Thoughtless in Seattle
The View from the Middle
There are a lot of things going on in Seattle - violence, chaos, lawlessness - but one thing that is clearly not happening there is any real thinking. If you were to do a city-wide brain scan (actually, make that state-wide), you would find no activity. From the mayor of Seattle to the governor of Washington to the occupying force in CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone), you can only find incompetence, dereliction of duty and mindless emotion.
The occupying force has demonstrated their forward thinking today by already changing their name to CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest). Organized? Right! I guess that’s because they have decided NOT to secede from the union. They want to stay, but just outlaw any speech or even thoughts that disagrees with theirs. Yah! That’s what made America the greatest nation on earth. This won’t be their last name change, however. I have heard that they are considering calling this area the Seattle Hills Insurrection Territory. I’m not gonna tell ‘em!
This classy group whose idea of art consists of graffitied walls, the aroma of a finely distilled Molotov cocktail and the smoking carcass of a burned-out police car demands that a fund be created to support arts and culture. Of course, it will be difficult to view the exhibits through all the boarded-up windows and broken class, but it’s the thought that counts, right!? Finally, the mob in control of this autonomous zone insists that the people of Seattle support all the black-owned businesses. That will take a while, however, since they just burned them all down during the riots. Again, it’s the thought that counts!
Yes, these thoughtless, boneheaded domestic terrorists are also the kings of hypocrisy. They detest the police, but engage in a “stop and frisk” policy made famous by mayor Giuliani and the NYPD. I’m sure they oppose any voter ID laws, but make people who want to enter their lovely oasis show proof of residency. And while social distancing is an absolute necessity for all of us, they have trained the virus to tell the difference between us and them and, of course, not infect them. How DO they do it?!
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, has proven himself to be absolutely witless. During a press conference on June 11th, three days after the CHAZ occupation in Seattle, he admitted that he was unaware of the seizure of six square blocks in his largest city by a group of violent anarchists. Now that’s what I call being “on the ball”. With this shocking lack of knowledge about his own state he abdicates any right to criticize anyone for anything. Maybe he should consider asking for help from people who are aware and have the power and resources to do so, like the President of the United States. At least Trump knew what was going on in Seattle.
And the mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, might be the most mindless and senseless boob of the entire group. She likened this armed, violent, destructive, barricaded insurrection to a “block party” or an art festival. How clueless is she? As the rabble took over a chunk of her city and called for her resignation, she supplied porta-potties and fresh food to the insurgents. She even encouraged them to stay for months when she said, “maybe we’ll have a summer of love.” I’ll bet the small business owners in the occupied territory loved that kind of talk. Maybe she and the child-mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, can start a support group for maligned politicians. He too was booed, heckled and even targeted with projectiles by the same ideological fringe faction in his home town earlier this week. When will you learn? These people don’t care about you. They don’t care about freedom or America. They don’t even care about George Floyd. They are paid anarchists, most of whom don’t even know what the real goal is, and don’t care.
Should we send in the military? These anarchists are not worth the bloodshed that would inevitably result. That’s probably what their employers want anyway, but you also can’t enable them by having pizzas delivered or pumping in rap and rock music to sooth these savage beasts. Take away the porta-potties, stop delivering supplies and scramble the cell towers in that area. This will allow these “Lord of the Flies” wannabe’s to wallow in their own filth. It will demonstrate that all these people know how to deliver is chaos. Within a week they will slither away as did their predecessor of the lunatic fringe, Occupy Wall Street, almost 10 years ago. Then, mayor Durkan, maybe your constituents will reward you and mayor Frey with the swift kick in the butt that you both deserve as they vote you out of office in 2021. Although they may not be able to wait that long and just recall you from office this year. Good riddance in my opinion!
Monday, June 15, 2020
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
EFFE - The Answer to Racial Harmony
EFFE – The Answer to Racial Harmony
The View from the Middle
I've heard that memorable acronyms can be the key to making points that last, so in the future when you think about what needs to be done to reach racial harmony, I want you to remember EFFE. It is the key to establishing racial harmony in the United States. EFFE includes two attitudes or mindsets and two structural institutions that should be exploited to continue to move America ever closer to being the land of equal opportunity (not equal outcome) that our founders envisioned over 200 years ago. The beauty of EFFE is that there are responsibilities for both sides of the equation in this effort.
The first “E” in EFFE stands for Empathy and is the responsibility of the non-black population in this country, particularly whites. I would describe empathy as compassion with understanding. It is important for everyone to know the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in the United States and its residue and impact on African Americans in America today.
No doubt, we have made progress. We have elected our first Black President, there are laws against discrimination and the number of Black members of Congress has exploded from just four members in 1963 to 60 in our current Congress. That’s over 11% of the membership of Congress and getting close to the black community’s share of the overall population, which is 13%. However, black families in America today continue to struggle to overcome the impact of the disparities of the past. Family structure and education (the last F and E) have improved, but still need attention and since non-blacks make up 87% of the US population, it is important for all to understand the history so that we can be part of the solution.
The fist “F” in EFFE stands for forgiveness which, unfortunately, falls on the shoulders of our African American citizens. Black people have, no doubt, been mistreated in this country for centuries, and while that treatment gets better every generation and every year, it is difficult to forget. Black people can read history too and I’m sure that history can make them angry and bitter, but those negative emotions will only thwart progress and blind some to the improvements that have already been made. Personally, I think the Black community has the more difficult task when you look at the first E. and F. While empathy can be gained simply through education, forgiveness is an act of the heart which will require God’s help and prayer to recognize.
The last “F” and “E” stands for the two things that were intentionally and methodically denied black Americans who were enslaved in this country – Family and Education. Southern plantation owners purposely dissolved black families by separating husbands from wives and children from their parents. They also intentionally deprived these black men and women of any kind of education, and while there were exceptions, this was the rule. These two acts (destruction of the family unit and deprivation of education) were not coincidences, but in fact a strategy. Why was that?
The family unit is the very foundation of every society. It provides protection, encouragement, motivation and love to all its members. Without a family structure these people lost all of these benefits and were severely handicapped in the process. To add insult to that injury, black Americans were denied any kind of an education, because an education enlightens people and allows them to envision and then grasp opportunities. Without family structure and education people become dependent on other structures that suggest that they can replace them. In 1850 it was the plantation owner. Today, it is the government, but the truth is that nothing is a substitute for either of them. There are, however, some things that the government can do to strengthen families and encourage and enable education while not trying to supplant them.
The first thing government can do to strengthen black families is to stop putting black fathers in jail for nonviolent crimes. Should recreational marijuana be legalized? I don’t know, but we have to stop putting young men in jail in one state for something that is actually legal in another state. Once you are “in” the system, it is difficult to get out and it has a profound impact on the rest of your life and your family’s life. We need further criminal justice reform with an eye on reducing the incarceration of young black men. The welfare system also has some anti-family aspects to it and we need to change those rules to put family first.
Education is an area where there is dual responsibility. We, as a society, need to make sure that all American citizens have access to a good education. While K through 12 is guaranteed to all citizens, I think “school choice” could improve that experience for the African American community especially in the critical early grades. We can and should do more to give access to college to anyone who wants to go and has shown the desire and discipline to succeed there, but if habits aren’t developed and commitment isn’t given in K-8th grades, kids are unlikely to be successful in college. This is where black parents and leaders MUST pound the message of the importance of education to their children.
To be honest, Family and Education are important no matter what your skin color is. Every generation and every set of parents has the opportunity to dramatically enhance the opportunity for their children to succeed, and I’ve seen it happen in a positive way in my own wife’s family. We all need to be willing to play that critical role that creates the absolute foundation of our society. And if we can also throw in a little Empathy or Forgiveness, depending on which role you play, we can make this country even greater than it is already! EFFE really can change this country for the better.
The View from the Middle
I've heard that memorable acronyms can be the key to making points that last, so in the future when you think about what needs to be done to reach racial harmony, I want you to remember EFFE. It is the key to establishing racial harmony in the United States. EFFE includes two attitudes or mindsets and two structural institutions that should be exploited to continue to move America ever closer to being the land of equal opportunity (not equal outcome) that our founders envisioned over 200 years ago. The beauty of EFFE is that there are responsibilities for both sides of the equation in this effort.
The first “E” in EFFE stands for Empathy and is the responsibility of the non-black population in this country, particularly whites. I would describe empathy as compassion with understanding. It is important for everyone to know the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in the United States and its residue and impact on African Americans in America today.
No doubt, we have made progress. We have elected our first Black President, there are laws against discrimination and the number of Black members of Congress has exploded from just four members in 1963 to 60 in our current Congress. That’s over 11% of the membership of Congress and getting close to the black community’s share of the overall population, which is 13%. However, black families in America today continue to struggle to overcome the impact of the disparities of the past. Family structure and education (the last F and E) have improved, but still need attention and since non-blacks make up 87% of the US population, it is important for all to understand the history so that we can be part of the solution.
The fist “F” in EFFE stands for forgiveness which, unfortunately, falls on the shoulders of our African American citizens. Black people have, no doubt, been mistreated in this country for centuries, and while that treatment gets better every generation and every year, it is difficult to forget. Black people can read history too and I’m sure that history can make them angry and bitter, but those negative emotions will only thwart progress and blind some to the improvements that have already been made. Personally, I think the Black community has the more difficult task when you look at the first E. and F. While empathy can be gained simply through education, forgiveness is an act of the heart which will require God’s help and prayer to recognize.
The last “F” and “E” stands for the two things that were intentionally and methodically denied black Americans who were enslaved in this country – Family and Education. Southern plantation owners purposely dissolved black families by separating husbands from wives and children from their parents. They also intentionally deprived these black men and women of any kind of education, and while there were exceptions, this was the rule. These two acts (destruction of the family unit and deprivation of education) were not coincidences, but in fact a strategy. Why was that?
The family unit is the very foundation of every society. It provides protection, encouragement, motivation and love to all its members. Without a family structure these people lost all of these benefits and were severely handicapped in the process. To add insult to that injury, black Americans were denied any kind of an education, because an education enlightens people and allows them to envision and then grasp opportunities. Without family structure and education people become dependent on other structures that suggest that they can replace them. In 1850 it was the plantation owner. Today, it is the government, but the truth is that nothing is a substitute for either of them. There are, however, some things that the government can do to strengthen families and encourage and enable education while not trying to supplant them.
The first thing government can do to strengthen black families is to stop putting black fathers in jail for nonviolent crimes. Should recreational marijuana be legalized? I don’t know, but we have to stop putting young men in jail in one state for something that is actually legal in another state. Once you are “in” the system, it is difficult to get out and it has a profound impact on the rest of your life and your family’s life. We need further criminal justice reform with an eye on reducing the incarceration of young black men. The welfare system also has some anti-family aspects to it and we need to change those rules to put family first.
Education is an area where there is dual responsibility. We, as a society, need to make sure that all American citizens have access to a good education. While K through 12 is guaranteed to all citizens, I think “school choice” could improve that experience for the African American community especially in the critical early grades. We can and should do more to give access to college to anyone who wants to go and has shown the desire and discipline to succeed there, but if habits aren’t developed and commitment isn’t given in K-8th grades, kids are unlikely to be successful in college. This is where black parents and leaders MUST pound the message of the importance of education to their children.
To be honest, Family and Education are important no matter what your skin color is. Every generation and every set of parents has the opportunity to dramatically enhance the opportunity for their children to succeed, and I’ve seen it happen in a positive way in my own wife’s family. We all need to be willing to play that critical role that creates the absolute foundation of our society. And if we can also throw in a little Empathy or Forgiveness, depending on which role you play, we can make this country even greater than it is already! EFFE really can change this country for the better.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Terrorism's Dirty Little Secret
Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret
The View from the Middle
Almost six years ago, I wrote an article Called “Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret”. It suggested that what these groups have discovered is that it is easier to divide, destroy and kill than it is to unite, build or create. As I watched the looting, burning and brick throwing of the rioters around the country over the last few days, it dawned on me that these people have discovered this same truth.
The Twin Towers took about seven years from start of construction to ribbon cutting to build, but it took only about an hour and a half to bring them both down. Think of any controlled implosion of a building that you have seen. The buildings have usually taken years to build and have required the efforts of thousands of people, but can be taken down by a few people in a matter of seconds.
If any of you have studied the creation of life, it is amazing to say the least. It takes nine months after conception to create the trillions (yes trillions) of cells that comprise the human body. Yet, it takes only a fraction of a second to put a bullet through someone’s head and end that life. And, if you want to be more brutal and inhuman, it might take a person a few seconds to chop that head off or a few minutes to abort a life altogether.
ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda are all the same (a rose by any other name…). They take the easy way out. They don’t know how to build or unite so they divide, destroy and subjugate. Look at where they dominate. Would you like to live in Syria, Iraq or Palestine right now? Even the official Islamic states like Iran and Pakistan are hardly vacation spots.
Antifa is no different, and I believe they should and will be declared a domestic terrorist group. Antifa doesn’t give a damn about George Floyd. They have hijacked peaceful protests that had specific goals and a real possibility for positive change and turned them into chaotic, lawless and violent mobs. Antifa’s actions suggest their real goals. They have no plans to deliver peace or prosperity to this or any country. They seek only power and promise disorder and chaos, but that’s fine with them as long as they are in control.
Who on earth condones the actions of any of these groups? Whether it is ISIS, Hamas or Antifa we should all be condemning their mindless, destructive actions designed to bring nothing but chaos to the world and possibly power to them. Who would want any of these people, who hide behind masks and perform their violent acts under the cover of darkness, to gain any real power? Even if they were able to gain power, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.
What we need is real leadership in Washington, and we’re not getting it. What we have today is a perpetual blame game that serves no one except the politicians that play that game. The Coronavirus is now Trump’s fault. The riots in Minneapolis and around the country are Trump’s fault. Trump is not a perfect person but blaming him for everything is just scapegoating and irresponsible. Today’s unemployment and jobs numbers should be reported broadly and positively, but they will not. I just watched CNN and they reported the raw numbers for about three seconds and turned it into a 10-minute hit piece on the President.
We need a national media that can cover this President honestly. The mainstream media has abandoned their role as arbiters of truth and have decided that they need to condemn this President at every opportunity. They constantly misstate facts (lie if you will) or accentuate the trivial while ignoring the significant. When St. John’s Church, the Church of the Presidents, was burned down on Monday night, the networks gave it a whopping one minute of coverage. When President Trump gave a speech in front of that same church the next night, they blasted him with negative coverage for over 30 minutes. This does a disservice to the country and further divides us all. They must accept their original role as the fourth estate and the dispensers of balanced coverage and truth.
America is not perfect, but turning control over to people with baseball bats and Molotov cocktails is not the answer. To be honest, what we really need is prayer. We need everyone in America to pray for honest politicians with hearts for “we the people” and the wisdom to work together to deliver a better America.
The View from the Middle
Almost six years ago, I wrote an article Called “Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret”. It suggested that what these groups have discovered is that it is easier to divide, destroy and kill than it is to unite, build or create. As I watched the looting, burning and brick throwing of the rioters around the country over the last few days, it dawned on me that these people have discovered this same truth.
The Twin Towers took about seven years from start of construction to ribbon cutting to build, but it took only about an hour and a half to bring them both down. Think of any controlled implosion of a building that you have seen. The buildings have usually taken years to build and have required the efforts of thousands of people, but can be taken down by a few people in a matter of seconds.
If any of you have studied the creation of life, it is amazing to say the least. It takes nine months after conception to create the trillions (yes trillions) of cells that comprise the human body. Yet, it takes only a fraction of a second to put a bullet through someone’s head and end that life. And, if you want to be more brutal and inhuman, it might take a person a few seconds to chop that head off or a few minutes to abort a life altogether.
ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda are all the same (a rose by any other name…). They take the easy way out. They don’t know how to build or unite so they divide, destroy and subjugate. Look at where they dominate. Would you like to live in Syria, Iraq or Palestine right now? Even the official Islamic states like Iran and Pakistan are hardly vacation spots.
Antifa is no different, and I believe they should and will be declared a domestic terrorist group. Antifa doesn’t give a damn about George Floyd. They have hijacked peaceful protests that had specific goals and a real possibility for positive change and turned them into chaotic, lawless and violent mobs. Antifa’s actions suggest their real goals. They have no plans to deliver peace or prosperity to this or any country. They seek only power and promise disorder and chaos, but that’s fine with them as long as they are in control.
Who on earth condones the actions of any of these groups? Whether it is ISIS, Hamas or Antifa we should all be condemning their mindless, destructive actions designed to bring nothing but chaos to the world and possibly power to them. Who would want any of these people, who hide behind masks and perform their violent acts under the cover of darkness, to gain any real power? Even if they were able to gain power, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.
What we need is real leadership in Washington, and we’re not getting it. What we have today is a perpetual blame game that serves no one except the politicians that play that game. The Coronavirus is now Trump’s fault. The riots in Minneapolis and around the country are Trump’s fault. Trump is not a perfect person but blaming him for everything is just scapegoating and irresponsible. Today’s unemployment and jobs numbers should be reported broadly and positively, but they will not. I just watched CNN and they reported the raw numbers for about three seconds and turned it into a 10-minute hit piece on the President.
We need a national media that can cover this President honestly. The mainstream media has abandoned their role as arbiters of truth and have decided that they need to condemn this President at every opportunity. They constantly misstate facts (lie if you will) or accentuate the trivial while ignoring the significant. When St. John’s Church, the Church of the Presidents, was burned down on Monday night, the networks gave it a whopping one minute of coverage. When President Trump gave a speech in front of that same church the next night, they blasted him with negative coverage for over 30 minutes. This does a disservice to the country and further divides us all. They must accept their original role as the fourth estate and the dispensers of balanced coverage and truth.
America is not perfect, but turning control over to people with baseball bats and Molotov cocktails is not the answer. To be honest, what we really need is prayer. We need everyone in America to pray for honest politicians with hearts for “we the people” and the wisdom to work together to deliver a better America.
Friday, May 29, 2020
The Triple Tragedy That is George Floyd
The Triple Tragedy That Is George Floyd
The View from the Middle
I can’t be sure what the motivation was for the police officer in Minneapolis to kneel on George Floyd’s neck for over five minutes, but the reaction to the video has been anything but racist. The police officer’s actions have been universally condemned. In fact, every person that I have talked to or heard on TV have struggled to even imagine what could have possibly been going through the police officer’s mind as he listened to Mr. Floyd beg for relief and even for his very life.
Did Mr. Floyd break the law? Actually, I’m not sure yet. Did he deserve a death sentence even if he did pass a counterfeit bill? Of course not. This particular police officer’s actions were indefensible and even cruel, but what may even be more mind boggling is the reaction of eye witnesses. There were at least three other police officers who stood by and watched for several minutes as this insanity unfolded. These were not just your average citizens, but fellow law enforcement officers who, we assume, have been trained on how to peaceably take a person into custody. As I have heard from several current and past members of law enforcement, “once the handcuffs go on, and the person is face down on the ground, the game is over!”
For sure, this small group of police officers failed George Floyd and all of us, but there was a second wave of disappointment immediately apparent. As I watched the video go on and on and on (most people have described it as “difficult to watch”), it dawned on me that the person who was filming this absolutely disgusting and tragic event was also just watching George Floyd be killed. This cell phone film producer is, unfortunately, a reflection of our broader society. Our society now believes that our response to deplorable events like this is to just capture them on video. I can’t imagine watching a travesty like this transpire and thinking that my only responsibility was to memorialize the event on my cell phone. And it wasn’t just the camera wielding person! There were other spectators, and I use that word intentionally. Is this what we as a society have devolved to? Have we become observers of life instead of actual participants? Where was the hero to step in and confront this police officer? How about someone who would actually pull that officer off of George Floyd? Where are the people willing to get involved? Where are the real difference makers?
And the final layer of frustration comes from the rioters and looters that seem to inevitably take advantage of these situations. Despite George Floyd’s family and Black faith leaders encouraging peaceful protests in a search of justice and to make a comment on a broader issue, some have used this as an excuse to plunder, destroy and even kill. What does stealing a TV from Target have to do with George Floyd’s death. How does the destruction of uninvolved and often minority owned small businesses help anyone’s cause? This does not advance the case for George Floyd or for racial justice. At best it is a distraction to both and at worst it will cause a regression.
What we need right now are calmer heads with eyes on justice and progress. There are criminal and possibly even civil considerations that the Floyd family has to be addressing, and we should all be working to enable that effort. And if we really want racial harmony in this country we must condemn the actions of those police officers, the indifference of onlookers and the violence and criminality of the looters. When do the images of violence, destruction and absolute lawlessness make the bigger problem worse rather than better?
The View from the Middle
I can’t be sure what the motivation was for the police officer in Minneapolis to kneel on George Floyd’s neck for over five minutes, but the reaction to the video has been anything but racist. The police officer’s actions have been universally condemned. In fact, every person that I have talked to or heard on TV have struggled to even imagine what could have possibly been going through the police officer’s mind as he listened to Mr. Floyd beg for relief and even for his very life.
Did Mr. Floyd break the law? Actually, I’m not sure yet. Did he deserve a death sentence even if he did pass a counterfeit bill? Of course not. This particular police officer’s actions were indefensible and even cruel, but what may even be more mind boggling is the reaction of eye witnesses. There were at least three other police officers who stood by and watched for several minutes as this insanity unfolded. These were not just your average citizens, but fellow law enforcement officers who, we assume, have been trained on how to peaceably take a person into custody. As I have heard from several current and past members of law enforcement, “once the handcuffs go on, and the person is face down on the ground, the game is over!”
For sure, this small group of police officers failed George Floyd and all of us, but there was a second wave of disappointment immediately apparent. As I watched the video go on and on and on (most people have described it as “difficult to watch”), it dawned on me that the person who was filming this absolutely disgusting and tragic event was also just watching George Floyd be killed. This cell phone film producer is, unfortunately, a reflection of our broader society. Our society now believes that our response to deplorable events like this is to just capture them on video. I can’t imagine watching a travesty like this transpire and thinking that my only responsibility was to memorialize the event on my cell phone. And it wasn’t just the camera wielding person! There were other spectators, and I use that word intentionally. Is this what we as a society have devolved to? Have we become observers of life instead of actual participants? Where was the hero to step in and confront this police officer? How about someone who would actually pull that officer off of George Floyd? Where are the people willing to get involved? Where are the real difference makers?
And the final layer of frustration comes from the rioters and looters that seem to inevitably take advantage of these situations. Despite George Floyd’s family and Black faith leaders encouraging peaceful protests in a search of justice and to make a comment on a broader issue, some have used this as an excuse to plunder, destroy and even kill. What does stealing a TV from Target have to do with George Floyd’s death. How does the destruction of uninvolved and often minority owned small businesses help anyone’s cause? This does not advance the case for George Floyd or for racial justice. At best it is a distraction to both and at worst it will cause a regression.
What we need right now are calmer heads with eyes on justice and progress. There are criminal and possibly even civil considerations that the Floyd family has to be addressing, and we should all be working to enable that effort. And if we really want racial harmony in this country we must condemn the actions of those police officers, the indifference of onlookers and the violence and criminality of the looters. When do the images of violence, destruction and absolute lawlessness make the bigger problem worse rather than better?
Friday, May 15, 2020
No Skin in the Game
No Skin in the Game
The View from the Middle
I have to admit that in the beginning it puzzled me as to why a majority of Americans were in favor of continuing the lockdown of our economy. As of May 1st, for example, a Rasmussen poll reported that 58% of Americans were in favor of extending these shutdowns. This number has been coming down, but it still made me scratch my head. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer came to me. These people have “no skin in the game”. I am quite certain that virtually 100% of that 58% are still working and receiving their paychecks. So, with that realization, the solution to this problem came to me. We need more of those people to go without their paychecks so that they can feel the actual pain of these preposterous and probably unconstitutional lockdowns.
First, all politicians should not be paid. For sure I’m talking about the federal government. Not only are these people not essential, I would classify them as “detrimental”. All of our Representatives and Senators should not be paid as long as there is an economic shutdown or restriction of our economy anywhere in America. Actually, I can’t believe that our Congress people have the hutzpah to cash their checks during this crisis, but then again, they are so out of touch maybe it shouldn’t surprise me. But these people are all so rich they might not even miss a paycheck or two. That’s why we would have to include all of their staff people in Washington and in their home states. These, more common people, would miss their monthly paychecks and they will remind their Congress person of the pain that much of America is living through. And this pay loss should not be a fake wage loss subject to backpay reimbursements later, like the government shutdown pretend pay cuts. This should be real lost money.
But, you say, that’s not enough people to swing these opinion polls in the other direction, and you’re right. That’s why this PEP (pay elimination plan) should also apply to state a local government officials. Why should the bad witch of the north, governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, be cashing her checks while she inflicts draconian restrictions on her citizens. And, of course, it can’t just be the governors and the mayors and even the legislators in those states, but it should be their staffs. This will add critical mass to the number of Americans reeling from this crisis and will definitely move the needle in the direction of opening up our country’s economy.
But we can’t just stop with our politicians. This paycheck elimination program has to extend to the media which I also have a hard time calling “essential”. I would classify them as “destructive”. I suppose they could still do their shows, but it would be better if they just played old news programs from better times like ESPN does. Maybe they could show some Ronald Reagan highlight clips. By the way, have you noticed that none of them have ever worn any masks despite the fact that they are surrounded by cameramen and other studio staff. Even those who are shooting from their homes have camera and lighting and sound people there to allow them to pull it off. And yet they sit there and tell us that we should be wearing masks. Hypocrites!! Of course, the cameramen and lighting people, etc. would lose their jobs too.
Finally, why should Walmart be allowed to pack people into their stores like sardines while the local “mom and pop” clothing store or bookstore or nail salon, who would be lucky to have 10 people at a time in their stores, have to shut down? I’m not against Walmart (I live in Arkansas), I’m just against hypocrisy. I would classify Walmart’s provision of food as essential, but they should not be selling clothes, electronics, hardware, etc. if any state is banning any small business from doing the same. The stores would be open for the real essentials, but Walmart would have to lay off millions of people who stock and manage those “nonessential” categories. Add in Target, Sam’s, Costco, (you name the retailer) and that would put a lot of skin in the game.
Finally, we have to stop giving people a raise for not working. In the short-term I was OK with beefing up the unemployment pay for those people who were going to be forced out of work, but once we open up the economy we have to eliminate this perverse incentive not to work. That program, which is part of the CARES act, can actually pay people more on unemployment than they were making at work. It ends in June and it should not be extended. It will not be needed. There will be plenty of jobs openings.
What do you think would happen to the number of people who want to extend the lockdown once all of these people were added to the unemployment lines? Lightbulbs would be going on all over America and that number would plummet. It’s amazing how attitudes change once people actually have “skin in the game!”
The View from the Middle
I have to admit that in the beginning it puzzled me as to why a majority of Americans were in favor of continuing the lockdown of our economy. As of May 1st, for example, a Rasmussen poll reported that 58% of Americans were in favor of extending these shutdowns. This number has been coming down, but it still made me scratch my head. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer came to me. These people have “no skin in the game”. I am quite certain that virtually 100% of that 58% are still working and receiving their paychecks. So, with that realization, the solution to this problem came to me. We need more of those people to go without their paychecks so that they can feel the actual pain of these preposterous and probably unconstitutional lockdowns.
First, all politicians should not be paid. For sure I’m talking about the federal government. Not only are these people not essential, I would classify them as “detrimental”. All of our Representatives and Senators should not be paid as long as there is an economic shutdown or restriction of our economy anywhere in America. Actually, I can’t believe that our Congress people have the hutzpah to cash their checks during this crisis, but then again, they are so out of touch maybe it shouldn’t surprise me. But these people are all so rich they might not even miss a paycheck or two. That’s why we would have to include all of their staff people in Washington and in their home states. These, more common people, would miss their monthly paychecks and they will remind their Congress person of the pain that much of America is living through. And this pay loss should not be a fake wage loss subject to backpay reimbursements later, like the government shutdown pretend pay cuts. This should be real lost money.
But, you say, that’s not enough people to swing these opinion polls in the other direction, and you’re right. That’s why this PEP (pay elimination plan) should also apply to state a local government officials. Why should the bad witch of the north, governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, be cashing her checks while she inflicts draconian restrictions on her citizens. And, of course, it can’t just be the governors and the mayors and even the legislators in those states, but it should be their staffs. This will add critical mass to the number of Americans reeling from this crisis and will definitely move the needle in the direction of opening up our country’s economy.
But we can’t just stop with our politicians. This paycheck elimination program has to extend to the media which I also have a hard time calling “essential”. I would classify them as “destructive”. I suppose they could still do their shows, but it would be better if they just played old news programs from better times like ESPN does. Maybe they could show some Ronald Reagan highlight clips. By the way, have you noticed that none of them have ever worn any masks despite the fact that they are surrounded by cameramen and other studio staff. Even those who are shooting from their homes have camera and lighting and sound people there to allow them to pull it off. And yet they sit there and tell us that we should be wearing masks. Hypocrites!! Of course, the cameramen and lighting people, etc. would lose their jobs too.
Finally, why should Walmart be allowed to pack people into their stores like sardines while the local “mom and pop” clothing store or bookstore or nail salon, who would be lucky to have 10 people at a time in their stores, have to shut down? I’m not against Walmart (I live in Arkansas), I’m just against hypocrisy. I would classify Walmart’s provision of food as essential, but they should not be selling clothes, electronics, hardware, etc. if any state is banning any small business from doing the same. The stores would be open for the real essentials, but Walmart would have to lay off millions of people who stock and manage those “nonessential” categories. Add in Target, Sam’s, Costco, (you name the retailer) and that would put a lot of skin in the game.
Finally, we have to stop giving people a raise for not working. In the short-term I was OK with beefing up the unemployment pay for those people who were going to be forced out of work, but once we open up the economy we have to eliminate this perverse incentive not to work. That program, which is part of the CARES act, can actually pay people more on unemployment than they were making at work. It ends in June and it should not be extended. It will not be needed. There will be plenty of jobs openings.
What do you think would happen to the number of people who want to extend the lockdown once all of these people were added to the unemployment lines? Lightbulbs would be going on all over America and that number would plummet. It’s amazing how attitudes change once people actually have “skin in the game!”
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The Doctor is in the VFM House
The Doctor is in the VFM House!
The View from the Middle
I’ve shared with you before that a brilliant doctor who just happens to be a friend of mine is also a faithful reader of The View From the Middle. He occasionally calls me with comments on my articles, especially those that have any kind of healthcare theme. He recently called me about my coverage of the Coronavirus and we talked at length about almost every aspect of this virus. I was amazed at how much we agreed on, but he also had one warning that he asked me to convey.
He agreed with my statement that no matter whose numbers you believe, 99.9% of America with survive this virus. Many, in fact, will have mild symptoms and a large number (we don’t know how many yet for obvious reasons) will be asymptomatic or display no symptoms at all. The fact that many will exhibit mild to no symptoms is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is obvious, but the curse is that these asymptomatic people can transmit this virus to a more vulnerable portion of the population, and that was his biggest concern.
The difference in the projected mortality rate for the Covid-19 has been absolutely amazing. In the beginning, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that the overall mortality rate for this disease was one percent, which also meant that 99% of those infected would survive. Recently that mortality rate has been lowered to 0.1% to 0.5%, depending on which expert you listen to. There are, however, groups of people who are at a much higher risk from this virus.
At first look, it appears that the higher mortality rate is driven by age. The death rate, for example, for people over 80 years old who contract this disease is almost 15% according New York City Health. For people between 70 and 79 it is 8.0% and for those between 60 and 69 it falls to 3.6%, which is still a pretty big number especially when I consider that I’m in that group.
But when you dig a little deeper, it is underlying health issues that lead to this increased death rate. In this same study, it was demonstrated that a healthy person that was 75 years old or older had the same likelihood of dying as a person between 18 and 44 years of age. The underlying conditions that this survey listed were cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic reparatory issues like asthma, hypertension and cancer. A 75-year-old without any of these pre-existing conditions, however, is almost as rare as a unicorn.
My good friend the doctor’s point is a good one. This virus is about twice as contagious as the seasonal flu and for people with underlying health issues it is much more likely to be fatal. With that in mind, many of the mitigation actions that we are taking like washing our hands more often, cleaning commonly used surfaces and social distancing are a small price to pay to protect this more vulnerable slice of our society. My friend even suggested that wearing a mask is worth the inconvenience, and he suggested this knowing that I am not a big mask wearer. I guess I’m going to have to rethink that stance.
He did agree, however, that we also need to open up our economy. As President Trump said, “the cure cannot be worse than the disease” and there will come a time when the financial, emotional and even physical damages to our people from our lockdown will exceed those of the Coronavirus. We must open up this country to save our small business owners and workers, but we must do so with an eye on protecting the most vulnerable in our country. We can do both things at the same time, and in fact, we MUST!
The View from the Middle
I’ve shared with you before that a brilliant doctor who just happens to be a friend of mine is also a faithful reader of The View From the Middle. He occasionally calls me with comments on my articles, especially those that have any kind of healthcare theme. He recently called me about my coverage of the Coronavirus and we talked at length about almost every aspect of this virus. I was amazed at how much we agreed on, but he also had one warning that he asked me to convey.
He agreed with my statement that no matter whose numbers you believe, 99.9% of America with survive this virus. Many, in fact, will have mild symptoms and a large number (we don’t know how many yet for obvious reasons) will be asymptomatic or display no symptoms at all. The fact that many will exhibit mild to no symptoms is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is obvious, but the curse is that these asymptomatic people can transmit this virus to a more vulnerable portion of the population, and that was his biggest concern.
The difference in the projected mortality rate for the Covid-19 has been absolutely amazing. In the beginning, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that the overall mortality rate for this disease was one percent, which also meant that 99% of those infected would survive. Recently that mortality rate has been lowered to 0.1% to 0.5%, depending on which expert you listen to. There are, however, groups of people who are at a much higher risk from this virus.
At first look, it appears that the higher mortality rate is driven by age. The death rate, for example, for people over 80 years old who contract this disease is almost 15% according New York City Health. For people between 70 and 79 it is 8.0% and for those between 60 and 69 it falls to 3.6%, which is still a pretty big number especially when I consider that I’m in that group.
But when you dig a little deeper, it is underlying health issues that lead to this increased death rate. In this same study, it was demonstrated that a healthy person that was 75 years old or older had the same likelihood of dying as a person between 18 and 44 years of age. The underlying conditions that this survey listed were cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic reparatory issues like asthma, hypertension and cancer. A 75-year-old without any of these pre-existing conditions, however, is almost as rare as a unicorn.
My good friend the doctor’s point is a good one. This virus is about twice as contagious as the seasonal flu and for people with underlying health issues it is much more likely to be fatal. With that in mind, many of the mitigation actions that we are taking like washing our hands more often, cleaning commonly used surfaces and social distancing are a small price to pay to protect this more vulnerable slice of our society. My friend even suggested that wearing a mask is worth the inconvenience, and he suggested this knowing that I am not a big mask wearer. I guess I’m going to have to rethink that stance.
He did agree, however, that we also need to open up our economy. As President Trump said, “the cure cannot be worse than the disease” and there will come a time when the financial, emotional and even physical damages to our people from our lockdown will exceed those of the Coronavirus. We must open up this country to save our small business owners and workers, but we must do so with an eye on protecting the most vulnerable in our country. We can do both things at the same time, and in fact, we MUST!
Friday, May 1, 2020
The Weaponization of Fear
The Weaponization of Fear
The View from the Middle
In his 1932 inaugural speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered one of the most famous lines of his Presidency as he began to rally the country to come out of the Great Depression. He told the country that, “the only think we have to fear is – fear itself”. While FDR was not a perfect man, I could argue that he was a master at persuading people to rally around a cause and to put trust in him. He did, after all, guide us out of a depression, manage the successful US campaign during World War II and win four Presidential elections. In this first inaugural he was telling the country not to be paralyzed by fear and not allow it to keep the country from making progress. He was motivating the people of America. He knew the negative power of fear and wanted everyone focused on the bright future that he was promising.
What he was revealing was that fear can be a powerful tool to manipulate people, and some people today have used it in its most malicious form. The fear mongering always starts out the same way. They tell you to blindly “believe” the experts / scientists. That sounds reasonable, right? They are “experts” after all. They are scientists. They must be smart and know exactly what they're talking about. Then the scientists make predictions that scare the hell out of everyone, but it ends up that the experts are wrong.
Back in March, a study by Imperial College scientists in Britain predicted that the Coronavirus would kill over two million people in the United States and over 500,000 people in England would die. Of course, that forecast ended up being off by a factor of 20, but the scare tactic worked and the American people were immediately frightened to death. Even as that projection slowly got dialed back to 250,000 dead in the US and then finally to 70,000 (which is less deaths than the seasonal flu delivered just two years ago), the paranoia was already set in place. And today the media is vested in the panic of all Americans, so they have to sell the death toll. The newest shock tactic is to compare the current death toll to the deaths from the Vietnam War. While that is clever, it is grossly misleading. The media should compare the current death toll to the seasonal flu last year or the year before (56,000 last year and 80,000 the year before), but that wouldn’t serve their purpose which was to terrify the American people.
Then we had the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci come out and tell us that the Coronavirus was ten times deadlier than the seasonal flu. Wow, that sounds awful and scary! Of course, Dr. Fauci never told the other side of that equation, which is that even with this inflated mortality projection it meant that 99% of the people who would be infected by this virus would survive. And today, virologists are discovering that millions of people who contracted this virus showed little to no symptoms and didn’t even know they had it. This new information has the “experts” suggesting that the mortality rate for the Coronavirus might be closer to 0.1%, or the same as the seasonal flu. Now, let’s consider something. If these “experts” and “scientists” had emphasized that the mortality rate was that low and that this meant that 99.9% of the people who were infected would indeed recover and not die, would we have had such a draconian response?
After all of this misinformation, we have fanatic and unscrupulous politicians trying to use this crisis to advance their ideological agenda’s. Just yesterday, Hillary Clinton once again admitted to the Democrat Party’s disgusting, cruel and even extortionistic strategy when she said, “this would be a terrible crisis to waste.” They will use this crisis to add totally unrelated programs to bills designed to address the hardship being experienced by the American people. For example, what does “a universal guaranteed income” have to do with fighting this virus? What do oppressive regulations for airline fuel mileage have to do with this virus? What does funding for Planned Parenthood have to do with the Coronavirus recovery plan? You’re right, nothing! Yet, Democrats will attach these unconnected spending packages and regulations to bills that are desperately needed by the American people. THAT is what they mean by not letting a terrible crisis go to waste. They plan to use that crisis for their own ends.
But haven’t I seen this play before? Oh yah – Climate Change (or global warming or whatever). The experts / scientists make horrifying predictions like “the polar ice caps will be gone by 2010” or “New York will be underwater by 2013” or we have 10 years to get totally out of fossil fuels or our world will become uninhabitable. Obviously, these predictions were wrong, but climate change extremists will never admit it. They just move the goal posts. Now they say that if we don’t change everything right now, the world will be uninhabitable in 100 years, when they will all conveniently be dead. My motto is, “If anyone tells you that they know what is going to happen in 100 years, they are lying.”
Yes, these expert scientists have managed to scare the hell out of many, including teen environmentalist, Greta Thunberg and her entire generation. That’s not difficult, since Greta is only 15 years old and I’m sure doesn’t understand in the least the intricacies that drive our climate. I would actually consider what they have done to Greta as child abuse. What they haven’t told Greta is that the experts have been wrong in virtually ALL of their predictions. The Polar Ice Caps as well as the polar bears are still here. New York is still above sea level and there aren’t millions of climate change refugees wandering around Europe and the United States starving due to droughts and crop failures.
The lesson for all of us is that we should be skeptical when politicians ask us to give up our rights, our property or our money for promises to save us from “whatever”. Look at what our government has done in the face of a virus as threatening as the seasonal flu. They have shut down our economy. They put millions of people out of work. They forced millions of businesses to close their doors, some of which will never reopen, and of course they spent / borrowed trillions of dollars that will just be added to the debt that our children and grandchildren will inherit from us. What a legacy.
Our country was built on God given freedoms and personal responsibility. We should never give those up for any reason. Viruses will come and go. Natural disasters will shake us to our core. Politicians will promise us free everything. They will promise no more sickness or death and no racial, gender, religious or income divides. But with each promise they will ask for a little bit more of your rights, your money and your freedom until you have nothing left and totally depend on them. Don’t believe them. Stick with the original contract that has made America the greatest country on earth! Freedom with personal responsibility. They can suggest how they think I should respond to the Coronavirus. I'll take it from there.
The View from the Middle
In his 1932 inaugural speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered one of the most famous lines of his Presidency as he began to rally the country to come out of the Great Depression. He told the country that, “the only think we have to fear is – fear itself”. While FDR was not a perfect man, I could argue that he was a master at persuading people to rally around a cause and to put trust in him. He did, after all, guide us out of a depression, manage the successful US campaign during World War II and win four Presidential elections. In this first inaugural he was telling the country not to be paralyzed by fear and not allow it to keep the country from making progress. He was motivating the people of America. He knew the negative power of fear and wanted everyone focused on the bright future that he was promising.
What he was revealing was that fear can be a powerful tool to manipulate people, and some people today have used it in its most malicious form. The fear mongering always starts out the same way. They tell you to blindly “believe” the experts / scientists. That sounds reasonable, right? They are “experts” after all. They are scientists. They must be smart and know exactly what they're talking about. Then the scientists make predictions that scare the hell out of everyone, but it ends up that the experts are wrong.
Back in March, a study by Imperial College scientists in Britain predicted that the Coronavirus would kill over two million people in the United States and over 500,000 people in England would die. Of course, that forecast ended up being off by a factor of 20, but the scare tactic worked and the American people were immediately frightened to death. Even as that projection slowly got dialed back to 250,000 dead in the US and then finally to 70,000 (which is less deaths than the seasonal flu delivered just two years ago), the paranoia was already set in place. And today the media is vested in the panic of all Americans, so they have to sell the death toll. The newest shock tactic is to compare the current death toll to the deaths from the Vietnam War. While that is clever, it is grossly misleading. The media should compare the current death toll to the seasonal flu last year or the year before (56,000 last year and 80,000 the year before), but that wouldn’t serve their purpose which was to terrify the American people.
Then we had the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci come out and tell us that the Coronavirus was ten times deadlier than the seasonal flu. Wow, that sounds awful and scary! Of course, Dr. Fauci never told the other side of that equation, which is that even with this inflated mortality projection it meant that 99% of the people who would be infected by this virus would survive. And today, virologists are discovering that millions of people who contracted this virus showed little to no symptoms and didn’t even know they had it. This new information has the “experts” suggesting that the mortality rate for the Coronavirus might be closer to 0.1%, or the same as the seasonal flu. Now, let’s consider something. If these “experts” and “scientists” had emphasized that the mortality rate was that low and that this meant that 99.9% of the people who were infected would indeed recover and not die, would we have had such a draconian response?
After all of this misinformation, we have fanatic and unscrupulous politicians trying to use this crisis to advance their ideological agenda’s. Just yesterday, Hillary Clinton once again admitted to the Democrat Party’s disgusting, cruel and even extortionistic strategy when she said, “this would be a terrible crisis to waste.” They will use this crisis to add totally unrelated programs to bills designed to address the hardship being experienced by the American people. For example, what does “a universal guaranteed income” have to do with fighting this virus? What do oppressive regulations for airline fuel mileage have to do with this virus? What does funding for Planned Parenthood have to do with the Coronavirus recovery plan? You’re right, nothing! Yet, Democrats will attach these unconnected spending packages and regulations to bills that are desperately needed by the American people. THAT is what they mean by not letting a terrible crisis go to waste. They plan to use that crisis for their own ends.
But haven’t I seen this play before? Oh yah – Climate Change (or global warming or whatever). The experts / scientists make horrifying predictions like “the polar ice caps will be gone by 2010” or “New York will be underwater by 2013” or we have 10 years to get totally out of fossil fuels or our world will become uninhabitable. Obviously, these predictions were wrong, but climate change extremists will never admit it. They just move the goal posts. Now they say that if we don’t change everything right now, the world will be uninhabitable in 100 years, when they will all conveniently be dead. My motto is, “If anyone tells you that they know what is going to happen in 100 years, they are lying.”
Yes, these expert scientists have managed to scare the hell out of many, including teen environmentalist, Greta Thunberg and her entire generation. That’s not difficult, since Greta is only 15 years old and I’m sure doesn’t understand in the least the intricacies that drive our climate. I would actually consider what they have done to Greta as child abuse. What they haven’t told Greta is that the experts have been wrong in virtually ALL of their predictions. The Polar Ice Caps as well as the polar bears are still here. New York is still above sea level and there aren’t millions of climate change refugees wandering around Europe and the United States starving due to droughts and crop failures.
The lesson for all of us is that we should be skeptical when politicians ask us to give up our rights, our property or our money for promises to save us from “whatever”. Look at what our government has done in the face of a virus as threatening as the seasonal flu. They have shut down our economy. They put millions of people out of work. They forced millions of businesses to close their doors, some of which will never reopen, and of course they spent / borrowed trillions of dollars that will just be added to the debt that our children and grandchildren will inherit from us. What a legacy.
Our country was built on God given freedoms and personal responsibility. We should never give those up for any reason. Viruses will come and go. Natural disasters will shake us to our core. Politicians will promise us free everything. They will promise no more sickness or death and no racial, gender, religious or income divides. But with each promise they will ask for a little bit more of your rights, your money and your freedom until you have nothing left and totally depend on them. Don’t believe them. Stick with the original contract that has made America the greatest country on earth! Freedom with personal responsibility. They can suggest how they think I should respond to the Coronavirus. I'll take it from there.
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