As 2021 drew to a close, Harry Reid and John Madden died on December 28, and Betty White died on New Year’s Eve. All three were American originals. Reid and Madden were bookends with completely different personalities. White was one-of-a-kind. Their stories are uniquely American and help tell the evolving and multifaceted narrative of our American experiment. We need to hear and remember them in order to continue this experiment on its upward trajectory. We … [Read more...]
The Island States of America: Is that this country’s future?
The opposite of left is right, the opposite of right is wrong/ So anyone who’s left is wrong, right? Those are lyrics from a song that the brilliant Stephen Sondheim wrote for his 1964 musical Anyone Can Whistle. In 2022, because of the polarization in this extremely divided country, the lyrics for a current song titled Whistlin’ Into the Wind might go something like this: If there is only the right and only the left, there is no … [Read more...]
Holiday Wishes for a Troubled but Promised Land
As this trying year winds to a close, America is a troubled land. Because of that, we felt it was appropriate to review and renew our holiday wishes from last year. Our holiday wishes in 2020 focused on remembering and wishing. They follow. As we enter this holiday season, it is essential to remember that America, this immigrant nation, has been and is a promised land for so many. President Barack Obama remembers. That is why he titled his memoir A Promised … [Read more...]
Word Of The Year: Critical Race
Our word of the year is Critical Race. That’s not critical race theory, but critical race. We will explain the distinction and the reason for our selection in a moment. Before we do, let us list our three other possible choices for this year. They were: Woke — or should that be “still asleep”? Freedom — or should that be “free dumb”? Democracy — or should that be “autocracy”? Seriously, 2021 was a crazy and convoluted year in which rationality was abandoned, the Big … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Thoughts for These Trying Times
Due to the political, racial, economic, geographic, and religious polarization, 2021 has been a trying year for this nation. In spite of this, there is still much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are thankful for many of the same things that we have been for the near-decade we have been sharing our Thanksgiving thoughts. We posted four Thanksgiving blogs in that time period. In each of those blogs, we first highlighted problematic and contentious issues of the year and … [Read more...]
Hope Dies Last: Why Hope Matters for America’s Future
We have spent the past two years impaled in partisan political conflict aimed at blocking problem solving, collaboration, and compromise. This conflict has increased citizen skepticism and cynicism and reduced hope. Those are lines from a HuffPost blog titled “Hope Dies Last” that we posted in October 2012. Now, nearly a decade later, that citizen skepticism and cynicism has turned to anger and hostility. And, with the perpetuation of the Big Lie, the … [Read more...]
The USA Needs a 21st Century Workforce Development System
[This is the second part of a two-part blog. In the first part, we examined the critical need for the USA to develop a 21st century workforce. In this part, we focus on the current status of America’s workforce development “system” and provide recommendations on what needs to be done to enhance that system in order to produce a 21st century workforce and position the U.S. for success in the future.] 4.3 million American workers quit their jobs in August. That’s 2.9 … [Read more...]
Let’s Make the USA a Start Up Nation Again
It is well known that the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has ended many lives and livelihoods. What is not as well known is that the pandemic economy has also given birth to an enormous number of business start-ups. Those new businesses do not compensate for the tragic losses and the costs that the pandemic has imposed. They do provide, however, the opportunity and platform to make the USA a start-up nation again. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, applications it has … [Read more...]
The U.S. Needs a Comprehensive and Strategic Immigration System
The United States of America is a nation built by and on the backs of immigrants. In spite of this, the United States has always grappled with how to address immigration issues. In 2021, immigration is once again near the top of the agenda for the country. That doesn’t mean, however, there will be any meaningful federal legislation passed to deal with it. This is the case because addressing immigration is a complex matter, requiring unbiased analysis and bipartisan … [Read more...]
The Wealth Gap Has Gone Sky High in the U.S.
Fly me to the moon Let me play among the stars Let me know what spring is like On a Jupiter and Mars Those are the lyrics to a song written by Bart Howard, recorded by Kaye Ballard in 1954 and made popular ten years later by Frank Sinatra. We don’t think that multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos will be singing these words on July 20 this year as he blasts off into space on his rocket New Shepard, built by his space exploration company Blue Horizon. We do know … [Read more...]