Building the Army of 2030: A video on the diverse nature of a modern military

In any society there are going to be the warrior class and they have an important role in defending our boarders from emerging threats. Our diversity is one of our core strengths and the military has been an equalizer in our society. When it comes to building our nation, the people who serve have a special place. They walked the talk already and took a step that others did not take. That leads to interesting and unique lives in many cases. No matter what, they should be honored for their sacrifices. It is the one institution that has broad support because it is inclusive and purposeful in its activities.

The military is one place young people can do a lot of good. College is great, the military is great, both are great. You can make a life long career out of the military. Institutions like the military, along with others, have a long history of honor, service and excellence.  It is the one place that you can make a big contribution that would not be possible in other environments. You can be a physical warrior or you could be a cyber or intellectual warrior (A little of both/all might be important with some of the emerging VR technologies.)

There is even something called the warrior-scholar. You can read a little about how officer training might include more scholars. In this case they are talking about sociologists Warrior-Scholar. There is also a Warrior-Scholarship Project that helps vets make a transition to civil society (Ok its not actually always civil but we can always hope. A truthful pun.). Warrior Scholar Project. Because the technology and complexity of the modern age I think that we should scholars that already have degrees and include more of them in military roles. Its a knowledge game in todays world so we need to recruit from those who have specific knowledge skill sets. New skills encourages adaptability of the military through knowledge acquisition. You can also read about the Army Research Office and the research they fund (Personally I think they should spend some of that on 3-4 layer deep narrative online learning systems. That is just my humble and often useless opinion.)

Let me say this because I think its important. I have seen people disrespect our vets. People who either never served or people who have an incorrect understanding of patriotism and what it means to be an American. To me, these behaviors lean a little extremist and that is something we are struggling with in some of our small towns (Based in surface and underdeveloped perspectives). We will overcome issues like this as a society because we all know on a deeper level such groups are detractors and they intentionally create problems and issues  which weakens us all (That is a core purpose of their existence often developed around a dominant toxic personality or two. There is a mental health component of hate. Try selling that to people who know everything! ). They just have bad karma so deflate by not buying into the narrative (Asking question like "why" is important to solving those type of issues. You might be surprised to find they are projecting their own fears and insecurities onto others.)

Personally, I like the throw back to the American Revolution and the historical line that is drawn. It is correct, you become part of something bigger and in many ways continue to serve throughout your life in different forms and manners. It is an old institution and its becoming increasingly important in the modern world but for slightly different reasons. A sociological perspective.

Marquette Fashion Show: Down to Earth Style (Cultural and Creative Centers)

Today was a Marquette Day! While Escanaba is soon to hopefully be (received some big investments recently) an investment draw, Marquette is known for its high society culture. It has to do with the larger university and exposure to new ideas. However, I think Escanaba could have something very unique and trendy about it soon. Its starting to attract more interest in the market and can offer something other places would have a more difficult time copying. Marquette as a cultural center and Escanaba as a creative start-up center. (🤔 Sounds like its got a ring to it. Cultural Hub and Creative Sand Box)

I'm not saying its going to happen I'm saying theoretically there is a possibility if all the cards are played right and we snag a few good bites along the way anything is possible. The global market is looking for places to obtain high returns and we have a push to develop small export businesses. That starts with the right environment and investment interest (Look, its like this. Developed nations like the U.S. must find ways of attracting start-up interest and growth that investors experience in emerging economies. Our infrastructure/platforms, entrepenuerial assumptions within our culture, can be matched with the right environment and investment pack dollars. i.e. DC hedge fund. These microcosms of transactional clusters create high innovation environments that can produce prototypes and small batch production products. Start-up companies bring innovation and need affordable vacation oriented places to stay to develop that creativity. Such products can then be put into mass production in other places. i.e. Detroit, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago. You are building a pro-growth creative environment. That is the Theory of Innovative Transactional Clusters. Its an unfinished theory but this is a thought experiment so I'm going to run like the wind with my fanciful thought frolics! 😆 Ok seriously, I'm kind of watching how and if it unfolds. I mean really, watching it while it happens would be cool.)

Ok...sorry...off on tangent! Back on track.....

I went to support my friend's daughter who was a fashion designer. There were really good pieces. They are the kind most people would wear. Out of New York you sometimes get these crazy designs that are awe inspiring but then sort of not practical at $10K or wearable in normal events. The stuff in this show was very practical and thought my son might like a piece or two. I'm working on getting the site where they list their stuff. Then I can save up and get them a unique piece for their birthdays or something (I didn't come from the connected class so ever penny I got was sort of clawed out of the earth unwilling. You know how corporate culture is when your on the bottom of the pile. I sort of was on my own at like 16 and a half or something like that so I found my own path. Its good experience to share with others so they know someone who has been in the thicket and found a way out.)

(I have been to a few of these fashion shows in my life, even been on stage in a few. Suits but only a couple. If I lost 10 lbs I could probably cut into a suit again. Its all just good fun and variety that I love in life. Its fun and you meet a lot of people in that realm. I thought it would be old people who want to look young that buy expensive suits. I looked up the suit buying demographic and found that I'm past my prime! 44 is prime. 😬 I guess I can look forward to senior discounts. Modeling out and bingo in!😂 💨.)  

The Importance of Building a Fair Society: Human Capital Comes from Maximizing Diverse Talent

 We are a society whether we like it or not. We know that there are different rules for different types of people. Its not everywhere but its enough to be of concern. While there will always be "in group" and "out group" members in any society the laws should apply fairly to each. A fair society can draw additional talent and skill from the 60% that may not feel as though their concerns are not given full weight (Another person may say 10%, 20%, etc. but I have met a lot of people from various backgrounds so I'm going to say 60% that don't fit within a certain perceptual range.) 

There are really good people out there from every walks of life, stations in life, education and in positions of prominence. I have met many of them. I have also met some where the rules don't matter and anything that banks in their favor is acceptable. When power and poor behavior mix, most people sort of cower in fear of losing something but then fail their bigger duties.

I encourage people to support those loftier pro American and pro social values so we can build a strong society where everyone is engaged in the betterment of the nation and its people. That can be difficult if we struggle with the basics such as the Golden Rule or general civility. Nations are built off of pro-social behaviors of inclusion and not division and exclusion (Exclusion base societies are damaged and run all types of risks. Thus I encourage the former. Seems like a good ideas to me, but some disagree. Some of us are improving and some are taking away.). 

I've seen very good people and very bad people. We seem to forget the importance of the former when we vote, promote, conduct business, and socialize with. Someone may ask why I would say such things and I say to them because I have a Muslim sounding name and Black kids. I know the differences in society that occurs and have been called every name in the book. Its a hate thing (It is just the way a certain percentage of society is but we can create the pressure for more enlightened society by being involved and encouraging better values. Most people are good natured but those who do engage in hate are often given free passes to do so.). 

These differences are not insurmountable but does require thoughtfulness by our leadership. We cannot expect to stay #1 without innovation and human capital development (As well as infrastructure, investment, education, etc.). We have some human capital struggles and we will need to think about how to maximize our diverse talent to be the best performing nation we can be (It shouldn't be a contentious but its difficult to change minds when we fail to be self reflective and certain people benefit off of poor behaviors.) 

If you are one of those people who the rules are sort of a mixed bag don't fret too much. Every great thinker in society has said the same thing and those who believe it is perfect are often the most advantaged (and often the most delusional. Every system could be improved and to think not means they are not taking their roles seriously and/or don't have the capacity to be constructive or look beyond themselves.). Consider that in life we have certain responsibilities to be better, be good people, and contribute in a meaningful way. By doing this, we are not shirking from mistreatment but embracing it as an essential truth of where we are starting and where we need to go. 

Patriotism is not just symbols alone, as it moves into how we treat each other and how we develop our diverse talent. Anything else is sort surface oriented. I believe very much in developing our country and dealing with the difficult things that many of our leaders shirk from even though its fairly important and obvious to deal with if we want to move into the growth era.  In this country race and religion should not be a deciding factor in anything, it is the soul and character of people that counts. We just need to see the value in each other (Try getting people to vote for that amebic concept. Its not a sound byte so its hard to sell.)

IMF Says U.S. Improving: Still Risk of Hard Landing

Gita Gopinath, the IMF's deputy director, states that the U.S. could still have a hard landing. She was impressed by the labor marketing and consumer strength. The hard landing would be an economic difficult. I think if the things played out right we could see a dip and then upward trend at the end of the year. However, that is a little speculative on my part. 

Bankers are doing well but still are in a difficult spot. Centera banks are keeping their eye out for changes. 

Thoughts and Perspectives on Policing, Crime, Economy

As a nation we still struggle with the concept of where we are going in terms of policing. What I often see is heel digging and sometimes ideological/political staunchness on both sides of an argument and that isn't doing anyone any good. We need people to think thoughtfully on how we can raise the standard of policing to reduce crime as well as ensure both the public and policing are focused on the same end goals. In some ways, we have to be able to explore these topics freely (Our nation does best when we are free thinkers and discussing issues toward a positive end. The far right and left ideologically staunch, but often less thought out ideologies, don't do us any good in the long run. It just creates more chaos and protracts the collective pain of poor decision making.)

We have lots of great officers and I believe in them and believe they are doing the right thing. 100% I support their good and thoughtful work. Sometimes we have bad officers, it happens everywhere and in every organization, and we need better mechanisms of holding to account and removing. I'm 100% against bad officers. Encouraging good officers might require positive pro Police and pro Public reforms. 

This is the debate we are having nationally so its an important one. From a business and economic perspective it is important to solve because lower crime influences economic development but so does the ability to manage the human capital aspects that can only come from inclusiveness and opportunity. You may consider reading 'The nation is diversifying even faster than predicted, according to new census data' (This is why I think its important to think about this now and stay ahead of a curve. I like to be proactive. I think a lot of time in politics we are reactive.)

Crime Has an Impact on Economic Development: 

Crime is a major detractor for any locality and we want to reduce crime as much as possible. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond crime and economic development are associated.  You can read What Do Recent Studies Say About Crime and Policing? Part 1 to gain a better understand of that association. 

So, based in that understanding we should always be focused on improving the total system for maximum effectiveness. Reducing crime both organically through prevention as well as becoming effective at solving crime problems. That will require thinking about how police can partner with community members to solve problems on a preventative level as well as on an enforcement level. The goal is to improve transparency and oversight without reducing effectiveness (We would actually want to make policing more effective and attractive. That would be important in the long run so anything we can do here is vitally important to reverse what appears to be a downward trend.)

Integrity of Departments and Institutions is Important:

Integrity is very important to all policing (The people need to believe in the truthfulness and integrity of  the institution. Its central to good policing.) Sometimes officers commit crimes (Some say rarely, some say daily. It just depends on who you talk to and how they characterize their experiences.) and it becomes embedded into the culture of a group and that could lead to ulterior purposes and objectives. 

Good officers naturally avoid doing illegal and immoral things and use the law appropriately to help the community. As human nature dictates, there are some who manipulate the law for self gain, help their friends, or who hold Inappropriate views against others they are willing to act out in public (It may be illegal but without accountability such behaviors persist to the detriment of society.)

 I found an article by the Department of Justice in 2016. Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested. 

What the study found was that there were very poor records of police crime, most arrests were not made by the employing institution, and there are not adequate checks and balances for problem officers. Some of this might be by intentional by design and others as a by product. All institutions should consider the long term goals and values of society and should build in the mechanisms to remove members who are violating the law to ensure they stay focused on society's goals. 

There was the Scorpion Group that was disbanded in the news recently. When you read the article you realize that the police departments were already struggling in these cases and morale was persistently low for a long time. That is not how policing should be. It should be a positive experience and it should be done with helping in mind. We want our officers to feel good about coming to work every day, we want the public to support them, and we want to move toward a proactive community engagement in fighting crime (Hand in hand between people and police. We need a little work to be able to do this. I do not feel we can get there until we start listening and thinking about long term goals.) You can read Disbanded Scorpion Unit.

More Training and Better Policies Needed:

I consider myself a friend of good police and encourage young people of diverse backgrounds to join their ranks. Policing will be part of our lives and we need them to be as effective as we can make them. When we know there is a need for change we often foot drag and that risks spillover branding (Being seen as not wanting change even when its reasonable to do so). That poor branding reflects unfairly on the institution of policing as a collective whole (Bad officers influence perceptions of good officers. I wish could say that wasn't true. I'm experienced and know more good officers than bad officers. However, there are communities who feel differently because they have not had those positive interactions. I wish it was different. There are many reasons why that occurs and its complex. A whole other discussion probably.)

You can read are article by the Council of Foreign Affairs that discusses how American police are at a disadvantage in training and funding. They indicate that creates more issues and there are solutions to some of those problems (I'm not saying I agree or disagree but that is what they say) How Police Compare in Different Democracies. There are many tactics and trainings I believe that would improve the nature of policing and create more buy in from minorities (If you study from a metanalysis all of the best practices nationally and internationally you can probably draw some basic conclusions. You can then check those out with experts in the policing field to ensure such tactics would work. I suspect you would then pilot study those tactics and if successful incorporate them into a national, state, or local training standard.). 

A few ideas to think about. They are not actually complete and could be adjusted. However, I'm just thinking of what might be helpful based on these few documents and studies. There is plenty of room to disagree. I'm just thinking about how to improve the whole system in a way that would ensure stronger community support and effective policing outcomes. That support improve pro-social growth and greater partnerships between society and policing. Feel free to toss any of them...they are just thoughts in progress.....

1. Standards in Training: There are things I believe that every officer should know. That could be a study in and of itself (Just in case anyone is interested in conducting a study)

2. Yearly background checks. This is what one of the articles above said. Every year seems like a lot. Maybe every 3 years. However, complaints might be reviewed more regularly as part of the yearly performance review. (Ok, I'm not saying you would necessarily get union-department to agree but I'm saying its an idea. Discard if you feel its worthless.)

3. Automatic review of serious complaints (outside the department if necessary). 

4. Diversify the staff and recruit from various backgrounds (improves policing and improves effectiveness). It might not be possible in some areas but one could consider swapping with bigger cities officers on 6 month assignments. A type of on the job training and exposure. 

5. Known Federal violations be bumped up automatically to Federal and State agencies i.e. hate based crimes are chronically underreported. Systemically failing to report obvious incidents should be seen as fairly serious. We need to remember that its "liberty and justice for all" as central principles. We can't neglect our core American values for secondary lesser considerations. 

6. Community oversite. Beyond State or Federal involvement during incidents of misconduct we might consider general community oversite. Things like complaints and these issues that do not appear to reach the level of being reportable Federally might still have value for review. Having a community panel capable of reviewing these issues could do wonders in ensuring appropriate checks and balances where weaker internal controls are experienced. 

7. Wages and compensation. I'm a big supporter of police and first responders. I say an 8% raise but bigger benefits package might be helpful in keeping these positions attractive to young people. They have options and we want our best and brightest in public service. We seem to be narrowly focused on recruiting for an older paradigm of policing (One that isn't that effective statistically. I think we have to change to ensure we are using our resources well. Change to what is the big question.)

8. Personality. Hiring from a macho perspective doesn't really work anymore and might actually be a detriment to positive community interactions (Personally, I always prefer friendly, polite and helpful officers. The ones who feel a deep connection to the meaning of their work and the communities they serve.). We need thoughtful people who can use muscle if needed (which is more tactic then muscle) but have the personality to de-escalate and create positive good will (more character then ego). The soft skills and emotional intelligence is needed in all officers. You can't really have awareness of others until you have awareness of yourself. 

*Food for thought. Not really finished yet. My beliefs fluctuate so ask me tomorrow and I might change my mind. The ultimate goal of this blog is national development and we can't say reasonably that improvement to an institution that impacts every American's life is not part of the consideration; from a practical standpoint (I'm fairly neutral on the topic so think about it for a moment). We see how the more important laws are sometimes supplanted by smaller and less important considerations that are not part of our core conception as a nation and its people. That missed priority organization in values could impact these institutions if the value of policing is policing itself and not its protect and serve component (In theory, in alignment with core American rights and values.).

** On a personal level I think we are leaving the next generation a mess. We are struggling to find the moral capital and conscious to sort of deal with it even though just about every study indicates the misalignment is becoming a bigger issue. From a business and economic standpoint it could be potentially a key component of human capital development along with education and broad based innovative development. As you can tell, I'm not afraid to use my freedom of speech. I say what I see. I love good police, dislike bad police, and would want a system that ensures we promotes the ones we want and removes the ones that are causing problems. Common sense isn't as common as we might hope it would be. Let us turn the page in our national development.....

The Ice is Clearing and Boats are on Water (Fishing in the U.P. Report)

The ice is clearing and boats are starting to get back on the water. I'm reviewing a couple of motors for my small boat in an effort to replace the one that was broke. Its the one I bought with the boat but didn't run well. I didn't pay much so I'm not worried about it. However, for now I'm checking out all the shore places to cast a line. Based on the warm weather and lots of melting snow the waters are running very fast. You don't want to fall in at some places. 

The fishing report on MLive yesterday. 'Fishing report: Walleye run in ‘full swing,’ in one part of Michigan'. The following is quoted: 

"Little Bay de Noc: Anglers were done ice fishing the bay and awaiting the end of any remaining ice.

Big Bay de Noc: Shoreline ice remains in Ognontz Bay, while ice in Garden Bay was melting and will likely be open soon."

My Useless Fishing Report. I went on the Escanaba river near the dam and threw my line in. I came up with a different kind of rigging. My friend calls it "Alabama rigging" which I never heard before. 

Anway, it didn't work this time but I plan on trying it again. The current pushed it just fine but no takers of the lure. I think I will ensure the lure doesn't get wrapped and put an official leader on. 

Lost my cheap rubber grub and sinker on the rocks in the water. As you can tell, I was not successful so apparently I'm still doing something wrong. 

The water is running super fast.  

Escanaba City Council Meeting (April 6th, 2023): Sewers, Water, Grants, Land, German Mythology/Arbor Day Proclamation for All for Escanabans Throughout the Land!

This was yet another productive meeting in our search to create the land of prosperity, brotherly togetherness, and good cheer (Ok. Sorry, sometimes I get excited about the possibilities!). What we often find is that there are many different pathways to growth and there is a balance between development and community affairs. Finding that balance is not easy but we do see a good attempt. You can watch this town grow and change as it draws in new resources and adjust to the global market.

In honor of Arbor Day..."The Tree of Life"
Painter: Oluf Olufsen Bagge (1780-1836)
Germen Mythology

For example, much of the meeting relates to development, infrastructure projects, appointments and the other stuff. These are normal administrative issues as it concerns a town on the upswing. Likewise, it is also important in a democracy for leaders to provide opportunities for the public to say their opinions freely. In this case, it appears that people are relatively content and not a lot of comments. 

Development  alone doesn't mean much without considering the quality of life side issues that impact the rudimentary aspects of interactive social and economic engagement. Kind of an interesting study on how quality of life and economic development sometimes go together. 'Impact of economic development on quality of life and human happiness of urban socio economic classes: a study of suburban Mumbai'. In this case, it looks like local activities and development are for the most part in tandem.

Sorry I digress....off to the important stuff....

Arbor Day was proclaimed (See info below) and it is now incumbent on all citizens of Escanaba to celebrate (Ok its not like someone is going to send you to the stockades or anything if you don't celebrate. However, you probably should plant a tree or something and shake your fist in defiance at pollution! Alternatively, perhaps picking up trash in the neighborhood or park might also be a good faith effort if you don't have a sapling to spare. See CO2 Emissions World)

April 6th, 2023 Agenda.

Notice the U.S. is improving. 
Expect green energy and new energy
sources to impact those lines.

Drinking Water: Drinking water plant upgrade. Public hearing. Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (DWSRF).  Public input on project plan. (You may want to read an article in Daily Press Escanaba reviews water and wastewater projects). Two elevated water tanks, concrete water holding tanks, water main, valves, etc. Active source water protection. Hope is to improve water quality for the area (I don't believe there were any problems but updating regularly is a good thing when a municipality has an opportunity.) A fund to remove lead and maintain appliance.  Likewise, water and sewer development will help the growing business climate of the city. Alternatives no action and fixing problems as they occur. Replacement of lines, looping, updating tower is alternative #2. Sending out bids on replacement. Improves roads as well. Different priorities. You can see some of the costs in the agenda.  $16 million.

(I must say a very nice presentation. Very knowledgeable and outlays things for readers.)

(Water is an important part of development. While we are on the Great Lakes we still need to ensure water is pure of high quality. As a nation we are now working on improving the Great Lakes. We recently started thinking about what the Great Lakes mean to us. Anway.....here is some information by the World Bank on Water Thirsty Business.)

Sewer Adjustments: Basically we have to increase the sewer capacity and usage in the area in alignment with updating our current system but also improving it for new businesses coming in the area. Discussion on lift stations and costs. Staying in compliance with EGLE. $20 Million 30 year loan to get everything done. $10 per month per user. 

I'm not going through all of it because there is a good Agenda. The county doesn't have a good agenda yet so it kind of requires going through everything. April 6th, 2023 Agenda.

Pickle Ball: Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant $300K with Escanaba $100K match. 

Land sale and purchases. $29K sale land locked. 

-Looking for grant money and forgiveness. Exploring the possibilities. Approved.

-New tractor. 

-MDOT right away utilities. Permit.

-Street closing for dates. Or was that for an event? 

-Event closures with alcohol. Radio Results Network.

-Industrial park land. Able to put in stipulations. Passes.

-Proclamation: 1872 Planting of Trees. Cold Arbor Day. I love trees. We need to plant more! April 28th, 2023 is now Arbor Day. Ok we also should consider having a Brew and Arbor Day Planting Event! See Michigan Arbor Day (Apparently you can list your Arbor Day event. I think we should come up with a poetry reading in front of one of our trails, a quick snippet on trees, and then a Brewfest! That is the stuff that makes life fun! It is a perfect day for hippies! We live by trees as an industry and as a people so sustainable replanting is helpful and makes sense. The companies here replant and engage in sustainable practices so that is good news. This is also what makes industries grow.) Arbor Day History