Politics - The Urgency of Now

We have had the opportunity to reflect on the current political scene (and often times nonsense) and the race for the Presidency.  I have to admit though, that I have not really taken a lot of time to reflect on the legacy of our current President.  I feel that this is important, because often we only focus on the negative, or the immediate, without taking in the whole picture.  The Urgency of Now! 

Why this entry, and why now?  Whether you agree with their policies, decisions, etc., our elected officials represent the face of our country, both here at home and abroad.  How we react to their decisions molds us as a community, shapes our opinions and behaviors, and establishes the foundation for how we interact with one another.  My personal feeling is that we have failed in this arena – the negativism we have during our election process is astounding.  Our focus is very short sighted, basically showing our attitude of “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”  It is very easy to take a jab at another, but it takes compassion, intelligence, and understanding to focus on the positive.  This is what I believe leadership is all about, and it is something that I strive for each and every day.

One of my pet peeves is the lack of respect on the radio and television for our President, calling him “Mr. Bush”, a deliberate effort to demonstrate a lack of approval – but only succeeding in showing disrespect.  You do not have to approve of a person or their policies to show respect for their position.

Okay, let me jump down off my Soap Box now :o) 

Below, I present some things to consider when considering President Bush’s Legacy.  These considerations can also be used to shape your opinion with respect to what the current candidates will do to lead us for the next 4-8 years.

·          Moral leadership as a contrast to the Clinton years.  You may not agree, but President Bush has held firm on his positions regarding stem cell research, school prayer, gay rights, and abortion.

·          September 11, 2001.  Not sure if anyone could have done a better job than President Bush did.  Let us never forget!  Some would argue that the civil liberty issues have clouded these achievements, but the bottom line is that there has not been another terrorist attack on our soil.

·          No Child Left Behind.  You may not agree with all the details, but the consensus is that our schools are getting more focus and test results are improving.

·          The AIDS and Malaria initiatives in Africa, an issue on which little attention has been focused.  1.4 million men, women and children are alive because of treatment  received through this initiative.

·          Prescription drug benefits added to Medicare.  32 million seniors getting help to afford prescription drugs, including 10 million low-income seniors who get their medicine pretty much free.

·          Social Security Reform.  Failed to provide a politically workable vision that could revise the system.

·          Iraq. The ability to achieve an initial military victory was accurate, but the foresight to consider what happens next was missing.  Mission Accomplished was declared in 2003, and here we sit, still heavily involved with no clear exit strategy.  Recall, this was a decision that was endorsed by both houses of Congress. 

·          State Children’s Health Insurance Program expansion.  President Bush vetoed this legislation, due to budget considerations.  Seems short sighted.

·          Tax Cuts.  Resulted in 18 straight quarters of economic growth and low inflation. However, President Bush has also presided over one of the largest government expansions in history.  As a believer in smaller government, this is a hard one for me to swallow.

·          Katrina.  A tragic event with an even more tragic response by local, state, and federal agencies.  Subsequent disaster responses have been better, but Katrina was unforgivable.

·          Judicial Appointments.  This will be a lasting impact. President Bush will have appointed more than half of the Appellate and US district judges. He is also more than likely to fill three seats on the US Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Samuel A Alito Jr and at least one more.

President Bush seems less likely to be remembered as a disastrous American president than as an ultimately insignificant one. President Bush has presided over a period of national and economic drift.  While for most of his Presidency, we were in a period of economic growth and historic lows for unemployment, 2008 may be remembered more for the credit crisis and return to recession.  The original vision of spreading democracy throughout the world will most likely be remembered more as a lack of a coherent approach to foreign policy.

Why loathe this president. The intensity of anger toward President Bush is peculiar. After all, Bush's domestic policy is not that much different from Reagan's and his foreign policy is pretty much in line with the doctrine that Truman lent his name to and which FDR would certainly have approved. How does one account for this intense wrath? More than principle or personal interest, politics is the domain of psychological need. In the case of Bush, the need of a passing Old Order to have enemies.

I would like to acknowledge those that I used to R&D this entry (by the way,R&D for me is Rip Off and Duplicate): Washington Post writer Michael Gerson; The Guardian (UK) featuring articles from Jacob Weisberg, Kathleen Parker, REmmetTyrrell Jr.; University of Purdue Professor and head of the Department of Political Science, Bert A. Rockman (author of the book “The George W. Bush Legacy”).

Tags: President Bush, Legacy, blogplugs

March Madness!

In order of sport enjoyment for me is: 1) The Olympics, both Summer and Winter; 2) The Masters (and other majors, especially when Tiger is in contention); and 3) The NCAA Tourney.  Not to take anything away from ND Football, or the bowl games, but just not quite the same. 

 

Tonight we watched Davidson beat Wisconsin, the first, and most likely only, Cinderella team to make the elite eight.  So, do I see any parallels to every day life – Of Course!

 

The thing that was so inspiring about Davidson is how much they obviously wanted to win the game.  They struggled for every rebound, they hit their threes, and they played great defense, and they played from their heart! 

 

The effort is the journey, whether you win or loose.  And with spring just around the corner, and few days left in March, here is wishing you March Madness :o)

Tags: March Madness, Tiger, Olympics

Complacentville

Recently, at work, we identified that our accounting practices and charges for our “projects” are not properly aligned.  As we pulled the thread, it became quite apparent that this was a widespread and long standing issue.  We had become complacent and accepted the situation.  We recently converted to a new enterprise level work management tool, that was supposed to help resolve these types of issues, but now it is even worse because the accounting is locked out once we complete the initial planning. Again, a sign of being complacent. To get the new process to work, we need to be looking ahead 2-3 years, not just reacting to the current issues.  Do you see the potential for any parallels in your everyday life?  I know I do.   

 

As a coworker and I were talking, behind closed doors, we were flummoxed and incredulous as to how a known issue has been going on for years.  We are both relatively new to the department, only about a year each, so we get together and kibitz about the direction we are heading.  We are trying to make changes, but it is often like pushing a rope.  Recently, I heard one of our Senior leaders say, don’t tell me that it is hard, that is what we get paid for!  Again, if it is hard, how often do we look for the easy way out, or the path of least resistance, both in our professional and personal lives?

 

Tonight, as Beth and I are watching about the Politico’s here in Indiana, and how the local school did not approve of Senator Clinton’s visit, I wonder if the Superintendent and School Board did not take the easy path, and throw up a rule as a reason why they could not do something, instead of finding a way to make it happen.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how people in life will constantly take the easy path.  Confrontation is uncomfortable, but the only way to truly grow as an individual, and a society, is to stop being complacent, and step outside that comfort zone.  If it is difficult, then that probably means that it is the right thing to do.  When confronted with a decision or difficult situation, do you go with the popular position, grease the squeaky wheel?  That is a form of complacency – status quo. 

 

While more difficult and uncomfortable, taking the time to step back and consider the alternatives can be very rewarding.  This means taking the time to listen to others, to consider both sides of the issue, to put yourself in their shoes, and consider what their issue is and what success looks like for them.  This is not always easy, and sometimes, if you piss off both sides equally, that is an indication that you are really making progress.  Be wary of “compromise” though, because that is an indication that neither side achieved what they wanted, and they may be saving up to come back and fight another day.  A true win-win situation takes time, patience, empathy, and “thinking outside the box.” 

 

I urge you to not take the Complacentville exit, but to keep travelling until you can arrive at a more worthy destination.

Tags: Complacency, blogplugs, Compromise

Awake or Not?

Feeling refreshed, but not 100%.  I got home about 0645 this morning, checked my e-mail and had a few cool beverages, and headed to bed at 0730.  I slept until 1200, then got up, puttered, had a workout, and shower.  I think I will most likely take a nap prior to dinner.

 

This crazy work schedule definitely presents its challenges, but is definitely better than the last outage (last outage was 6, 12 hour days per week, yuk!).  This time, I only need to do one night per week, but it sure is a challenge to go from days, to nights, and then back to days. 

 

My routine is to stay up late the night before my night shift, this time I watched the Sly Stallone movie “Eye See You” (not bad, but I would wait until you can see it on one of the premium channels or get it at a severe discount) and went to bed around 2:30 AM.  I then slept until 2:00 PM, had a workout, chatted with my bride for a few minutes, and headed of to work at 4:30 PM.  For the reverse transition, I try and get 4-5 hours (usually not real restful since it is light out), and then get to bed at a normal hour. 

 

I figure I will be a little tired tomorrow, but it sure was nice to be able to spend most of the day with Beth today.  Hope you are having a good week.  :o)

Truth or Dare?

As much as I love gleaning tidbits from internet surfing, hopefully this entry will give you a moment to pause  and contemplate in this information age we live in. 

 

The thing I do not get, is what possessed the original author to compose this message, was it a hoax, did they have passion for what they believed was a safety concern, are they mischievious, or are they just nasty – preying on the common fears of our society?  Whatever the truth is, please, take the time to do a little research – do not believe everything you read or hear.

 

I received the below message via an e-mail, and at first was inclined to pass it on as a safety message.  However, being a skeptic, I did an internet search, and found some additional information.  Both the original message and the additional information are reproduced below.

 

So, truth or dare?  All I know is that we do not use plug-in type air fresheners, and do not have any plans in the future.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

The original message was written by a lady whose brother and wife learned a hard lesson.

Their house burnt down... nothing left but ashes. They have good insurance so the house will be replaced and most of the contents. That is the good news. However, they were sick when they found out the cause of the fire.

 

The insurance investigator sifted through the ashes for several hours. He had the cause of the fire traced to the master bathroom. He asked her sister-in-law what she had plugged in the bath room. She listed the normal things....curling iron, blow dryer. He kept saying to her, 'No, this would be something that would disintegrate at high temperatures'. Then her sister-in-law remembered she had a Glade Plug-In, in the bathroom.

The investigator had one of those 'Aha' moments. He said that was the cause of the fire. He said he has seen more house fires started with the plug-in type room fresheners than anything else. He said the plastic they are made from is THIN. He also said that in every case
there was nothing left to prove that it even existed. When the investigator looked in the wall plug, the two prongs left from the plug-in were still in there.

Her sister-in-law had one of the plug-ins that had a small night light built in it. She said she had noticed that the light would dim and then finally go out. She would walk in to the bathroom a few hours later, and the light would be back on again. The investigator said that the unit was getting too hot, and would dim and go out rather than just blow the light bulb. Once it cooled down it would come back on. That is a warning sign.

The investigator said he personally wouldn't have any type of plug in fragrance device anywhere in his house. He has seen too many places that have been burned down due to them.

 

And the additional information….

 

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/glade-plug-in-fire.html

Company Response to Internet Rumor on Glade PlugIns®

 

SC Johnson recently learned that there have been postings on the Internet that have claimed that our products were involved infires. It is important that you know that all of ourPlugIns® products are safe and will not cause fires. We know this because PlugIns® products have been sold for more than 15 years and hundreds of millions of the products are being used safely. Because we are committed to selling safe products, SC Johnson thoroughly investigated these rumors. First, we confirmed that no one had contacted SC Johnson to tell us about these fires or to ask us to investigate them. Additionally, we had a leading fire investigation expert call the fire department representative who is identified in one of the Internet postings. That fireman indicated that he has no evidence that our products had caused any fire.

We suspect this rumor may be associated with a past SC Johnson voluntary recall of one of its air freshener products, a Glade® Extra Outlet Scented Oil product that was sold for a short period before June 1, 2002. After discovering an assembly error in a small number of that product, SC Johnson implemented a voluntary recall and provided extensive information about the product to the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC). After revising the manufacturing process and thorough testing for proper assembly, the Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Extra Outlet product returned to store shelves on June 3, 2002. SC Johnson has no knowledge of any credible reports of fire related to this product. We also know that our products do not cause fires because all of our PlugIns® products have been thoroughly tested by Underwriters Laboratories and other independent laboratories and our products meet or exceed safety requirements. SC Johnson continues to work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate allegations involving PlugIns® products.

As a more than 100-year-old, family-owned company, SC Johnson is committed to providing top quality products that can be used safely in homes and we want to reassure you that PlugIns® products can be used with complete confidence.

Tags: Hoax, Fires, Glade Plug-In, blogplugs

Sheeba's Wish

Oh Remo, Remo, who are thee?

As I loaf here, you complete me.

 No matter what “Dad” says, I won’t

 Treat you like a simple Remote.

 While the point may be “mute”,

 I find you quite cute.

 I hope you will be my “guide”,

 I lay here by you filled with pride.

 What ever you do, don’t “change” :-)

Think Warm

Ahhhh!, what a quiet day here at Nutwood.  We were able to both sleep in, and have had a lazy day.  One thing I try to do on a holiday off from work is to truly take a break from doing work related activities (there is plenty of time over the next two days since Beth is working). 

Sitting here looking out to the back forty (eleven actually <LOL>), I am dismayed that it is snowing since today is the official start of spring.  The good news is that there is only 1/2 inch accumulation so far, although they are predicting 3-6" over the next day or two. 

So, as written recently by my bride, in her entry titled Florida On My Mind, we go to Florida every year.  So today, I made our flight and car rental arrangements (took awhile for the flights since I was using a $200 travel voucher based on a canceled work flight back in January).  We were able to get airfare for two for less than $500 total.  We are looking forward to our Vegecation :o)

Sending warm thoughts out to J-Land.

Tags: Florida, Vacation, Warm