CHARM SCHOOL IN AMERICA

 

President Washington...Hello again wherever you are...

And, by George, wherever that might be, my guess is you've stopped shaking your head at the stew later generations of bureaucrats and elected 'public-servants' have made of your hard-fought Republic - and you've run for the brandy!

"We The People" feel like running for some brandy too - but truly there isn't enough spirits on the planet to help us cope with how massively disappointing the decades of people in public office have been... 

So substandard are the parade of people in local, state and federal public office that I only need the fingers of both hands to count those who 'aren't' so ambitiously blind - they are willing to see their homeland literally sold out for personal ambitions. [See:  Working Without A Net: VOTING IN AMERICA (workingwithnonet.blogspot.com)

TAXING THE RICH...One million [US] dollars just doesn't buy what it once did! How amazing is that?  So in this 21st Century who is considered 'rich'? Certainly none of the politicians who are calling for greater taxation of 'the-rich'. Since the vast majority seated in our Congress and Senate have become millionaires - many times over - are they paying their fair-share... And - who are the 'rich' the politicians routinely vilify? A high percentage of the 'rich' did not inherit wealth. They are self-made business owners who worked 24/7/365 at great risk over several years to get their idea/business/invention off the ground. And - if those who are now 'rich' had not done what they did - you and I would not have been able to apply for work at the companies we now take for granted. [See: Working Without A Net: RICH IN AMERICA (workingwithnonet.blogspot.com)

Inflation: between 2015 and Covid the cost of nearly everything suddenly took a giant leap from costing

in the millions to the billions then to the trillions! Why? But, besides that 'inflation' never goes 'down' [per say] it just gets recalculated based on productivity and wages. A simple example: a 9oz box of crackers mid-way, 1980 [with an inflation rate of 11.6%] was $1.59. Mid-way, 2023 [with inflation--supposedly--down to 4.4%] the price of those crackers varies between stores shelves and online at $3.88. Is anyone minding our grocery stores for price gouging...

Debt-Ceiling: Are they serious? There is no ceiling! In fact there's no roof either because there's no fiscal accountability. [Term Limits - Term Limits - Term Limits.]

Budgets: lets' take a peek at waste and mismanagement - though you may need to be seated with a brown paper bag close by...Just the 'estimated' fraud claims against Medicare alone have risen to between 50 and 60 Billion a year. [Of all the agencies that need an increase in staffing to investigate it's Medicare not the IRS.] Then there's an actual 778 Billion dollars of over-payments, waste and cost over-runs paid by the Pentagon since 2019! And these are only two Federal Budget items that our illustrious legislative members can see for themselves thanks to the stats diligently collected by the Manhattan Institute. However, before you review the website of the Manhattan Institute you're may need another brandy...

INNER SPACE: First let us take a look at weather,  4+ billion years of unsettled weather that is, with asteroids and meteorites and volcanos and earthquakes...All of which Earth is still experiencing. So, Climate Change? Earth's climate has 'never-not' been changing -and- warming - and cooling - and warming - and cooling - and... [We could likely save the planet sooner if our "Climate Czar" John Kerry, wasn't flying his jet to interfere with unsuspecting farmers in other countries like the Netherlands and Ireland. Apparently there's a quest to reduce cattle and pig production--because--they 'fart'! I guess none of those huge dinosaurs farted...]

Anyway...My very first semester of my very first year of geology my professor explained the impact of the 5 [previous] major Ice Ages. Between those ice ages were major warming trends at which time global water levels rose significantly. Plant life flourished and so did animal life - like dinosaurs. Believe it or not what is now the North American mountain chain affectionally known as The Rockies, [formed from central Alberta to northern New Mexico] was once an impressive stretch of scenic sandy beach that ran from northern Alberta to southern New Mexico. [See: Working Without A Net: "GREEN" & "CLEAN" IN AMERICA (workingwithnonet.blogspot.com) and Working Without A Net: FOSSIL FUELS IN AMERICA (workingwithnonet.blogspot.com) 

Why can't the herd of PhDs at NASA turn their creative attention to 'this planet' and it's environmental issues like an efficient cost effective system of recycling paper, glass and plastic - and - reducing greenhouse pollutants due to poor forest management that causes out of control forest fires - and -  develop an expanded water reservoir network system so more rainwater is stored for increasing electrical needs and mitigate drought cycles - and - cultivate a global reforestation program...Just asking for a 'friend'...

CITIZENSHIP...Also, speaking of this planet [I've said this before] Earth is 'our-home'. No matter how many rockets are sent to the moon or to Mars or to outer space, Earth is it folks. This planet is 'home' to all of us, we are 'all' citizens of here... 

THE FOOD PYRAMID... If our Climate Czar wants to be entirely ESG then the 'only-simple-food' has an Earth source - in dirt. Even our animal protein gets their nourishment from grasses, seeds and other vegetables grown in dirt...So - very sorry but if anyone cares to read the list of ingredients [if you can pronounce them] on the packages of Twinkies, Froot Loops or Cheetos you'll know why none of them should be included... This means - if anyone needs to drop a few or several pounds then eat all you want of only-simple-food. You'll be able to recognize them because most come ready-to-eat in their own packaging like - apples or bananas or carrots or cucumber etc...

VIOLENCE & MASS SHOOTINGS...We are what we watch. If young[er] impressionable minds watch only Reality-Programing [that is scripted for ratings] or only one maybe two news networks [that is also scripted for ratings] or video games with guns and movies/television with guns--then--why this country continues to see [real-life] gun violence and death repeated every-single-day is not a mystery. Bullying is not addressed in our schools, but then neither is respect or common curtesy -so- suicides among our young should not be a mystery...Kids are pulled from homes with dysfunctional parents [who often grew up with dysfunctional parents or foster parents] then the 'rescued' kids are placed in foster-care and moved from foster home to foster home until they age out at 18 on their own -so- homelessness should not be a mystery... Working Without A Net: PRISON REFORM IN AMERICA (workingwithnonet.blogspot.com)

WE THE PEOPLE: are [according to our Constitution] supposed to be in charge. However, every time 'we' ask our local - county - state -or- federal representatives to 'do' something, 'change' something or 'fix' something ---- they too often feel compelled to comply- too often by creating another new department in order to 'do' or 'change' or 'fix' whatever it is/was 'we' complained about...But they only comply if/when there's more money in it - as in future taxes by increasing their 'budget....So - fellow travelers every time we 'ask' the people we elected/hired to 'do' something we give up more of 'our' authority and when we don't make the people who work for us answerable, we allow the bar of our own standards to drop lower... 

THE 2024 ELECTION...Our freedom requires diligent effort - like weeding a garden - to maintain, daily.  I'm encouraged by the quality of 'some' of the people seeking election and reelection, but only because I've been tracking their careers and/or voting records. This is 'not' brilliance on my part. Anyone can research the people who seek our vote/trust. So please, for your sake/future - don't accept any more Charm-School-Sales-Pitches from people in public office...They 'are' accountable - then after they are elected they remain accountable. The authority of Public Positions is temporary and 'borrowed'. All authority is borrowed from 'us'--"We The People"...

Patchwork Publishing, LLC

  

 

THEATRE IN AMERICA

 

Dear George Washington, though you were about 100 years apart in age , I'm sure you heard of the playwright, William Shakespeare  and, the first few lines of the famous monologue from his play "As You Like It". I vent to you George, because lately those lines have been stuck in my head like the lyrics of a song that won't go away...

 All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
 And one man in his time plays many parts, 

SO, Fellow Travelers is our life on Planet Earth one giant soap-opera?  Is the person who robs a bank only 'playing' the part of a criminal in 'this-life' then plays the part of a schoolteacher in the next life then a pilot in the life after that?

IF there is life-after-life then answering that question with a "yes" is easy. If--the answer is yes what are the lessons from so many lifetime experiences? Is a corrupt mayor or prime minister absolved of their conduct because they were only playing-a-part to further the 'plot' for how other people's lives evolve? Hmmm...

Because I've struggled with this notion since January my blog postings have been stalled. [Those who typically follow my blogs wondered 'where' I was.]  

Anyway--moving beyond Shakespeare's insightful monologue, what I finally came to terms with was a premise somewhere in the middle. And what helped me 'get-there' was the Parable of the Talents. Talents a few thousand years ago was a form of currency... A father sent each of three sons out into the world with the same amount of money as a test. One son spent his talents/money foolishly returning home broke, a second son horded his talents/money so returned home with exactly the same amount he left with, but the third son took a risk with his talents investing his money that also benefited others and he returned home prosperous. The lesson of this parable [that I made a mess of interpreting] is to recognize opportunity then share it. What we share comes back 10-fold. 

Okay. Today Talents has a different definition, or does it? A 'talent' is still something that can be turned into a means for earning income. If you have a talent for mathematics or science or sculpting or acting or medicine or hair styling or sewing or welding or anything, you have an obligation to develop that talent, that ability, and share it with others so others may benefit too. Of course--not everyone has the same talent. An engineer shares bridge building ability with a farmer who can cross a river to cultivate more land and grow more wheat to supply a baker who feeds the engineer. [My example is quite simplistic, but we do need each other since everyone has different 'talents'.]

Regardless of our talent, we will be tested. Everyone is tested. Someone born into poverty may be tempted to fall down a rabbit hole of selling drugs or mugging people - or - they can choose to overcome poverty and start a small business, finish college or specialized training no matter how long it takes. Someone else born into wealth and privilege may struggle to find purpose and instead of using their opportunity to share or work to help others, slide into a life of waste. Someone may be born into a life somewhere in between then face a serious health diagnosis and struggle not to allow themselves to become a 'victim' - but inspire others to rise above health or handicap and point their energy in a positive direction. 

Why then has literally all news mediums [print, digital and network] spent so many hours and so much space on the thief and indolent rich and the chronic depression of someone ill? Why...? Theater! Apparently 'only' crime, crisis, and casualties deserve air-time or print space.

 Herd Stupidity...If "all the world's a stage and men and women merely players..." has a 'script' been written for us via fate and destiny?  Or -  could we set a course for this planet's future on a steady, productive path that offers the most opportunity for the most people most of the time? 

Regardless of our ancestors' birthplace--either somewhere in the Americas [South & North] or Europe or Africa or Asia or Oceana, every single one of the 8 billion humans on Planet Earth are all one single species...Only one! Ohhh, there is between 5 and 6 thousand cultures with various languages and dialects, but every last one of those 8 billion people were all born warm blooded vertebrates. The outer 'upholstery'/skin varies, but the skeletal structure remains basic. 

Even more exciting [or annoying] all of those 8 billion people have 8 billion opinions...With that, why the hell are there still so many people who even try to attempt influence over this human mass? Personally, I'd want to stay out of their way.

SO--I see Herd-Stupidity in terms of the Herd of other humans who have risen [like curdled cream] to the top of notoriety in order to seek public positions of leadership.

 For literally thousands of years various 'forms' of leadership [from self-appointed 'royalty' to others with grand titles like emperor, or governor or duke etc...] have typically made a fine fiasco of the vast majority of cultures they attempted to lead by control. The most effective leaders [like Mahatma Gandhi and George Washington] let people lead themselves. Gandhi and Washington were [rare] examples of effective coordinators and delegators, much like the conductor of an orchestra. 

An orchestra conductor does not need to know how to play every instrument--the conductor merely needs to coordinate all strings and brass and percussion, so they play together in harmony. 

Divided - there is no orchestra. That said, what if tomorrow all of America's voters were Registered Independent?  How would that change the next election script? Anyone and everyone could vote to select a candidate in the round of Primaries. With no clear idea of who was more liberal or more conservative polls couldn't influence so intently. Would people seeking public office need to work harder to earn public office - and actually 'serve' to keep it?

From A Distance...After several inches of new snow falls, everything is covered by a clean blanket of white. Also, looking out through the widow of an airplane everything below appears neat and tidy. All the roads look clean and farm fields seem organized and perfectly geometric like every farmer used a T-square to lay out crops in the fields. However, after the snow melts, we can spot those weeds and the peeling paint on patio furniture. After the plane lands and we return to ground level our homeless citizens come into focus. But how were these citizens cast in these parts? 

What is puzzling, in America of plenty, is the cultural neglect that systematically created our homeless population that has grown [far] out of proportion to the prosperous culture thriving around them. Granted, 1 million dollars doesn't buy what it once did [like seven years ago] but county, state and federal budgets waste precious funds on trends and special-interest projects. 

The number of homeless in 1990 was 228,621 by the end of 2022 it was 582,462. Historically, between 1950 and 1960 homelessness had declined to the point that researchers were predicting its virtual disappearance by the 1970s. Instead - in the 1980s homelessness increased rapidly and drastically changed in composition. Thousands of our returning Vietnam Veterans didn't get follow up emotional or medical care and states severely cut budgets for social programs once targeted to mental health, affordable public housing and English language immersion with job training for new immigrants. 

From the summer of Woodstock [1969] began decades if 'free-love' that created an increase in drug addicted single moms. However, instead of helping those moms so their children could remain with them, state run social service departments too often removed children from birth parents and placed them in foster homes. Sometimes kids in foster care were adopted, but more often they grew up in foster care, moving between several homes as they aged. When foster kids turned 18 [with none of the family support system most young people have] they age-out on their own. Recently, more and more states have modified their 18 and you're out policy. But bridge programs still aren't national with group homes to help foster teens transition from care to independence, so this change has been slow. Regardless, the previous 4 decades that lacked any of those policies generated thousands of dejected, desperate young people who became criminals or lost souls who scrounge in dumpsters and sleep on park benches or in doorways. 

I'll bet none of our homeless citizens ever considered any future plans to include 'no-fixed-address' in their high school yearbook. 

How do we get better 'parts' for those 'cast' as homeless? Call and write your mayor, governor, state legislator, federal senate and congressional representative...Public people [whose salaries we pay] who want to keep their 'leading-role' on the public 'stage', will be pressured to listen.

Without a government for a year, Belgium shows what happens to politics without politicians - The Washington Post

Patchwork Publishing, LLC 

FRIENDS & FAMILY IN AMERICA

 

Dear George,

Social structure--Mr. Washington, thus 'family' structure was essentially set almost literally in stone when you marched along the Delaware and across farm fields to fight for this new Republic.

It's now 2022 and I doubt you'd recognize much [even in Philadelphia] let alone understand the 21st Century family/social structure that looks more higgledy-piggledy than steady.

For one, a man may 'marry' another man and a woman may 'marry another woman...It is a mystery even to heterosexual folks as to how or why they are/were attracted to the person they married, but not to others they only dated. Hense, the mystery of why a man would be attracted to another man [romantically] or a woman attracted to another woman would be equally puzzling...

That aside...For another, divorce and remarriage is commonplace. So common that 49% of all first marriages end in divorce, with lesser-known statistics for the failure of second marriages at 62% -or- that 70% of third marriages collapse. Was the custom of arranged marriages a more stable system that broke down as more and more couples were allowed to select their own mate based on emotion?  Or was there something else? 

Paring and procreation among critters in nature typically follows specific cycles like seasons or the maturity of surviving offspring. Except for elephants most herd animals are not emotionally involved, but function on pure instinct for species preservation. Even with our nearest 'relatives' among other primates there's accepted order--again designed to protect survival of the species.

As a consequence of evolution what broke down in humans between the demise of the Neanderthal and the emergence of modern Homo Sapiens? Apparently, we-humans have a larger brain, [than most plants & animals] but has our ability to 'think' become our greatest handicap? Do we 'think' too much? Is there too much emotion with not enough reason involved with our thought processes?  

Watching the 6 o'clock news - everyday - certainly offers [circumstantial] evidence to support that premise... 

*Finding Our Roots... My family DNA hopscotches all over this planet. 

Via ships from Norway, chromosomes landed in Scotland then Ireland then France. From there distinctive genetic qualities sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to merge with members of the Chippewa Nation in the Northern Great Lakes region of Upper and Lower Canada. 

Time marching into another century [with wars shifting the original border between the new American Republic and Mexico] many former Spanish colonists remained in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. And in the decades since, some of those decedents have also met up with some of those who carried that original Norwegian DNA. 

And as immigration exploded from passenger ships to passenger planes immigrants from Turkey and Egypt landed here along with those from South Korea and South Vietnam. Then blind dates, dances, schools and careers brought that mosaic of characteristics together with those from Norway, Ireland and Scottland and France to create the amazing 'salad' of DNA that is my family, from 10 different countries...

Not only is every culture from every country represented in Canada and the United States, but my family polymers coiling around each other from 10 countries make up characteristics found in my nephews, nieces, son-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, grandchildren...You get my drift.

But more than that--with so much [human] variety in my family there is no place for discrimination. We've all gotten to know each other over the years with birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving/Chuseaok, Christmas, New Years, Cinco de Mayo, Tet Holiday, Hung King Festival, Saami [Flag] Day... Because we're all related and because we're close there is no space for intolerance.

When I look around much of North America my family isn't unique. Longtime friends, former coworkers and neighbors were born into families filled with descendants from Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. Sooo, Fellow-Travelers as we end 2022 and look to 2023 how is it we're still harboring any hate for anyone? We are them and they are us...

**Who Lives Here... Where is here? I don't mean 'here' as in Canada or United States or France or Argentina or Ethiopia or any specific country. By 'here' I mean EARTH...

This is IT folks. No matter how many galaxies the Web telescope reveals or how many rockets NASA, Musk or Bezos send beyond the ozone - you and I have only one 'home' Planet Earth. We all live here together. No person is here illegally. No person is illegitimate or an accident.

If it is true, then that humans and other mammals and plants and birds and fish and insects have only Earth to call home then is it also true that if one bullet or one arrow or one spear is aimed at even one other person--any weapon is also pointed at all of us? 

Why is one leader in Russia terrorizing 'cousins/family in Ukraine? Why did Putin dimmish the credibility of his entire adult life as a leader along with Russia's Global standing to alienate international investment that brought jobs for his fellow citizens? Why aren't friends and colleagues in NATO and the UN and those who know better stepping in to stop 19th Century thinking that scars us all well into this 21st Century?

Why is China threatening their cousins in Taiwan? Does the leadership in China not have enough landmass to cultivate or people to invent to move their progress forward without taking from one tiny peaceful island? This is more disappointing 19th Century mentality.

Why is Iran and most of the Middle East continuing to suppress women when it stalls their advancement, pushing it back by 2,000 years? And why is the rest of their population though educated, but oppressed with new ideas subjected to silence? This mindset is 1st Century AD.

Why aren't 'we' doing better? Why aren't you and I complaining louder and longer every single week to those we elect and pay - to do the job of leading  w-i-t-h   e-t-h-i-c-s?

Spoiler alert--to all self-serving, corrupt leaders both elected and corporate [in this country and everywhere else]  you can't take it with you!  I can assure everyone that you're going to die with exactly the same amount of money you had when you were born. Zip-Zero-Nada. So, folks all that remains is 'how' you will be remembered which will reflect on your children and grandchildren. Do you want to be revered or reviled... 

*Castro started out with the best of intensions, but messed up big time...Gandhi never swayed from his mission... Who wants to be remembered with someone like Castro? Who wants to be remembered with someone like Gandhi? 

Sherrie Todd-Beshore is an award-winning mystery, suspense novelist and former journalist...

Patchwork Publishing, LLC

Mystery Podcast | a podcast by stbeshore@msn.com (podbean.com) 

  

 

VOTING IN AMERICA

Dear George,

By delegates from 10 of the 13 extent states, I read you were elected [unopposed] as the new Republic's first President. 

Obviously, there were laws to draft and the organizational structure of day to day governing to set in place, so--time was of the essence. Also, there were vocal sceptics and critics, and those still loyal to the Crown convinced that it was only a matter of [a short] time when this experiment would implode. So those doubters needed to be convinced this new nation could work--sooner than later.

The confusing and unusual creation of America's Electoral College was formed with the best of intentions - originally - so states with smaller populations would have an effective say in choosing a President. [Well in theory that is unless states move the 'goal-posts' for certain precincts.]

ELECTORAL COLLEGE: In a nutshell: The electoral College was created by the framers of the U.S. Constitution as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress. Each state elects the number of representatives to the Electoral College that is equal to its number of Senators [2 from each state] plus its number of delegates in Congress. The District of Columbia [DC] has no voting representation in Congress but has 3 Electoral College votes. There are currently 538 electors in the Electoral College and 270 votes are needed to win the presidential election. [source National Archives]

However, after George declined to serve beyond two four-year terms a 1796 rush for the top created America's first hotly contentious election between the Federalist, John Adams [a suspected monarchy sympathizer] and Republican Thomas Jefferson [branded a French revolutionary sympathizer]. And - 'we-the-people-' haven't had any peace since...

*But--have 'we-the-people/voters' brought much of that on ourselves? I don't know if George Washington knew or even met Englishman Alexander Tyler, but Tyler's 1787 comment on the 'new' United States experiment was insightful. "A democracy will continue to exist up-until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result democracy will finally collapse due to that fiscal policy."  

[Okay Fellow-Travelers has anything like that happened recently--like--student loan forgiveness?]   

TRUTH IN [POLITICAL] ADVERTISING: Truth in advertising laws in the U.S. are monitored and regulated by the Federal Trade Commission [FTC] The laws exist to protect consumers, but not apparently--voters. So, if you're duped into buying tomatoes advertised as "organic" when they weren't grown in soil mixed with high quality goat poop--just ordinary dirt--then you're protected by all kinds of laws, standards and regulations. However, if you voted for someone running for a high political office based on their promise to: "unify-the-country-and-work-with-colleagues-from-both-parties"--but that has 'not' happened--then you're stuck...

Apparently when it comes to political ads - that's where the FTC jurisdiction ends because political ads regardless of how packed they are with all manner of deception is entirely protected by the First Amendment. Because--the core of the First Amendment protects "freedom of speech". Case in point. In 2006, Congress passed a law that criminalized making false claims about one’s military service. A local candidate in California who was falsely claiming he’d won the Congressional Medal of Honor, was brought up on charges. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

"And the Supreme Court said, 'No, First Amendment applies. You can lie about your military service. ... You can’t ban lies in public discourse.'" 

People can say anything they want in a political-speech. [Except on Facebook or Twitter if your 'speech' is considered by them to be hostile or 'too' opinionated...] Further--there is a difference in 'allowances' for Broadcast Networks like ABC, NBC, CBS -and- Cable Networks like CNN and FOX...Anyway...

**Buyer/Voter Beware. Lies in our political forum no matter how corrupt or outrageous--are protected!

VOTING: Beyond voting for a person our 'say' in what and how those [elected] people respond or don't--[to issues] by those who have been entrusted with so much in the hands of so few has steadily eroded since 1796. 

Weekly surveys since Jan 2022 show the list of priorities for Ms. & Mr. Main Street [we-the-people] in no particular order is: a] inflation, b] illegal immigration/border security, c] minimum national education standards, d] national healthcare for citizens--same as federal employees and Congress/Senate enjoy, e] phased in environmental regulations based on updated infrastructure and a return to recycling, d] election integrity, e] fiscal and policy accountability f] less government [g] mortgage/interest rates [h] weak supply chains [i] crime/gun safety... 

Does writing to or calling the office of your federal or state representative make a difference? Yes, but from my experience a significant number of other people also need to call or write and then--too often if what is important to you only becomes a national ground swell, like birth control rights for women. 

***Besides the Separation of Church and State--perhaps there also needs to be a Separation of Medicine and State -and- a Separation of Education and State... 

Look what happens when voters truly get to choose as they did in Kansas. And that outcome startled all Kansas legislators. Because the Constitution of Kansas requires voters 'not' legislators to approve any changes to their state's Constitution--no politician with their own bias [like individual arrogance in Texas or Mississippi] could make changes for their own political ends. AND--under those circumstances "we-the-people" would truly have 'our' say--our vote on issues directly would make a difference, because--we can't typically rely on those we voted for to keep their word. 

****So going forward--what would happen if social issues went directly to the people nationally for a vote instead of presented as legal issues decided by the Supreme Court? 

Why can't American citizens vote nationally to decide about ABORTION? Why can't American citizens vote nationally to decide about GUN SAFETY? Why can't American citizens vote nationally to decide about IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS and BORDER SECURITY? Why can't American citizens vote for TERM & AGE LIMITS...

You get the idea, but those who seek to keep authority and control in their [self-serving] hands will object--arguing these issues are too "complicated" to include on a Mid-Term Election ballot or General Election... Hogwash. Worded correctly without double negatives or deliberate complex jargon--'we' can and should take more of those arbitrary decisions away from people too easily influenced by campaign support contributions and their personal interests.

My husband and I come from fairly large families, many of whom are spread out in three Canadian provinces and 30 US states as are many of our friends. And 'none' of those friends or relatives would send their spouses out on their own to select wallpaper or upholstery without equal, personal input! 

But for some reason we-sheep provide less supervision to total [political] strangers who: lie, cheat, enrich themselves, waste our tax dollars, flaunt standards and regulations we're expected to follow, send military to wars then don't support their needs when they return, dilute primary education, don't keep up with basic infrastructure/water/electric grid/bridges, and live as if they're entitled...

What's wrong with 'us'?  Are 'we' that lazy?  Should there [finally] be a 3rd viable political party in the United States like John Adams' Federalist Party?

Joe Biden is presently America's 47th President and in that historical lineup of forty-seven people how many have served with merit? Well--the likenesses of my picks can be seen at Mount Rushmore. That's it! In 231 years, only four presidents 'served' their country and served with distinction...

What does it take to lead unselfishly and serve with distinction?   What does it take to fulfil the responsibilities of a Mayor, a County Commissioner, a Prime Minister, a Premier, a Governor, a President?    What does it take?    It takes--ETHICS... 

Without a government for a year, Belgium shows what happens to politics without politicians - The Washington Post

Sherrie Todd-Beshore is an award-winning novelist and former journalist...

Patchwork Publishing, LLC

Woodrow And Wren...The Rule Of Three-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com)

24 Sussex Drive-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com)

RETAIL IN AMERICA

 

Dear George,

There weren't malls or 'life-style-centers' when you were elected, or credit cards--but commerce still flourished when you were President. Why? Well for the same reason commerce thrives in this century...Though supported mostly with 'plastic' and more recently an algorithm [currency] maintained by vast amounts of electricity ...

EASY CREDIT: Once upon a time there was the Gold Standard that limited governments to the amount of money, they could circulate based on their total gold reserves on hand. 

This meant [oh gosh] governments had to not only present a budget- they also had to follow that budget. [Those were the days.] 

However, our federal-slight-of-hand money magicians claimed that due to the hording of gold by the populace during the depression and following war years--the Gold Standard limited the government's ability to support more economic growth... O-k-a-y 

Since then--gauging the skill of those in positions of elected office mange fiscal policy--you already know how well this has worked. Cause spoiler alert it's now 2022. Deficit-spending [by definition is an oxymoron] that creates debt--for you and me. What follows - more often than not also causes an increase in taxes to pay for the government's deficit-spending spree...

But how to keep the masses distracted and happy and 'believing' they're moving forward? 

Prior to 1970 credit cards were not stacked in the wallets of every working adult like a multiple-choice filing system. Buy now-pay-later for the average consumer was limited to revolving credit with several neighborhood merchants or specific department stores. Dinners Club and American Express was typically limited to high income executives and business travelers. Beginning in 1958 a very enterprising Bank of America think-tank leader in California, by the name of Joseph P. Williams saw how creating a single credit system would be more convenient for the average consumer and less of a risk for local merchants than so many revolving lines of credit. 

From Joseph's flash of inspiration there and then--VISA was born, and the consumer has been making monthly payments on everything imaginable ever since...We got sucked fast into accounting quicksand with no concept of what that piece of plastic truly meant. 

At first all retail, restaurant and service businesses like salons and barbers were thrilled because initially people stopped worrying about prices. This was a fun new toy. We could leave our cash in the bank. The common shopping battle cry was "charge-it"! We were spending drunks until the statement arrived in the mail and at.18 people like me [with less sense than an earthworm] almost went blind with shock. My dad very calmly explained to me that when I charged $100 - then spent that same $100 from my savings account for other expense then I was short $100. In other words, in debt. Fortunately, I learned that credit-card lesson well when I was young and still living at home.

Decades later when my husband and I had three offspring in college at the same time--our mailbox averaged 11 credit card "invitations" a week for these same three people who had yet to graduate and still wouldn't have gainful employment for several more years! 

So, for decades and decades our GDP has been built largely on a pyramid of plastic. Retail sales would not be as robust as they have been without the credit card.

VIRTUAL RETAIL SHOPPING: But with modern technology--retail and investment and 'shopping' is even more exciting though somewhat riskier especially if the electricity goes out or a few satellites fail...

The world of cryptocurrency that arrived first called Bitcoin caught on as an investment by a slick promotional marketing campaign designed to pick the pockets of people with more money than good sense. By convincing backers, they could store profits [any amount of ill-gotten gains] from the scrutiny of arbitrary government control [thus jail or taxes] and earn a higher return--what was basically a pyramid scheme caught bullet-speed attention. 

Other enterprising computer programmers were swift to copy that same concept and create their own
[coin] asset by which actual borrowed or hard-earned money was deposited somewhere in cyberspace... 

Since January 2018 the S&P 500 shot up 78%. Just the sheer volume of millions of actual dollars--that became billions in four short years forced the attention of New York as well as global stock markets to list Bitcoin and the other 150+ cryptocurrency sellers. Transaction fees and steady deposits made this market class valued at over 919 Billion as of July, 2022--down from just over 1+ Trillion in May. 

But tossing money into cyberspace gets even more fun -or more absurd - depending on one's perspective.  Now let's pretend. We can go shopping for digital real estate in an imaginary location or buy digital art and/or fashion -with- some of that simulated computer-generated currency. 

Amazingly enough "Le Musee Imaginaire" isn't new to this century. In a 1972 French documentary producer Maurice Bejart projected moving images on various surfaces. for his concept of an imaginary museum. Okay-what am I missing? I understand the desire to escape reality once in a while-but have an entire generation of people been teleported to a mental Twilight Zone? And just how will a digital fur coat keep anyone warm outdoors in Calgary, Alberta in January? Or how does a digital meal provide nourishment? Can hardly wait to hear those explanations...  

ADDITIVES, PRESERVATIVES & DYES: Did the downhill slide of our society begin with Froot Loops? 

With easy credit, simplicity of online shopping and convenient delivery to your door the distinction between 'want' and 'need' hasn't blurred it's evaporated. And about the only event that forces most consumers to evaluate their consumption is either a personal loss of income or general inflation--like what's happening now...

Do we 'need' potato chips to live? No. However, with decades of warm and fuzzy marketing of television ads with families having picnics on beaches--we have been conditioned to 'want' potato chips. But not only for picnics, how about for everyday lunches with our soup or sandwich too? Then pretty soon that product is in the weekly grocery cart and adding another $5 to $7 to our grocery total.

From the snack aisle of our favorite grocery store we head down the cereal aisle where to be more accurate the cardboard box in which most of those products are contained has more nutritional value with less salt, sugar, gluten and unpronounceable chemicals to maintain a freshness. If we were still sending people into the afterlife in pyramids, then Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms and Count Cholula and all of the others along with crackers, cookies and candy would still be safe for archeologists to eat 100 years from now. Yikes...! 

Question: is all of those preservatives, dyes and stabilizers preserving and stabilizing us or are they causing allergies, sensitivities or latent health issues as we age? Just curious...

Sherrie Todd-Beshore is an award-winning mystery suspense novelist and former journalist

Year Of The Dog-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com)

24 Sussex Drive-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com)

Patchwork Publishing, LLC

MANY LAYERS IN AMERICA

 

Dear George,

Was everyday life simpler Mr. Washington when you took office in the 18th Century? Plumbing was certainly simpler because there wasn't any--though chamber pots under the bed and a trip through snow or rain to the outhouse might have seemed complicated. 

But here in the 21st Century there seems to be a surplus of stuff 'we-the-people' really don't need making aspects of daily life more cumbersome than convenient. 

Though I'm not about to give up my indoor plumbing the technology that harnessed electricity--seems to have compelled certain compulsive people to sit up nights to create more and more--for its own sake. We can't live without toilet paper, but we can certainly live without Alexa or Siri--and likely should for our own personal private security...

*STREAMLINE: If it's a truism that "less is more" then let us examine the proposed additional staff of 86,000+ IRS employees. [Though, from where these additional people will be sourced is a puzzle since employers everywhere across this nation are short staffed and 'Now Hiring'.] 

Anyway...Simplify the U.S. tax code to a flat rate system -and- completely update the entire IRS computer technology infrastructure [software-hardware-telephones] into the 21stCentury--before it's over... 

In 1913 the U.S. Federal Tax Code pamphlet was 4 pages! Count on one hand with a digit left over! Those four pages included forms and instructions! [Sometimes I really hate where my research takes me...] Okay, I'm calmer...

One hundred years later, the U.S. Tax Code is 6,871 pages 'not' including 'any' forms or instructions! [Back to being tense.] Adding the Tax Regulations and Official Tax Guidance the entire U.S. Tax Code publication is just under 75,000 pages. [Tolstoy's "War and Peace" said more with less.] 

Presently our taxing structure is a patched arrangement of 70s & 80s & 90s programing, software and hardware. [The Smithsonian Museum's income tracking technology is more UpToDate!] A flat tax rate - with no loopholes - paired to a replaced computer network will support efforts by the present staff [of 93,000+] to solve their back log then keep pace with future deadlines, scams and identity issues.       [Jan 20, 2021 Blog: INFRASTRUCTURE IN AMERICA]   

*PURPOSE: Historically, NASA has never been on time nor on budget. That aside--with a planted flag and bragging rights what did landing on the moon offer Earthlings in the way of progress for their civilization? In fairness, many NASA research spinoffs found their way into mainstream commercial products and applications. Some made their way to store shelves because they were rejected by NASA as not viable under space conditions. Regardless, some medical advances/devices, technological advances and lifestyle advances came our way. NASA spinoff technologies - Wikipedia 

However--were those advances worth the millions [now billions] in research and development cost overruns? Could private industry have ultimately made the same discoveries for less? The Mars Rover program $1.08 Billion, the WEB telescope at 1.04 Billion, the Artemis program 93 Billion [estimate]. Could some of that money have been used to develop better recycling breakthroughs for plastics, toxins and other trash in landfills and our ocean? Further NASA isn't tasked with reusing or recycling. Every rocket has been a one-off. NASA began to make salvage strides with the Space Shuttle program that returned 133 of its 135 missions safely--but ceased in 2011.

And--unless the [environmental] plan is to make Planet Mars our landfill for the tons and tons and tons of accumulating and future toxins from batteries, solar panel parts and wind turbine blades--WHY--are we spending precious resources and billions [$$] more on Mars? Ahhh, wait there's more. We have an even greater paradox for our Climate Czar/John Kerry, for Green Peace, Siera Club & the Paris Climate Accord... I don't hear anyone speaking up about the malicious toxins emitted with literally every-single-rocket-launch by NASA and Musk/STARSHIP and Bezos/BLUE ORIGIN. 

IF every adult human and every chimpanzee drove a diesel guzzling Hummer back and forth down every California freeway for a year the damage to our air/ozone still wouldn't compare to the Tourist-Space-Program, the Mars-Space-Program or the Moon-Space Program or satellite space programs. NASA has no [disclosed] study on the climate impact of rocket engine emissions, but Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Acidic Water, Black Carbon and Aluminum Particles are all discharged by solid rocket booster motors. Bezos' VSS Unity Rocket used a hybrid mix of solid and liquid propellants while Space X Falcon used liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene. Both fuel sources emit 4 to 10 times EPA accepted Nitrogen Oxide levels. And--Starship flights emit 2,683 Tonnes of CO2 plus 1.7 Tonnes of nitrous oxide. Nitrous Oxide is 298 times more harmful than CO2...

Did Mr. Kerry--our Climate Czar with his BA in English--miss the nitrous oxide chapter on hazardous greenhouse gases? Further, [hypocritically] while Kerry travels extensively around the Globe via private jet [still holding major amounts of oil & gas stocks] little is known about his off-the-books appointment. His position is called a black-box. Someone who is Black Box is considered a Mission Critical Expert. Heaven help the environment of our planet from 'experts' like John Kerry and Al Gore. Many--sober prayers--please.  

If you're hyperventilating and need to find a brown bag, I totally understand...  

*CAUSE-AND-EFFECT: Do career politicians have a short attention span? The only long-term planning I see in any political strategy is an individual politician's quest to remain in office. Other than that, the vast majority of 'their' planning is limited to slogans for the next reelection campaign and maligning the character of any competition. In other words, mostly short-term. But worse yet, do voters have an attention deficit? 

Josh Sager in part wrote in his October 2014 feature titled "The Shockingly Short Political Memory of the American People" "The average American is categorically incapable of remembering political events that happened more than a few months in the past, never mind accurately assigning blame or credit to the politician involved. Unfortunately, this is extremely dangerous as it makes it virtually impossible to achieve democratic accountability at the polls. Crimes and triumphs from last year[s] are forgotten rather than used to make decisions. Americans tend to vote based on a snapshot of their circumstances at the time of the election and this problem has been worsened by the incompetence of the mainstream media." [Jan 15 2021 Blog: JOURNALISM IN AMERICA]

What individual politicians 'cause' has important social 'effects', especially when with arrogance they stubbornly 'refuse' to listen to their electorate--any electorate. Politicians continue to debate valid gun-safety, but voters know exactly what 'they' want to see changed and how. Politicians continue to intrude beyond any mandate into medical decisions. An inflation rate of 2% began to rise steadily from January 2021 to 9.1% in June 2022 [it was actually higher] because a major element in modern-day life [fossil fuels] continues to be vilified. And that same steady inflation rise gets amplified by supply chain shortages because steadily over the last 25 years lobby pressure steered misguided politicians to tolerate manufacturing profits and jobs [and taxes] relocated overseas and into the control of autocratic governments. 

Someone posted a question on Facebook a few weeks ago that caught my attention. The post was in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. "If shutting down Russia's oil pipeline system was intended to hurt the Russian economy--then what was intended by shutting down the Keystone Pipeline project?"  [Coincidently, if left in place, Keystone would now be ready to go onstream this Mid-Term election.] 

The quest for energy independence 'was' identified as a national security strategic goal of administrations before Regan. An increase in North American fossil fuel production [and reserves] was seen as a military advantage and benefit to the decades of OPEC oil pricing dominance that risked fuel and heating prices for American citizens volatile and vulnerable. 

With that, in 2005 a Phase I pipeline proposal was made by Alberta based TransCanada Corporation then approved in 2007 by Canada's National Energy Board. [Canada, United States and Mexico make up one continent--so none of this early planning--post 9/11--happened in a vacuum.] 

In 2008 ConocoPhilips acquired a 50% stake, and the United States Department of State under President George W. Bush issued a Presidential Permit authorizing the construction, maintenance and operation of facilities at the U.S. Canadian border. Phase II, operational since 2010 delivered Canadian crude oil to U.S. Midwest markets and Cushing, Oklahoma. Phase III opened January 2014 completing the pipeline path from Hardisty, Alberta to Nederland, Texas. Phase IV became temporarily delayed by President Obama as a classic political 'hot potato' after it attracted opposition and negative attention from environmentalists as part of the battle over climate change and fossil fuels. In January 2017 President Trump renewed the construction permit-that-met with renewed theater then was promptly revoked by President Biden, January 2021. [June 2021 Blog:  FOSSIL FUELS IN AMERICA]

Because there's more to fossil fuels than combustible engines in vehicles--halting the fourth and last phase of Keystone along with slowing other petroleum production interrupted major manufacturing and supply chains right here. Everyday products [from medical equipment to disposable diapers] account for about 500,000 individual manufactured goods. The 'cause' of revoking Phase IV [and other permits] 'effected' not only prices at the gas pumps--but everything else----everything.

PROPAGANDA: If we tell a lie long enough, even we can begin to believe it and we can believe it so devoutly we might swear to it in a court of law. How amazing is that? 

Included with the definition of propaganda are two other words I found both interesting and disturbing: a] misinformation and b] indoctrination. So, propaganda covers a wide area of puffery, but there's no way to justify either misinformation or indoctrination in a functioning democracy. Busy with our lives, Main Street America believed propaganda and indoctrination only happened in communist countries with a single state-run news source. [We bought into a slick Madison Avenue style marketing-message for generations.]

Regardless of what you think of Donald J. Trump--his stick-in-the-spokes of traditional politics and media reporting exposed a major amount of 'dirt' swept under the rug of polite political society for       d-e-c-a-d-e-s. We-the-people just had no idea, because the rigged-game [against you and me on Main Street] was never openly discussed. 

When Trump descended that New York escalator June 2016--he quite literally became a bull-in-a-political-china-shop [policies & statements] that made fixed members of both the Republican and Democratic Party panicky. Former FBI Director Comey--loyal only to his own interests--initially set out to cover-his-career-butt when he began to expose Democratic Campaign meddling. Comey swiftly reversed course after he realized that Trump didn't have--and would never have--anything to match the rooted DC political machine. 

Make no mistake, the citizens who voted 'for' Trump knew exactly who and what he was--but what millions of Main Street citizens were 'actually-voting-for' was a long overdue shake up of DC. The Swamp is 300 years deep--with too many entrenched people who had [and still have] too much to lose with someone like Trump around. 

We can call and write and speak up to our state governors and legislators to insist they force Federal Term Limits and Age Limits on this 2022 Mid-Term Ballot--using the same wording and the same ethical arguments that Congress used in 1951 to limit all Presidential Terms...

We're not stuck. The ratio of [legal] citizens over the age of 18 in the U.S. compared to state and federal legislators is 3,273 voters to one politician. Even though I haven't counted the 499,686 elected members of city councils, county officers or school boards [nationally]--Main Street still outnumbers politicians in elected office. They need us--we don't truly need [all] of them...  

Without a government for a year, Belgium shows what happens to politics without politicians - The Washington Post  

Sherry Todd-Beshore is an award-winning novelist and former journalist.

Shadows And Light-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com)

Woodrow And Wren...The Rule Of Three-Chapter 1 | Mystery Podcast (podbean.com) 

Patchwork Publishing, LLC

  

:

CHOICES IN AMERICA

Dera George,

When you formed your cabinet, President Washington, your choices were several uniquely qualified people from an impressive list--mainly the very folks who 'built' the new Republic's Constitution from the remains of former British America. 

George Washington's 4-member Cabinet was: *Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State [lawyer, architect & philosopher] *Henry Knox as Secretary of War [Senior General of Continental Army During Revolutionary War] *Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury [lawyer, MA philosophy--founded Federalist Party] and *Edmund Randolph as Attorney General [lawyer]

Scoot ahead from 1788 to 1861 and Abraham Lincoln's 7-member Cabinet had expanded by three. During his administration Lincoln filled the position of: Postmaster General, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Interior. 

Leaping into the 20th Century--in 1945 Harry Truman's Cabinet grew to--11. Along with circumstances like war[s] and massive manufacturing growth and governing a greater land mass, Truman needed to add: a Secretary of Defense, a Secretary of Agriculture, a Secretary of Commerce and a Secretary of Labor. 

Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your federal government 'grow'?  Substantially... And, not necessarily in keeping with the actual needs of an increase in population. 

The original intent was for DC [District of Columbia] to function as a 'minor' federal body with 'major' influence and authority entrusted to each state government. States were granted sovereignty--because state legislators lived and worked closer-to-their-peers/voters. However, after World War II that began to mutate, because our federal law makers went from a strict isolationist policy in global affairs to one with our noses in everyone's business. [CIA formed 1947] Our elected members of Congress and the Senate saw communists and fascists and Marxists and anarchists--hiding under beds and in closets--everywhere...

We have now arrived at our destination--2022 and "we-the-people" still get to vote George, but 234 years later there's a massive, unwieldy governing layer of people who are chosen for us... 

Joe Biden's Cabinet has 23 appointed people. We didn't vote for any of these 23 people. People with Cabinet positions [with qualifications often arbitrary] who are permitted to head up a vast network of federal departments with substantial discretionary budgets and vast influence. [Example: Trump didn't make Ben Carson who was an actual medical doctor, our Secretary of Health and Human Servies--instead Dr. Carson became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development?? Then, Trump appointed former socialite Betsy DeVos [w/a BA in Business Economics] as our Secretary of Education??  

 [Resisting the urge to scream into a pillow I'll remind everyone here that I'm a Registered Independent, who has voted for candidates from both major parties though sadly, not necessarily for the one who could do the best job--but for the one who might do the least harm!] Moving on...

1.] Secretary of State  Anthony Blinken--BA Social Studies from Harvard with a J.D. from Columbia School of Law. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser and carries out the Presidents foreign policies through the State Department and the U.S. Foreign Service. [2022 Budget $58 Billion]

2.] Secretary of the Treasury  Janet Yellen--BA from Brown in Economics with MA and PhD in Economics from Yale then taught at Harvard. The Department of the Treasury is responsible for crucial functions that help keep the government running, that includes paying all U.S. bills and obligations, collecting taxes and managing all federal finances. [2022 Budget $1.7 Trillion--down from 6.8 Trillion in 2021.]

3.] Secretary of Defense  Lloyd Austin--4Star General, Graduate of West Point with a BA Science, MA Arts in Counselor-Education and MA Business Administration. The Constitution rests all military authority in Congress and the President. However, it's impractical for either Congress or the President to participate in every aspect of Defense affairs, therefore the Secretary of Defense and reporting officials exercise military authority. [2022 Budget $722 Billion]

4.] Attorney General  Merrick Garland--BA Harvard in Social Studies with a J.D. from Harvard Law. The Attorney General is the Head of the Justice Department and attorney for the United States in all legal matters. The A.G. gives legal advice to the president and the heads of other government agencies on request. The Attorney General overseas the federal prison system and all other systems pertaining to incarceration. [2022 Budget $7 Billion]

5,] Secretary of the Interior  Deb Haaland--BA English with a JD in Indian Law from University of New Mexico. The Secretary of the Interior manages the conservation of federal land and natural resources along with other agencies: Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey [USGS], Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Parks Service. [2022 Budget $17.6 Billion]

6.] Secretary of Agriculture  Tom Vilsack--BA Arts from Hamilton College, Pennsylvania and J.D. from Albany Law School.  The USDA provides leadership on food handling, all agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition and related issues based on public policy and available science for its related effective management. [2022 Budget $26.55 Billion]

7.] Secretary of Commerce  Gina Raimondo--BA Economics with a MA in Philosophy & Sociology with a J.D. from Yale Law School. Primarily responsible for creating conditions for economic growth and opportunity. [2022 Budget $11.5 Billion]

8.] Secretary of Labor  Marty Walsh--BA Social Science from Woods College of Boston College and former President of Labor Union Local 223. Department of Labor is responsible for standards and issues of wages and hours worked, occupational safety, employment services, unemployment benefits, labor statistics, work related rights and workplace conditions. [2022 Budget $504.5 Billion]

9.] Secretary of Health and Human Services  Xavier Becerra--BA Economics from Stanford and J.D. of Law from Standford. Responsible for health, welfare and income security programs--overseeing other agencies such as: Food and Drug Administration [FDA] the Center of Disease Control [CDC], National Institute of Health [NIH], Administration for Children and Families [ACF]/Foster-care and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS]. [2022 Budget $131.8 Billion]

10.] Secretary of Housing and Urban Development  Marcia Fudge--BA of Science in Business from Ohio State University and J.D. from Ohio State Marshal College of Law. HUD is responsible for ensuring all communities provide housing and building handicapped accessible. Also fair, equal and affordable housing--both rental and owned. [2022 Budget $68.7 Billion]

11.] Secretary of Transportation  Pete Buttigieg--Began at Harvard with a major in History & Literature then won a scholarship to Oxford where he earned a BA of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Transportation oversees the: Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highways Administration, the Federal Railways Administration and the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration. It is responsible to develop and coordinate policies that provide an efficient and economical national transportation system with regard to need, the environment and national Defense. [2022 Budget $88 Billion]

12.] Secretary of Energy  Jennifer Granholm--[Had early ambitions for a Hollywood career and appeared on The Dating Game] then earned a BA Political Science and French from California Berkley, later earned a J.D. from Harvard.  Department of Energy is responsible for managing the U.S. nuclear weapons program, energy infrastructure policy and funds scientific research related to energy production and distribution. [2022 Budget 227.8 Billion] 

13.] Secretary of Education  Dr. Miguel Cardona--BA Science Education from Connecticut State University, followed by a MA Science in Bilingual & Bicultural Education, then a PhD in Education. Mainly oversees [recommends] matters related to education in the U.S. from kindergarten to college and university. However, since education in the U.S. is not centralized as it is in most other nations, the department scope is limited. [In 1993 public school education in America was rated 6th globally, by 2018 global standards for public school education rated America at 27th! What happened?] Since Covid, the numbers are not clear. [2022 Budget $188.16 Billion]

14.] Secretary of Veteran Affairs  Denis McDonough--BA History & Spanish & taught History in Belize then earned a MA Science in Financial Services from Georgetown School of Foreign Service. The V.A. is charged to provide health, education, disability, funeral and financial benefits earned by all veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. [2022 Budget $301.4 Billion]

15.] Secretary of Homeland Security  Alejandro Mayorkas--BA Arts from Berkley and J.D. from Loyola Law School. Post created by former President George W. Bush [after 9/11]. This new department oversees the Coast Guard, Federal Protection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration, the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]. NOTA BENE: Since this new cabinet post was also included in an amendment [H.R. 3199] to the presidential line of succession--this post should be filled by a U.S. citizen by birth. Since Mayorkas was born in Havana Cuba, how was this appointment confirmed?] [2022 Budget $52.2 Billion]

16.] Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency  Michael Regan--BA Earth & Environmental Science from North Carolina State University then MA Public Administration from Georgetown University DC. The EPA oversees national efforts for clean air and water, ensuring contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned by responsible parties and enforce environmental standards and regulations as directed by Congressional Laws. [2022 Budget $11.2 Billion]

17.] Director of National Intelligence Agency  Avril Haines--BA Physics and J.D. from Georgetown University. Has principal authority to ensure maximum availability of and access to [any/all] intelligence information within the intelligence community, consistent with national security requirements. Oversees and directs the implementation of the National Intelligence program and acts as principal adviser to the President and Homeland Security. [2022 NIA Budget 4.2 Billion, CIA $62.3 Billion, Military Intelligence $23.3 Billion]

18.] United States Trade Representative  Katherine Tai--BA History from Yale University and J.D. from Harvard. The USTR works toward opening world markets and to create higher living standards for other nations. Provides trade policy leadership and negotiations for multilateral trade and investment. [2022 Budget $73 Million] 

19.] U.S. Ambassador at the United Nations  Linda Thomas-Greenfield--BA Arts from Louisianna State University and MA Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Represents U.S. interests globally and keeps the U.S. State Department informed of events at the United Nations. [2022 Budget included in State Department]

20.] Council of Economic Advisers  Dr. Cecilia Rouse--BA Economics from Harvard and PhD. in Economics from Harvard.  CEA assists and advise the President in preparation of the Economic Report. Gathers timely and authoritative present economic information and trends. Appraises various economic programs. Develops and recommend national economic policies that foster free competitive enterprise to avoid economic fluctuations. [2022 Budget $132 Million]

21.] Administrator of Small Business Administration  Isabel Guzman--BA Science from University of Pennsylvania, Warton School of Business. SBA mission is to provide small business owners with resources and support to start, grow and expand their business. Offers financial counseling, contracts loans and loan guarantees by partnering with local and national banks. [2022 Budget $1.06 Billion]

22.] Office of Budget and Management  Shalanda Young--BA Psychology from Loyola University of New Orleans and MA of Heath Administration from Tulane University. Prepares the President's budget proposals. Budget development and execution for government-wide implementation of policies, priorities and actions in everything from the department of defense to NASA. [2022 Budget $98.5 Billion]

23.] White House Chief of Staff  Ron Klain--BA Arts from Georgetown University and J.D. from Harvard Law. Managing and designing overall White House staffing system, control flow of people into the Oval Office, managing flow of information and decisions to and from President's desk, directing and overseeing all policy development, advise on various issues set for the president, protecting all political interests of the President, negotiating for legislation support and appropriating funds with Congressional leaders, Cabinet secretaries and additional political groups to further the President's agenda. [2022 White House [staff budget] of $49.6 Million for 567 people.]

*Vice President  Kamala Harris--BA Political Science & Economics with J.D. from Hastings College of Law...The V.P. is second in the presidential line of succession. As President of the Senate the V.P. operates in both the executive and legislative branches of government and is sometimes formidable [Dick Chaney] but too often marginalized. 

**United States President  Joeseph R. Biden--BA double major History & Political Science, minor English with J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.  Harry S. Truman described the job of the U. S. President [besides the obvious] as responsible for Foreign Policy, is the Social Head of State, spends a lot of time persuading people to do what they 'should' do without persuasion, has the most authority but believes in the Magna Carts and the Bill of Rights and should be a Cincinnatus [of civic virtue as understood by the concept of citizenship]... [2021-2022 Budget $6.011 Trillion]

............................

And, now--Fellow Travelers--you may have notice that one million dollars doesn't go as far as it once did--quite scary. You also know who to call or write to...Please do.

Sherrie Todd-Beshore is a former journalist and award winning novelist.

Patchwork Publishing, LLC