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
According to this study on life expectancy the U.S. declined 2 years in a row while the rest of the world for the most part rebounded. That is a concern because employers want healthy workers and we as a nation want a healthy population. As I read the article I kept thinking it is not a singular cause but one of lifestyle, food quality, neighborhoods and other issues. I suppose, one could potentially be impacted by many factors which would be an indication we need to rethink how we are doing this.
One advantage of big data is that we will better understand how our environment impacts our lives and how improving on that environment can improve the health of the total system. Healthy citizens, good neighborhoods, systems with integrity, community engagement, and lots of other factors that ensure we are developing together. One might even be able to throw our political and social environment in as a contributing factor to good or poor health.
Environmental enhancements might be one way but so are education and employer programs. More push for preventative medicine and good health. I have a fitness trainer license (which I don't really use in that capacity) and have found that total health is rounded and integrated throughout the day. Nothing wrong with short walks, floor exercise, food, neighborhood redesign, etc. We just need to be more mindful and aware.
The military and education are the great equalizers of society and at this time in history we need that to ensure a competitive population. The military offers opportunities that you are unlikely to get anywhere else. For those who step away from small towns and dare to look into fate, things will forever be different. Coming back is quit interesting to say the least. You will be a changed person and that will influence those around you. The best news is, you can do it for others while you do it for yourself. Win-Win.
What you can understand and see after spending time exploring your world will be drastically of higher depth then what others from your hometown can see. You will understand some of the sacrifices and challenges our nation has faced and a little of what it takes to overcome them. As a person, you knowledge and skills will be enhanced because you have no option but to enhance them through challenge.
Today's military isn't just about physicality as it was in the past, it will require in addition a whole new array of skills that will be tested and maximized. Digital to Physical. If you are of the type, give all of your intelligences a spin and see how the military can maximize them for you and your nation. It is time for the young to join up, stare boldly into fate, and build the world the way they want. We had our time and now must give back that wisdom.
Tomorrow belongs to them, the day after that to their children, so on and so forth. The military and higher education must maximize the natural skills of our best and brightest to ensure they can get over the hill. We got work to do still......
*Coming back is not always easy. Its disclaimer. As a changed person, people do not always appreciate our service men and women and may not like what they stand/stood for. That is a direct result of their misunderstanding of patriotism and likely one of the reasons they didn't join or contribute to their nation in the first place. In a diverse world you may represent something they do not understand because they have never developed their intelligences nor their personality or souls. That my friend, is what ties all military people together. We know what it takes to make it and not everything is black and white. Its the journey that counts.
Watching President Biden's speech and thinking about how long we have been friends with Canada. I used to go over there a lot in my 20's because we are so close. They are very much like us in the U.P. of MI. We both like cheap beer and peanuts for the most part I guess (We also like maple syrup, hockey, hunting, and turning statements into questions with "eh?"). Anyway, we are all into the affairs of important and interesting things that truly impact our lives. We are a world spinning, and we are a nation that is ramping up to be something bigger and more advanced then we were in the past.
We do have some need to go more bottom up in our economics. I think that should always be the goal to ensure the ultimate stakeholders, the American people, are primary to all considerations (A balance between investors, society as a collective group, and individual people. We really can't forget world stakeholders as well. Democracy needs friends.). As with all things in life, we have to find the sweat spot for everyone where maximum motivation and societal outcomes are possible (Hard to calibrate an approach. No one is ever truly satisfied. )
Different ways to approach issues are important. Democrats are often bottom-up and Republicans are often Top-Down but they don't have to be. There are different tools for different times (History sort of shows different leanings at different times to different effects. Having flexibility is a sign of Transformational Leadership style. ). Sometimes a little of both can be important because they are general approaches (Right now the little guys/gals are suffering more than the big guys/gals but there is a balance in everything. In our past we used to live in the same neighborhoods. Rich and poor are very different now and so there is likely to be some pushback.)
(There was a discussion on unions. I'm not for or against unions, I'm for a market that adjusts across the board fairly. Everyone gets some benefits and everyone can feel the pain {A society}. Unions are more of a symptom when compared to a cause. I read a study once on why people unionize and its because perceived/realized unfairness. Unions are changing and becoming more flexible and that is likely going to help them find a foothold again in some industries; its not politics its just speculation based on market factors. I could be 100% wrong. I also think the Packers are a good team. 🤷)
Consider that we get into a political discussion on bottom-up or top-down but few can sort agree across the line on basic impact necessity. They both have merit but using the same at the detriment of the other leads to social imbalance. We have to watch the whole system to ensure people have the right motivation to grow in ways that lead to the most productive outcomes for society as a whole while rewarding individual effort. Grass roots wealth that encourages the masses is worth a lot in national development . Governments work best when they are universalized and fair to all parties and stakeholders. The key point is that decision should always focus on our shared goals and policies designed to get us there (That is not agreement or not agreement with anything.)
Lots of stuff and don't have time to comment. (If I'm wrong in my notes just sort post a comment I guess. No rotten tomatoes please. I have not formalized my thoughts. They are in flux and everyone is so smart they know all the answers. I'm just trying to catch up to them, but I'm missing pieces in my logical chains that is creating holes of decision making risk. How can I definitively decide something in which I don't really have all of the information? So...my commentary is for myself.....feel free to discard.)
-Batteries and electric cars.
-Supply chains.
-Semiconductor development.
-Canada gets repacking jobs (What about Escanaba? Don't forget about us! We act like and talk like Canadians but we are really Americans! Eh? )
-50 countries supporting Ukraine.
-Discussion on the In Flanders Field. We should always respect those who fought and bled for Liberty no matter what country! A little more history on WWI (Democratic nations do have a shared history of development. There are also different types of democracies.)
-Norad is the bi-national military program. New technology is coming forward. You can read more about Norad. (Such a cool military crest.).
-Getting the drugs off the street is easier when we are focused on the essentials. I agree we need to get the hard core drugs off our streets.
-Everyone should live in dignity and safety. Pursue justice and the rule of law. We should be fair to everyone (I'm thinking of the possibility and ramifications of broad based development.).
-Discussion on carrying the torch.
-We need to unleash the full power of our people.
-Mars is a good goal. There may be nothing on Mars but we might find new materials that allow us to consider precious metals that lead to different lines of innovative development.
-Agree on writing the future together. Yes protect our men and women in service.
*This article is designed to get you to think. We may not always agree on everything but as a light R. I can see the benefits of big pictures. Certainly there may be differences in how or when but those are strategic decisions and not necessarily disagreement on long term objectives and goals. As a nation if we learn to work together on issues that are central, we can accomplish many things. Politics should be a discussion and not a pitched battle. Its a give and take toward the bigger goals. A type of societal compromise. I say this for myself, and only my personal and only perspective. When it comes to building our nation, I encourage people who want to hold and pass the torch from this generation to the next to do so through shared commitment.
**I like to watch politics (and eat popcorn) but its not really for me I think. I do believe that it is how we grease the wheels of progress. If I could just drive around in a junky pickup, a flannel, and my fishing pole I would. I will pick up a good book on philosophy and see how that might apply to our current political affairs. Some like fishing, some like politics, and some like both.
Businesses should be aware of the different types of changes occurring in the market through what is normally called a Market Analysis that includes internal and external factors that lead to competitiveness. (You may want to watch this video on how market analysis works in business. 'Strategic Management' ) Within this source shift you are going to have internal resources and external resources being expended and built.
Internal resources our our capacities as a nation and group of nations (i.e. infrastructure/energy, innovation, human capital) The external resources will be the availability of fast data supply lines (i.e. just like old oil lines, highways, railways, airports, etc.). Countries, and flock nations, are likely to start coordinating their needs to ensure they are well supplied and maintained.
Outside of business considerations, I'm going to say I think the Reuter authors did a fabulous job on this article. Outstanding work! The amount of research that went into a paper like this is significant. Thank you for letting me read it until my web cookie cuts my free reads and I now have to pay for it. (Usually the trick is to clean the browser cache. 🤫)
One strategic line worth exploring is the possibility that Russia and China are trying to split on purpose and therefore it could be advantageous to head them off and maintain positive relations with those nations that are neutral between democracy and communism to limit influence expansion. Doing that in a way that also strengthens our own supply lines makes sense.
There is some misconception among some of our politicians and administrators on what it means to be an American and the need for integrity throughout our systems. We the People hope that the systems can push to higher states of integrity and become representative of the needs of ALL of society. We are moving in the right direction but there are still enough poor values and subjective application of the Constitution that it becomes worrying for the 60% of society that care about their communities and people that live within them.
Yet we have difficulty convincing some of our leadership that two different rules and applications of law and opportunities is harmful to our people and nation. Sometimes they hear the message but mostly they are reactive managers versus proactive change agents leaning toward higher American values. That of course doesn't apply to everyone but I would say its 50/50 out there (We do watch and do understand the destructive nature of ideological immaturity.).
We as a nation need enlightened leadership that moves beyond self-glorification and shallow values to reach the next rung of national development. We have new risks rising globally and the biggest risk we face is our difficulty in encouraging our leadership to work on the behalf of its citizens. While elections are part of democracy, so is the process of selecting candidates that are capable of fulfilling their oaths and duties. Elections only work when strong leaders are elected that know how to solve problems. We have a responsibility to ensure our leadership is following the rules and promoting pro-social values.
I would make a couple of suggestions for general consumption.
1.) Review Congressional resumes and determine whether the Santos Method of electability and embellishment is common. We can't vote on issues if we don't have accurate information to make decisions (We don't want to be duped!). It should be a serious ethical violation to intentionally and significantly falsify resumes and mislead the full scope of the populist's vote.
(Also cross reference organizations and entities to ensure there aren't groups cheating the system and selling our secrets for $$$. Not like its going to happen, but from a hypothetical standpoint, wouldn't it be nice to clean out those issues and then move forward. Maybe nothing is found, but I guess if you don't look you then you will always have that risk in the back of their head. Now that the thought is there...someone is going to wonder and want to peak behind the curtain. Fair is fair right...No? 🤷.)
2.) Encourage the laws to be applied fairly among all of the population. Trust me, as a person of a Muslim sounding name, I have seen things that would have been completely unacceptable if reversed. Actually criminal if we sort of viewed all people as important. The differences between law and shadow laws are becoming increasingly obvious and if we do not get ahead of the problem we will find big data embarrassing everyone across the decision making spectrum from many decades of short sighted thinking. (Hint on being proactive to show that you cared before it was a big problem. Its a proactive versus reactive approach.)
3.) Encourage broad based development across our entire nation and population. We can't just keep self-serving the "connected" and "inner crowd" in a way that is exclusionary to the many other Americans/"Americans" that want to get ahead (We want AMERICANS....the new enlightened Digital Age version that can hedge differences for innovative growth. In the past division was a way power, perhaps in the future actual performance is a way to power.) We need the best and brightest to get ahead in a way that leads to national growth. While a small sliver of our leadership may very well might be the best and brightest, most are not because they are limited to repeating what others are saying without critical thinking or having the leadership capacity to go against the grain. (Its the nature of the best and brightest to not be constantly self serving at the expense of everyone else. If they are the best in one arena, but don't have the values, then they are not the best and brightest.)
4. Swearing loyalties to parties and personalities over one's nation isn't the right thing to do either and often leads to eventual conflict and dissolution (One could support the mixed mission and goals in science and how that leads to group issues. The root arguments of some of our politicians is not actual strength of the country but designed to exploit division. This means there are questions of truer and deeper mixed loyalties of effort.) Divided loyalties often create big schisms because leaders profess certain values but are pressured to accept values that are antithetical to strong governance. The big picture should always be maintained in foresight.
While this may seem a little rudimentary, an American is someone who believes in their people and freedom (Long lost art of the purpose of good governance.). Swearing oath to the Democratic Republic of the United States encompasses the concept of making decisions in the best interest of the nation and having enough cognitive flexibility to know when to change. To know when change is more honorable than argument. While I suspect our national leaders will be more interested in managing in the best interest of everyone versus the shallow few we have a lot of forces pulling in different directions in a way that makes the ship unsteady. Differences of opinions are important, especially when constructive, but we all must stay focused on the same goal just over the horizon. We must be rowing together....no excuses!
*This is article-story is designed to help you think about how decisions in one arena impact many other arenas. If it feels like it is useless or you disagree please just click off. That doesn't reflect on the good politicians and officials doing the right thing regardless of the benefits. This is for those who don't, can't, won't and will not.
***I have more responsibility to tell people things they don't want to hear if it benefits the next generation then repeat and reflect back inappropriate beliefs that harm our great nation. We are not at the end, we are becoming, and we will show our adversaries that Democracy is the best way forward. We will correct our deficiencies of blindness so we can "see" clearly the path that lay before us. Be brave, be faithful, and be wise sons and daughters of liberty.
****I suppose its just story of fun and fancy. If you like other stories of a similar strain go ahead and attend a Congressional luncheon and listen to some of their fictional tales of awesomeness😏. Tales and stories.
This is an interesting meeting because it delves into governance and accomplishing things in the best interest of residents. There are people interested in this town and they are watching these videos and want to know the area can manage its affairs and make decisions in the best interest of its people. In some ways, we are teaching a much wider stakeholder about how government functions and whether or not it functions appropriately.
Some of that discussion is about whether government, community, investors and stakeholders can work together to turn a town that was once struggling, but with so much untapped potential, back into a sustainable example that might be utilized in other places. When people work together they can really change the landscape and create multiple win-win situations.
What we have noticed over the past few years is a transition. We had some change in leadership, a few problems sort of cleared out (i.e. hotel development "hacked" money issue which isn't completely gone for good I believe. It just keeps going and going and going. Dark Side vs. Energizer Bunny. 🐇). There will always be challenges but how people interact with each other in good faith will make a big difference in the outcomes.
One can make mistakes but if they are trying to do good things then good karma will follow. (I'm not saying there are any mistakes here, I'm saying in general if you try and fulfill your duties it will most likely turn out well through many small daily choices.)
Notes:(I try to be accurate but am sometimes wrong. Feel free to post a comment and I will correct.)
-Terrace Bay. What? Not about the Jail property? ....[Room goes silent in anticipation] .........water and sewer would help their business! (I also heard there is 100 units going in within Wells.). Drain field as well. I believe a lot of the larger businesses would be in support of new water and sewer. With state money its going to be beneficial. Early Christmas. Wells is the hot spot of development. Interesting.
-Bonafas Art Center. Disabled community. 900 artists through year. Free to public. Different camps. Concerts and food truck. Wants to be included in city budget.
-City Participation on budget.
-City Planning Commission wants some more training. Online or in-person training. Make master plan, how it relates to zoning, site plans, decisions, success new economy, role, ethics, standards,......$3,000
Public Comment. None. (This is meant as light hearted so please keep it in that realm. So sad I have to say that.... something to do with my name I suspect. 🤔 This not as much fun as the county meeting. I more or less watch because of the potential economic impact.)
(One committee a lot of conflict and open questions and the other one seems to be somewhat peaceful and restful. One seems to fight about everything little thing because of lack of trust and the other one is more subdued and focused. I suspect the issues might be cleared out pretty soon so everyone can get back on track to serving their communities.)
(In this case, it looks like Escanaba is moving along a fairly good path with relatively happy government customers. It is possible under the right circumstances. Sometimes silence is music. Just notice the difference in public comment length between the two meetings. In this case, zzzzz is kind of a good thing. Its a type of focus on essentials and a willingness to get along.)
- Public recreation improvements that include basketball courses and other good stuff. 100K commitment response. MI. Trust Fund Grant. (I'm assuming it is the Natural Resource Trust Fund Grant). 8 pickleball course (People are really getting into this.USA Pickle Ball Rules. They may want to also check out the EPA's Recreation Economy for Rural Communities. I'm not sure if they are going to have another open date for the grant but it might be good to contact and see what they have for parks and recreation. )
-One board member mentioned about the majority of the city being older. I agree and the stats show that. It is not because the city can't attract and retain young talent. It is because there hasn't been a big effort to attract them, employ them, and bring in new capital. I think people are thinking about that now and capitalizing on opportunity. Decisions we make impact our children and grandchildren's future (Trust me there are many places where lunch is way more important than good governance. It looks like we are sort of finding some problem areas and the community is resolving them so everyone can move forward.)
-Selling a parcel. Concerns on price and value. I don't think a delay will hurt anything. The buyer took the time to put in the request so they would likely be ok. Second property to be postponed until further review.
-Letter of support for the Wells water and sewer project. A couple of arguments from a utility investment standpoint are increased revenue for Escanaba if it can provide a service and make a little revenue off of it. It would help put a dent reversing trends to go further positive. This is what infrastructure projects can do if they are well thought out. It also increases revenue again with new businesses, business use of utilities, and improves health. Just make sure you understand the math of it all so as to ensure some margin for lean times (Be a pessimist in number crunching and projection. Once you know your bottom line then you can know your goals and shoot for the stars if you want.). 185 Wells customers. A mention that some other businesses don't have water lines and if they had water they would expand. Right now it appears that they have the capacity and can negotiate other upgrades if they are needed. Another comment by another member on current residents and state monies.
(I would agree with the letter of support for funding. In a county meeting they discussed whether or not Escanaba would want it and I think this would sort of give a direction to that question. You may also see how increased revenue can be used to grow sustainable development in this theory. Once you receive this money and it shores up a tight budget you don't want to waste it. Create a new revenue stream that helps build something with a win for residents, future, and potential investors. If you do it well, and for long enough, you can start to endow city expenses that produce revenue like parks, water system, etc. The point being is that we should use money wisely to protect certain necessary long-term growth entities and improve the budget by freeing them from being future resource draws. In good times, many of these endowed assets might eventually have surpluses that can be reinvested in other places to help the city/county. Food to debate and ponder as a people. )
-Appointments
-Splash park is going to take a little more time until next year for parts.
-Pot Shop too close to residential. Couldn't offer a variance (If you are going to have them they should be managed strictly and in good taste. Best to encourage delivery more than actual pick up. Pick up is good for boutique tourists and visitors. However, in general having delivery encourages less traffic and other issues.)
-WiFi for Harbor Tower. Waiting on parts.
Public Comment (Everything seems to be running well here again at this second opportunity. Something is oddly different between these two committees. I can't quit put my finger on it. Things are running so well at the moment. 🥱yawn. Its a good thing.):
-Speaking on the behalf of Kiwanis Club. Home and Garden Show April 14th, 15th, and 16th. Free pancakes bring the kids! Connect up with them on Facebook HERE.
-Conservation district. Different pot of grant money. Bridge went down. Did it for half a million, we had a million, and they let us keep the money. New water and septic needed. 34 million dollar project for water and sewer. Either Escanaba or Gladstone to route water and sewer. Timeframe for allocation. There was some discussion on timber and biomass.
(St. Patrick's Day is now over. I noticed at Meijer's there are St. Patrick's Day shirts for like $3. They are not bad. They say something about Irish-ish on them or something. If your Irish....go get some. 🍀 I'm also mentioning them because they gave masks to first responders in the area when Covid hit.)
*P.S. I write these articles to understand government and to help others understand government. We should just continue to become informed citizens. Having nice, quiet, productive meetings often leads to growth over time. While I sort of poke fun at it, it is appreciated by the community that they are productive meetings and subdued. Think of it like one is full of action packed adventure and the other is sort of background music. ✌ Its the way things should be. Don't let the big politicians fool you....there is a difference between theatrics and good governance.
Behind every great story is another story. Life is a meaningful story of becoming, changing, growing, learning, adjusting and mastering. Those who do interesting things are not driven by money and prestige. The challenge may be important and the ability to overcome is important. Whether this situation turns out as it should, as I suspect it will, it also leaves a little sting.
Such things happen because of values. At the end of the day, no matter where things are going forward, it was the values that drive people. Patriotism isn't only about flags and BBQ. There is something deeper in it all. It is about certain principles and values that lead to a shared sense of community and purpose. It is universal in its orientation.
I will not go into who has values and who is the first to dump them when they can self-enrich or get something (I got good at figuring out people and fairly accurate in my predictions of their depth of values.). The words people use mean very little when poor decision after poor decision become apparent. Walking the talk requires us to believe in those values of freedom beyond self-interest and surface symbolism.
Occasional there are people who prick our conscious and they didn't do it for money. They did it because they care. Investors should put their money where their values are because they are building a world around them, building economic structures, impacting millions of lives/souls, and they should consider what the bigger picture is when they do that. Money is awesome, making money is awesome, but it must be based in something deeper.
When you get the top of the score card you are only left with yourself. I hope you like what you see.
Here is a good study on values. Think about why people do things that you don't understand and persist despite having few or no rewards. Sometimes, there are more important things then self-flattery and self-enrichment. All patriotism should teach the deeper values of a society and not get hung on symbolism alone. Symbolism is only an anchor that leads to a deeper dive into the essence and soul of a nation.
We will meet our challenges as a people and best them. That will require greater focus then we are accustomed and that will require us to dive deeper into our own personal and shared universal values.
