The Long Term Dangers of Not Understanding Hate Groups at the State Level

Our minds need to change about hate in Michigan. While we know that hate is championed by dark personality traits we don't have a full grasp of its prevalence and its impact.  Political rhetoric pushed hate into minority/majority and right/left dynamics that legitimizes poor behavior. It is up to our national leaders to pull us toward the center and let evidence based decision making take precedence.

Hate isn't specific to any race or religion and is worrisome form of aggression based on psychological distortions of fear and dominance. Our future rests on people working together to set free the powerful cultural and diverse talent that will help us overcome our national challenges.

Michigan has seen hate groups come into center focus during the elections and our capital has seen its doors bashed in by extremism. Radicalism from any political leaning should not have their place in our modern storyline. 

As a state, we can choose to embrace hate and the power struggle it causes or we can accept our national purpose and move toward a freer and more enlightened society. Complicity will make it increasingly difficult to fully utilize our human capital and moral aptitude to influence the world around us.

No matter what our religion or race, we have the right to natural law that ensures we can seek to live and pursue our happiness regardless of political rhetoric. It is the same rights we had 40,000 years ago when we foraged for food and these are the same rights we have today when we have our food delivered by Amazon.

People have the right to work in their own best interest and that of the society in which we live.

Whether we practice freedoms is a social affair but we know that our most basic laws and ethics have risen to ensure people have the right to "Be".  Failure to respect life ends in societal displacement and radical change (i.e. Quakers come to American to avoid religious persecution and Americans overthrew the British for the right of representation).

Laws have purpose and if they become purposeless or ineffective they must be adjusted or removed. We don't know the extent of the crimes being committed because we have no real measurements. Allowing for more inclusive hate legislation (counseling, misdemeanor and/or felony) helps us understand, track and solve hate based behaviors before it becomes a bigger problem. 

What I can say about hate and racism is that it has almost nothing to do with the targets. Its about how the perpetrators feel about themselves and their false sense of superiority over others. Targeting others is not rational and a dark and misguided aggression that doesn't end without intervention. Whether one looks at it from a science or moral vantage points it is the one place where law and virtue can become one!

It is up to our leaders to decide if they prefer to let go of their ideological differences long enough to create a free nation running at full economic, intellectual and skill capacity that leads to innovative mastery of the capitalization of a digital environment. 

President Biden's Presidents Day Address 2021

Bill Gates: Climate Control 60 Minutes Interview

Bill Gates was interviewed by 60 Minutes on Climate Change. There is a cost to having such a large population on the world and products that don't go back into their natural state. There is also a cost to all of the fossil fuels and other power generating processes. We can reduce those long term impacts by thinking about innovation and biodegradable products.

The technology is there but it isn't yet cost effective. There will be new technology needed to scrub the planet and technology needed to adjust industry toward cleaner and more efficient use of energy. The transformation will need to occur to in a way that leads net positives through better products that have market demand.

There are two ways to look at this. We can legislate or we can innovate. Chances are we need a little of both.

First, I should say that legislation is not the answer to all of our problems but it can be a tool to push industry to change. The market is a much better system of pushing change but often doesn't respond well to things beyond current consumption.

The market has its own logic of developmental trajectory but doesn't see dangers ahead (i.e. bubbles, crashes, collapse, etc...). In other works, the market is a direct reflection of our human wants and needs and will maintain a course until those changes are needed (i.e. pollution pushes people to change).

For example, while we can see the problem of pollution and climate change growing the average person doesn't do well making these abstractions beyond their current needs. For example, "I'm worried about getting to work today and not whether I should be biking there!"

Legislation prompts change in industries and helps to create pressure to push change but it also comes with a cost as companies consider this a cost and may want to circumvent in such ways (cheat, move overseas, donate to politicians they agree with, etc...etc... etc...). 

Thus, legislation should give opportunities for industry to start working on these problems before legislating. Self-monitoring from an industry standpoint helps the government maintain oversight while allowing industry to coordinate to change. If change doesn't come, and costs rise to society then legislative grip begins to close. 

One thing I learned about riding a horse (which you can't really make this comparison 🙅) is that when you touch the reins lightly with your finger the horse will respond willingly better but if you yank back with all your might the horse might try and buck you! 😅🏇 

Government should first seek to guide industry through the collective will before mandatory legislation. Industry often response because they want to the masters of their own fate. In this case, the goal may be to make a whole new exportable Green Industry to the world. Individual companies may be willing to incorporate more robust green initiatives. 

We need a Green Industry, and the rest of the world needs it! ....and it will help us stay scientifically advanced. (Industry self regulation is also part of my research on innovation and transactional clusters). 

Using SMART to Plan Organizational Goals

Attaining of goals is a defined process that helps to increase outcomes. It isn't about shooting in the dark in hopes of blindly tripping over your goals. A little planning can go a long way in fostering positive outcomes. The SMART goal setting technique can help you define what you want to do and in the time frame you want.

Writing your goals out with specificity can be difficult and takes some time catching on. The problem with lots of goals that we make in our daily lives, like New Year's goals, is that they lack the "teeth" determine when we have accomplished them. Without some objective measurements the goals lose their ability to be tracked and monitored. 

What is SMART?

Specific: Be specific and write down exactly what you want. Don't be too broad.

Measurable: Your goals should be measurable.

Attainable: Your goals should be reasonable and realistic.

Time Bound: Make sure that you have a specific time-frame to complete your goals or they will go on forever and not be achieved.

Organizations often make goals for annual or five year stints. Short annual goals often work on the specific tasks needed for the longer term strategic goals measure in 5 years. Each person within the organization should be working on these goals in some way. 

Without following some format for writing and defining your goals it will be difficult to measure them and track them from a data standpoint. For example, if you don't know when you accomplished something the input and measurement of such goals will be left open to all types of inaccuracies. 

Happy Valentines: Much better to be Snuggled Next to a Fireplace!

This morning I was out riding horses in like 0 degrees, without including the wind chill factors whipping through the field. Its much better to be snuggled with someone next to a fireplace. 🙄 

Don't Have an Ergonomic Table-Make One?

I'm from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and if you don't have something you can always make it. You don't need to be a master carpenter to get out some old wood and make a project out of it. Lacking counter space and a reasonable desk I decided I better make one. I've used up my welcome at the kitchen table, the student, desk and the couch. 

I needed a new desk and have been disappointed with the chip board material that usually comes with cheaper products you at the store. I lived the first half of my life on broken worn out cheap desks. 

I have this pile of boards sitting in my garage that I didn't have a chance to use yet. Most of them looked long enough to put together for a table top and sides.

I'm not a greater carpenter of any type but I have the basics skills of sawing, measuring, and cutting down. Worst case scenario is that if it is too embarrassing to show anyone I will just use it in the garage. 

It turned out pretty well. While it was a touch too large I sawed off the lets and stuck the pads back on. I painted it grey on the top and white on the side to match some other pieces.

To my surprise the table came out pretty well. Its solid, hardy, and functional. Is it better than what you can buy in the store? It depends on the price range in which you buy it. If you are asking if its better than a $150 desk yes! Probably not anywhere near a $500 desk. Its not top of the line but I did it myself and it works for under $25 dollars. 

 

Governor Whitmer Budget Feb 11 2021-Collective Choice of Resource Use?

Governor Whitmer submitted a new state budget proposal yesterday and there will likely be debate between legislature and the governor on how money should be spent. Each side has their proposals so it will be interesting to see how the negotiations turn out. You can read the budget HERE. It is hosted on the State Budget Office HERE.  Click on Detroit has a breakdown HERE. 

I looked at the budget and there are lots of pages to it so unless your interested in this stuff...zzzzzz. Yet the budget impacts lots of things in our lives from the roads we drive to the services we receive. 

Resources are constrained and that will likely continue until we find new sources of creating revenue. Growing economies have lots of more resources and options when compared to those that are shrinking. 

While we are in a global shift it is helpful for Michigan to think about its resources and how those resources help people struggling today and how to best prepare the field to give them opportunities in the future. 

Taxes and budgets focus societal resources to places where we think they are needed (i.e. to roads or education). Budgets are actually statements about our values in terms where and how much we should allocate resources (bread or butter).

Because resources are limited (in demand) we have to be wise about how we use these resources. This isn't particular to this budget (I'm not making a judgement on the budget because I haven't reviewed it in detail and at the moment unable to make an educated judgement) but to all budgets.

So we have lots of things that need to happen such as getting people ready (training/education) to handle new jobs and limit the economic disparity between the low unemployment for highly skilled workers and the high unemployment for less skilled labor.

We also have long-term helpful things that the money could be allocated for such as developing our revenue base (resources and jobs) through attracting new global businesses, encourage manufacturing and coordinate local/state efforts to attract and develop lots of young start-ups (assuming we want new businesses).

A final passed budget is a collective choice. Let us wait and see what happens. 🙈🙉🙊