The Value of Farmers Markets-Local Growth and Food Consumption

Sometimes doing the little things helps small farmers succeed. Over the past 30 years small farms have died off and switched out with larger Agri corps. While these larger companies have value in feeding the world and providing diversity of food there is benefit to developing farm to table type approaches. We saw this during Covid when we noticed that the food supply could be at risk because policies skewed the system in a way that limited local food growth and consumption. 

I think we learned from the situation and small farming should be a full or part-time business option for the young as much as starting a store or doing something else. Farmer markets contribute about a billion dollars and with the right approach could easily double and triple (I would doubt the stats capture it all as its lots of cash and roadside sales.) See Farmer Market 2022

This farmer market is on Saturdays in St. Matthews KY. You may find one near you at Louisville Local Foods and Farmer Market KY. The last picture is my experimental non water and non pesticide box garden in MI. Yield would be better if I arranged and grew the right kind of plants but it worked and I got some good stuff out of it. 

Elon Musk Visits Border To See Unfiltered Immigration

 Elon Musk visits boarder to see immigration first hand. Let me say this nation is built off immigration and I likewise recognize the need for a stronger immigration system to bring fresh labor. However, I do not necessarily believe it is in the best interest of immigrants or the U.S. to have completely porous boarders. So closing one loop of illegal crossings but offering opportunities to immigrate and achieve the American dream are beneficial. 

Let me say that the type of immigrants that are most helpful to our economy are good hardworking people who are willing to follow the laws, contribute to their communities, and build a good life. Those are people who want to get ahead, will pay taxes and quickly learn new skills. In a generation or two their children will become doctors, lawyers, scientists, factory workers, civil service workers and more. 

Justice
David Gilmour Blythe
1860
Strong immigration processes and 
procedures can create 
opportunities by helping immigrants
and the American economy.
Immigration Debate Continues

The open boarder is a little like a beacon because people know if they come they have a high chance of coming across successfully and staying. The wall would be helpful in this situation because it puts a dead stop to the situation and people know that just coming to the boarder isn't going to get them across. They would be forced to go through a vetting process first.

However, following the rules and immigrating directly from their home country will limit the risks to both the immigrants and their dangerous travel. Remember that there are really good people and not so people all coming across together. When they get here they do not necessarily always pay taxes or contribute because they become part of the shadow market through necessity. 

In a weird way I would also think that Mexico would be appreciative of not having to find ways of managing the boarder issue because the influx will likely decline. No easy solutions but for the most part I can sort of get his main points and in general agree with essence of the message. Sounds like he is seeking to move into politics at some point. 

Lots of good politicians, and some not so good ones, on both sides of the political aisle. (Personally I think we should make them all sit together in work groups and reduce some of the political tension so as to solve problems without the blinding ideological goggles.). This is a problem that is not impossible to fix but might require bright minds that can focus on practical solutions that both parties can compromise on.

Consider Monthly Encounter with Migrants

The Theory of Complicit Bias in Justice-Human Capital Development

Complicit bias is an important one because it is not something we always see first hand but its impact can be big over the long run. Often we are dealing with issues in which we are misjudging people based on our own understanding of the world but are not truly able to see the world from an objective and data drive standpoint. As a nation we have many opportunities to fix these issues and develop our human capital. To that requires the will and the way. 

A study discussed in the NY Times indicates that bigotries against just Black Americans impacts personal income by $2.7 trillion NY Times Cost of Bigotries. That is a staggering number. Other reports indicate that the economic costs to the economy could be as much as 30 or 40% (optimistically but realistically). Citigroup conducted a study on just Black Americans and that was as much as $5 Trillion by 2025. That doesn't include other issues of disparity such as religious, gender or other ethnicities/races. 

To me, our courts must always act in ways that limit complicit bias to make sure our country is as strong as it could be. Consider Supreme Court and Civil Rights. The essential purpose of all systems is justice as based in our Constitution, Bill of Rights and other artifacts. Thus, ensuring we are supporting our economies and futures by protecting our civil liberties are essential. Its not politics, its life and science. 

(These are not my numbers but if true and if we just did the right thing every time I think it would have a big impact on not only institutional trust but also things like economic, political and social engagement.)

Hyper politics reduces that ability and robs everyone of our full potential. I believe the future lays in developing our human capital to create broad based development where no matter one's racial or religious backgrounds they can grab the reigns of personal development to contribute to our democracy and nation. Where mistakes are made we fix them, where wrong doing occurs we correct, and where we are unsure we learn. 

“Inequality, rather than scarcity, is the cause of trouble.”—Confucius

Who says you can't learn from Eastern Philosophy? Empathy is a universal value and is a good thing to have when dealing with each other. It leads to higher performance overall as individuals and as a nation.

 

Why Factories Are Coming Back To The U.S. (A Few Thoughts on Manufacturing Return)

The U.S. is poised to become again one of the leading advanced manufacturing nations in the world. After decades of decline and misaligned policies there has been some movement to capitalize on new technologies and opportunities offered by the Digital Era. As advanced products and technology are being invented in the U.S., the nation will need to develop its human capital to match improvements in infrastructure, supply chain, and greater global investment interest. 

Notes:

A few notes from the video. Brackets () are simple thoughts and observations.

-Low wage and heavy labor industries are not fitting well with U.S. economy but higher technology and advanced education/training positions in manufacturing are growing. (As people develop their skills and gain new knowledge they have higher market value and in general create greater value for companies.)

-Skilled training has improved worker lives and they are getting interviews. (Human capital is central to growth in advanced manufacturing nations and countries.)

-Notice that manufacturing cost is about what it is in China but there are other infrastructure and locality factors unlikely to be fully factored into the numbers. (It may be possible to come to price parity as infrastructure, technology, and human capital/skill rises.)

-Increases in government space funding have led to a space industry that has become profitable. (These are spark investments that lead to increased industry interest and investment that take on their own process. I came up with a loose innovative transactional cluster theory that sort of helps explain that.)

-Lots of policy decision makers are confused about how complex the economy is and simple understandings could derail the decision making process (Rules of thumbs work when they are based on science but at the same time they are rules of thumbs because they don't necessarily apply specifically to any situation. For example tariffs can help build local businesses but at some point make industries non-competitive beyond inception. Market factors should force them to compete directly after seedling initial development stages. Easier said then done when finding the balance.)

-New manufacturing and policies sift and adjust the economic factors. (Generally, as more special interest groups get involve, the more the market factors are insulated and miscued from the decision making process. Not a problem it if helps us look long term but is a problem if policy and economic factors are not in alignment. Strategic and critical thinking is important if one is a policy maker.)

-Labor shortage is a big issue and high technology immigration is needed to further these industries. (We know this to be a difficult decision as low skill and high skill immigration are two different conceptions.)

Ethical or Unethical?: Attorney for Governor Whitmer Kidnap Plot Becomes Delta County Legal Counsel 3-2 Vote

An interesting article came out that I thought was very thought provoking and perhaps one of the best articles I have read on the situation. To be honest, there is a tie between The Marquette Mining Journal and the Daily Press as the world's two best papers (Follow closely by Bloomberg, NY Times, The Onion, and so on and so forth.). The article 'Delta County Board reverses attorney decision ' was not only thought provoking but brought up a lot of other concepts and ideas that seem to relate to other questionable behaviors. 

As you read this article just keep in mind that nothing is true until it has been shown to be true. At present, they are possibilities and just food for thought but not necessarily fact. Each American is entitled to fair treatment. So while some may suspect something is the case we don't actually know until a thorough review has been conducted.

Ethics:

Allegorical Portrait of Dante
Agnolo Bronzino -1532/1533
Dante's Divine Comedy
Representing a gaze into purgatory
and a protective hand over Florence.
Perhaps Escanaba's Renaissance? 

Its an interesting situation because there have been a number of complaints by a significant percentage of community members that something doesn't quite seem right. Some have argued there needs to be a full investigation into who is representing whom, any potential services render prior to the decisions to vote, and some other issues in the area related to Constitutional violations that may potentially be more serious that need attention and care.  One option if people feel something isn't right with the deal consider a State Ethics Complaint.

Ethical or unethical one cannot say but on the surface it appears that perhaps it needs a thorough review to ensure everything is being done according to the best wishes of the community. As one digs through the data and looks at multiple locations and places as many community members have done, they have uncovered questions and behaviors they don't have direct and clear answers. Make no assumptions and question everything. However, exploring ideas is beneficial for general understanding.

Investigations:

There have been some indication of investigations going on and one must wonder where those may lead. Because we don't yet know we can say that raising concerns and reporting them appropriately can help in developing greater understanding. Understanding is the key issue because people must research ideas and concepts for themselves and come to the most plausible conclusion. Investigations, whether they are official by state agencies that use taxpayer money to do that as part of their role, or through collective effort in which private citizens question still has a positive long term benefit and outcome. 

Default in Thinking:

Failure to investigate legitimate concerns objectively would be a serious default in our thinking as a nation as a people. I have faith a greater good can come out of this and eventually the truth will be told in a way that helps us all (Its all good karma.) No matter what that ends up being. Republican or Democrat this looks like something that doesn't appear to represent the full wishes of the community stakeholders and more or less has been stated to benefit a smaller group of well connected individuals and their ideological and financial interests. 

Rolling Questions:

Two questions that roll around in my and other's head are, "There are plenty of attorneys out there, why this one?" "What isn't being told and what isn't known by the public yet? Some have argued this attorney doesn't represent the county's needs at all and should have never been part of our county discussions. A few brought up a concern that it is designed to protect a "Good Old Boy" network. The legal services should have been left with the prosecutor and/or an attorney with more municipal experience. It appears the decision was hasty and rushed for some reason but what that reason is as of yet is still unknown.

Lots of Free Things:

According to the article below it appears that there was a free legal review of the annexation that was rebuffed by members of the community. You know what else is free? Feel free to watch all the videos from day one where complaints of alleged retaliation for raising concerns led to firing of the county administrator. Consider freely other related or unrelated complaints that could lead to context. You can watch a snowball effect of issues began and grew as more and more people got wrapped into the issues; prior to the firing and after. Trust levels of this administration seem to be relatively low for one reasons or another.

That does or does not mean anything illegal happened, or is happening, but it does mean that there is enough smoke that an outside review would be helpful in putting the community's concerns to rest and protect faith in our justice system. The only thing I can say is that it looks very peculiar to people who have a stake in transparent and open government that represents all of our community needs and best protects our future as a people. Also, for those who felt their sense of safety has been violated, the need to stand together is a must to protect our American principles of life and liberty through peaceful dialogue. Notice a community is coming together in a healthy and peaceful way.

Single, Indivisible and Freedom:

A single indivisible and united people/community standing for their democracy is a noble thing! You are now part of the process of encouraging better governance and fiscal management that makes sure money is used wisely. Simply just watching and understanding what the community and agency stakeholders are doing helps one understand how these issues are being handled in other places and locations. Its a learning experience for those who want to see the essence of these issues and who is supporting good governance. DC YouTube Videos.

While some may and some may not be related to this situation, there have been complaints that people have been intimidated for exercising their rights, having the wrong religion, or challenging misuse of authority, because they sought to protect themselves and thwart the misuse of these networks and associated poor values to enrich "one's own".  Democrat, Republican or Independent, it is important to step back and look at the big picture and ask yourself, "No matter what party I belong, how do I envision good governance and the American way?"

This is not a party issue, this is an American issue. We got work to do as a people to make sure the spirit of the laws isn't misguided by false ideology and to ensure justice ultimately prevails. 

Steps for Community:

It appears for now the public will  continue to file complaints and information with the state and federal authorities to share their concerns that something isn't adding up well. (I think that is the way your still supposed to do that.). Reporting and giving authorities data is absolutely critical to ferret out the implications of choices and behaviors. Never lower yourself to poorer behaviors and whatever happens in the future never become what we know isn't right, just, or moral. Don't mirror back poor behavior but do mirror back the truth that a lack of self-reflection has caused.

A Little Prayer for the Faithful:

I hope and pray, based on actual religious and spiritual beliefs, not the lopsided fake ones some have professed, that good will and the light of liberty shall overcome the creeping shadows of darkness and the backsliding of our democracy. "There is but just one just use of power, and it is to serve the people. Help us to remember it, Lord." Reagan Prayer for America.

The Background and Articles:

Delta County selects attorney that represented kidnapper plot against the MI. Governor. Considering there have been discussions of militias and complaints of targeting's and corruption in the area, what will happen next? One never knows because it depends on which place we are in history and our understanding of the essential purpose of our nation. Some are seriously struggling with understanding that and you can tell that through blind support for values we all might not share. 

A few contextual articles related to what the article in the Marquette Journal stated.

U.S. Attorney's Office Kaleb Franks

Combating Terrorism Westpoint Article on Gov. Whitmer Kidnapping Plot

Do you have your own opinion and what do you think of the situation? There is no right or wrong answer yet but just a way of understanding one's world and environment. 

Turn the page......

P.S. These are not facts but concerns. However, these are things others have professed. What would be nice to see is the community come together, create transparent government, and build a city/area that attracts investment and opportunities in a way that improves quality of life. There have been great movements in this area with over $1.2 billion in investment, new hotels, improved internet, airport development, ship building (still underdeveloped) and lots of other great things. Our politicians and leaders should be focusing on improving the lives and health of our community/nation through supporting a healthy democracy versus rolling around in the mud in immature and underdeveloped ideologies.  Just saying! 

A Few Random Thoughts on the Budget Impasse

A few random thoughts on current affairs as they relate to government budgeting. We need leaders that can compromise and focus on net positives and win-win situations that put OUR nation on solid financial footing at a time it is desperately needed. This is a very important point in history that could impact generations if we don't get it right. Few will stand up in hindsight and claim they made fatal error in judgement if things don't work out as planned. Be strategic and be proactive to put ourselves in the best place with the most options and choices.

Random thoughts....

1. Budget Management: Much more fiscal management is needed to ensure we are creating net positives in our budgets and using taxpayer money wisely. However, a shut down may not be the best way to do that because its risky and we are not dealing with a lawnmower where a change of a spark plug is all we need to restart our economy.

2. Boarder Wall: The Boarder Wall is becoming much more relevant. Its not against immigration but against unruly immigration. We have a process and we have to stop people from coming across so we can vet them properly. People must go through the proper channels because its humane for them and humane for us.

3. Federal Pay and Military: Stop gap measures to protect pay and the military are needed. My concern is that it may lower our military readiness and we don't need this right now. We shouldn't be doing this at this juncture because morale suffers and it has a real impact on the non-rich but also some of the most important members of society. In other words, rich people are making decisions over exceptional but average income families in a haphazard way.

4. Ukraine Funding: While we can't fund the war forever we should not stop funding it yet and should carve out some money. We might consider encouraging our allies to help out more in the process of funding. I'm not saying they are not doing their part but more help would be appreciated. I'm sure the people of Ukraine would bank the favor for the future.

5. Review of All Programs: We certainly could use a deep dive review of all Federal programs to ensure they are necessary and that they are helpful to create net positives in outcomes. Some social programs are likely very helpful and some may not be so helpful. A few counterproductive. Review, improve, become more efficient and make sure we are moving in a fiscally sound manner to get people financially independent and stable. i.e. human capital overhaul.

6. Drop All Ideologies: Whether one is Democrat, Republican, or other we need to end the hyper political rhetoric and do a better job at compromise. If we have leaders that can't do that that then we need better leaders that are willing to really step out of the box and find solutions. Regurgitating of party ideologies doesn't seem to do anyone any good.  Leaders should think for themselves.

Maybe these appeal to you or maybe these don't. You might come up with a few more ideas of your own. What would you like to see our leaders do? Feel free to make write or email your leaders and ask them to worry a little more about the longer term needs of the nation. Perhaps kind of a dumb thoughts. Feel free to discard. Ask me tomorrow and I might just change my mind. 🤷

ChatGPT-ish Comes to CIA: Innovation and Celebrating 75 Years: "Behind the Seal"

Information is key in todays world and as the Digital Era grows and more and more information comes online it will be impossible for employees to sift through that like they once did in old library books by hand. Thus the modern world is now about algorithms and understanding information and making meaning out of that information. Its a lot of info streaming all the time 24/7. 

(Technology gives us data and categorizes it but the human must still make the decisions because people at this point in history can make greater connections and develop uniqueness in approaches. We change, we grow, our brains adapt, and in many cases we become more accurate through new neural connections and cognitive leaps. Computers can't do that yet, and hopefully, never! )

While people will still be the center of innovation for our branches, it is the tools that we use that will keep us advanced and competitive. Adaptation and change make a big difference in our national abilities. No more need for stick in mud approaches. Open AI is an advancement in the way in which data is handled and likely a more competitive version then what was offered prior. Artificial Intelligence at CIA.

Always keep in mind that tools are tools but people are central to any good organization. Just like our armed forces they need the highest human capital they can find. Its another career path for those who seek the adventure and importance of it all. A higher calling in life and duty to one's people. Some of the smartest people have joined the cause in keeping our country safe.