2021 was a trying year in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic and political polarization persisted. The economic divide between the wealthy and others widened. Inflation skyrocketed. One other thing that skyrocketed in 2021, which received far less media coverage, were business start-ups. Start-ups went up so much in comparison to past years that 2021 might be called the Year of the Business Start-up. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics showed that almost 5.4 million … [Read more...]
The Cancer Cult is Destroying America’s Democracy
I am your voice. I alone can fix it. — Donald Trump, acceptance speech, at 2016 Republican National Convention Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me. — Donald Trump, as quoted from notes on December 27 phone call to acting U.S. attorney general Jeffrey Rosen Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there. Will be wild. — Donald Trump, December 19 tweet We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t … [Read more...]
Biden’s First 100 Days: Boldness in Play. Unity on the Sidelines.
In his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy, famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” President Kennedy made that request at a time when the United States was prospering, and progress was benefitting many (with the notable exception of people of color.) Six decades later, in his inaugural address on January 20, 2021, with the United States being an extremely divided nation in the midst of … [Read more...]
Do We Have Woke and Cancel Culture Backwards?
Woke up this morning and this was on our minds: Do we have the use of the word “woke” and the phrase “cancel culture” backwards? Is it liberals and those on the left who are woke and employing the cancel culture? Or is it conservatives and those on the right? The Oxford English dictionary defines woke as “alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice.” The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines cancel culture as “the practice or tendency of mass … [Read more...]
Time to Ride the 2021 Civic Wave
2021 began with a wave of material and dialogue on the importance of constructive civic learning and engagement to the future of our American democracy. The question is whether this wave will sweep across the country in the years to come, substantially strengthening our common purpose, or die far short of the reform shore. America’s Civic Conundrum The answer is most probably neither. This is the case because the wave is confronting decades of decline in civic education and … [Read more...]
The Big Tent of the Democratic Party: Past, Present and Future
In spite of Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump for the presidency, much of the media coverage after the November 3 elections related to the future of the Democratic Party. That discussion was precipitated by the Democrats’ loss of 13 seats in the House in 2020. By contrast, the Democrats gained 41 House seats in the midterm elections of 2018. The events of January 6 and the subsequent turmoil focused public attention on the future of the Republican Party, rather than that of the … [Read more...]
Time to Renew and Rebuild America’s Hollowed Out Middle Class
The American middle class may soon go the way of the dinosaur. But it will not disappear completely or become extinct. As the lizard is the survivor and descendant of the mighty dinosaur, there will be a few stick figures that remain as a reminder of what once was. However, they will bear only a scant resemblance to the massive middle class that existed in earlier and better times. There was a time when dinosaurs roamed and ruled the world. The was a time when the middle class … [Read more...]
12/7, 9/11, and 1/6: Tragic Dates in Our American Memory
12/7, 9/11, and 1/6. If those were lottery numbers for the U.S.A., they would be losers. That’s because they represent tragic dates in our American memory. On 12/7/1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. On 9/11/2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon Building, and the Pennsylvania countryside. On 1/6/2021, a violent mob of domestic terrorists stormed and desecrated the hallowed halls of Congress in the … [Read more...]
The Need to Rebuild and Renew Our Hollowed Out Federal Government
On January 6, a mob of anarchists, conspiracy theorists, and delusional Trump supporters carrying Trump/Pence, American and Confederate flags stormed and desecrated the hallowed halls of Congress. This stunning act of insurrection and assault on our democracy was incited by Donald Trump. For the four years that he has been in office, the Trump administration has been engaged in a continuing assault. That assault is the hollowing out of the federal government. While not as visible to the … [Read more...]
Make 2021 Our Year for Building a Wonderful Life
This past Christmas Eve, NBC ran the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Those who have not seen this phenomenal film might think it is just another feel good and mindless holiday movie. It is not. It is just the opposite. It is a feel real and mindful “dark” movie with a powerful message. That message is what we do in our life to build community and to help others matters, even if we lose sight and confidence that it does. The 1946 film, directed by Frank Capra, tells the story of … [Read more...]