Are presidential candidates basically activist influencers? Moreover, would you go to Tic Tac [misspelling intentional] to find your ideal presidential candidate? This idea was posed to me by a thirty-something guy whose job is— wait for it— social media. I think if you are young, this may look like the future, that is, choosing your […]
The Latest Polls Show Patriotism, Faith, Work Ethic Declining
Are you surprised? Americans’ patriotism, faith, and work ethic are on the decline, so says the latest polls conducted by the Wall Street Journal (links provided below). I’ve listened to a couple of discussions on this topic. People blame smartphones or the pandemic as the cause. I think there is another cause—selfishness— which takes many […]
Risk/Reward
How is it that the country’s supposedly best and brightest fail yet again? We don’t need to be financial gurus to understand risk/reward and success/failure. Common sense goes a long way in life. You don’t need a master’s degree to understand it. Why can’t the likes of high end bank executives “get” it? Because they […]
What Kind of Government Do You Want?
Do you want a centralized government where the federal government has the power and most of the control? Or do you prefer a national government with a constitution that divides federal power with regional entities (like states)? Think about it carefully. What Are the Arguments? The argument for a centralized authority sounds something like this: […]
How Do You Select Leaders?
When you cast your ballot, what factors determine who you choose to lead? How do you select leaders? That was the topic in my Jr. High civics class this week. It sounds so simple, but then again, it’s not easy, as my ‘tweens discovered. Maturity I asked the students what “maturity” meant. One child answered, […]
Who Should Pay Your Debt?
How much is your degree worth? Isn’t that the question Americans should be asking themselves, rather than “Can I get my fellow Americans to pay off some of my debt?” Our younger generation firmly believes that they should study subjects that indulge their passions. So, they attend a college that holds classes only Mondays through […]
Lessons of the Unwanted
You’ve heard the argument: Now that Roe is repealed, who will take all those babies? (Translation: “those babies that should have been aborted”). Then they ask, “will you?” It’s not just the young that think this way. Raise your hand if you’ve heard this argument waged by a middle-aged or older adult. Yes. That’s what […]
Headlines and Hoodwinks
Do you ever wonder about those in-depth articles that go on and on, diving deep into a story? Who has the time to read the whole story? Apparently, not many Americans do. I think about how much time it takes to research and write a report or story as I skip over intense content to […]
Truth and Error
How much of what you are hearing is propaganda? How would you know? What methods are practical in discerning truth from error? Who do you believe? What do you believe? Why do you believe it? These are questions I have been asking myself. A few of my young students are hearing things at home and […]
Which Government Is Best?
A simple scan of today’s headlines reveals the following: A new survey of registered voters claims 53% of respondents think there is an agenda of ‘big government socialism.’ Twelve American cities broke their annual homicide records this year. In Europe, the attempt to restrict words like “Christian” and “Christmas” is described as dictatorship-like. There’s a […]
Jobs Jobs Jobs
There’s a lot of talk about changes going on in our country. Have any significant changes come to your city? I’ve noticed for about a month now, grocery store shelves are left wanting with empty spaces to fill—the same as it was in spring of 2020. I wondered about that but didn’t question it until […]
Americans Argue; Publius To The Rescue
Publius (John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay) to the rescue again, as they have wisdom we could use in our current national dialogue. Please stick with me as I set the stage. Heard on the street: Americans arguing about each other’s V-status. In one scenario, two boat owners were screaming and cussing at each […]
When Lawlessness Has Free Rein
“The Constitution is not a living organism. It’s a legal document, and it says what it says and doesn’t say what it doesn’t say.”- Justice Antonin Scalia Recently, I was the guest speaker in a high school government class. I taught the Bill of Rights from the late Justice Scalia’s perspective. So, in talking about […]
Ask.
We the People are beginning to ask probing questions about the direction of our country. In this week’s newsletter, I address the need for us to ask more questions. We need answers. When we ask and keep on asking, one of the benefits is that we keep a free press, not a government controlled press. […]
Common Sense Applied
One of the goals of this page is to encourage wise and responsible citizenship. I hope that we find value in practicing common sense citizenship as a part of everyday life. We look around and wonder if that goal has “left the station.” Let’s look at a few items that Americans are dealing with and […]
