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A Quandary

6/30/2021

I carp over and over about Republican legislators who walk in lockstep whenever their leaders tell them to. I complain of their lack of individual thinking, courage, and devotion to our Constitution. I moan about how this undermines the system of checks and balances built into our government and opens the door to dictatorship.

To be fair, I also complain about the same traits in our Democratic legislators. But honesty demands I admit it seems to bother me a lot less with them than with their Republican counterparts.

I approve of most of President Biden’s agenda and recognize it will take solid party unity to achieve it—even if they can get over the filibuster hurdle.

Then Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, comes along. He won’t automatically toe the line. He won’t support some of Biden’s initiatives. He won’t vote to end the filibuster. And neither will Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona. And, according to several news outlets, there are others. How dare they stand in the way of the progress I feel is essential?

What a hypocrite I am!

I castigate the Republicans for voting along rigidly prescribed lines. I’m angry with Democrats who fail to follow the party script.

What do I believe? I think I have to make a choice. Inconsistency is not a trait that is comfortable for a mathematician. Although it seems to be no problem for politicians.

I admire individual thinking, and that’s the side I’m going to come down on. Thus I defend Senators Manchin and Sinema and applaud their willingness to take stands based on their convictions. I know their choices may be due to the less lofty motivation of political expediency, but it still takes courage. I may not always agree with their stands, but they have an independence I’d like to see more of. On both sides of the aisle! And I would be remiss if I didn’t express admiration for the Republicans who have dared to challenge leadership and brought party censure on themselves. I believe our democracy is safest when we have such people.

Are there any advantages to it? I think so. Of course, there’s the big advantage of preserving our democracy. Or at least there would be if there were enough honorable people of this ilk in both parties.

It possibly could lead to compromises. Current bipartisan efforts by a group to create and pass an infrastructure bill is an example. It would be considerably less in cost than the proposed Biden bill and omit many of his goals. A major concession. The Republicans, on the other hand, raised the amount they were willing to agree to. Not nearly as much as the Democrats dropped, but still a significant sum. I’ll be interested in learning more, including the details of what each side got and what each side yielded. But that’s what compromise is about. I’d rather have half a bill than no bill, a concept I’m afraid some in our party don’t understand.

Let’s use our votes to make being independent a good thing again.

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Come on Down

6/23/2021

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Are you a big business with hundreds of high paying jobs? Come on down to Florida.

Are you a major sports franchise wanting to relocate? Come on down to Florida.

Yes, we want you here. In fact, we want you here so much that we’ll give you lots of money, including cash for a new stadium or years and years of tax relief. You may have to agree to provide a certain number of jobs. But don’t worry, if you fall short we’ll often look the other way.

You can be sure we’ll try hard to attract you, because we know there are other states and major cities that would be delighted to have you move to them. And they’re also enticing you with big giveaways.

You can count on us to make our offer attractive. After all, it has to overcome any hesitancy you might have about moving to a state which shortchanges its schools, its medical care, its affordable housing, its mental health support, its transportation system, its roads, and its inclusiveness. And because of all these savings there’s the big plus: When you get here your tax bill will be small. We’ll always have your back as far as taxes are concerned. We have a long history of kowtowing to business at the expense of our people.

And don’t worry about any political upheavals in the future. We’ve done everything we can to rig the voting system here. You can count on Republican control for as far ahead as you can see. Our state is now more red than purple, but, even if it were still on the fence, it wouldn’t matter because we have a lock on both legislative houses through voting districts we’ve created despite court rulings and which we plan to make even more biased in the upcoming redistricting process.

Some say states and cities shouldn’t be competing with incentives to bring in businesses. That they should all agree not to do it. After all, why should governments reward some businesses over others. Well, that’s a joke. You know it and we know it. We will compete. And here in Florida we know we have a big advantage because of our wonderful weather and beautiful beaches.

Now we realize you’ve probably heard about our algae problem that has harmed many of our waterways and the red tides blanketing some of our beaches, as well as our general indifference to preserving the once beautiful environment of our state. But that’s a big plus for you, yet another clear indication of our friendly attitude toward business. After all, we have shown over and over that it is more important to allow pollution than it is to censure an outfit that provides strong political donations.

You can be assured that if you support us sufficiently with your own donations, we will respond by giving you virtually anything you want.

So come on down. We’ll pay you to relocate and obey your commands once you’re here. And it will cost you only a few hundred thousand a year.

Now that’s a good deal for all of us.

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Franklin's Fears

6/16/2021

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We’re all familiar with the mostly true story of Benjamin Franklin’s response to a woman who asked, as he left the Constitutional Convention, what kind of government we would have. “A republic, Madam,” he said, “if you can keep it.”

He meant if she could keep it; if all her fellow Americans could keep it; if everyone coming after her generation could keep it; if you and I could keep it.

I’ve been reading the book Washington by Ron Chernow. As America’s improbable win for freedom from England forced the creation of a guiding government for the new nation, there was a deep-rooted fear of creating a constitution that could lead to a monarchy.

As an example of such concern, there was the problem of how one should address the president of the new country. One suggestion was, “Your Royal Highness, President of the United States.” Smacking of royalty, it was soundly denounced.

Franklin was especially concerned about creating any position that could be transformed into a lifetime or hereditary office. He fought for the creation of an executive branch having little power, perhaps with shared duties.

During the debate, which he lost, he indicated he wasn’t worried about Washington who was assured of being the first president of the new nation. He believed the former general could be trusted. Most felt that way about Washington. Nevertheless, many were comforted by the fact Washington had no children and hence holding the office by heredity would not be a threat.

What Franklin was worried about was future presidents. It wasn’t at all clear to him that they could be as trusted as was Washington. A partial solution was the decision to create the three branches of government in such a way that each could inhibit the power of the others. Therefore, the legislature and the courts could keep any president in line, and vice versa. Our system of checks and balances was born.

It was a good idea. The founders and early legislators were a diverse strong-willed bunch who would have no problem standing up to a chief executive. Even the popular Washington often was hounded by dissenters. Memories of living under a monarch meant any government must guarantee no king (only men were considered acceptable for political power) could emerge in this new country of freedom.

And that is how we have operated successfully for over 200 years.

Until now.

Checks and balances, dependent on the desire to maintain them, no longer exist. Today’s legislators rarely exert the control over the chief executive that the Constitution gives them, at least if he or she is from the same party that controls Congress. Republicans for sure, and Democrats to a large extent, do not entertain the slightest inclination to cross the leader of their party, either the former president or the present one. The federal judiciary has become more political than ever.

Our so-called leaders have abandoned their independence and the power it gives them. They are not doing their job. They find it better to lie than to speak the truth. They have lost their guts. They have brought our country to the verge of monarchy. And there is a king-in-waiting.

Benjamin Franklin is shedding tears.

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The Tourism Economy

6/9/2021

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Here in Central Florida we say we have a tourism economy.

That means theme park giants, hotels, restaurants, and county coffers blossom from the rich fertilizer of the tourist trade.

It also means that the props by which the profitables succeed work two or more jobs at low wage in herculean efforts to stay afloat. They place you on rides; entertain you by walking around with big, heavy, and hot character heads; serve you food; clean the toilets in your carefully maintained hotel suite, deal with your abuse.

When the economy goes bad, either from recession or virus, the well-off have a difficult time, but survive. The others may be forced to join the ranks of the homeless. Unemployment figures soar.

Many decry this situation. The problem, they say, is the “tourism economy,” that machine of fantasy that makes our area known internationally.

What a Utopia it would be, they say, if we could wean ourselves from it. Attract companies with high paying jobs in STEM related fields. This would be a boon to the construction industry and tax revenue. It would protect us from the deep pits of recessions or health crises. What a rosy picture is painted if only we could diversify our economy.

The proponents are like prophets, predicting a brilliant future. A recent op-ed in my local paper made the above points. I suspect all the arguments are correct. Average income in our area would rise. Unemployment figures would be lower during hard times. It’s clearly something we should do.

There is the question of just how we should attract such businesses, but that’s for another day.

Today I want to concentrate on just why the average wage would increase. It’s because big numbers averaged with small numbers produce something in between. Let’s look at a simple example. The average wage of three people each earning $15,000 per year is $15,000. But the average wage of those same three people and one other making $60,000 is
($15,000 + $15,000 + $15,000 + $60,000) / 4 = $26,250.

Sure, the average has increased, close to double in this simple example. Local government can take the figures and announce average income has risen.

The trouble is there still are those three people earning $15,000. The same number as before. They are still struggling even in the best of times. They remain fighting for affordable housing. They still need to work two jobs or more. They are the first to be let go during hard times. For them, nothing has changed.

Neither the op-ed nor any other proponents of diversification mention these negatives.

As I said, there is no question about the benefits of going beyond the wonders of tourism. But we shouldn’t get so taken with it that we forget those left behind. After all, the theme parks or hotels or restaurants dependent on them aren’t going away. The non-glamorous jobs will still be required.

What we need is a parallel effort: attracting new businesses and also raising prospects for the basic workers.

In all fairness, I should report my county is making efforts. There are task forces in place to deal with the issue. Of course, talk is cheap while solutions are expensive. My county is trying to help, using Covid funds whenever possible. And nonprofits have redoubled their efforts.

Florida recently passed a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum raise to $15 by 2026. Of course, who knows what that will be worth by then. Or what legislators, who hate the idea, will do to water it down. They have a long history of doing just that with amendments approved by the people.

What I hope is that, as we properly attempt to diversify the economy, a large portion of the resultant extra revenue is devoted to that essential group whose economy has, by the changes, improved little if at all.

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The Progress Bar of Thought

6/2/2021

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The other day, for some reason, I was thinking about what I think about.

Sometimes it’s about what must be done today. Sometimes it’s an event or a goal several days or months or years in the future. And more and more, it seems, it’s memories from the past.

It’s like my mind is controlling one of those progress bars your computer displays when carrying out some task. You know, the one that originally is empty and then gradually fills by a solid stream emanating from the left end.

I figure each of us has a bar. The unfilled part represents the time we spend thinking about the present and the future. The solid part indicates our concentration on the past.

At birth the bar is completely empty. Only the present and immediate future matter: Food, sleep, diaper change.

Slowly memories are created: Family, friends, birthday parties, school, first date, first kiss. They build and become an autobiography and we often consult those recollections. And when we do, the bar inches forward.

As we age through retirement, health issues, and approaching death, the bar tends to move because we often dwell on memories rather than the short and scary future.

Eventually, at death, the bar is filled.

But the pace of advancement is not the same for everybody.

For some, an early event, like participating in World War II, becomes the focus for a sad life that seems to have no meaning beyond that time. The bar fills quickly and remains almost full from early on.

For others, the past is the past and not worth a lot of time. There was the man in his late 80s still running the company he founded who recently visited my home to give an estimate for an electrical upgrade. His bar is perhaps only half full.

I think there’s a lesson here. If you dwell on the past, there can’t be much joy in the present. If you dwell on the future, the present takes on meaning and excitement.

I often think—advancing my bar because I do so—it sure would be nice if I could turn time back. To be 20 again. Or 40. Or even 60. To get out of a chair with ease. To have body parts that don’t constantly ache. But the past wasn’t perfect and to revisit it I would have to again deal with all the stupid things I’ve done. All the insecurities involving major decisions. All the mistakes I made as a parent. All the people I’ve hurt. All the health problems I’ve survived. All the losses I’ve endured. No fair remembering only the good stuff.

Really, though, such speculation is foolish, isn’t it? One can’t go back. The bar never slides to the left. And it’s probably a good thing. Life is something that’s provided to us to deal with as it unfolds. Some people are given better cards. Some are relegated to a horrible time on this earth. I don’t know why that is. It seems unfair.

But no matter how the deck is dealt, the wonders of life are our experiences as we move forward. How we learn. How we become better or worse. How we make the best of what we have. How we can approach the end of our lives and, while looking back, figure out how to look forward. How to advance that bar as slowly as possible.

Life is meant to be lived. Once! The joys and the despairs. While reliving the joys might be pleasant, reliving the despairs would not.

It seems to me the best one can do as one ages is to remember the good times with pleasure, to learn from the bad, and to use it all to make of the current situation the best that you can.

In other words, think about and be excited about what’s coming. Keep that bar from advancing any more than necessary. Concentrate on the future—and decide to be happy.

After all, some positive people always have a significant empty portion in their bars as long as they live.

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A Quandary

Come on Down

Franklin's Fears

The Tourism Economy

The Progress Bar of Thought

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