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Visitor info Kentucky. Now I'm hungry!!! Cornerstone Company.

Why I Disagree With Corruption (Advice on institutional Change in an Era of Rapid Transformation)

Corruption is a destructive force and designed to hide the truth and exploit resources. We corruption functioned in places like around Detroit. (I say around Detroit because it was as much, if not more, an issue of the places around Detroit versus Detroit itself. There were lots of dirty hands in the pot.) The dangers of not investigating complaints when they arise is inherently dangerous and reduces the viability of cities (...and in many ways can be seen as a precursor for nations that do not take corruption seriously) as well as the integrity of the wider system.

It is important to remember that our institutions are designed to ensure that they fulfill the needs of society. If they become derailed from their stated mandates their value begins to decline. An institution that would normally be seen as beneficial is now see with suspect. It makes no difference the institution but it does matter its ability to fulfill with integrity its societal function free self-interest. 

The Printing Press
Antwerp, 1580-1605 CE.

When I think of Detroit I often think of the many small complaints that may have arisen and not investigated fully. That doesn't mean that anyone (or everyone) did anything wrong but that without looking into those complaints one might never have discovered the bigger network of corruption. A bankruptcy put all of those smaller complaints into a theoretical system where they fit snuggly and confirmed a larger problem. 

Investigating complaints isn't about "do gooders" and "trouble makers" voicing their opinion in an effort to gain something (Sometimes it might be but it isn't always that way.). They are the eyes and ears of justice. As long as they are speaking the truth their complaints should be given proper merit. Discovery processes lead to the creation of a data trail that can be used to discover bigger problems. If we don't look we can't "see". 

Sometimes people withe power are part of the corruption and in turn hide, thwart, suppress and limit investigations to avoid discovery of bigger problems. As feedback loops become ignored we run the risk of major blow outs in the future. Think of Detroit and how many years corrupt behaviors have been going on until it went bankrupt (...crushed under its inability to change and adjust because the large system lacked integrity. Fluidity in Strategy)

As we move into the next era of digital transformation and rapid change it will be incumbent on our leaders, politicians, judges, officers, compliance officers, managers, employees, and citizens to act with integrity to ensure our institutions stay intact and trusted by the population. If we fail to do this well then the foundations of society will erode. All the would haves, could haves, and should haves mean nothing (New digital ways of processing information create new patterns and interconnectivity of society in national and international forums. Civil conflict increases i.e. Arab Spring, Capitol Riots, protests, etc...as beliefs are shared. Institutions that will withstand that change and ensure the U.S. maintains its leading positions will act and focus on integrity so as to maintain societal trust. I know it seems so so crazy...but just wait. Those changes could be good or bad. i.e. the printing press and Renaissance and the Internet and ????. We have to define it. ✍ Each time informational systems go through radical change there is change in how we conduct business, access to information, and pressure on institutions to be better. Those that bend will not break but those who stick to old or defunct ways will crack. 💁 ). 

Its sounds like a stupid idea but sometimes investigations may not lead to corruption but can lead to insight and understand that can be used for improvement. Without an investigation into legitimate complaints you have nothing! No knowledge, lack of institutional trust, increased corruption, societal conflict, and most of all no real avenue of improvement. I support investigations into complaints of corruption. No person or position in society should immediately dismiss concerns without an independent and truth seeking review.

Sometimes you can say things 100 of different ways and you get...🙈🙉🙊 We can learn and adapt as a society. Let us not suppress societal learning. Not acting when it is obvious that acting in the best interest of society is a growing problem. Duh!

Happy Mother's Day: Honor and Cherish the Past with the Power of Present

Our mothers are very important and perhaps one of the most important people in our early lives. They can be good or they can be bad. In my case, I had a great mother, kind, loving, empathetic who had a backbone. I'm proud that I am much like her and have been told that many times in my life. That is something I am proud of and I guess in many ways inherited through our genetic line. 

She adopted a kid, donated to the poor, was a successful business person and cared immensely about people. A trail blazer for women in business who even gave money to an abused girl. That doesn't mean that all of the people in her life felt the same way. This is one of the reasons why I now look with some disdain on this constant search and accumulation of money no matter what the cost. 

We all know that death brings grief but it can also bring the best and worst out of people. Where darkness already existed it can heighten that disease to bubble over the social boundaries that keep it at bay. It may also make good people better. Lives should not be so quickly discarded simply out of convenience.

She did well in her life and she did well by others. Remember that life is short and life is full of different bumps and road blocks. Despite this we have some basic rules and values we should follow. To me abusing/manipulating people who are near their death is highly inappropriate and there should have been more oversite (Some people will do bad things if given half the chance.).

There are no laws that can legislate love and hate. Morality and law are sometimes but not always associated (Something we should work on. Sometimes our courts and institutions fail to uphold certain rudimentary values. It causes other issues beyond any moral failure. That has to stop!). When people are seen as a source of money and what they built is destroyed within a few years we must scratch our heads and wonder where is the red line to those behaviors. All too often it is non existent (Why I support in general court systems and the search for truth.)

Its an important lesson about morality, values, lies and manipulation. On my mother's deathbed I vowed to do something important with my life and took chances others wouldn't have thought of, went to school, fought for what I believe was right and held my ground against all odds. People didn't always see it that way being blinded by superficial things like race, religion, a name, etc... (You won't gain those lessons in a textbook.)

I believe that such a vow led to all types of unturned stones. New ways of viewing the world and new insights into human nature and social networks. These were the hard lessons of life that few would have been able to navigate. So my mother's gift in many ways is about understanding and awareness. It brings forth in a round about manner new life and knowledge. Each generation passes something to the next whether we recognize it or not.

As you celebrate Mother's Day come to recognize the power of our mother's in our lives and cherish those people while they are still in front of you. They bring forth new life and create cycles in human development and change. They are the one's who give us our values and they are the ones who carry our traditions. When they are good they also hold the torch from one generation to the next. Democracy was built from the hearth of our mothers. 

The Destructive Nature of Lies and Those Who Support Them (Social Groups)

I always thought of most people as truth seeking and desiring to have the best outcomes. What we find is that is often not the case. Lies are often believed because people lack critical thinking and alternative explanations. However, lies can also be dangerous and can harm, destroy, damage or sometimes kill. It may also put our institutions as serious risk (i.e. the capital riots) and destroy credibility (people and institutions)if they are not up to the task of tackling societal distortions. Sometimes lies are not innocent and can lead to all types of damage to those they are designed to harm and those that must navigate their way through them.

I'm a believer that truth brings growth and also a believer that lies bring chaos (On an individual and on a national level). While truth can be subjective depending on what race, religion, political party or background one belongs, the essentials of truth reach across all of them (i.e. why I believe our institutions should focus on truth and moral conscious. Its sounding like a repeat over and over. Yet I'm likely one of the few individuals in society that know this on a deeper learning level.). 

Lies of the past designed to self-enrich and harm others often repeated at later times because the essential dysfunction hasn't been dealt and the potential for gain not removed (Why I also support mental health for extremism). For example, one might lie for money and they may lie because they are embarrassed. That of course doesn't consider who they would be embarrassed from and their essential value to society (...everyone has value but that value should be based in more than one's social networks. We can even learn from dark souls as they have value to our learning.)

Manipulators distort and prey upon the weaknesses of their followership who lack critical thinking skills, education, and exposure. Its easy! Just make up a story and some people won't question (Think of how our capital was attacked and all of it based on perception. True or not it wasn't the way to deal with it. There are processes in place.). As the rumors designed to incite hate in their social networks grow, so does the lack of accountability over the willingness to harm targets. Responsibility declines the more people get involved (In this case we did a good job following up on such groups.).

As perpetrators find a path to enrichment and harm they will continue to use the same tools over and over without remorse until they are held to account. You would need a moral code, empathy, and integrity to stop yourself. Yet when a mob of blind supporters act on such lies you have a bigger problem. Worse, when law enforcement (by the way I actually support law enforcement but look with disdain on corruption and lack of accountability. While it may seem ignorant to some, our institutions must maintain a level of integrity.) becomes the enforcer of their "clans" distorted values we have much more than bad behavior going on! (Its a system derailed from a larger system and indicates there may be other victims and things going on just under the surface. There are fundamental differences between a mistake and intentional targeting. It needs an in-depth investigation to protect the public and ensure the values of the nation and constitution reign supreme. i.e. the law of the land.)

For example, I characterize myself as a conservative that has lots of liberal friends (some of the stuff they say makes sense as its a different perspective that leads to insight. I couldn't care less if someone says I'm a Rino, Dino, or whatever for exploring multiple solutions for the widest members of society) As a conservative, I feel a level of repugnance over those who sacked our capital with violence in order to create gain (Likely manipulated by key officials, foreign intelligence, and misuse of social media. If I had the opportunity to be there I would have been on the front lines with the capital police defending our democracy. Violence and power over others isn't the way to solve these issues. Our politicians are often afraid to go against the grain. Now we know there is more to the story. Other reading... Russia Election Concerns, Election Manipulation, Hate Groups Social Media, Central Values, Capitol Riots, Capitol riots officers, Capitol Documents, Social Media Degroot Road to ultra nationalism. ). 

There simply comes a point where you say are we going to let the most ignorant tell the rest of us what to do and what to believe (In this social group they have already decided that their network is more important than other values. Values are up for social comparison and sale. Unfortunately, their close association with law enforcement allowed them to easily manipulate the integrity of the system. That does not include the officers and departments that recognized the false information, adjusted their mistakes, and in the end did the right thing. It does relate to those who persist and those who seek to create divisions in society by misusing their positions to exclude targets from certain positions, opportunities, and roles in society. Its a crime! Yes "bad apples" can commit crimes!). 

The bad values started long long time ago and is part of a life long dysfunction. That dysfunction led to exploiting people for personal gain (even people who were on their death beds) and is repeated again when new opportunities arise. In order to hide their bad behavior and create gains people made up a story and the ignorant accepted it as truth. Lies create chaos as their social networks (including corrupted officers) began to believe, spread, and act on such behaviors (rooted in their own own racism and extremist views) to come after the targets to keep those behaviors silent. 

I believe that people should have every opportunity to come to greater awareness over their own behaviors and have opportunities to reform themselves. When they are not able to do that then the law must create accountability (Not accountability for being a particular race, religion, education, or income level but actual accountability for behaviors that are owned by the perpetrators. Accountability to leads to the best positive outcomes and that doesn't always mean jail time as a punishment. Sometimes awareness of one's own behavior and having to deal with one's own issues is punishment enough.). That accountability could be mental health or it could be jail time depending on each's circumstance. 

As for those who consistently supported such behaviors....shame on them and shame on their value systems. I see little difference between the actor and the supporter. I do believe truth will win out over lies and that this can become a good learning lesson for others who juggle and teeter between having values that helpful or having values that are self and/or social group serving. While such people were forgiven the moment the dysfunction became apparent, they were also on the path that allows them to chase their own futures; everyone makes their own choices.  

Whether we are dealing with home town dysfunction or national insurrection we should understand that the very root mechanics are the same. It is us that must stand for something greater than self.....that is what make societies strong. Strength comes from setting positive social expectations and enforcing laws with universal wisdom. When we fail to tackle blatant corruption  and hate in society it is an indication  of what is likely to come as more of the same. Morality must be part of our choices. No institution  should be free from that responsibility. 

Michigan Budget Bill: Senate Bill 0832 22/23 School Budget (The Difference Between Governor and Senate Proposals)

 Laurentius de Voltolina 1350's
Education during Renaissance
Of course  change means we now education both boys and girls and its an 
important function in society. We must always learn to be
better at it. Budgets are part of that process
of allocating money where it will have the greatest
impact is fundamental to educational advancement and opportunity.
Notice how education moved from elite groups to the general masses.

Education is fundamental and when we support education in conjunction with other state improvements in infrastructure, attracting new investments, and fiscally responsible governance we are taking a step forward. Funding should come with new ways of doing things to create development and improve learning outcomes. Where dollars are placed and spent make a big difference. Some programs help and some are more political. Some will improve upon education and some leak the use of valuable resources. I hate waste and believe that programs should be fruitful and when not money should be allocated to other areas where they create higher student and state returns.  A few generic ideas....

1.) The impact of new money should always be maximized by cross supporting different state needs (Different programs that support and enhance each other for higher total outcomes. i.e. If we need more technology workers then we should make sure we can support those economic objectives within curriculum, technology available to students and general budget.)

2.) Developing innovation for maximization of educational outcomes is important. We can't improve unless we try new things (I would have liked to see money allocated to new educational methods to test and see if they would work. I know I'm a research guy but I believe it creates learning organizations and fiscal responsibility in the long run when performance and resource allocation improve. I have heard the word moral indignation to describe the fear of change {and other issues} in education without discussing the greater purpose of education to advance society. One could make an opposite argument that lack of change and improvement to support further learning in society could also have its own moral hazards. Elitism can be destructive and so all systems should adapt and grease the wheels of opportunity.)

3.) We should listen to industry and business so that we develop the ability of students to succeed personally and through global competitiveness. If we know what they want, in addition to other stakeholders, we can better match funding to needs (That doesn't mean they have the only needs but they are one of the important reasons we educate our population.).

4.) The quality of our schools are an attractor or detractor to international recruitment of highly skilled employees. Quality is always important and education is one avenue where improvements can be made that impact the state's attractiveness (I have seen people have lots of great and poor theories and those seem to come from their training and political stance. New ideas are difficult to find and sometimes we are stuck in thinking from PhD's who were trained by other PhDs in ways that support their personal positions within industries. i.e. the decision makers of education. I've seen ideas come forward in different venues that are not practical {sometimes very practical} and are directly tied to their previous training and backgrounds. Its like seeing U.S. K-12 education struggle for global competitiveness and then repeating the same ideas in different forms by selling them as new ideas but not breaking the mold. Sometimes it becomes an exercise of enhancing self/political interest through promoting existing beliefs in research/programs and not the interests of the student or society.)

5.) A master conception of how public, private, and online schools should function within the state and how they maximize graduation and learning to create personal and professional competitiveness is important (I don't think I have ever seen this in governance on such a level. There are plans but they are limited in scope. It may be there but I might not have seen it. What is the total strategy, goals, outcomes, implementation strategy and what they expect to achieve? ). 

6.) Develop metric sets that help determine the value of such education programs in terms of quality of life, tax return, and state/national development (Remember that metrics are great and they also can blind you so they are important in some ways but continuously must change and adjust so as to not mislead us. Use metrics wisely and always judge their root assumptions.)

Its easy for me to sort of blow out a few comments that are of a general nature without providing significant details (This isn't a study and only a lukewarm opinion. Its blog post designed to get us to think about the greater things we are doing.). Whether or not the funding is going to make an impact is highly dependent on the master plan of education and how that will create increased competitiveness. 

I'm not sure if we have a master plan supported by research that ensures maximum outcomes. Just like in the development of online education, it is important to meta-analyze all of the pertinent research to understand what is likely to have the biggest impact and how those different educational components work together to create environmental impact (Online education is now here to stay and it will adapt and had its benefits during COVID. It will also likely further create dispersed education society. It, like traditional methods, must change and adapt.).

I'm not really saying anything we shouldn't already be doing or know so one can read and make up their own mind. You can see the differences in emphasis between the Governor and the Senate in red and black of the final column. I'm not knowledgeable of each of the programs to really understand their impact. I don't have opinion if there is a right and wrong versus an emphasis in outcomes. So read, learn, study and make a conclusion.

Likewise, I'm not yet highly involved in politics yet (getting there as I'm starting to see the bigger picture. Kind of what I'm waiting for. That and a few things I need to take care of first. You have to be clear and free to focus. You also have to define your values independently and the political structure of society.) so I'm a little at a loss to comment on any particular program. I am qualified to comment on the general purposes of education and their overall impact on society. The rest is implementation strategies that take specific knowledge within the framework of general application (It would be interesting to see if saved money could be used for further exploration that advances new ways of learning and/or emphasis new programs that meet state needs.)

A solid description in Michigan Senate passes budget proposal, includes record funding for K-12 education, State superintendent urges Michigan lawmakers to invest more in K-12 system and MI Senate passes 2023 budget plan

You can read the actual Senate Bill 0832. The bill was sponsored by Wayne Schmidt (R) from 37th District.  You can read more about it below.

2021-SFA-0832-U 22'/23' School Budget Michigan by Dr. Murad Abel on Scribd

428K Jobs Added in April, 2022 3.6% Unemployment Rate!

 Yippie!!!!  🥳 👷

Pictures of Thurby Derby Churchill Downs 2022

 If your a horse person you might like a few pictures of Thurby Derby. These events bring a lot of money to cities and local communities if managed well.