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
Firefighting is one of the more noble professions in our society. The other I think is the military. Policing can also be noble when it is done in accordance with our liberties and freedoms (Its a systems and culture issue that might need to be adjusted. Not to mention some of the political distortions around building great systems. It could be fixed and we could improve the system but we are not in that place as a society yet. There are lots of great cops I have met over my life. Strong and community oriented policing does and could do a lot of good. Why change efforts fail?). Designing jobs that create higher levels of engagement of firefighters and higher levels of retention are important. Job crafting is one way to attract and encourage retention in firefighting as well as the other public services.
Job crafting is adjusting a job and its effort to retain and attract firefighters. In my labor relations experience it is often about cross training, drawing in skills to help the department, and/or create new pathways to the public. People join because they want to help, be part of a team and want to contribute in their own unique ways.
For example, one firefighter might be a muscle head and could teach about fitness and another an artist that can create flyers and public awareness materials. Being able to find ways for FF to use their natural abilities is important and its helpful (human capital development).
(As a quick side note. Even if you took the business or investor route in your life you can still either become a volunteer part-time or you can support your local firefighters by donating to organizations. It is good for corporations, tax deductions and it is good for public relations purposes. Not to mention the community. 501 (c)
I know some great local firefighting departments that would love to upgrade their equipment and could put that money to good use for a variety of purposes.
For example, a single $10K grant allowed for new lights, safety equipment, roadside support and more. Another organization provided a smaller cash donation to ensure we have a little maneuvering petty cash money and another allowed us to get some car jacks, like you see in the video, so it goes a long way.
Training money would also be of great to consider bringing in skilled trainers to teach not only those firefighters but also area fire departments. We are rural up here so everything helps. )
Corruption costs our societies and community a lot and while corruption is a known aspect of our lives we also know there are few backstops to it. When people accept poor behavior they do so for many reasons but usually it has some sort of financial, ideological or social gain. We do not have enough people within government who support anti corruption measures and not enough ways of managing that corruption.
While many of us know that corruption costs society we have not yet developed systems that consistently hold that corruption to account and so there will continue to be loss to society and to the victims of corruption. Even in cases where corruption has become apparent and increasingly obvious, there is often failure to correct.
(It makes one wonder if corruption is so difficult to catch and fix then we are not doing something right. We need to change something so as to ensure society isn't shouldering the burden of corruption or corrupt officials.)
For example, targeting a family for ideological reasons, supporting the illicit financial gain of those who launched a hate campaign, or supporting governance decisions that are based one's "clan network" would be serious affairs of corruption. It some places they have become part of a culture of corruption.
Anyone can be corrupt. Administrators, a extremist police network, politicians, executives, workers, a court system or any other that misuses their positions. There really is no position that can't be engaged in corruption. Take this example of Chicago policing and how there was a failure to protect the public 200 False Convictions (p.s. I actually support good police and good policy)
What is worse, is when we know about it and fail to act on it in a meaningful and honest way we begin to break down what is good in support of what is bad. Indifference and complacency are the best friends of corruption. It opens a question. Who is more guilty, those who do it or those who know about it and fail to hold it to account? (The Conversation)
I believe its important to build a better mousetrap so as to ensure corruption doesn't continue to rob our future and erode trust in some systems to function as intended. Consider an article in Time Magazine and how corruption impacts the financial health of our communities. Corruption and Poverty
One thing we can do as a nation is work on protecting the public from corruption. This is why I support a stronger policies and more accountability. Corruption undermines democracies so failure to tackle is in many ways non supportive of our society. UN Corruption Undermines Democracy
My advice. Report corruption and report everyone who knew about it and failed to act. They should be the first people to come under scrutiny. It also creates a net for those who were central to that corruption. At least in a functioning system.
Mr. Fink discusses a number of changes in the market and some of the changes. More aggressively toward technology and productivity. There is adaptation in business and in the market in general. He believes fear and lack of hope are shifting the market on a significant level.
All I can say that I hope that we don't go through recession but I do hope technology improves labor value and output in a way that enhances lives. Most of the things he says I can agree with but might disagree on extent.
I will agree that innovation is going to come from faster patent processes and adaptation of research.
E-bikes are a great addition to our society and not only provide fitness opportunities but also a chance to find cleaner outdoor commuting options. Except in places where there is sever cold the e-bike seems to be a great way to augment a second car or alternative form of transportation. I bought mine for about $450 and added $100 in mirrors, comfy seat, lights, and handle bar extension. Now its comfortable and fun!
What do all those moral, religious, philosophical, and constitutional discussions lead? Civil Rights of course! Let me say that the Civil Rights movement is what makes our country stronger and better with each generation. It is the grease that allows the mechanics of improvement to occur. As with all things there are those who sometimes oppose fair treatment because they feel it takes away from them. Such ideologies are inherently selfish arguments because at their roots they are based in fear and become manifested in obstructionist and exclusionary political beliefs. Such individuals do not recognize the additive value of diverse people working together to achieve something great through shared goal obtainment (As an example Synergy and Economic Development.)
At times there are people within institutions that do not work towards that freedom and misuse their authority or judgement to harm people so as to ensure their narrow ideologies take precedence over the needs of their nation and their own moral conscious. At times there are also institutions that take longer to change because of the homogeneous make up of their leadership (access and diversity issues) but also because those that oversee them do not always see the value of togetherness (the selfish principle as distorted in social mirrors).
A Hypothetical Example of Abuse
We are all free! Racial and religious freedoms protect our liberties. Freedom of speech helps us learn about the legacy of hate.
Let me give you a hypothetical example of why change is needed. Someone who holds dark triad traits wants something so uses his/her employment based and social connections with local police to exploit racial and religious divisions ("Better than you" perception.). As he/she does that there are no backstops within local law enforcement as extremist members target the minority family and their children. There was no attempt to protect the family from social, financial or violence oriented harm (complicit bias).
While such behavior seems extreme in this example, it is possible that it is happening throughout the nation at different times and places. While the behavior may not be as pronounced as in this example such behaviors seem to be related to degrees of difference the ideological make up of some those within those systems (Example Labor Disparities or DOJ Discrimination Disparity) Those that could have fixed the problem double down on their ideologies to ensure that the protection of the institution from helpful change that would be in the best interest of all the American peoples.
Complaints are not necessarily against police but the misuse of authority based on misunderstanding of the purpose of those institutions. There is a lack of ability to correct or empathize with our fellow Americans. In this example, each time the target(s) put forward a complaint they found another targeting and intentional violation of their rights in a way that could be described as third world ethnic cleansing. While the victims had general respect for the institution of policing and support them through their protect and serve purpose the lack of checks and balances along with their religion and race made such behaviors seem appropriate.
The end result is a enrichment within their social networks, social programming of hate, and general distrust of local institutions to stand for their oaths and essential purpose. Freedom is a higher order concept when compared to the misuses of power. Universalization of actualized freedom is the right of our next highly diverse generation. Gen Z Workplace
Next Generation 100% Policing and 110% Civil Rights
Subscribing to the 100% Police and 110% Civil Rights allows us to keep everything in perspective so as to ensure the institution functions within the bounds of the central purposes of our democracy. The narrative should not be police vs. people or people vs. police. It should be people and police working toward a common goal and end. i.e. effective and fair systems encouraging safe streets. The logic seems lost on some of our leaders. Institutions are generally going to take longer to change when compared to the freshness of our youth who have pliable brains that can see the need for change earlier. See Gen Z Change.
Each generation has wanted change based on the fluidity of the world around them. Our very form of democratic government encourages a system that can adjust with the times and when it doesn't we have an entity that risks decline (Genius of Constitution). Institutions are often slower because they have cultures and perceptions that are often rewarded within and in turn become resistant to reasonable requests of change. While patriotic wrappings are used in their words for manipulation purposes they are inherently weaking the democracy through prolonged stickiness of adaptation.
People in my generation had our own struggles and they continue on today but did do some good in setting the stage for your generation. My parents generation ended official (not unofficial) segregation, our generation opened the discussion of full participation, and your generation is going to push us to a universal democracy. Unless extreme sorts of power abuses occur it is a natural and most logical end that strengthens the totality of performance and development of the nation.
Some may wonder if people like me are activists and I cannot say that was ever the initial intent. Up until extremism was giving a full and visible free hand I never thought of myself as an activist and I'm not sure I do now. I sort of always viewed myself as a little more of a truth seeking explorer trying to understand and study the deeper aspects of human behavior and hate for myself, Science and for educational purposes. Answering Dissertations during the Rise of Ultra Nationalism. I didn't need to do anything but change a name and watch my world change around me as people responded to those superficial changes. You can only imagine how 20+ years of hate can change a perception through learning about human nature and the potential pathways to fix.
Advice to Youth-Spear of Truth
My advice to the youth is that the best way to make change is to be like honey to attract the bears and not the stinger of the bee which annoys them (There is a time and place for both but honey often works better to open the lines of communication and deeper wisdom so as to teach our leaders a new way. Sometimes the student can become the teacher.). Abuse of any kind is immoral and can break democracies if left unchecked for too long. To protect your nation and values one must encourage practical and higher moral order thinking. Institutions are slow but they are really slow if the people inside those institutions feel like they have something to loose versus something to gain. World Bank Slow and Fast Moving Change
As a person who has had their rights violated over and over while watching people get free passes for behavior that would normally be seen as sadistic and gross derelict of duty, I have found the silver lining. Once I saw the target that others struggle to see, I threw a spear of truth through it and at present believe change is now slowly but surely making its way into the hearts of some people who can fathom the benefit of that change for the health of the whole system. Long spears of history and truth are hard to fit through some doors so the path through the other becomes more practical and clear (A study on fascism illiberal democracy. Don't take it as a method of confirming a particular political party. Different parties had different strengths or weaknesses at different times in history. i.e. the abolitionism movement and the right for full citizenship.)
Police and People Can Be on the Same Side
Police and people can be on the same side. I have great respect for policing but not for those who misuse their authority to harm others in direct contrast to the purpose of the power entrusted to them. Adjusting the system for greater accountability will raise the trust level. The young should be open to that genuine change. Those who make decisions over such institutions have come to recognize the danger of extremism, hate, misapplications of justice, and free passes for intentional cruelty and dishonesty. Integrity and accountability strengthen the entire system of justice and allow the young to believe it in. International Association of Chiefs of Police Bias Free Policing
We are all in this boat together and some of you will be the leaders of tomorrow. When you become old like many of our decision makers, the young may come to you and ask for change. It is wise to think deeply about the message they are saying and role reverse to see if there is a practical and beneficial ways to bridge the gap from one generation to the next. It is necessary for the old to teach the young about democracy and its universal application for ourselves and the world.
“Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first understood.” Leonardo da Vinci
There are differences in the way the gifted and non gifted think. Gifted people have inner worlds that most other people are not going to experience nor truly understand. Their brains and neural connectivity allow them to use all of their senses and sensitivities to envision things that others cannot. Giftedness is a qualitatively and quantitatively different life and world through deeper understanding of one's environment (1st, 2nd, 3rd layers of understanding). Greater development of this population leads to higher national development. Practical World Problems
For example, a gifted child (...and by extension adults) may take on nick names like "space cadet", "specigram", "radars" or "they dopey one" because people see them as spacing or "heads in clouds" thinking. While this spacing out seems useless they are processing on a deep neural level that allows them to see and understand connections between events in their world in ways that only observation alone cannot.
The processing creates models and such models are predictive by nature. Thus deep thought has a purpose in theory and model creation because it helps one see the relationships between elements. A type of eagles eye or intuitive understanding. It takes time to think of many possibilities and then prune them back to find a needle in a haystack solution. Duke university has an blog post on the richness of Gifted Imagination.
Einstein was a gifted person who invented a many great things by simply thinking about them and determining the possibilities. That would be nearly impossible if they didn't have that ability to tap inner resources and create new networks. It is called the gifted curse because of deep moral sentiments and high capacity often across multiple if not all intelligences that often leads to chronic misunderstandings. Curse or Blessing?
Dabrowski developed a theory of overexcitability helps understand how positive disintegration creates pathways to growth that others are unlikely to achieve. Theory of Positive Disintegration Life experience/environment and their ability to develop these multiple, and in rare cases all, intelligences determines manifestation of genius. Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Fostering that in the Digital Era where innovation and creativity in human capital is likely to make profound new discoveries is important for long term success of a nation and its people. University of Connecticut runs the National Research Center for Gifted and Talented where they delve into a model of Three Ring Conception of Giftedness.
Time answers all questions. I guess that is relative depending on who you ask. "I think therefore I am" René Descartes
Is it enough time to hammer out a longer term more substantial bill that addresses key issues of internal and external stakeholders? Today was a day of bi-partisanship. Let us see if bi-partisanship spirit can create long-term solutions. Come on Congress, you got this! Now, the real work begins.......
