Since 1980 When Ronald Reagan won the presidential election, the American public has been hearing thoughts to the effect that the government is the problem because it is inefficient. Is it a wonder then that the latest Pew Research Center survey finds that only 19% of the public trusts government? To a degree it provides some rationale for the popularity of outsiders like Donald Trump and Ben Carson. But it is a disturbing statistic. It may also explain the low voters turnout, the apathy behind many in the electorate who just don’t vote. Whether or not (more…)
Governance
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“When Will They Ever Learn?”
“When will they ever learn?” This was written by Pete Seeger as the refrain and last line of the anti-war song popular during the Viet Nam War “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” And now it seems to apply to guns and mass-shootings. A Washington Post blog cites the San Bernardino shooting on December 2, 2015 as the 355th for the year. Of course just a few days before there was one in Colorado. Not all mass shooting grab the headlines, and depending on how they are counted—whether it is 4 of less casualties—the reports may differ, still even a fraction (more…)
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Enough
During World War II Winston Churchill kept a shocked nation together, he brought out the best of Britain and of all the Allied powers. FDR when he emphasized that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself did much the same thing. They both led. During the Civil Rights era Martin Luther King, Jr. led. He preached non-violence and led blacks and whites alike out of the racial impasse the U.S. was then in. Following the dismantling of Apartheid Nelson Mandela led, he brought out the best of the people in South Africa leading them away from racial hatred and towards reconciliation. Leaders are not just the head of (more…)