Americans are at their heart a good people seeking to spread a message of freedom of religion and the hope for international peace (As a general creed). When I hear reports of Americans being beaten while leaving the country I become concerned not only for their safety but the bigger message offered. It does nothing for the long term viability and recognition of an emerging nation-state (I'm assuming that is what they would want in the long run....but it would seem to be their next logical step.). Americans (That include me even though there are a few fellow countrymen that might not like diversity in their country. America is an idea of democracy and freedom of faith I believe in and have swore an oath to uphold from a Constitutional perspective.) have already made the commitment to leave and harassing them on the way out is going to leave many with a sour taste in their mouth and likely counter intuitive to future international recognition. I'm biased and pro-American! I admit that! Part of my belief that all religions lead to greater knowledge and people should practice their faith as they see fit as long as they are seeking truth and being kind/honorable to others (Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, etc...i.e. God will guide where God desires to guide kind of thing 🕊. Its an internal exploration more than an external one.)Truth comes through the willingness to understand our world and use that understanding to make it a better place. This is the time for the Taliban to let those who want to leave do so peacefully and in turn show what page in history they will flip (See Defense Secretary Statement.) Everything in life is a line of choices.....
The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Friday, August 20, 2021
Restoring Trust in Law Enforcement May Require Upholding the Constitution
Congress is at a crossroads when it comes to law enforcement reform. Sometimes they do the right thing and sometimes they don't.....but the problem continues forth. (Senator Tim Scott discusses hope for reform and a balance between reform and supporting police in the article, 'Scott: 'There is hope' for police reform bill'" The department issue might make sense considering many times there are cultural aspects that don't empower officers to contradict and report those "bad apples". I would suspect that liability might increase reform🤔 That could be the middle ground. HR1220). There is a lot of confusion on the source of discontent and its possible solutions but we should all be focused on the same long term health and viability of the nation. To solve this crisis of confidence requires means putting down old ways of looking at a long stemming problems and finding a new path forward that makes pragmatic, political, and economic sense. We do this through cultural artifacts like the Constitution that can lead us to a more productive inclusive society that encourage entrepreneurial spirt and thoughtful patriotism.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (Constitution of the U.S.)
Of particular interest to this issue is the 14th Amendment and the 1st Amendment. Being the "wrong" religion is a protection under the government and through our collective effort we continuously improve upon the fundamentals of our free society by working together to support it. That diversity is likely to save our competitive future if we can harness its collective human capital for maximum national gain (There is an association between good legal governance and concepts like corporate investment and worker motivation based on trust.)
The lens can change very quickly depending on your perceived religion and your willingness to accept people of different races and backgrounds (I have friends from different cultures and that might not sit well with some people I know.) Each of the perceptions and vantage points sees something a little different when they view situation (s) (This is why we must uphold the document that binds all Americans to an explicit and implicit social contract. It gives us all the same perspective as charter for what we "should" be like. See Rousseau Philosopher Social Contract)
A "reasonable" person (that is an important distinction) that was aware misconduct (law enforcement and/or hate based groups) would find it concerning that such self seeking and manipulative behaviors that exploit racial and religious differences for gain were given a "blind eye" because of social connections (Remember...I said I support police 100% and their mission in society.... and ways to improve when helpful.).
A few essential interest arise here 1.) At what point do we not want to blindly follow misdirection of others? 2.) Are there any legal protections for a large percentage of society that could be easy targets of hate based behaviors (...not necessarily law enforcement based. They also can protect against such behaviors with the right training.)? (i.e. voicing disagreement with bad behavior can be escalated to a point it begins to violate our social contracts and 3.) What are our steps as a national and legislative body to ensure we are trying to resolve such issues in the future (See Michigan Hate Crimes and Coding)?
We must always be concerned when social groups begin to accept the mantel of hate and use their social connections to corrupt and distort officer actions(In this example, it was the manipulation of a social network that created one aspect of the problem). A "blind eye" could embolden the group to act (if not continuing to act) against other minorities, local officials and/or even fellow law enforcement agents (Think about it...if the law doesn't apply and there is guaranteed protection for bad behavior regardless of truth then we have discounted the institution.)
Tulsa Massacre as an example of corruption. No one was held to account because it was sociably unacceptable to prosecute one's social group even though the facts led to the innocence of the accused. The entire Black community was punished for one person's lie that led to the incitement of violence. |
Think about the different logics being used (I'm not talking about law enforcement in general.). One logic is based on this groups false perceptions of what "Muslims", Blacks, Arabs, and even White people who don't act like them look like and their value (They discount the value of anyone who doesn't confirm their distorted beliefs.) The other aspect of that logical chain is when people act on that (Either group or the officer(s) associated with that group) they create a very dangerous situation backed by corruption (I wonder if the group could even force a local judge to decide in their favor for fear of not being re-elected and/or intimidated? 🤷 Even a remote possibility should be a concern but that would require us to focus closely on our essential shared expectations and values.).
What we find is there is "local" influence that may move away from acceptable American practices and more into the supporting of one's social and ethnic group (The cause of social upheaval and ethnic issues in other countries. Look at the Tulsa Massacre and see how intentionally false rumors create extremism and unbridled destruction that is remember generations later. International research supports the concepts of trust in institutions as essential to maintaining that domestic tranquility in the Constitution. Plato also believed in the ethical city and ethical person.) Where the Constitution should be center, we have sometimes put other values in its place that without change will continue to rub ever more abrasive against the wider needs of society.
Many people don't know what is in the Constitution and the general protections people have from certain actions even though they have heard of the of the dusty old document. As a supporter of the Constitution and positive influence of police (in general) have on people's lives we must make sure that those who reject the tenets of the Constitution and good more conscious are not given positions of authority where they can continue to harm the population with immunity. (Keep in mind the difference of opinion and how that is not the same as intentionally circumventing the law and undermining essential American values.).
While people might think I'm liberal in orientation but I'm actually conservative by nature. The Constitution is one of those things that is fundamental to our existence as an "American" idea. Enforcing the fundamental rights and values outlined in the Constitution is incumbent on politicians, civic/military leadership, and the general population who are bound by it. See Stoic Concepts of Justice. It should be remembered that the debate over whether or not we should be protecting the public should have been resolved a long time ago when the Constitution was formed and we should now be focused solely on how we do that (i.e. meaning policy that enhances police while limiting the negative effects from "bad apples".).
Hopefully we aren't some still debating the first part of that question? 🤔Think of it this way, if our social networks and false distorted views of others lead to circumventing the laws then passing new laws won't be particularly helpful until we have the commitment and will power as a nation to enforce existing laws with good moral conscious. This is why restoring trust in law enforcement may require upholding the Constitution in all of our thoughts, choices, and application/passing of law. I'm not a politician so maybe we should go ask the experts. Find your representative and ask them because they may know something the rest of us don't. 🤷 See Find Congressional Representative and feel free to share your opinion on the matter...regardless of your political persuasion (We all get a voice here, White, Black, Muslim, Jew, Hispanic, Asian, Democrat, Republican, etc...that is what makes us a Democracy! ). In the end there are there is really only one beneficial path forward (there are multiple paths but only one sustainable one)...the rest is a discussion on how to get there; or how to get lost on the way.
The question our national leaders should ask is, "Who are your stakeholders?" That will determine how they negotiate, vote, and decide these issues that are now forced into the forefront of national conscious (unless we want to delay dealing with it and see how it turns out 10 or 20 years down the road. In my experience when there is a longitudinal trend forming you will want to resolve those issues as soon as possible to adjust its trajectory toward a more beneficial stage. Maybe it will all go away on its own? No idea. Contact your rep and find out! 🤷).
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Commercial Fishing Coming Back in San Diego (Photo)
There is an interesting article entitled 'A Deep Dive into the San Diego Fishing' that discusses commercial fishing coming back in San Diego. It was once the Tuna Capital but that has change as overfishing and restrictions took their toll. The article indicates that commercial fish are coming back and so fishing companies are taking notice.
It kind of has been a little fantasy of mine to get a commercial fishing boat in the UP and just go out a few days a week. Ok its not real commercial fishing but it would be nice to sell what I catch to a few Escanaba stores. I wonder how we might better understand and fix the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry?
US GDP Rises: The Influence of the Digital Economy
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting the continued economic recovery, reopening of establishments, and continued government response related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter, government assistance payments in the form of loans to businesses and grants to state and local governments increased, while social benefits to households, such as the direct economic impact payments, declined. In the first quarter of 2021, real GDP increased 6.3 percent (revised)." (BEA GDP, July 19th, 2021)
In the report the BEA moves on to discuss in greater detail what is going on, "The increase in real GDP in the second quarter reflected increases in personal consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment, exports, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by decreases in private inventory investment, residential fixed investment, and federal government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased (table 2). (BEA, Q2-21 GDP July 29th, 2021)
Its important to understand economics from a macro economic viewpoint to see how the larger systems are working and changing the market while our metrics may not accurately reflecting the nature of those changes (One of the reasons why proper digital age measurements can lead to a Calibrated Tax Model for international commerce.). To do that we start with the basics. Some might wonder what a Real Gross Domestic Product (Real GDP) is? "Real gross domestic product (Real GDP) is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced by an economy in a given year (expressed in base-year prices) and is often referred to as constant-price GDP, inflation-corrected GDP, or constant dollar GDP. (Investopedia, 2021)"GDP struggles as a measurement in an increasingly digital world. GDP has been criticized as not capturing the full scope of a non-tangible virtual economy (Watanabe, Tou, & Neittaanmaki, 2018). A better metric could mean we uncover significant additional resources at our fingertips that we are not fully calculated national development (Metrics are imperfect and that is why we must rethink them from time to time. Keep in mind the difference between numbers and actual available units of productivity. i.e. fictitious number vs. actual labor power kind of thing.).
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Infrastructure Bill Passes Senate: Cross-Structure Development Synergy
Blow the dust off the U.S. economic machine and flip the power switch! Years of American manufacturing "know how" is going to be pulled out of the library archives and applied to maximize advantages from national infrastructure investments. Aging rail lines, sinking ports and a spaghetti electric grid are getting an overhaul beyond just a few more sand bags. Senate passes HR3684 the INVEST in America Act designed to improve the core infrastructure that helps to maintain its economic positioning in the emerging Digital Era (Information Age).
After years of penny pinching neglect our manufacturing infrastructure might help update the U.S. economic platform in a way that creates cross pollination and integration of multiple core structures (i.e. logistics such as product delivery, manufacturing such as advanced products, and virtual marketspaces, etc. See Rethink Service, Supply Chain Integration, Internet & Supply Chain, International Sales & Knowledge, and Delta County Shipping). It is the process of co development with hungry investors, entrepreneurs, and labor that matches American grit to the tools it needs to start rebuilding its future (I guess instead of giving it away. 🙅).What is new is that we are not dealing only with hard infrastructures like we did during The New Deal, but instead dealing with the integration of virtual technologies with hard infrastructure as co-grid components. As each of these systems begins to interact on a macro scale we may see a significant boost in cross structure functionality through the integration and pairing of different pieces of a new economic platform (i.e. physical/virtual networks, crypto currency, advanced manufacturing, etc... that signals a higher state of functioning.). That may also mean the U.S. becoming one of the first advanced digital age platforms for international business growth and investment (or not! 🤷 Just playing around with the idea in my Transactional Cluster Research. See Next Economic Platform and See Digital GDP Govt. Mind and See Economic Cluster Research).
COVID pushed US companies (and other international companies) to adapt from a globally challenging pandemic into the virtual world based on the foundations of digital era technology (i.e. Internet, Satellites, robotics, AI, etc...) that was in its infancy a few decades ago but is now advanced enough to be functionally practical. We adapted these tools quickly to overcome a challenge but its advantages will want to keep (commuting and work from home arrangements, virtual meetings, higher forms of communication, etc...).
New business strategies that worked well during COVID will likely continue to be implemented through more formal ventures; the infrastructure bill being an example of change (...and network development). Wide scale adaptations of companies, government, and infrastructure boosts to virtual-physical networks might mean another economic boon in the future (1-3 years). Now that infrastructure is changing we will have more and more of our economy go online leading to a possible boost era for companies when their first-in efforts meet with the post-COVID U.S. economic system (See Economic Projected Adaptation and Needs Fulfill Economic System)
Kelsey Snell from NPR did well breaking down some of the complex information so its easy to understand in her article, 'The Senate Approves The $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill In A Historic Vote'
$66 billion for passenger and freight rail
$65 billion for broadband investments
$55 billion for water systems and infrastructure
$50 billion for Western water storage
$39 billion for public transit
$25 billion for airports
$21 billion for environmental remediation projects
$17 billion for ports and waterways
$15 billion for electric vehicles
$11 billion for road safety
Among other provisions, the bill
- extends FY2021 enacted levels through FY2022 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs;
- reauthorizes for FY2023-FY2026 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs;
- addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources;
- revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail;
- establishes a rebuild rural bridges program to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities;
- implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and
- directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Boarder Crisis Getting Worse Says Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
The migrant situation is getting worse. There is desperation there. I usually go down to see orphans but haven't done so in a while because of the border issue (and a Pandemic). The crisis is growing and people are not sure on how to deal with it. While there may be some shorter term solutions much of them will take longer and are relationship development issues with other countries.
Personally, I would shorten the low cost manufacturing from China to Mexico (shorten supply chains), consider finishing the wall (highly contentious issue. I wish we didn't need walls. Its the wrong signal but it is one viable possibility. We should be open to any reasonable solution wall or not? ) and support/fund the orphanages in Mexico and really do some amazing things. I support Corozona which has done well for kids.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Unemployment July 2021-Leisure & Hospitality, Government Education, and Professional & Business Services
The jobs numbers are continuing to improve. Employment increases in leisure and hospitality, in local government education, and in professional and business services take center stage. It takes a minute to read the descriptions of what each of the terms mean. Education is likely to be a bigger discussion going forward after the rehiring of teachers and training them. Likely there won't be the same campus levels so there will need to be a transition of some teachers to more online education and that in turn would put pressure on online education become more established as an institutional system.
Its also possible to think about the increase in transportation and warehousing. I'm not 100% sure I understand all the parts but perhaps we might see some increase in consumer spending in the next few months. Economics can be so fickle depending on so many different factors. I try and break them out but its a large field of study (..actually human behavior. I failed a Harvard Class in Economics so listen at your own risk. 😮).
"Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 943,000 in July, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.5 percentage point to 5.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, in local government education, and in professional and business services. "
"In July, employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 380,000. Two-thirds of the job gain was in food services and drinking places (+253,000). Employment also continued to increase in accommodation (+74,000) and in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+53,000). Despite recent growth, employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.7 million, or 10.3 percent, from its level in February 2020."
"Transportation and warehousing added 50,000 jobs in July. Job growth occurred in transit and ground passenger transportation (+19,000), warehousing and storage (+11,000), and couriers and messengers (+8,000). Employment in transportation and warehousing has grown by 534,000 since April 2020; the industry has recovered 92.9 percent of the jobs lost during the February-April 2020 recession (-575,000)."
(added note......If were adding jobs I think Delta County would be a great place for a shipping hub with its port. Alternatively it could be used for ship building and movement of specialized products. See Delta County Shipping and DC Small Man. and Shipping)
"Employment in professional and business services rose by 60,000 in July. Within the industry, employment in the professional and technical services component rose by 43,000 over the month and is 121,000 above its February 2020 level. (Professional and technical services includes industries such as accounting and bookkeeping services, management and technical consulting services, and scientific research and development services.) By contrast, employment in the administrative and waste services component (which includes temporary help services) changed little over the month (+20,000) and is 577,000 lower than in February 2020. Employment in the management of companies and enterprises component was also little changed over the month (-3,000) but is 100,000 lower than the level in -4- February 2020. Employment in professional and business services overall is down by 556,000 since February 2020. "
July 2021 Employment US Economy by Dr. Murad Abel on Scribd