THE QUADRILLION DOLLAR SOLUTION

I sent our taxes in on the 13^th, then attended Pat Roberts’ town hall meeting. Roberts appeared to be quite comfortable, due in large part to his popularity and years of experience. There were a large number of dignitaries present compared to the very few I saw at Tim Huelskamp’s event the day before. It’s good to know what side one’s bread is buttered on. Being seen or photographed with Pat Roberts is like money in the bank. Being seen around Tim Huelskamp is toxic.

During the Q&A session a young woman, probably a university student, asked something that’s on the minds of a lot of young people.  Shouldn’t the rich pay “a little bit more” in taxes as a matter of fairness to the rest of us? There was an aura of fear that hovered over her, understandably so. Like a lot of people her age she’s worried about her future. Jobs are scarce, the federal government is in big time hock to the People’s Republic of China, and hyper-inflation may be waiting in the weeds. As things stand today her share of the federal debt is 138 thousand bucks. Give it a few more years and her share will increase to 177 thousand.

She needs help. If I’d only known before I mailed the checks in. I’d have signed them over to her.  That would have been far better than seeing the taxable portion of our retirement nest egg being spent by the General Services Administration on booze, bonuses, and a Vegas holiday. 

Actually, I don’t think she was asking a question. I think she was silently screaming, “Somebody help me! I’m doomed before I ever launch my career.”

I’ve been thinking about this for a few days. How do we fix this god-awful mess? How are we going to slice this American pie? What’s a fair sized slice? Who does the slicing? And, what happens when the pie runs out because everyone is eating pie and there’s no pie makers guild around to make more pies?

I was stumped till early Sunday morning. Then I read the Washington Post. Sheila Bair, former Chairperson of the FDIC has come up with an ingenious solution for everything that ails America. All it would take, according to Ms. Bair, would be for the Federal Reserve to tweak its easy money policy just a tad.

Since the financial meltdown a few years ago the Fed has been lending money to the banks and hedge funds that got us into this mess at near zero interest rates. Seeing opportunity knocking, the banks and hedge funds have been re-investing the money in high-yield securities. The “carry trade” profits have been enormous. Talk about a gravy train.

As soon as I saw the rest of her solution I realized we’ve been looking at things the wrong way. Instead of trying to punish the culprits we just need to find a way to get on the train. And, Sheila Bair has found it.

Her recommendations? Have Ben Bernanke print 1.2 quadrillion (that’s a bit more than 10 to the 15th power) dollars and lend it to us at the same rate it’s being given to the fat cats. Then send a $10 million check to 120 million American households. Families could divvy up the loot. Each person would be free to re-invest the money however he or she pleased. Young people could buy Google stock or Portugal bonds, depending on how much risk they’d be willing to take.  Retirees like Nancy and me could buy ten year bonds at two percent and live like royalty. Then, in years eight through ten we could spend like drunken sailors till all the money is gone.

It’s a beautiful plan. As Bair observed, “Think of what we can do with all that money. We can pay off our underwater mortgages and replenish our retirement accounts without spending one day schlepping into the office. With a few quick keystrokes, we’ll be golden for the next 10 years.”

I’m really excited. This is the hope and change I’ve been looking for.

There are a couple of potential hitches. First, Congress would have to approve the plan. I think this would be relatively easy. Our government is addicted to borrowing and spending. For those who think this may be even too large or complex for our government, keep in mind that they’re the guys who’ve given us a 73,000 page tax code. The second hitch would be what to do when the loans come due and we’re tapped out. Again, that’s relatively easy. In ten years we’d all too big to fail.  We could then declare collective bankruptcy and demand a bailout of $20 million per household. It would work. After all, congress loves bailouts every bit as much as they love borrowing and spending.

AN IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY?

“To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”

-          Conan the Barbarian (Responding to the question of what is best in life)

I’m sure there are some Gazette readers who think I’m a fool for letting my religious views creep into the ballot box with me. I have no defense. I’ll maintain my right to be a fool. I realize that being a fool swimming against the tide of all the superior wisdom around me could be dangerous, but I’ll take the risk.

It’s now the middle of March. When June rolls around the Supreme Court will render its decision on the Affordable Care Act. Judging by the apoplectic response of progressives to the three days of argumentation, supporters of the Administration are worried. The President was clearly concerned. Declaring that the Supreme Court was treading on dangerous ground if they thought of overturning a law that had passed by a solid majority, he laid down the gauntlet. Some scholars are speculating that his comments were aimed at Justice Kennedy, who is considered to be the swing vote. Some say the President’s comments were nothing more than an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

I think there’s more to it. It’s a matter of power, with a bit of deceit mixed in.

Was the President telling the truth when he warned the justices that the law had passed by a solid majority? The final vote was 219-212. Further, it took some back room wheeling and dealing with 6 pro-life Democrats to win final passage. How did he get their support? By telling them he would draft an executive order prohibiting public funding of abortion. I don’t think fifty years from now the President’s signature would be worth a nickel on the Antiques Roadshow.

The only remaining hurdles are nine judges. The President knows that the Supreme Court has the authority to overturn the law and its individual mandate. He studied law at Harvard. He’s well aware of Marbury v. Madison. This isn’t about knowledge or instruction. It’s about power and intimidation.

Alexander Hamilton understood this. Here are some of the things he had to say about the Supreme Court in Federalist 78: “The judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them.” “There is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers.” “Liberty can have nothing to fear from the judiciary alone, but would have everything to fear from its union with either of the other departments.”

The Supreme Court doesn’t always get things right. Dred Scott comes to mind. But our Founders set the Court up as a mechanism to protect the People from tyranny. In 1866, the Supreme Court overturned the capital conviction of Lambdin Milligan on the grounds that trying an American civilian in a military tribunal was unconstitutional. Justice David Davis, with the future in mind, wrote the following in his opinion – “The nation has no right to expect that it will always have wise and humane rulers, sincerely attached to the principles of the Constitution.” In 1935 the Supreme Court held that a Jewish poultry farmer’s economic freedom trumped the National Industrial Recovery Act (Schechter Poultry Corp v the United States). Franklin Roosevelt was so furious with the decision he concocted a scheme to pack the Supreme Court with justices who would do his bidding. Thankfully, it failed miserably.

Where do we go from here? If the Court overturns the law, is there a possibility that Barack Obama or a future President will use the “exceptions clause” under article 3, section 2 of the Constitution to circumvent the Supreme Court? If the law is upheld, could some future President find a way to ramrod a bill through the legislative branch mandating that all American workers join labor unions or buy a shiny new Chrysler? Could a pro-business Republican, with the consent of Congress, mandate that all Americans, including progressives, purchase trillions in stocks or bonds to prop up failing banks like Goldman Sachs when the next financial crisis inevitably comes? Jim Powell, senior fellow at the CATO Institute, seems to think these notions aren’t that far-fetched.

In 1973 Arthur Schlesinger warned of the dangers of an “imperial” presidency and the “expansion and abuse of presidential power.” When asked how it could happen he responded, “Through the mystique of the mandate, through the secrecy system, through executive privilege and impoundment, through political and electronic surveillance in the name of national security.”

I may not like every decision the Supreme Court makes, but I believe they’re essential to the maintenance of individual liberty. They’re our last line of defense. I pray in this case they decide in favor of the People.

RESPECT IS A TWO WAY STREET

Our Presidents may or may not merit our respect.  The Presidential office certainly does.

A few weeks ago Tim Huelskamp used what some consider inflammatory language concerning President Obama. It may or may not have been unprofessional. If it was, it was in keeping with a great American tradition. Huelskamp didn’t yell fire in a crowded theatre or threaten assassination.  He exercised his right to free speech.

I wouldn’t have used Huelskamp’s words, but I’ve seen and read worse things said of Presidents. Clark Clifford, one of Lyndon Johnson’s secretaries of defense, once described Ronald Reagan as an “amiable dunce.” Clifford was considered to be an absolutely brilliant man. He championed the policy of mutually assured nuclear destruction, a brilliant strategy if there ever was one. Interestingly, history records that the “amiable dunce” took the measure of the Soviet Union without firing a shot.  George McClellan, architect of our Civil War’s Peninsula Campaign and champion of the strategic retreat in the face of an inferior enemy force, wrote to his wife in 1861, describing Abraham Lincoln as “the original gorilla.” George Herbert Walker Bush, a decorated war hero, was called a wimp. Lyndon Johnson, who fell prey to superior intelligence of Robert McNamara, Clark Clifford, and others in his brain trust, had to listen to the almost daily taunts of “Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?”  Bill Clinton was called “Slick Willie.” At 5’11” and 260 pounds, Grover Cleveland could have played nose tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. Some called him the “stuffed prophet.”  Others called him “Uncle Jumbo.” James Madison was only 5’4”. His political enemies occasionally called him “Little Jemmy.”

How did the Republic ever survive these onslaughts?  You don’t suppose it’s been because the peoples’ right to freedom of speech is far more important than some notion of imperial superiority, do you? Our founders seemed to think so. They thought so highly of free speech they enshrined it as an addendum to our Constitution.

I came close to voting for Barack Obama in 2008. I actually sent contributions to his Presidential campaign. My accountant, who is also my wife, didn’t say so, but I think she was a bit miffed when the $200 donation to the Obama for President Campaign hit our credit card.

There was a lot I liked about him then. There’s a lot I like about him now. I loved “hope and change”. I was naïve enough to believe he could really make the oceans recede.  But I decided not to vote for him. What changed my mind?

I’m a pro-lifer. It’s an important consideration for me when I enter the voting booth. I don’t ask people to agree with me about this, nor do I ask for their advice when I go to the polls. Once I step into the voting booth my detractors have no control over me. They may think I’m uninformed, and that’s alright. I think there are a lot of over-informed people who pretend they vote for the right reasons.

I abandoned my belief in Barack Obama because he deceived me and millions of pro-lifers. There’s no delicate, polite way to put it. During the campaign he tried to curry favor from us. He told us he understood how we felt and said he had great empathy for us. Then I checked the record. In 2003, as a member of a state senatorial committee in Illinois, he was one of the deciding votes against the “born alive” bill, which would have prohibited Illinois abortions in cases when a “procedure’ was complicated if the “fetus” survived an attempted abortion. He told pro-lifers like me that he voted to kill the bill because he claimed it didn’t contain provisions to protect abortion rights legalized in Roe v Wade. It was a lie and he knew it.  Now, it’s one thing to vote in line with one’s principles; it’s another when one deceives a prospective supporter to gain votes he or she would otherwise lose. That’s deceit of the highest order.

I withdrew my support and asked for my money back. I never got it.

I once believed Barack Obama’s narrative about transparency and honesty, but facts are stubborn things. Ask whistleblowers like Thomas Drake. Ask yourself why Barack Obama, who promised to be the most transparent President in history, has used antiquated law to squelch dissent more often than any President in our history. Ask yourself why he feels so compelled to bully the Supreme Court into submission. Read Federalist 78 and do your own thinking.

I will never lose respect for the Presidential office, but I also deserve respect. I am a Citizen.

The first words of our constitution read “We the People.” Barack Obama doesn’t reign supreme, nor does any other President. We do, and we also deserve respect, not deceit.

THE SHELL GAME - PART ONE - COMPASSION

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”  - Luke 9:25 (New International Version)

Everything is big these days. We’ve got big business, big government, big media, big religion, big education, and blockbuster entertainment. Everything is so big it gives the rest of us the sense that we’re very small, institutional props to be used as vehicles for the institutions to become ever bigger. They constantly clamor for our attention. “I’ll protect you.” “I’ll be the champion of your cause.” “If you follow me I’ll bring you justice.”

Our experience tells us we should be wary, but we can’t resist.  They pull us from both the left and the right. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s Huey Long or his modern counterpart promising us that “every man will be a king,” or some mega church superstar telling us our contribution to the cause will not only bring eternal bliss, but also a Florida time share.

It’s fascinating. They know it’s a shell game. We know it too. But we keep looking for the magic pea under that walnut shell.

Why are we such easy marks? I think it’s got something to do with the way we’re wired. We don’t like to feel small and we gravitate toward something that appears big and important. We get hooked and become what Eric Hoffer termed “true believers.” Once that happens we rarely, if ever, question what’s happening to us. If we did, I’m afraid we’d find they’re getting bigger and richer while we’re getting smaller and poorer.

How do they hook us? By cleverly disguising the three walnuts, one marked compassion, one marked meaning, and one marked a cause.

Compassion is almost always the easiest button to push.

A little over two years ago a devastating earthquake flattened much of Port au Prince, Haiti’s capitol. According to Haitian government estimates over 300,000 people died and nearly a million were displaced. The international response was almost immediate. The task of reconstruction was huge, but the willingness to respond was even greater. Billions of aid dollars were pledged.  Compassion seemed to be the order of the day and we all felt good about it. There was even talk of fixing everything that has plagued Haiti for decades.

That was two years ago. You’d think that massive doses of compassion would change things. But that’s not the case. As the New York Times recently reported, “Haiti and its international donors were far behind in helping the hundreds of thousands still living in makeshift camps and the millions without formal jobs.” Billions have been raised, but very little aid has reached the people of Haiti.  How could that be? The U.N.’s Nigel Fisher is just as puzzled as we are.  “It's not so easy to track the NGO resources that were raised, and we guess that there were maybe $2 billion raised by NGOs around the world ... that has been difficult to track," he says.

I suspect once we pick up the “compassion” walnut there won’t be a pea in sight, which means some organizational shill is probably buying diamonds in Antwerp right now thanks to the generosity of widows who were donating their mites for what they thought was a good cause.

COMING APART

Charles Murray has done it again. With the publication of his latest book, “Coming Apart,” he has set off a firestorm of debate. At the heart of the controversy is his selection of white America as his test subjects. Using graphs, pie charts, data points, and anecdotes, he concludes that white America is coming apart at the seams, with highly educated, highly compensated, professionally successful elite whites at the top of the ladder who have segregated themselves into enclaves and insulated themselves from the concerns of “average” Americans. The two groups are drifting further and further apart, economically and culturally.

Murray calls these enclaves “superzips.” If we put names to them we get the picture. Georgetown is a “superzip.” So is Shaker Heights, Ohio. The most prominent and powerful are the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

                            

Most of the criticism of “Coming Apart” is coming from elites singled out in the book. That’s not surprising. As Eric Hoffer once observed, “We do not mind having our hair ruffled, but we will not tolerate any familiarity with the toupee which covers our baldness.”

Murray’s primary problem lies in his use of potent language to describe what his data has shown him. Someone like Robert Reich, speaking from within the elite core, can describe the same phenomenon using the term “the secession of the successful” and find his fellow elites nodding their heads in agreement. But, in spite of the polarizing language, I think Murray may be on to something. We might just be witnessing America “coming apart.”

Does it matter? And, if it does, where do I (we) fit into the scheme of things?

Murray provides a quiz as a means for determining where we fit. There are 25 questions, ranging from whether or not we’ve ever worked on a factory floor, lived in poverty, known an Evangelical Christian, purchased a pickup truck, gone fishing, lived in close proximity to 50 or more people who didn’t graduate from college, whether or not we know who Jimmie Johnson is, or had a friend with whom you could disagree without becoming disagreeable.

The test results can range from zero to 100.

A low final score is an indicator of someone who might be insulated or consider themselves to be part of the “elite” class. A higher score would be an indicator of someone is close to or is a practicing member of the huddled masses.

If you’re wondering where you might fit the test is available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/03/white-educated-and-wealthy-congratulations-you-live-in-a-bubble.html

I took the test. My score was 82, which marks me as being as close to being a Neanderthal as a modern man can be. And, worse yet, I’m proud of it.

Murray was particularly interested in the results of the test. I’m also interested in the reaction people, particularly elites, have had to him.  Some samples follow:

“It's like I said, I'm down with the people and I hate elitists! All my college friends who majored in sociology with me at Berkeley feel the same way! We hate elitists! We are the 99%! It's those Wall Street guys who are elitists! I'm burning over with populist fury and it's too bad the vast majority of Americans are too stupid and fat and superstitious and brainwashed to agree with me.”

“People are becoming more and more trash-like - with little value placed on future generations - they breed quicker than those of us with a plan - it is not elitist - it is a fact of life - open your eyes.”

“I don't see why just because I don't watch mindless TV shows and corporate blockbusters, and because I don't drive a pickup truck like some stupid redneck, and I don't eat at chain restaurants with a bunch of middle-aged fat people, and because I hate ignorant evangelicals and love scientists, and because I chose to live in a neighborhood with creative educated people - why should any of these things make me an elitist!”

In addition to criticism from rank and file elitists, Murray has incurred the wrath of the pantheons of the powerful. Writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Peter Schmidt observed “But Mr. Murray, a Harvard and MIT-educated political scientist, seems wired like a South Boston bar brawler in his inability to resist the urge to provoke.” Some, like Jonathan Chait, haven’t even read the book, but feel wise or educated enough to chime in, claiming that Murray’s work is  - “an attempt to change the subject,” whatever that subject might be.

Murray may be on to something, and it sure is fun to watch the reaction of the elites or the elite wannabees. Seeing it, I’m thinking they’d be better off climbing back into their cocoons. Their very public protests have demonstrated, as St. Paul once said, “Professing themselves wise, they became fools.”

MISSION CREEP?

Oh how I wish the harbingers of early spring so evident here in Emporia would descend on the international scene. But I fear it’s an empty wish. The skies are filled with wave after wave of man-made storms. The Arab Spring that held such promise a few months ago has morphed into shared military/sectarian rule in Egypt that’s become every bit as repressive as what the people were liberated from. The news from Libya is pretty much the same. This morning’s New York Times had the following dispatch – “There are 250 separate militias in the coastal city of Misurata. From being heroes, those militias have become the most loathed in the country.” The daily reports we’re getting from Syria are heart rending. The streets are littered with corpses. We really don’t know what’s going on with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The Israelis are convinced they’re close. Our intelligence officials are telling us we’ve got time.

All of that would be bad enough, but things are getting worse. I got up this morning and read about the weekend incident in Afghanistan. An American soldier is being held in the murder of 16 Afghan civilians. They were murdered while they slept.  Nine of the victims were children; three were women. Some of the bodies had been burned. The solider in custody is a non-commissioned officer. He’s married and has children. He’s a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq. His current tour of duty was his first in Afghanistan. 

In the aftermath of the carnage American officials are saying “all the right things.” “The perpetrator will be brought to justice.” “The actions of one person do not, in any way, reflect the professionalism and courage of the vast majority of Americans serving in Afghanistan.” The statements are true, but the tragic facts remain. Pronouncements from our leaders can’t wash away sixteen corpses.

The Taliban in Afghanistan have vowed revenge. Americans in Afghanistan are once again on a high state of alert.

Is it just me? I feel like the wheels are coming off the wagon.

Not long ago we were being fed rosy scenarios about progress. We were being told to stand fast and remember the mission.

The warning signs have been there for some time. Tragedies like this don’t happen in isolation. They’re part of a larger whole.

A few months ago, Lt. Colonel Daniel Davis reported his findings from a year in Afghanistan to the Armed Forces Journal. In his travels, from Kandahar to Kost to Kunduz and other provinces, he saw, first hand, that events on the ground “bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders.” .His conclusion was brutally honest – “When having to decide whether to continue a war, alter its aims or to close off a campaign that cannot be won at an acceptable price, our senior leaders have an obligation to tell Congress and  the American people the unvarnished truth and let the people decide what course of action to choose.”

Overnight polls taken by the Washington Post in the wake of the murders reveal that about 60% of us want to leave Afghanistan…..NOW!

Will we? I doubt it. There’s a mission to complete.

What’s the mission? I have no idea. And I don’t think our leaders do, either. The mission seems to be whatever they say it is on a given day. One day it’s getting Bin Laden. The next it’s stabilizing the Near East. On really optimistic days it’s about making democracy work in Afghanistan.

One thing is certain. The man who did this will be punished. But what of those who crafted the policies that made something like this inevitable? If one man, whose judgment might have been blurred by three tours of duty in harm’s way, can be punished, what should happen to those who crafted the policies? Did they really believe something like this would never happen when they discussed strategy and tactics in their climate-controlled conference rooms?

There’s plenty of guilt to go around. The punishments, however, are selective. Robert McNamara was the architect of rural pacification and body counts in Vietnam. His post-war punishment? Chairmanship of the World Bank. Henry Kissinger gave us Vietnamization and Realpolitik. Gerald Ford made him Secretary of State.

When it comes to punishment, the guy in the trench always bears the brunt. During the Boer War, Harold “Breaker” Morant was executed for having killed a Boer prisoner. Morant claimed he was following oral orders that had been issued by high command. On the night before he died he penned the following:

“If you encounter any Boers

You really must not loot 'em!

And if you wish to leave these shores,

For pity's sake, don’t shoot ‘em!”

“Breaker” Morant had to pay for his crime. The mission and high command had to survive.

 And so it is today.

THE MAD PROPHETS

Howard Beale came along at a time when “The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.”

Who was Howard Beale? He was the Mad Prophet of the Airwaves, from Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 classic, “Network.” He prophesied at a time when inflation was in double digits and about the only solution the Ford administration could conjure up was those ridiculous “Whip Inflation Now” buttons. They had come on the heels of wage and price controls which had been implemented by Richard Nixon’s economic team as a hedge against inflation. The effect of these political decisions on the buying power of the average American was devastating. Goods that could be purchased for a hundred dollars in 1971 cost over two hundred and three or more by the time Jimmy Carter came along.

He was a blue collar guru who paved the only sensible avenue of protest for the bruised and battered. “Open your windows” he screamed. Tell them “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.” As soon as he uttered them, his words became like a medicine to society’s rank and file. In city after city windows opened and their impassioned cries filled the night air. “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

There seems to be a madness that goes with the prophetic trade. They wear it like a mantle. Ezekiel laid outside the city gate for over a year, most of it on his left side, followed by a few weeks on his right. He saw wheels spinning within wheels and a valley full of dry bones. Isaiah had the temerity to call the prophets, politicians, and sages of his day “mute dogs.” Jeremiah alternately raged and wept. Howard Beale railed against the system.

Howard Beale was as mad as a March hare and for all I know Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah might have been downright committable. But there was a method to their madness. They said what needed to be said; they said what the disenfranchised intuitively knew was right. They filled a niche few were willing to embrace. While the rest of society, particularly its leaders, floundered in the darkness; the mad prophets exposed the folly to the light of day.

Their rewards weren’t what we normally consider rewards, unless we somehow accept the idea that ridicule and exile, shivering in a cold, dark well, being cut in half, or becoming an assassin’s target is proper compensation for telling the truth. It’s strange, really, the punishments meted out to the mad prophets rarely fit the crime. Dr. King said, “There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.” That and talk of brotherhood put him in the gun sight. Brother Solzhenitsyn criticized Stalin’s soviet system and spent eight years in the Gulag. Years later he was stripped of his citizenship and sent packing to the West. He came as a darling of the progressives, but as soon as he criticized our materialism and humanism he became persona non grata and they sent him packing back to the East.

Nowadays the punishments for truth-telling are more civilized. Mad prophets are shunned. They don’t get invitations to the big bashes. You’ll never see them on the guest lists of the VIP events.

Every age and every hamlet needs its mad prophets. Size, either great or small, doesn’t confer immunity from their penetrating words. New York City isn’t immune. The well connected of Foggy Bottom aren’t immune. Media moguls might think they are, but they’re not. Nor are the big, important fish cruising around Emporia’s small pond.

In a small pond like ours the prevailing belief seems to be that our faults (if they can be called that) don’t merit the wrath or the acid tongue. Everything is just fine. We’re doing fine, therefore everyone else is too. But the mad prophets know better. Neglect is neglect. It doesn’t work on a sliding scale that says a little bit of it is okay. A blind eye is a blind eye is a blind eye.

Do we have mad prophets here in Emporia? Yes! But it’s hard to hear them. Their screams only seem silent because they’re coming from the wrong side of town. As the lyric prophets of the 60’s observed, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls, and whispered in the sounds of silence.”

BRAVO ZULU!

The People’s Petition drive has been successful. Tammy Vopat, the Lyon County Election Officer, has certified the results. We’re grateful for the courtesy and professionalism she and her staff extended to us!

A lot of hard working folks have gone door to door, sought out their neighbors and friends at local watering holes, restaurants, on street corners, and other meeting places around the county. Their hard work has been rewarded.

Almost 1,700, Lyon Countians, 170% of the 992 signatures required, signed the petition in the wake of the County Commissioners’ 2 to 1 vote of a bit over a month ago.  The issue will now go to the voters as a ballot question in the August 7^th primary election.

For me the most important task is to thank all of those who have been a part of this petition drive. In my days at FedEx one of the most important tools upper management utilized to say thanks to employees who’d gone “above and beyond” was a note of gratitude. Fred Smith called them “bravo zulus,” a Navy and Marine Corps term meaning “well done.”

With that in mind, I want to say “bravo zulu” to all those who contributed to this undertaking. You’ve done well. You’ve gone above and beyond.

There are a so many people to thank. I’ll be mentioning some names as I proceed, but the list will be far from exhaustive. That said, I’m grateful for the support every person put into this effort.

From the outset, there are two people who’ve been my mentors in the process. Bravo zulu, Steve and Linda Corbin! Your dedication to the petition drive demonstrates how deeply you care about this community and its people.

There’s Eldon Parkman. Bravo zulu, Eldon! You were really under the weather during this time, but you kept plugging away. You’re one of the many who labored in the face of health issues. That’s dedication and determination.

I’m grateful for the hard work Carl Antes and Bob Agler put into dissecting the numbers. Your work is clear, concise, and it reflects the integrity with which you approached the task. Bravo zulu!

Bravo zulu, Darryl Klumpe! Your hard work early on really energized me.

A big bravo zulu to Richard Kennison! You were there with us every step of the way. You’re one of those “ham and eggers” who is just as vital to the welfare of this community as its movers and shakers. You showed clearly how much you care about Emporia and Lyon County.

Bravo zulus to Karen Hartenbower, Dustin Lantow, Shirley Simmons, and others who got tons of signatures in rural areas! Your hard work is greatly appreciated.

And, bravo zulu to the people of Lyon County. You proved that you care about this community!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. The beauty of a grass roots effort is that it takes a lot of laborers to make the wheels turn. It takes caring people who are willing to translate knocking on doors, walking the county roads or the city streets into signatures, which in turn translates into a collective voice which declares, “We the People.”

I’m not a soothsayer, so I don’t know what happens from this point on. Whatever happens, I believe that this petition drive has been a great success. It’s demonstrated that there are a lot of people who care deeply about this community.

The petition drive is complete, but, our work to build a better community must go on. As I’ve walked my neighborhood, parked myself on downtown streets, or gone to folks unable to get out and about, I’ve seen over and over that there is a lot of work to do. There are tasks beyond ballot issues, as important as this effort has been. I’ve heard it so many times it’s become a refrain of sorts in my soul. “I want someone to listen to me.” “I want someone to understand that what seems so little to them is like a giant boulder on my shoulders.”

Emporia and Lyon County have a long way to go before we can even begin to say we’re the community we all want it to be. It will take political action, of which this petition drive was a small part. But it will take more. Our ministerial alliances need to make this an area of real focus.. There is a harvest of need that must be met and it’s going to take more laborers working in the fields. Out small neighborhoods need to become what Irish statesman Edmund Burke called “little platoons.” We need to work together to improve our neighborhoods and relationships.

Again, bravo zulu to all who contributed to this effort. Let’s use that energy and enthusiasm to continue making this the community we all want it to be!

BOOKS!

I took a break from petitioning a couple of days ago to sneak out and get a Valentine’s Day gift for my wife. By the time this is published she’ll know I got a box of dark chocolates from the Sweet Granada and Henri Troyat’s best-selling biography “Catherine the Great” at the Town Crier.

I rarely buy books in hard cover any more. Cost is the main factor. Plus, I’m now the proud owner of a Kindle, which has a keener sense of appreciation for my wallet than the publishing industry. I’ve only had it a couple of months and I’ve read Frank Viola’s “Pagan Christianity,” Tom Friedman’s “That Used to Be Us,” and Richard Gordon’s “The New Holy Wars.” I downloaded Mark Twain’s “King Leopold’s Soliloquy” late last week and I’m about half way through it. It’s quite amusing, and also instructive. It’s a primer on how to skewer politicians. It’s never too late to learn.

I’ve even had time to re-read Joseph Conrad’s “Lord Jim.” It’s the story of a man of principle’s fall from grace in a moment of internal weakness and his long, tortured road to redemption. Jim has always fascinated me. It was free, as was Conrad’s tale of unleashed evil, “The Heart of Darkness.”

I’ve downloaded the English Standard version of the Bible. It was also free. To this point I’m having to read it from the beginning. I’d like to flit from Old to New Testament, but I didn’t take the time to read the Kindle user’s guide, so I don’t know how to navigate my way from place to place seamlessly. I’m just reading it sequentially. I’ve gotten as far as Genesis 15. Most Christian scholars believe that Moses either wrote or compiled the early books of the Bible. The more I read, the more I’ve come to see how clever a man Moses must have been. To arrange it all in chapters like that was quite a feat. He must have decided early on, as he was writing Genesis, that it would be a great idea. Apparently so, because the other 65 books that follow are all arranged the same way. The verses and the way they’re structured has me stumped. Why is it that chapter one has 31 verses and chapter two only has 25? Or why does chapter ten have 31 verses and chapter eleven have 32. Was that one verse about Terah at the end of the chapter eleven absolutely necessary?

One of the advantages of reading sequentially is that I’ve been able to recapture the breathtaking speed at which things moved from hunky-dory to the first murder, to a flood, and then seeing up close and personal how men become so arrogant they believe they can build a stairway of sorts to heaven. For them to believe that they must have either been politicians or rock salesmen. Right now I’m at the point where Abram rents a U-Haul truck to escape the clutches of civilization.

I think the Kindle is good for this kind of reading. It’s light. It’s even more portable than the average book, particularly textbooks, which are chock full of words and the prices to match. How’s the old adage go? – “publish or perish,” which is probably another way of saying, “If the tuition doesn’t get you, the bill for the books will.”

The most I’ve spent on any book to this point was ten bucks (“That Used to Be Us”). There are over eight thousand pages of free books that can be downloaded. I’ve got some shelf life left, but not that much.

Another nice feature of the Kindle is the ability to take notes or copy selected quotes into a utility called “my clippings.” These days my memory is getting shorter and being able to compile things I thought were important a few days ago is really nice.

But there are some things I miss. A book purchased in a store, the Town Crier, for example, has a great deal of tactile benefit. As I said, my wife loves biographies and the thought of reading about the life of some noteworthy person via electronic means seems cold and impersonal. A textbook I can understand electronically, but not Catherine the Great.

And there’s another really important benefit for me. I get to interact with people. Today, after I bought the book and had it gift wrapped I had a brief conversation with a very nice young woman. She seemed very kind. I told her that if I’d been around when Ben Franklin flew that kite he could have strung me on one end of it and lightning would have struck in fair weather or foul. I think she understood.

You can’t do that sort of thing on a Kindle.

THE PEOPLE'S PETITION

As of this morning we have twenty-three Lyon Countians circulating the petition to put the “extension decision” on the ballot. We’ve been out and about¸ engaging in a labor of love. Over the past week or so we’ve met a lot of wonderful folks.  Like us, they understand that the right to petition our leaders is precious. Our Founding Fathers weren’t given this right. They had to earn in. When they’d earned that right for themselves, they enshrined it for every future American generation. We intend to do our part to honor them and to honor our fellow citizens. We will meet the goal and the issue will then be decided at the ballot box.

We’ve told everyone, whether they are for or against the decision, that we would gladly accept their signatures on the petition. A few have declined. That’s also an American right. But, there’s something we’ve found mystifying. Some folks are being told they shouldn’t sign the petition. That’s unfortunate. All that we want, as petitioners, is to have the issue put to the vote. We want the people to decide. We believe that the collective wisdom of the people is always better than the wisdom of a few. That’s the American way.

There are moments when the notion that people shouldn’t sign this petition troubles us, but then we’re re-invigorated when we meet  folks as they gladly sign the petition or seek us out to sign it. We will meet our goal and we will all decide the issue in the voting booths.

No one in Lyon County has anything to fear from us. We’re your fellow citizens. We don’t fear your ability to reason. We don’t fear information flow. We don’t fear the outcome of a vote. We embrace all these things and believe that every citizen of Lyon County should as well.

When the issue is brought before the people there will plenty of time for debate. We expect it will be vigorous.

Right now our focus is on getting the required number of signatures on the petition. That’s a very personal task. Each signature is of great value. It represents one person. As the process unfolds the ones build upon one another until, collectively, they become the voice that says, “We the people!”

Those who favor the extension vote tell us that the extension service is made up of people too. We agree, and the generosity of the people of Lyon County reflects that understanding. Over eighty percent of the allocated dollars from the County to the local extension goes to agent salaries. Over eighty percent! The outcome of any vote won’t change that generous spirit.

But there’s another personal side to this issue. It’s the people of Lyon County. In his January 25^th editorial Chris Walker expressed it beautifully. Tax increases, some large, some small, have placed a heavy burden on all of us. Collectively, they inhibit economic growth. They eat into fixed comes. They take money that could be spent buying or repairing homes. They take money that could be spent at local businesses. Proponents can say that the cost will be negligible, but, as they say in the backwoods, “That dog won’t hunt.” A penny or two here adds up to a significant amount to a small businessperson trying to keep the enterprise afloat. A portion of a mill here or there is often a backbreaker for someone living on minimum wage or a fixed income. What seems a small amount on one side of the equation adds up to a lot to the person on the other.

It’s very personal. I know. My property taxes have doubled in the thirteen years I’ve lived here. The same is most likely true for many of you.

For me and my wife it’s even more personal. We moved her mother to Emporia a few years back. Velma is 92. She’s a widow living on a fixed income. She’s not at all atypical in this county. She’s one of the many voices who want to be heard.

Before many of us were born, Velma spent the early forties working on a B-25 sub-assembly line, soldering the wiring for radio units. Her hand was steady. She took great pride in the quality of her work. She spent the post war years caring for her family, one of whom was developmentally disabled. She never complained. She was just doing what love required of a mother and a citizen.

Last week, as she was signing the petition, her hand trembled. It was no longer as strong and steady as it was in the forties. But Velma was determined to sign the petition.

Velma has earned the right to speak for herself. So have the people of Lyon County. This is what the people’s petition is all about!

SIGN THE PETITION...PLEASE!

The following post is primarily for Lyon County, Kansas residents. Those outside the county may, however, find the poitical intrigue here in the Heartland fascinating.

On January 5^th, our County Commissioners¸ in a two to one vote, approved a resolution to allow the Lyon County extension service to merge with the Frontier District (Osage and Franklin counties).

In the wake of the vote many Lyon Countians expressed their displeasure. In informal polls conducted by the Gazette and KVOE, the displeasure could be clearly seen. Of the 1,209 citizens who expressed an opinion in either poll, 1,024 (85%) said they disapproved of the measure or believed the matter should be put to the voters. Some might say that informal polls carry no weight, but when one considers how difficult it is to get 85% of any community to agree on anything, I believe the polls carry considerable weight. About the only time a community expresses this much agreement would be about whether or not Mom’s apple pie is the best in the world or whether or not the world is actually round.

I’ve made no secret of what my opinion on this matter is, but this is not, in the strictest sense, an opinion piece. I think it is paramount that we get this issue to the voters. To that end, some of us have been preparing a petition to put it on the ballot. The drafts have been completed and approved by our County Attorney. All that remains in phase one is to circulate the petition to those registered to vote in the County. That process can begin on January 19^th. From that point we will have a sixty day window to get the 1,000 signatures necessary to the County Clerk. I believe we can easily achieve that goal and possibly double that number.   

Once phase two begins, the debate and discussion will begin in earnest. Like others who share my view, I intend to give this my very best effort. A couple of days ago I told Steve Sauder when the time came I would be in the same frame of mind Joe Frasier was when he prepared to meet Muhammad Ali in Madison Square Garden. In a pre-fight press conference, Ali taunted Frasier. Frasier responded by telling Ali that in the ring, “I’m gonna’ be dead up in your nose hole.” I intend to fight hard on this issue. I hope and expect others will as well.

You’ll be seeing information coming out as things progress. As soon as we can make arrangements we’d like to have a brief meeting with those who would like to circulate petitions for signature. It’s going to be a labor intensive task, but, like any worthwhile endeavor, the rewards will be considerable.

I’d like to thank those who have already expressed interest in this petition. Thanks to Bob Agler, James Bordonaro, Steve Corbin, Tom Cotte, and Eldon Parkman. Thanks in advance to those who aren’t yet on the volunteer rolls, but will be. Thanks to Tammy Vopat, Marc Goodman, and their staffs for the timely review and input. Thanks to Steve Sauder and Chris Walker for seeing the importance of this issue and putting it before their respective audiences. Special thanks to Steve Corbin, who has been my mentor in this process. And, thanks to the Gazette’s “bloggers.” You guys often get a bad rap, but I believe that you’re an important part of this community. You’ve taken on the unenviable task of holding our leaders’ feet to the fire. You represent the voices of people in this community who have difficulty getting a hearing through more traditional platforms. Most importantly, you say what you say because you, too, care deeply about this community!

I’ve only lived here twelve years, but one of the things that has become clear to me is that many Lyon Countians have given up on our political process. That sense of futility is evident in the number of us who vote for candidates or issues that should be important to all of us. When 20% or less of us vote, it is not a sign of good community health.

Some may be frustrated in this case. But, we need you!  Please don’t tune this out. Let’s not make this another one of those times when less than 10% of us finally decide for the entire community.

This issue has the potential to change things for the better. It’s given us a real opportunity to come together. I’ve gotten calls of support from people of both high and humble estate since the Commissioners cast their votes.

So, the hard work begins. Sign a petition. Gather signatures. Be on the lookout for press releases. Call me; I’m listed. Stop by the Town Royal and have a chat with Steve Corbin. Write letters to the editor.

Let’s dig in and give it our very best. Then, when the time for debate comes, let’s fight hard and let’s fight…fair!

THE EMPTY NEST

The photo above is of Corina Nour, the Moldovan student who lived with us while she completed her Masters' work at Emporia State University.

Nancy and I are now full-time empty nesters. Corina Nour, the young Moldovan woman who came to live with us in 2003, has graduated and moved on to what we hope will be a wonderful life.

In the summer of 2003 Nancy and I were living a very quiet life. We’d just gotten back from a short vacation in Chicago. As soon as we got home, we began poring over the latest issues of the Gazette. We began with the crime blotter, catching up on the nefarious activities we’d missed while we were in Chicago. There was the usual dose of speeders and disobeyers of stop signs and traffic signals. There were more than a few “dogs at large” and note made of “worthless checks.” It felt good to be home.

After a while Nancy relayed some information she’d just read. Glen and Carol Strickland were looking    for host families for a couple of international students who needed a home for the upcoming high school year. One of the students was a young girl from Moldova. “Do you think we might be able to host this girl?” she asked. After a bit of gentle persuasion I agreed to make the application.

I didn’t realize it then, but a wonderful story was about to unfold.

We were expecting her to arrive in Emporia in early August. She arrived in New York in fine shape. However, as soon as she got into the terminal the lights went out. That was at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon on August 13^th. They didn’t come back on until August 15^th. It was the great summer blackout of 2003. What a welcome to America! She finally arrived in Wichita a few days after power was restored. She was easy for Nancy and me to spot. She appeared to be the most dazed and confused person in the terminal. After a few introductions we went to get her luggage. About a half-hour later we realized that the airline had lost that. Nancy and I both wondered what she must be thinking. “So this is what America is all about.” I made arrangements with the airline to deliver the bags to Emporia when they were found and we headed home.

As soon as we got home we took her to Wal-Mart to get her toothpaste, toiletries, pajamas and a few other things to see her through till her luggage arrived. I’ll never forget how amazed she was when she surveyed all the toothpaste. I think she was on the verge of tears. She told us she’d never seen anything like that in her life. In Molvoda, getting toothpaste meant one brand.

We got through the tough patch alright. The luggage arrived and Corina started school. She settled right in. One of the things we saw right away was that she was determined to make the most of the opportunity she’d been given. She really understood that America is a meritocracy and that hard work pays off. I never had to bird dog her about homework. She just dug right in. Her grades reflected her intense commitment to excellence.

The year moved so fast. We knew we’d come to love Corina, but we didn’t know how much until it was time to take her back to the airport for her flight home. We cried and clung to her. And she cried and clung to us. She didn’t want to leave. But, unfortunately, sometimes the good things in life do have to end.

Corina got back to Moldova and settled back into her life. She completed her undergraduate work in Romania. We continued to correspond with her. Somewhere in the process I saw an opportunity for her to come back. We offered to underwrite her first year of Masters’ work. It wasn’t long till we were welcoming her back to Emporia.

She settled in once more. As it was with her high school work, she excelled in everything she did. She was awarded a graduate assistantship. She got a part time job at the Granada. We taught her to drive. She got a license and a car. We couldn’t see it clearly then, but these things were all part of the Americanization of Corina.

She graduated just before Christmas with a Master’s in Business. Her G.P.A. was 4.0.

She left for San Francisco a week or so ago. She starts a full-time job with Cisco Systems in mid-January.

So, Nancy and I are empty nesters once more. We miss Corina already, but we also feel very gratified. We’ve been a part of something special. A young woman, from the poorest country in Europe, has blossomed when the door of opportunity was opened. It’s the kind of story, I think, that could only take place in America.