No that much has changed the spirit of the American People is alive!!!!!

  It is fall 2021 and I was up to see my grandchildren at my daughters house .

One of the best parts of the visit is walking to pick them up from the bus stop and or walking them to the stop in the morning.

This was the first time I walked them to the stop.

Its literally a few hundred feet from the house right on the corner.

They all had their backpacks and lunches in tow.

I am always early when I do anything,  so we got to the corner 10 minutes ahead of time to wait for the bus.

When we arrived the different children from the block began to show up. Within seconds a large game of freeze tag erupted.

Come on freeze tag?  Who knew they even knew what that was.

Deja Vu all over again.

Wonderful to just watch the game unfold.

Only one difference they all had masks hanging around their necks.

This is 2021 and the God awful pandemic is still upon us.

The world has changed, but hasn't changed.

The children's spirit shines through the difficulty and inconvenience. They don't care, they just do.

We will come through the new virus as already signs of the easing, and news of therapeutics that will not make the virus disappear, but will make it manageable. 

I have faith in the American people and the world community. We will rise above this most misunderstood and confusing time.

The children renew my faith in humanity. The power of love and understanding will win out.

Poppo

 

Attitude is everything!

"If we watch 24 hour news and follow things like Twitter and Facebook we are so inclined to miss the world around us instead of using our time to relate to real people and not the perceptions they create on social media."

This has nothing to do with my blog entry today just a thought I couldn't get out of my head.

 Yesterday I was in Target and as usual I am standing by the front counter like some weird old man and getting looks from everyone as to why I am just standing there.

I am usually relegated to go get paper towels and coffee creamer. I completed my assigned tasks and was waiting for my wife to finish shopping when an amazing moment happened .

Walking past me or should I say shuffling and riding past me there was an older couple getting ready to check out.  The wife who was on a cart and of limited mobility said to her husband , " Are you ready?"

The husband without missing a beat said "I was born ready" 

I was so struck by the optimistic reply it made me laugh and realize these people are not only still in love, but they have humor and a positive attitude.

I loved it.

You know, we get all tied up in our daily lives worrying about the problems we and our kids have and the issues of the day, we forget that attitude is the key.

Yes, sometimes things become insurmountable or we think they are,  yet there is often an answer if we are positive.

If we listen to the news and dwell on the negative, as they would have us do ,we can become stressed and worried all the time.

That's not to say you should put your head in the sand,  be aware of the world and its problems, but don't let them dominate your life.

My wife and I headed for the exit at Target and this couple were just getting out the doors even though they began to check out 10 minutes before us.

As the tortoise said. "Slow and steady wins the race."

  

Military plan for America going forward.

One thing thats bugging me. I am sure there are much more qualified people at the Pentagon who have plans like these.
Here is how I see the future of our children and grandchildrens' world.
The world is a big place and many new problems and factions are in play.

I see a new way of battling our foes as the status quo will not hold up against the stresses and pressures of the modern battle field.
Todays battles are insurgent , radical, electronic,
and ruthless. Therefore we need to be the best form of those things also. The rules have changed and we need to understand that terrorists only understand one thing.
I am more powerful than you,  You can not reason with terrorists.
Therefore we need to address the odd yet bold style of our opponents and how we can best defeat them both physically and technically.

1.) I see a huge task force, Task force with best quick strike capability.
A force that can go anywhere with in 24 hours.
Perhaps 100,000  troops all special ops and specially trained forces. The best from all 4 services including boats , planes, copters and ground forces. Most of all we need the most talented people from the modern computer science capability. These people can be contracted to help the military without enlisting .
The best of the best.

2.)New helicopter for all forces as we created with joint strike fighter.
I know its been a crazy program poorly run, but we need manned fighter copter of that quality and   one for all services.
Tremendous mobility and new uniforms just for strike force .

3.) Other forces go all over the world helping people in need all over the globe.
Why don't we temporarily deploy troops around America to areas of need ,patrol borders and just keep the population safe .
Not replacing law enforcement and not ruffling feathers , just there to help in many ways.
Take a group of our soldiers perhaps 200,000 nation wide and have them working and assisting our communities in need.
Public service work.
We are paying large numbers for this capability and then sending soldiers to rebuild Iraq Seria , Korea , lets take care of our own first.
We can still be a good ally and not pay for everything we do world wide.
People bite the hand that feeds them, we know that it happens every time we get involved overseas we are eventually disliked for it .
I am by no means an isolationist , yet I agree the countries we help must contribute.
If you just do everything for someone they will lose self esteem and resent you for it.
So a policy of assistance but not dependance is the answer. Create a mobile force to help with hot spots when we are invited to and then just as quickly get out.
Create equipment and forces to accomplish this and then take remaining troops and do good in America.
There are plenty of areas in America that need help. The populous will be in contact with the young woman and men of our services, which will breed trust and appreciation of those soldiers.
We have a huge military made up of very talented and competent individuals.
Let them do good and help the country when not on deployment.
This is my humble concept and certainly a game changer.
I may not understand the huge military and its desires and directions , but I do know we have to change a losing game.

Cold cuts and American obsession?

Lunch meats, cold cuts, cooked meats, deli meats , sliced meats,

Whatever you want to call them,
Aside from being higher in carcinogens, filled with nitrates, and sodium and worse for you than red meat, we still consume millions of pounds of cold cuts per year.
I need to write about a lunch meat experience of mine.
When you stand at a counter and order cold cuts you often have to take a number because it is the most crowded place in any food store or market.
Specialization in America is the modern way.
As Burger King has" have it your way" the cold cut business is much more personal yet no less specialized.
During the last year or so I have experienced all the emotions a meat counter can instill.
The anxious number taker can get the lowest number possible by hurry to the number machine and grabbing the ticket as quickly as possible. Deli meat anxiety!
Ok I am number 93 and they are at 84 should I dare go do more shopping and take the chance that I might miss my number or should I just stand here and wait for the endless process of grabbing large chunks of meat or cheese and slicing the desired weight a customer wants. Such a hard decision yet I dare not lose my place in line. I'll just stand here like a meat hungry husky and wait and wait.
If I miss my number when they call it out  I'll have to wait again and oh God what could happen then.
The liverwurst I love might not be available or the special ham from Virginia will be sold out.
Such cold cut anxiety.
The other strange issue with cold cuts comes with the comments and requests I hear people make.
The other day I heard a man say" Can you please slice my baked turkey half regular thickness and half thinner , but not too thin as it breaks apart when I pull it from the package, and I don't like that."

Ok so the lovely gal behind the counter sliced him 3 samples so he could select the proper thickness to accommodate his desire. The week before the lady next to me actually said the following comment. " Can you slice my Roast Beef half rare and half medium rare as my husband and I like it differently." Server; "I will pull out different roast beefs and let your select the properly cooked ones and I'll give you half each way." Is this sane or insane. Who are we to judge.
Wow now that is insanely compliant and service oriented .
I am not sure I would be able to accommodate these requests. I might throw and slab of Capicola at someone.
The ultimate accomplishment of the meat slicer is the "Perfect weigh "
When the amount comes out perfectly to the exact amount the customer wants it is like a hole in one or a strike in bowling or a home run.
If you are a vegan you would miss the wonderful world of cold cuts .
I guess all I am saying is why not "have it your way." The cold cut is here to stay!

Cant ignore politics this time around ,its just to important !

         Lets take a logical look at politics in "Modern Times." Let me ask you in fairness how are things going in your life?'  Are we better off emotionally, financially, more secure in our world than we were 7 years ago?

The job of the government is to keep us safe and encourage growth and prosperity.
 We live in the 24 hour news cycle and the world is one entity now like it or not.
How we act and how other countries act affect all parties greatly as each day all things are available via Internet and 24 hour world news.
So the paradigm has changed greatly and our traditional politicians have not changed with it.
We need a leader or leaders who think and act according to the modern world.
The game has changed and as the great Arthur Ashe once said."Change a losing game." When you are not doing well you have to change something. President Obama has been a very traditional Tax and Spend President.
We traditionally go from that to Reduce Taxes and stimulate growth.
The later works better but without other changes as I suggest below, it is at best a temporary fix.

Economically;
You cannot build the economy from the middle out as President Obama and recently reiterated by Hillary Clinton suggest. Sounds great but each action they have tried has only made the middle class suffer more and created more hardships for most Americans. You can not mandate behavior and rules that restrict growth.
You must stimulate the people with opportunity not hand outs.
 Encourage them to take risk and spend money. Risk- reward is the answer not give a slight tax break and stimulate construction and infrastructure with contracts that are not generated by profits, but taken from the public coffers. It makes absolutely no sense. No new and different action is a losing strategy.
Example :
  The probable Democratic nominee , Hillary Clinton is swearing to continue to increase taxes on the upper portion of the people in America because its fair for them to pay more.  Increasing government function she is basically saying we are doing great, and all directions we are currently pointing in are stable and the truck of state is driving in the right direction.

Please!!!!!!!! Honestly ask your self if this is at all the case and do we really want to stay the current course.  Our world is changing and we are failing to adjust to these times.
Do we want a true change of style and a path which reflects the new world order and condition?
The top income earners in America already pay over half of all taxes in the United States. So if we try to feed the middle class growth buy just taking from those who have more that is not changing the game. It is wealth redistribution and it leads to only one thing.
Socialism !  It doesn't work people, there are many many examples we can see around the world that let us understand that socialism fails to make people happy and breeds dissatisfaction and discontent.
The middle class has done worse in the last 7 years and the stimulus bills have just spent money not increased wealth or opportunity.
Just allocating already generated funds to infrastructure and awarding contracts for improvements without paying for them with growth and true revenue production only pretends to stimulate the economy.
True wealth growth comes from private investment and corporate growth. The companies in America have done a great job reducing staff and costs to make profits regardless of low growth .
They have cut and trimmed to create profits. Corporate America is not an enemy they are the very fabric of our country, especially small business which is being stifled by taxes and restrictions not encouraging us to grow and spend.
This will not last as we run out of things to cut and trim,  profits will be affected.

True growth must be generated from the companies and people who have wealth.
When they don't have confidence to spend and invest, Instead they hold money in safe places and try to hold on to current wealth.
 Banks don't lend as the criteria are very difficult and they were burnt by the housing policies that made them give 100 to 120% mortgages in a socialist fashion. The policy failed miserably as financial institutions found ways around it and to abuse it.
Greed will find a way so do we need controls and oversight ?
Absolutely! Yet less than the over reaction of extremely tight controls that cost companies large amounts of money and restrict growth as they tie up our cash reserves.

We need pro growth policies such as:
1.) Lowering corporate tax rates to around 20% . OK don't get your undies all in a knot, yes we need to remove all the write offs so all people and companies need to pay taxes. This would greatly help reduce the deficit and stimulate growth while generating revenue to pay off debt.

2.) Open competition up in health care and allow insurance companies to bid on all health care nationally.
This has been shown to reduce costs up to 40% making a national health care program (OBAMA CARE) unnecessary.

3.) Tort reform is also very important to reduce costs for Insurance companies.
This is a tough one as Washington is run by lawyers and accountants and they make there living off of law suits and tax code interpretation. Why would they change the current game unless we the people make them.
4.) Many other changes necessary but these would be a start.
Military needs revamping and re building(I have a 5 point plan that I will write about in my next blog entry) intelligently with smarter more efficient weapons and cyber capability,

Conclusion: I believe there are many billions or even trillions of dollars on the side line which are ready to create investment and or growth. The holders of this wealth will not invest it in businesses and new growth unless they are confident in the direction we are heading.
These seem like common sense things to me,but I understand there are many people who think the Government can answer and supply all the answers taking on a larger role.
Please take the time to read about The european countries and what has happened as they adopted more and more socialistic policies and tendencies.
It creates an environment of entitlement and slowly erodes the work ethic that made us great and created our republic and established it as the model for the rest of the world.
Let's change the way we run our country but not our principles and beliefs.
Happy New Year!
BTC









capital building

Lines that cross !

This was written last year but rings more true today than then and will be truer next year.


Our attention spans are now like flashes in the pan.
Is 24 hour news the reason we crave new crisis every day or week and why we need a new stimulus all the time.
Like checking our Instagram accounts or e mail accounts or texts every few minutes.
Do we really need the stimulus so badly and the gratification to be so instantaneous. As time goes on I am weening myself from these constant stimuli and feeding of the ego.
Do we need to feel constantly in touch and or is it better to focus on those around us and learn of their lives.
"Be here now" I think is a Demming principal which rings truer than ever as we are now so seldom
"here now."
When having dinner or in line at Starbucks or at a meeting or just playing a round of golf.
Put the electronic stimulus down and feel the human contact it is far more gratifying and fulfilling than a text or tweet that really means nothing. Yes, check your devise for work or when kids need something and I mean really need something.  Technology is all well and good, as there are many good things that come from it and the world is indeed changing.
I understand, but you cannot meet a new person if you never say hi to them.
You cannot really learn about them and there lives if you never look up an engage them.
Remember to balance our lives with real people and the fascination of talking to them and feeling their issues and being concerned with their lives. Yes, use the tools of communication but do not make them your only source of interaction as it dehumanizes and can cast a cold fog over everything that is human and true. We are changing and technology is changing us and that is all well and good, The  human interaction is the supreme stimulus and feelings for one another come from that actual interaction not from someone sending data to a phone.
So balance your technological lives and I will try to do the same, for if I meet and I mean truly meet one new person a day then I am better for it.
Ask others about how their lives are going and what they know and what they do. So much more interesting than an update on what you had for breakfast or a picture of the latest place you went that someone else didn't.
Don't get me wrong I like Instagram and love seeing pictures of all my friends kids and grand kids that is wonderful. It just shouldn't be the total focal point of my day , it should be a few times a day .
That is my goal so here I go into a world of 80% real interaction and 20% digital fun.
Easier for me being retired , but I am not talking about work time that is different the technology is necessary for that.
Good luck and as my wife says 'put down the phone and talk to someone."

Aggressive attitude is the answer!

I have practiced aggressive driving in NYC since I was a young man and would often head into the city with friends for various reasons.
Change lanes, beep horn, accelerate quickly and brake hard and fast.
It does work. I am in the city quite often now, as we have rented an apt to be near the kids and also enjoy all the city has to offer .
We have always wanted to do this and we are having a blast.
Theatre,Opera,Museum's,walks in the park and great restaurants all abound.
It really is fun.
We are on the upper west side so we have been shopping at Whole Foods in the Time Warner building.
It is a crazy place and when I was shopping for a few items the other day I realized that it's just like driving in NYC.
People don't look up they are texting and shopping simultaneously, they sit in the middle of the isle with no regard for those around them. They double park and never a yield to let you by, or an excuse me or pardon me or please go ahead.
.
If you can't handle it then get out of the way.
Once you speak to people most are nice and have very interesting lives.
Everyone has a story in the Big Apple.
So my advice is to drive and shop aggressively in NYC!