Month: July 2025

Whatever happened to the expectation that those we entrust to lead us should be representative of the best of us?

We speak of the Founding Fathers of our democracy with great respect, acknowledging their intention to create a government and country of strength, equality, and resilience, risking their wealth and their lives to do so.

Now our leaders speak of petty things and spend their time doing petty acts of political expediency.

It is long past time for us to expect a higher level of discourse and conduct from those who we have elected to lead.

And if there is one public office that should demand the highest levels of moral, ethical, and law-abiding conduct, it is the office of the President of the United States.

That is why our former president’s claim of total immunity is so wrong.

The very fact that our former president has even brought this claim to the Supreme Court should be profoundly disturbing to everyone. 

Yet it seems that the focus is on whether or not the former president will win his argument or at the very least delay his legal accountability for allegedly using the power of his office to attempt to negate the will of the people.

The former president has shown himself to have an exceptional talent for twisting facts and weaving elaborate tales whereby he is both victim and hero, martyr and savior. Like all great con men, there is always a kernel of truth in what he says.

His argument that the President must have total immunity for all actions taken in the performance of his official duties is certainly correct.

What is not correct, however, is his attempt to define the range of official duties to include essentially anything that the President deems to be such.

Apparently, this would include, among virtually unlimited possibilities:

The assassination or imprisonment of anyone that the President believes poses a threat to the country;

The creation by Executive Order of a mandatory Presidential loyalty pledge that would be required of all employees of the executive branch of the Federal government;

The establishment of a Presidential private fund to receive bribes, kick-backs, and other financial benefits related to any contracts entered into by the Federal government;

The ability to declare a National Emergency to suspend the legal transfer of power following an election;

Finally, the use of threats and coercion to change the outcome of an election.

These are all actions representative of dictatorial rule, as can be seen in many other countries throughout history. The concept of total immunity for a President does not represent the preservation of democracy, it represents the end of democracy.

The President must be expected to abide by the Constitution and by the laws of the country that define the legal and illegal actions of its citizens. No one, especially the President, should be above the law.

The Supreme Court must acknowledge the grave threat to this country that the concept of Presidential Total Immunity represents and reject it in the strongest possible terms. 

The Supreme Court must not attempt to find some gray area of limited immunity by which Donald Trump can be absolved of his past and possibly future actions that would be considered criminal if performed by anyone else.

This country is strong enough and resilient enough to survive another four years of a Donald Trump presidency, even if the Supreme Court creates a definition of limited immunity that would in and of itself be of questionable constitutionality.

It could be argued that this country will never again see a presidential candidate so immoral, so unethical, and so blatantly self-serving as Donald Trump, and therefore the significance of his demand for Presidential Total Immunity is not so important when seen in the context of history.

It could be argued that Donald Trump is not really inclined to abuse Presidential Total Immunity and may not even believe that it is necessary, and that this has all been just a very clever legal maneuver to allow him to avoid prosecution for his highly questionable and allegedly illegal actions.

What cannot be argued is that there is anything good or honorable about how Donald Trump has manipulated our democracy and convinced so many of our people that he is a great man and a great leader.

His actions do not support his words, his results do not support his claims, and the adoration he receives from so many here is not shared beyond our country’s borders.

Donald Trump may never be held accountable to the American people, but he will be held accountable by God and by history.

We are living in a very unsettling time in which bad things seem to be happening everywhere all at once. Where we were once complacent and happy to overconsume, now we are worried and uncertain about the future. We watch as the people chosen to lead our businesses and our government keep making wrong decisions that lead to disastrous results that end up having a negative effect on all of us. 

We need leaders who have the courage and the intellect to make the right decisions. This is a difficult combination to find, particularly when there are so many forces working to discourage our leaders from making the right decisions. 

These days, achieving a position of leadership has little to do with being able to make the right decisions. It has more to do with defeating rivals by any means necessary, making alliances with influential people who always want favors, and exhibiting blind allegiance to those you answer to.

Our reliance on this type of leader has done much damage already, and it continues to weaken our country and our society by encouraging the wrong decisions to be made. 

I offer two cases in point.

Having worked most of my career for large corporations, I have seen firsthand how the focus on profitability can lead to disastrous outcomes. 

It comes as no surprise to me that Boeing began to make defective airplanes once it stopped following the recommendations of its engineers and technical personnel and made profitability its overriding concern. Regardless of the statements that Boeing management makes about improving its quality programs and procedures to ensure that doors don’t blow off, tires don’t fall off, and computer software can’t cause planes to fall from the sky – there will continue to be an overriding focus on bottom-line profit due to its corporate culture.

It remains to be seen if Boeing is willing to take the necessary steps required to return to its origins as an innovative and technically sound company. 

It comes as no surprise to me either that various organizations are vulnerable to cyberattacks, ransomware attacks, disruptions of service, and the installation of dormant malware allowing remote access into databases and system controls. The type of specialized protective security measures required may be beyond the appreciation, technical capability, and financial resources of many organizations to implement. This does not change the fact that protection from electronic security breaches and intellectual theft has to be an overriding focus of all organizations if our society is to be protected from those who actively wish us harm.

It remains to be seen if organization leaders are prepared to be proactive and do what needs to be done in the face of reduced profits and organizational disruption.

My fear is that there is no incentive for organizations to act prudently when profit is ultimately the only valued measure of performance. It is likely that nothing substantive will be done to avoid disaster, and then when it happens fingers will be pointed and scapegoats will be found, but the damage will have been done.

In much the same way, government policies that focus on ideology and political expediency instead of intelligent evaluation will lead to disastrous outcomes more often than not. Every administration has its examples of ideological and politically expedient policies gone wrong. 

For me, the most glaring example from the previous Trump administration was the reduction in taxes given to the wealthiest individuals and large corporations. Neither group was in desperate financial straits, neither group used their tax savings to improve their American business portfolios, and trillions of dollars were needlessly added to this country’s national debt.

Even worse, the current Biden administration seems to be based entirely on ideological and politically expedient policies, taking this style of governance to an unprecedented extreme. 

From the unnecessary abandonment of a strategic military base in Afghanistan, to the refusal to first acknowledge and then address this country’s southern border migrant crisis, to the mad rush to eliminate fossil fuel energy sources in favor of an all-electric society when the electric energy grid does not have the capacity to support such a change – there appears to be little that this administration does that is based upon thoughtful evaluation and common sense.

We like to think that we live in a sophisticated and advanced society. But what is happening now is nothing more than a retelling of a story that has existed long before Shakespeare and the Greeks, a story told across cultures as varied as those of the Egyptian pharaohs and the Chinese dynasties. The story of the eternal quest for money and power, achieved through the sacrifices of the people.

Tragically, in this world of egotistical, selfish, and short-sighted leaders, the prudent and the intelligent need not apply.

Against the wishes of the American people, the die has been cast – Trump vs. Biden, the Great Bloviator vs. the Master of Delusion.

Neither the Democratic nor Republican parties have the confidence of the American people. Neither party’s leaders exhibit the type of thoughtfulness and statesmanship that this country needs right now. We have reached the nadir of our political leadership and are faced with four more years of an administration that no one really wants, regardless of the way the election goes.

A third-party candidacy is an option mentioned by many who wish that there was another choice other than Trump or Biden, but who could possibly run and have a chance to be elected? It seems to be a daunting, insurmountable task.

And yet, there is someone with the name recognition, the breadth of experience, the inflated ego, and the energy needed to run on the No Labels ticket and beat both Trump and Biden.

Hillary Clinton.

Everyone knows who she is. Her experience as First Lady, Secretary of State, and U.S. Senator is undeniable. Anyone who has seen her recent interviews has to acknowledge that she continues to have a very high opinion of herself. After sitting on the political sidelines for seven years, she appears to be fully rested and just as opinionated as ever. 

Compared to either Trump or Biden, Hillary Clinton has the following advantages:

• She is the youngest candidate.

• She is not facing any impeachment inquiry or active indictment.

• She does not exhibit any cognitive decline.

• She is a moderate pragmatist.

• She is tough and can stand up to dictators.

• She appreciates the need for both secure borders and international alliances.

• She cannot be intimidated.

• She knows how to solve problems.

• She is able to speak intelligently and in depth on the issues of the day.

• She does not pose a threat to our democracy.

• She knows her way around Washington, D.C. and the world beyond our borders.

A Hillary Clinton presidential run is just what this country needs. Her candidacy would be welcomed by the media for both intellectual and entertainment reasons, and would give hope to the millions of Americans who have given up hope and resigned themselves to having to choose between the worst candidates possible.

Hillary Clinton would certainly be a better president than either Trump or Biden. She would be our Iron Lady in a time in our history when a steel backbone and an iron will are absolute necessities. 

A series of debates between Trump, Biden, and Clinton would demand the best from all three candidates. It is in this format that Hillary Clinton would be able to show her superior command of the issues, as well as showing that she has the gravitas necessary to be a successful president. 

It is to this country’s advantage to have an alternative to Donald Trump’s portrayal of himself as both self-proclaimed victim and unquestionable savior, and to Joe Biden’s angry rantings against the previous administration’s failures that in his opinion are directly responsible for his inept decision-making.

Fate works in mysterious ways. There is a reason why Hillary Clinton has never really gone away. Older, wiser, and hopefully somewhat humbled, this is now her time should she choose to seize it.

Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a health emergency. My wife has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood disorder of the plasma cells that has affected her kidneys. It has been a brutal and frightening experience for my wife, an emotionally draining experience for me. 

The prognosis is cautiously optimistic. If all goes well, my wife and I and our Siamese cat Mimosa will all grow old together. 

This experience has exposed me to the advancements of modern medicine and has shown me the best that our health system has to offer. It also makes me question a number of things about our health system that take away from the good work that so many people do, and end up making our health system too expensive for too many.

My wife and I are in our sixties and on Medicare. Like many, we enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan that so far is working out for us. It is not clear to me how a private insurance company can offer more benefits at the same price as government Medicare, but so far, we have not experienced any issues. 

My wife’s journey began with her primary care physician reviewing the results of her standard bloodwork and finding something alarming relating to her kidneys. We were referred to a nephrologist who monitored her condition, advising on diet and exercise and weight. He worked out of Holy Name Hospital which was less than ten minutes away from our house.

Unfortunately, and inexplicably, my wife’s kidney function continued to worsen over the next few years. The nephrologist added tests to my wife’s blood work, and he found something alarming. He referred us to an oncologist who reviewed my wife’s condition, conducted a bone marrow biopsy, and proscribed a whole-body CAT scan. She is the one who diagnosed the multiple myeloma, which is a form of blood cancer.

The oncologist referred my wife to a hematologist, who reviewed my wife’s condition and chose a cancer-fighting chemotherapy drug regimen for her. In addition, he proscribed an echocardiogram to see if her heart has been affected by the multiple myeloma, and a belly fat biopsy that was performed by a specialized surgeon to determine if my wife had a secondary related condition that needed to be addressed.

In addition, prior to beginning her chemotherapy, my wife needed to obtain clearance from her dentist that she was orally infection-free. She was not, so she needed to have an infected tooth extracted.

My wife has now received her first chemotherapy treatment at the infusion center at Holy Name Hospital. The hope is that after eight weeks of treatment, the multiple myeloma will be controlled, and sufficient kidney function preserved so that she will avoid the need for dialysis or transplant.

As my wife’s hematologist has said, people my wife’s age most often end up dying of old age and not multiple myeloma, and we hope that this will be the case for her. 

The fact that a cancerous condition such as multiple myeloma can now be turned into a treatable chronic condition like diabetes is a testament to the advanced clinical research that is being done in the U.S. and other developed nations worldwide. The value of this work cannot be overstated.

The progression from primary care physician through the work of four specialists to arrive at a hopefully life-saving chemotherapy has to be seen as an incredible benefit of our medical system. We have some of the best hospitals and doctors here in New Jersey, and to be honest, this quality of treatment may not be available everywhere in the U.S., but it shows just what can be accomplished.

Without exception, the medical personnel we have dealt with were highly professional, caring, patient, compassionate, and reassuring. They made this frightening experience altogether bearable, and never once did we feel alone.

So now my wife and I are trying to resume our normal life together, which includes watching the news and entertainment.

We all know that we pay 2-3 times more for our prescription medicines in this country compared to the price paid in other countries. The latest justification from the pharmaceutical companies is that because Americans have access to new medicines sooner than people in other countries, we should pay for this early access privilege. This self-serving explanation does not justify a continuation of higher costs once new medicines are widely available. 

The pharmaceutical companies also blame the pharmaceutical benefit managers for raising the prices of drugs. Three pharmaceutical benefit managers – OptumRx, CVS Caremark, and Express Scripts – control over 80% of the prescription drug traffic in the U.S. These three companies essentially control the entire prescription drug market, and they make more money when drug prices are higher.

These three companies negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies to create a profit margin for themselves. They may restrict patient access to prescribed drugs that are less profitable for themselves. They dictate pricing for the cost of drugs that pharmacies pay in order to fill prescriptions.  There are no regulatory controls on their activities, and they act as financial parasites within our medical system.

My wife and I are fortunate to be obtaining our care from Holy Name Medical Center, which is the last independent nonprofit hospital in New Jersey. The consolidation of hospitals into large corporations and the emergence of for-profit hospitals is quite concerning. One can expect that the cost of medical treatment will ultimately increase as profit, i.e., return on investment, becomes a primary concern. One can only hope that patient care will not suffer from cost-cutting and profit-driven business considerations.

I am a confirmed moderate. Two drinks maximum, 8 oz. steak, 8 hours of sleep, 74 mph in a 65 mph zone, Led Zeppelin and Queen. Nothing crazy, nothing extreme.

That is why, no matter how I try, it is just so damn hard to vote for Donald Trump.

Every time I am convinced that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the rest of the Democrats are so pathetically incompetent and incapable of rational thought, Donald Trump and the Republicans do something so stupid that I find myself falling back into the rabbit hole of uncertainty.

• Threatening NATO members with a Russian invasion? 
• Rejecting a compromise immigration bill supported by the Border Patrol agents?
• Insulting a presidential candidate because her husband is on active military duty? 
• Supporting a presidential candidate who refuses to debate because he is so far ahead?
• Prioritizing investigations and impeachments of political enemies over the People’s business?
• Criminalizing abortion before a woman even knows she is pregnant?
• Exaggerating to the extreme our current President’s aging mind and body?
• Promoting lies about a two-tier justice system and the political weaponization of our Justice department?
• Blocking any and all efforts to address gun violence and our mental health crisis?
• Insisting on a no compromise, hyper partisan approach to governing?
• Considering an end to financial and military aid to Ukraine?
• Denigrating the legacy media as if it were a threat to our democracy?

Really, Republicans, where are all your big ideas to make America great again? All I see, all I hear, are small ideas coming from small minds.

Making America great again does not mean abandoning our role in international affairs. It does not mean blindly agreeing to the whims of a would-be dictatorial presidential candidate to save your own political careers. It does not mean demonizing half the country and the opposing political party.

If you take away all the clever insults, mischaracterizations, exaggerations, and lies that Republicans say about Democrats, there does not seem to be much substance to the Republican message. 

This is not to say that the Democrats are any better, but it is very disappointing that the Republican party – the party of Lincoln, the party that portrays itself as the true representative of the American people – has so little to say that is of substance.

This is why it is so hard for Independents such as myself to wholeheartedly, even halfheartedly, embrace the Republican message. 

Right now, the only two reasons that I would vote for Donald Trump is to end the national security disaster at our southern border, and to prevent Kamala Harris from ever becoming President. Both are solid reasons. I only wish there were more.

When asked who he would vote for, Biden and Trump, former Attorney General William Barr replied that “he would jump off that bridge when he came to it.”

Well, it looks like he needs to get ready to jump, because that bridge is right up ahead.

The good news is that regardless of how the 2024 election turns out, we will get a second term from either Biden or Trump, and then we will be done with both of them.

The more Biden and Trump talk, the more they seem the same. Just like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they could be brothers. 

• They both accuse the other of being an existential threat to democracy.
• They both enjoy the mindless support of a major political party.
• They both show signs of cognitive decline, Biden through his confusion and Trump through his delusion.
• They both misappropriated important government documents after leaving public office.
• They both are alleged to have engaged in illegal activities over extended periods of time for the financial benefit of themselves and their families.
• They both exaggerate their accomplishments and embellish their personal stories.
• They both resent being questioned.
• They both spend most of their time attacking each other’s character instead of providing a clear vision of their plans if elected to a second term.

Given how inept the Biden administration has been, we forget how chaotic the previous Trump administration was. Ineptitude or chaos – not a very good choice, and we will be stuck with one or the other for four more years.

We need a thoughtful leader who acts deliberately and with moral clarity, a leader who understands the need for compromise and who accepts that successful change occurs by taking moderate actions over time.

Neither Biden nor Trump come anywhere close to being the leader that we need. While neither will destroy our democracy, neither will they strengthen it. Either way, once again, we will have to live through a proverbial dumpster fire of an administration. 

By the time that the 2024 presidential election is held on November 8^th, I expect that a plurality of American voters will be so sick and tired of both Presidents Biden and Trump that if None of the Above was also on the ballot then None of the Above would win the popular vote.

When the historians look back upon this time, it is very possible that they will consider this period to be the nadir of American politics. It is both frightening and depressing how thoroughly void of integrity and higher purpose both the Democratic and Republican political parties have become. 

This is a time when both major political parties are forcing candidates on the American people that no one wants. Both candidates are years beyond their prime. One candidate is angry and inarticulate, one candidate is bitter and incoherent. Both candidates live in worlds of their own delusion; they are certainly not living in the world that everyone else lives in. 

Biden and Trump are both in danger of dying in office during a second term. This makes the office of Vice-President of utmost importance.

Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his vice-president for politically expedient reasons, but she has failed at every opportunity to show her ability to be decisive, to instill confidence, to make decisions, to lead through words and deeds. Could she rise to the occasion and be anything but a disaster if fate made her the first woman president? Right now, most people would say no.

Donald Trump says that he will choose a vice-president who would be qualified to be president if called upon by fate to be so. Unfortunately, because this would mean that he would have to choose someone more qualified than himself, his ego will almost certainly prevent him from doing so. Still, it is difficult to imagine that his choice would prove to be worse than Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris has shown itself to be.

So, this is where we are, this is the choice that we have – angry and delusional Joe Biden, or bitter and delusional Donald Trump. 

And we should be asking ourselves why this has happened.

The short answer is that we live in a society where conflict and bad behavior is seen as entertainment. We prefer to be entertained than to be made to think. We like the politicians who engage in excessive rhetoric much more than the statesman who are thoughtful but kind of boring. By and large, we have so few statesmen that we have forgotten what they look and sound like, and how important they are to the success of our democracy.

So, we are left with charlatans, snake oil salesmen, bullies, racketeers, puppets, glad handers, court jesters, and the like. 

Our politicians have realized that the secret to their reelection and acquisition of power and political influence is to behave badly, wrap themselves up in their political party’s banner, and pander to special interest groups.

The lack of money prevents challengers to our established politicians from mounting serious and meaningful campaigns.

Our media organizations are more focused on financial survival than on fact-based journalism, and literally cannot afford to engage in reporting in-depth on the issues of the day if there is no money to be made from it. Increasingly, there is no money to be made without controversy, manufactured conflict, and ideological pandering. 

As this election cycle plays out, one can only hope that this will be the year that the American electorate becomes exhausted by the cruel, insulting, and mindlessly superficial rhetoric that is characterizing the current presidential campaigns, and begins to demand something more substantive from both parties. 

On January 20, 2025, Donald John Trump will be inaugurated as the 47^th President of the United States. For better or for worse, Donald Trump is destined to be vindicated and absolved of all sins. A closed border, pardons, retribution – who knows what the next four years will bring?

There is nothing that Joe Biden can do about it, short of closing down the border, continuing to build the wall, and instituting a deportation program for all who entered this country illegally since he became President. His failed, unexplained immigration policy will prove to be the coup de grace to his reelection hopes, yet Joe Biden remains steadfast as the final blow is struck.

Donald Trump has proven himself to be a remarkably resilient, clever, and pragmatic man. His entire life, including his time as the 45^th President, is a testament to his willingness to push the limits of socially acceptable morality, ethics, and legality. His egocentric and ultimately self-destructive behavior led to his electoral loss in 2020, when a majority of Americans decided that they had had enough of Donald Trump, preferring a basement-dwelling Joe Biden instead.

But now the overriding impression of Joe Biden is that he suffers from a weakness of mind that has led to a series of disastrous policies and decisions, combined with a stubbornness of character that belies his old age and brings with it the promise of further cognitive decline. 

Joe Biden cannot win by simply portraying Donald Trump as a Hitler-like anti-Christ who will destroy this country and its democratic foundations. Joe Biden will be expected to defend his record as President, which seems to be at best a herculean task, and to debate Donald Trump, which is not likely to go very well for Joe Biden, to say the least.

President Biden’s record includes the selection of an embarrassingly inept Vice-President, a tragically disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the inability/unwillingness to control the illegal influx of people entering this country across the southern border, a disturbing increase in organized crime and retail theft, and economic policies that are perceived to have created rampant inflation and led to financial distress for many Americans.

In addition, there is the ongoing inquiry into his family’s foreign business activities and their receipt of millions of dollars that were deposited into a series of shell companies in a manner suggestive of secretive illegal activities.

Moreover, this country’s relationships with North Korea and Iran have significantly deteriorated during President Biden’s administration, which is indicative of an ineffective foreign policy strategy. It must be mentioned as well that President Biden took no action as Russia openly built up its military along the Ukrainian border and stated its intention to invade.

In contrast, Donald Trump presided over a time of relative peace and prosperity. He was slow to respond to COVID-19, and he was dismissive and insulting towards many highly qualified people who were in his administration as well as towards much of the established media. However, it must be acknowledged that Donald Trump effectively secured the southern border and brought a sense of well-being to the country until the COVID epidemic. 

In addition, Donald Trump seemed to have been somewhat humbled by his loss to Joe Biden, as well as by the number of legal cases brought against him for sexual misconduct, dubious business practices, strong-arm efforts to change the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election, and egotistical removal of Presidential records and documents outside of established chain-of-custody. 

That being said, Donald Trump’s recent actions suggest that any self-reflection he may have experienced has only reinforced his sense of innate superiority. 

Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee and should win the 2024 Presidential election in a landslide. The legal cases brought against him for alleged criminal acts are unlikely to be fully resolved before the 2024 election, and therefore will not be a factor in the election. 

All of which brings us to Donald Trump’s selection of a vice-presidential running mate. 

Donald Trump does not need to balance his ticket in order to win the election. His most fervent supporters will bless any choice he makes. Independent voters may have second thoughts should he choose someone seen to be extremist in their views or too inexperienced to be an effective president in the event of Donald Trump’s death or life-changing illness. However, Donald Trump is unlikely to make such an ill-advised choice.

Donald Trump is also unlikely to choose someone that would threaten his preeminence by actively seeking media attention, speaking too independently, and prematurely assuming the mantle of heir apparent. 

A bland and attractive candidate such as Mike Pence but not Mike Pence is much more likely. Think Kristi Noem or Nancy Mace, for example. Both are fervent Trump supporters, and being women who speak with clarity and purpose would offer a perfect contrast to Vice-President Kamala Harris. Both would provide great optics for his campaign. Unfortunately, neither is particularly qualified to be President.

If Donald Trump really wanted his selection of a running mate to be made with the best interests of the country in mind, he could do no better than to select Condoleezza Rice. Condoleezza Rice was National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, and is currently director of the Hoover Institution, a highly respected conservative policy think tank associated with Stanford University, one of this country’s preeminent universities. 

This is a time when a woman of Condoleezza Rice’s experience in foreign affairs would be a great asset to the next Trump administration. Her conservative credentials are strong, she is a serious person with great intellect, and she understands diplomacy. She could certainly survive in a Trump administration, understanding her place as a solid and thoughtful second in command. 

While she is 69 years old, and not part of “a new generation of leaders,” Condoleezza Rice has the wisdom and perspective that this country needs right now. If allowed to do so, she could most assuredly create a conservative think tank within the Trump administration to provide the President with timely, knowledgeable and pragmatic advice on domestic policy to be sure, but most critically on global strategy. 

The next administration must be able to present a formidable deterrent to counteract the many destabilizing forces around the world. Condoleezza Rice probably has more experience in this arena than anyone else.

In addition, Condoleezza Rice has the gravitas to excel as President if circumstances arose that would require her to assume this role. President Trump needs to take this into consideration when selecting his running mate, as he is not much younger than old Joe Biden, is seriously overweight, and by all accounts eats poorly.

This is why Condoleezza Rice should be Donald Trump’s first choice.  

Unfortunately, it is not clear if Donald Trump’s ego would even allow him to seriously entertain the choice of such an accomplished woman.

If he did ask – would she agree to serve in such a role? Given Condoleezza Rice’s past service to this country, I think she would accept. This would make me feel much better about President Trump the second time around.

Once again Israel faces a murderous Satanic threat to its existence and reacts with a terrible harshness borne of fear and anger. Once again the world reacts by condemning Israel and choosing to absolve those who brought terror and blind hatred to the Israeli people.

The wisdom of the decision by Israel to rid itself of the scourge of Hamas, at whatever the cost in Palestinian blood, will prove to be short-sighted. The first true experience of Israel that the young generations of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are having is one of destruction and death. It will be difficult for these Palestinians to forgive.

It did not have to be this way.

For a brief moment, the world was on Israel’s side. The horror of the actions of Hamas was felt by all people, and there was an opportunity for Israel to reject, or at least postpone, the need for revenge and retribution. 

The council of the Arab members of the Abraham accords could have been sought. Israel could have used this tragedy to strengthen its position as a proud tribe of Abraham with a historical claim to its land. Israel could have used this tragedy to focus the world’s attention on the scourge on the world’s people that Satan’s corruption of Islam has become.

The Satanic manipulation of Islam as promoted by Iran’s religious leaders has caused widespread suffering and unrest. Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike should be unified against the bastardization of a great Abrahamic faith. 

Any disagreement as to whether Jesus was the manifestation of God or simply a great prophet should be seen as insignificant when true believers of all Abrahamic faiths are being threatened by Satan’s manipulations and the abhorrent miseries being committed in the name of God.

What is happening in the Middle East is a religious war, to be sure. It is being portrayed as a war between the Jews and the Palestinians, even between the Judaic and Islamic faiths. But the war is between the enlightenment that all Abrahamic faiths offer and the spiritual emptiness that those practicing terror and preaching hatred offer instead.

The Great Satan is not America, and never was. The Great Satan resides in the souls of the religious leaders in Iran. They are the ones who offer refuge to Satan and do his bidding. This is the religious point that must be made over and over again until all those who practice an Abrahamic faith understand and accept it.

The United States has never understood the Middle Eastern conflict, which must be seen from the religious perspectives of both the Judaic and Islamic faiths. Both perspectives are valid, and both faiths must be allowed to coexist. Ultimately, religion is what matters, and only religion has the power to bring peace to the region. 

Israel has never understood the power that a unified Abrahamic family would offer. It is not alone in this regard. Distrust among the tribes of Abraham has a profound historical basis. Much blood has been spilled in the course of their conflicts that have played out over thousands of years. It is always difficult to accept past injustices and not feel the need to somehow exact a cleansing retribution from those who are said to have committed historical wrongs. 

But this is a path that has no end. There will always be another injustice committed, and then another retribution needed. On and on it will go.

One can only hope and pray that a new direction will be chosen. Governments cannot do this alone. It rests in the hands and hearts of the religious leaders of the Abrahamic faiths to come together and lead the way, out of the desert one might say, bringing with them all the lost tribes of Abraham.

Aging is unavoidable – it happens to us all. 

As we get older, our bodies don’t work as well, and some of us don’t think as well. We remember life when we were younger, and there are things from our youth that we miss. But, generally speaking, we accept where we are in our life’s journey, and we want to make the best of it.

We want to enjoy our families and our friends, stay healthy, travel to different places, follow our passions, and stay relevant. And part of staying relevant is staying involved in the workplace and continuing to contribute instead of becoming a burden. 

Older people are an important part of society.  We have great collective wisdom and experience. We have a long-term perspective on what is really important in life, we are responsible and reliable, and we appreciate how important it is to have a good work/life balance.

We should be a valued and respected part of society. But in this wonderful country of ours, the opposite seems to be true. 

Once we reach the age of 60 or so, our companies want to discard us for all sorts of reasons. To be fair, many jobs require a level of physical strength and endurance that older people may no longer have. Some jobs may no longer be needed, while other jobs may require a new set of skills that older people simply do not possess. 

However, very few of our companies seem to have any sense of obligation to their employees, and by all accounts prefer to fire at will and hire new than to make any reasonable accommodations for their older employees. 

It has been reported that the Social Security and Medicare programs that many older people depend on as their only sources of income and health care are threatened with insolvency within ten to twenty years. One solution is to reduce the dollar amount of benefits that are being paid out. Another is to require people to work longer before retiring, with 70 being proposed as the new target retirement age.

The first solution will increase the number of older people who live in poverty, and who will no longer be able to afford the level of medical care and pharmaceuticals that they need to stay reasonably healthy. 

The second solution superficially appears to make more sense, but if companies have no issue with firing their older employees who are in their early 60’s, no one will ever be able to work until they are 70 years old at their established profession or trade. 

Both solutions are problematic because they are too simplistic in their approach and do not take into consideration the realities of becoming older. These solutions are not really long-term solutions at all.

As a society, we need to address aging as an unavoidable, transitional, universally shared experience, and work together to make becoming older less of a burden and more of a fulfilling part of life.

First and foremost, each of us must be responsible for ourselves as we grow older. Individual responsibility for physical and financial health must be part of the long-term solution to achieving a better aging experience. Accepting a diminished life and unnecessarily burdening society should not be.

Companies and corporations must be held accountable for their actions towards older employees that often result in financial hardship and the early end to productive careers. Currently, companies and corporations have little if any responsibility for the decisions they make that negatively affect the lives of so many older people.

Finally, our government must act on behalf of its people to greatly expand research into the causes of aging and dementia, establish realistic legal requirements for companies and corporations to govern their treatment of older employees, and provide many more opportunities for older people to continue to be productive and to thereby reduce the financial burden of Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs.

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF OLDER PEOPLE 

Based upon our current understanding of the aging process, it is unavoidable that older people will find themselves experiencing deteriorating health and loss of mobility.

This can be exacerbated by a lifetime of poor lifestyle choices, which over time result in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, liver damage, chronic joint inflammation, osteoporosis, and other maladies.

It has been known for decades that a better diet, moderate exercise, no smoking, limited alcohol consumption, and avoiding social isolation will improve the quality of life for everyone. Older people are no exception. 

A lifetime of poor lifestyle choices is not an excuse for continuing them. It is never too late to eliminate unhealthy habits and embrace a healthier lifestyle. There is no better way to experience an improved quality of life, and this is particularly true for older people who can no longer benefit from the forgiving nature of youth.

Improving the overall health of our aging population is a critical part of reducing the cost of the Medicare entitlement program and allowing financial resources to be directed towards older people who really cannot take care of themselves or suffer from debilitating medical conditions that cannot be improved over time.

However, being healthier does not address the need for older people to remain engaged and productive throughout their lives.

Older people should anticipate that once they reach 60 years of age many companies and corporations will view them as expensive and unprofitable liabilities, and in some instances this is going to be true. High salaries combined with obsolete skill sets is an unsustainable combination. 

This is just an unfortunate fact of life, and this is why older people need to prepare for a second career that will last for ten years or more. 

Very few people will be able to continue in their established profession or trade until they reach the age of 70. Most trades will become too physically demanding, most professions will become too intellectually demanding. New technologies and practices will replace the old and will require an ongoing commitment to keep up, a commitment of time and effort that may be best spent in other areas of life.

It should be expected that a second career will pay less than what a first career did, so financially preparing for this eventuality will be important so as to to avoid becoming financially overextended without an adequate income. The important thing is to remain employed just as long as possible, continuing to be a contributing member of society instead of becoming a burden.

Furthermore, older people should anticipate that a downsizing of lifestyle is likely to be required. Developing new interests that are less costly, eliminating unnecessary expenditures, and making sure that you can live within your anticipated means before being forced to do so are all important measures to take. Some people will have very little flexibility in this regard, but whatever can be done should be done.

COMPANY AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

Companies and corporations have benefited immensely over the past fifty years by changes in the employment environment that have replaced collective bargaining and unionization with right-to-work laws.

There is a misconception that employees benefit from right-to-work laws. In general, right-to-work laws mean that employers can fire employees at will without notice or cause, pay their employees less and provide fewer benefits, unilaterally change employee work schedules, ignore employee grievances, and employ unskilled or inadequately trained workers instead of certified tradespeople. None of this benefits the employee.

This employer-employee imbalance is a major cause of the decline of the middle class and the de facto rise of a ruling class. In much of the country, families require two or more incomes to be able to afford a life that allows for more than just the basics of food, clothing, and shelter. This was not the case fifty years ago.

Small businesses that represent roughly 50% of private employment in this country are not the problem. Small businesses are defined here as those where the owner takes an active role in the day-to-day operations of the business. These businesses generally do not see the owner making ten times or more what their typical employee is paid.

The problem lies with the larger businesses and in particular larger corporations that also represent roughly 50% of private employment. These businesses have developed into investor/stockholder focused wealth generators. They reward their management team with compensation packages magnitudes greater than what their typical employee is paid, often fifty to one hundred times greater. 

Business decisions made by the management team are focused upon achieving short-term profitability and higher stock prices, which is what investors/stockholders demand, and this focus on short-term profitability and higher stock prices is what justifies these exorbitant management compensation packages.

It is pointless to expect accountability towards employees from larger businesses and corporations in this type of business environment. It is more profitable short-term for them to terminate older employees than to reimagine them in a different capacity where their knowledge and experience can be of continued benefit.

This is why legislation is required to force larger businesses and corporations and their management teams to be more accountable to their older employees. Terminating older employees with little or no warning or severance pay is a brutal and heartless way to essentially end an older employee’s career. 

Larger businesses and corporations must be made to provide a substantial financial transition period, i.e., one year, for those older employees whom they choose to terminate. Being provided with a one-year notice will eliminate the immediate financial burden on older employees who can then make important decisions about, and necessary preparations for, their lives going forward.

This is the type of socially responsible behavior that should be expected from larger businesses and corporations as part of their social contract with their employees and with society as a whole. Unfortunately, larger businesses and corporations are decades removed from an earlier time when many of them did have a social conscience. 

Since it is unlikely to happen voluntarily, legislation is required to force larger businesses and corporations to act as though they have a social conscience.

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS TO BENEFIT SOCIETY

This country is faced with a societal problem that is shared with the rest of the developed world, namely an aging population. It is in this country’s best interest to keep its older population healthy, engaged, active, and contributing in a positive way to society. 

The alternative is to accept the burden and expense associated with having an increasing number of older Americans becoming chronically ill, physically infirm, lonely and isolated, and suffering from a reduced mental capacity. 

There are a number of ways in which the government can help its older population age gracefully and stay independent:

1. Reduce the minimum age for Medicare eligibility to 60 years of age.
2. Require pharmaceutical companies to sell medications through Medicare at the average selling price of their 10 largest non-U.S. markets.
3. Expand medical research tenfold into preventing and ideally reversing dementia and related aspects of brain deterioration.
4. Expand medical research tenfold into preventing and ideally reversing the physically debilitating results of aging.
5. Ensure that any pharmaceutical regimens shown to be effective in addressing dementia and age-related physical deterioration are made available through Medicare at the lowest possible cost so that all will benefit.
6. Require large privately-held businesses and corporations to provide a one-year advance notice for all employees 60 years of age and older that they have chosen to terminate.

It is expected that most older people will independently develop a rewarding second career and make the necessary life adjustments required to continue to live productively.

However, there will also be those older people for whom a second career is not a practical or even desirable option, but who want to continue to be productive, contributing members of society. 

For these people, an alternative employment program such as what follows may be the answer.

AMERICORPS SILVER

The AmeriCorps program could be expanded and modified to include people 60 – 70+ years of age to provide a range of suitable employment opportunities. AmeriCorps employment should pay a minimum income that would be greater than the maximum social security payment, making AmeriCorps employment more financially appealing than living off of welfare or social security.

In this type of private/public program, which would replace social security during the years worked, companies and organizations would hire AmeriCorps employees at a reduced wage, with the balance being paid from the Social Security fund. 

Because all AmeriCorps employees would be enrolled in Medicare, medical insurance would not need to be provided by employers. In addition, Social Security contributions would not need to be made by employers either.

What would be a typical AmeriCorps job? Teachers, instructors, home health companions, teacher’s aides, customer service representatives, mentors, tutors – who really knows? The market economy and the inclinations of the AmeriCorps employees would ultimately be the determining factor. 

By doing a better job of integrating older people into the mainstream of society, this may end up giving us more opportunities to engage our children and young people in a way that helps them to address feelings of loneliness, isolation, frustration, hopelessness, anger and resentment that lead to anti-social and self-destructive behaviors. Older people have the life experience and patience to do this.

Most importantly, this type of program would provide an alternative way for older people to continue to be active, productive, and engaged, filling jobs that may otherwise go unfilled, and using their life experience in a positive way instead of having it wasted by large businesses, corporations, and society as a whole.

Establishing a new program such as this and integrating it into the existing AmeriCorps, Social Security, and Medicare programs should be relatively straightforward.

OLDER PEOPLE AND REALITY

For a variety of reasons, older people simply lose their economic value. While some are able to position themselves to preserve and even enhance their economic value as they age, that is not the case for most.

The loss of physical abilities, a change in perspective where dedication to work loses its urgency, new and unfamiliar technologies that come to define the workplace, competition with younger people who are impatient with ambition – this is what happens to most people.

This life transition is reality. For most it will be unavoidable, so it needs to be prepared for during the most productive years of employment, and then recognized and accepted for what it is when it happens.

What is also reality is how becoming older brings with it the harvest of a lifetime of habits, both good and bad. This needs to be a cautionary tale, because a great deal of the physical, mental, and emotional problems associated with becoming older can be avoided with better lifestyle habits developed at an earlier age. 

Older people should not settle for a diminished life but aggressively and proactively fight for the healthiest, most productive, and engaged life possible. Ultimately, we are all responsible for ourselves.

BEING A CIVILIZED SOCIETY 

As a society, we need to change how we view becoming older, because what we are doing now is not a viable long-term solution.

As our system is structured right now, there are few good options for older people to continue to provide economic value to society.

This is a primary reason why our social security system is currently threatened with insolvency. 

Lasting changes to our social security system cannot be based upon a reduction in benefits received, a gradual delay in the age of entitlement, and an increase in contributions made.

Older people must be expected to provide an economic contribution throughout their lives to the greatest extent possible, and our society must accommodate this expectation by providing dignified and viable work options for older people to choose from.

We all get old eventually, so creating a society that promotes graceful aging will benefit all of us sooner or later. An aging population does not have to be seen as the bleak future that it is often portrayed as.

Something is wrong when the Supreme Court and tens of thousands of all-American beer drinkers join together for some good old gay/trans bashing.

Apparently, according to the Supreme Court, discrimination is acceptable as long as it is based upon sincerely-held Christian beliefs. I’m not sure what Christian beliefs involve turning away your neighbor and figuratively stoning them. This seems to contradict the concepts of love, acceptance, and inclusion that Jesus Christ taught. Perhaps I need to read the Bible more.

And, apparently, all it takes for God-fearing beer-drinking patriotic Americans to run away from a lifetime of drinking Bud Light is for a skinny little white boy/girl to start drinking their brand. So what if the entire LGBTQ+ community starts drinking Bud Light? It’s just beer. If this is enough to threaten your sense of masculinity and sexuality, then you have some real issues. Don’t worry, you can’t catch trans from drinking Bud Light.

But something is wrong as well when we are compelled to celebrate LGBTQ+ for a month, when we can get ourselves fired for using the wrong pronoun, when acceptance of differences between people is no longer enough if not accompanied by a righteous and apologetic statement of support and guilt. 

The problem with all of these minority/sub-culture groups, whether based upon religious belief, racial identity, or sexual orientation, is that acceptance by society at large is not seen to be good enough by their activist leadership, who demand special treatment and special recognition and special privileges for whatever group that they claim to represent.

True acceptance and inclusion by society would be good enough for most people in these groups. That way, they could live their lives the way they see fit without the tyranny of other people’s opinions, not to mention the threats of violence and the possibility of incarceration directed towards them just for being who they are.

Unfortunately for them and for us, their voices are ignored in favor of those who have internalized every grievance, every act of oppression, and every historical slight. For those who feel such pain, there will never be enough healing, and the rest of us are made to suffer for it. 

And let us not forget to mention those self-serving activists who have made a career out of giving voice to grievance, who ride the gravy train of special treatment demands without having a defined destination, more than happy to make the rest of us ride with them and pay their fare. 

Who deserves special treatment? Small children, the elderly, the mentally challenged, the physically disabled, the very poor.  And even then, the special treatment that is given should be commensurate with, and appropriate for, the actual need. 

Special treatment must be given with a sense of compassion, and should not be accompanied with cynicism and corruption, and an eye on making special treatment into a profit center. 

As a general observation, minority/sub-culture groups neither need, benefit from long-term, or deserve special treatment. 

They, along with everyone else, deserve equal treatment and equal opportunity. The opportunity to succeed, to fail, to make fools of themselves, to be heroic. 

Discrimination, just like equity, is antithetical to a free, fair and just society, whether it is used to justify unequal treatment or used to demand special treatment. 

Vigilantly ensuring that everyone is given equal treatment and equal opportunity throughout our society is a much better use of our time and energy, and is something that most people will intuitively understand and support.

I’d drink a Bud Light to that.