tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43740129033335162832024-03-05T08:35:04.944-08:00Unified VisionsMoosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-49837143382689759342020-05-14T06:06:00.002-07:002020-05-14T06:07:18.715-07:00Roaring Back Economically - Now is the Time for a Basic Income and National Healthcare<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1219190490.5743/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="800" height="318" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1219190490.5743/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/48315743-american-spirit?asc=u">American Spirit</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The View From Rattlesnake Ridge</b><br />
<i>Ruminations from an Unabashed Optimist, an Environmental Patriot and a Radical Centrist</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Roaring Back Economically</b><br />
Now is the Time for a Basic Income and National Healthcare<br />
<br />
<br />
In this age of Covid-19, I am unable to experience the day to day joys of sharing time with neighbors and measuring their sentiments, hearing their stories, and drawing on them for life lessons. There will come a time, again, when we will be able to do this, and again I will return to my perambulations among neighbors in search of their stories and sensibilities for this column.<br />
<br />
For now, my walks and rambles are solitary. I am alone with only my thoughts, the sounds of the brook, the wind, the pileated woodpeckers hammering at the trees, the red squirrels chattering at me. Some days my thoughts are small and parochial. Some days they range like a mountain lion, covering ground like a river tracing its tributaries high into the rocky precipices.<br />
<br />
Lately, most of those thoughts have focused on the tragedy confronting our beloved American family. Today, my mind wandered to my other family, a proud part of the American family but also distinctive in its own way.<br />
<br />
My Grandfather’s people, and by birthright mine, the Haudenausanee - also known as the Iroquois - in the early years of the republic would range well down into the Rattlesnake Ridge area from time to time, sometimes in search of game and other times empire. For 500 years before the birth of the United States, the Iroquois people nurtured and sustained the first and only democratic republican form of government. Long before the birth of Jefferson and Adams, even before John Locke from whom Adams and Jefferson drew inspiration, the Iroquois were gathering to make decisions collectively and democratically. There is evidence that Ben Franklin looked to the Iroquois confederacy as he helped craft the US Constitution.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.1047837849.9338/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.1047837849.9338/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://waynedking.com/workszoom/3425034#/">Esheheman's Breath</a><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">One of the most striking aspects of the Iroquois Confederacy’s democratic deliberations is that they were required to consider the effect of their actions, not just in terms of their immediate needs, but in light of the effect on the next 7 generations before arriving at a decision. So today I am doing just that in my rambling ruminations.</span><br />
<br />
This pandemic has laid bare many of the weaknesses in our democracy and our economy. A significant portion of the economic tragedy has its roots in an economy that for 50 years - since the early 1970s - has slowly drained wealth from the middle class, the working class and the poor. Only a year ago a report from the Federal Reserve found that 40% of Americans would be unable to cover a $400 emergency with cash, savings, or a credit card. This growing disparity of wealth had already begun to blossom into a crisis before we were struck with the Covid-19 crisis affecting every aspect of American lives.<br />
<br />
The existential crisis of Climate Change has faded from the light of public discourse, eclipsed by an even more immediate crisis. But, like the Covid-19 Pandemic, Climate Change is a science-based crisis and if there is one thing that we have all learned - with the possible exception of the Trump administration - science-based challenges don’t respond to lies, bullying, and spin. Eventually, they will bite you.<br />
<br />
The marginalization of communities of color has come into full public view as the numbers of cases and deaths among black, brown, and Indian communities dramatically outpace even the high numbers among the general population.<br />
<br />
These and other challenges are mixed in the rich stew of partisanship and culture wars, cooked up by Newt Gingrich in 1994 and today boiling vigorously as Donald Trump turns up the heat in anticipation of the coming election. One need only count the number of times the President uses the words “I” and “me” when he addresses the nation or the media, and how little he uses the word “we”. His lack of empathy for the 80,000 plus Americans who have lost their lives is shocking and disheartening, but not surprising.<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="535" height="400" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/PatriotSecrets" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Secrets of the Patriot</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br style="text-align: center;" />
The good news is that American’s have come together as we always do in a real crisis. There are signs that the efforts of a small vocal minority supported by the President are causing even that rare unity to fray but polling shows that most people have taken their lives and their safety into their own (well-washed) hands and have stopped listening to the President and turned their attention to those who will tell them the truth.<br />
<br />
Even Congress has demonstrated a willingness to push partisanship aside in the best interests of the American people. Let’s hope they continue to do so because the challenges ahead are going to require that they continue to step up and that the sacred cows of both the Republicans and the Democrats will be put to the test and found wanting.<br />
<br />
This Pandemic raging around us has created the perfect storm for many Americans - a catastrophic convergence of forces over which we have almost no control.<br />
<br />
Since the beginning of this pandemic, it is estimated that 27 million Americans have already lost their health care insurance and that number may rise to 45 million before the worst is over. Despite this, the Trump administration refuses to reopen enrollment in the ACA, otherwise referred to as “Obama Care”. Congress should immediately reopen the ACA enrollment. Furthermore, they should do something they have stopped doing for a long time - taking a page from the Iroquois Confederacy and looking for solutions that consider the next 7 generations of Americans. Americans deserve a national healthcare plan that covers every single American.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the last few years I have made the case for an American Dividend, more commonly referred to as a Universal Basic Income based on the presumption that Americans have contributed to the wealth of the nation through their sacrifices, their labor, and their taxes - but have never been included as shareholders in the economic miracle. I won’t reiterate all of the arguments for a UBI here, but you can read previous columns about it and there are a lot of people of all political persuasions who are now talking about it and writing about it. What I will do is try - in a few paragraphs - to make the case for doing it NOW - even as a temporary measure - as the most effective way to drive our economy forward and find our way out of this pandemic while respecting and protecting one another.<br />
<br />
As impatience grows for restarting our economy and for resuming some semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives we will continue to experience the push and pull between economic needs and health and safety needs. While we must let the science and data drive our decisions in order to minimize the rate of new infections and deaths, we clearly must begin making efforts where possible to reopen the economy and return to life in a new normal. However, the challenge we face is one at the confluence of science, psychology, and economics, presenting a significant challenge and the need for our leaders, and each of us, to exercise judgment. Even as our Governors and policymakers begin this process, carefully laying out rules regarding testing, tracing and isolation, social distancing, and other safety measures, many folks will not be comfortable resuming “normal” life without confidence that we have flattened the curve sufficiently to make venturing out safe. Furthermore, rebounding economically, especially for our small businesses, will be profoundly challenging at 25% or even 50% of their previous capacity. We need to find a way to harness the economic power of both those who are ready to venture out and those who are not. Here’s where a basic income for every American can drive a robust resurgence.<br />
<br />
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos makes $6.54 billion dollars per month. If he dines at the most expensive restaurant in America, “Per Se” Restaurant in New York City, it will cost him $685.00. In his home state of Washington, “the Herbfarm Restaurant”, located on the outskirts of Seattle will cost you a more affordable $285. But Jeff Bezos can only eat ONE dinner.<br />
<br />
One month of Jeff Bezos income would cover a $2,000 basic income for three million two hundred seventy thousand Americans, roughly 1% of the entire population; men, women and children; roughly 2% of American households.<br />
<br />
So here’s a simple question: What is going to have a greater impact on the US economy: a month of dinners for Jeff Bezos (at $8,550) or 10 million dinners purchased by American families from local grocery stores and restaurants? Which of these is more likely to help save small businesses on Main street?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.512896270.1005/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="558" height="400" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.512896270.1005/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/12941005-stinson-brook-camus-quote-print-and-poster">Stinson Brook Camus Poster</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now I’m not picking on Jeff Bezos, whom I admire immensely, but last year any one single American paid more in taxes than Amazon, which paid no taxes because of a tax code heavily skewed to the wealthy in our nation.<br />
<br />
Businesses don’t create jobs, CONSUMERS create jobs through demand and businesses respond by hiring labor sufficient to meet the demand. It’s simple economics.<br />
<br />
Put a basic income of $2,000 per month in the pockets of every American for the remainder of the year and it will cost half of what any of the previous 3 “relief” packages have cost and you can bet that - whether they are sheltering in place or out and about - Americans will drive the economy and support their local businesses. With real disposable income, the free market will determine how that income is used and most of the businesses we know and love in our communities all over America will find a way through this crisis. Furthermore, you will see a flurry of new entrepreneurial activity as Americans find new ways to create jobs and generate income using some of that disposable income to launch startups. In addition to this the President, The Speaker of the House, and the Majority Leader of the Senate, should appoint a blue-ribbon task force to look at ways to fund a basic income permanently.<br />
<br />
None of this should be construed to ignore the need for an aggressive, nationally-directed system of testing, tracing, and isolating. If we had a national service requirement, that most Americans - from all parts of the political spectrum - support, we would be able to activate that network of millions of Americans to do the testing and contact tracing. As it stands the use of Americorp and Peace Corps volunteers could be activated immediately to fill much of the need. If we do not aggressively develop such a system quickly, few of us will feel comfortable about emerging into a world where a simple, and desperately needed, embrace can end in tragedy.<br />
<br />
Americans of all political persuasions have set aside their differences in this pandemic and we can hear the faint but growing sound of the American song rising from their efforts, as they cheer for our frontline heroes, as they check on elderly neighbors and greet one another walking in the park or on the trail, even in acts as simple as paying for the coffee of the next car in line at the Dunkin Donuts drive-through.<br />
<br />
Keep singing. Don’t let tribalism and partisanship derail what could be the great American renaissance after we beat back Covid-19. Dream 7 generations ahead.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A three-term State Senator, he was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images with another, "New Hampshire - a Love Story", on the way. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline is available on Amazon.com. He lives in Thornton, between Rattlesnake Ridge and the Waterville Range. He proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is:<a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing"> http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a></span></i><br />
UBI, Basic Income, American Dividend, Roaring back, recovery, Pandemic, Covid-19, truth, testing, healthcare, insurance, national service</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-65767351284555672552019-08-05T11:41:00.002-07:002019-08-05T11:41:41.015-07:00Leaving Home 2.0: The Heart of - and Hope for - America Lies Next Door<b>Leaving Home 2.0<br />The Heart of - and Hope for - America Lies Next Door</b><br /><br /><br />Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out.<br />I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out.<br />I hit the rowdy road and many a kind I met there. Many a story told me of the way to get there.<br />So on and on I go and seconds take the time out there’s so much left to know and I’m on the road to find out.<br /><br />~ Cat Stevens<br /><br /><br />With tears in my eyes I made a final walk-through of my now-empty happy home. About to become the happy home of Jill and Oli and their two beautiful children.<br /><br />It had been almost a year since losing the love of my life, Alice, and here I was about to experience a second wave of grief. . . Leaving home 2.0. It turned out to be both a source of immense sadness and a powerful and positive lesson in life because the process of saying goodbye to Rumney gave me a new appreciation for what it had given me all these years.<br /><br />Most of us will have to experience this at least one time, if not more, in our lives. I remember leaving home 1.0, but because of college and some travels with my friend Christopher afterward, the transition did not really seem so difficult then.<br /><br />I remember that NH’s Tom Rush provided the music of that moment with his “Child’s Song”.<br /><br /><br />Goodbye Momma<br />Goodbye to you too Pa.<br />Little sister you’ll have to wait a while to come along.<br />Goodbye to this house and all its memories . . .<br />Got to make one last trip to my bedroom. Guess I’ll have to leave some stuff behind.<br />Funny how the same old crooked pictures, just don’t seem the same to me tonight.<br /><br />
<div>
~ Tom Rush<br /><br />It was spring of 1980 when I put down one month’s rent and one month security on a little brown shingled cottage on Main Street in Rumney owned by Joe and Nancy Kolb. Joe and Nancy lived across the street in a rambling beautiful home that served as both their residence and a space for Joe’s woodworking business and Nancy’s Quilt shop. In the three years I lived there Joe was always only a phone call away if there was a problem. He was the model of a reliable landlord and a good neighbor.<br /><br />Just to the south lived Donald “Pick” Jaquith who was widely acknowledged to have the most beautiful flower gardens in the area. I would often look out my windows toward his gardens and see various neighbors, including Betty Jo and Bill Taffe, or Ann Kent walking the garden with Pick. Pick died a few years after that and he would have been thrilled to see that Betty Jo and Bill picked up the torch after him. Today people stop to look at their beautiful gardens as often as they did with Pick’s. Pick Jaquith showered the community with love and flowers for most of his life and now that role falls to Bill and Betty Jo.<br /><br />Betty Jo was a Republican State Representative when I first moved to town and for quite a few years after that. She established herself as the leading House authority on Education and she was part of an extraordinary contingent of smart, powerful and moderate Republican women who made all of us proud to be anywhere in their orbits: Donna Sytek, Phoebe Chardon, Liz Hager, Sally Townsend and Caroline Gross to name a few. When I ran as a Democrat for the Senate a few years later, Betty Jo had to be careful about her involvement - but Bill was at my house several times a week building lawn signs and providing moral support. I always knew who’s corner both of them were in and I have always been grateful.<br /><br />Just down the road from Betty Jo and Bill, Cindy Perry and Norrie Parr have lived since before Alice and I built our house up on the Stinson Lake Road. Cindy was a teacher in the Russell School for all the years that Zach was a student there. She was his favorite teacher and he never misses a chance to visit her when he returns to town, even for a few days. An extraordinary teacher breathes life into a child’s imagination that lasts a lifetime. Cindy was that kind of teacher. Norrie was the consulting forester at Grafton County Cooperative Extension and he was always willing to pay us a visit when we needed advice about logging or just managing our small wood lot. Norrie had forgotten more about trees than I ever knew - even though I had been a dendrology ace at UNH during my college years. Cindy, and her neighbors Diana Paquette, Maggie Everts, Barbara McElroy, Melody Funk, and others, along with Alice, were among an extraordinary group of women who formed “GotLunch! Rumney” to provide lunches to children in town who might not have adequate food during the summer months, when the school lunch program was not a source of sustenance. There were plenty of us of the male persuasion who supported the effort, but the brains and the heart of the organization were these amazing women all of whom enriched Alice’s life and mine immeasurably.<br /><br />As I drove away from my life in this extraordinary town for the first time I thought back on many of those who had come before but were no longer with us. Faith Moulton, from whom I bought my first home, a 17 room monstrous farmhouse with only ¾ of a bath in the entire building and not a lick of insulation anywhere. Faith helped me finance the purchase by taking a second mortgage and I gave her a place to live for a year while she made the transition in her own life. At any one time the building had been the town’s funeral home, Post Office and Town clerks office under the direction of Faith’s late husband Lyn.<br /><br />There was Doris Tunnell and her daughter-in-law Betty. Doris was a rock ribbed Republican who introduced me at my first Senate campaign announcement. She wore those big glasses so fashionable in the sixties that looked like they had wings. Her smile held a thousand secrets and a sense of humor second to none in Rumney.<br /><br />I’ve told you in this column about Ann and Joe Kent who started the Quincy Bog Natural Area. Joe and Ann were the James Carville/Mary Matalin of Rumney. He a Colonel from Vietnam and a true conservative, just as interested in getting the most from a dollar as he was in conserving the natural resources of Rumney including the Bog. Ann had a heart as big and generous as the Mountains. Her heart beats still in her daughters Jennifer and Martha. She was the liberal wing of the Kent household. But like the birds they both spent hours watching together, they flew highest and strongest when both wings were strong and working together as one. Ann and Joe were as different in their ideologies as two people could be yet both were deeply committed to our community. After Joe died Ann had an honored seat at our Thanksgiving and Christmas table every year along with our neighbors Kevin and Debbie Maes and their family. Kevin & Debbie Maes have been friends and neighbors since Alice and I moved in. I was away in Africa on business one year when a microburst felled huge White Pines across our driveway, knocking out the power and stranding Alice and Zach. Kevin was there the next morning - chainsaw in hand - to make sure Alice and Zach were not stranded any longer.<br /><br />Kevin later ran for State Rep and won and has served with distinction for going on 6 years now. He’s recently been joined by Francesca Gothie Diggs and I can honestly say that the town has not had better representation since Betty Jo Taffe made her mark. Francesca is already making a mark with a strong and empathic community focus to her service.<br /><br />Not everyone who has had an impact on my life here in Rumney has been a friend or a fan. It took me a lot of years to get Bob Berti to mark the other side of his ballot but he was a giant among those who dedicated a big portion of their lives to the welfare of our little community and I respected the hell out of him and never gave up. Now I am proud to call him my friend and he once even admitted that he had put a check next to my name on more than one occasion.<br /><br />Then there are Steve & Joanne Decosta - in my earlier years there was rarely a town meeting that didn’t find us on opposite sides of nearly every issue. Even on some very contentious state issues. Yet last year when my dog, Boof, escaped Steve and Joanne rescued him and called me to say he was safe and sound in their home. When I picked Boof up at their home we talked with one another like old friends and I came away humbled by the lesson.<br /><br />Arthur Morrill was another person who showed up in support of my opponent in every Senate election and he always had a tough question for me - usually about run away spending. I gave as good as I got in those exchanges - usually suggesting that we should privatize the state agency that Arthur worked for - with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But when Arthur would show up to assess our home for tax purposes every few years he was always fair and honest. I learned an important lesson about honest dialog and free expression from Arthur and I will never forget it.<br /><br />By now you are well acquainted with Micky Lewis - who kept our long driveway plowed and sanded every winter. Only a few months ago he told me how mad he was at me back in 2005 because I had revealed the location of our local swimming hole in “Heart of New Hampshire Magazine” because for a while it was overrun with “unwanted “ visitors. But his ire was unimportant when we ran out of wood during a brutal cold snap a few years ago and Micky dug into his reserve supply to make sure we stayed warm. Zach and the local young folks call him “coach” because he is always willing to give them the benefit of his wisdom and experience. Over the years he has done the same for Alice and I and we loved him for it.<br /><br />I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg that is my beloved community. There’s Keith and Andrea, Lee and Alan, Paul and Joan, Terry and Miriam, Brad and Laurie, Gary and Nancy, Edie, Wally, Brian, Collette and Tony, Mindy, Karen, Ross, and TJ, Carol and John, Nate, Brian, Adrina, Hank and Debbie, Mike and Dolly and I have not even gotten beyond Main Street. . .<br /><br />Like the long and winding road on which I now find myself embarking, these vignettes I have shared with you have led me along a circuitous route to the lessons of community. They are the acorns that have grown to become the oak of my experience. The lessons I have learned from these people, and others, in my small town - both those still living and those no longer with us - fill my heart with gratitude. The lessons of community here in the shadow of Rattlesnake Ridge reveal a path to a future defined by hope, tolerance and a shared common humanity. The hope for our world and our democracy can be found here - and in every community - in the ever widening circles of our common values and our common humanity.<br /><br />In his extraordinary book, “The Coddling of the American Mind” co-author Jonathan Haidt quotes civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev Dr. Pauli Murray in describing this “Common Humanity Politics” a broadly encompassing and inclusionary vision that seeks to bring us together in common cause. He specifically quotes King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the words of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray:<br /><br />“When my brothers try to draw a circle that excludes me, I will draw a larger circle that includes them. When they speak for the privileges of a puny group, I shall shout for the rights of all mankind.” <br /><br />For 35 years the people of Rumney have drawn those wider circles that declare we are in this together.<br /><br />These lessons do not kill the sadness of the changes that must come but they amplify the joy that helps us continue on this journey we call life.<br /><br />To all of the people of Rumney - thank you. You will be missed. I’m so happy and blessed to have traveled this road with you.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor, former publisher of Heart of New Hampshire Magazine and CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., and now host of two new Podcasts - The Radical Centrist (<a href="http://www.theradicalcentrist.us/">www.theradicalcentrist.us</a>) and NH Secrets, Legends and Lore (www.nhsecrets.blogspot.com). His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images and a novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline all available on Amazon.com. He now lives in Thornton, New Hampshire at the base of Welch Mountain where he proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is: <a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a> . You can help spread the word by following and supporting him at www.Patreon.com/TheRadicalCentrist . </span></i></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-9111794470974631422019-02-23T10:55:00.001-08:002019-02-23T10:55:41.730-08:00Book Reading and Signing - Sacred Trust - Plymouth Historical Society May 15, 2019Please Join us<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.754994783.8668/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="597" height="640" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.754994783.8668/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="475" /></a></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-26657403084559726112019-02-14T09:38:00.001-08:002019-02-14T09:38:58.637-08:00The NH Presidential Primary Centennial May Be its Swan Song<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.460822934.1214/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="800" height="261" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.460822934.1214/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/3181214-swans-on-scamman-pond">Swans on Scamman Pond</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>The NH Presidential Primary Centennial May Be its Swan Song</b><br />
<i>Without Ranked Choice Voting New Hampshire Presidential Primary Will Likely Become Irrelevant</i><br />
Here in the shadow of Rattlesnake Ridge the sense that Democracy is broken is pervasive and alarming. Republicans and Democrats alike along with Libertarian and Independent voters seem to share a growing disgust with the tone and tenor of the election process and even more so the results of the elections - won by candidates with far less than a majority of votes - and the behavior of those elected by 17%, 20% or 30% of the voters, as they constantly seek partisan advantage rather than trying to work together.<br />
<br />
The negative campaigning, that only seems to grow worse with each succeeding year; The bitter and poisonous partisanship that has infected the election process - characterizing even the elections for NH State House and Senate seats - are deeply discouraging to average voters. Worse still, what use to be the “governing phase” of the process where State Representatives and Senators settled into a far less partisan rhythm, intent on governing in the best interests of all their constituents - has virtually disappeared and the two parties now vie to see who can draw the most blood at a time when their constituents want them to be solving problems.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.28810628.8188/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.28810628.8188/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2ebGT53">A Child's Dream Among Lupine</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -27pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
As if all this weren’t bad enough, The New Hampshire First in the Nation Presidential Primary, a near sacred institution here in the Granite State - already under attack from those who would like to see its preeminence abolished - is at its hour of maximum danger. Ironically, for the First in the Nation Primary - about to celebrate its Centennial year - that Centennial may also be its Swan Song.<br />
<br />
Now I won’t represent that I have always been the staunchest defender of the NH Primary. I have in the past suggested that the divisiveness of the Primary process is harmful to the unity of both the Democratic and Republican parties and a distraction from confronting the challenges we face as a state, but as Emerson said “The years teach much which the days never knew.” The fact is that I have become convinced that the people of New Hampshire take very seriously their solemn responsibility to put the candidates through their paces and to narrow down the field. That alone is reason enough to defend the Primary.<br />
<br />
But there has always been a procedural problem with New Hampshire’s Primary and with the size of the field among Democrats this year, that problem is magnified tenfold, just as it was for Republicans in the last Primary. In 2016 there were 17 candidates running in the Republican primary. Only 4 of the 17 received any delegates. As a result over 40,000 Republican voters choices were disregarded completely when it came to handing out delegates. To make matters worse the Democratic Party has recently raised their threshhold for awarding delegates in the Presidential Primary to 15%. In other words only those with at least 15% of the vote qualify for delegates. With as many as 30 potential candidates for the Democratic nomination there is a better than even chance that NO ONE will reach that threshhold. Leaving 100% of voters disenfranchised and allowing the Democratic Party to award those delegates to whomever they choose. In other words, the First in the Nation Primary will be nothing but white noise in the most consequential election of our lifetimes.<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.255889714.5244/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.255889714.5244/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1lWEewP">Moonlight On the Stone House</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
There is a way to resolve this and to save the NH Primary. Ranked Choice Voting. A bill before the NH House, HB 728, Sponsored by Rep Ellen Read of Newmarket, would institute a new system of voting called Ranked Choice Voting allowing every voter to rank their choice in order of preference. So instead of simply choosing one candidate you can select and vote for your first choice, your second choice and your third choice. When the ballots are counted if no one receives a majority of the votes the ballots for those with the fewest votes are reallocated to the second choice.<br />
<br />
Maine has just moved smoothly to ranked choice voting with only 3 months between the final court challenge and the election. Mainers voted in record numbers and polling since the election shows broad support for the new system of voting. Iowa too is considering Ranked Choice for their Presidential Caucuses.<br />
<br />
Ranked Choice has had a dramatic positive impact on the civility of elections in Maine and California where it is being used. After all what do you think would be a voters second and third choice if a candidate bad mouthed their competition with nasty nicknames or mudslinging?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.326247857.1592/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="800" height="282" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.326247857.1592/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mindscapeimages/we-the-people-dump-trump">Mr. Lincoln's Legacy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ranked Choice means that all of the voters voices are heard, not just a small minority.<br />
<br />
Ranked Choice voting puts 3rd party candidate on a level playing field with those in the two major parties but prevents them from becoming spoilers if voters don’t find their message compelling: Think the Bush-Gore-Nader Florida Primary.<br />
<br />
Ranked Choice Voting is coming. It is a wave that will not be held back. The only question is whether the members of the NH House of Representatives will choose to be led astray this year by the major parties and sacrifice the NH Presidential Primary in the process. If that happens, the blame will fall squarely on their shoulders. Unfortunately, by then it will be too late.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor, former publisher of Heart of New Hampshire Magazine and CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., and now host of two new Podcasts - The Radical Centrist (<a href="http://www.theradicalcentrist.us/">www.theradicalcentrist.us</a>) and NH Secrets, Legends and Lore (www.nhsecrets.blogspot.com). His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images and a novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline all available on Amazon.com. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge. His website is:<a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing"> http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a> . You can help spread the word by following and supporting him at www.Patreon.com/TheRadicalCentrist .</i></span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Links:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One minute video description of Ranked Choice Voting</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRPMJmzBBw&feature=youtu.be" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRPMJmzBBw&feature=youtu.be</span></a></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">HB 728</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/billText.aspx?sy=2019&id=363&txtFormat=html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/billText.aspx?sy=2019&id=363&txtFormat=html</span></a></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Status of Bills NH House and Senate</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/</span></a></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">NH House and Senate Information</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://gencourt.state.nh.us/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">http://gencourt.state.nh.us/</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ranked Choice Voting - The Radical Centrist Podcast</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-90457918/ranked-choice-voting-ep02-21219-final">https://soundcloud.com/user-90457918/ranked-choice-voting-ep02-21219-final</a></div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-41299519713121157082018-12-18T11:30:00.003-08:002018-12-25T05:09:15.130-08:00President Obama Receives the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award<br />
President Obama recently received the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award and his outstanding speech not only is inspirational but also demonstrates why I have said that Bobby Kennedy was a Radical Centrist - loved by so many from every spectrum of our society - because he was authentic and through his hard earned moral clarity, showed us what together we could be if we believed and persisted. This is worth watching no matter your party or your ideology.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GkAEzEpeVg&fbclid=IwAR2V2omv8YiCE-0eSqP1bN2ts4omBEqkVgDASx9Pi2MJpyWxkjVC5WKK_-8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GkAEzEpeVg</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.38430513.1902/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="800" height="297" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.38430513.1902/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Life's a Beach - Fine Art Poster - 23"x31": $34.34</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Silhouette of a young boy sitting on the beach. Fine art poster.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Shop this product here: <a href="http://spreesy.com/waynedking/260">http://spreesy.com/waynedking/260</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-73766202805214188522018-12-04T14:11:00.001-08:002018-12-18T11:19:40.168-08:00Free Joseph Song is the theme for The Radical Centrist Podcast.<br /><br />Very excited that my old friend and Reggae musician extraordinaire from the "Nature island of Dominca" Free Joseph has agreed to let me use some of his musical stylings for my soon to be released Podcast series "The Radical Centrist". I've chosen "Tell Me Why" from his CD titled "He is Here". It begins "We've got to Learn to Live Together . . . with some understanding and care for each other. Let's go the extra mile and do it with a smile."<br /><br /><div>
Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KTxGAFR3g<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZrElDN2P3TnAT92NJvcGDam7OxKDjHZmH0XM28mjd_ihEpFG7z53jrc5boYdhkCPk8nUsckuyYIV9K3PzN6Yju-Tb2Z4B4KTuzzY6Jc1V7KeLVKXnh4vERaS3cTKh7euRfWtw918zvg1/s1600/FreeJoseph.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZrElDN2P3TnAT92NJvcGDam7OxKDjHZmH0XM28mjd_ihEpFG7z53jrc5boYdhkCPk8nUsckuyYIV9K3PzN6Yju-Tb2Z4B4KTuzzY6Jc1V7KeLVKXnh4vERaS3cTKh7euRfWtw918zvg1/s320/FreeJoseph.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-29784864229915114422018-11-19T10:01:00.001-08:002018-11-19T10:01:26.519-08:00Holiday Gifts - Images and products Holiday Gifts - Images and products created with my images available here:<br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mindscapeimages/">https://sites.google.com/site/mindscapeimages/</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.380980738.6591/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.380980738.6591/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/2116591-first-snow-on-a-larch-bog">First Snow on a Larch Bog</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.55160120.8712/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.55160120.8712/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/14598712-gazing-at-the-newfound-moon" style="color: #888888;">Gazing at the Newfound Moon</a></div>
<div style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; font-family: cambria; font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.429350352.1044/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="800" height="301" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.429350352.1044/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/28051044-painted-sky-over-newfound" style="color: #888888;">Painted Sky Over Newfound Lake</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="278" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/8U7ZF6HS8QE-SxN7s-xkGbt37UiQNZVjBWBzDK4CakRsrEE_VZMWR_bDd91rp8Jzzr7nZF77xg6S4OmQJ5PY9HPRFsElG5QjqKS9MVcztdhURHlKJ-aWeysqK4W6ksrkttlXym8R" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bit.ly/ADifferentDrum">New Hampshire Moose Poster</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“The Distant Sound of a Different Drum”</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-59401224944192467872018-10-26T06:37:00.000-07:002018-10-26T06:41:15.706-07:00Saving Democracy Means Changing the Game<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="630io" data-offset-key="7kr51-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7kr51-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="7kr51-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: center; white-space: normal;">
<a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.529394113.9373/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" height="300" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.529394113.9373/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: start; white-space: normal;" /><br /><br style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: start; white-space: normal;" /><span style="color: black; font-size: small; text-align: start; white-space: normal;">If you have any doubt how important these upcoming elections are, you will have no doubt when you read my latest column "The View from Rattlesnake Ridge" at The NH Center for Public Interest Journalism's website: InDepthNH.org</span><br style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: start; white-space: normal;" /><br style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: start; white-space: normal;" /><span style="color: black; font-size: small; text-align: start; white-space: normal;">http://indepthnh.org/2018/10/25/saving-democracy-means-changing-the-game/</span></div>
</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-39723232575835797772018-10-08T09:03:00.000-07:002018-10-08T09:03:01.975-07:00Daylight Fades on Eisenhower: 10"x16": $29.95<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="dit4b" data-offset-key="fo19h-0-0">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.34192085.0542/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.34192085.0542/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="http://spreesy.com/waynedking/117">Daylight Fades on Eisenhower</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fo19h-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<br /></div>
Daylight Fades on Eisenhower: 10"x16": $29.95<br />
<br />
Late afternoon light paints the scene around a snowcapped Mount Eisenhower on the Presidential Mountain Range. Only one original of this image is created, signed, dated and with a certificate of authenticity. The image is used for creation of a digitally initialed open edition but otherwise archived and kept only for historic purposes and publications. To purchase an original contact the artist at waynedking9278@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
The open edition, featured here is digitally initialed with a special signature stamp reserved for open edition prints only. It provides the closet approximation to an original work at a more affordable price, especially for those who love art but don’t feel the need to purchase original works.<br />
<br />
Wayne D. King’s images are a celebration of life, blending the real and the surreal to achieve a sense of place or time that reaches beyond the moment into a dreamlike quintessentialism designed to spark an emotional response. Using digital enhancement, handcrafting, painting, and sometimes even straight photography, King seeks to take the viewer to a place that is beyond simple truth to where truth meets passion, hope and dreams.<br />
<br />
Shop this product here: http://spreesy.com/waynedking/117 Shop all of our products at http://spreesy.com/waynedking</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="dit4b" data-offset-key="fo19h-0-0">
<br /></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="dit4b" data-offset-key="fo19h-0-0">
#WhiteMountains, #Eisenhower, #Pleasant, #O-B-Joyful, #Presidential, #PresidentialRange, #NewHampshire, #NH,</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-6310113273867589342018-10-02T12:45:00.002-07:002018-10-02T12:45:38.513-07:00Finding Our Way Back to the Future<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Posted by Wayne D. King</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I'm working on a longer version of this for my next "Rattlesnake Ridge" column but here's one short observation from it.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdffo_clLsDcnIpmrJjUDrlwhzd9_evfVDGQb4UR2_IHOdmexTsV5tSIt59Ff2S7qwyT1giHX7BxqwMP1z_gyrGeWooIAlbASbSiExt77Zxc0dbRauDo9ZN-TtUjgER3yL2oHsSGvp0QnP/s1600/Mitch_Mcconnell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1440" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdffo_clLsDcnIpmrJjUDrlwhzd9_evfVDGQb4UR2_IHOdmexTsV5tSIt59Ff2S7qwyT1giHX7BxqwMP1z_gyrGeWooIAlbASbSiExt77Zxc0dbRauDo9ZN-TtUjgER3yL2oHsSGvp0QnP/s320/Mitch_Mcconnell.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mitch McConnell’s protestations ring hollow in the fight over Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. After all, it was McConnell who lit this fire in the first place by denying an appointment to Merrick Garland. McConnell, who clearly is more concerned with his strategies for giving the Republican party an edge electorally than his legacy, has proclaimed that denying a seat on the United States Supreme Court to Garland and Obama has been his greatest accomplishment. He may as well say that he is proudest of having blown up the process for selecting Supreme Court Justices and imperiled the Republic in one fell swoop.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Given the poisonous air that has developed over the Kavanaugh nomination and the tactics used by both sides that have veered well outside of the soft guardrails of democracy it seems clear that only a reimagined process for the selection of Supreme Court Justices will allow us to find our way back to comity.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The first order of business after the next election should be a national discussion on the process for nominating and approving Justices to the high court. This ugly fight was only a symptom of a larger issue in our politics but it is emblematic of how far we have sunk in the greatest democracy on the planet. Unless we change direction we will soon be stripped of our title.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A former State Senator, and 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor. Most recently CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge and proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is: </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FWayneDKing&h=AT347b91wvJohyPN-_YyJ1DxvV4GOgbxfHyoOWXDPYR6d8cUp9Cfs-Me1FQ5KuVq0LfWHHiVoqJdz9GevFhUmkNpBmkREjjSQ5rbQhG2hW7vy8FBdPNCclVko4O4EKz72DgXCYaeyxzX8gE6aucI58gx" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" wotdonut="true">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif;">and his new blog and forthcoming podcast, “The Radical Centrist” is under construction at </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwayneking.org%2F&h=AT3BptN1uzg8PBc_C5UT1f0EI8rWYNcHw6MyHlN2FSL9lZUainw7rS5tJqdCYQx9EMr283sD2PxhDdbFQU_zeHJcRFx8okXADam8o-GnZ1pa-hDQmc9nXWQspmY4VFaEMP6_x0AVwd6ko1x-NER83sS8" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" wotdonut="true">wayneking.org.</a></i></span></div>
<div class="donut-container" id="arAdhyuZeF" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; cursor: pointer; display: -webkit-inline-box; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; height: 16px; margin-left: 4px; position: relative; width: 16px; z-index: 99;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">supreme court, kavanaugh, mcconnell, senator mcconnell, leader mcconnell, merrick garland</span></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-84115778889110920752018-09-21T02:40:00.002-07:002018-09-21T02:40:31.567-07:00Establishing an American Citizen’s Dividend - UBI <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaoVMQQIVNU03vgd46cE4uNTFmoBasVMVBmnqB0Df5QEFkDy2PNPyq0Z0MVINsFo15Bl6GrWK5dMjuxDtlVS5re9uI_haseeC5OZ50KIAEsqyUux_PmpjpjO8we9UnoCCKESb5AgjZDs/s1600/Groton_Shack_Flag_7934_HDR.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaoVMQQIVNU03vgd46cE4uNTFmoBasVMVBmnqB0Df5QEFkDy2PNPyq0Z0MVINsFo15Bl6GrWK5dMjuxDtlVS5re9uI_haseeC5OZ50KIAEsqyUux_PmpjpjO8we9UnoCCKESb5AgjZDs/s320/Groton_Shack_Flag_7934_HDR.jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A Universal Basic Income is NOT Free Money. It is the birthright of American Citizenship and Sacrifice and quite possibly a pathway to a new empowered and entrepreneurial age.<br />
<br />
The good folks I live with in the shadow of Rattlesnake Ridge have always been a very hardy lot and it takes quite a bit to shake their cool. For example, long before the Gig economy was “A Thing” as folks say these days, these folks were adding a gig here and a gig there to keep their heads above water. They don’t complain about it, they just do it.<br />
<br />
But in recent years something has happened, even here. The world is shifting beneath our feet. Dramatic changes are sweeping through our economy. Each year the changes accelerate. Americans are working longer and harder and yet they continue to fall further behind. For 45 years, since 1973, real wages and the wealth of our citizens have been declining. The growing, savage disparity of wealth in our country challenges our faith in the capitalist system and our Democratic ideals. Today, more than any time during my life, we are faced with the question of whether the American system of government will survive. Whether we will continue to be the beacon of hope we once were and the leaders of the free world. . . whether we will be the masters of change or its victims.<br />
<br />
This column addresses what some call UBI or Universal Basic Income. In a nutshell UBI is a proposal to provide every American citizen who attains an agreed upon age (18 or 21 under most suggested versions) with a monthly income. For the sake of this piece let’s assume it is $1,000 per month. Every month, every qualifying American citizen would receive a check, or a wire deposit for $1,000 no matter where they fall on the income ladder. Rich, poor, working class, middle class, even the 1% would receive a payment.<br />
<br />
No bureaucrat would supervise how it is used and no one could take it away from you. No welfare worker could claw it back because you earned too much at your job, although those at the highest income levels would probably pay most of it back in taxes and certainly wouldn’t really notice it.<br />
<br />
It is a Dividend paid for simply being an American. For being the inheritors of 500 years of sacrifice, voluntary and involuntary, by those who came before us and the sweat of our own brows and the taxes we have paid.<br />
<br />
It is reparations for 200 plus years of slavery if you are an African American; reparations for the theft of your land if you are Native American; for the theft of your wealth and freedom if you are a Japanese American whose family was incarcerated in internment camps during World War II; for years of low-paying wages that subsidized the American economy if your family arrived as immigrants and for years of paying taxes that built roads, bridges, airports and schools that educated our workforce and carried the products of businesses to markets.<br />
<br />
It is the public benefit of providing a court system, purchased with our taxes, where justice can be found and for Intellectual property laws that protect the millions of patents that have rocketed so many Americans into prosperity.<br />
<br />
It is the equity value of research done by the Department of Defense, NASA, DARPA, NIH and an alphabet soup of taxpayer funded agencies that have created everything from the Internet to GPS and Touch Screen Technology all being used today to the benefit of Apple, Google, Uber and thousands of companies in our high-tech society.<br />
<br />
Having read these last few paragraphs you can understand why the term Universal Basic Income somehow falls short of describing the concept, and the notion that it is “free money” is, on its face, absurd. It is a recognition that we have failed for more than 200 years to recognize the role played by every one of our citizens collectively in the accumulation of wealth that has made America the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth. It is why I have chosen to call this an American Citizens Dividend.<br />
<br />
If capitalism is to survive – and it must – because it is the only operating system that has been shown to work, we must create a capitalism that recognizes that the generation of wealth in a healthy economy comes from inputs from everyone and the benefits of that wealth creation should be shared by all of those who have contributed. In other words, as I have said before, we are all victims, we are all due reparations, we are all in this together.<br />
<br />
Today, the American political and economic systems are in twin, enfolding crises.<br />
<br />
More than 90% of job growth during the past two years has been contract work, without any safety net or benefits, including unemployment insurance if layoffs occur; 47% of millennials, who make up the largest portion of the workforce, according to surveys, are engaged in some level of freelance work, most in order to make ends meet.<br />
<br />
Many researchers project that half of the working U.S. population will move into the gig economy within the next five years, without the safety net of benefits or unemployment or disability insurance.<br />
<br />
A majority of low-wage employers are now requiring employees to sign non-compete agreements as a condition of employment. A worker at MacDonalds, who finds himself/herself with the opportunity to move to Burger King for two dollars an hour more must now calculate into their decision-making the very real possibility that her employer will sue to prevent her from taking the job.<br />
<br />
The decline in real wages since 1973 has crippled the spending power of consumers. In a consumer driven society, we are witnessing the early signs of the potential extinction of the consumer. After all, the 1% can only buy so many pairs of socks, or pants, or skirts.<br />
<br />
We have moved to Workforce 2.0 in the global economy, but our governance is still stuck in Democracy 1.0 and capitalism 1.0 and that is a real and growing problem. What will happen if we are unprepared for the day when 50% of today’s jobs are performed by robots and computer programs? What will happen to both the Amazon’s and the small businesses dependent upon consumers when all of their income goes to meeting basic needs and there is nothing left for purchasing items that are “luxuries” like socks and shoes?<br />
<br />
In the coming months, more and more people will be talking about enacting a Universal Basic Income for every American to help them meet their basic needs. The Basic Income is not a new idea. It has been around since it was first suggested by Thomas Paine – yes that Thomas Paine. It was quite nearly passed into law during the tenure of Richard Nixon at his urging, supported by conservative economist Milton Friedman, liberal economist Robert Reich, libertarian Charles Murray and a list of distinguished thinkers from across the political spectrum. Of course, it has its detractors as well.<br />
<br />
For the sake of a good old American discussion, take a deep breath and open your mind to the possibilities. This is only an introduction. Intended to present some of the many arguments for it. People of good will can come down on either side of this. I happen to believe that it may be the solution to America’s most long-standing problem, the wealth gap, as well as a few of the new ones like the Gig Economy and the coming of the robots. Let’s explore some of the more interesting ideas around it.<br />
<br />
<b>The Poverty Trap</b><br />
<br />
Of course, the cost of enacting a Citizens Dividend would not be cheap, estimates put the cost at about 1.5-2 trillion dollars, but neither is the social safety net that we have constructed in America and the bureaucracy needed to support it.<br />
<br />
Being poor is no picnic no matter where you live. However, the consequences may vary from region to region.<br />
<br />
According to the latest data, more than 15% of Americans live in poverty. As many as 100 million more, fully one third of our people, live only one paycheck or one health emergency or car meltdown from it.<br />
<br />
Over the years the United States has developed, piece by piece, an elaborate and costly social safety net intended to help people who live in this precarious position. Yet, despite this, the numbers continue to grow. Today the number of people living at or near the poverty line is almost as high as it was when our nation launched its War on Poverty during the Johnson Administration. In fact, according to one study by the US Census Bureau, the number of people in poverty in the US has only seen an improvement of about 1.5% despite spending 20 trillion dollars on anti-poverty programs since 1966. Every year we spend nearly a trillion dollars on anti-poverty programs, yet we still have one of the highest rates of poverty in the developed world.<br />
<br />
Before you assume that I am going to declare that the War on Poverty was a failure let me assure you that it was not. Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, Special Education, The Higher Education Act, all of these programs moved millions of Americans out of poverty or, at worst, made poverty more bearable as a result of those programs but as the number of people in our country grew since the 1960s poverty rates remained relatively unchanged. The greatest beneficiaries of the War on Poverty were the elderly. The nexus of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid nearly eliminated poverty among the elderly in the early years of the Great Society, but the growing inequality of income threatens to reverse that today.<br />
<br />
Today the social safety net has become a poverty trap and both the right and the left are equally responsible for that. Ironically, both have the best of intentions. But the best of intentions has led to further ensnaring lower income people in a poverty trap. The advocates of the right – they are usually the ones who have the word “Liberty” somewhere in their name – Ironically criticize the social safety net for discouraging work and marriage. I say ironically because they were the source of the restrictions that make it nearly impossible to work your way out of poverty and who punish families who try to stay together by denying them benefits. They do it with a punishing bureaucracy that makes moving up the income ladder harder and harder by clawing back benefits every time an impoverished person tries to better their lives.<br />
<br />
The left does it by nannying the poor, treating them as if they were not capable of making their own decisions and taking responsibility for their decisions. The newest nutty idea for this is the “guaranteed job.” The idea that a new government bureaucracy should be established that guarantees a job for every American and creates one where it cannot be found. This is just further evidence for the culpability of both the left and the right in the creation of a poverty trap.<br />
<br />
Every American who wants a job – and most do – should be able to get a job, a good job. A good job is a job that you can say no to because it does not provide either the level of pay or the benefits or the challenge that you believe should be associated with it. An American Dividend would allow people, even the poor, to say no to a job that takes advantage of them. We would be able to consolidate most of the programs that compose the social safety net into a bureaucrat free American Dividend. One simple check every month. We would also be able to eliminate the endless fight over the minimum wage. Employers would offer a good wage or they would fail to get workers who had the security of the American Dividend to fall back on while they looked elsewhere.<br />
<br />
<b>So Many Needs, So Little Money</b><br />
<br />
Listen to every candidate and you will find some program or need that you can agree with but put them all together and we help some and provide programs for those who don’t want or need them, and in the end, we just don’t have the money to enact one entitlement after another.<br />
<br />
Take Bernie’s idea to provide free tuition for public college. While I fervently believe that we can do much more to make public institutions of higher education strong, I am just as enthusiastic about strengthening private colleges. In fact, if you look at public colleges and universities in this country they are almost invariably investing more, building more, upgrading more and providing greater benefits to faculty and staff than most private colleges, especially the smaller ones, can possibly afford. They have the advantage of covering a large portion of their budget with taxpayer dollars, they have the ability to borrow at lower rates to build new buildings or to renew old ones, by virtue of the fact that they can float bonds through a capital budget process.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, there are hundreds of small private colleges that are providing extraordinary educational value to students that would benefit greatly if students were able to make their choice of schools based on what would provide the greatest value to them, without having to face the unlevel playing field where public colleges and universities could offer free tuition.<br />
<br />
Creating new public policy is always a challenge and the unintended consequences are often the greatest danger. Free tuition to public colleges and universities would very likely be the death knell for hundreds of small colleges who are right now providing a more affordable alternative to tens of thousands of students. My son Zach attended a very fine little private college in Prescott, Arizona, for half what he would have paid in tuition at my alma mater UNH. I’m afraid his alma mater would be gone after the first year of a free public college tuition program.<br />
<br />
An American Dividend or UBI gives every citizen the freedom to choose from a smorgasbord of options. If they need tuition to improve their skills or attend college, they can use it for just that purpose. If they need child care, it can be used for that. If they need to take some unpaid leave for any purpose they can rely on it for that purpose. This is why the Dividend is without strings and why it is paid to everyone. For those who don’t need it, they can use it to support local charity efforts that fill other important niches.<br />
<br />
<b>A New Age of Empowerment and Entrepreneurship</b><br />
<br />
Now I won’t tell you that abusive husbands (or wives) will stop abusing their spouses. But I will tell you that their spouses would not be entrapped in an abusive marriage without an option because the UBI/American Dividend would allow them to leave – here’s where I would like to use a term that my publisher won’t permit, let’s call it “Me Too” money because it sort of rhymes with “Me Too,” It’s the money that frees them from an abusive dependence.<br />
<br />
The gig economy is here to stay, in 20 years very few of the jobs that exist will come with a social safety net. But the UBI/American Dividend can serve that function. Furthermore, as more and more jobs become automated we will need more and more entrepreneurial ideas for solving problems that also generate new jobs.<br />
<br />
Many of the folks who advocate for this insist that it will usher in a new era of entrepreneurship, because the cushion provided to entrepreneurial minded people will give them the opportunity to take risks. They point to people like Steve Jobs and remind us that if he was working a minimum wage job 40 hours a week or more, he would never have been able to launch Apple but he had a UBI – a roof over his head and three squares a day provided by his parents. By that measure, of course, a lot of young people today already have a UBI, provided by their parents. But you get the picture.<br />
<br />
There are a hundred more good reasons that we should adopt the idea of giving every American an American Dividend. Coupled with a Mandatory National Service Requirement it would go a long way to healing the ills in our country.<br />
<br />
It’s also the recipe for beating the Democrats in 2020 – without Donald Trump of course – because it’s unlikely the Democrats will have the courage to offer it as a solution to the wage disparity. They are too tied to organized labor and the welfare state bureaucracy. Alas, it’s equally unlikely that any Republican will either. Maybe someone will surprise me . . . are you listening Beto? Jeff Flake? Governor Kasich? I’d suggest a fusion ticket with a Democrat and a Republican. Don’t let the partisans keep you from taking the risk.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, he was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images. His most recent novel “Sacred Trust” a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline is available on Amazon.com. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge where he flies both the American and Iroquois flags proudly. His website is: <a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Coming soon! The Radical Centrist Podcast!</i></span>Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-76660753264285136852018-07-07T04:26:00.001-07:002018-07-07T04:26:57.141-07:00Alice Vartanian King 1947-2018<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.593900276.2764/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" height="264" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.593900276.2764/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.593975636.4873/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Alice Vartanian King 1947-2018</b></div>
<br />
Alice Vartanian King, passed away on Saturday June 30, 2018 she was 70 years old.<br />
<br />
She was born on November 30, 1947 to Dr. Richard D. and Zephyr Vikassian Vartanian in Bound Brook, New Jersey.<br />
<br />
Alice attended Bound Brook High School and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she majored in Criminology and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. In the midst of the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the campus turmoil throughout the country UMass cancelled graduation ceremonies and mailed diplomas to graduates instead. The first few years of her working life were in the Boston area where she worked for the Kevin White administration alongside her lifelong and devoted friend Stephen C. Farrell. Together, under the leadership of Farrell they operated the Third Nail Rehabilitation Center. Following her work at the Third Nail, Alice was hired by the Carter Administration as the Director of the National Commission on Juvenile Justice. Her responsibility was to lead the effort to reform Juvenile Justice standards for the country. She spent most of her time on the road traveling between facilities around the country. She also served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Civil Liberties Foundation where she had the opportunity to meet and work with such notables as Kurt Vonnegut, Anthony Lewis and Carl Sagan. In 1992 she accepted the job of Executive Director of the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium Foundation, raising funds and writing grants to support the work of the Planetarium. She brought the Planetarium into the new decade with style and aplomb attracting Leonard Nimoy, James Earl Jones and Barry Corbin to support the work of the Planetarium each headlining “An Evening Under the Stars Gala” dinners - a virtual Who’s Who of New Hampshire’s most notable business, nonprofit, and political leaders.<br />
<br />
In 1984 she was living in Portsmouth, NH and doing consulting for the NH ACLU when she met Wayne King who would soon be her husband and “foreverheart”. They were married on December 21st, 1985; “The longest night of the year” Alice would tell people with a smile and wink to her husband. The two of them shared 35 years and many adventures together, two successful campaigns for State Representative and three for the Senate. In 1994 she stood beside her husband as he announced his campaign for Governor and though it was unsuccessful she often spoke of the wonderful people she had met in the process.<br />
<br />
Of all the many blessings in her life none was as important and life affirming to her than the birth of their son Zachary Douglas King who was born in February 1992, delivered by Wayne with the help of a midwife at Concord Hospital. Zachary was her pride and joy and she dedicated herself to her role as a mother.<br />
<br />
In 1986 while on their honeymoon in Mexico, Alice was injured in a swimming accident when she was hit and tumbled onto the shore by a massive wave. This accident precipitated four spinal surgeries over the course of a twenty year period and chronic pain for the remainder of her life but she never complained to anyone but her doctors and her husband. She was convinced that a positive outlook on life, shared with others was the key to a life well lived. She had a big, bawdy laugh and a contagious smile that could light up any room she walked into.<br />
<br />
Other obituaries would describe her last few decades by saying that she died after a long illness but Alice was not the kind of person who dwelled on her health challenges. As she often put it she was “living with one foot in the air and another on a banana peel” . . . but God did she live! She was determined to live life as fully as possible and not to burden others with her own pain. She wanted, instead, to focus on the positive and to channel her energies into celebrating life. Every pain and illness that she faced became simply more evidence that she was really living.<br />
<br />
Hunter S. Thompson summed up her view of life best when he wrote: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”<br />
<br />
She is survived by her devoted husband former Senator Wayne D. King and son Zachary Douglas King, her sister Carol “Gerse” Vartanian, her cousin Joyce Haroutunian and Robert Haroutunian, her “adopted” children Ross MacKeil, Lauren Twohig, Tanner Joyce, Chuka Aniemeka, TJ Jones (and others) and a chosen family of friends who gathered at her Thanksgiving and Christmas table every year without fail or met her at Crew Day at Camp Mowglis.<br />
<br />
<b>An informal Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday July 15, 2018 from 12-3pm at the home of Roger and Jennifer Larochelle 251 Valley View Road in Hebron, NH. </b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Details can be viewed at <a href="http://bit.ly/OurAlice">bit.ly/OurAlice</a>. </div>
</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-10341317419503120702018-05-14T15:10:00.001-07:002018-05-14T15:10:28.874-07:00BAR THE DOOR! WE'RE HERE.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.483754777.2692/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="550" height="267" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.483754777.2692/pp,550x550.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/2282692-a-marines-pride">A Marine's Pride</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />As most of you know by now, my ancestors on my father's side were members of the Iroquois nation. To them we are all illegals. John Kelly's remarks on NPR made me wonder what the story was behind his own family history.<br /><br />Here's a useful tidbit of information. File it under: "Bar the door! I'm here!" (General) John Kelly's ancestors, who arrived in America before we began classifying immigrants as documented and undocumented, included his Great Grandfather Giuseppe Pedalino and Pedalino's second wife Concetta. (Kelly's great-grandma died in 1898.)<br /><br />Giuseppe Pedalino was a wagon driver. It is unlikely that he had more than a few years of schooling but we don't know this (yet) His wife was illiterate and could not speak English 10 years after arrival.<br /><br />John Kelly's maternal grandmother Teresa is shown below as a child in the 1900 census. Her father, a day laborer named John DeMarco had been here for 18 years.<br /><br />He had not become a citizen.<br />He could not read, write, or speak English.<br /><br />The 1930 census shows his great-grandparents living with their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, one of whom was Kelly's mother.<br /><br />John DeMarco had been here for 47 years and was STILL not an American citizen ("AL"). His wife Crescenza had been here for 37 years and STILL spoke no English.<br /><br /><a href="http://pic.twitter.com/N9AfuLNvb1">pic.twitter.com/N9AfuLNvb1</a><br /><br />These facts tell us a number of things:<br /><br />1. In only 3 generations this immigrant family went from "the great unwashed" to the ancestors of the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States of America. That is nothing short of a true American success story.<br /><br />2. General John Kelly is either completely ignorant of his own family's history or a hypocrite - I'm guessing the latter. This is less of a disappointment than his behavior in not having the courage to speak out against the treatment of John McCain at the hands of his own Whitehouse Staff but it's right up there.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.308795327.1447/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.308795327.1447/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/2941447-spirit-buffalo-before-a-frozen-lake" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Spirit Buffalo Before a Frozen Lake</a></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-27641484739302591502018-05-12T08:18:00.001-07:002019-03-14T19:14:53.129-07:00Democracy 2.0<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.194134187.8643/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="550" height="290" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.194134187.8643/pp,550x550.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/20968643-birdhouse-blues">Birdhouse Blues</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Democracy 2.0<br />
Democracy Should Be a Messy Business with Lots of Noise<br />
<div>
<br />
Spring has finally come to Rattlesnake Ridge. Last night I asked Alice to add the Wild Leeks that I had gathered on my daily walk with Boof, our Siberian Husky, to the evening meal and it turned out to be quite delightful.<br />
<br />
Our daily walk in the shadow of Rattlesnake is a time for reflection. Sometimes I listen to the latest book I have downloaded from Audible, but mostly I prefer listening to the birds and the angry Red Squirrels that chatter from the trees, or the bears that hoot and grunt from the woods.<br />
<br />
Quiet, the absence of sound, is really not a good thing here. The sounds of a healthy environment - the sounds I hear beneath Rattlesnake Ridge - are the noisy sounds of life: leaves rustling in the breeze, a Pileated Woodpecker drilling for insects in an old White Pine, critters large and small celebrating the return of longer days and warmer weather and readying themselves for the days ahead.<br />
<br />
A healthy community is the same way really. There is the daily buzz of activity but there is also the conversation, debate, agreements and disagreements that attend everyday life and local governance. Sometimes it’s enlightening, sometimes it’s more heat than light, sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes downright weird.<br />
<br />
Take the case of the late Colonel Joe Kent. Colonel Kent - a rock ribbed Republican - played a major role in my first election to the Senate in New Hampshire. He was the Co-Chair, along with Doris Tunnell, of a group calling themselves “Republicans for King”.<br />
<br />
“The Colonel”, as he was known around town was active in local government and he showed up for every town meeting, school board meeting and quite a few planning board, conservation commission and other meetings. He and his wife Ann - a loyal Democrat - also founded a group that would eventually preserve the Quincy Bog, a beautiful example of a glacial pond habitat now on its quiet way to field as the succession and eutrophication process plays out. It is a small place on the planet that is full of life and its wondrous cacophony.<br />
<br />
Now Joe was a conservative guy; never threw out anything that he hadn’t worn to a frazzle. He had an old jacket, the kind we rarely see these days, with leather patches on the elbows. He loved that old coat. Ann did everything she could to keep that coat presentable because Joe liked to wear it when he attended the various town meetings. She sewed it, patched it, even replaced the elbow patches when they wore out. She was beginning the process of breaking the bad news to Joe that the old jacket was just too ratty to keep repairing. Then one day she simply gave up. Into the trash it went.<br />
<br />
Two weeks later as Ann was putting away some other clothes, she discovered the coat hanging in Joe’s closet. He had retrieved it from the trash, possibly on his weekly dump run.<br />
<br />
One evening, a few months later, Joe wore the coat to a meeting of the town selectmen - they were all men then - Joe had retired from this “prestigious” group a few years before but that night he had some business that he needed to discuss. The topic, lost to history I’m afraid, led to a heated exchange between Joe and the town fathers until finally, at the end of his rope, Joe got up and walked out. His last words to the board were “You’ve not heard the last word from Joe Kent on this!” Whereupon he walked out of the town hall and promptly dropped dead in the parking area.<br />
<br />
When the people of the town gathered together to say goodbye to the Colonel, including many of those who had been in attendance on that last fateful night, some may have noted that he was wearing his favorite coat. Ann buried him in that old ratty jacket. She had a great sense of humor and irony.<br />
<br />
I tell you this story because Joe and Ann Kent represented everything that is good and decent heart-warming and funny about the wonderful people with whom I share this special spot on planet earth. They participated in the life of our community in every conceivable way.<br />
<br />
All over our country citizens are participating in the life of their communities in the same way. Lively and raucous debates are frequent, even encouraged, because they eventually find their way into committees, or teams, or ad hoc groups of people, rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the hard business of building consensus.<br />
<br />
Too often, when we are bemoaning the divisions in our country, we pine for consensus but forget that the process for achieving it is often messy. In fact, the messier it is - the more often that citizens feel that their hands have touched it and they have been heard - the more likely it is that the middle will hold and consensus will be achieved. Bi-partisanship, civility, all of these things we feel to be in short supply these days are at the end of this rainbow but the rainstorms, the thunder and the lightning must come first.<br />
<br />
The folks on Rattlesnake Ridge know this. Town meetings are never dull. Everyone who wants their say gets it. Usually it’s pretty civil but not always. A few years back, one attendee referred to me as “Comrade” suggesting that I was a big spender for wanting to see some improvements to the school. Months later that same fellow rescued Boof when he got away from me on our walk, we had a great conversation when I came to fetch him. Remarks made in the heat of the debate were forgotten and we were just good neighbors reaching out to one another.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the folks who are leading our country seem to have forgotten all this. The procedures and rules that have been created in both the House and the Senate are designed to stifle debate and closely control the agenda. This process denies the American people the opportunity to understand the full range of opinions and options for resolving the issues we confront.<br />
<br />
It also allows small groups of partisans, particularly those inclined to think way outside the mainstream, to avoid having to defend their positions openly, where we can see and hear the extent of their ‘crazy”. They are often able to quietly control the agenda without having their views exposed in their full measure.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.266553661.0081/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.266553661.0081/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/14730081-loon-island-misty-mindscape">Loon Island Misty Mindscape</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Take the case of the United States Senate “silent” Filibuster. Today any Senator can choose to “filibuster” a bill by simply signing a form. Unlike the “talking” method of filibustering, so memorably depicted in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” by the great Jimmy Stewart, no Senator has to go through the uncomfortable process of debating the bill openly, or listening to the debate.<br />
<br />
In both the House and the Senate, leadership of the majority party controls everything that comes to the floor and a Senate President or Speaker of the House decides what bills will or won’t receive a vote. This led, during the Obama Administration, to the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice, Merrick Garland, who never received a vote and thus was never seated, one of the great injustices in our Democratic history.<br />
<br />
More recently, though there is broad consensus on the matter of the “Dreamers”, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan refuses to bring a bill to the floor because, he says, the President has not given any indication of what he will support and Ryan does not wish to deliver a bill to the President that he won’t sign. Ryan ignores the fact that the separation of powers, so carefully designed in the constitution, between the legislative and executive branches, presumes that Congress will act on what it sees as the best interests of the country and the President will take action on what Congress passes based on what he or she sees as the best interests. Congress is not subservient to the President, it is equal. Furthermore, such subservience did not keep Ryan from bringing no fewer than 30 bills abolishing the ACA aka ObamaCare to the floor, with no consultation with President Obama. His hypocrisy belies his deceit.<br />
<br />
This problem exists when either party is in control of the House and the Senate. They may handle it differently but the results and the power plays engaged remain the same. Whether leaders are Republican or Democrat each is inclined to place their thumbs on the scales of debate and transparency.<br />
<br />
Bringing such bills and resolutions to the floor is important, whether they will pass muster with the President or not, because this creates the opportunity for open debate, allowing the American people to take the measure of those making the case for passage or defeat of the legislation and, even more important, creates the opportunity for the public to hear the debate so that they better understand the ideas and their implications.<br />
<br />
During the past few weeks a few small rays of light have shown through the dark shadows of Congress on this. In the House, a group of Democrats and Republicans have taken the first steps toward exercising a provision that allows a bill to be brought to the floor over the objections of the Speaker, specifically on the Dreamers act. If they continue in this direction the House will have the opportunity to vote on a Dreamers act, despite the Speaker’s roadblocks.<br />
<br />
In the Senate a movement to create a law to protect the transparency of the Special Counsel’s findings in the Mueller investigation, even if the President removes him from his appointed office or uses the removal of some other appointee to try to limit the scope of the investigation. Republican Leader McConnell has indicated his opposition but members are pushing back and may be successful.<br />
<br />
These efforts show some signs of hope but the central problem remains the same. House and Senate rules too often centralize control over the people’s representatives, contrary to the best interests of the American people and Democracy itself.<br />
<br />
Democracy - or more specifically American Democracy - today is at a point of maximum danger. In an “Age of Accelerations” the world is moving and changing at a breathtaking rate. If Democracy is to move as rapidly and agilely, we need to make the process capable of meeting the challenges. Opening that process up, decentralizing it and giving power back to the people’s representatives will be much more noisy but also more transparent and productive.<br />
<br />
If the Leadership feels they need something to do in order to be relevant, I suggest that they begin thinking about the future and crafting opportunities for members to debate, learn and discuss issues relevant to our future. It would be a nice change to have our representatives thinking ahead and beginning to ask themselves the big questions that will help us meet the challenges of the future instead of responding in crisis mode because we have failed to think about them.<br />
<br />
Just as my noisy woods are a sign of a healthy environment; Just as my contentious and raucous community is a sign of a healthy democracy at the local level; Open, honest and thoughtful debate at the national level are needed to help us move from Democracy 1.0 to Democracy 2.0 without stumbling any more than we already have.<br />
<br />
We need more debate, more noise, not less.<br />
<br />
-=-=-=-=-=-<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, he was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline has been published on Amazon.com. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge and proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is: <a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.535986789.3436/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="800" height="257" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.535986789.3436/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/30973436-the-bridge-at-chappy">The Bridge at Chappy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.12280978.7013/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="414" height="400" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.12280978.7013/pp,550x550.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/9137013-storm-chasers-poster">Storm Chasers</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-87311948307890479462018-05-04T08:40:00.004-07:002018-05-04T08:42:50.268-07:00Wages continue to StagnateIf you missed my column from 2 months ago about the Hidden Time Bomb in the unemployment numbers, I am reprising it today because 3 month have passed and the numbers still show the same troubling figures. . . and they will continue to until we face up to 45 years of stagnant wage growth.<br />
<br />
"If you ever needed proof of the disconnect between Wall Street and average folks it is the response of the Markets to the unemployment numbers from last month. Not only were markets excited with the growth in the number of people employed but they were especially excited at the lack of wage growth. Their argument was that it means that inflation is not heating up; but lets call it what it is, a continuation of nearly 50 years of stagnant wages for middle class and working class families." <a href="http://bit.ly/WageStagnation">http://bit.ly/WageStagnation</a>Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-18134944903782449392018-04-30T15:15:00.001-07:002018-05-13T04:55:56.770-07:00The Future of Work: The Gig Economy is Here to Stay.<br />
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.49904001.0443/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="602" height="400" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.49904001.0443/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/12020443-spring-colors-in-a-floodplain-forest?asc=u&p=photographic-print">Spring Colors in a Floodplain Forest</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<br /></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<br /></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-d5fe6fb3-595a-bbe7-01e3-6c4c7681823c"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gig economy is the term on the tip of the tongues of commentators and analysts these days. It’s a very broad term that describes both the increasing tendency of employers to hire independent contractors and short term workers rather than add new full time employees, and their accompanying taxes and benefits, to their workforce. It also describes a range of individuals who, by choice or necessity, build an income around work that is self-directed and without both the benefits and the downsides of a traditional job. A gig job may be a sole source of income or performed in addition to a traditional job that doesn’t generate the income necessary to either the needs or the financial aspirations of the person involved. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gig Economy may seem to be a new phenomenon to many, but to folks who live in the shadow of Rattlesnake Ridge it’s been a way of life for a long time. When my friend Micky Lewis, whom you’ve met in this column before, delivers wood to my home in the middle of the winter, between snow plowing gigs, he’s supplementing work as a contractor that comes and goes with the vagaries of the economy and the real estate market among other variables. Now this is the life that Micky has chosen, but for many such work comes as a necessity. The trade off that many of us made to live here is that well paying jobs tend to be less available here.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now the phenomenon has spread throughout the economy and we have a name for it, possibly named from the well known phrase “I’ve got a side gig doing . . .you finish the sentence”. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Gig Economy is not well defined. In fact, to date, no formal definition has been established even for the terms “Gig Economy” or “Gig Worker”. Furthermore, statistical information that really measures the number of people engaged in the gig economy is nowhere near the level of sophistication as those who are employed in the full time labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has stubbornly clung to measuring three things: “Farm employment, non-farm employment and employers, there just aren’t that many gradations for job categories beyond that except by industry” according to the most comprehensive research on gig jobs I have found at Nation1099.com (see below). </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are some understandable reasons for this. After all we are trying to measure not only those who make their entire living putting together gigs, both online and offline, as well as the people who have a job but supplement it with gig jobs; and those who label themselves consultants. In an effort to attempt to get a handle on this part of our economy the GAO issued a report in 2014 and could not decide whether the portion of workers that BLS defined as “Contingent Workers” represented 5% or 40% of the workforce. It is estimated that as much as 90% of the jobs added since 2015, encompassing all three of these, have been gig jobs. 47% of Millenials, who make up the largest portion of the workforce, according to surveys are engaged in some level of freelance work. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few other instructive bits of data are worth considering:</span></div>
<br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #747474; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Forbes Magazine, since 2000, 1099s have gone up 22%, while the traditional W-2 forms have stagnated.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="color: #747474; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some researchers project that half of the working U.S. population will move into the gig economy within the next five years.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Among the trends nationally that will have the greatest impact on the number of people in the Gig economy is the alignment of small business growth and Gig Economy growth. These days when most people think of the Gig Economy they think of big companies like Uber, Lyft, AirBNB, etc. but one of the fastest growing area of Gig Job growth is new and expanding small businesses who find it easier and more affordable to hire freelance workers than to add individuals to their payroll. This is partly due to costs but it is also caused by a new trend in business with jobs being broken down into component parts with the work divided between technological solutions (robots, software, etc.) and freelance workers for specific tasks that cannot yet be solved employing technological solutions. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of the trend lines indicate that the Gig Economy is here to stay. It will bring massive change, massive opportunity and massive disruption to the economy and our lives, making it both exciting and dangerous, particularly when combined with another trend in business, exchanging technology for labor. Most economists, futurists and other prognosticators predict that by 2020 almost half of the entire labor force in the US will be employed within the Gig Economy. That’s the same year, by the way that many say we will begin to see massive disruption in the largest source of individual employment, drivers as driverless trucks and automobiles begin the process of what very well may become a driverless society by 2050. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, the good news and the bad news. First, most people who are employed in some way in the gig economy indicate a high degree of satisfaction. Varying polls show a satisfaction rate of as much as 75%. They enjoy the flexibility and the freedom that it provides for them. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bad news is that almost all of the people employed in the Gig Economy are within the middle class strata of society. Very few of the working class and poor, whom I have referred to as the Precariat, are currently engaged in this sector of the economy. Where there is massive income disparity between the wealthy and everyone else already, this threatens to make the problem even worse.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Furthermore most jobs within the Gig Economy have no benefits and therefore fall outside of the social safety net that we have constructed since the Great Depression. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, Trump Tweets, the Republicans hide and the Democrats are gleefully looking to 2018 without a clue of what they will do - other than to hold impeachment hearings - if they take over the control of the House and/or the Senate. Granted, the Democrats have no power within the government but they could be setting an example by telling us what they would do if they did. It may be that their relationship with labor - which in fairness was largely responsible for building the middle class in this country - has paralyzed them. Labor has already been through a dramatic decline in America and they are fighting to maintain their clout. The Gig economy represents an existential crisis for them. Unless the labor movement comes up with some new approaches to organizing, their days are numbered.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s the problem in a nutshell, while we have moved to Workforce 2.0 in the global economy our governance is still stuck in Democracy 1.0 and Capitalism 1.0 and that is a real and growing problem. If I were advising an insurgent Republican candidate or an Independent Candidate for President I’d tell him or her to adopt a radical centrist agenda that spoke to the greatest threats to American economic stability and democracy. Go BIG or Go Home as they say. It would take a whole lot of guts and it would be a high risk strategy. It might also be the first real step toward righting the ship of state and saving both capitalism and democracy. </span></div>
<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Links:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://nation1099.com/gig-economy-data-freelancer-study</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregoryferenstein/2015/12/12/the-gig-economy-appears-to-be-growing-heres-why/</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/07/20-surprising-stats-freelance-economy.html</span></div>
<br /></span></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<br /></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="2mn1p" data-offset-key="7edl0-0-0">
<!--StartFragment-->
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 9.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author,
artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, he was
the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP
Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup
space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published
three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a
vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline, has been published
on Amazon.com </span><a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper"><span style="font-family: Times;">http://bit.ly/STPaper</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake
Ridge and proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</span></a></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-60564706082953307752018-04-27T06:21:00.001-07:002018-05-13T05:35:25.315-07:00 The Value of Native American Indian Investment in AmericaIn the last few months I have been thinking a lot about the values and obligations that we Americans share with one another.<br />
<br />
<div>
In December I wrote a column that asked the question of whether GDP (also called GNP or Gross National Product) was the best way to measure American success and happiness. (InDepthNH.org - http://bit.ly/2I38p1q );<br />
<br />
In February, I wrote a column titled "Restoring the American Voice" (InDepthNH.org http://bit.ly/2Kfuvyn) advocating the need for us all to moderate our differences by remembering and respecting those values that we all share. . . Singing the American Song together as we find our way through the sea of changes ahead.<br />
<br />
In my March 3, 2018 column "A National American Social Dividend and a New American Paradigm" (InDepthNH.org http://bit.ly/2r1HYRB ) I suggested that we recognize an American Social Dividend. Essentially making the case that beyond the inheritance of private wealth that we have long recognized in America, that there should be a recognition of an inheritance of public wealth. A recognition of those contributions made over the centuries to the nation's wealth by those who are not in the 1%., including both the collective personal investments made (willingly or unwillingly) and the collective investments created by laws and institutions that have provided the legal and economic framework for a successful economy and a robust democracy. Those investments have played a role in the long term success of the American economy and our way of life that is every bit as important as the Plutocrat, who is able to pass along to his or her children the wealth generated during their lifetime. In fact, it could be argued that, without the robust institutions of Democracy, Capitalism - which is more of an "Operating System" than it is an ideology - could not have produced the rewards it has produced for those Plutocrats.<br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong. . . I am a "Capitalist" and there is nothing , in my opinion wrong with being wealthy; frankly, I wish I were. The sooner we stop denigrating people for being wealthy, or poor, the faster we will rediscover our American Voice. But the myth of the "self-made man" is just that, a myth. Behind every self-made man is an education financed by taxpayers, or a patent protected by a law and perhaps financed through a government research grant; a government infrastructure and a physical infrastructure, paid for by taxpayers at every level; or, a government guaranteed loan for a business . . . do I need to go on?<br />
<br />
In the Column I cite just some of the ways in which, over more than two centuries, we have padded the GNP at the expense of one group or another concluding, finally that "in some way or another we are all aggrieved, we are all due reparations; we are mutually responsible for our successes and our failures and mutually entitled to an American Social Dividend paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of every American. . ."<br />
<br />
Naturally in thinking about all this I began to wonder if there were not a way to show that both the political and economic success of our nation is grounded in the contributions and sacrifices of all Americans, even those who have been marginalized historically.<br />
<br />
So I began to construct a series of questions that I wanted to try answering to help me better explain all this and to defend the proposition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.23586054.2272/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.23586054.2272/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/12252272-our-time-comes?asc=u&p=photographic-print">Our Time Comes</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Here is the first question I asked myself (hey give me a break I'm Iroquois!) How does the value of the land taken from Native American people in the conquest of the US relate to GNP today?<br />
<br />
As far as I know, no one has done extensive academic research on this topic and for good reason. It would be almost impossible - without Big Data and a powerful computer - to figure out, given differing land values and differing time tables, to say nothing of the fact that knowing when a land transaction was actually voluntary (not very often). On the other hand there is enough data out there to do a "back of the envelope" calculation generally, so here goes:<br />
<br />
Using very rough estimates and not including the land taken from Native American people prior to 1776 and also not including improvements on the land such as the towns established in Georgia and the Carolinas by tribes like the Cherokee. It is generally understood that since 1776 Native Americans have been moved from lands totaling 1.5 Billion acres to a small set of reservations dotted around the country. If you simply use the general value of an acre of land prior to the Gold Rush ($1.25) the 1.5 Billion acres had a rough value back then of 1.9 Billion dollars. Using another rough calculation, real dollar values, we can estimate that $1.00 in the early 1800s is roughly (very roughly as we have no data related to inflation before 1913) equivalent to about $49.00 today. Since we know that no land in California today sells for $49.00 per acre (Average 2012 California farm real estate values set an all-time record - $7200 per acre) we can be sure that this is a conservative number, the value of the theft of native lands is, at a minimum $87 Billion dollars. If we use the $7,200/acre value, the value - still conservative - is 10.1 Trillion dollars. A glance at an estimate of the total value of US land is $14.48 Trillion dollars. The numbers show a surprising correlation. While about 80% of the lands of America were taken from native people after 1776, the value of that land today represents 70% of the total value of "unimproved" real estate (land only) in the US.<br />
<br />
OK but the way we measure the wealth of our nation is not by real estate value, its by GDP. So how do we figure out what portion of the nation's wealth has been generated from lands taken from Native American people?<br />
<br />
Well, let's try this: 18% of GDP is generated by real estate activity. 70% of 18% is 12.6%. GDP in 2016 was 18.57 Trillion. 12.6% of 18.57T is 2.32 Trillion dollars or 12.5% of 2016 US GDP generated from the 1.5 Billion acres of land taken from Native Americans since 1776.<br />
<br />
While this is a seat of the pants calculation - I suspect the actual numbers would be higher - and certainly subject to legitimate criticism as there are many variables in the cost and value of land across the USA, the point made is the same. A large portion of national wealth has grown from the lands that we expropriated from Native American Indians.<br />
<br />
Native people have not sought reparations. The loss of culture and marginalization for them has been far more important and can never be remunerated. It would be a step in the right direction to at least recognize that a substantial portion of our bounty today can be attributed to the land their ancestors called home.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div style="font-size: 9.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author,
artist, activist and recovering politician. A three term State Senator, he was
the 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP
Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup
space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published
three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a
vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline, has been published
on Amazon.com </span><a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper" style="font-size: 9pt;">http://bit.ly/STPaper</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic;">. He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake
Ridge and proudly flies both the American and Iroquois Flags. His website is: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing" style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</span></a></div>
</div>
<div>
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-</div>
<div>
<br />
If you know of better sources for the information on the back of my "envelope" I'd love to find out about them so that I can update this information. If you disagree with my points, I'd like to hear you, especially if you have a well thought out response and not just a snarky or snide remark. Lets have an honest dialog and we'll all benefit from it. wdk<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-70933089591951885252018-04-16T14:39:00.002-07:002018-04-16T14:39:25.273-07:00Preamble - Critical Thinking and the Paradox of HistoryLessons from a Lifelong Student (and sometimes Teacher) of History<br />
Wayne D. King<br />
<br />
<i>"Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and it is shameful to surrender it too soon or to the first comer: there is nobility in preserving it coolly and proudly through long youth, until at last, in the ripeness of instinct and discretion, it can be safely exchanged for fidelity and happiness."</i><br />
George Santayana<br />
US (Spanish-born) philosopher (1863 - 1952)<br />
<br />
<div>
History and politics must be approached with a large dose of skepticism whether from the left or the right because, after all, history is generally written by the "winners" whether their cause was just or not. While I may have coined, or simply adopted, the phrase "The Paradox of History" neither the phrase itself, nor the thought, is unique or original.<br />
<br />
Economist John Maynard Keynes coined the phrase the “Paradox of Thrift” to describe that point in a recession when the public is inclined to save as much as possible and spend as little as possible, while at the same time massive spending is the only way to alleviate the economic peril that the country faces. The Paradox of history is simply that history is written by the “winners” who have a vested interest in the narrative, while at the same time, history's greatest benefit to us is what might be learned from an unbiased narrative that provides us an opportunity to see both the good and bad in its events, personas and results. Stated more eloquently by Gordon Craig, “the duty of the historian is to restore to the past the options it once had.”<br />
<br />
So, therefore, a good teacher's first responsibility to his or her students is to convince them that they should believe as little as possible of what he or she is about to tell them. Let's call that the "educators corollary" to the Paradox of History.<br />
<br />
Having admitted to complete and utter fallibility, a good teacher must then impart his/her knowledge assertively, as if no other source was closer to the oracle of knowledge and truth.<br />
<br />
A worthy teacher, then, seeks not to serve answers or truths but to urge students toward the development of critical thinking skills and a healthy skepticism, from which they can derive their own narrative.<br />
<br />
This does not in any way alleviate the burden upon you, the student. Quite the contrary in fact - it imposes a larger responsibility because you must find a way to demonstrate a modicum of deference to my years of experience and knowledge while, at the same time, double checking the veracity of everything you learn from me.</div>
<div>
One of the first things that you will learn is that a good critical thinker does not mistake opinion or "common sense" for fact. Opinion, after all is just that; one person’s view of something. Common sense, that stalwart beacon of logic and wisdom with which your elders have urged you to imbue your thoughts and behavior, is an even more devilish force because it is empowered by the vast influence of majority thought.<br />
<br />
Stephen Hawking, in his extraordinary "Science in the New Millennium" speech, said “. . . common sense is just another name for the prejudices that we have been brought up with.”</div>
<div>
Facts, on the other hand, as Mark Twain said, are "stubborn things" they may stand by themselves or they may be turned into thought, but without them thought has no basis in reality; and, ultimately, no power.<br />
<br />
So, as we begin this adventure, make it your goal to keep both your eyes and your mind wide open. Take joy in the moments in which your notion of the world is turned upside down because that is the surest sign that something useful is happening to you.<br />
<br />
The Best Leader<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.261046507.5720/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="550" height="263" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.261046507.5720/pp,550x550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/19825720-snow-river">Snow River</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A leader is best<br />
When people barely know<br />
That he exists,<br />
<br />
Less good when<br />
They obey and acclaim him,<br />
Worse when<br />
They fear and despise him.<br />
<br />
Fail to honor people<br />
And they fail to honor you.<br />
<br />
But of a good leader,<br />
When his work is done,<br />
His aim fulfilled,<br />
they will all say,<br />
'We did this ourselves.’<br />
<br />
Lao-Tzu<br />
Chinese philosopher<br />
Wayne D. King</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-21464103000253894032018-04-15T12:19:00.002-07:002018-04-15T12:42:55.070-07:00Lessons from Geese<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.196569694.1809/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="550" height="323" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.196569694.1809/pp,550x550.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/21071809-colors-in-a-borealis-flyway-poster" target="_blank">Colors in a Borealis Flyway</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Taken from a Speech by Angeles Arrien and based on the works of Milton Olson<br />
<br />
Fact 1 <br />
As each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow, By flying in a v formation, the entire flock adds 72 percent greater flying range than if a bird flew alone. LESSON : People who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. <br />
<br />
Fact 2<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.51885708.9052/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="550" height="264" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.51885708.9052/pp,550x550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/2649052-goose-over-stinson-lake" target="_blank">Goose Over Stinson Lake</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. LESSON: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go.<br />
<br />
Fact 3 <br />
When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies the point position. LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts,, talents and resources. <br />
<br />
Fact 4 <br />
The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep going. LESSON: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. <br />
<br />
Fact 5 <br />
When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the wounded goose until it is able to fly or dies. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with their flock. LESSON: If we have as much sense as geese we will stand by one another in difficult times as well as when we are strong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.263227715.8975/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.263227715.8975/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/23328975-painted-sky-over-jericho-lake" target="_blank">Painted Sky Over Jericho Lake</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-61370198386901197962018-04-13T14:28:00.001-07:002018-04-13T14:28:12.048-07:00 Adopt an Image and Raise Money for Your Non Profit or Small Business<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.532540891.2056/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="800" height="167" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.532540891.2056/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Alton Washday Expressions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fo55v-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<br /></div>
Alton Washday Expressions<br /><br />Produced by special request in an affordable limited edition of 100 signed and numbered originals for the good folks at the Rumney Village Store - that would be George & Sheila - a beautiful 8" x 20" signed image with a certificate of authenticity. You can purchase this original art for just $95.00 at the Rumney Village Store on Main Street in Rumney, New Hampshire. If it's too far to travel and you'd still like an original signed print, you can order it right here and we'll see to it that the Rumney Village Store gets credited - but you can save the cost of shipping by stopping by RVS and buying it directly and maybe purchasing one of their great deli offerings! or grab a copy of Sacred Trust 😉 . <a href="http://bit.ly/AltonEXP">http://bit.ly/AltonEXP</a><br /><br />As a way to support local businesses and nonprofits I have created this Adopt-an-Image program. If you or your nonprofit have an interest in adopting your favorite image its easy, just click here: <a href="http://bit.ly/AdoptImage">http://bit.ly/AdoptImage </a><br /><br /><br />Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-65483961024927012542018-03-30T03:25:00.000-07:002018-03-30T04:19:57.811-07:00Weaving Truth into Fiction - Wayne King’s Novel “Sacred Trust” Reveals Long-Held NH Senate SecretIn a move likely to raise the hairs on the back of your neck former State Senator Wayne D. King has used the vehicle of his new novel “Sacred Trust” to unveil a long-held secret involving a group of State Senators, arrested while driving North in the Southbound lane of Interstate 93 after a long night of drinking at the famed Highway Hotel in Concord.<br />
<br />
“Most of the people in the story are no longer living, after all it did happen in the early 1980s,” said King when asked about this recently at a book signing. “The story was recounted to me by a Senate colleague who was a part of the whole fiasco so I’m confident that it actually happened, though there’s no way to know just how much he embellished the tale.”<br />
<br />
In “Sacred Trust” King, who was the 1994 Democratic Gubernatorial nominee, weaves a story with a familiar ring . . . the clash of ordinary people who transform into extraordinary heroes while confronting money and power in an epic battle to protect the land they love.<br />
<br />
“Sacred Trust” is the tale of a rollicking campaign of civil disobedience against a private powerline, pitting nine unlikely environmental patriots from across the political spectrum calling themselves “The Trust”, against the “Granite Skyway” transmission line and its powerful, well-connected consortium of investors.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.5716218.8354/pp,550x550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="550" height="266" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.5716218.8354/pp,550x550.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/3138354-longview-flowers">Longview Flowers </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With an obvious deep fondness for both the people and the land, King weaves a fast-paced tale filled with both real and fictional stories from the political world and life in the Granite State. In a rich tableau that includes sometimes hilarious and sometimes hair-raising stories including that of the “wrong way Senators”; Doctors sneaking a pregnant Llama into a hospital surgical ward for ACL surgery; A bear and a boy eating from the same blueberry patch atop Mount Cardigan as his father, the Ranger, watches helplessly from the firetower, and much more, King stitches together six decades of stories from New Hampshire life and politics.<br />
<br />
Woven into the story are two simultaneous threads, in addition to the story line, adding substance to the pure joy of the story:<br />
<br />
Essays written by fictional icons who, in the style of the Federalist Papers, defend the actions of “The Trust” and make the intellectual case against the Powerline, covering everything from protest and civil disobedience in a post 9-11 world to the path forward to a carbon free energy future; and a feature series written by a business journalist named Kitchen who documents New Hampshire’s key role in the birth of the renewable energy revolution and the choices faced by the nation, and the world, in light of the challenges posed by a changing climate.<br />
<br />
The story of the “wrong way Senators”, now that it is revealed, is one that will surely live on in the lore of the Senate. Just how it was the story never became a matter of public record is recounted in chilling detail in the pages of King’s book.<br />
<br />
King is currently working on an interactive text iBook that examines the key issues explored in “Sacred Trust”. The iBook will be free, The author hopes that teachers and professors will find that reading the book will be both a pleasant experience and grist for debate and discussion among students.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>“Sacred Trust” </b>Paperback:<br />
<div>
354 pages<br />
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform<br />
ISBN-10: 1981490302<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper">http://bit.ly/STPaper</a><br />
Price: $14.95*<br />
<br />
<b>Sacred Trust Kindle eBook</b><br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/STrust">http://bit.ly/STrust</a><br />
Price: $2.99*<br />
<br />
<a href="https://thesacredtrust.blogspot.com/">thesacredtrust.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
* Special discounts are available to schools, libraries, and nonprofits. Please contact 603-515-6001<br />
<br />
Call the above number to schedule a reading and signing</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-49094489786015743462018-03-19T19:05:00.002-07:002018-03-30T10:26:00.324-07:00Finding the Center - Reversing the Hollowing of the Political Center in America<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="535" height="400" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bit.ly/PatriotSecrets" style="color: #1155cc;">Secrets of the Patriot</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in the 80s when he coined his famous phrase, it was fine for Jim Hightower to declare that there “Ain’t nothing in the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead armadillos” when it was a satirical jab at moderate politicians in the midst of robust debate across the political spectrum, but the hollowing of the political center in America now threatens to collapse the system on itself like a political black hole. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course it is true that the margins define where the middle lies and for at least the last two decades there has been a gradual movement of the political center to the right. This is not, in and of itself, unusual. Shifting fortunes of political parties have a long tradition on the American political landscape, often - but not always - for good reason. The problem was that the Republican party was not satisfied with simply gaining ground. Instead they smelled an advantage and decided that moving the goalpost itself was to be their end game. They began first by violating two of the most sacred norms of American politics during the last one hundred years.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In their groundbreaking book “How Democracies Die” authors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt deconstruct the modern day process by which Democracies descend into totalitarianism; not by military takeover, violence or assassination but rather by the election of politicians who allow or collude to create a gradual erosion of what they call the “soft guardrails of democracy” These are the institutional norms that reflect our shared American Voice . . . the spirit of our system and the laws that govern us. Levitsky and Ziblatt label these norms “Mutual Toleration” and “Institutional Forbearance”. Mutual Toleration is the norm, or belief, that our political adversaries are NOT our enemies, that they love their country just as deeply and, while they may see the world differently, we accept their legitimacy and their right to govern if they prevail within a fair and democratic process. Institutional Forbearance, its twin norm in a successful and strong democracy, is the political restraint to live within both the letter and the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">spirit</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the law and to avoid overreaching that strains the bonds of our common beliefs.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A strong and successful democracy has a broad range of voices that make their case strongly and loudly, even joyously, but respects the people and their right to decide within the marketplace of ideas, who will represent them. Just as important those in power, exercise restraint and do not abuse the system to seek unfair advantage, through processes that are technically legal but outside of the spirit of the law. When the governing party uses tactics like partisan gerrymandering that gives them an excessive advantage; voter suppression in the guise of “election reform” that makes it harder for certain groups of Americans to vote; or hold up the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice as the Republican Senate and leader Mitch McConnell did with Judge Merrick Garland. These things begin to create an atmosphere of hostility that can spiral out of control; An environment where not only is one party violating the spirit of the law but the opposition party is tempted to abandon these norms themselves. The result, if the opposition succumbs to this inclination, is extreme polarization. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the last twenty years both the Republican Party and the Democrats have abandoned these norms. Republicans struck first in 1994 when they abandoned all pretense of mutual respect and used the language of hate to drive their “Contract with America”. Democrats struck back during the tenure of Barack Obama with the albeit less extreme use of Presidential Executive Orders. The result has been polarization unlike anything that any of us have seen in our lifetimes. This polarization has been exacerbated by the balkanization of the media landscape with the rapid growth of conservative talk radio and Fox TV and a similar, though again not as dramatic, shift among some of the other media, like MSNBC, on the other side.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The polarization of the parties and the balkanization of the media has spread like a contagion through the country taking advantage of the growing desperation of a large number of Americans, many of them white working class, who see their real income shrinking. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ironically, immigrants and people of color, who have and continue to unjustly bear the blame, were experiencing the same thing. The major difference being that they were already marginalized within the economy. For hard working white folks, this was something new and alarming.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is where Levitsky and Ziblatt missed the most important reason for the perilous divisions in our country right now. The alarming and growing wealth inequality gap in our country. Wages and net worth of the bottom 90% of Americans have been stagnant since 1973. That’s right, 44 years of effectively losing ground. Today the richest 1% of Americans controls more of the wealth in America than they have in 50 years. 40% of the wealth of the country is in the hands of just 1% of our population. 76 percent of wealth is vested in the top 10% of Americans.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If middle class wages and those of the precariat* had been rising during that time, even just keeping pace with the cost of living, then politicians would not have been able to stoke resentment of immigrants and people of color because, after all, they were just chasing the American dream like everyone else, right? But as the wealth gap has grown so too has the fear and resentment of the “other” and with Republicans ignoring them in favor of the wealthy and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Democrats playing identity politics to try and stay even, working class Americans of all colors have paid the price. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seeds of hatred and division that fall on fallow ground whither and die, but sow those seeds on fertile ground and they take root and grow. Over the past twenty years or more the ground has grown more and more fertile. As income disparity has grown more and more of our fellow Americans have found themselves having to work harder and longer just to stay afloat, many are finding it impossible. Technology, has hit them like an Abrams Tank. If the shell of shrinking wages doesn’t find its mark, the twin treads of job obsolescence and artificial intelligence surely will. Exacerbating this is the decline of American social capital, disconnecting us from community and from one another, particularly limiting our exposure to people who are different from us for any reason. This is a phenomenon described as “Bowling Alone” by social theorist Robert Putnam. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fairness to the authors quoted so extensively above, perhaps they chose to ignore the role of wealth inequality in creating the crisis we face because the roots of this problem go so deep and are so seemingly intractable that they wanted to focus on the things we could do more immediately to stem the bleeding in our Republic. I understand this but I also believe that it is the deepest taproot of this tree and if the tree of Liberty and prosperity is to flourish again in America, we will have to confront it - and soon. Not in another twenty years when it may be too late. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nevertheless, since I will be addressing this issue much more in future columns, I will stand down from my soapbox and try to address some shorter term solutions to the challenge of halting the “Hollowing of the American Middle” and restoring the center again.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deep polarization within our political system has spawned at least one other notable phenomenon worth mentioning. Not content to have gained serious ground by ignoring ``critical norms that have guided us for more than 100 years the Republicans did something that all those sinking into the sands of tyranny do, they turned on those in their own ranks whose loyalty was questionable. They </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">turned on their own centrists - those “disloyal” Congressmen and Senators who had the unmitigated gall to believe that members of the other party were not monsters but the loyal opposition - sweeping most of them from office through the noun they have verbified as “primarying”. There is nothing wrong with having a broad range of thinkers in the political process, in fact it is healthy, but like two shores divided by a great river flowing into the future there must be a bridge that joins the two sides. This has been the most important role of centrists in politics. They have been the bridge that sees good ideas where ever they come from, working to bring the two sides together for the good of all.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we do not restore the center in American politics we will surely witness what may be the unraveling of the American Republic, caught up in an endless cycle, lurching from left to right until one party or the other decides to put country ahead of political gain or we self destruct. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what, then, do we do? (while we are working on that thorny income gap problem!) </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, we sing out in the American Voice. Each of us must hold those running for any office accountable. We must ask tough questions, and we must expect that they will have answers to how we might heal our country again. The specific answers are less important than the clear indication that each has given serious thought to the matter. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if the elections this fall are in fact the blow out for Democrats that is being forecast, the Democrats need to understand that this will not be a mandate for them. It will be because the “Coalition of the Decent” - as described by Republican operative Steve Schmidt - has risen up to wrest the country from the clutches of despotism. The Democrat’s challenge, as painful as it may be, will be to show the country what it looks like when adults are running the government . . . to model mutual tolerance and exercise forbearance. As Nelson Mandela put it “to surprise our adversaries”. If they can do this, despite the challenges, they will capture enough of that coalition to be successful in the future. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As sympathetic as I am to those who say that Democrats should fight like Republicans, that will only make the problem worse and probably assure that the pendulum will swing back in next election . . . and you know what that means.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the longer term, we will have to take other steps to restore the center. Here are some of the things I would suggest: </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">End Partisan Gerrymandering:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the day when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry’s last name was annexed to the “salamander” descriptor given to one of the districts redrawn to benefit his political party back in 1812, It has been a common practice for political parties who find themselves in power during the term following a census to redraw the election map in their favor. Where Gerrymandering that disadvantages racial groups has been declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court, “Partisan Gerrymandering” has - until recently - been accepted as a part of the spoils of political victory. This has now come under fire for good reasons. Throughout the country a fairly dramatic disconnect has developed between the political choices of voters and the outcome of elections. Partixan Gerrymandering, it is said, has created a situation where voters do not choose their representatives in elections but rather Representatives choose their voters when district lines are drawn.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The case of Wisconsin, now before the US Supreme Court, is particularly telling. In 2012 Democrats racked up 174,000 more votes for the state legislature - called “The Assembly” - than Republicans. Yet Republicans ended up with 61% of the seats in the Assembly . . . with only 49% of the votes, Democrats with 51% of the votes won less than 40% of the seats in the Assembly. Both parties should be incensed by this because the current system is just as likely to provide Democrats with the opportunity to stack the deck as Republicans and they are, sadly, just as willing to take advantage. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By any measure, this is wrong and it would be if the parties were reversed. If you believe in the principle of one person one vote, this system defies that principle and effectively creates a rigged election. If the Supreme Court finds for the Plaintiffs in the case it could have dramatic effects on the electoral landscape but the last time that the Supreme Court considered this matter, in 2003, they punted. We should not wait for the Supreme Court. Efforts already undertaken by states like California and Arizona, arguably the most liberal and conservative states in the Union, have demonstrated that independent and balanced commissions can dramatically reduce the level of partisanship in their elected bodies. In addition to these commissions, several other innovative methodologies have been developed both here and in other nations that can and should be considered. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moving to Ranked Vote Balloting:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How often have you cast a vote when you felt that, aside from your choice of candidate, there were others who would do a perfectly respectable job? Ranked Voting, sometimes also referred to as Instant Runoff Voting, is a system of voting where the ballot allows the voter to rank the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote then second and third choices are considered, using a system for allocating those votes until one candidate or another achieves a majority. There are also systems employed in other countries that are specifically created to address both the voting and the Gerrymandering problems together.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With Ranked Voting candidates can no longer count only on their “base” for an election victory - often at substantially less than a majority - but instead must be concerned about those voters who might see them as a second choice. Forcing them to be more specific about their positions on issues and tamping down the inclination to use negative campaigning as a political tactic. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ranked Vote system of balloting gives the voter the opportunity to not only vote for the candidate of their choosing but also to cast an additional vote for one or more of their choices in their order of preference. Both voters and candidates in places where Ranked Voting is being employed say that it give moderates, and even Independents, a fair shot at the nomination or the seat and it reduces negative campaigning, with candidates concerned that negative attacks on their opponents will affect their weighted total of votes.</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An unintended but consequential result of such a system would also be that it will make meddling in our elections much more difficult for the Russians or any other nation intent on doing harm to the American Republic, even that 400 pound fat guy sitting on his bed. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.536140189.7762/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="800" height="326" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.536140189.7762/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/30977762-chapel-on-the-road-to-the-sun-monochrome-poster">Chapel on a Road to the Sun Monochrome Poster</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Money in Politics:</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deleterious effect of the “Citizens United” decision by the Supreme Court has been well documented. While I don’t foresee a change of heart among the members of the court at any time soon, we should continue to push for reforms that limit the effects of big money on the outcomes of political races. The suggestions above will have a significant effect in this area but money in politics is an insidious force, akin to rainwater on a leaky roof. If one avenue to enter the house is repaired the water will seek out other paths. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After thoughts:</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, though I might lose you on one or both of these, we might also consider a few other things. Encouraging the Senate - by whatever means - to bring back the old style filibuster instead of the nonsense that now passes for a filibuster. If all those Senators with their failing prostates had to actually stand up and debate for hours on end to hold up a bill I’ll wager we’d have very few filibusters. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A serious and substantive discussion about lowering the voting age to 16 instead of 18 is also in order. Ten other countries now permit it. In Scotland the Parliament passed the franchise to vote for 16 and 17 year-olds unanimously after successfully testing the premise during their referendum on independence. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the last few months our kids have taught us a lot about what it means to be a good citizen. Maybe it’s time to say that if they can teach us to be good citizens, they can vote as well. We allow 16 year olds to get married - they should be able to vote. They can’t do any worse than we have, and I suspect they would do a whole lot better. . . and by the way, any party that thinks they could count on their votes is in for a rude awakening - these kids are not going to be partisan. They scoff at the notion that any political party has a monopoly on good ideas or moral authority. If they get the franchise, you best sharpen your rhetorical skills. </span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You may have noticed that I have not once in this column mentioned Donald Trump. I have said it before. . . Donald Trump is not the cause of the crisis in our Republic, he is a symptom. As Pogo said in the now oft-cited quote from Walt Kelly’s famous comic strip, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Working class and poor - advancing quickly into the middle class</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. He was a three term State Senator, who Chaired the Senate Economic Development Committee and the NH Senate Economic Summit. In 1994 King was the Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline has been published on Amazon.com as an ebook (</span><a href="http://bit.ly/STrust" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/STrust</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ) or in paper at </span><a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://bit.ly/STPaper</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> . He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge. His website is: http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.513673148.8852/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="250" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.513673148.8852/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/30348852-colors-in-a-pike-nh-home" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Colors of a Pike NH Home</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-56109623176707256432018-03-09T11:03:00.000-08:002018-03-09T16:46:34.853-08:00The Hidden Time Bomb within the Good Employment News<br />
If you ever needed proof of the disconnect between Wall Street and average folks it is the response of the Markets to the unemployment numbers from last month. Not only were markets excited with the growth in the number of people employed but they were especially excited at the lack of wage growth. Their argument was that it means that inflation is not heating up; but lets call it what it is, a continuation of nearly 50 years of stagnant wages for middle class and working class families.<br />
<br />
<div>
Indeed, the unemployment news today is very good for the economy. Whether you wish to credit President Obama or President Trump is your call; economists make pretty good arguments both ways. Within these numbers, however, there is the long-term crisis of income inequality that represents the single greatest to the American Republic, there is also a ticking time bomb that threatens to lock it in . . . Non-compete clauses for hourly workers. <br />
<br />
What? You say. If you have ever heard discussions about non-compete clauses in the past it was in conjunction with the employment of management level employees and people who are engaged in work that involves closely held intellectual property and trade secrets. <br />
<br />
The fact is that since 2014 non-compete clauses for lower wage employees has been growing dramatically. It is now estimated that 25% of low wage workers are being required to sign non-compete clauses. <br />
<br />
In year’s past there have been spurts in wage growth associated with a strong economy because employers had to raise wages in order to keep their workforce. Now they are requiring new hires to sign non-compete clauses instead. <br />
<br />
Are you managing the line at a Pizza Hut and the local Papa John’s is offering to double your pay if you’ll come on board with them? Great news for you. Great news for your family too. Here’s your chance to take another step up the ladder of the American Dream. Hold on there! If you signed a non-compete agreement with your employee when you were hired - or after that - chances are that you are stuck. Worse still, you’ve got no leverage with your current boss because when you ask him or her for a raise - especially if you mention the offer from Papa John’s. He’ll just remind you that your non-compete clause means you can’t take that job. If you think you can take the job and accept the legal consequences, keep in mind that you may end up spending all or more of your increased wages on lawyers to defend you from your former boss. <br />
<br />
Asking low wage workers to sign non-compete clauses is a blatant use of a legal contract clause intended to protect intellectual property to suppress wages for working class and middle income workers. If this practice grows we will have effectively locked in shrinking wage growth, especially for the poor and working class - the precariat - and made more desperate the hopes of overcoming the growing inequality of income in America. <br />
<br />
To those who think this is not a threat to both the Republic and the economy I say, where will your consumers come from if this continues? <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.449913328.9581/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="800" height="208" src="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.449913328.9581/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/18259581-alton-washday-revisited" target="_blank">Alton Washday Revisited</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. He was a three term State Senator, who Chaired the Senate Economic Development Committee and the NH Senate Economic Summit. In 1994 King was the Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline has been published on Amazon.com as an ebook (<a href="http://bit.ly/STrust">http://bit.ly/STrust</a> ) or in paper at <a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper">http://bit.ly/STPaper</a> . He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge. His website is: <a href="http://bit.ly/WayneDKing">http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />3/9/2018</span></div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-21144357464872593752018-03-04T05:02:00.001-08:002018-05-13T06:13:25.609-07:00A National American Social Dividend and a New American ParadigmAs the oldest, most successful republican system of government there is much about the American political, social and cultural systems in which we can take considerable pride. For more than 200 years, with relatively few exceptions - some notable whoppers among them - our system of governance and the people who have been elected, appointed and hired to represent us have served us well. <br /><br /><div>
Each generation in that time has played its part in questioning, evaluating and putting to the test the institutions that we have created, allowing our government and our culture to continue to evolve. Sometimes that evolution came by renewing our allegiance to those institutions and sometimes by changing or even abolishing them. Sometimes the evolution of institutions has been gradual and sometimes by upheaval. <br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="535" height="400" src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.523618548.5954/flat,1000x1000,075,f.jpg" width="267" /></a>When the Republic was first established, the first ten amendments to the Constitution were essential to its adoption as the nation exercised its right to create changes to the structure and form of government right from the start. Insisting that the ten proposed amendments were essential to define the limits of power vested in the Federal Government and the essential rights of the individual and the states.</div>
<div>
Likewise, over time, other amendments would codify the changes brought on by campaigns for change driven by the people and moving the country toward that “more perfect union”. In 1865, following the greatest single test of the young nation, and the loss of more than half a million American lives, the thirteenth Amendment ended America’s greatest shame, slavery. In 1869 it became illegal for a man to be discriminated against in voting based on race, though women, to our everlasting regret, would remain completely disenfranchised for almost a half century more and most of those covered by the fourteenth amendment would also not fully realize their franchise until even more time had passed. In 1912 Senators, who had been selected by state legislatures for the first 125 years of the United States system, were selected by direct election of the people for the first time and six years later women finally obtained the right to vote after a long and hard fought campaign for suffrage. <br /></div>
<div>
Like the then-emerging understanding of natural law, propounded by Charles Darwin, so too did it seem that the process of evolving toward a more perfect union was one in which competing forces served to dictate the speed of that evolution, driven by a complex algorithm of activism, courage, perseverance and patience. <br /><br />It also seemed, until fairly recently, that with our system of governance, so dexterously woven by the founders, they foresaw within its structures and institutions that there would be a natural obsolescence, the result of the nexus of time, human endeavor and achievement pushing forward the evolution of society. <br /><br />Each of these major political changes as well as those wrought by social and economic forces including two Industrial Revolutions, the Labor Union Movement, The Progressive Era, The Women’s Suffrage Movement, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War, merged with the political changes to create ongoing movements and moments defining continuously reinvented versions of the American Paradigm. <br /><br />But in the last two generations something has happened to this natural progression . . . something has changed. <br /><br />If you are a Millenial or from Generation X you may not have noticed. That’s because the changes seem less dramatic when viewed in the scope of 20 years than over more than half a century. <br /><br />Each generation of Americans have faced this to some extent but the leap from horses and buggies in the late 1800s to fast cars and SUVs in the late 1900s is not nearly as mind-blowing as the changes that have taken place since the turn of this millenium. <br /></div>
<div>
Today the world is shifting beneath our feet. Change is not only the rule, it is both friend and foe. To make matters worse, it is often difficult to distinguish between when it is friend and when it is foe. <br /></div>
<div>
As important as the rapidly accelerating pace of technological change is to understanding where we are and where we are headed, what is even more important is to acknowledge that there has been a dramatic decoupling of the responsiveness to change between those driven by the human spirit, innovation and entrepreneurial initiative and our increasingly moribund and tribalized national politics that threaten to infect our state, local and community politics. <br /><br />Even those of us who are Boomers have accommodated ourselves to the rapid pace of social change, as difficult as that may seem from time to time. Every day we hear new stories of entrepreneurs who have created remarkable new products that solve real problems. The pace of these victories of the human spirit and the entrepreneurial ethos continues to accelerate; but the ability of government to respond seems inversely proportional to its size and level. The further government is removed from the people the less dynamic it seems to be in its capability to respond to change and the more partisan it has become. <br /></div>
<div>
Until recently our political institutions have seemed to be up to the task of evolving with the culture and the economy. No more. In fact, they have been out of sync for some time now, the lag, it turns out, was in our understanding of this.<br /><br /><br />The Collapse of Middle Class and Precariat Income and Wages<br /></div>
<div>
Believe it or not, 1973 was the last year that wages for the Middle Class and the Precariat rose in response to increasing productivity. Since that time wages for both have stagnated while the real income of the top 1% has risen dramatically. <br /><br />This growing income gap is the greatest threat to our democracy and our most important challenge as a Republic. Furthermore it is a virtual iceberg of sadness, rage and division within our society. Where most of the danger lies beneath the surface of the water. One need only observe that the margin of Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 elections can be found in the number of people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 - desperately seeking hope - and then having found that still no one seemed to be listening - they voted to burn the system down by switching to Donald Trump.<br /><br />This collapse and the growing disparity of income in America represents a grave and existential danger to our Republic. The stability of a democracy is built on the strength of its middle class and the belief that even those in the Precariat can aspire to moving up . . . the belief that if you work hard and play by the rules that every American has the opportunity to succeed. When people begin to lose faith in this the Republic is in peril. <br /><br />Equally as important, though rarely observed, this disparity represents a nearly complete denial of what has contributed to an American economy that is second to no other in humanity’s history. The Gross Domestic Product of our nation is a complex synthesis of recent success and hard won achievement built over more than 500 years of history. <br /><br />Try telling the families of the Creek, the Cherokee, the Chocktaw, the Chickasaw and other nations who unwillingly participated in the death march now known as the “Trail of Tears” that some of the wealth of this great nation, reflected in its GDP today, did not come from the theft of their lands and wealth or that of any of the other 558 other tribes within the United States that have managed to survive the informal genocide of disease and the more formal one of the eradication campaigns that followed them. <br /><br />Try telling the descendants of African American slaves who, for more than 200 years, padded the numbers of the national GDP with free labor that their toil and pain played no role in the equation.<br /><br />Try telling the women of this nation, who even today earn less than 80 cents on a dollar compared with men in the American economy, that their labor is not of equal value and worthy of recognition in the equation. <br /><br />Try telling the descendants of every immigrant group that came to this nation seeking opportunity and endured the slings and arrows of xenophobia and prejudice while providing low wage labor to generations of American Oligarchs; or the families of Japanese Americans held in prisoner camps during World War II and stripped of their wealth that their sacrifices in the national interest don’t matter. <br /><br />I could go on but my point is not to dredge up the mistakes of the past but rather to recognize that - as a nation built by immigrants on lands stolen from indigenous people, we are all aggrieved, we are all due reparations. We are mutually responsible for our successes and failures and mutually entitled to a National American Social Dividend paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of every American who labored, and fought for the American Dream over the past 500 years - even before the dream was fully formed. <br /><br />Mutually Entitled is the key phrase here. This National American Social Dividend is the birthright of everyone from the richest oligarch to the poorest American cobbling together four minimum wage part-time jobs to keep his or her head above water. Recognizing this will be critical to solving the problems associated with it lest it simply become one more flashpoint in the ongoing culture wars and tribalism that pits one American against another. <br /><br />Back in the early 1970s when wages had not decoupled from productivity and the share of the wealth the bottom 99% of wage earners was still growing it seemed that we might see ‘the invisible hand of the market’ adjust accordingly to correct for the problem of income disparity, but time has a nasty way of revealing to us the truths behind our sacred cows. <br /><br />In the last decade, time has, like a capital black hole, collapsed on itself in a landslide of cascading realities that have shaken our confidence in the American system to the core. <br /></div>
<div>
American productivity has never been better, yet productivity has produced a rush to the bottom in marginal costs of products, great it you are a consumer - but fewer and fewer of us find ourselves able to afford the luxury of being consumers these days. <br /><br />American productivity is rarely today referred to in the quaint old fashioned parlance as “worker productivity” because fewer and fewer workers actually lay hands on the products. Astounding gains in artificial intelligence will only serve to make this problem worse and this train has left the station, there is no turning back. <br /><br />Depending upon what futurist or prognosticator you are listening to between 40% and 60% of existing jobs will be performed autonomously within a decade, requiring few if any human hands earning wages. Even some of the newest jobs created within the “Gig Economy” like Uber Driver will vanish while the driver’s seat is barely warm. Within ten years almost all jobs related to transporting passengers and freight will likely be driverless as will many others that require only rote learning. Even a significant number of jobs that we would not imagine capable of being performed by anything other than a human will vanish without a trace. <br /></div>
<div>
There is no consensus about whether this dramatic job loss will be accompanied by equally dramatic growth of new jobs. Historically the case can be made that such revolutions in employment generate more jobs, not fewer. However, it’s worth asking ourselves if there are any trends that run contrary to this optimists outlook.<br /><br />According to Mark Blyth, Professor of Political Economy at the Watson Center for International Studies at Brown University, 94% of jobs created since 2008 have been agency contract, part time jobs - most without benefits. If this trend continues, and there is no reason to believe it won’t, the majority of Americans will no longer be working a single job but multiple jobs, again with few, if any, employer provided benefits.<br /><br />The stress that this has already exerted on the fabric of America can be seen in the growing partisan divisions of our politics, in the tribalism that pits one American against another even to the point of casting aside some of our most cherished beliefs including our pride in our own immigrant heritage and the role it has played in creating the most diverse and vibrant democracy on the planet. <br /></div>
<div>
All of those people who took such pride in the election of Barack Obama as President did not just abandon their core beliefs to choose Donald Trump. They came to believe that the light they saw at the end of the tunnel was - in fact - a train coming at them full speed. Fear has a powerful way of changing our perceptions.<br /><br />Thomas Piketty said, in his landmark work “Capital”, “The natural course of capitalism is the concentration of wealth.” but there is a solution to this. A robust democracy that doesn’t accept it as a fait accompli. Assigning blame is counter productive. This is no-one’s fault, but it is everyone’s problem. Overcoming it will be the great challenge of our time. It will require us to reinvent many of the institutions that have defined us over the centuries. It will require us to find new ways to bridge the divides that threaten us. It will require Democrats to embrace smaller government and Republicans to accept economies of scale. It will require those who would prefer to punish the poor for being . . . well, poor . . . granting them more freedom and responsibility and require those inclined to act as nannies to enfranchise the poor with the freedom to fail. It will require that we do not downsize government or upsize government but rightsize government, vesting power where it is most effectively wielded.<br /><br />It will require us to create a new American Paradigm including a means for accessing and employing a National American Social Dividend as a means for creating a pathway to national renewal. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>About Wayne D. King: Wayne King is an author, artist, activist and recovering politician. He was a three term State Senator, who Chaired the Senate Economic Development Committee and the NH Senate Economic Summit. In 1994 King was the Democratic nominee for Governor and most recently the CEO of MOP Environmental Solutions Inc., a public company in the environmental cleanup space. His art is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published three books of his images. His most recent novel "Sacred Trust" a vicarious, high voltage adventure to stop a private powerline has been published on Amazon.com as an ebook (<a href="http://bit.ly/STrust">http://bit.ly/STrust</a> ) or in paper at <a href="http://bit.ly/STPaper">http://bit.ly/STPaper</a> . He lives in Rumney at the base of Rattlesnake Ridge. His website is: http://bit.ly/WayneDKing</i></span><div class="post_body" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue", helveticaneue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px 20px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 540px;">
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374012903333516283.post-18318032067343386872018-03-03T07:25:00.001-08:002018-03-06T05:28:20.417-08:00Income Inequality - America’s Greatest Single Challenge in the Age of Technology<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
Wayne D. King</div>
<br />I believe that income inequality is the greatest single threat to our nation. If we do not begin to talk seriously about how we address this - and not the simplistic pablum that both Republicans and Democrats have fed us for the last 50 years - then the Republic is in grave danger. We will pinball from one ideologue on the right to one on the left.<br /><br />"The world is shifting beneath our feet. Consider this:<br /><br />1. Since 1973 wages and income for the bottom 99% of Americans have been stagnant. That means that every year growth in the economy is transferred directly into the bank accounts of 1% of the population. <br /><br />2. The marginal costs of products move ever lower in response to enhanced productivity but that productivity is purchased by an unstoppable wave of technology displacing workers.<br /><br />3. 94% of the jobs added to our economy since 2008 have been agency conntract part time jobs most without benefits and within the next 20 years 40-60% of all jobs that exist today will be replaced by technology.<br /><br />4. For the first time in 100 years average American lifespans have gone down over the past decade. Some of this can be attributed to the Opiate crisis but a large share is the due to the fact that even a health club membership is out of reach for many Americans and expensive prescriptions are out of the question to many. <br /><br />I ask the same question that I asked in my column of January 1, 2018 ("A Steady Hand and an Open Heart" http://bit.ly/ASteadyHand) Who will buy the products when technology has replaced the human hands that once made them? To whom will those products be delivered when the trucks delivering them are driverless or they are flown through the air by drones? Where will we employ the taxi drivers, the line workers, the coal miners?"<br /><br />Every American has contributed to the success of our economy for 500 years. We must find a way to share in those fruits in order to unleash a new entrepreneurial vision and spirit and to shrink the need for a safety net because more people are sharing in our economic success.<br /><br /><br />Next column: A National American Social Dividend and a New American Paradigm Moosewood Communicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07246019651442323065noreply@blogger.com0