrived to inform us of the terrible toll of medical bills. I’m guessing high, but then hope for the best on what is left for co-pays and deductibles. It will be high no matter what.


We will sort that all out when it comes. Meanwhile, it is the other stuff that accumulates.


We have returned the transport wheelchair; not needed at this time. We maintain a plethora of canes, and one rollator (a walker with four wheels and a handbrake system, seat and storage compartment; all that’s missing is a bicycle handlebar bell!).


Remaining are several piles of medical supplies. Most are not used but came home with us as possibly helpful. Most are not, but once dispensed at hospital, they cannot reabsorb to their inventory. We still need to sort these out.


We continue with two bathrooms. Mine is pristine and ready for use. Rocky’s is not pleasant. That is because it is in constant use for medication procedures, wound site cleaning, stoma clearing, and specialized bathing procedures. The rest you can guess. Without daily maid service it rapidly declines in acceptability. I am not so inclined to provide that particular service.  So Rocky will need to do that.

Hard hearted caregiver, I know. But there are limits.


Limits also become more important as insistent claims on my time rise. If they are foreseeable, they can be planned and made routine. I will rise to the routine, not the feigned emergency which is not. Writing a paragraph requires concentration; interruptions are the enemy of that. So too, completed book chapters while reading; or, of course, TV programs that are interrupted at the crucial moment of discovery and plot resolution.


Things are not the only clutter in our lives. Lack of routine is the new clutter. How I hate unplanned, non-routine obligations. They clutter the mind and the mood. Yet they are required until we make new routines and understand the new normal.


Clutter as process. A new understanding of daily living.


Argh!!

View From Here: Clutter: Days plod along. Mail arrives. Packages appear, too. Opening them creates waste paper and cardboard boxes. Mail envelopes, spam advertisi...

View From Here: Fundamentals

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019

Fundamentals

The stock market took an 800-point hit. At the same time world oil prices took a direct hit. Those two markets rattled the public. Was a recession near? Was a massive financial upheaval underway?


Most likely the upheaval has been underway for some time. Major trends start small and seep upward until we notice them. Often, trends make themselves known from a combination of factors. A shortage in a simple product – paperclips – makes us notice that other common office supplies are slow to obtain from the supply chain. This actually happened in the late ‘70’s. At the time, interest rate markets were insanely high; mortgages were going for 18%; auto loans were 12%. Money was short and prices were soaring. Gasoline shortages were headline news.


Here’s a trend that few talk about: declining age of workers. Elders are increasingly not present. They have retired or were pushed out of careers in favor of younger staff who had high tech skills. Greeters at Walmart became their refuge jobs, or caregivers in their neighborhoods. Then Uber and Lyft appeared and new careers opened up. These new careers for elders, however, came with low wages, no benefits, and much of the risk of the job placed on them directly – think auto expense for Uber and Lyft drivers.


At the same time tech workers surged, management workers ebbed. Corporate culture softened and wobbled. Those who knew and understood the corporate culture had been let go. Corporations soon were engaged in their own re-invention; many did not fare well. The newer corporations are still brittle and unproven in their lasting power. Think of Amazon and what it is like to work there. So many new employees, so much repetitive work and routines, so much boredom and burnout. Work hours are designed to avoid benefit programs, but the hours for overtime and double shifts are welcome and hungrily absorbed until health and psychological issues develop. Not a happy place to work, I hear. How sustainable is their business model?


Labor trends in America have been afoot for at least 10 years, probably longer. But hey, thinking, logic and analysis is apparently not valued in the new workplace, so troubles are becoming evident.

Maybe some older, experienced hands should be consulted?


There is a lot more happening in the American economy than volatile stock values, labor shortages, and vast unused labor resources. There is a value shift from career workers to piece workers, skill set contributors until the project is finished, and then on to the next new thing. Constructing a lasting framework for sustainable products, services and careers is growing scarce.


This questions the underlying value of much we say we value. Are we forgetting why we labor in the first place? Are we chasing our own tails without end or purpose? Are we building a future that is worthy of our values?


The foundation of our culture, our nation and our very lives is at risk. Are we aware of this? If so, what are we doing about it?

View From Here: Fundamentals: The stock market took an 800-point hit. At the same time world oil prices took a direct hit. Those two markets rattled the public. Was a ...