Just Sayin

There has been a great deal of conversation about the and vices and virtues of libertarian and progressive political thought. The current incarnations of both schools of thought, while popular are a far cry from their beginnings. The progressives have strayed from their Robert LaFollett roots as have the libertarians from their beginnings later in the century led by Barry Goldwater. The Progressive movement of the early 20th century, was in direct opposition to the Industrial Revolution practice of Laissez-faire capitalism. The leaders of this movement, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Robert Lafollette, represented the diversity and focus of the movement. The focus was social change through as Sociologist Robert Nisbet  defined it the five "crucial premises" of the Idea of Progress as being: the value of the past, the nobility of Western civilization, the worth of economic/technological growth, the faith in reason and the scientific and schol...

There is talk once again about the different generations, and how Generation X, the supposed slacker generation is growing old. I wrote an essay about this subject some 20 years ago. So let me preface this by saying that I have family members in all these generations, the good and the bad. I also have friends, so my opinion is an observation and not meant to be divisive or insulting to anyone. The conventional wisdom is because I was born in 1964, that I am a Baby Boomer or Boomer and not a Generation X'er or an Ex'er. I don't identify with Boomers, like my Uncles who are 16 years, and 14 years older than me. I identify more with people born after 1960 and before 1968. So that is where I am. So here is my opinion.                                      Generation X In the media, there has been much talk about Generation X, by those of other generations. These other generations per...

I was sitting and thinking yesterday, and it dawned on me that I have been in Yuma now for 40 years. I came in on a Trailway's bus with my grandmother from Indiana at 4 am on or about January 31, 1975. The first stop was Gary's restaurant on 4th Ave and 24th St. It is called Bubba's now. I was in the fourth grade and was 10 years old. In the ensuing years I went to elementary school, junior high school, high school and college right here in Yuma. most of my childhood friends and acquaintances are here. My first love, first real girl friend, my first job, and for the longest time my family was here. I learned many valuable lessons here that have gone with me my whole life. Over the years I have seen quite a few changes. I have seen the Old Town Mall come and not go and struggle to remain relevant and thus in business. I have seen the Southgate mall come and go. I have seen the community grow from 32,000 to 100,000. I have seen two highs schools turn into five...

I come from a card carrying union family. In the last 60 or so years there have been including me, 10 members of the last three generations in 10 different unions. So I am well aware of the history of unions. I have though, formed my own opinion about unions. I can take them or leave them. I believe they are good and bad and necessary so that the worker and the employer both get a fair deal. I have worked as a public employee, and a member of a union that was Fair Share/ Full Share. I was a member if the International Operating Engineers Union Bargain Unit 12. In 2006 Arnold Swartsnegger put four initiative's on the ballot. One was to bust up the union. He wanted the people to vote on whether the workers who didn't agree with the unions politics could opt out of dues. The problem was that they already did. It was because of the Fair Share/Full Share union model. Full Share members paid $42 per month. That afforded you a vote on any contract. You al...

I remember as a child watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. I remember all of the old guard journalists, Cronkite, David Brinkley, Howard K. Smith, Harry Reasoner, and Eric Severied to name a few. These men and others were exceptional writers. Unlike the journalists and news people of today. Bob Simon was an old school broadcast journalist who was an exceptional communicator. Broadcast journalism was better for his having come, and will be a little less exceptional for his passing. Broadcast journalism today in general, and news dissemination in particular, are more about entertainment and politics and less about substance. Today broadcast journalists have to entertain us with, as well as deliver the news. Broadcast journalists today have a political agenda, and as such are less objective. Where once reporters just reported the story, today they have become the story. Once they were in genuine harm's way, now they just pretend they were to get t...

Requiem for Gunner Gunner 2006-2014  It is with great sadness and sorrow that we say goodbye to our beloved four legged friend Gunner Dog. Gunner was a rescue whose other father was deployed serving his country in Iraq. Gunner was a well-mannered joy to have in the family. We took Gunner into our home and he immediately endeared himself to us and our entire extended family. Everyone   to a man  liked Gunner . Gunner was a pacifist dog, and would be loud and obnoxious when there was physical action going on. That included children and rough housing. He would sleep with all four legs in the air, like a dying cockroach. I don’t know how comfortable it was, but he slept pretty well that way. Gunner was the one who liked to travel, and see the world. With us he has been places, and seen a lot of the world. He was just the gentlest soul of any human or animal that I have ever known. He was a good dog and an...

First of all let me preface this by saying that I am not a Patriots lover or hater. I could care less if they are in the Super Bowl or not. I haven't rooted for them ever. Not because they cheat or not, but because I like the other team better. This year is no different. The perception of cheating will haunt the Patriots if they win the SB. They brought it on themselves. Let us look at the facts. They have a pattern of trying very clever ways to gain an advantage. This begs the question; if they are a dynasty like everyone says, then why do they need an advantage unfair or otherwise. This is the third time they have been caught. All of the other times apart aren't a pattern, but together they are. So now with a pattern established. How does the NFL punish the Patriots? There are different forms of punishment. They could be disqualify the Patriots from the Super Bowl. , Then they would have to designate another team as the SB participant from the AFC. That won't h...