Delta County Board of Commissioners Meeting (2-21-2023): Coffee, Zoom, Infrastructure and Conservation District

American Philosophical Traditions

Reading of Voltaire's tragedy of the Orphan of China 

at the salon of Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin

1755, by Lemonnier, c. 1812

The development of communities takes multiple approaches ranging from the business side of things all the way over the to socio-bio health of individuals. Strong systems draw in talent and business investments from things as simple as quality of life on one end and governance quality on the other. Delta County is in a unique spot to have the best of many worlds if strong management practices come forward. The balance between asking the right questions and giving the right answers. Its a total system that gets pushed upwards when governance meets new market "realities" through constructive problem resolution (i.e. creation of socio economic development. If you want some in-depth stuff with theories you can look at a publication by Cambridge Socio-Economic Development. I'm just saying if you look at the table of contents you see how our governance impacts our lives and quality of our lives in many arenas. Other reading. Human Instinct-Devel, Bio-Psycho Devel., Needy Econ. Human Caps). 

Problems that are outside the normal scope of improving the lives of residents and their futures are problems that should not be in normal affairs of governance. They are distractions and they take away from the overall effectiveness of management. If we have a problem, lets deal with it sooner rather than latter. In my experience, it is generally best to assess a situation and take active steps on the issue to ensure it is resolved and put away for good. Then learn from it, and move on to the next societal problem to solve. You keep doing that over and over and no community will match the positive growth that will come from good governance (...again those are general comments on governance that can be applied broadly.)

Each organization seen as a 'knowledge authority' is going to have a slightly different take on what good governance looks like.  As we sort of start accepting FDI its good to have a little more global exposure in our management. UN Good Governance (global stakeholder perspective) talks about general principles, McKinsie & Company has a Rural Rising Report  (investor perspective) that discusses general initiatives and USDA has a Rural Priorities (govt. perspective) which helps provide further guidance.

After reading the articles and watching the video you will sort of have a better understanding of the type of governance that leads to growth. Make sure that you don't get bogged down in the emotional arguments unless collectively they mean something (there is a term for this and I can't think of it) or individually they have investigative value (a nugget to pick from the conversations). People talk but what counts is when there are teeth in arguments. Without that teeth no one can say for sure what is and what isn't beyond some general public upset resulting from a firing (You have to see all sides of an argument from many different perspectives to understand. If no evidence/teeth and/or specific information comes forward the options default to voting in who you want and who you don't want during the next election cycle. I don't pick sides here. That is how I see the process.)

You may also want to read something On Virtue Politics because sometimes studying the classics of philosophy and early democracies can give you insight in how to handle situations. In general this article advocates increased engagement for learning purposes. So bringing forward concerns of public governance in a public forum makes sense. Video transparency is good, and they are doing that. Be tactful, be honest, be helpful. There are people watching and perhaps learning about democracy from this very situation so let us be effective and mindful in action and word. (I would love to point to my hometown and say, "This is what democracy, growth, good governance, and opportunity look like. Sometimes its messy, but that is just because its getting better year after year, generation after generation, constantly in a state of development. People challenge, conversations happen, issues are resolved to higher levels of development." . We just need everyone to want to take that step. It helps everyone and creates trust in government and the decisions officials make. )

Notes (Quick Bullet Point Stuff): (I try and keep it accurate. If I'm wrong please let me know by posting a comment.)

-There was a comment that was made by one of the commissioners of pay without attendance of meeting and it was clarified that it happened. Down state, Mackinac Island, etc. were brought up as dates commissioners were paid to attend but were not at the conferences. In my experience conferences are sometimes like a paid perk where you learn and have fun. Its highly dependent on the conference. However, it wouldn't be impossible to determine if people attended. Typically, there are sign in sheets, grab bags that require initials, video publication of events, and other proofs of attendance. Its easy to figure out if you can pull the records. They were either paid and no proof of attendance, paid and attended, didn't pay and didn't attend, etc. You get the picture.

-Conflict of interest declaration.

-A few ideas on how to fund Delta Conservation District (DCD)

-Some calls for use of how the dollars are calculated for the grant of the Conservation District.

-Arguments that the DCD doesn't have a Forest Management Plan.

-Some names brought forward on who may be engaged in collusion.

-There was a letter that was brought to one of the commissioners and the Daily Press. There was a desire to have someone from the prosecutors office take a look at it.

-Duty bound to report to prosecutor.

-The guy from Esky is right....put the info on the agenda. :)

-Discussion on legal preparation.

-Wells water and sewer support. Escanaba water plant will be important for development. 

-UPCC 

-Tourists coming. 15 tour visits jump on and off. 

-Electric inspection.

-No legal review of the contract.

-A mention that others say there is illegal activity and a suggestion to resolve the contract.

-Some board members are concerned about the contract and public opinion. Want a legal review. Forest parks, county properties, etc. 

-Some push back on cancelling the contract. Some logic was brought up for a long term contract. That it would be difficult to manage and get park service for the same price. May 15th. Possible temporary contract. 

(If you don't know about the Delta Conservation District you can find that HERE. You will notice Federal and State grants that will likely have some management criteria with them. I came up with an idea that if we manage our resources well we can consider using it as a tourist draw that impacts lifestyle and other benefits that would contribute to a net positive for the area. SME Adventure-Venture Tourism. We can use industry and tourism to help develop our natural assets through the revenue they generate. Its the era of global warming and environment damage. We can create environmental-industry-resident benefits by thinking with a more macro perspective of an entire system. How things get funded, how business improves and impacts the environment, how to improve those environments to increase lifestyle, how to maximize that as a selling point to attract more interest, how to preserve that value into the future, etc. etc. )

-New finance policy and purchasing. 

-Paying bills. 

-2022/23 HMEP grant. This is excellent stuff and such public service is needed. As we see new development it will require different types of services so we should be proactive on such issues. The Department of Labor provides 1910.120  and HAZWOPER for some guidance. I think a mobile Haz Mat team would make sense if we can get funding for it and can find a way to sustain it. (For those of you who own companies this is all good information. CEOs also need to have a basic understanding of response capacity so you can design your internal capacity. Insurance will also determine weather or not your teams can go off site. A discussion with insurance might be helpful to see if a local public managed team might reduce your insurance costs as well. I'm not the expert in this topic, but if you as a company can save money maybe there might be a way to contribute some of those insurance savings to a first responder fund for local response capacity building, maintenance, and training costs. We have a few mid size companies around here and will have more companies coming soon so thinking about options beforehand is helpful. In this case, creating capacity proactivity is a sign of our advanced strategic thinking within some of our local institutions.)

-Title 1 and Title 3 money to schools and township projects. Its good to hear that money is going to projects that include improving fire responses. 880 MHz Mobile radios, side by side and Masonville pumper. (I saw on a study last year says the U.P./Michigan is one of he best places for Global Warming. I should go back and find it.)

-Adjustment in bylaws. Would like these types of documents to be public? Part of the update was when commissioners were not showing up. 

-Awesome job Brandon! He is doing a great job checking out the video options. Keep YouTube...seriously....it makes sense. I shared something because it was relevant to a project I'm working on so having easy access really does make a difference in sharing information. Investors and people want to see what is going on so they can make their own decisions. Most places would likely use Zoom during the meeting and then upload the entire video within a few days to YouTube. Sorry...that is just how I saw it in other places. Esky was doing it well. A Covid adaptation. :)

-$13 million left over and if we put in main water/sewage lines we may get some more development. I would like to know what a plan for that money would look like because infrastructure will make a big difference in other business development. You might be able to project what might grow but we don't know what will happen in the long run as different economic factors come into play. However, infrastructure development is generally a net positive. Wells sewer and water. Yes I believe District Rep. Preston and State Senator McBroom are likely to be encouraging these projects. 100+ housing units going into Wells Twp. 

History of Coffee
Its a great socializer
Public Domain

-Hiring the admin $350 week stipend. 

-There is some issue of how much to pay the controller, HR, and admin. position.

-Concerns on the elimination of ethics committee and different explanations of how ethics issues will be processed. I think that might be helpful to ensure that the ethics process and how it handles ethical issues is clear for residents. If it unclear for the board, unclear for the public, then it should be clarified and discussed. 

-More concerns on Open Meeting Acts

-Concerns on bullying in the community. There has been some other complaints of bullying in another arena. Loose tertiary association but not unnoticed as to the possibility and probability. So let us just keep comments such as this in the sand box to review and let things unfold as they should. If you get some teeth into the argument with facts, or multiple complaints coming up, then it is something that becomes increasingly concerning (We don't need clans here. Its not the Game of Thrones! 😕).

-Discussion on bullying, individuals stalking others, etc.  One person was concerned about hearing of a group bullying individuals so if that rumor is true and constitutes an attempt to intimidate its an issue. Its not game and if coordinated/directed then its potentially criminal (Potential is the word. It needs supporting of facts. Who, What, When, Where, Why). Its not the first time this has been said. Maybe something, maybe nothing? 🤷 One doesn't know until they dig into it. What I will say is, don't jump or have any conclusion. Just breath in the info and let things sort of percolate until clarity is found. As crazy as it sounds.....

(I just want to make note here. There are issues as it relates to mistakes of administrative management and processes. Mistakes are different then intentionality in behaviors. Making a distinction between good/bad performance and criminal behaviors. I'm only saying for some it can get all mixed up, and in some case it might be mixed up intentionally. i.e. neglect. So, that is not a comment specific to here or anywhere else. It is a general comment meant for a very general perspective. If you have concerns and believe you might have something substantial that creates of a case for a corruption investigation I might consider sending the State Attorney General and Local Prosecutor a note.)

-Some argument of having ethics as an upfront discussion.

-There are some comments on helping to explain things more openly to people. Yes, I can see the point as valid and it will get smoother as time goes on. The majority of people have little familiarity with contracts, deals, department performance, etc. When your in government you think in a type of bubble that the wider societal stakeholders don't work within. It is different being an admin when compared to being  a user of such decisions. 

 -A person was bring positive words about the volunteer firefighters in the area and how awesome they are at bringing in younger firefighters. He was impressed by a young man at a local township meeting and wants more information on how beneficial local firefighters are; especially the volunteers (Who don't get paid, are constantly training, helping their communities and inspiring young minds. Maybe we will find them someday bucking the national trends and attractive to younger people concerned about their communities and environment but are not given the right avenues to develop. Departments do more than fight fires, they also train future leaders. These departments do more because everyone involved is doing good things for a good cause. That isn't always the case everywhere. Sorry...lets get back to the convo at hand....) .We always have room for more firefighters in this community. He wants more information on the cadet program with the fire department. (Maybe the county could do more to encourage young people to get involved in civic affairs. Probably more constructive. Limited cadet programs in the area. I found this one article when I searched Cadet, Firefighter, Training and Escanaba Boolean combos. Looks like two departments are where you can donate your time, effort and resources. HERE) 

-A comment the Ethics Committee is not being scuttled. 

-Openness to talk about issues over a cup of coffee. (If you take up on offer remember a cup of coffee is like $3.50 cents at the coffee shop and like $1.25 at the gas station. I suppose you would have to be in a coffee shop. So be nice and don't order a large Cappuccino, Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte or a Caramel Macchiato because those can get expensive. However, if you can squeeze it out and get one then more power to you!) 

*The article is really just food for thought and how we manage conflict and governances. The goal is to prompt you to think as well and sort of see how these things work in real life scenarios. I present no facts, and I make no conclusions. "The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing"-Socrates

COVID-19 Origin: Not Yet Resolved: Lab Seen as More Likely. Maybe Most Likely?

There are different intelligence agencies that are looking at this and they feel as a collective that its the lab, market or something else. Basically there are still holes in the research and that may be intentional on China's part. It would be nice to just go in and find out what happen (I doubt this would happen but things change sometimes.). So its possible that it may have come from a lab, maybe more likely than a market, but not conclusively so. You need more data and need to keep placing each piece of data into your research theory buckets. The unknown bucket being one of the most important because that is where new ideas come (Connecting dots in different ways.). 

For example, going to hunt for secret bat viruses (A theory that is proposed from somewhere else) and then bringing them to a lab to enhance them for inoculation benefits but also perhaps weaponize them as well (Lots of governments play with viruses. Kind of scary when you think of the long term possibility of someone finding the very wrong kind of mix we have no natural immunity and it morphs into something without a cure. So, I'm not a virus fan for extreme genetic manipulation. Yet, it is what it is! Humans are a species that toy with nature, so sometimes nature punches us in the gut to let us know the order of things.)

I'm betting 2 cents that it is more likely going to be the lab versus the market but we don't know that yet. That means I could be wrong and a fairly high probability that I am wrong. When the majority of the agencies get in alignment with their explanations we can say we have a general consensus. With novelty it takes a long time to figure it out because the info is classified, difficult to understand, and specialized to a smaller group of stakeholders. 

We can add a fourth option. 

1. Lab

2. Market/Natural (Its really more of argument of natural cause from animals)

3. Lab and Natural Combo. Meaning it was more or less likely to be in the earlier stages of manipulation/mutation and have close cousins in the natural world. Yet wouldn't have become that deadly unless specialized artificial environments were created in a lab. I wonder if one could sort of determine the mutation jumps to see how close they are to their natural cousins.

4. Something we still don't understand. 

You can read FBI Covid. I like this article by BBC. Covid: FBI chief Christopher Wray says China lab leak 'most likely'

Chinese Lab Leak in China Cause of Covid-19?

The leading theory is that Covid-19 started in a lab in China. I thought it was possible but I also thought it was equally possible to be from poorly kept animals on hormones/antibiotics that may have caused a mutation of some type. Of course, I'm not particularly knowledgeable about things things and am applying general knowledge. Either way, any way, we will someday figure it all out. Everything sort of takes time.

When Covid-19 started consuming lives people were under duress, grocery store shelves were empty, and no one knew what it all meant. Some of this is likely to happen as part of our general existence in the same space, time and location. However, the leap in destructiveness isn't often seen on this level. i.e. meaning we typically might not see breakouts that are so lethal because there is more time to cure them through natural emergence and slower spreading pace (A leap meaning it is possible it wasn't natural.)

Its the same concept with masks. We now know that masks may not have been as helpful as initially thought, but we also know that at the time we did not know. Its better to be safe then sorry. I used to tell people the best thing to do is have most people use masks but also a smaller percentage of people who did not use mask or take initial inoculations as we hedge our bets. In other words, put in place the legal structure that gets most of the people protected but have some caveat for those who want an exemption so that they are making a conscious choice not to mask. Also they assume risk. (I of course could have been wrong as well. I would still encourage people to wear masks if there is a next time because it is likely to have some impact even if we don't know specifically what level. Until its been invalidated its still likely based on our disease knowledge to be of benefit. There either are or will be studies coming out soon that will determine best practices. It takes a few years to get a literature base.). 

Typically you want the riskier behavior to be a smaller percentage of people because based on evidence at the time, most people will be best helped by a vaccination and the harm from masking was annoying but minimal (I'm not talking about the political side of it.). As time goes on we get a better perspective. That doesn't mean that those who didn't mask had any more knowledge than those that did mask (There was little to no info to make effective conclusions.) but that they took a guess based on what they perceived to be an infringement of rights and in this case it sort of worked out.  

A question is, "When we are dealing with dangerous unknowns what is "reasonable"?

What House Investigates Covid

As time goes on we will understand more. Lab or not.....it changed world culture. One possible explanation is that if China knew it was a lab experiment gone wrong (which we don't know for sure is true. Although you can track back the mutations I believe to their original source if you can get samples. ) might be that they locked down harder then other nations because they were more aware of its destructive power. It could also be that culture plays a part in how much rights government and people have that makes locking down possible on this level. However, if the risks of lockdown are superseding the risks of injury then we can say there is something else going on in the decision making. 

Turn the next page in world history........

Why We Should Stop Caring About What Other People Think? The Value of Names and Name Calling

People are people and there is a constant sort of social negotiation going on all the time and everyday. Its fairly normal and you can expect that in all societies. There are different groups and there are different crowds. Some will rally around one interest and another will rally around a different one. Bouncing between these groups can sort of give you a perspective based on the differences in interest and culture. Each one focuses on a sliver of interest and aspect of life. Its something they "identify" with. Let us expand the social club perspective...

People will think what they want to think. Sometimes there is a toxic soul among the bunch that creates all the problems and its hard for people to see that. They know how to exploit differences in an attempt to manage their fears of the unknown. Minorities are often seen as the unknown. Likewise, if you are an actual unknown that creates deeper inner insecurities. That is where the problems start (i.e. the problem with those who have deeper insecurities and manipulate others through false information and rumor spreading. They dont need to know, dont have any right to know, but they should not project on others. That should also not be protected as a way of dealing with people that are different than us. Filling in blanks with self narration as an indication of inner turmoil. If you dont know most people wont go to the most negative thing to fill the info gap. They dont recogniz that they dont know what they dont know. Filling In gaps without practical knowledge or evidence based thinking leads to all types of miscued thinking that is then projected among social groups to harm the targets. Typically in the most dark and chaos way they can convince others.)

I've found despite the initial attempt to cleans "their town" through rumor spreading, false reporting and general aggressive mayhem the long term impact of that is limited. It may have actually done the opposite in some ways, as it highlighted the "truth" of the intentionally destructive behaviors (Its difficult for people to see this as a mental health driven mixed with an attempt to misuse close connections and racial/religious fears/bigotries to bully others of course. Discard that idea as well quickly....)

The point being this is an opportunity to deal with local based hate through positive forced self-reflection. The goal was to reflect back accurately as possible without sugar coating (As close to the real reflection you can get. There is danger in saying truth to falsehood.) This means that failure to self-reflect would lead to increasing legal problems that will likely not turn out well for anyone; specifically those who started the problem and failed to show a sense of humanity to others. 

I can only tell you what my current perspective is on this situation. Let us call this hypothetical example a control group and a subject group on a very loose meaning of the term. On one side you have a White guy with an American name and on the other you have a White guy with an "American" name based in this case in Caucasian origins (I actually have some ancestral connection to Caucasia through DNA testing but also to a lot of other places. It wasn't really the point. It was to see difference in the same thing. The term means almost nothing factually, but has much value socially. Its bazaar considering how mixed up we are nationally. In some ways my "American" name is just as logical, if not more logical, as my American name. What we see on an individual and in turn a social level in many ways defines who we are.). 

The same person, two different names, and two different environmental responses. One sees you as a friend and the other sees you with suspicion. One will say hi to you and the other will sometimes try to socially position themselves against you (It shocks people when you don't buy into their narrative and act as having just as much value as them. It enrages some! Just wait and see what happens the more I talk. Waiting, waiting, .....) . Its also not my religion that should give people of concern because I'm actually a cultural Catholic but also incorporate aspects of Islam, Judaism and a couple of other philosophies into my spiritual world view. It is actually more accurate if you believe all end up pointing to same place. My actually values mean little when they are put within the context of being categorized into a specific religion (I can define myself well, however others struggle with it. Is it my issue or theirs?).

There is a silver lining to all of this. With familiarity, proper socializing, and shared sense of community those differences begin to diminish and get better. I suspect there will be a day when it doesn't matter any more and the only difference between people is the quality of their character (Universal Democracy as the next leg of development that will likely be carried on the wings of new information and patterns of socialization brought forward through technology. Think of how much more information changes our impression of ourselves and the where and how conversations across the globe will lead to collective awareness. The best place is to be universal with values that that are American/"American" and appeal to the rest of the globe ). The ability to move beyond the narrative of those who promote division will be the deciding factor for many things in the future. We are either all pulling in the same direction or we are pulling against each other.

Me?, I have no plans other then to be truthful, polite, challenging, and of course humbled by the experience. I will not sugar coat because I have an oath and duty to the rest of my Americans/"Americans". Its not easy trying to be an adult in society, but the potential harm this group could have caused is immeasurable (I guess it won't seem like such a problem if you do feel that "those people", however, you define that, are truly less worthy; half citizen. Actions in this case highlight that their words were not empty. They truly believed we had little to no value as people. If you become a target you can see it, feel it, understanding it, and do your best to protect yourself, family and others. If you have never been a target that could lead to serious consequences, you really don't have a perspective you can use to understand what I'm saying.)

It is best to make sure there is no future misunderstandings and hopefulness that if there are any future misunderstandings they would be handled in a more constructive way. I don't really care much what other people think from the outside, because I have learned over the last 20 years with a Muslim sounding name that hate is destructive to our society and cuts our capacities nearly in half. I am consciously aware of the risks of exercising freedom of speech and religion in ways that are not pleasing to the narrowness of perspective of some but often more truthful than others.  Especially as extremism rises. In this case, so far people have exceeded my expectations of skepticism that change can happen. For that I am wrong, perhaps I'm wrong about some other stuff? (I could go on and say some very truthful things about that and the need to change but that isn't going to be constructive in this situation. The only thing I can say is that we have an untapped source of power many of our leaders do not understand. More about that some other time...)

Its an opportunity to learn for others as well. Its an opportunity to learn that the deeper roots of hate is mental health based. While I try and encourage that knowledge and the passage of legislation designed to help people who go down that line it isn't an easy thing to propose. When to intervene, when to not intervene, when mental health is mandatory, and when it is optional. All of that comes into play.  Its a legal mess. A political booby trap. Tread carefully politicians and peeps.

Anyway, I say that the long term impact of the rumor spreading is little. The clan members (meaning the good old boy network with racial and religious undertones) are unlikely to be particularly friendly to me, the rest of the community has been more then gracious. I don't hear about it anymore and it appears that people have come to understand the self interest in those rumors. As a lesson for those dealing with similar situation, that you have to make it through the initial wave of hate and then show back up to take a hit again. Keep taking your hits and eventually you will own the space. Persistence wins because you know your standing up for something important. You have more right to protect your family than the perpetrators have to engage in these activities. No need for aggression. Plenty of need for courage.

That may not work that way for everyone. I'm an old-new meaning that most of what people remember of me is that I'm polite and friendly. Even a little geeky. They can find some of those very same traits still today layered on experience after experience almost no one in that crowd is going to be able to relate so its pointless to try. When I look back at my own life I'm fascinated and while I understand why I went on a quest for truth (science), I had no idea how that may have inadvertently blazed a unique trail. I'm trying to apply it in a helpful way....but it will be unique knowledge and people will pull their hair out when it doesn't confirm their pre-existing bias.

At the end of the day, its just a story with some level of moral underlining. I guess that underlining would be something along the lines of covers of books and challenging assumptions. If you have not walked a mile in another man's shoes, you have no idea who they are. When you finally have the right to judge other people, is when you judge yourself correctly, and you use the knowledge that gave you that wisdom to judge others more accurately. Reflections upon reflections upon reflections until you get a 360 degree view of yourself. A type of metacognition.

From a philosophical perspective, you must see yourself correctly to see others correctly. That is the problem with hate. They don't see themselves correctly. Its root is very sad and very dark. This is why even in hate you respond with empathy and want to reach out with a hand designed to get them up the next rung in their personal development. Sometimes people slap that helping hand because they do not understand what they don't understand. There is effort in change. Its hard to judge that from the outside. In my limited mind, hate is the symptom of a deeper cause and I believe I understand that cause. This is also why I did not advocate for jail time but did advocate for mandatory mental health. 

Can we get others to believe in the universal principles that made our country great in the past and is likely what is needed to maintain our way of life in the future? I still have hope....roll the dice....let's turn the page in America's history.

2 Semi Conductors by 2030 U.S.: Cluster Formation Concept

The Biden Administration announced there will be two semiconductor clusters that are to be developed. You can read more about that in U.S. will create at least two semiconductor manufacturing clusters by 2030, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says. The strategy appears to be designed to create a more rapid development process to ensure digital supremacy for the next era.

Within that article they discuss National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) which is an attempt to improve innovation. Innovation is becoming extremely important and we should try and foster that broadly in order to develop greater economic engagement in national development of capacities. That requires the frame and it requires a focus.

The description they provide is "The NSTC will be a public-private consortium that provides a platform where government, industry, customers, suppliers, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, workforce representatives, and investors converge to address the semiconductor ecosystem’s most pressing challenges and opportunities."

Clusters are a bunch of different elements that are put together to create synergy where the total value of the cluster is much more than its costs. Government often formulates and sparks these cluster but they could be built organically as well. Each cluster will has its own "vibe"/culture based on how much control and how much free animal spirits are allowed to engage in the magic of creation in which industries.  

The same NSTC article states, At present, the Department is engaged in four high-priority tasks:

1. Evaluating potential gaps in research and engi­neering that could be filled by the NSTC. As part of the whole-of-government effort, the NSTC will complement the many excellent centers already established by industry, academia, allies, and other governmental agencies. The Department will create a preliminary landscape analysis with the benefit of recommendations developed by the CHIPS Industrial Advisory Committee. Ultimately, the NSTC itself will finalize the focus areas, but this early work will inform further decisions.

2. Evaluating and defining a structure and governance model that fulfills the CHIPS for America goals of promoting U.S. economic and national security and protecting taxpayer investments while ensuring technical excellence and leadership.

3. Creating a preliminary operating, business, and financial model that will serve as a road map for near-term investment informed by an understanding of what will be required for long-term sustainability.

4. Identifying a slate of candidates for the NSTC chief executive.

We must think of clusters as being like living entities made up of rapidly evolving activities and outcomes. The human needs are thrown into cause and compensation that lead to focused innovation and an opportunity to create technologies that spark whole new lines of activities. Needs and Economic Systems. We do that through solving market problems using our human and academic-capital! (Ok sorry, a plug for the blog. You see the definition of human capital.)  

To sort of understand the bigger picture one might want to look at  Chips and Science Act.  I'm theory playing on Delta County and whether it could develop its own unique cluster. Not semi conductor but for another purpose in a way that creates an economic system/cluster that can use multiple skills to help multiple industries (Discard idea quickly....)

Trenary MI Outhouse Races Make World History-No ESPN in Sight!

Just in case you missed it. The Trenary Outhouse Races made history. We had a tie for the first time in outhouse racing! For those of you who are outhouse enthusiast this is a once in a lifetime event. Rarely do you get this kind of excitement in other sports.

The tie was broken by a foot race. There is some controversy as it is believed one of the racers pushed the other racer into the snow pile. ESPN should be all over this! (All in good fun).

We come out of the woods once a year to engage in Olympic style sports where different villagers show up together to settle old scores (That one tracked this one's deer, the other trapping beaver near their lake, etc. ). Practicing pushing outhouses and chopping logs is the preferred way of the outhouse warriors! It takes many seeds to make a forest. Be one with nature. Namaste!

One of the outhouses even veered off the track and into the crowd! No injuries even at this high velocity!

Before you head to the outhouse next time pick up a copy of the Mining Journal or Daily Press. Two really good papers. They are also good places to advertise. Cover to cover expect at least an hour of reading to help you pass the time quickly.

 

Russia and China Engage in Trade: Are There Other Implications?

The Officers of the St George Militia Company in 1639 
by Frans Hals

Let us watch how the conflict is unfolding and what some of the options might be. There has been some indication for a time that China and Russia will start to negotiate deals. That will also determine whether China begins to allow for more lethal aid to Russia. If that occurs it will likely create a pivot point where its not just a need for fuel/energy and markets that China is interested in but also the desire to have ideological based battles. 

Read China is helping to prop up the Russian economy. Here’s how and think about what is occurring on an economic and geopolitical influence level. Russians may also become increasingly concerned that they are being drawn into having a subservient role with China as dependency increases. This is also why Russia may want to save face and get out now. If their forces get routed they run risks of immediate default and if they stay they run long term risks of dependency.

Ideology is important here because it does have some impact on business networks and why certain choices are made through cultural based assumptions. One thing China might think about is if an ideological approach best for their long term health or is it best to engage in the world community to encourage free markets. Its a choice with each step moving closer to a breaking point where you can't just tip toe back out of a position.

While the pouring of hot and cold water appears to be China's current strategy that keeps the overall bath lukewarm you will nevertheless scald some people and get iced by others. The mix will be off. Of course I always encourage peace and like the idea of free markets. Yet, as we are mixing war, ideology, and business all into the same pot the taste of the soup might turn out very well or might be horrendous. 

The things the U.S. can do to put itself in the best economic positions are to maximize human capital through tying American/"American" into a single national conception, ensure innovation and development are a priority, create broad based opportunities (versus "the connected"), develop clusters to solve specific problems, and politically learn how to deal with each other to maximize outcomes. 

(I know! I know!....probably better to just discard quickly. Let me also add a message of complete lunacy that patriotism is not race or religion anchored and we must bump up our universal conceptions of democracy to meet the next challenges we are likely to face as a nation. Its difficult to change the way we think but sometimes through challenge we have an opportunity to get better. This may fast be becoming the case. I think we are going to make it! Wait wait! Probably not a good idea!)

Russia Oil Dependence, G7 & Tech & Geo, China Supports Russia,  The Iron Curtain, Putin & Xi Meet, Biggest Threats, Changing Military Nature, Why U.S. Must Develop