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How Not to Do Things

 Most law-abiding citizens should get a free pass from the new administration.  They should be cause they live within the guide lines.  Who sets the guidelines has generally been a form of consensus based on the "rule of law", which has been, been part of our idea of what self government and democracy has always been about. Again most people understand this. I understand the ideas regarding the need for change within institutions. There are aspects of "bureaucracy that need reform. There are many reasons for a progressive tax system. Even the idea of a Department on Government Efficiency is a good idea. Unfortunately, the three branches of our democracy are running a muck.   There are certain ethical requirements regarding self government which don't seem to apply any more to those that are elected.  Self interest is one aspect of life but when you hold public office or work in government you should make efforts to serve the public in a manner that approach...
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Internet Dust Ups

 A high school classmate shared on FB, something from a 64 year old commercial pilot who had passed a exam to fly on of the latest jets in their fleet of aircraft.  I was also aware of an FAA rule about retirement at age 65 for commercial pilots.    In the U.S.,  there are no  FAA  age limits for pilots except for commercial airline pilots employed by airlines certificated under 14 CFR Part 121 . These airlines cannot employ pilots after they reach the age of 65. However, these pilots may stay on with a Part 121 carrier in some other role, such as flight engineers. I then went on a digression about the retirement of folks in professions like law or accounting.  From my own experience 30 years at a job or working for an employer is a very good time to start serious planning for the next chapter in your life.   And for my efforts at explaining my work history, working with folks who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.  I wa...
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Two Months and Eight Days

Early voting and mail in voting will take place before November 5, 2024. And on a related front I hope people will notice that it does not take four years of partisan snark and sniping for the voting public to make a decision about who the next president will be.  I voted  in the Florida primary for the November Election on August 20, 2024. Locally, the mood of the electorate in Miami has changed.  A few weeks ago I just couldn't imagine a person born in 1942 running for reelection as president or a person with as much baggage as an ex-president running for office, who could legitimately be understood to be running for office as a strategy for not going to prison.  Assuming he would win, he could, stop any prosecutions and if he lost he could further question what democracy is.  And it is no surprise that the former president has started complaining about an election that hasn't happened and claiming that the opposition will have stolen the election if he does n...
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It Shouldn't Be a "Giveaway".

 A cursory review of today's Miami Herald spotlights an editorial from the Chicago Tribune regarding the 2018 Farm Bill.  Food assistance and farm production are combined in this legislation.  At one time it was a simple way to compromise two good ideas. Encourage farmers to produce for domestic and foreign markets and at the same time make sure that folks in this country are fed and not hungry. The SNAP program distributes food to those who face food insecurity and the remaining Farm Aid Bill supports farmers and agribusiness that provide food for people on a world wide basis. The farm bill can also promote conservation of soil, water and livestock.  If we were all closer to the land and had a better understanding of where our food comes from I can think of many benefits.  I'm not a farmer but a cursory review of the literature on the subject of "better farming", the following subjects keep showing up. 1) Better soil preparation 2) Crop rotation 3) More bio-div...
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What Is Official These Days?

 I would guess most people would understand what Official means.  Just because a person holds a public office doesn't mean everything he might do is official and everything he might not do is official as well. “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness". from J. Kenneth Galbraith interview. And oh, by the way, moral justification at times isn't much more than a fig leaf, you can bet someone got screwed or got the proverbial get out of jail free card.
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Giving People a Job and Barbara Ehrenreich American Author

 If you never had a paying job, if you lost your job, if you are underemployed... Living these days is a simple challenge.  How do you get to the point of paying for stuff, having a place to live, trying to maintain your health and getting around to doing all these things. Meanwhile there is a huge issue regarding the distribution of wealth in this country and worldwide. Yesterday was the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.  Many of those that survived that invasion spoke eloquently that freedom isn't free.  Who pays that bill and who is getting exploited.  It's like occupational therapy 24/7. This morning I read that the total national debt is approaching 35 trillion dollars. The interest on that debt no doubt stymies some good things and some good people who could live better lives with better skills, simplified universal healthcare, and a safer place to live.
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A Better Use of Money?

 The Miami Herald reported this morning that a local attorney, whose father was the former owner of the Tampa Bay Bucs made a $500,000 political donation. Whoever got the donation isn't that important.  I just feel that the money could have been used in a better way. There are a lot of issues where $500,000 could do good or make things better. The problem is bi-partisan. It is a subset of self enhancement bias. The very rich can do things I can only dream of many times over. People will take their phone calls.  Institutions will accept their gifts.  But the very rich are not perfect. How they use their vast resources should be more transparent.  Sometimes wealth is confused with worth and dignity. Life is not a board game.
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