I had an interesting experience speaking to a first year government class. I began the hour by asking the students this question: “What form of government do we have in America?” No response. “I mean is this an oligarchy, a monarchy, a theocracy…?” Finally, a young man in front, probably no more than 18 and clearly…
Power to the People (Right On!)
The ascension of a corporate-welfare bleeding, amoral, overrated host of a reality show to the Presidency of the United States was not the result of a populist movement alone, but was supported by an addendum to that populist movement. How else can we explain the contradiction that saw voters, terrified of oligarchic takeover of government,…
“Stand By Your Manor”
With Republicans taking the majority in both the Iowa Senate and House there are going to be several Republican-based initiatives that have been waiting (im)patiently in the wings for several years, that will become front and center as the legislature reconvenes. One such issue is going to be Castle Doctrine. Castle Doctrine has been around…
Run, Block, Pass, and Catch
Mark Twain famously observed: “We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it-and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again — and that is well; but also she will…
All This Aggravation
Life has a way with endless random collisions to occassionally produce a juxtaposition that is so uncanny it seems cosmically intended. At the very least, it arrests our attention and we draw relevant conclusions from the coincidence. While reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, and contemplating his List of Virtues, I found myself most interested in “Industry” and “Silence.” Franklin urged…
The Needle and the Damage Done
Rick Perry is in the news again. It is likely that President-elect Donald Trump will name the former Texas governor as his Secretary of Energy. There is a peculiar irony here since it was Perry’s inability to remember the name of the Department of Energy in a televised debate that sank his own presidential bid. It is also a…
A Christmas Story
The Prologue I’m going to step into an area that could be dangerous. Dangerous because the topic is the most personal, yet debated and misunderstood of all socio-political realms. The topic is Gender Identification. The debate has swirled as long as I can remember, and even though there have been victories that signal acceptance of people…
The Internet, the Whole Internet, and Nothing but the Internet
“Truth” means being in accord with fact or reality. The opposite of truth is “falsehood” which can also appear as logical, factual, even ethical, but is, of course, a deception, whether intentional or not. As humans we depend upon truth, where it is assumed rather than being a subject of discussion; otherwise, how could we…
The Shadow of Our Burden
Over the years I’ve heard opponents of social spending say, “If I were taxed less, I would give more generously to charity.” On the surface, at least, that statement seems to have some validity. I am privileged to host several fundraisers every year, helping to raise money for everything from the United Way, Habitat for Humanity,…
The Higher Moral Ground
What is the greatest threat to our political system? Oligarchic control? Elections manipulated by wealth? Economic disparity? Those are all issues in crisis, but they are results of inattention to foundational principles. The root cause of our dysfunction is: Hypocrisy. Until we discover the enlightenment that allows us to be honest; that mediates the deflection…