2023 saw the passing of Rosalynn Carter, Dianne Feinstein and Sandra Day O’Connor. These three women were trailblazers. They charted a course, respectively, from their home states of Georgia, California, and Arizona to change the topography of the three branches of the federal government, and to have a significant impact on the United States of America writ large. In the words of Jimmy Buffett, a trailblazer of a different type who also passed in 2023, they … [Read more...]
Our Holiday Wish: One Nation Under God
America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the nation and gentler the face of the world. My friends, we have work to do. — George H. W. Bush, 1989 Inaugural Address As we noted in our blog preceding this one, our American democracy is on trial. Our country is more divided than it is united. There is a need to rediscover the purpose of this great nation, who … [Read more...]
Democracy on Trial
Our American democracy is on trial. The jury in that trial is we, the people. Our verdict will determine democracy’s future. Over the past year, much of the political news has been dominated by stories about Donald Trump’s four indictments, the 91 counts against him, and the trials they’ve precipitated. These trials will have direct consequences for the former president. They will have significant and indirect consequences for our American democracy as well. There is a myriad of other … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Thoughts on Our Immigrant Nation — 2023
Who are we as citizens of these United States? With the exception of the indigenous Native Americans, we are all immigrants in this immigrant nation. This nation is a great nation. Immigrants have helped make it so. In 1958, before he became president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, wrote a book titled, A Nation of Immigrants. In his book, Kennedy observed: The abundant resources of this land provided the foundations for a great nation. But only people could make the … [Read more...]
America’s Immigration Dilemma in Perspective
Over the past few months, the media has been almost as overwhelmed by stories about the migrant crisis as the country has been by the influx of migrants seeking asylum in the United States. This crisis has intensified America’s immigration dilemma. This dilemma is not new. It has existed for decades. The failure to deal with it constructively in the past has made it more difficult to do so today. In this blog, we examine the immigration dilemma: looking at the surge, its … [Read more...]
The Rural Crisis: Challenges In and For the Country
The urban-rural divide has become a popular catch phrase in this 21st century to describe the increasing distance politically between Democratic supporters, who reside primarily in urban areas, and Republican supporters, who reside primarily in rural areas. When it comes to the respective conditions in both of these areas today, however, there is no divide. There is a significant amount of un- or under-addressed physical and human needs in both. We focused on the needs in urban … [Read more...]
The Supreme Court’s Confirmative, Retrograde, and Disruptive Action
There are none so blind as those who will not see. On June 29, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS), in its decision on two cases (Harvard University and the University of North Carolina), ruled that using race-related affirmative action for admission to colleges and universities violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. The Court’s ruling was a confirmative, retrograde, and disruptive action. The Confirmative Nature of the Court’s Action The decision confirmed that the … [Read more...]
The Need for 21st Century Citizenship
Many think that the official motto of the United States is ‘e pluribus unum” — from many one. It is not. In fact, given the national drift toward divisiveness over the past few years, that saying should probably be reversed to “e unum pluribus” — from one many. That was the opening of a chapter titled “Citizenship Dysfunction: Coming Together or Coming Apart?” in our book: Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again published in 2013 (Pivot Points). We … [Read more...]
Hitting the Debt Ceiling Should Not Put the U.S. or Us through the Roof
There has been much ado about many things in the nation’s Capitol as the country moves into the second month of this new year. One of those things is the debt ceiling. Debt Ceiling Conversations President Joe Biden and the new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) met in the White House for about hour on February 1 for a conversation to discuss the impasse that’s been created by the Republicans in the House, who are refusing to raise the ceiling. No resolution was reached. After the … [Read more...]
What Form of Artificial Intelligence is More Dangerous to Our Future?
What is more dangerous to the future of the American democracy and economy, the artificial intelligence of computers and machines that have been programmed to think like humans or the “artificial intelligence” of we human beings who have been programmed by ourselves and others to believe with confidence that our information and insights are absolutely correct? We believe it is definitely the latter rather than the former. That was our opinion, stated in a blog that we … [Read more...]